English Dub Review: My Hero Academia ” Time to Pick Some Names”

Let’s pick’em!

My Hero Academia wrapped up the long-spanning U.A. sports festival in “Todoroki vs. Bakugo.” As protagonist Izuku Midoriya, aka Deku (Justin Briner), reveals, “In the days after the sports festival ended, we recovered, and then out normal classes started right back up again. Well, some things were different.”

During his morning commute, Deku is recognized on the subway. It’s not just Deku however. Most of the students that participated in the sports fest are recognized by the general public. There’s a return to class and revelation of the future. The children are supposed to pick codenames for themselves. As Professor Aizawa (Christopher Wehkamp) explains, “The name you give yourself is important. It helps reinforce your image and shows what kind of hero you want to be in the future.”

Despite his high placement, Deku isn’t recruited highly after the sports fest. Instead, Todoroki (David Matranga) is recruited higher than Bakugo (Clifford Chapin) who emerged as the sports festival winner. Tenya Iida (John Michael Tatum) struggles with the attack on his brother. It’s shown that his brother is alive, but can’t use his legs. It’s unclear how Iida will ultimately react to this.

Midoriya picks Deku as his hero name. This doesn’t really come as a massive surprise. Next up for the students are internships. For those recruited, they pick from their options. The others are placed accordingly. Though initially Deku isn’t recruited, he eventually garners a few offers. All Might (Christopher R. Sabat) tells Deku that Gran Torino extended an offer to work with Deku.

I enjoyed this entry in My Hero Academia series two. It’s the first day of internships, and the students are sent off to their hero internships complete with codenames and costumes. “Time to Pick Some Names” slows down the pace a lot. However, it’s a refreshing change from the high energy sports fest. Additionally, I like how this episode sets up a new story arc with Iida seeking revenge on the hero killer Stain after his brother is attacked. There’s an exciting new plot line and the introduction of new settings and atmosphere post-sports fest.