SMASH!! goes out with a bang, completely contorting the MHA space-time continuum
Creative Staff:
Original Concept: Kohei HorikoshiStory & Art: Hirofumi Neda
Translation:Caleb Cook
Lettering:John Hunt
Designer:Julian Robinson
Editor:Hope Donovan
What They Say:
The final volume of MHA: SMASH!! gives Neda one last opportunity to retcon everything Horikoshi has built over the years (don’t worry, it’s all out of respect and admiration). The 4th-wall breaking climax will leave you wanting more alternate-takes on your favorite characters.
The Review
Content (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Through the first four volumes, SMASH!! has loosely followed the events of the original story, albeit with comically different outcomes. But instead of following the heavy-hitting Shie Hassaikai arc for the series finale, Hirofumi Neda throws out the script, opting for a more behind the scenes approach. What we get in return is a hodge-podge of day’s off, do-overs and detrimental attempts at educating our heroes-in-training.
The SMASH!! version of U.A. continues to make a case against sending your kids to this school. Surprisingly, the rescue training segment is the most normal exam SMASH!! has had so far and gives some good screen-time for several Class B students. But things quickly fall apart for All Might’s lesson planning, as the students gear up for some unorthodox exercises. Sometimes a hero must face a foe stronger than any villain – that’s right, I’m talking about the media. The students of 1-A quickly learned that press-conference training is no walk in the park.
Some lucky students are given the opportunity for real-world hero experience. Unfortunately for them, I’m not sure they learned anything useful. After flunking their internships, Midoriya and Bakugo get a 2nd chance, but this time they’ll both work under Best Jeanist. If the Number 4 hero’s strict regimen was able to subdue Bakugo the first time around, his 2nd internship was surely the straw that broke the camel’s back. Bakugo’s ego-death is easily one of my favorite gags of Volume 5. But Bakugo gets another chance for some hero experience, as he and Todoroki are sent to work at a small-town event. The job: helping the town promote their famous eggs by dancing around in chicken costumes (poor Bakugo can’t catch a break).
In order to gain a wealth of knowledge, sometimes you need a change in perspective. That’s why Class 1-A took the time to interview a special guest speaker – Stain. In the original, Stain is a bloodthirsty villain with convictions as strong as All Might’s pecs. But the version of Stain we get in SMASH!! is much more…pathetic. As you might expect, the students don’t learn anything fruitful from this experience, save for the fact that Stain is the biggest All Might fanboy (next to Midoriya of course).
But what am I talking about academics so much for, it’s not like it’s in the title or anything…
Smash!! is all about what’s happening off the record; those beautiful moments of characterization you wouldn’t get to see in the main series. Fleshing out the characters is key to making fans care about the story and its consequences… too bad SMASH!! has no intention of painting Horikoshi’s characters in a positive light. So what have U.A.’s best and brightest been up to since moving into the dorms? Well, they all got addicted to a gatcha phone game, worked a terrible Haunted Café for the Tanabata Festival, and scrambled to make summertime memories before the season ends. Honestly, it’s typical behavior for high schoolers. Even the League of Villains are doing their best to enjoy the summer! After an awkward conference for new initiates, the League does a group training exercise in the great outdoors. Sadly, these shut-ins aren’t primed for even the smallest of hikes.
SMASH!! wouldn’t be complete without some ultra-meta plot lines (and this one is about as meta as it gets). Class 1-A gets a terrible case of déjà vu when All Might announces the annual Golden Week Hero Show. Haven’t we done that already this year? Right on cue, Shigaraki teleports in with the culprit in hand. Apparently, someone with an ‘isekai’ quirk stopped time for the world of MHA. After some meta-references to Sazae-san and pointing out MHA’s own awkward pacing, Mr. Isekai admits to fiddling with space-time. A literal stand-in for the fandom, this person simply wanted to be a part of the world he had only seen through a screen. In a climactic final battle to return to their timeline, the heroes and villains team up to give Mr. Isekai a satisfying end to his fantasies. And in typical SMASH!! fashion, the timeline gets completely messed-up, making for some amazing new personalities for both our heroes and villains.
Volume 5 ends with bonus chapters, some illustrations from Horikoshi, and the final chapter of Neda’s Horikoshi and Me.
In Summary:
MHA: SMASH!! Volume 5 delivers on some good laughs; there were some especially good reaction faces in this one. Overall, I think the SMASH!! series is a prime example that all the big-hitters in Shonen Jump deserve a comedic spin-off. As a colleague and friend of Horikoshi, Hirofumi Neda has great comedic timing and a fantastic understanding of MHA and its characters (even when he was utterly ruining their image). I hope it’s not too long before we see more of Neda’s work serialized!
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation: A
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: VIZ Media
Release Date: August 4th, 2020
MSRP: $9.99 (paperback) / $6.99 (digital)
