Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Each volume seems to get better as they go on. It may be a spin off, but it's becoming a really exciting and intriguing storyline. This volume goes into more detail about the hero society and how it came to be. It tells us how all heroes originated as vigilantes, but were scooped up into a system to distinguish heroes from villains - people who use their powers for good on the side of the law, and those who want to use them to harm innocents. But, as we know, it's not that simple. There's no black and white with heroes and villains. There are villains who are classified as such simply because they use their powers illegally, despite it being for good purposes (like the vigilantes), and there are heroes that only care for fame and publicity, acting selfishly rather than genuinely. One character in particular, Captain Celebrity, reminds me of the Harry Potter character Gilderoy Lockheart who only cares for fame and his celebrity status rather than actually helping people (or in Lockheart's case, teaching and actually helping those he claimed to have rescued/aided in the past). It's very reflective of real life, showing the difference between good hearted and selfless people and the selfish and greedy ones, yet both can be classified as good people, or heroes in this case.
Koichi is still one of my favourite characters from this series. He's a sweetheart, and dare I say a bit of a pushover, but he has a heart of gold and continues to try to reach his goals despite what people say to him. He has plenty of run-ins and close calls that keep you on the edge of your seat. He's hair-raisingly close to having his vigilante identity discovered, has several close calls with villains in epic fights, and we get to see more of his personal life and family. We also watch his powers expand beyond the previous volume, showing that he's more skilful than he believes himself to be.
This story continues the plotline involving the villain drug, Trigger, and how people are being turned into monstrous villains that are taken down by the vigilantes and pro heroes, but really they're innocents being turned into victims. The vigilantes interact with the pro heroes more, in particular with Ingenium and his agency, and they group up against a large villain in an exciting chase. In amongst the exciting action, however, there are really touching moments between the vigilantes, and we see their growing relationships with one another.
This volume also came with two special episodes that are set at the beginning of volume 2. The first being a meeting with pro heroes such as Midnight, Eraser Head, Thirteen, Endeavour, and Best Jeanist, among others. We get a glimpse of them in their off duty clothes as they attend a meeting to discuss Trigger and how the 'villains' they have been apprehending are actually victims of the drug, which is a shock to them all. All Might cannot attend, however, because he's a busy guy, and we see Endeavour's bitter jealousy towards the number one hero, allowing his anger towards All Might affect his judgement, and he acts irrationally as a result. We also witness a discussion between Midnight and Eraser Head about how she's becoming a teacher at U.A. and thinks he should become one too, since he has such strong ideals about what a hero should be. He laughs it off, but it's clear that one day he will take that path (and we know he does from the main series).
The second episode gives us an insight into the All Might agency when he was in his prime. We see how he's bombarded with fans and paparazzi after every mission. He's courteous and polite to them all, accepting their gifts and taking the time to talk to everyone. You can see how he maintains the number one hero status, yet we can also see how it takes a toll on him. He uses his weaker form as an alternate identity around his HQ, distributing the gifts people gave All Might from previous missions to his staff, which is utterly adorable. He's also incredibly overworked as he maintains the idea that he will save everyone he can, and will literally drop everything to help deal with even the smallest of crimes/problems, such as cats stuck up a tree or a purse snatcher. He uses his weaker form to meet with people who want to get hold of All Might when he is too tired to maintain his strong form. This time, however, when Naomasa Tsukauchi from the local police meets with him to tell him about Trigger, All Might accidentally reveals himself, and we see how the pair become genuine friends (as seen in the main series), where Tsukauchi promises to keep his identity a secret whilst helping him fill out the pesky paperwork that All Might cannot keep up with from the amount of people he saves and incidents he deals with. He won't let paperwork get in the way of helping people, even if that means what he does doesn't strictly follow the law, so Tsukauchi offers his help.
Overall, I'm really excited to see where this story is going to go from here. It's so difficult to pace myself with this manga and ensure I don't devour it all in one sitting. It keeps me hooked from start to finish and there isn't a dull moment.