My Hero Academia is based on the manga and the first season has 13 episodes. It is set in a world where 80% of the population have superpowers called Quirks. They are born with the innate ability and thus it leads to a world where supervillains, and by extension, superheroes, are actual professions. Even though nearly everyone has superpowers, only a few of them use it to their full potential and protect the public. Quirks can be literally anything, from typical ones like size shifting and super strength to unorthodox ones like the abilities of a frog and something as vague as "headphone jack".
The series follows Midoriya Izuku, otherwise known as Deku. He adores superheroes, particularly the undisputed strongest and most heroic of all, All Might. Unfortunately for him, he is one of the rare cases with no Quirk at all, despite having parents that do. As a result, his heroic dreams have stumbled upon a major roadblock and cause him to be the target of severe bullying as being Quirkless is seen as inferior. Deku is timid but thanks to his obsession with superheroes, he is quite knowledgeable about their powers and techniques. Having written his own notes on the subject, he uses this to his advantage during battles, analyzing and then surprises his opponents who had underestimated him.
Through a few chance meetings, Deku meets his hero All Might and thanks to a few words of inspirations (although not in the way that you would expect), Deku trains vigorously in the hope to enter the most prestigious hero school there is: U.A. High School. There's a lot more behind All Might than he lets on to the public. His abilities, personality and other aspects are eventually explored.
The other major character is Bakugo, who is immediately introduced as the bully of Deku. He has a powerful Quirk, even acknowledged by professional superheroes. Bakugo can create explosions and he aims to enter U.A. as well. Bakugo never gets any better, in fact, he acts pretty much like a villain more than the hero he aspires. He hates Deku (irrationally at times), and has a superiority complex. While he acts as Deku's rival, there is nothing redeemable about Bakugo other than his strength.
Naturally, Deku manages to get into U.A. High School and that is where the story truly starts as it chronicles Deku's struggles against powerful students who already had their Quirks from when they were born and able to use it creatively. Deku, on the other hand, has to work extremely hard in order to achieve a result that is even remotely close to them. Deku is at a huge disadvantage since he effectively becomes incapacitated afterwards. This keeps you interested to see his thought process on when to fight or when to keep his strength so that he doesn't become a burden on everyone else.
However, this is what makes the series so good and addictive. Deku is an all round nice guy that you can get behind. Never mind his timid nature and tendency to cry in the beginning. You hate that people look down on Deku and so when he actually defies their expectations and succeeds, that's where the series shines the most. My Hero Academia has a comedic take and many characters are not what you expect based on their appearances alone. It can go fro serious to humorous in the span of a second. There are also some adrenaline pumping scenes where you cheer for Deku. It likes to play with superhero archetypes but then throws something unexpected along the way.
While the main character is no doubt Deku, it knows when to stop and focus on other supporting characters which allows it to be a lot more interesting. The season builds up to an epic ending where it spans five episodes with a big fight and finally showcasing each of the student's abilities in more detail. Throughout most of the season, it is hard to keep track of whom was whom, especially when their costumes makes it even harder to remember and connect it to their normal appearances.
It is appreciated when we get to see Deku's classmates, the proper elite students, use their abilities inventively. Despite their power though, it hammers home the point that they are all inexperienced and even though they are full of raw potential, the proper heroes still have their place and are levels above them. Overall, My Hero Academia really knows how to touch your buttons with powerful intense moments and scenes that make you cheer for Deku and All Might. It had a great ending and makes you really excited for the second season.
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