My Hero Academia anime criticized for “missing the point” in certain scenes

Ahead of the premiere of its seventh season, the My Hero Academia anime is being criticized for “missing the point” in certain scenes.

My Hero Academia Season 7 is set to debut and it’s one of the most highly anticipated upcoming anime of 2024. However, the trailer of the season has sparked some criticism from the fandom. Fans are now calling out Bones, the studio behind it, for their art direction.

A scene in the upcoming season’s trailer shows Shigaraki high up in the sky, ready to fight Star and Stripe. While the scene is highly anticipated, the art in the anime show isn’t on par with the intensity of the oncoming fight. Despite being so high in the sky, there are plenty of clouds and the sky is as blue as ever.

The problem with this scene in the anime is that it doesn’t correctly portray the vibe and intensity of the moment. A grand battle is about to begin, yet the show fails to show the graveness of the matter. The background looks as generic as any other ordinary scene.

What makes it more difficult to digest is the brilliant portrayal of the scene in the manga. The manga shows the moment in such a way that it successfully conveys the seriousness of the fight and the danger Shigaraki poses. The sky is darker in the manga with way less clouds as both Shigaraki and Star and Stripe are so high up.

This is not the first time that My Hero Academia anime has been criticized for its art, particularly backgrounds that feature sky. There are plenty of such backgrounds to be found in the anime. 

The previous season of the show was heavily criticized by fans. Viewers were unimpressed with the art of the manga that failed to clearly show the darkness of certain moments, especially Shigaraki’s awakening moments. 

Some fans took to the social media platforms to speak about this. One wrote on X, “Art direction is so inconsistent.”

Another user said, “Despite being above the clouds they are also still at cloud level, this is genuinely ridiculous how much the anime hates making the sky not bright blue and cloudy.”

One compared MHA to another one of Bones’ anime, Mob Psycho 100, saying, “Refuse to believe this is the same studio that made Mob Psycho. WTF is the art direction.”

Studios sometimes judge the public reception of their work through trailers and teasers and change certain things in the main series to meet expectations. Maybe Bones will also pay attention to their viewers and change the art style of the anime a little.

Aside from MHA Season 7, Bones also has My Hero Academia: You’re Next movie in the lineup. As for the manga, My Hero Academia Chapter 421 confirmed that Deku is now Quirkless. What happens next will be found in the upcoming chapter.