By HIKARU ITO
Crunchyroll hosted the North American premiere of the My Hero Academia OVAs or original video animations on Friday during Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
The two episodes, which aired in Japan this past June, have yet to air officially in the U.S. The OVAs are scheduled to release simultaneously subbed and dubbed on Crunchyroll and Funimation on Aug. 1.
“My Hero Academia” is one of the biggest anime IPs in the world with over 65 million copies in circulation as of Jan. 30, according to publishing company Shueisha. As of July 1, the anime has released over 113 episodes with an average rating of 8.4 on IMDB.
“My Hero Academia” ended its fifth season last year in November 2021. With the U.S. release of the highly anticipated sixth season set for October, there has been nearly an entire year between seasons. For fans, the OVAs provide welcome fuel to keep the “My Hero Academia” or MHA hype going.
The OVA episodes, titled “Hero League Baseball” and “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell,” focus on smaller events in the main series and have an overall lighter tone. “Hero League Baseball” or “HLB” especially features the comedic energy of MHA’s cast of heroes.
“HLB” is a winning formula for the acclaimed anime. A colorful cast of heroes go head-to-head in a no-holds-barred game of super-powered baseball. The powers and personalites of each character is put on full display as each of them showcases their special abilities or “quirks” in unique ways around the baseball diamond.
“Hero League Baseball” and “Laugh! As If You Are in Hell” are set to release simultaneously on Crunchyroll and Funimation on Aug. 1. Episodes will be available both subbed and dubbed on release.
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