My Hero Academia: School Briefs Vol. 2 book review

My Hero Academia: School Briefs Volume 2 cover image

Created by Kohei Horikoshi, My Hero Academia is a shonen manga.  It is set on an Earth where 80% of the human population has manifested superpowers called “Quirks.”  If someone wants to be a superhero, he or she enrolls in the Hero Academy.  What would a person do, however, if he were one of the 20% born Quirkless?  Middle school student Izuku Midoriya has no chance of ever getting into the prestigious U.A. High School for budding heroes.  Then, Midoriya meets the greatest hero of them all, All Might, who gives him a chance to change his destiny…

My Hero Academia: School Briefs is a new series of light novels (Japan's version of a “young adult” or “YA” novel) set in the world of My Hero Academia.  The novels are written by Anri Yoshi, based on a stories by Kohei Horikoshi.  The first novel in the series debuted in Japan in 2016, and the series currently stands at four volumes (as of this writing).

VIZ Media, which publishes the My Hero Academia manga as a graphic novel series in North America, also publishes the light novel series.  VIZ recently released the second School Briefs novel in North America in early July 2019 under the title, My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 2 (subtitled Training Camp: The Inside Story).

My Hero Academia: School Briefs Volume 2– Training Camp: The Inside Story opens at the home of Izuku Midoriya.  All-Might's young protege is in a state of distress.  He is struggling with his math lessons ahead of final exams, and he has to pass.  Qualifying to attend the upcoming training camp is contingent on passing these final exams.  Midoriya isn't the only student stressed out by studies, so study groups abound.

Even if they make it to training camp, the students of U.A. High, “Class 1-A,” will have to share their training camp experiences with the students of “Class 1-B.”  If these aspiring heroes are lucky, they may have an opportunity to get to know each other and to cut loose.

THE LOWDOWN:  Before I read the first volume of School Briefs this past May, it had been some time since I had last read a light novel.  I have had mixed results with light novels – some good, some mediocre.  Since my VIZ Media press representative started sending me copies of the My Hero Academia light novels, I have had a chance to enjoy even more of this franchise.

My Hero Academia: School Briefs Volume 2 offers a nice surprise.  I almost feel like I am spoiling it for you, dear readers, but, simply put, Vol. 2 is like a summer camp novel, in which readers get to know the students in a new setting.  Yes, this camp is about training and not about summer fun, but the setting allows for some of the youthful indiscretions that can occur at a summer camp.

Training Camp: The Inside Story gives readers the inside story on their favorite young superheroes-in-training.  Although this novel does tease about the trouble ahead, it treats readers to a look at the personalities of numerous characters from the My Hero Academia series, with the exception of Izuku Midoriya.  After all, we already know so much about him, as he is the franchise's star.

So as entries go, My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 2 is not just another entry.  It is a chance to expand readers' knowledge of the young characters that make up the world of My Hero Academia.  You, dear readers, will even get a chance to enter the home of a wealthy student (Momo Yaoyorozu) and to see a horn-dog boy (Minoru Mineta) in action.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of My Hero Academia will want to read the light novel series, My Hero Academia: School Briefs, Vol. 2.

A-
7.5 out of 10