Rule 34 My Hero
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My Hero Academia was still a few days from its debut, but there were already a lot of people talking about it. The anime had just finished airing the week before and was a hit across the board: in Japan as well as America.
It had won awards from every major award-giving organization imaginable. It even got a manga adaptation, which had been selling better than anyone could have guessed.
The hype train for this new anime had left the station so fast that you could see it from space. And while I’m sure plenty of other people would argue with me on the subject, it’s safe to say that My Hero Academia was my biggest project since the original One Punch Man manga began in 2009. (And also one of the main reasons why I didn’t do much work during the summer months.)
Of course, all that said… I’d barely seen any of the show yet myself. So let me start off by saying: if you’re going to read this article, watch My Hero Academia first! Go out right now and buy it, download it, pirate it, whatever—but either way, go see it.
Because I want you to get the full experience when you finally do get around to reading this. (Though if you can afford it, I’d recommend buying the DVD/Blu-ray box set once it comes out. The show looks incredible on Blu-ray!)
But anyway, here goes.
When I first heard about this My Hero Academia thing, I thought it sounded like the worst idea ever. A superpowered school? Seriously? That’s stupidly obvious and not even that clever. But then
I watched some of the clips online and realized that wasn’t actually true at all; instead, My Hero Academia was a very smart series that took a ton of ideas from the superhero genre and made them feel fresh and new. In fact, watching it, I immediately started to think up ways I could use these same characters in the future.
And the show itself? Holy crap, it was really good! I loved every single minute of it. It had everything you could possibly ask for in an anime: action, drama, romance, comedy, adventure, etc., etc.—and more importantly, the characters were fantastic. I loved how they each had their own unique personality and quirks—I found myself laughing out loud several times during the show alone.
It was so good that I ended up watching the entire season over the course of two nights. And even though I knew what was coming next, I couldn’t help but stay awake and finish it off.
So yeah, needless to say, I was pretty psyched about doing this. But at the same time, I felt kind of weird about it too. Because, honestly, I hadn’t exactly given My Hero Academia the proper respect that it deserved. Instead, I’d basically written it off as “another superhero story.”
That’s why I wanted to be extra careful with this version. If I was going to do it, I wanted to make it as good as possible.
Which meant doing it with all seriousness. Which meant no jokes. No silly characters. Just serious superheroes and villains who actually acted like superheroes and villains should act.
Because that’s how real life works, after all. Superpowers are awesome, sure, but if you take a look at any superhero team or comic book franchise these days, you’ll notice something: They all have crazy powers and ridiculous costumes, and none of them know how to use them properly.
Most heroes don’t know how to fight without killing their enemies, while most villains don’t care if they die. Even worse, almost nobody in the superhero world seems to realize that the whole point of superpowers is to make the bad guys dead—or at least stop them from doing whatever they were planning on doing.
Basically, in the real world, superpowers aren’t used for justice—they’re mostly used to kill people. In other words, in the real world, superpowers are weapons of war. And that means the real heroes—the ones who understand how to fight effectively—are the ones who don’t have superpowers.
And that’s where our heroes come in.
Our heroes are the ones who choose to fight without superpowers and use their wits instead. The problem is that most people don’t seem to believe that this can work. Which is why the world has ended up with a bunch of superspies and supercriminals running around—heroes who think they know how to do things, but who don’t.
This brings us back to My Hero Academia. Because if you’ve never actually watched it yourself, you probably still have no idea what I’m talking about. And so far, I haven’t seen the show mentioned anywhere else online.
So it’s safe to say that the series is still largely unknown outside of Japan—which is perfect because it means we can create an original version of it with only minor references to the actual show.
In other words: This is a chance to reinvent one of the best shows in existence—and all we need to do is follow this formula to the letter. Let’s just try to keep it under wraps until the time comes for everyone to find out about it.
And then…who knows? Maybe this will become the most popular superhero anime ever!
***
The next morning, when I get into my office, I immediately start working on a new outline for Season Two.
The plan I’d been thinking about last night? It’s going to require a lot of adjustments now that I know there’ll be a villain in the mix. I figure I could probably add three more episodes onto the end of the season if needed; that might help fill in some of the gaps that Season One ended up leaving behind.
But right now, I’m not sure it matters too much either way. We’ve already got a decent amount of material to work with as it is. And besides, this is going to be fun to work on. It’s always better to do something creative than just sit here and stare at the same four walls.
So that’s what I decide to focus on first—making this new episode feel fresh and new, rather than trying to cram another five or six filler episodes onto the end.
By mid-morning, I finally settle on an ending that feels right. And once I have an idea of where the story’s going to go, I can spend the rest of my day figuring out just how to write the script itself.
I don’t mind telling you that writing a screenplay is one of the hardest things in the world. At least, writing a really good one is. The truth is, even some of the best writers in the business don’t really get it right every time. They just have a knack for being able to recognize what works and what doesn’t.
Which is part of the reason why I started writing scripts in the first place—because I didn’t have the ability to tell which ideas worked and which ones were doomed to fail. And while I might be getting better at judging those kinds of things by now, I can’t help but admit that I still have a long way to go.
Still, I guess it helps that I enjoy working on stories in general. That makes it easier for me to focus on the process itself instead of worrying about whether or not I’m actually good enough to pull it off. After all, if I love this kind of thing anyway, what else should matter?
Anyway, I’m pretty happy with the end result here—which is great because I’ve still got a ton of other stuff to finish before the weekend hits.
***
By the following Monday, I’m feeling ready to move forward again. But the first order of business is to send out a new batch of casting calls. It’s been a week since we finished filming the last one, and so far, there hasn’t been anything promising turned up on my desk. Which means that it’s time to take action.
The problem is that finding the right actors can be tricky sometimes. If you want someone famous, you usually have to pay them a fortune, which isn’t always possible when you’re working on a shoestring budget.
And if you want a name that might help sell tickets, you’ll almost certainly end up fighting through some serious competition. It’s like the old adage says: “The biggest fish always gets eaten first.”
But at least there are plenty of other options available these days. With so many people looking to make a quick buck, there’s no shortage of talent willing to take a chance on small-scale projects such as ours. And since they often lack any real experience or training, they don’t tend to be picky about working on low-paying gigs like this. They just want to get their foot in the door, you see.
So if I have to work with amateurs, this is definitely the route I want to take. It’s much harder for the studios to screw around with our schedule. And if we ever end up needing to replace somebody, it’s much easier to do so with a known quantity.
That said, I’d prefer to avoid doing this unless absolutely necessary. Because unlike with big Hollywood productions, if you cast the wrong actor and have to rework all your scenes accordingly, it’s a lot harder to do without spending a fortune on reshoots.
But hey, I suppose that’s the reality of this job—and I can’t really complain, considering how much money I save myself in the long run.
Afterward, I spend most of the rest of my day editing the final footage from the previous two films. I’ve already made some adjustments to the script based on feedback from the production team. Now that I’ve seen everything that was captured, I’m going to make sure those changes work out alright. Then I can give it a little polish, and then it’s time to hit the upload button.
By late afternoon, I decide that this is as good a time as any to send over another email to the studio. I explain what’s happened so far, and I also suggest that we start planning the next set of auditions. As far as I know, there haven’t been any new developments with the project itself, but I figure we might as well start preparing for the next round of rehearsals.
It takes them a couple days to respond—but by Wednesday morning, I’ve heard back. The good news is that the powers above appear to be satisfied with the direction of the series so far. Which makes sense, given that nobody’s complained yet. So I suppose we just need to keep moving ahead as planned.
And since I’m feeling pretty motivated after that conversation, I jump straight into working on the next film in the series. I’ve got a few ideas already percolating in my head, but since I don’t know which one will turn out the best, I’ve decided to try tackling all three at once.
If nothing else, I’ll learn something from the results.
***
By Thursday evening, I’d finally finished the third movie. There wasn’t anything too difficult about putting it together, since all the material had already been shot, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to work. In fact, by the time I wrap up, I’m exhausted. It feels like I’ve put in an entire week’s worth of effort just to complete this one shoot.
I’ve got a whole list of chores waiting for me tomorrow, including editing the second season and sending out the next round of casting calls. And while none of those are technically urgent, there’s still a certain amount of pressure involved. After all, if things aren’t done on time, the studio might lose interest. And that would be the absolute worst thing imaginable.
Fortunately, I’m more than capable of keeping on top of my workload, so I know I should be fine. But even so, I’m glad I took the day off today. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have had enough energy left to handle everything.
Now I just have to hope the studio responds positively to this batch of auditions. Because if they don’t…well, there won’t be a fourth episode in the series. At least, not under my watch.
Friday morning. Another day at the office.
This is starting to feel a little like Groundhog Day. Or maybe the movie, if you think about it. Except instead of reliving the same day over and over again, I’m reliving the same week over and over again. That’s got to be less fun.
In any case, now it’s time to tackle a whole bunch of smaller tasks that have piled up over the last few days. It’s mostly just stuff like organizing scripts, sending out new casting calls, and getting together a list of locations for upcoming shoots. Not exactly the most exciting part of the job, but it keeps me busy until lunchtime rolls around.
At that point, I decided to treat myself to a quick bite to eat before jumping back to work. It’s been a long day so far, so I’m sure I deserve it.
As much as I try to stay focused on the task at hand, though, I can’t help but get distracted by the sight of a familiar face walking down the street.
He’s wearing a black leather jacket and dark sunglasses, and he looks like he just stepped out of a spy novel. Even better, there’s a woman trailing along beside him—a gorgeous brunette with short hair that reminds me a bit of Veronica Mars, only curvier. She’s dressed in a similar style, but her outfit is cuter, and she’s got a nice smile to boot.
The pair is headed toward the coffee shop where I’ve stopped to grab a sandwich. They’re talking loudly, so their words drift out through the open door. And when I catch the tail end of what they say…it sounds like a lot of flirting going on.
“You know,” the man says, “there are a few ways I can do this.”
“Oh yeah?” The woman raises an eyebrow. “I’d love to hear them.”
The man smiles knowingly. “Let’s find out which ones you like best.”
The scene fades out for a split second, and then comes back with more details. The woman has gotten her nails painted bright pink, and now she’s holding up two fingers for emphasis. Then her hands drop down, and she starts laughing.
Her laughter continues for several seconds—and judging from the way he keeps glancing over his shoulder to see if anyone else is listening to them, I suspect the man’s embarrassed by it.
“Okay, okay,” the woman laughs. “Don’t get your panties in a bunch.”
A beat, and then she asks, “So? Which method would you like to try first?”
The man takes a deep breath. “Well…” He scratches his cheek nervously. “It’s not easy for me to talk about my feelings—”
“—but I think I want to try kissing you first,” she finishes for him.
My heart jumps in my chest at the sound of her voice. For a second, I wonder why I hadn’t noticed it earlier, but then I realize: The actress who plays her is one of my favorite actresses of all time—Emma Stone!
In the movie that made her famous, she played the daughter of a mobster who falls in love with a guy who turns out to be a hitman. That was almost six years ago, so I’m a little late to the party on that one. But I still remember how great she was in that movie, and how much fun it was to watch her perform.
And in this scene, she’s clearly having a blast on set. She’s playing a different character, a completely different person, but her voice is just as charming and sweet.
She smiles at him. “That’s good.”
Then the camera pans over to show their faces. He’s got dark eyes and shaggy brown hair, and he’s clearly nervous as he leans in for the kiss. But he pulls her close anyway, and they kiss for a few moments before pulling apart again.
“Did you like it?” Emma asks.
The man nods eagerly. “Yeah…that was pretty hot.”
Another pause, and then she adds, “But I don’t want us to stop there. Tell me, how many times do you think we should do this?”
“More than once,” he replies, smiling again.
The scene cuts out for a moment, and when it comes back, they’re both standing on the sidewalk outside of the coffee shop. He’s putting his coat back on, and she’s reaching into the pocket for some change. Then he reaches for her hand, and she lets him lead her inside.
There’s a brief glimpse of their conversation as they stand at the counter waiting for their drinks to be ready.
“…and if things go well, maybe even every day.”
She winks at him. “Sounds good. I’ll have two of whatever you get.”
Once he pays for his order, they head back out onto the street together. She’s wearing a cute blue dress with white polka dots—the same kind of adorable little dress I used to wear to school dances all the time, except hers looks cooler because she’s in New York City instead of small-town Pennsylvania. She glances at him with a grin, and he smiles back.
Then the scene shifts again, and they’re no longer in New York. Instead, it’s nighttime, and they’re strolling down a cobblestone road lined with stone buildings. She’s wearing a dark purple sweater and a red scarf, and her hair is tied back into a simple ponytail. He’s got his hands in his pockets as he walks alongside her; the two of them seem relaxed and happy.
“So what do you say?” she asks him, leaning forward with a teasing look on her face. “How about tomorrow night?”
He shakes his head eagerly. “I’d like that.”
“Cool,” she replies and then leans in for a quick kiss.
When the screen goes black for a moment, I blink in surprise. What happened to their date? And then I realize: It wasn’t really a date, was it? They didn’t meet for a dinner or go out dancing or anything like that.
This scene had been cut together from multiple takes during filming—and probably filmed over several days, too. So they could’ve spent an entire week hanging out with each other, and I wouldn’t even know it.
This means that I never saw the whole story of how these characters fell in love, and that makes me sad. Because in movies, I always thought that true love was something that started off slow—slow enough that you were sure you weren’t going to fall for someone else while you were falling for them.
Slow enough that you could spend days just getting to know someone, learning everything about them until you knew exactly what they meant to you.
But real life isn’t like that. In reality, sometimes you meet the right person on the first day—or even the first hour. Sometimes you can’t help but start dating them immediately after meeting before you even really get the chance to learn who they are.
Because if you wait for things to happen the way you expect them to, you might miss the only person who would ever make your heart beat faster.
“Okay, so I’m pretty sure we need more practice,” Emma says to me as she sits up straight again and wipes her lips with the sleeve of her shirt. Her eyes dart toward the screen for a moment, and then she grins. “I mean, obviously.”
A short pause, and then I add, “Maybe we could work on that kiss again. Maybe try something else new for our next scene?”
Emma laughs. “You’re such a dork.”
“Hey…” I reply. “It worked!”
“Yes,” she agrees with a wide smile. “But if we keep doing that, I’ll die of embarrassment.”
“I guess not everyone has your confidence.”
“And you shouldn’t have to worry about that,” she assures me. “At least, not until we actually start shooting.”
We sit quietly for another few seconds. The silence stretches out for so long that I’m about to ask whether she wants to take a break when I notice that she’s staring at my neckline. Her gaze lingers for a second before she looks up at me again, and now her expression is serious as she speaks.
“So…you really don’t mind if I touch it?”
My cheeks redden a bit, and I nod once. When she reaches up to run her fingers along the edges of my scar, I close my eyes tightly and lean back against the sofa. But I still feel her warmth through the fabric of the couch, and I hear the soft rasp of her voice as she murmurs, “You can see this one, though, huh?”
“Yeah,” I whisper back. “Pretty much.”
She doesn’t move her hand away from my neck, but her voice gets softer as she continues talking like she’s telling me secrets.
“I don’t blame you for being embarrassed about it,” she says softly. “Most people would be. You’re beautiful without it. But you deserve to know that you should never change yourself for anyone. Even if your scars are the reason why someone loves you.”
Her fingers stroke gently over my skin as she keeps talking.
“…I used to have this idea that I needed to hide because my scars aren’t perfect,” she whispers. “That no one could possibly love me, especially since they’re so noticeable.”
But now I understand: This is what Emma means when she talks about how she learned to accept herself. It took time—but eventually, she came to believe that she was beautiful in spite of her scars. That it didn’t matter as long as the one who loved her truly did.
As she continues talking, her fingertips trace lightly across my neck and then drift lower. Slowly, she runs them down the side of my chest, and her fingers linger over the spot where my rib ends before sliding slowly up my ribs again.
My breath catches in my throat at the sensation of her touch, and my hands grip the armrests so tightly that they almost hurt. But then Emma pulls her hand away and leans back on the couch beside me again.
Our gazes stay locked together as she adds quietly, “You’re different than most girls. And you know that better than anyone.”
I swallow thickly and nod slowly. Then I open my mouth and let loose the words that I’d been holding back for weeks.
“Thank you for telling me that,” I confess. “For being here.”
A brief smile appears on her lips, and then she glances toward the television screen. “Oh yeah? What movie are we watching?”
“I don’t know,” I admit with a laugh. “Do you want to figure that out instead?”
The End