T5W#567-Top 5 Anime Inspirations in My Adventures with Superman

It’s been a couple of weeks since the long awaited third season of My Adventures with Superman got started.  For those not in the know, this series focuses on the early days of Clark Kent as Superman, getting into those titular adventures alongside his best friends, Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen, and, as of Season Three, his cousin Kara aka Supergirl.  Whether the show is as good as the much beloved Timmverse of DC Animated shows is debatable but I love this show and it’s much needed lighthearted, optimistic and fun take on the Man of Steel and friends.  Plus, it’s pretty obvious the show has a huge amount of Anime love and influence in just about every frame of every episode.  Tbh it kind of sits on the same shelf as Avatar: The Last Airbender, clearly Anime inspired but not an Anime itself.  So to celebrate the show being back, and now that I think about it, to get a little pumped for the Supergirl movie coming out this weekend, we take to the skies in this weeks Top 5 Wednesday as we look at the Top 5 Anime Inspirations in My Adventures with Superman.

 
#5-The Energy in the Humor

From the get go, MAwS has always had that Anime sense of humor.  From nervous sweats to blushes to rapid fire transitions, part of what makes this show so special is while it can take Superman’s fight for truth and justice seriously, it never forgets to have fun with the fact that this is still a guy trying to find his way in the world as a superhero, best friend, boyfriend and cousin.  Lois’ manic obsession with the next scoop and Jimmy’s always welcome pratfalls provide even more comedy gold complete with the occasional chibified reactions that always get a laugh out of me.
 

#4-IT’S A EVA…and some other Mecha too

Metropolis is the city of tomorrow and it’s DC so that means Superman’s gotta fight some mecha at some point, right?  Boy does he and some of the metal foes he clashes look a bit…familiar.  There are plenty of loving nods to Mecha across the ages like Mobile Suit Gundam and Gurren Lagann.  Maybe one of the most infamous Mecha Anime shoutouts comes in Season One when Superman battles Parasite, who, before he gets his proper draining powers pilots a grizzly berserker mecha heavily inspired by Evangelion Unit 01 from Neon Genesis Evangelion.  Heck, the most recent episode of Season Three was called “Mobile Suit Toyman”.  Hell freaking yes.
 

#3-My Hero Academia Gives Back to Superman

My Hero Academia had much of its run during the very divisive period of the DCEU.  It was a time when heroes like Superman were given a darker approach and it didn’t exactly gel well with most audiences.  As a result, Hero Aca felt like a breath of fresh air, with a story that both challenged superhero tropes while honoring and embracing what makes a hero and hero for a brighter world.  As such, it feels like MAwS is thanking that Superhero Anime Classic in spades with it’s own origin and continuing journey of Clark as he fumbles, stumbles and works his way to becoming the Superman we all know and love.  He can dig deep and never give up hope, going his own version of PLUS ULTRA to show Deku and All Might that the Man of Steel has still got it.

 
#2-Clark is a Magical Girl

Ok this was pretty funny.  Early in Season One, Clark has a special animated transformation sequence that…well lets face it, looks very Sailor Moon esque.  From his suit forming over his body to the camera spins to the close eye sigh on his face, he might as well be the one named Superman.  You could write this off as a fun little joke but given the attention to detail and how beautifully animated the sequence itself is, it’s clear there’s a pretty big group of Magical Girl fans on this shows staff.  Now when is Kara gonna get a transformation of her own (or Lois if she ever maybe becomes Superwoman?)
 

#1-Reign of the Z-Fighters

When Kara first appeared in Season Two, her civilian look caught on quickly with fanbase as it bore a striking resemblance to a famous outfit worn by Dragon Ball Z femme fatale powerhouse Android 18.  And it looks like the love for DBZ is set to shine even greater with new characters being brought in for Season Three’s adaptation of the Reign of Supermen storyline.  Bizarro and Superboy both look influenced by a pair of kick ass Saiyan warriors with Bizarro looking akin to the new iteration of Broly from Dragon Ball Super (means they have to have a Super Saiyan style version coming later) and Superboy bearing a jacket and Kryptonian sword akin to my man Future Trunks.  Fingers crossed for some kind of Kryptonian free for all worthy of a fight of Super Saiyan legend this season.