My Hero Academia Appreciation 2020

[leokearon]

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It's all exciting too because now we have no idea what else the remaining fighters could do to Shigaraki and Gigantomachia. All the pros are pretty much out for the count, and now they know they can't just keep wailing on Shiggy and hoping that works, so they somehow need a new strategy. Plus, somehow stopping Machia after already being proven impossible to slow him down. I love these constant twists because it's never as easy as "This side wins this round."

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It is understandable why this is the case alot of the time, Todoroki is the other main "powerhouse" of the class alongside Midoryia & Bakugo, so they'd fight together alot, he's always in Top 3 in popularity polls so they want to keep him around, plus with Endeavor being a more and more prominent character in the story, it of course makes sense Todoroki would be right in front as well. But at least they are still keeping Uraraka relevant, even if it's not as much as those other two, and I still believe she'll end up being important for whenever "Float" comes into play, at least hopefully. It is a shame that Iida was a pretty prominent character in the series for a while, but has mostly disappeared into the background ever since the Hideout Raid.

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But sadly MHA has fallen into another Shonen trope, ditching the heroes original friends and focusing on the popular characters.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

Back from seeing Heroes Rising and that was certainly a kick of energy. Tons of fun and well worth the price of admission.

Compared to Two Heroes:
- The animation was some of the best I've ever seen for the series and certainly a notch up from Two Heroes overall.
- Nine and his crew slightly beats out Wolfram and his crew for me due to more varied and interesting designs, and Nine's connection to Shigaraki and the doctor being more interesting than Wolfram getting some behind the scenes help from AFO (though that was a really cool twist).
- I for one was happy with the selection of class characters used in Two Heroes and since there were fewer of them they got more chances to shine in various ways. But it was certainly a treat to see the entire class in action and everybody getting their scenes (even if some were smaller than others).
- Katsuma and Mahoro are so stinking cute and I loved them from their first scene, which is quite a lot more than I can say for Melissa (I don't dislike her, but never really got attached to her).
- I prefered the finale in Two Heroes. More on that below.

Favourite scenes:
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- I didn't expect the movie to open with high speed car chase with the League of Villains, and that just did a great job of hooking me. Love to see them do their thing. - Getting to see what the class is doing all over the island. I always like to see them use their quirks outside of combat and using them for casual daily heroics is on the top of that list, as is everybody giving Bakugo grief because he did **** all during the day. - Koda's big scene where he uses a massive murder of crows to distract Nine and Slice while Shoji saves Deku and Bakugo. Both of them deserve more scene like that. - Deku and Bakugo rallying the class after their recovery. It might be the best scene in terms of show-casing both of them and leader type figures in the class. - Aoyama going Plus Ultra with his Navel Laser Supernova and Momo following that up with cannons to seperate the villains. A great example of an uncommon team up. - Sero, Uraraka and Mineta acting as the first line of defense against Nine with massive amounts of boulders. Just the three of them doing a great job of holding this seemingly unstoppable destructive powerhouse at bay with teamwork and good use of the environment. That's the best stuff. - Tokoyami losing it and unleashing the full power of Dark Shadow on slice. Great reminder that he's a powerhouse in his own right during the right circumstances. - The final team effort against Chimera. They were playing Trinity, I love that OST so that helped. Also, Todoroki totally murdered that guy. I know he didn't... but he totally did murder that guy.

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The finale:
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Much like how I'm conflicted about Bakugo as a character and his character development, I have mixed opinions about the ending here. It's certainly a cool idea to have two OFA-users team up and go all out against a evil angel looking villain unleashing the wrath of nature in their faces, and the scene looks amazing and Might+U playing during it give it a hauntingly epic feel. In terms of execution it's a epic finale. But it's not really a scene that I really wanted or needed, and that still holds true after seeing it. This is how I felt when I got to the finale of Two Heroes the first time. Deku and All Might get a chance to team up before All Might loses his powers. Boom, I am instantly hyped. It's a simple but epic concept that they didn't have time to explore during the main series so they put it up on the big screen and execute it perfectly with You Say Run blaring into my ears as Deku and All Might rush into battle, pushing themselves beyond their limits and overcome their foe. And when it's over I just had a giant dork smile on my face. In Heroes Rising we get a concept that I, to be perfectly honest, don't really like. I don't like the idea of Deku giving or sharing One For All with Bakugo. It just doesn't sit well with me and if this was part of the original plan for the manga's ending I'm really glad that it was pushed aside and used for the movie and then undone instead. I would not like that ending at all, even though the idea of sharing All For One does kinda mesh with the general idea of more than one person taking All Might's place since that position is ultimately to much for one person to bear. Also, I know it's a thing that's just not going to stick. Deku is going to get One For All back before the movie is over and my suspense of disbelief just turned off and wasn't worried at all, possibly because of the initial frowny face reaction to the idea. And then it's just conveniently undone because the previous inheritors like Deku more and Bakugo conveniently forgets about the whole thing. Which I found to be a bit lazy from a mechanical stand point. So yeah, it is a super cool looking finale, but I just couldn't get into it, especially not compared to the Deku/All Might team up from the previous movie.

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Shigaraki and Nine:
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I think it's kind of interesting to compare current Shigaraki and Nine in terms of power sets. The two friends I watched it with mentioned that Nine is the most high powered villain the kids had faced. They only watch the anime so I just mumbled "Yeah... to that point." Then I started thinking about which one of the actually is the stronger opponent. Nine has tons of fire power and the quirks he stole seems to be slightly more varied than Shigaraki's. Nine does however obviously have the weakness of falling ill the more he uses his quirk, but even without that Shigaraki has way higher physical stats right now and I wouldn't be surprised if he could just keep getting back up even after Nine would unload his entire arsenal of quirks on him. The devastation of Decay and Nine's weather controlling quirk seems to be pretty compareable. Nine got quirks to blast his opponents to holy hell. Shigaraki has quirks to outlast them while he's killing them. So Shigaraki should win out on that.

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Nitpicks:
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- We get almost nothing in terms of backstories for Nine's gang and that felt a little disappointing. They still served their purpose but a little fleshing out for them wouldn't have hurt. - Chimera having laser breath was a bit much I think. I get fire since many myths have chimera's breathing fire, but laser was a bit much. Still, lead to a cool scene so I can't complain too much. - Everybody could really take a beating and keep coming back for more. It's mainly noticeable to me as a contrast to all the wicked injuries we've seen in the current arc of the manga.

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So overall, I really enjoyed it (despite my mixed feelings about the finale) and would happily watch it again. I really want to see the dub and hear Johnny Yong Bosh as Nine. A worthy addition to the franchise.

[Inversed]

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But sadly MHA has fallen into another Shonen trope, ditching the heroes original friends and focusing on the popular characters.

end of spoilers

Ironic considering that Iida is actually one of the more popular characters too, alongside those 3 he's the only other character to break the Top 10 in all 5 popularity polls, so that's definitively worth something for him.

Back from seeing Heroes Rising and that was certainly a kick of energy. Tons of fun and well worth the price of admission.

Really glad to hear you enjoyed it and finally got to see it! Some added comments to some of your comments

I would probably put Nine & his crew greatly above Wolfram, just because I feel like the latter as a character is kinda completely flat, with the dub performance by Keith Silverstein being the only thing that really salvages him (plus finding it cute he's got Magneto powers). Nine is actually pretty interesting, as a character, personality wise, and just as a threat, even if it doesn't feel as fully developed as he could be, and the other 3 have really memorable designs.

I do think this movie actually has both the best execution of the Deku and Bakugo relationship, but I also think this is one of Midoryia's best performances too. You can really see just how far he's gone, how confident he is when he interacts with his classmates and with the kids, and even when things get awkward, he doesn't just completely fumble over his words, he shows real genuine growth and I love it. Plus the relationship isn't just the usual constant bickering or snide comments, but you get to see some more of Bakugo's more reflective and understanding moments, and then demonstrating how perfectly in sync the two are together when it's time to fight (being the first time they've done so since the Exam against All Might).

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Tokoyami with his Wolverine claws, and then going full Dark Rage was a highlight for me, and I'm with you, when I saw Shoto perform that Icicle special, all I could think of is "GOD DAMN HES F'KIN DEAD", and then he shows up alive at the end and I'm all "BULL!" Though that's always kinda bugged me about Shoto's ice, that **** is sharp and dangerous already and the fact nobody's even got slightly scrapped by any of it is a little awkward. Regarding the ending, I can see what it was going for, and I understand why it went that way. I agree with the notion that I think "One For All being shared" is still going to be part of the end goal for the series, since like you mentioned, it thematically fits with the idea of many people coming together as one to take the role All Might left behind, as well as the concept of many people being worthy of inheriting the power. And in this instance, Midoryia basically did what nearly all the other OFA successors did before him, "Entrust it to the Trusted", in a desperate need on the verge of death, passes it along to someone who he believed was good enough, which was Bakugo. That said, the movie and the overall series itself does seem to paint him as being "more worthy", with him being close-ish to Midoryia, being in on the secret, etc., which at least to me has always felt a bit disingenuous, since it all came from his jealousy of wanting to be "more special". So there is a very easy reading and interpretation regarding the events saying that he's not someone who "could" have the power, but someone who "should", and in that instance, I can understand not really caring about it as much. That and him losing his memories does kind of feel like a cop out, though I personally don't mind the OFA ass-pull, since I can at least buy how/why it happened. But even over everything, it's just such an awe-inspiring, beautifully crafted fight, I can forgive any grievances I have with it. That one shot of Bakugo pushing against the boulder as it just completely melts away still makes my jaw drop. It's possible the Doctor gave him some kind of body upgrade just like Shigaraki got now, so that he could handle All For One, which is how his cellular decay got worse. I do think overall Shigaraki is probably the more powerful, considering just how strong he's shown to be while quirkless, plus having the original All For One with a seemingly endless supply of quirks, while Nine only has like 6 or 7, with a 9 capacity. I do think if Nine got Katsuma's quirk, he would be at the very least directly on par with Shiggy. While we do get some backstory and extra depth for Nine in the "Volume Rising League Of Villains Undercover" one-shot, it is a shame we don't really get anything else from the others. Chimera especially, since you have that moment where he tells Ojiro, "They probably think you're a monster, just like me", and makes me really want to know more about what's up with this guy, but then just gets dropped. And I agree, that at times, the amount of damage everyone took, with only slight repercussions, was just a little eyebrow raising. There's of course that Chimera moment, but Midoryia & Bakugo especially take such a huge amount of beatings on top of each other, you start to wonder why nothing's broke yet.

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Johnny Yong Bosch's really great as Nine, he helps add another extra layer of depth and enjoyment to the character. If you've heard his current voice for Broly, it's basically how he sounds in this, especially during the screaming. (Which works considering this film turns into DBS: Broly by the end)

[Dark Soul # 7]

Ironic considering that Iida is actually one of the more popular characters too, alongside those 3 he's the only other character to break the Top 10 in all 5 popularity polls, so that's definitively worth something for him.

I often wonder how much screen time is decided by a character's popularity compared to how much the mangaka wants to write the character. With Iida, Horikoshi might've just not been able to come up with anything more interesting for him to do after the whole Stain arc, besides being Deku's other friend. Which would be a shame since he deserves so much more.

Really glad to hear you enjoyed it and finally got to see it! Some added comments to some of your comments

I would probably put Nine & his crew greatly above Wolfram, just because I feel like the latter as a character is kinda completely flat, with the dub performance by Keith Silverstein being the only thing that really salvages him (plus finding it cute he's got Magneto powers). Nine is actually pretty interesting, as a character, personality wise, and just as a threat, even if it doesn't feel as fully developed as he could be, and the other 3 have really memorable designs.

I do think this movie actually has both the best execution of the Deku and Bakugo relationship, but I also think this is one of Midoryia's best performances too. You can really see just how far he's gone, how confident he is when he interacts with his classmates and with the kids, and even when things get awkward, he doesn't just completely fumble over his words, he shows real genuine growth and I love it. Plus the relationship isn't just the usual constant bickering or snide comments, but you get to see some more of Bakugo's more reflective and understanding moments, and then demonstrating how perfectly in sync the two are together when it's time to fight (being the first time they've done so since the Exam against All Might).

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Tokoyami with his Wolverine claws, and then going full Dark Rage was a highlight for me, and I'm with you, when I saw Shoto perform that Icicle special, all I could think of is "GOD DAMN HES F'KIN DEAD", and then he shows up alive at the end and I'm all "BULL!" Though that's always kinda bugged me about Shoto's ice, that **** is sharp and dangerous already and the fact nobody's even got slightly scrapped by any of it is a little awkward. Regarding the ending, I can see what it was going for, and I understand why it went that way. I agree with the notion that I think "One For All being shared" is still going to be part of the end goal for the series, since like you mentioned, it thematically fits with the idea of many people coming together as one to take the role All Might left behind, as well as the concept of many people being worthy of inheriting the power. And in this instance, Midoryia basically did what nearly all the other OFA successors did before him, "Entrust it to the Trusted", in a desperate need on the verge of death, passes it along to someone who he believed was good enough, which was Bakugo. That said, the movie and the overall series itself does seem to paint him as being "more worthy", with him being close-ish to Midoryia, being in on the secret, etc., which at least to me has always felt a bit disingenuous, since it all came from his jealousy of wanting to be "more special". So there is a very easy reading and interpretation regarding the events saying that he's not someone who "could" have the power, but someone who "should", and in that instance, I can understand not really caring about it as much. That and him losing his memories does kind of feel like a cop out, though I personally don't mind the OFA ass-pull, since I can at least buy how/why it happened. But even over everything, it's just such an awe-inspiring, beautifully crafted fight, I can forgive any grievances I have with it. That one shot of Bakugo pushing against the boulder as it just completely melts away still makes my jaw drop. It's possible the Doctor gave him some kind of body upgrade just like Shigaraki got now, so that he could handle All For One, which is how his cellular decay got worse. I do think overall Shigaraki is probably the more powerful, considering just how strong he's shown to be while quirkless, plus having the original All For One with a seemingly endless supply of quirks, while Nine only has like 6 or 7, with a 9 capacity. I do think if Nine got Katsuma's quirk, he would be at the very least directly on par with Shiggy. While we do get some backstory and extra depth for Nine in the "Volume Rising League Of Villains Undercover" one-shot, it is a shame we don't really get anything else from the others. Chimera especially, since you have that moment where he tells Ojiro, "They probably think you're a monster, just like me", and makes me really want to know more about what's up with this guy, but then just gets dropped. And I agree, that at times, the amount of damage everyone took, with only slight repercussions, was just a little eyebrow raising. There's of course that Chimera moment, but Midoryia & Bakugo especially take such a huge amount of beatings on top of each other, you start to wonder why nothing's broke yet.

end of spoilers

Johnny Yong Bosch's really great as Nine, he helps add another extra layer of depth and enjoyment to the character. If you've heard his current voice for Broly, it's basically how he sounds in this, especially during the screaming. (Which works considering this film turns into DBS: Broly by the end)

The more I think about it the more I do prefer Nine and his crew because of the more interesting designs and a motivation that was more than just money, though it still could've been fleshed out more, especially for Mummy and Slice. Wouldn't mind seeing the three henchmen return some day. Maybe to get revenge on the kids.

You're right that the movie does show Deku from his best side. I was a bit worried that he'd be a doormat after the first encounter with the kids, but he was mostly real good with them and acted without hesitation throughout the entire movie. Bakugo was better than we usually see him, actually being able to do more than just shout annoying insults at people is good, being somewhat reflective and considerate is great. Getting dragged a bit in the beginning was fantastic.

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It's especially noticeable consider how he messed up the first Nomu we saw, until it healed. It's a bit like with Dabi not instantly murdering people with his fire despite trying really hard to do so. So that's another clue towards Dabi being Toya!!! Again, the whole sequence looks amazing and when paired with Might+U it is one of the more awe-inspiring set pieces in the series. But because of the issues I laid out, it just didn't connect with me as much as it clearly wanted to. Especially Bakugo getting One For All, which just has a lot of implications that I think goes against the general message of the series and would do so at Deku's expense. So I guess, I'm just one the opposite end of this. The grand spectacle of the scene could for me not overcome the narrative issues I had with it. If Nine had Katsuma's quirk, I wonder if he'd need to actively use it, compared to Shigaraki's passive healing factor. Also, at the endo the day Nine was mainly a test subject the doctor used to perfect his research and beef up Shigaraki. I've read the few extra chapter with Nine and his crew. It does a nice a job of expanding at least on Nine and gives a good indicator of how long he actually was being tested on, since we see AFO with Shigaraki. Still, more with his crew would be nice, especially some flashbacks to how he met all of them.

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I've only heard clips of JYB as Broly from FighterZ, but I familiar enough with his work to trust that he did a great job. So looking forward to that.

[leokearon]

I often wonder how much screen time is decided by a character's popularity compared to how much the mangaka wants to write the character. With Iida, Horikoshi might've just not been able to come up with anything more interesting for him to do after the whole Stain arc, besides being Deku's other friend. Which would be a shame since he deserves so much more.

I've only heard clips of JYB as Broly from FighterZ, but I familiar enough with his work to trust that he did a great job. So looking forward to that.

Well the higher ups would have a big say on the characters and would want the managaka to focus on the most popular, as what happened in Bleach.

Cool to hear Adam/Ichigo aka JYB is in Heroes Rising, can't wait for the home release

[Inversed]

I know I keep saying the same thing every week, but damn do things just keep escalating more and more and I'm freaking out! (also no chapter next week)

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Momo and her group of students are saved by Majestic as the now evolved/more kajiu-looking Gigantomachia makes his rampage, with him and several other heroes seemingly caught up in the damage. Momo thinks about how the only reason they're alive is because the enemy wasn't even aware of them, and Mineta wonders if their actions won't be in vain. As Gigantomachia continues on, with the League still riding on his back and the rest of the PLF following suit, Doctor Garaki, now in police custody, keeps on with his ramblings about how Machia is unstoppable, while also confirming that the Nomu were designed to imitate him. Back on Shigaraki's field, Shoto, who was late due to helping Ryuku fight the Nomus, helps Endeavor cool down, Bakugo screams in frustration (most likely due to both Shigaraki and also Deku getting in the way), and Midoryia stands his ground with an incredibly enraged face, despite Rock Lock's objections to run. But just as Shigaraki is about to attack them...his upper body completely splinches itself. Suddenly not re-generating as fast, Shigaraki realizes he was awoken too early, and Midoryia figures out that his body can't handle AFO's power, just like what happened with him. Just as Shigaraki manages to recover and use Decay on the ground around them, Midoryia suddenly bursts into the sky, using a multitude of black whips to carry everyone in the area up with him. The still slightly conscious Gran Torino recognizes it as Nana's quirk, Float, as the furious Deku makes his way to Shigaraki's face, ready to fight.

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Soooo a lot going on here! It's hard to tell exactly what's happening in Machia's rampage, it appeared that some like Majestic got completely impaled by his spikes, which is really brutal, while some probably just got knocked out, most likely for Fat Gum, Tamaki, etc. Also get a nice little check back in on Tokoyami taking care of Hawks too. You really feel not only the devastation, but also the hopelessness from the students, since it feels like there's literally nothing else they can do. (I also I think it's kinda cute and funny that Horikoshi keeps forgetting to draw Mineta's little grape vine lol) We also get a very interesting page of Machia's rampage with Dabi enjoying every bit of a it with a huge smile on his face, while the rest of the League, Toga and Spinner specifically, don't seem as into it. It's possible could be reading too much into it, but it seems like since Twice's death, Toga's just been emotionally tired about everything, she no longer has that gleeful face she would always have, and Spinner I feel like would probably be against, or at least conflicted, with so many innocents dying like this. Shigaraki's dumbfounded face, asking Midoryia for the date, is my favourite thing. How absolutely confident he's been this whole time, and in one swoop, he's brought down to "Well ****...", and that Midoryia recognizes all this. Also, kinda connected to Nine as well, it's really clever that Midoryia, who's whole thing has been controlling his body to handle the power, keeps fighting villains who's downfall is brought by them over-exerting their bodies. Again, slightly disappointed at no Uraraka being involved with Float (though I also fully admit that's me pushing my assumptions onto it), but damn is that not an amazing flex to just see Midoryia shoot up into the sky, carrying like 8 different people with all his tendrils like nothing. He's literally using 3 quirks at once! Plus nice to see Torino still breathing, for now... Also, I would be remiss not to mention how much I absolutely love Beserker Deku, just having enough of everyone's **** and ready to let you know. KICK HIS ASS!

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[leokearon]

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Fianlly we see the consequences of Tomura waking early and it is a nice reference to Deku's own body, which also gives the heroes a fighting chance. Gigantomachia's rampage is starting to get tiresome already and hopefully the tranquilliser does work soon. Also can Mic punch the Doctor again, he's getting really annoying. Also seeing Deku now use 3 of OFA powers without exploding is great, just wish Uraraka was there.

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[Dark Soul # 7]

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Soooo a lot going on here! It's hard to tell exactly what's happening in Machia's rampage, it appeared that some like Majestic got completely impaled by his spikes, which is really brutal, while some probably just got knocked out, most likely for Fat Gum, Tamaki, etc. Also get a nice little check back in on Tokoyami taking care of Hawks too. You really feel not only the devastation, but also the hopelessness from the students, since it feels like there's literally nothing else they can do. (I also I think it's kinda cute and funny that Horikoshi keeps forgetting to draw Mineta's little grape vine lol) We also get a very interesting page of Machia's rampage with Dabi enjoying every bit of a it with a huge smile on his face, while the rest of the League, Toga and Spinner specifically, don't seem as into it. It's possible could be reading too much into it, but it seems like since Twice's death, Toga's just been emotionally tired about everything, she no longer has that gleeful face she would always have, and Spinner I feel like would probably be against, or at least conflicted, with so many innocents dying like this. Shigaraki's dumbfounded face, asking Midoryia for the date, is my favourite thing. How absolutely confident he's been this whole time, and in one swoop, he's brought down to "Well ****...", and that Midoryia recognizes all this. Also, kinda connected to Nine as well, it's really clever that Midoryia, who's whole thing has been controlling his body to handle the power, keeps fighting villains who's downfall is brought by them over-exerting their bodies. Again, slightly disappointed at no Uraraka being involved with Float (though I also fully admit that's me pushing my assumptions onto it), but damn is that not an amazing flex to just see Midoryia shoot up into the sky, carrying like 8 different people with all his tendrils like nothing. He's literally using 3 quirks at once! Plus nice to see Torino still breathing, for now... Also, I would be remiss not to mention how much I absolutely love Beserker Deku, just having enough of everyone's **** and ready to let you know. KICK HIS ASS!

end of spoilers

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I think it's intentionally difficult to make out what's happening in Gigantomachia's rampage, besides him rampaging. It amplifies the students' feelings of hopelessness. They weren't just beneath the villains' notice, they can't even tell what's going beyond the fact that everything is going to hell. I do hope that the anime elaborates on just who Majestic is. Because it feels like we should be a bit more familiar with who this guy is for him to have such a dramatic scene. Seems to have a neat quirk. Still unsure if Momo's plan worked or not, but the student's failing here suggests that there might be a re-match against Gigantomachia somewhere down the line. That would be cool. Also, I really like Gigantomachia's battle/rampage mode, it just looks cool. I'm glad Hawks is at least out of the immediate danger. But I wonder what's going through his head right now, assuming he's conscious at all. I think that Bakugo is frustrated because Deku acted before him in these last few moments and did a fair chunk more than he's done so far this battle With Twice dead and no Izuku or Ochako in sight, it's understandable that Toga would be just down in the dumps. It's going to be real interesting when she sees them, maybe she'll want them to comfort her or she'll want them to run away. It does strike my interest that while we get clear ideas of Dabi, Spinner and Toga's moods, we have no idea what's going on behind Mr. Compress' mask. After Dabi, he's the one we've learned the least about of the villains. His backstory and motivations are a mystery still, so what he thinks of all this chaos is somewhat blank and there's got to be a reason for that. Depending on where Gigantomachia stops, we may soon have Dabi, Shoto and Endeavor all in one place, probably won't get much from it besides some hinting but that'll be neat. Shigaraki going "Oh... oh crap, I woke up to early!" is just great, especially after several chapters of him just wrecking people. It's just another part of the ebb and flow that I've loved with this arc. And adding another parallel to the Deku/Shigaraki rivalry makes me so happy, I love these two as arch-enemies even with so few interactions. There's a lot of good build up there and I really want to get into the meat of it all. I don't think this is the first time Deku's using Float. To me the way he's using it doesn't seem like something he spontaneously developed in this moment. This looks like something he's worked on. And that leaves some room for flashbacks where he's asking Uraraka how to float and best move through the air and awkwardly trying to explain how he basically has three quirks now. We'll have to wait and see, but I don't think anything's a done deal yet. And of course, Deku using all of his current quirks at once is so cool! He's taking charge of the situation and saving the pros he's admired, the teachers the watched over him and the classmates that have grown stronger with him while simultaneously aiming to smash Shigaraki into the ground. Winning by saving! Saving by winnning! WRECK HIS **** DEKU!!!

end of spoilers

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Fianlly we see the consequences of Tomura waking early and it is a nice reference to Deku's own body, which also gives the heroes a fighting chance. Gigantomachia's rampage is starting to get tiresome already and hopefully the tranquilliser does work soon. Also can Mic punch the Doctor again, he's getting really annoying. Also seeing Deku now use 3 of OFA powers without exploding is great, just wish Uraraka was there.

end of spoilers

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I for one like that Gigantomachia is living up to his hype. He's been built up as an absolute game changer and he's delivering on that. He's probably going to reach the remaining students and we'll get to see how things go from there. If things start going well for the heroes I think that'll shut up the good doctor more than any punch ever could

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

spoilers:

I think it's intentionally difficult to make out what's happening in Gigantomachia's rampage, besides him rampaging. It amplifies the students' feelings of hopelessness. They weren't just beneath the villains' notice, they can't even tell what's going beyond the fact that everything is going to hell. I do hope that the anime elaborates on just who Majestic is. Because it feels like we should be a bit more familiar with who this guy is for him to have such a dramatic scene. Seems to have a neat quirk. Still unsure if Momo's plan worked or not, but the student's failing here suggests that there might be a re-match against Gigantomachia somewhere down the line. That would be cool. Also, I really like Gigantomachia's battle/rampage mode, it just looks cool. I'm glad Hawks is at least out of the immediate danger. But I wonder what's going through his head right now, assuming he's conscious at all. I think that Bakugo is frustrated because Deku acted before him in these last few moments and did a fair chunk more than he's done so far this battle With Twice dead and no Izuku or Ochako in sight, it's understandable that Toga would be just down in the dumps. It's going to be real interesting when she sees them, maybe she'll want them to comfort her or she'll want them to run away. It does strike my interest that while we get clear ideas of Dabi, Spinner and Toga's moods, we have no idea what's going on behind Mr. Compress' mask. After Dabi, he's the one we've learned the least about of the villains. His backstory and motivations are a mystery still, so what he thinks of all this chaos is somewhat blank and there's got to be a reason for that. Depending on where Gigantomachia stops, we may soon have Dabi, Shoto and Endeavor all in one place, probably won't get much from it besides some hinting but that'll be neat. Shigaraki going "Oh... oh crap, I woke up to early!" is just great, especially after several chapters of him just wrecking people. It's just another part of the ebb and flow that I've loved with this arc. And adding another parallel to the Deku/Shigaraki rivalry makes me so happy, I love these two as arch-enemies even with so few interactions. There's a lot of good build up there and I really want to get into the meat of it all. I don't think this is the first time Deku's using Float. To me the way he's using it doesn't seem like something he spontaneously developed in this moment. This looks like something he's worked on. And that leaves some room for flashbacks where he's asking Uraraka how to float and best move through the air and awkwardly trying to explain how he basically has three quirks now. We'll have to wait and see, but I don't think anything's a done deal yet. And of course, Deku using all of his current quirks at once is so cool! He's taking charge of the situation and saving the pros he's admired, the teachers the watched over him and the classmates that have grown stronger with him while simultaneously aiming to smash Shigaraki into the ground. Winning by saving! Saving by winnning! WRECK HIS **** DEKU!!!

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Now I just really wanna see Bakugo do his usual ranting and screaming, and Feral Deku just giving no shits to anything he's saying. I have no idea if he would be happy or scared to see him like this. Even though I believe something is going to happen regarding Machia with the Evacuation team, everything story wise feels like it makes the most complete sense for him and the League to make it to Shigaraki, considering all the characters there. Like you mentioned, Dabi, Shoto, and Endeavor would be all in the same area at once, so that would definitively lead to something juicy, Spinner & Toga would see Midoryia again, who we know have interesting relationships with him, and then (this is my conspiracy theory brain going), the possibility of Machia seeing another multi-quirk user throwing the smackdown on his master, and maybe deciding to switch allegiances if he wins. And yeah, it still is odd we don't know much about Compress, he seems the most to be just a "common thug", someone doing this for the thrill of the fight/chase, which in this ensemble I think it's alright to have one "shallow-ish" character like him, but hopefully we can learn some more about him for that extra depth. I also didn't realize this until someone pointed it out, the chapter is called "75", referencing Shigaraki awakening at 75%, but also that Midoryia is using the Quirks of the 7th and 5th OFA successors, which is incredibly clever. Especially considering it's been about 2 months since he learned about Float, it makes sense he would've unlocked it by now. I don't know if we'll get any flashbacks to that time, since it'll probably break up the flow of the pacing in the battle, but I think it'd be good if eventually we do get to see what happened when it did unlock. It'd also be really nice if we found out he got so good at using Black Whip because he got help from Sero and Tokoyami, we know he's mentioned he looked at them as inspiration at least, so even so I can imagine he'd use Uraraka's Gravity as an inspiration to control Float.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Now I just really wanna see Bakugo do his usual ranting and screaming, and Feral Deku just giving no shits to anything he's saying. I have no idea if he would be happy or scared to see him like this. Even though I believe something is going to happen regarding Machia with the Evacuation team, everything story wise feels like it makes the most complete sense for him and the League to make it to Shigaraki, considering all the characters there. Like you mentioned, Dabi, Shoto, and Endeavor would be all in the same area at once, so that would definitively lead to something juicy, Spinner & Toga would see Midoryia again, who we know have interesting relationships with him, and then (this is my conspiracy theory brain going), the possibility of Machia seeing another multi-quirk user throwing the smackdown on his master, and maybe deciding to switch allegiances if he wins. And yeah, it still is odd we don't know much about Compress, he seems the most to be just a "common thug", someone doing this for the thrill of the fight/chase, which in this ensemble I think it's alright to have one "shallow-ish" character like him, but hopefully we can learn some more about him for that extra depth. I also didn't realize this until someone pointed it out, the chapter is called "75", referencing Shigaraki awakening at 75%, but also that Midoryia is using the Quirks of the 7th and 5th OFA successors, which is incredibly clever. Especially considering it's been about 2 months since he learned about Float, it makes sense he would've unlocked it by now. I don't know if we'll get any flashbacks to that time, since it'll probably break up the flow of the pacing in the battle, but I think it'd be good if eventually we do get to see what happened when it did unlock. It'd also be really nice if we found out he got so good at using Black Whip because he got help from Sero and Tokoyami, we know he's mentioned he looked at them as inspiration at least, so even so I can imagine he'd use Uraraka's Gravity as an inspiration to control Float.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Bakugo probably has a ton of mixed emotions right now since Deku just saved his ass, along with lots of other people, while putting himself on the line. I too wish for Bakugo to one day come face to face with Deku in berserk mode and just take a step back as he realizes what's about to be unleashed on him. Maybe Ochako will make the best of a bad situation and just have Gigantomachia drift up into the air. He'll probably still be able to force himself forward but at least he won't be tearing through building and innocents that way, and she and Iida might be able to dragged along for the big showdown that way. Just to add all of the big showdowns in one place. How Gigantomachia reacts to Deku and One For All since that quirk is so closely tied to his original master, and probably on par with Shigaraki right now (Deku just has to be able to bring it all out). He might just let them do the whole "Let them fight." to determine the dominate warrior. Another potential confrontation that isn't as juicy as the other but still has some interesting potential is Iida and Spinner meeting. Spinner knew about Stain deeming Deku worthy of the title hero, and might know about Iida being one of his targets, while Iida probably doesn't appreciate seeing somebody imitating Stain so closely. There's some potential there I feel. I wouldn't say that Compress is a "thug" as such, though I could certainly see his motivations just being the thrill of it all. But I personally see him as the most traditional supervillain of them all in that he's got a gimmick (stage magician) and his villain name is based on his quirk. There's a certain sense of flair to him that the others don't really have, and he's clearly very skilled with his quirk to the point where I wonder if he's been trained. He's got some kind of story, and it might end up being fairly shallow but I want to find out what it is. Also, I'd say that the truly shallow members of the LoV got dealt with during their attack on he training camp. Muscular, Moonfish and Mustard were all basically just brutes (or brat in Mustard's case) that wanted to do bad things. They got kicked out of the story real fast. That is really clever... and I now kinda want to see Deku push himself to use 75% of One For All at least once in this battle. Like for a short period of time and not just one smash. If Deku and Uravity do some kind of team up manuver before this is over I can see Horikoshi treating us to a brief flashback of them training together. Deku asking others for help in mastering his multiple powers is something I want to see more of. At the end of it all he might've just asked the entire class to help him with all seven of his quirks, which would be a neat kind of bonding.

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

spoilers:

Maybe Ochako will make the best of a bad situation and just have Gigantomachia drift up into the air. He'll probably still be able to force himself forward but at least he won't be tearing through building and innocents that way, and she and Iida might be able to dragged along for the big showdown that way. Just to add all of the big showdowns in one place. How Gigantomachia reacts to Deku and One For All since that quirk is so closely tied to his original master, and probably on par with Shigaraki right now (Deku just has to be able to bring it all out). He might just let them do the whole "Let them fight." to determine the dominate warrior. Another potential confrontation that isn't as juicy as the other but still has some interesting potential is Iida and Spinner meeting. Spinner knew about Stain deeming Deku worthy of the title hero, and might know about Iida being one of his targets, while Iida probably doesn't appreciate seeing somebody imitating Stain so closely. There's some potential there I feel. I wouldn't say that Compress is a "thug" as such, though I could certainly see his motivations just being the thrill of it all. But I personally see him as the most traditional supervillain of them all in that he's got a gimmick (stage magician) and his villain name is based on his quirk. There's a certain sense of flair to him that the others don't really have, and he's clearly very skilled with his quirk to the point where I wonder if he's been trained. He's got some kind of story, and it might end up being fairly shallow but I want to find out what it is. Also, I'd say that the truly shallow members of the LoV got dealt with during their attack on he training camp. Muscular, Moonfish and Mustard were all basically just brutes (or brat in Mustard's case) that wanted to do bad things. They got kicked out of the story real fast. That is really clever... and I now kinda want to see Deku push himself to use 75% of One For All at least once in this battle. Like for a short period of time and not just one smash. If Deku and Uravity do some kind of team up manuver before this is over I can see Horikoshi treating us to a brief flashback of them training together. Deku asking others for help in mastering his multiple powers is something I want to see more of. At the end of it all he might've just asked the entire class to help him with all seven of his quirks, which would be a neat kind of bonding.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

That actually sounds like the smartest idea, Machia can't be stopped, so we'll just float him above everyone to avoid the damage. It gives Uraraka a big heroic moment that saves everyone, and also still gets him to the "final battle". They all pretty much served their purpose so I don't see them coming back, but I think it would be funny to see what would happen if Muscular or some of the other villains came back into play and what would they do, other than Stain, Overhaul, and Gentle, who are very clearly gonna be important later down the line. I have a feeling he most likely kept all this training to himself (+ All Might and Bakugo), so it won't be until after this big battle, when more people start getting suspicious, that he'll start being more open, if not completely about his secrets, then at least by getting assistance from others to master them.

end of spoilers

Also, with no chapter this week, here's something nice that might wet some people's appetites for now.

Over on Twitter, Aitakimochi, known for doing lots of great translation work, has been writing fairly detailed synopses for each of the chapters in the 5th School Briefs novel, and knowing it'll be a long while before it officially makes its way over here, this is probably the best way to experience them and see what they're about.

https://twitter.com/aitaikimochi/sta...821958657?s=20

The volume's titled "Celebrations" and here are the chapters:

Part 1: U.A.'s Underground Labyrinth - Kirishima, Tokoyami, Iida, Shoji, & Koda end up in a secret underground labyrinth below U.A. and try to escape

Part 2: Mismatching Santas - After the 1A Christmas party, the U.A. staff dress up as Santas to give Eri presents

Part 3: Awkward New Years Soba - The Todorokis attempt to make soba on New Years

Part 4: Childhood Friend's New Years - During the Endeavor Agency, Midoryia & Bakugo try to help two fighting middle school friends

Part 5: The One Hit Fighting Spirit Devil Hot Pot - 1A has a hot pot party with 1B, including another competition where the boys try to survive lasting the longest in a sauna

Bonus Track Returning Home 1-4: The Jiro/Asui/Uraraka/Yaoyorozu Families - Short stories about what each student did when they reunited with their parents on New Years

At this moment Ch. 3, the second half of Ch. 5, and the Uraraka chapter haven't been posted yet, plus you'll probably have to do alot of digging through her feed to find each of the descriptions, Ch. 1 is all collected in a Twitter thread while the rest are text pages, but if you enjoyed the previous novels this is definitively worth your time to check it all out!

No "spoilers", but for some early impressions I'll say, Ch. 1 and 5 have two of the funniest moments in the series to me (both revolving around Bakugo), if you're craving for more Eri cuteness and a new way for the teachers to be chaotic disasters, Ch. 2 is perfect, and Ch. 4 might be the best story out of all the School Briefs books, kind of like the Shinso chapter, it's one of those deep character introspections that make you wonder why this wasn't in the main series, specifically asking the question "Are Midoryia & Bakugo really "friends"?"

[leokearon]

Sounds like a fun book.

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

That actually sounds like the smartest idea, Machia can't be stopped, so we'll just float him above everyone to avoid the damage. It gives Uraraka a big heroic moment that saves everyone, and also still gets him to the "final battle". They all pretty much served their purpose so I don't see them coming back, but I think it would be funny to see what would happen if Muscular or some of the other villains came back into play and what would they do, other than Stain, Overhaul, and Gentle, who are very clearly gonna be important later down the line.

end of spoilers

The more I think about it the more I hope that's what happens. It'd be a solid way of getting everybody to big showdown while getting a few missing characters directly involved.

If Muscular ever returns I think it'll mainly be for a rematch so that Deku can use him as a punching bag and show how far he's come. Same with if Rappa appeared to face off with Kirishima for round two.

Also, with no chapter this week, here's something nice that might wet some people's appetites for now.

Over on Twitter, Aitakimochi, known for doing lots of great translation work, has been writing fairly detailed synopses for each of the chapters in the 5th School Briefs novel, and knowing it'll be a long while before it officially makes its way over here, this is probably the best way to experience them and see what they're about.

https://twitter.com/aitaikimochi/sta...821958657?s=20

The volume's titled "Celebrations" and here are the chapters:

Part 1: U.A.'s Underground Labyrinth - Kirishima, Tokoyami, Iida, Shoji, & Koda end up in a secret underground labyrinth below U.A. and try to escape

Part 2: Mismatching Santas - After the 1A Christmas party, the U.A. staff dress up as Santas to give Eri presents

Part 3: Awkward New Years Soba - The Todorokis attempt to make soba on New Years

Part 4: Childhood Friend's New Years - During the Endeavor Agency, Midoryia & Bakugo try to help two fighting middle school friends

Part 5: The One Hit Fighting Spirit Devil Hot Pot - 1A has a hot pot party with 1B, including another competition where the boys try to survive lasting the longest in a sauna

Bonus Track Returning Home 1-4: The Jiro/Asui/Uraraka/Yaoyorozu Families - Short stories about what each student did when they reunited with their parents on New Years

At this moment Ch. 3, the second half of Ch. 5, and the Uraraka chapter haven't been posted yet, plus you'll probably have to do alot of digging through her feed to find each of the descriptions, Ch. 1 is all collected in a Twitter thread while the rest are text pages, but if you enjoyed the previous novels this is definitively worth your time to check it all out!

No "spoilers", but for some early impressions I'll say, Ch. 1 and 5 have two of the funniest moments in the series to me (both revolving around Bakugo), if you're craving for more Eri cuteness and a new way for the teachers to be chaotic disasters, Ch. 2 is perfect, and Ch. 4 might be the best story out of all the School Briefs books, kind of like the Shinso chapter, it's one of those deep character introspections that make you wonder why this wasn't in the main series, specifically asking the question "Are Midoryia & Bakugo really "friends"?"

That sounds like a lot of fun side stories. The first chapter sounds kind of weird, but there's usually one such chapter in these books. I have a gut feeling that Mei will be involved.

I've heard really good things about the Todoroki focused chapter and can't wait to read that. Same with the Uraraka side chapter. I wasn't aware that the other girls also got short bits with their families, that is something I really want as well. Chapter 2 and 4 sound great too. Overall, the whole book seems like a great addition to the series. But I think I'll wait until I have a physical copy to read.

[leokearon]

The more I think about it the more I hope that's what happens. It'd be a solid way of getting everybody to big showdown while getting a few missing characters directly involved.

If Muscular ever returns I think it'll mainly be for a rematch so that Deku can use him as a punching bag and show how far he's come. Same with if Rappa appeared to face off with Kirishima for round two.


That sounds like a lot of fun side stories. The first chapter sounds kind of weird, but there's usually one such chapter in these books. I have a gut feeling that Mei will be involved.

I've heard really good things about the Todoroki focused chapter and can't wait to read that. Same with the Uraraka side chapter. I wasn't aware that the other girls also got short bits with their families, that is something I really want as well. Chapter 2 and 4 sound great too. Overall, the whole book seems like a great addition to the series. But I think I'll wait until I have a physical copy to read.

I really want Mei to appear again in one of the stories. Of the stories, I think the Todoroki chapter and the Returning Home chapters are the ones I'm most interested in.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Very short teaser for season 5 that only hints a teeny tiny bit at things to come. But still, it's always nice to see.



What are you guys most looking forward to next season? Me:
- Everything with the Todoroki family.
- Shigaraki's flashback. How much will they be able to show?
- In general just everything with My Villain Academia.
- Both Izuku and Bakugo's matches in the Joint Training arc. Izuku's because of all the crazy things that happen in, and Bakugo's because I hope that they just burn through it with some awesome animation and his theme song blaring during it all.