My Hero Academia Appreciation

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Alot of fun little things in this chapter. The prediction I expected of La Brava broadcasting the live feed of the battle came true, so excited to see in what way we'll see others reacting to this. Get a bit more of that Kurogiri/Shirakumo stuff, so now with all three of them together again hopefully that gets a resolution soon. We also get three big WTF moments in a row, first with the fake-out glittery Hawks, Tokoyami's meme-worthy gasping face, and then Camie's dialogue with every bit of terrible slang you can think of (and increasingly confused funny TL notes). Shiketsu finally showing back up and getting to do stuff is cool too.

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I do appreciate the effort of bringing in as many characters as possible in this massive cast to give them all a moment to shine. And yet I was a bit worried that the Shikketsu kids would be forgotten. So to have Camie of all people duping AFO with a pretty boy illusion is a freaking delight. Show him up Camie, confuse him with your nonsense slang! I also like that Gentle had a brief moment of wanting to act for the cameras before getting his priorities straight by warning the kids. At least that's how I'm reading the scene.

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[Inversed]

spoilers:

I do appreciate the effort of bringing in as many characters as possible in this massive cast to give them all a moment to shine. And yet I was a bit worried that the Shikketsu kids would be forgotten. So to have Camie of all people duping AFO with a pretty boy illusion is a freaking delight. Show him up Camie, confuse him with your nonsense slang! I also like that Gentle had a brief moment of wanting to act for the cameras before getting his priorities straight by warning the kids. At least that's how I'm reading the scene.

end of spoilers

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At this point pretty much the only ones left to show back up in the war are Toru, the rest of 1-B, Ryukyu, Stain, Overhaul, Gran Torino, and Mr. Compress. Maybe they're waiting for another big surprise moment for the "invisible girl to show back up. 1-B, especially the major players like Kendo & Tetsutetsu, really deserve something after being AWOL for so long. It's weird Ryukyu's like the one Pro Hero that hasn't shown up anywhere here, yet. Stain I'm still expecting will show up in Kamino with Iida. We still need to resolve Overhaul's plot, as well as whether Gran Torino is actually alive or dead. And then same with Compress, only because Horikoshi himself said he was coming back, but at this rate I have no idea how so hopefully he does. And yeah Gentle's scene is mainly just him reflecting on how he would always put on performances to be filmed, but now he's doing this heroic actions for his own satisfaction, until of course that funny beat to see people filming him. Also find it great that La Brava is broadcasting everything not really for the "get the public on the Heroes' side", but all for Gentle's sake, which of course fits for her.

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

They put some kickass animation on the later half of the Deku/Nagant fight. As they damn well should.

And Horikoshi shared this sad and beautiful image of Nagant in various stages of her life.

spoilers:

At this point pretty much the only ones left to show back up in the war are Toru, the rest of 1-B, Ryukyu, Stain, Overhaul, Gran Torino, and Mr. Compress. Maybe they're waiting for another big surprise moment for the "invisible girl to show back up. 1-B, especially the major players like Kendo & Tetsutetsu, really deserve something after being AWOL for so long. It's weird Ryukyu's like the one Pro Hero that hasn't shown up anywhere here, yet. Stain I'm still expecting will show up in Kamino with Iida. We still need to resolve Overhaul's plot, as well as whether Gran Torino is actually alive or dead. And then same with Compress, only because Horikoshi himself said he was coming back, but at this rate I have no idea how so hopefully he does.

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spoilers:

I still don't think Overhaul will have a big moment in this final battle. At best we'll get a scene afterwards of him apologising to Eri or something in that vein. And while it would be awesome, and still sort of plausible, for Gran Torino to jump in with one last cool scene I'm not holding my breath. And Aoyama still needs to make an appearance too.

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[leokearon]

They put some kickass animation on the later half of the Deku/Nagant fight. As they damn well should.

And Horikoshi shared this sad and beautiful image of Nagant in various stages of her life.

spoilers:

I still don't think Overhaul will have a big moment in this final battle. At best we'll get a scene afterwards of him apologising to Eri or something in that vein. And while it would be awesome, and still sort of plausible, for Gran Torino to jump in with one last cool scene I'm not holding my breath. And Aoyama still needs to make an appearance too.

end of spoilers

That picture was amazing and really touching

[Dark Soul # 7]

New chapter.

spoilers:

With the Shiketsu reinforcements the heroes begin using wide scale ranged attacks to push back the Toga-Twice horde and press the attack on AFO. Forgoing the tactic of going at with fewer resources so he doesn't steal more quirks. AFO laughs and counter with more devastating combination attacks. He chides them all for not being aware of the times when he ruled from the darkness and that their ignorance is why they're keep fighting a hopeless battle. Inasa counters by saying that they might not know about AFO specifically, but they've read about how things used to be in history class. And that they're fighting for a brighter tomorow. AFO points out that they still don't dare to approach him out of fear that he'll steal their quirks and that they can't win like that. But the storm clounds have covered up the daylight and the winds have blown out all the nearby fires. With this, and Pixie-Bob's help, Tokoyami has gathered enough darkness to unleash a kaiju-sized Dark Shadow that smashes AFO into the ground.

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spoilers:

Great chapter. I really liked the back and forth between AFO and the heroes. Inasa being so blunt and enthusiastic is a great counter to AFO's whole deal as the big bad. This is also a great example of using multiple supporting characters to deliver a satisfying counter to a big bad. I just hope that it actually messes AFO up somewhat, so that we don't get another Big 3 vs. Shigaraki scene. Endeavor seems to be pulling Dabi away from the main fight. Clearly trying to keep it in the family, regardless of the outcome. And of course, gotta give up for the goth birb himself. I love seeing Tokoyami get big scenes, and this is clearly the biggest one yet. Wonderfully executed.

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[leokearon]

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I love that the students don't see AFO as a big a deal as he thinks he is. It once again shows that he is living in his own little world. Kaiju Dark Shadow is insane, it looks like Jiro and Fumikage are doing more damage to AFO than the pros, which is great to see

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[Inversed]

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Giant Demon Dark Shadow is such a great treat to see. Pretty much completely forgot about the true danger of Dark Shadow that was teased all the way back during the Forest Camp, so seeing that to its full extreme is excellent, especially how it completely froze All For One in his place. Also the panel with Baby Tokoyami and Dark Shadow was a cute little thing too. And yeah regarding All For One's monologuing and how no one's taking him seriously anymore. Hopefully he isn't immediately able to overpower them again, even if we know he probably has to get away eventually.

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[leokearon]

spoilers:

Giant Demon Dark Shadow is such a great treat to see. Pretty much completely forgot about the true danger of Dark Shadow that was teased all the way back during the Forest Camp, so seeing that to its full extreme is excellent, especially how it completely froze All For One in his place. Also the panel with Baby Tokoyami and Dark Shadow was a cute little thing too. And yeah regarding All For One's monologuing and how no one's taking him seriously anymore. Hopefully he isn't immediately able to overpower them again, even if we know he probably has to get away eventually.

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I'm hoping Black Shadow beats the crap out of AFO, which along with the Rewind effect causes AFO to retreat and try to get to Tomura.

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[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Giant Demon Dark Shadow is such a great treat to see. Pretty much completely forgot about the true danger of Dark Shadow that was teased all the way back during the Forest Camp, so seeing that to its full extreme is excellent, especially how it completely froze All For One in his place. Also the panel with Baby Tokoyami and Dark Shadow was a cute little thing too. And yeah regarding All For One's monologuing and how no one's taking him seriously anymore. Hopefully he isn't immediately able to overpower them again, even if we know he probably has to get away eventually.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

What I would like to see is AFO pushing back against Kaiju Dark Shadow, only to be smacked down by some other big move (Pixie-Doll could for example start burying him). And for that to continue until he starts becoming overwhelmed and refocuses on just bolting away. It would just be nice to see larger numbers actually work against a bad guy.

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

The 6th (and potentially last depending on how the future turns out) School Briefs novel came out in English recently so finally got the chance to pick it up and read through it, after only reading the fan translations before. Definitely more of that great slice-of-life character exploration we love to see. The stories in this book are:

-The Class takes part in a Setsubun-themed training exercise, while Bakugo is tasked with befriending Eri.
-The girls all make chocolates for Valentine's day, and then try to figure out who the "prince" a girl in another class wants to confess to.
-A group of the boys decide to go snowy mountain camping in one of the school facilities during their spring break.
-Eri struggles with her anxiousness while training her Quirk, and ends up befriending Shinso.
-The Business Course creates promotional videos for all the Hero students.
-The U.A. teachers go out drinking under the cherry blossoms to celebrate upcoming end of term.

Highlights being that Eri gets two spotlight chapters, one of which honestly should've been in the main series, cause seeing her progress with her Quirk/seeing more of her as a character would've been a great benefit. Throwing Shinso in as well is a nice bonus. The Valentine's Day chapter is fun very much in both a ship and anti-ship type of way. The PV chapter is a different change of pace, showing the wacky advertisements each student comes up to present themselves, and considering the Business students role in the current arc it adds a neat layer to it all. And the last chapter continues the tradition of focusing on the U.A. staff, only now with the clear bittersweetness of Midnight's impending fate, and does act as a very sweet send off for her character.

[leokearon]

Sounds like a good book, though I'm not sure about the teachers going out drinking yet again

[Dark Soul # 7]

Book sounds fun.

Double the Eri chapters is a welcome addition. And the Business course getting some attention with a fun premise is a nice idea.

And while it might seem a bit repetitive with another teacher's drinking chapter, if it puts some focus on Midnight then that'll be effectively emotional.

I still think that they can squeeze out one more volume that takes place after the big final battle. Though it depends a bit on if there's a final timeskip in the last chapter.

[Inversed]

The teachers drinking is definitely a much different vibe compared to the ones in Books 3 & 4, it's a much more somber tone overall. Every novel has had a "teacher hangout" chapter so it's tradition at this point.

I would greatly welcome a book that fills in alot of that pre-final battle stuff that they skipped over. Last year not having a School Briefs book be released, when every year prior had one, is what makes me unsure if or when it'll happen. Honestly think it would be nice if both it and Team-Up Missions just continued on even after the main series finishes. We don't need a sequel series, just having fun with the characters in their day-to-day lives.

[Inversed]

spoilers:

Toga-Twice attempts to create Doubles of Shigaraki, Dabi, and All For One, but they all fail to use their Quirks. This sends Toga further downward into despair, believing she loves them as much as she loves Twice and Ochaco, and wondering why she can't become like Twice. Ochaco is able to spot the lone Twice crying, realizing that is Toga. Meanwhile despite Dark Shadow pinning him down, All For One manages to break free with another bright blast, now looking significantly younger due to the Rewind effect. He attempts to flee again when they spot another new arrival to the battle: Gigantomachia...who proceeds to throw a mountain at his master, now being ridden by Kirishima and Shinso.

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I called Shinso brainwashing Machia and sending him into battle! Now just have to see how far they are able to take it. Due to him being a chatterbox, it would be funny if AFO also got effected by it, but I imagine the Rewind effect would neutralize it anyway. Speaking of, AFO's now like close to Shigaraki's age it's looking like, meaning it's more and more likely we're gonna see him end up as a child at this rate. Nice seeing more of Toga's dilemma, misunderstanding the different forms of "love" she has for everyone, and how her plan to try to fully become someone won't work. Also nice having Ochaco seeing the tears being how she finds the original, so hopefully we're getting that final confrontation soon, though obviously we're probably getting the flashback to what happened with Machia first.

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[leokearon]

spoilers:

Toga-Twice attempts to create Doubles of Shigaraki, Dabi, and All For One, but they all fail to use their Quirks. This sends Toga further downward into despair, believing she loves them as much as she loves Twice and Ochaco, and wondering why she can't become like Twice. Ochaco is able to spot the lone Twice crying, realizing that is Toga. Meanwhile despite Dark Shadow pinning him down, All For One manages to break free with another bright blast, now looking significantly younger due to the Rewind effect. He attempts to flee again when they spot another new arrival to the battle: Gigantomachia...who proceeds to throw a mountain at his master, now being ridden by Kirishima and Shinso.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I called Shinso brainwashing Machia and sending him into battle! Now just have to see how far they are able to take it. Due to him being a chatterbox, it would be funny if AFO also got effected by it, but I imagine the Rewind effect would neutralize it anyway. Speaking of, AFO's now like close to Shigaraki's age it's looking like, meaning it's more and more likely we're gonna see him end up as a child at this rate. Nice seeing more of Toga's dilemma, misunderstanding the different forms of "love" she has for everyone, and how her plan to try to fully become someone won't work. Also nice having Ochaco seeing the tears being how she finds the original, so hopefully we're getting that final confrontation soon, though obviously we're probably getting the flashback to what happened with Machia first.

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spoilers:

Disappointed that Dark Shadow didn't do more, still Gigantomachia being tricked to fight AFO was a nice touch. Hopefully we will finaly see the girls doing more, but first I believe it will be the flashback to what happened with Gigantomachia

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