My Hero Academia Appreciation 2020

[Dark Soul # 7]

New chapter, new madness! (Also no chapter next week cause of Golden Week)

CURSES!!!

spoilers:

Not too much to analyze here exactly, but there's alot to be excited about. It is interesting that Machia brought Skeptic along, but not Re-Destro or anyone else, maybe Shiggy needs him in particular? For a moment I almost thought Kamui Woods was a complete goner, considering what happened to Hawks, he should be crisps by now, so seeing him just knocked out in that last Mt. Lady panel (which I didn't even notice until second read through), is reassuring. Still really nervous about Midnight...that's not a pretty spot to close her out on.... I knew we were preparing for this team to take on Gigantomachia, so now it's very exciting. Having Momo step up to be the leader too, finally getting a chance to truly shine. As well as the rest of her classmates, which are effectively "The B team of 1A", having a true unstoppable threat to demonstrate their stuff, and Kirishima and Mina get to have their Machia reunion! It also makes sense why they'd obviously of no chance of fighting it, so main priority is putting it to sleep, though it is slightly weird to me Midnight was worrying about the legality of it now of all times, it's not like they're trying to give him poison. Lastly, Momo's cannons have been getting bigger and bigger in each fight, so let's see how huge they'll be now =D

end of spoilers

spoilers:

There's a lot of movement going on here. I do really enjoy seeing a lot of the non-MC pieces flitting about here and there and just doing their thing. Seriously, there's a lot of action centered on secondary characters this chapter. Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady doing their best to stop Gigantomachia, even teaming up at the end of the chapter. Cementoss and Edgeshot facing off against Geten and Re-Destro in ways that just reminded me of classic superhero fare as heroes and villains have individual throwdowns in big team fights. And Midnight going for the clever move when it's abundantly clear that they won't be able to match Gigantomachia's raw power and then tossing aside her pride and trusting her students to help out. I really hope she's ok at the end of this, at least alive. It's kind of hilarious to me that Gigantomachia isn't just big enough to cary an entire team of people no problem. But they can actually even hide on his back. Crazy. I actually wondered if Dabi was going to blast Mt. Lady since he already knows that Gigantomachia is imprevious to his flames, so he wouldn't have to worry about friendly fire (pardon the pun). Getting something close to it is neat, as is seeing Compress being practical and careful. Maybe Gigantomachia didn't bring Re-Destro since he saw him being defeated by Shigaraki, so he's too unworthy a pawn to bring along directly. Momo taking center stage is great and she's doing a great job so far with directing her comrades, and their steadfast refusal to back down is heartwarming as all heck. They're still just first year students, but they've been fighting these villains from the get go and they're not about to give in to fear now. I'm thinking that whatever sleeping agent they'll use against Gigantomachia needs to be REALLY potent, maybe even to the point of being illegal for useage. And since they are so strict about rules, Midnight just wanted to make sure that it wasn't something that Momo would hesitate over.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Well the kids get ready to join the fight. I wonder if Mineta would have enough Sticky balls to stop Gigantomachia. I still want to see all the Legaue members get knocked off Gigantomachia's back by a big attack.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I don't think Mineta could pull that off, especially since Gigantomachia would probably just rip the ground along with him depending on where the balls stick to. And if he starts swinging around his giant arms with sticky balls stuck to them, people might get caught on those and that would just be terrifying and weird. I'm not sure if I'd like to see the League members knocked off of their giant monster man taxi, or if I want the heroes to get onto the monster man taxi and have a fight with the league on his back as he's moving forward.

end of spoilers

[leokearon]

spoilers:

I don't think Mineta could pull that off, especially since Gigantomachia would probably just rip the ground along with him depending on where the balls stick to. And if he starts swinging around his giant arms with sticky balls stuck to them, people might get caught on those and that would just be terrifying and weird. I'm not sure if I'd like to see the League members knocked off of their giant monster man taxi, or if I want the heroes to get onto the monster man taxi and have a fight with the league on his back as he's moving forward.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

It probably wouldn't work or maybe for a couple of seconds, but I would like to see Mineta try it. Chuck as many balls as he can under one of Gigantomachia's feet and see what happens

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

So, while we wait for more than a week for the next chapter, let's talk about the anime.

I recently spontaneously watched the End of Term arc, just out of the blue and I really enjoyed it and thought about how great season 2 is. Which led to me ranking the seasons in my head. Here's how I rank the anime seasons so far.

Season 2 is in the first place for me. It's here that the series start expanding on the solid foundations from season 1 with more character and world building that really drive home the theme of there being different ideas of what it means to be a hero. It also feels like the most balanced in terms of pure quality. The sports festival was great, the Stain arc was an instant hit, the end of term arc is a lot of fun and the anime version especially gives the entire class time to shine, and the ending with Shigaraki confronting Deku works really well advancing Shigaraki's character and setting the stage for later arcs. Season 2 also has the best minor additions and expansions to the overall plot, little bits here and there that just flesh out the proceedings that much more (and Tsuyu's filler episode is so fun and kinda feels like a chapter from one of the School Briefs volumes).

Season 4 is a close second as it covers two of my favourite arcs (Overhaul and the school festival) and not only does them justice but gives them both amazing finishers (100% Full Cowling and Hero Too). The final episode also has one of the best animated fight scenes in the series yet. The only thing holding it back is again that I think they handled the small inbetween moments better in season 2, otherwise this is almost neck and neck for me.

Next is season 1, which does a great job of laying the foundations for the series and establishing Izuku as a character and the relationships around him. There's a good sense of character development for him even this early on and they do a good job of introducing the class and giving most of them things to do so that you'll remember them. The later half with the League of Villains is great for ramping up the tensions and giving us our first glimpse of a rather different kind of villain, one that has to grown into his role. That All Might vs. Nomu fight is also so freaking cool.

And this may be controversial, but to me season 3 ranks the lowest. The whole part with the League of Villains stepping up their game leading the the epic clash between All Might and All For One is truly great, one of the best arcs in the entire series. But the second half is the weakest one in the whole anime so far if you ask me. It's not bad per se, and the double finisher with Deku vs. Bakugou and then Mirio's introduction is solid stuff. But everything leading up to it not as exciting for me as the other arcs. Also, they kinda dropped the ball on the small additions/expansions after handling them so well in the previous season. First half is great, the second part is still fun but the weakest in the series for me so far.

And that's my rambling on that. I do think that the next season could top them all with the conclusion to the Pro Hero arc, Joint Training arc, My Villain Academia and possibly the Endeavor Internship. It's a lot to go through but I think that they can do it.

[Inversed]

spoilers:

There's a lot of movement going on here. I do really enjoy seeing a lot of the non-MC pieces flitting about here and there and just doing their thing. Seriously, there's a lot of action centered on secondary characters this chapter. Kamui Woods and Mt. Lady doing their best to stop Gigantomachia, even teaming up at the end of the chapter. Cementoss and Edgeshot facing off against Geten and Re-Destro in ways that just reminded me of classic superhero fare as heroes and villains have individual throwdowns in big team fights. And Midnight going for the clever move when it's abundantly clear that they won't be able to match Gigantomachia's raw power and then tossing aside her pride and trusting her students to help out. I really hope she's ok at the end of this, at least alive. It's kind of hilarious to me that Gigantomachia isn't just big enough to cary an entire team of people no problem. But they can actually even hide on his back. Crazy. I actually wondered if Dabi was going to blast Mt. Lady since he already knows that Gigantomachia is imprevious to his flames, so he wouldn't have to worry about friendly fire (pardon the pun). Getting something close to it is neat, as is seeing Compress being practical and careful. Maybe Gigantomachia didn't bring Re-Destro since he saw him being defeated by Shigaraki, so he's too unworthy a pawn to bring along directly. Momo taking center stage is great and she's doing a great job so far with directing her comrades, and their steadfast refusal to back down is heartwarming as all heck. They're still just first year students, but they've been fighting these villains from the get go and they're not about to give in to fear now. I'm thinking that whatever sleeping agent they'll use against Gigantomachia needs to be REALLY potent, maybe even to the point of being illegal for useage. And since they are so strict about rules, Midnight just wanted to make sure that it wasn't something that Momo would hesitate over.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I do agree, anytime we get a chance for the secondary/minor students and heroes getting to do some action spotlight stuff, it's always very welcomed. Maybe, but it's also a question of why he would think Skeptic would be anymore useful, or how he even knows about him. Honestly, this makes me feel like either they're setting up for the League making an escape at some point near the end of all this, and Skeptic ends up (unwillingly) joining alongside them, or he's gonna have a big fight with someone. It's a good thing Mushroom Girl is back, her OP wind-pipe blocking abilities will be incredibly useful here as well.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I don't think Mineta could pull that off, especially since Gigantomachia would probably just rip the ground along with him depending on where the balls stick to. And if he starts swinging around his giant arms with sticky balls stuck to them, people might get caught on those and that would just be terrifying and weird. I'm not sure if I'd like to see the League members knocked off of their giant monster man taxi, or if I want the heroes to get onto the monster man taxi and have a fight with the league on his back as he's moving forward.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I'm really curious because Mineta's balls are actually shown to be pretty strong, so while they probably couldn't hold 'Machia down, it'd be a very easy way to stick stuff onto him, like gas or even bombs. I actually do really hope the League jump or get knocked off, because then it means they'll have to fight this group, and it's such an unexpected setup of characters together it could go literally anywhere. Plus it'd be a funny twist, oh you thought Uraraka was gonna rematch Toga, or Shoto be truly face-to-face with Dabi? Nope! Mineta and Mina are gonna fight em instead lol

end of spoilers

[Dark Soul # 7]

spoilers:

Maybe, but it's also a question of why he would think Skeptic would be anymore useful, or how he even knows about him. Honestly, this makes me feel like either they're setting up for the League making an escape at some point near the end of all this, and Skeptic ends up (unwillingly) joining alongside them, or he's gonna have a big fight with someone. It's a good thing Mushroom Girl is back, her OP wind-pipe blocking abilities will be incredibly useful here as well.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Skeptic can make his puppets look like other people, so if the League does need to run he can create decoys to fool the heroes, and with enough of them he'd kind of a decent replacement for Twice. He'd also make for an interesting addition if only because he kinda really hates all of them but still recognises the usefullness of working with them. It'd be a fun dynamic. As soon as I read that I thought "That would be a good idea. Though, we and the heroes are just assuming that Gigantomachia needs to breathe." And considering what we've seen of him so far I wouldn't be surprised if he just doesn't need to breathe at all.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

I'm really curious because Mineta's balls are actually shown to be pretty strong, so while they probably couldn't hold 'Machia down, it'd be a very easy way to stick stuff onto him, like gas or even bombs. I actually do really hope the League jump or get knocked off, because then it means they'll have to fight this group, and it's such an unexpected setup of characters together it could go literally anywhere. Plus it'd be a funny twist, oh you thought Uraraka was gonna rematch Toga, or Shoto be truly face-to-face with Dabi? Nope! Mineta and Mina are gonna fight em instead lol

end of spoilers

spoilers:

Yeah, attempting to restraing Gigantomachia is probably an effort in futility. But the sticky balls do have other uses. Heh, they could maybe even trap all the League members to Gigantomachia's back. I would actually like to see something like that (and right now Uraraka's goal should be to enact "Rock's fall, everybody dies." on Shigaraki so that's fine). But would also be really worried about all the secondary characters going up against Dabi and Toga.

end of spoilers

[Inversed]

I have a hard time explicitly ranking the anime overall between each other and which seasons are my favourite, but I do have an easier time ranking the arcs individually (using the anime as the base for the ones that are animated)

Sports Festival - I still stand by the Sports Festival not only being the best MHA arc, but the perfect arc that represents everything great about MHA. It comes in at the perfect time, 3 volumes into the manga, and the start of the 2nd season, it opens up the class, giving us the chance to really get to witness the rest of 1A in action, the school, seeing the different departments and classes and their relationships to each other, and the world building through the importance of the tournament. You have the ingenuous dilemma of Midoryia still unable to use his powers properly, so effectively doing it all quirkless. The great variety of action sequences, from race, to calvary battle, to those excellent tournament brawls. The underlying message of drive vs. ideology as each of the students fight to achieve their goals. And then you ground the whole thing with Todoroki as the emotional centre, and how he overcomes his personal trauma and struggles. It's one that's endlessly rewatchable and deeply moving.

Cultural Festival - While the arc below me is probably the better overall, this stands out to me as my second favourite because it focuses on what I love the most about MHA, the character interactions and camaraderies. Giving everyone the chance to just hang back and relax provides some much needed levity, and just casual fun amongst everyone. Eri getting to continue her development is a mega plus. And then you throw in one of the best antagonists in the series in Gentle and La Brava, who are not only wonderful in their chemistry, but also providing a breath of fresh air in terms of "villains" who aren't actually evil or acting maliciously, but instead broken people acting out to gain some semblance of attention, ends up being very powerful to me. And of course, Hero Too which is just perfection. It's definitely the most feel good arc of the series.

My Villain Academia - In alot of similar ways to the SF, this feels like the perfect kind of MHA arc, in the sense that it takes everything you know and learned about the series, and twists it on itself. Not only by making the antagonists the protagonists of their own story, which alone is an incredibly clever idea, but by purposefully using their story to build on the themes touched upon throughout the series, the power of ideologies, the media, trauma, and (ironically enough) heroism. It has the incredible backstories, a wonderfully joyful new villain, and acts as the coming home point for Shigaraki as he finally grows into his own.

Summer Training Camp
Hideout Raid - Even though technically they're two different arcs, I feel like they're most effective together, since they really complete a puzzle. This is one that just keeps building, with every little piece just working off each other. The glorious training regime (that alone could've probably fit a whole arc), the dynamic between Midoryia and Kota, the Vanguard Action Squad, Midoryia vs. Muscular, the aftermath of Bakugo's kidnapping, the students' guilt, Bakugo's resilience, Pizza delivery, and then the epic final culmination between All For One, leading right to "It's your turn." So many powerful moments that just come one after the other and compliment themselves in just the right way.

Overhaul - This shocked me because for the longest time I actually put Overhaul fairly low on my arc ranking list, but after the anime aired, it jumped up greatly for me. Mostly because I feel it greatly fixed some of the pacing issues, especially during the Raid portion which felt like it dragged on for too long in the manga, but was just right here. Everything to do with Mirio, Nighteye and All Might, and then Eri are absolutely great. Overhaul's an effective new threat with a great background. Kirishima gets his moment to really stand out. And then builds to that excellent climax with that heroic action MHA does best.

Remedial Course
Pro Hero
Endeavor Agency - I put these three together because they really do feel like a thematic trilogy, centring on Endeavor's growth towards the #1, especially since the RC and PH arcs are probably a bit too short to fairly judge amongst the rest of them. You got just the absolute hilarity and fun that is the RC, which caught me off guard how hard I laughed at it watching it in the anime, PH of course has it's phenomenal fight scene (and Hawks), as well as that powerful coda, which leads directly into the Agency stuff. You get excellent foreshadowing for what's to come in the future, and 1A's Big 3 together again after a long while. The main strength is how it deals with all the heavy family drama, and the mature resolution that comes out of it. I also love Midoryia's completely unaware and unintentional connection he shares with Endeavor, relating to his fragile physique, being able to understand and assist his training techniques, and overhearing his advice on forgiveness.

Attack On USJ - This is one that makes me feel oddly nostalgic, presumably because it's the series' first big "action arc". It's very simple and pretty low-scaled compared to what happens in the future, but just the novelty of seeing these kids face off against real villains for the first time, the hilarity that is original bratty Shigaraki giving commentary throughout the whole thing, Aizawa being a badass, Midoryia demonstrating his smarts, and then All Might cutting loose against Nomu, it's some all around good stuff that gets you hyped up.

Stain - This may be slightly controversial, but I feel like the Stain arc may be a tad overrated personally. Still a very good arc overall, but I think it gets hyped up a bit too much. It isn't helped that I think Stain's impact on the series as a whole has kind of eclipsed his actions in the arc. There's still lots of good, all the internship stuff with the other students is wonderful, Midoryia finally learning how to utilize OFA is greatly done, the fight against Stain is of course good stuff, and it's really the first (and last) time Iida gets to shine with his own arc. Plus it's the first time they start to question alot of the ethics behind the hero society and leaves that lingering thread for future plot lines to dangle, even if I feel the resolution at the hospital is only about as half-realized as I think it could've been.

Joint Training - This is a weird one where I've actually found myself re-reading this arc alot lately, more than others, but still having a difficult time where exactly I think it should be placed. I think once it's finally animated I'll end up bumping it up higher on the list. It's a very simple arc with only a few main goals, re-introduce the 1A students, fully highlight the 1B students, giving Shinso the chance to shine again, and unlocking the secrets of OFA. It's probably the arc with the most Action > Plot, but the battles are all engaging, and the variety you get from these 41 quirk users, even if slightly bit overwhelming, makes you just wanna see more out of them. And that Black Whip/OFA reveal always gets me excited.

License Exam - I think most of this arc's outstanding success is thanks to the Deku Vs. Kacchan 2 fight that concludes it all, but it's also so separate it's hard to directly connect it towards the License Exam, outside of association. And the exam itself? It's decent enough. It does retread some common ground from some of the characters' actions, and it at points does feel like it drags on a bit too long, but I think it at least succeeds in what it is trying to accomplish, and is enjoyable to read/watch, even if there isn't so much that stands out. But yeah, that final fight, especially in the anime, is masterfully executed.

Entrance Exam
Battle Trial - I also put these two together since they're short enough and closely connected that they fit. I feel like I want to put it a bit higher, because it is the first arc(s), and is primarily responsible for getting you invested into the series, and handles all the origin and introduction stuff fairly well. (One of the Quirk Apphrension Test chapters was included in a FCBD issue and that was actually my first real exposure to MHA and intrigued me enough to want to see what happened next). Midoryia solidifies himself as an engaging protagonist, All Might proves how awesome he is, and the early start of UA provides an intriguing environment. This is also particularly a me problem, but I think Bakugo being at his most obnoxious and insufferable at this part of the story, even if that's the point, does make it harder to go back to and what prevents me from putting it that much higher.

Final Exams - It's funny how you mention that rewatching the Final Exams is what made you think about S2 being your fav, when it's honestly still my personal least fav. Which obviously says alot about this series' quality that it's still really good, it's just to me the least substantial of all the arcs. There's all the hilarious stuff before the practicals start, and the great confrontation between Midoryia and Shigaraki at the end, but I'd say other than Momo/Todoroki vs. Aizawa and Midoryia/Bakugo vs. All Might, most of the other fights were kind of forgettable (even if this is where the glorious Nezu meme came from). Also even the Midoryia/Bakugo fight, besides the joy of getting to see them work together for the first time, I think is slightly hurt from not really having any real payoff from the aftermath (other than a bonus chapter in the first Ultra Archive book). It is a very big plus on the anime, completely restructuring the weird pacing from the manga and making so much better to experience.

[Dark Soul # 7]

Ooh, ranking every arc. For me that's way more difficult than ranking the anime seasons. I'll have to think it over. Until then I can add comments.
And cutting out yours because my post would be too long otherwise.

Sports Festival.

It is notable that we have this arc so high for similar reasons. After laying a solid foundation with the first few arcs/season this is where Horikoshi really starts to build and open up the world on multiple levels. More of Izuku's classmates and their motivations, more of the school, more of how the world views heroes, more inventive quirks, just more of everything as Horikoshi really starts digging into what the series is all about. It's a great arc even before we got the anime version, but that just elevates to new heights.

It's also one of the best examples of what I like to call MHA's "low stakes" arcs. That's to say, the arcs where the characters aren't in mortal peril. They're still doing superhero stuff and tossing around their powers, but it's in a safe and controlled (largely) environment. So it all comes down to the characters and their emotional journey to supply the stakes. There isn't any question of whether they live or die, but they'll have grown and changed on some fundamental emotional level. I love these arcs because they make the times when the cast actually are in mortal peril hit that much harder, and they can have some of the best emotional developments in the series. The sports festival is probably the best example of this.

Cultural Festival

Another great low stakes arc that even manages to be such while having a pair of villains running around. It is a cute and fun arc that lets us see more of who these characters are in their downtime. I was super happy with Jiro getting some time to shine with her special interest, showing the audience that it's not just the quirk that makes the hero (Jiro is absolutely going to hold charity concerts and other such events after going Pro). Eri is always a delight. Gentle and La Brava shine as a great contrast to all the other villains. The concert episode that ends with the gorilla detective telling Gentle that it's not too late for him is one of the most cathartic anime episodes I've ever seen.

My Villain Academia

I agree with all of this and add the arc is also memorable for how dark Horikoshi went with it. Halfway during Shigaraki's flashback I really started missing the dumb hero kids and their shenanigans, but I also just wanted the fascinating descent into despair to continue. It's also really fun to compare it to the USJ arc, not just for how much Shigaraki has changed between the two. But also because there's a neat parallel with a smaller group being forced to fight a force with superior numbers while hoping that they'll be saved by a super strong "ally" coming in. They naturally go in completely seperate directions but it's fun to compare them based on that.

Summer Training Camp
Hideout Raid

I absolutely agree that they're kinda inseperable. They're basically one story told in two parts, and that story is one of the most iconic ones in the series so far. Izuku pushing himself to defeat a villain on his own for the first time, getting All For One finally properly revealed in his full dasterdly glory and the end of All Might's time as a hero (while dodging all the death flags the story had put up for him). It is a bittersweet arc that deals with loss, sacrifice, guilt and sorrow, all wrapped up in a plethora of epic moments. Objectively it really is one of the best arcs of the series.

Overhaul

Even Horikoshi admitted that he thought the arc went on for too long while he was writing it, and it does have its flaws (especially the manga version). It's a bit too long, the pacing is off (especially with the final battle) and the heroines get way too little to do compared to the male counterparts. But there are so many great moments big and small, some of the most brutal action scenes up to that point and several great new characters The anime absolutely improved the pacing and the way they beefed up the final fight was amazing (I watched it with some anime only friends and they went "Ooooh, yeah." which was great). It has some more noticeable lows than other arcs, but it's still a lot of fun and important in how it moves the characters forward.

Remedial Course
Pro Hero
Endeavor Agency

On its own I would rank the Remedial course pretty low actually. It's fun, but I never really found it to be hilarious. But I can see how tying them all together through Endeavor's character arc as he's coming to terms with what he did to his family and having to take over All Might's role as a symbol for society in a way he never wanted. I love that the series, and several characters, acknowledges that Endeavor has changed but that that also isn't enough. There are consequences to his actions and he has to deal with them. It's truly fascinating how far Horikoshi has taken the character that was introduced as a massive hate-sink with these interconnected arcs.

Attack On USJ

This arc is a lot of fun. The sports festival is where the series really started digging into the supporting cast. But several of them have memorable performances here. This is totally the arc that made Tsuyu a big fan favourite (despite not getting all that much to do later on in the story), the Momo/Jiro/Kaminari team up does a great job of introducing those three and giving them all moments to shine and then letting the teachers save the day was a great touch. And yeah, whiney brat Shigaraki is really fun to look back at knowing where he'll end up.

Stain

It think the arc really works best as a follow up to the sports festival with how it continues several of the stories from that arc. And Stain is really cool and a great concept for a villain (but actually way more derranged and non-sensical than a lot of his fans would say me thinks), but his main impact I think in how he's unintentionally helped the League of Villains expand their operations by drawing in more special people to them. I do think that Izuku, Iida and Todoroki vs. Stain is one of the best fights though. And Gran Torino is one of my favourite old guy mentors in anime. So there's that. It has a lot of great pieces but doesn't quite tie them together as well as other arcs.

Joint Training

In the manga it has bit of weird pacing. It is a very low stakes arc for most part with bragging rights being the main incentive for both classes to do their best. The main attraction is finally getting to know class B's quirks, Shinso returning after so long out of the spotlight, the rest of class A getting to show of how far they've come since last we saw them in action. Then we get a big development for Izuku's powers and some grade A shipping material for those that into that (me). It's good stuff that might've been a bit too long in the manga. But I do think that the anime will smooth out the pacing and I am really looking forward to several scenes in that version.

License Exam

As you say it does retread a lot of previous material, and it doesn't do it quite as well the second time around. There are definitely cool moments sprinkled throughout that make it worth going through again, and round two between our two mains is a big moment for all involved and so well done in the anime. But I don't think it quite saves the rest of the arc. Also, with the exception of Mera (one of my favourite bit characters) and Ms. Joke, I never really fell for any of the new characters introduced in this arc.

Entrance Exam
Battle Trial

It is a solid introduction for the world and main characters. That's really all it needs to be. My main problem with this early writing for Bakugou is that this behaviour is not addressed enough in the rest of the series. He was a major asshole, I want this moment of his life to be dealt properly!

Final Exams

It is one of the more mundane arcs, that much is true and there are certainly more exciting arcs. But I think that the thing that drew me to rewatching is just how kinda chill it is while still letting so many of students show off. It's like a showcase for both the students and teachers, showing the audience just what makes this particular character fun and interesting. The only matchup that was really unmemorable to me is Shoji and Tooru against Snipe, all the others hade me smiling for a few days as I they crept up in my head again. Momo/Shoto vs. Aizawa and Deku/Bakugou vs. All Might are certainly the most dramatic and have the most character development, but I can still recall Jiro coaching Koda into action, Tsuyu and Tokoyami working just beautifully together, Kaminari and Mina just failing spectacularly. It might not be the most important arc or the most substanstial one. But it does let the entire cast shine, even when they fail you get a really good sense of their character in action packed episodes that are chill to watch. I just felt good watching it and being reminded why I like all these characters so much, which elevated it for me.

Then there's Shigaraki confroting Deku, and that's a great meeting that lays the foundation for their rivalry. But much like Deku vs. Bakugou 2.0, it's so far removed from the rest of the arc. But it's there and it's great... so yeah.

[Gray Lensman]

I'll second that part of what makes the Stain arc work so well is happening right after meeting Endeavor - who at the time represents everything wrong with the Hero system. While Endeavor starts trying to change later, when we first see him he is more of a villain in hero's clothing, and a warning for Bakugo - this is his ultimate destination if he doesn't change, the hero no one wants to see coming to save them.

Stain doesn't work quite as well without seeing the dark side of the hero system first.

[leokearon]

Two more McFarlane MHA figures coming

[Inversed]

Some good news revealed recently I haven't seen anyone mention yet!

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising finally has a confirmed home release date of October 27! I didn't even see this posted anywhere, and just stumbled upon it browsing Funimation's shop. So anyone who hasn't been able to see it can finally get the chance to very soon!

https://www.funimation.com/shop/home...dvd-bld-00986/

Also, Viz has confirmed that My Hero Academia Team-Up Missions will be officially released digitally and physically in English starting in March 2021! (Which of course this gets announced immediately after I ordered the Japanese release lol)

https://twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/...518034432?s=20

[leokearon]

Some good news revealed recently I haven't seen anyone mention yet!

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising finally has a confirmed home release date of October 27! I didn't even see this posted anywhere, and just stumbled upon it browsing Funimation's shop. So anyone who hasn't been able to see it can finally get the chance to very soon!

https://www.funimation.com/shop/home...dvd-bld-00986/

Also, Viz has confirmed that My Hero Academia Team-Up Missions will be officially released digitally and physically in English starting in March 2021! (Which of course this gets announced immediately after I ordered the Japanese release lol)

https://twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/...518034432?s=20

Two bits of great news

[Dark Soul # 7]

Two more McFarlane MHA figures coming

Overall, very cool figs.

But Bakugou's eyes look rather odd.

Some good news revealed recently I haven't seen anyone mention yet!

My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising finally has a confirmed home release date of October 27! I didn't even see this posted anywhere, and just stumbled upon it browsing Funimation's shop. So anyone who hasn't been able to see it can finally get the chance to very soon!

https://www.funimation.com/shop/home...dvd-bld-00986/

Also, Viz has confirmed that My Hero Academia Team-Up Missions will be officially released digitally and physically in English starting in March 2021! (Which of course this gets announced immediately after I ordered the Japanese release lol)

https://twitter.com/VIZMedia/status/...518034432?s=20

Ok, so I can probably get it around November or something like that. I can last that long.

March next year should allow for enough chapters to come out.

Either way, good news everyone!

[leokearon]

Overall, very cool figs.

But Bakugou's eyes look rather odd.

Ok, so I can probably get it around November or something like that. I can last that long.

March next year should allow for enough chapters to come out.

Either way, good news everyone!

yeah, the eyes do look a bit off but, he'll probably come with interchangeable faces

[Inversed]

New chapter once again finally returns!

spoilers:

First we get a nice two page colour spread celebrating 6 years of the book, with candid shots of most of the main characters at a formal dinner, all just very cute stuff. Momo's group of 1A and 1B students prepare to face against Gigantomachia. Momo creates a load of compounds, with the plan to throw it into his mouth, which should be able to knock him out and fall asleep. Thanks to a trap utilizing Mineta's sticky balls and Mudman's quirk, they manage to trip up Machia as they try to jar his mouth open, while some others head up on his back to deal with the League. Kamanari is about to use his thunder rods to shock em all off, but Compress uses his remaining rubble backup to knock him down. 'Machia proceeds to blow in the groups' face, sending them flying through the forest, as Dabi also continues to burn everything in front of them, blocking the students' path. Dabi also comments on how useful his wide variety of combat-specific quirks he possesses are. Spinner asks why he doesn't just dig underground, but Compress reminds him that they'd die if that happened, that he was probably ordered to bring them to Shigaraki, and that they might be what's holding him back currently. As 'Machia's about to get up, Mt. Lady once again tackles up, jarring his mouth open herself realizing the students' plans, as Mina in her full acid get-up makes her way through the fire to face them down. We get to see just how capable and quick thinking this whole group of students are. Looks like Mineta (technically) was able to bring Machia down after all! : P They even directly target the League too, which I hope will lead to more direct one-on-one fights between everyone. Toga has a very curious reaction when she learns that they're all U.A. Students (I feel like it's cause she's thinking about/looking for Izuku and Ochaco). And then Mina jumps in to try and take the spotlight next, which is of course easily exciting. Also Mudman mentions worrying about "Monoma's group", and unless he's with the Evacuation team and we just haven't seen him, considering there's nowhere else I could think of where he could be, it's been having me be verrrrrrrrrrrry suspicious about his whereabouts and what he could be up to.

end of spoilers

[leokearon]

New chapter once again finally returns!

spoilers:

First we get a nice two page colour spread celebrating 6 years of the book, with candid shots of most of the main characters at a formal dinner, all just very cute stuff. Momo's group of 1A and 1B students prepare to face against Gigantomachia. Momo creates a load of compounds, with the plan to throw it into his mouth, which should be able to knock him out and fall asleep. Thanks to a trap utilizing Mineta's sticky balls and Mudman's quirk, they manage to trip up Machia as they try to jar his mouth open, while some others head up on his back to deal with the League. Kamanari is about to use his thunder rods to shock em all off, but Compress uses his remaining rubble backup to knock him down. 'Machia proceeds to blow in the groups' face, sending them flying through the forest, as Dabi also continues to burn everything in front of them, blocking the students' path. Dabi also comments on how useful his wide variety of combat-specific quirks he possesses are. Spinner asks why he doesn't just dig underground, but Compress reminds him that they'd die if that happened, that he was probably ordered to bring them to Shigaraki, and that they might be what's holding him back currently. As 'Machia's about to get up, Mt. Lady once again tackles up, jarring his mouth open herself realizing the students' plans, as Mina in her full acid get-up makes her way through the fire to face them down. We get to see just how capable and quick thinking this whole group of students are. Looks like Mineta (technically) was able to bring Machia down after all! : P They even directly target the League too, which I hope will lead to more direct one-on-one fights between everyone. Toga has a very curious reaction when she learns that they're all U.A. Students (I feel like it's cause she's thinking about/looking for Izuku and Ochaco). And then Mina jumps in to try and take the spotlight next, which is of course easily exciting. Also Mudman mentions worrying about "Monoma's group", and unless he's with the Evacuation team and we just haven't seen him, considering there's nowhere else I could think of where he could be, it's been having me be verrrrrrrrrrrry suspicious about his whereabouts and what he could be up to.

end of spoilers

spoilers:

The spread was nice, though I was a shame we didn't actually see all their formal outfits. I'm happy to see that Mineta's balls were used as part of the method to slow down 'Machia. Mina possibly taking down 'Machia would be a nice idea, given their first encounter. I hope they don't do more one-on-one fights, I prefer the heroes (and villains) using teamwork, than resorting the the tired Shonen way of fighting. Also it is interesting that Monoma is brought up now... it is very suspicious. I wonder if he's the UA traitor, now that I think about it...

end of spoilers