My Review Academia S5 E19: Ghost of the Past

Wow. That was… surprisingly intense!

The internships have ended and all the 1-A kids make their way back to class! But Aizawa isn’t there to teach for long; he and Mic are called into Tartarus to assist in an interrogation. One that turns out to be steeped in their school history. The information they aim to retrieve could be instrumental in the coming battle. But can Eraser Head and Present Mic overcome their emotions to retrieve it?

The opening scene of this episode features something that really doesn’t fit with this episode: teenage shenanigans! Which, of course, takes place in the locker room, because where better for fan service character interactions! While I do love seeing these kids being awkward teenagers, it doesn’t really fit this time. The humor is awkward and annoying, the scene doesn’t lead into anything, and it doesn’t match the dark tone of the episode at all. It feels like seeing a dirt stain on a clear glass window.

Everything else in this episode is really solid. The animation isn’t mind-boggling, but it has some incredible shots, one of which is very reminiscent of a certain Beatles album, which I love. And the writing is great, featuring one of the darkest moments yet!

The darker tone is set perfectly with Aizawa and Mic’s car ride to Tartarus. Normally, these two characters are calm, Aizawa being quiet and collected and Mic being loud and confident. But today, in this moment, both characters are tense. Terrified, even! It immediately sets us on edge, preparing us for something bad.

And hoo boy, is it bad. In a good way, of course.

The flashback scene is quick, to the point, and effective. It does a great job of showing the dynamic of this once trio and attaching you to the new character, Oboro Shirakumo. It does a great job of fleshing out all three characters involved. We even learn why Aizawa expelled students! Remember that gag from season one?

The interrogation itself is also surprisingly intense. It isn’t some classic cop movie shit where the heroes are trying to squeeze information out of the bad guy. Rather, the two heroes are facing a demon of their past, one that is very clearly pushing them to their emotional limits, in order to try and bring out a personality. All because they would rather be the ones to suffer than the family who would be forced in next should they fail.

And it all culminates in one of the most horrifying visuals this show has ever presented. Like, it’s genuinely super fucked up, dude!

Then we come to the ending of the episode. Which, honestly, I found to be kind of… awkward, if that makes sense. After our heroes learn a very small but potentially game-changing piece of information, we hard cut to… the doctor who diagnosed Deku as Quirkless as a kid, who is actually working for AFO and turning Shigurake into… something, probably a Nomu.

First of all: why did that particular doctor have to turn out to be a super villain? Second: why were there no sound effects; we could see Shigurake flailing and screaming and getting electrocuted, but it all happened in total silence! Third: why does it cut away so abruptly at the end? Like, the scene works well enough. But it just feels… off.

But hey! At long last, we’re getting the My Villain Academia arc! Here’s hoping its worth the wait!