This one was definitely more consistent and focused than the last episode. It had a few rough edges, but overall was still a solid viewing experience. Of the three episodes in this season, this one is the best so far.
The battle continues to escalate, with villains and heroes alike fighting with all they’ve got. While taking down an escape tunnel to trap his foes, Tokoyami comes across not one, but two foes that send a chill down his spine. Meanwhile, Hawks confronts Twice, who forces the hero to take drastic, tragic measures.
Twice is the emotional core of this episode, starring in the overwhelming majority of the screen time. For the most part, it works. Hawks’ betrayal doesn’t hurt all that bad for the audience, as Twice and Hawks have only shared one or two scenes together. The rest, which I will not spoil, works decently well; it may not be tear-jerking, but it is a tragic and decent enough end for this character that’s been around since season two.
I do love how menacing the artists made Hawks look. The dude straight-up looks like a specter of death in certain shots! It’s a great way of putting us in Twice’s perspective, revealing just how terrifying the #2 hero can be from the villain’s point of view.
Tokoyami’s scene is pretty cool, featuring the best animation of the episode. But it doesn’t do much dramatically or character wise. It basically exists to remind us that Gigantomachia exists. Not bad, but not all that impressive.
My biggest gripe with this episode is the animation. It looks great, don’t get me wrong. But… how do I put this? It looks great in all the wrong places. Shots that should be animated are still frames while shots that don’t really matter are animated beautifully. On top of that, the editing is kind of weird; Dabi’s entrance is literally explosive, but the editing makes it feel so sudden that it has almost no dramatic impact.
Is that a weird critique? Admittedly, yes. I’ll be curious to see if that’s just me or if anyone else notices what I mean.
Overall, this is a pretty solid episode. It’s got some pretty good character stuff and the animation is good all around, although there are a ton of still shots. It’s rough around the edges, but it’s still the best of the season up to this point.
Not that that means much. We’re three episodes in; it would be really sad if this season peaked at this point.
Jonah's Daily Rants 