We’re back, ladies and gents! New year, new possibilites! Let’s see what My Hero has in store for us now!
Oh… a recap. Hooray.
The battle is over. It’s time to clean up the mess. With all the damage done, people need saving. The exhausted heroes start caving into despair, the people give up hope on their would-be protectors, and the villains are full of vigor and ready to strike again. The long night begins; will Deku and the others be able to keep going?
Not that Deku is even here. Dude narrates the whole episode but we don’t see him once outside of the OP or ED.
A large chunk of this episode is dedicated to recapping the first half of this season. Given the sheer number of flashbacks said half already had in it, that feels a bit unnecessary. Not to mention how obnoxiously thorough it is. It covers just about everything, taking up half the damn episode! I’m half certain that they just want to make you forget about all the bad parts; they did focus an awful lot on the well-animated sequences of the arc.
There’s also the pre-war scene with Re-Destro and the Agency. Which, personally, I found unbearably boring. Nothing of interest happened, not a single character anyone could possibly care about was present, and the scene itself added very little to the story.
Once the actual episode begins, things get a bit better. For us, the viewers. For the characters, it just keeps getting worse.
Uraraka finally gets a chance to properly shine as she takes charge of the rescue effort. No more pining over Deku or telling Toga no just for existing. Just a hero struggling to save people, getting dirty and bloody to do it. It’s a great scene, punctuated by a surprisingly dark and heart-wrenching end.
Meanwhile, all the other students get to find their dead teachers! Enroll at UA for lifelong trauma and heartbreak!
In all seriousness, this scene is a mixed bag. Sure, Midnight’s fate is really upsetting; she’s been a beloved member of the cast since season two. But all the others faces of the dead are basically strangers. The only one I recognized was the one hero Deku, Todoroki, and Iida saved from Stain back in season two. For them, the only reaction I could muster was: “Oh no! Anyways…”
Coincidentally, that was my exact reaction to the cliffhanger the episode ends on.
Animation wise, this episode was solid all around. At least, all the new stuff was. It never looked jaw-droppingly gorgeous, but it never once looks painfully stiff or awkward.
The music was pretty solid, too. None of the tracks are earworms, but they all served the scenes they played in fairly well. As for the OP and ED, both of them are pretty solid.
Especially the OP. The animators really had a field day with this one.
Overall, this episode was okay. That is, once you get past the boring Re-Destro scene and the half-episode long recap. All the actual new stuff is fairly good, setting the mood for the arc to come perfectly.
Remember when this series was bright and colorful and fun? Not anymore! Welcome to Depression City, population: you!
Jonah's Daily Rants 