In his coma, Deku is confronted by the previous owners of One For All. His predecessors all have a question for him: can he kill Shigurake Tomura? Our hero’s resolve is being tested; can he earn the support of those that came before him? More importantly: is he ready to reveal the truth to his friends?
Honestly? Not all that into the first half of this episode. It’s a whole lot of exposition about Quirks and emotions and the previous OFA users. Combined with flat visuals and tons of flashbacks – as well as some weird attempts at slapstick comedy for some reason – and you get a segment that’s pretty dull and uninteresting.
Though it is cool to finally get a good look at the past OFA users. Even if two of them are just staring at the god damn wall for some reason.
One thing I do appreciate about this sequence is the music. Or, to be specific, the lack thereof. Its absence gives extra weight to the conversations, especially once the predecessors start pushing Deku on whether or not he can kill Shigurake or when Endeavor is pressed in the conference. It’s a haunting sort of silence. It makes the music all the more powerful when it does come back.
This episode does something weird with Deku. See, while he’s speaking to the predecessors, he can’t actually properly speak. So instead he talks in gibberish, which is translated into both Japanese and English in the subtitles. Yet the predecessors can all understand him perfectly well.
It’s meant to be used in a similar vain to the music. Deku only starts to speak clearly when he finds and voices his resolve. However, having him speak weird muffled gibberish up to that point is a bit too silly; it kinda ruins the effect. Kid is one step away from speaking like a Banjo & Kazooie character!
They should’ve just done that. At least it would’ve been funny.
The second half is much the same as the first half, only a bit more interesting. It’s got more varied and powerful visuals, and of course: the music. And it all comes to a head with the beginning of the next major arc: Vigilante Deku.
We’re entering the final act. It’s time to take the plunge into the abyss.
Overall, this episode was okay. The first half was kinda boring, but it was still just interesting enough to be worth watching. Plus, it sets the stage for the next arc perfectly and it uses music to spectacular effect. Not the strongest showing of the season, but far from the worst.
And now we get into the crazy territory. Buckle up, ladies and gents and non-binary friends. It’s about to get bumpy.
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