In this episode, we see Deku enter every teenage boy’s worst phase: the lonely edgelord. Only instead of listening to Radiohead, he just kicks dudes in the head.
Well, he’s still doing better than I was in high school.
Japan has become a lawless ruin. Villains run wild and civilians take up arms to defend themselves. There’s no trust for heroes anymore. Through this wasteland, Deku struggles to make things right. But with All For One searching for him and old enemies running wild, will he be able to keep up?
I love how this episode handles Deku’s sudden leap in power. One of the best things about the early seasons was seeing how he used his limited abilities and the resources around him to find creative ways to solve the problem. That strength is back in full force, as he now uses a myriad of Quirks in creative combinations to overcome his enemies. None of the powers are particularly strong on their own, but the way he uses them in tandem with one another makes him a force to be reckoned with.
Also, Deku was Naruto running. Which is equal parts fitting and hilarious to me.
A smaller but just as strong highlight is the civilian subplot. We see them butt heads with the hero students and refuse their help. Yet the episode goes to great lengths to show that they aren’t bad people; when trouble stirs, they go out of their way to help the heroes. It isn’t that the civilians are evil, they’re good people thrust into a bad situation. It makes the whole situation feel grounded in a way few stories do.
Visually speaking, this episode was incredible! It’s got some incredible direction, like the shot of Deku and Muscular’s stare-down in the canal; the blood red filter, Muscular’s growing form, the shadow concealing everything except for his wild grin and crazed eye, it’s an incredibly striking image! Not to mention how insanely animated it all is; even the smallest movements are given energy, and the action scenes have got some insane sakuga! Even small details are given love and attention, like Deku’s passing reflection as he soars past buildings!
All except for one shot. Wherein Endeavor and Jeanist do a combo attack on a villain in midair. And… they’re all frozen in the exact same spot. It’s in the background and it isn’t the focal point of the shot. But with how energetic and animated everything else is, it’s really distracting.
Kinda hard to focus on that when the episode follows that up by breaking my god damn heart. It just had to play the All Might and Deku’s mom card.
Overall, I really loved this episode! It’s got it all! Cool action, great character moments, strong visuals, it’s an incredibly strong showing! My Hero Academia has been firing on all cylinders lately; hopefully they can keep this momentum going!
Especially because we’re about to get Nagant. If this episode was anything to go by, that fight is gonna be crazy!
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