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My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 2

Okay, so the first episode of the new season of My Hero Academia may have been lackluster. However, now that the obligatory introduction’s done with, we’re finally getting to the good stuff. This episode sees the vestiges of the past come back to haunt the present day as we dive deep into the origin of One for All. And we also see just how bad of a parent Endeavor really was.

Endeavor’s Dark Past

So, My Hero Academia has established the fact that Endeavor has been a pretty terrible husband and father. Granted he’s trying to make things right now, but that’s not going to erase what he did in the past, a fact that most of his kids make clear to him when he returns after his battle with the Nomu.

I’m going to be blunt: even after all this time, I haven’t forgiven Endeavor for what he did to his family. It was the kind of abuse that would land someone in real life in jail. And his kids have every right to not forgive him, much like Shoto’s older brother makes clear in this episode. However, I can tell he’s trying to make thing right. And as I’ve read the manga, I know that he’s only going to get better from here.

The problem is, the vestiges of his past are starting to come out of the shadows. And if you’ve read the manga, then you know what I’m talking about, and what’s going to await Endeavor.

Vestiges of One For All

The real heart of the episode, though, comes in the second half as we get our biggest look yet into the origin of One for All and its creator, All for One. Getting to see how All for One and his brother interacted with each other in the early days following the emergence of Quirks was very…interesting. On the surface, All for One acts like he’s the good guy, willingly taking Quirks away from those who don’t want them and giving it to those who need them. However, this isn’t altruism, but rather, high level manipulation, something that his brother is quick to call him out on. All for One may act like someone’s friend, but in truth, he’s very much a Satanic Archetype that seeks to control everything in this super-powered world.

What I found most interesting, though, is how the vestiges of the original bearer of One for All is trying to talk to Deku in his dreams. It’s like part of the previous user’ will was literally passed down to Deku, and now they’re trying to help him. And again, as someone who’s read the manga, I know where this is going. But it’s going to be fun seeing it happen in anime form.

Next week, though, we get to one of the big turning points in the story with the joint training exercise between the hero courses. Get ready, because a lot of old faces are going to be returning. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Vestiges” a 2.5/5

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Amphibia Season 2, Episode 16A/16B Review

Welcome back to another episode of Amphibia, my fellow frog fans! If you were looking forward to seeing the main plot of the show advance, though, then I got bad news. That’s not happening until next week. However, if you were looking for some fun episodes that show off the supporting characters and their development, then this is the episode for you. We see a newer, softer side of Mayor Toadstool, and Maddie and Marcy give us the womance that we never knew we needed. Womance is an actual term; look it up!

Toad To Redemption

We all know Mayor Toadstool as the stereotypical corrupt and greedy mayor of Wartwood. In the first season, he was the closest thing the show had to an antagonist due to repeatedly getting in the Plantar’s way. However, ever since Toad Tower, Toadstool’s changed. He’s actually gotten, nice! He likes Wartwood and enjoys being their Mayor. So when Newtopia offers to make him the new head of Toad Tower, he’s got a big dilemma-stay in Wartwood or get the job of his dreams.

There’s a clear-cut lesson here that Anne spells out for Toadstool-people can end up getting the job of their dreams, only to find that it’s not what makes them happy in life. But since Toadstool could get thrown in jail if he refuses, he has to shoot himself in the proverbial foot. And when that doesn’t work, bandit attack.

Remember how Sasha said that all but two of Grime’s soldiers left him? It turns out, they became bandits under his former lieutenant, Bog. The townsfolk drive them back thanks to some good acting by Toadstool. However, he gets passed up for leadership of Toad Tower in favor of Bog.

On the one hand, I think that this is for the best. Toadstool may be a greedy politician, but there’s no denying that he cares about the people of Wartwood like they care about him. And according to the Newt sent to rebuild Toad Tower, the head of Toad Tower has to be ruthless, like Bog.

On the other hand, I feel like this could be a problem down the line, so there’s that to consider. Well, no sense crying over spilt milk.

Maddie and Marcy

Out of the numerous side characters that are to be found in Amphibia, there are two of them that I would consider to be my favorite: Marcy and Maddie. I made a positive comparison between Maddie and Janna from Star vs. the Forces of Evil back in Season One, and I stand by that. As for Marcy? Marcy’s just awesome. And when you take two kinds of awesome and combine them, you get a hundred times more awesome.

In this episode, Marcy and Maddie end up bonding over their shared love of magic and the arcane. Thus, the two wind up spending a lot of time working on spells together, which leads Maddie to neglect her previously unmentioned sisters. Being kids, Maddie’s sisters try to get her attention in the worst way possible: by causing trouble. I.E. they misuse a growth potion that turns them into giants that almost destroy Wartwood, forcing Maddie to go giant to calm them down.

As someone who believes that a show’s only as good as its cast as a whole, I found this episode to be a refreshing change of pace. And not just because the main characters are hardly in it, which is something that gets lampshaded in the episode.

But because it adds more depth to two side characters that I adore. For once, Marcy’s forced to be the straight man to Maddie’s problems, something that Anne would usually fulfill. In addition, we got to see Maddie show off a softer side to herself. While I don’t approve of her sisters using Maddie’s magic, I understand they just wanted attention. Also, giant frogs. That’s awesome!

Good Breather Episode

In short, the last two episodes of Amphibia have been real good breather episodes before we return to the meat of the show. And while we may not appreciate them now, it’s episodes like this that we’re most likely to watch reruns of. Plus, it’s always good for a show to flesh out its supporting characters.

For those who still want to get to the big plot of the show, don’t worry. That’s coming up next week, and it’s going to be good.

I Give “Toad to Redemption” a 3.5/5 and “Maddie and Marcy” a 3.75/5

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