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My Hero Academia Season 5, Episode 15 Review

Okay, I know I said that I was fine with waiting for the season to save the villain arc until the end, but now it’s becoming a problem. Like, a big problem. It’s throwing things at us without any context, and unless you’ve read the manga, then you’re going to be left confused. At least we’re getting closer to the moment we’ve been waiting for, though.

The Heroes Are Getting Stronger

As we learned last episode, Tomura and the other villains are planning something big! They’re gathering recruits all over Japan for a massive attack to destroy the society the heroes have fought so hard to protect. And what’s worse is the fact that the heroes may be short on manpower. As a result, it’s revealed that the purpose of the work studies this time around is to bolster the heroes numbers. In other words, the higher-ups want to use them as child-soldiers.

Under normal circumstances, I would object to this. Willfully using kids as soldiers isn’t right. However, the fact that the hero course students at UA have regularly faced danger makes this situation par for the course for them. They can handle it if they continue to get stronger like they have been.

As with last week, this episode focuses mainly on the big three of Class I-A: Deku, Bakugo, and Shoto, as they all train under Endeavor. They all know they have to get stronger, but the question is how they go about doing it. Surprisingly, Endeavor gives them some pretty sound advice: just take things one step at a time. He even tells Deku to compare using his powers to learning how to drive a car. It takes practice, but eventually, people do it without thinking.

Overall, this was another slow episode for me, but I’m being patient. It will make the villains arc that much more enjoyable in the end. And next week, we’re switching focus to Uraraka and her work studies. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “One Thing at a Time” a 3/5

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The Owl House, Season 2, Episode 5 Review

When people are creating a work of fiction that goes for an extended length of time, they tend to add in a b-plot to balance things out. When it comes to the format of a half-hour show, that usually involves one or more characters doing something concurrent to the main plot. However, sometimes the b-plot of a show can end up overshadowing the main plot. In this case, this week’s episode of The Owl House was meant to focus on Gus. Instead, everyone’s attention was drawn to the b-plot of Luz and Amity. More Lumity coming our way.

Gus Tries to Take Center Stage

Gus Porter is supposed to be among the main supporting cast of the show, and for good reason. He’s young, spirited, and fascinated by humanity, making him perfect to be Luz’s friend. However, we’ve also seen that being younger than his friends leaves with major insecurities. And, like many young people, this leads him to mess up. This week, his hang-up’s over how useless he thinks illusion magic is lead him to hang out with a group of kids from Hexside’s rival, Glandus High. Which, if you’ll recall, is where Matthomule transferred from.

Joining them on their quest to find these magic stones that can boost their powers, Gus resorts to using Luz’s glyphs to impress the others. It works, but Matthomule sees right through him. Then, when it’s revealed that the stones are kept in an illusionists graveyard and guarded by an illusionist, Gus realizes he can’t go through with this. However, he’s quickly overpowered by the other students, who mock him for his apparent uselessness.

Maybe it’s because I’ve seen Naruto, a series where characters can create illusions so real they can leave a person mentally damaged, but I already know that illusions aren’t useless. When used by someone with a powerful imagination, illusion spells can be unbelievably powerful. Powerful enough to fool the five senses. In this case, Gus uses the full extent of his power to scare the other students off, impressing the guardian and Matthomule. As a result, the two end up becoming closer together.

Speaking of which.

Lumity is Love, Lumity is Life!

As I explained before, the big draw to this episode was the b-plot with Lumity. Thanks to Gwen’s intel, Luz starts looking for the human who once lived in Bonesborough. The good news: Amity gets her into the restricted section where the human’s journal is. The bad news: Luz and Amity are both distracted by each other.

We’ve known since Grom that Amity has fallen for Luz. Ever since “Escaping Expulsion”, it looks like Luz has started developing feelings for Amity. Thus, the two can barely look at each other without becoming a blushing mess!

I absolutely adored seeing these two girls acting like this! It shows just how far their relationship has come since they first met, and demonstrates how important they’ve become to each other. When Luz talks about what her world’s like, she doesn’t hesitate to offer to let Amity come visit Earth with her.

In the end, the duo don’t find the journal due to it being destroyed, but they do find a rat that can project the contents of whatever it eats. From it, they learn a little more about the human who once lived on the Boiling Isles and donated his journal to the library.

And it doesn’t go unnoticed that this man looks a lot like Belos with his hair visible.

The Big Dang Kiss

The episode ends with another important step in Luz and Amity’s relationship. Firstly, Amity changes her hairstyle from the dyed green we’ve seen her with to a shorter, pink version. It’s a very symbolic moment for Amity, showing that she’s done being her Mom’s puppet. Oh, and she kisses Luz on the cheek.

THAT’S RIGHT! AMITY KISSED LUZ ON THE CHEEK, PEOPLE!! I practically squealed with joy at this sight, as it all but confirms that the two will become an item before the show’s out. It does, however, leave the two embarrassed wrecks.

I have no idea if these two will even work out as a couple, but I’m looking forward to seeing where things go from here.

The A & B Plots Should’ve Been Swapped.

I don’t, in any way, think that this was a bad episode. I actually loved it. However, I think that by making the library exploration the b-plot, it ended up undermining Gus’ story. I looked on Tumblr, and all people would talk about was Lumity.

Had this episode made it clear that Luz and Amity were the main focus, I think I would’ve been fine with things. However, it didn’t, and the episode suffers a little thanks to that. Unless what Gus did plays a bigger role in the future, I doubt I will remember it that well. Sorry, Gus.

I Give “Through the Looking Glass Ruins” A 3.5/5. Lowered due to B-Plot Overshadowing A-Plot

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