RJ Writing Ink

All good shows must come to an end, lest they end up like The Simpsons. While The Owl House got cut short by Disney’s meddling, Dana Terrace, the cast, crew, and fans all intend to make the final months count. And nowhere was this evident than at NYCC, where The Owl House had its first (and final) panel while the show was on the air. I wasn’t lucky enough to go to NYCC this year, but I did manage to see the livestream, and it was plain to see how much this show has meant for everyone. Luz and her friends might not get a full season of getting into hijinks on Earth like we did with Amphibia, but Dana Terrace and her team are going to make sure The Owl House goes out with a bang.

Which leads into what I want to discuss the most. As a treat to attendees, the panel showed them the opening six minutes for the first special, one that will air on primetime on Disney Channel one week from now. The Owl House is getting its own Halloween special, and if you know how much I love Halloween, you know that this is a big deal for me. The Owl House is a comedy-horror animated series at its heart, so it getting a Halloween episode before it ends is the best.

Picking Up the Pieces

While the footage of the first six minutes was meant for the panel attendees, it was only a matter of time before it made its way onto YouTube, both as clips from Disney itself…or fans who recorded it. While the livestream I watched didn’t show the footage, I did hear the audio. Combined with the later clips, and the new trailer for the first special, I wanted to go over everything for next week.

The special opens with a replay of the final minutes of Season Two, with King’s tearful goodbye to Luz as he forces them through the portal to Earth. Luz and her friends are all traumatized, but they still make their way to the Noceda’s house, where Luz finally reunites with her Mom. 

The clips that have been released online then pick up in the immediate aftermath as the group recovers in the Noceda house and brings Camilla up to speed on what happened. In a universe where Disney didn’t cut the show short, I would love to have the group recap all of their adventures with Luz to Camilla, to show her just how much she’s come to mean to them, and them to her. At least we’ll have the fanfiction for that, though.

Secrets Kept

There are two things that are kept secret from everyone, though, courtesy of Hunter and Luz. The former doesn’t know how the others would react to learning that he’s basically a clone of Belos’ dead brother, a former witch hunter. I know the show got cut short, but I hope that Hunter finds closure with this and fully breaks free from his abusive uncle’s shadow. As for Luz, she’s terrified that she inadvertently helped Belos find the Collector, thus enabling his rise to power in the first place. Both fear this will cost them what little they have left of the place they love so much. 

If it wasn’t made clear enough, the teaser for the first special spells it out: Luz blames herself for everything. For running away to the Boiling Isles, for accidentally helping Belos, and stranding her friends and girlfriend far from home. She tries to stay positive (which isn’t hard, since she’s Luz,) but she’s going to have to come to terms with everything. And while it was her choice to stay in the Boiling Isles, she shouldn’t feel so guilty about it. It made her happier than she’d ever been, and did help her grow as a person.

The Owl House Season 3 We Never Got

From here, we get a montage as part of a time skip as the kids settle into life on Earth. They experience everything Earth has to offer from food to fashion, and seeing Gus gush over all the stuff Earth has is so precious. As is seeing everyone try out Earth-fashion, and Hunter looking like such a lovable dork in his bird costume. And seeing Vee create her own human form, thus allowing Luz to resume her life on Earth. I hope to God that Camilla formally adopts Vee as her daughter and give Luz a sister.

Speaking of Camilla, she pretty much adopts the Boiling Isles gang as her own children. We may not get the chance to see it in the show, but if MoringMark’s comics are any indication, then the fandom is thinking the same thing. That being that, while strange, Camilla’s grateful to the Boiling Isles kids for giving her daughter the friends she had wanted her to have. That was the whole reason she thought sending her to that summer camp was a good idea, and while it didn’t pan out, Luz still found friends.

Luz Comes Out as Bi. Eat it, Haters!

By far, though, the most wholesome moment of the montage was Luz coming out to her Mom as Bi. Through use of a home movie showing photo’s of her and Amity spending time together. I would not be surprised if some of the photo’s were made by fans for the show. By the end, Camilla’s just so happy hugging her daughter and daughter-in-law. It’s the kind of reaction that everyone who is LGBTQ+ should get from their loved ones, and I hope this show encourages greater acceptance of them in society. Also, it’s nice to see that Dana decided to go for broke and include all that in her show. Eat it, haters!

Every Ending Has a Beginning

The whole montage is a very bittersweet thing, no doubt. Sweet because it’s so adorable to see how Luz’s friends are living on Earth, and bitter because of the knowledge that we’re not getting a full season of this. Amphibia got half a season of Anne and the Plantar’s living together on Earth, and it feels like Disney truly robbed us of something amazing. At least we’ll still have MoringMark’s comics.

Despite all the fun energy, though, the end of the montage makes it clear that they still haven’t found a way back to the Boiling Isles. And as Halloween approaches, Luz is now back in school (alone, I assume), and they’re no closer to getting everyone home. Hopefully, the events of the first special will see them make the breakthrough they’ve been looking for, with Luz and the others returning to the Boiling Isles to save it from the Collector. That, and I want to see Belos get what he deserves, since he’s still alive and still a threat. 

I have no idea how long we’ll have to wait between each special for The Owl House to come out. However, I’m going to enjoy every second of it, since this will mark the end of the era of story-driven cartoons on Disney. 

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When people think of bunny girls, certain images come to mind. They either see young anime waifu’s dressed in bunny girl outfits. Or they may see girls who are actual, humanoid bunnys. Either way, it feels like the last thing that anyone would think of would be a bunny girl that’s capable of being absolutely, brutally savage. However, My Hero Academia’s resident bunny girl, Mirko, casts that notion aside. She’s absolutely brutal! Like all the violence of Watership Down in human form.

Look up Watership Down. For a story about rabbits, it’s very, very violent.

As the raid on Jaku Hospital begins in full, both sides scramble to gain the advantage. On one side are the heroes led by Endeavor. On the other side are a horde of Nomu created by All for One’s mad scientist, Dr. Garaki. Much like the one Endeavor fought before, some of these Nomu are smart enough to talk. It’s just proof of how messed up the whole concept of the Nomu is. 

Fortunately, the High-End Nomu are no match for the likes of Mirko, the demon rabbit. 

When most people see rabbits, they see something that’s small, timid, and quick to run in the face of danger. However, their nature belies the fact that their back legs are crazy strong! Now, imagine if you took that and gave it to a human, and you’d end up getting Mirko. 

Mirko won fans over quickly in the manga due to her tough-as-nails demeanor and the fact that she’s No. 5 hero in Japan. Seeing her use her powerful legs to tear Garaki’s precious Nomu to shreds is like seeing a female version of Sanji, only cooler! I can totally see why the fans consider Mirko a top-tier waifu! I don’t quite remember what happens to her in the manga, but I think she beats Dr. Garaki to a bloody pulp, something that I can’t wait to see.

Mirko’s not the only hero that gets to shine, though. As the other heroes storm the Paranormal Liberation Front’s hideout, they’re almost taken out by this villain with an electrical Quirk. However, Kaminari, who’s up near the front with everyone else, manages to put a stop to that with his own powers.

One trope that I love about the shonen genre is getting to see the power growth of the characters. We get to see them do things that, at one point, would be too much for them. In Kaminari’s case, he absorbs all of that electricity without going dumb on them. He’s going to make a great hero one day. All of the people in the hero course of UA are.

First, though, they’ve got to survive what’s essentially a baptism of fire. Now, the Hero Course has had several baptisms of fire since they started going to UA, but not on this scale. Especially since Garaki’s now focusing all of his attention on getting Shigaraki ready for his ultimate evolution. When that happens, everyone’s going to be in trouble.

In the next episode, though, the character I’m worried about the most is Twice. I said before, but I can’t hate the man. He’s a good person at heart, and, if you read the manga, then you know what’s going to happen to him in this season. No spoilers, though! GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!!!

I Give “Mirko, the No. 5 Hero”

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