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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes Ep 9

For most people, getting a visit from their mom would be a cause for celebration. After all, people should normally have a good relationship with their parents. However, there are also the parents that are, simply put, the worst. There are women like Cersei Lannister and Odalia Blight, who see their kids as extensions of themselves. There’s women like Lois Griffin, who belittle their children and spouses to feed their egos. Then we have the overbearing parent that never supports your dreams and always criticizes you for everything you do. And unfortunately for Koichi, his visiting Mom is very much that kind of parent. Just…awful.

Koichi has a Terrible Mom…

Picking up where the post-credits scene for the last episode left off, Koichi’s mom drops in for an unexpected visit, much to his dismay. His mom is…not a good mom, to be honest. When she sees right through his attempts to claim Makoto is his girlfriend, she uses her Quirk to slap him multiple times. Then she denigrates Koichi further by saying that someone like Makoto is out of his league, all the while saying that his dream of being a hero is a foolish notion.

To recap, Koichi has a mother who is physically and verbally abusive with him, has no confidence in his ability to do anything right, and doesn’t even have the courtesy of supporting his wants and needs. It’s sad to think that there are parents out there who act like this and genuinely think that they’re doing their kids a favor. In truth, all this does is hinder the amazing potential that they might have deep inside them. Sadder still, though, is the fact that Koichi doesn’t even try to defend himself to his mom. Instead, it’s Pop in her civilian identity that tries to stand up.

Emphasis on tries, as she gets so flustered she storms off, and Koichi drops the ball by unintentionally insulting her attire.

On a lighter note, though, this episode officially gives us the real names of Pop☆Step and Knuckleduster: Kazuho Haneyama and Iwao Oguro. Bonus points for Knuckle managing to pass off their vigilantism as community service to Makoto and Koichi’s mom.

Thankfully, though, Koichi gets a chance to put his Mom in his place and show his true potential.

But he Puts her in her Place

While Koichi, his Mom, and Makoto are on a tour of Tokyo, their bus turns into a cat monster thanks to an Instant Villain. Ingenium arrives and manages to get almost everyone off in time, but Makoto is stuck on the bus as it’s careening to a broken bridge. With the Hero running low on fuel, his team begs someone to help, and Koichi happily steps up…only for his mom to try to browbeat him into quit “playing hero.” And while he doesn’t say the exact words, his rebuttal has the same meaning as “SHUT THE HECK UP, MOM, AND LET ME LIVE MY LIFE!”  

What happens next pretty much proves that Koichi’s mom was a bad parent. When push comes to shove, Koichi forces himself to move through the air…by pressing on it. He flies!

As it turns out, Koichi could do this the whole time, doing it regularly as a baby. However, his mom overreacted and kept swatting him to keep him on the ground.

You see the issue? Koichi has always had the potential to be an amazing hero, but his Mom’s paranoia has left him with low self-esteem and helped to surpress his natural talent. That’s called bad parenting, and it’s something no parent should ever do to their kid. Thankfully, Koichi standing up to her is enough to make her realize her mistakes. It’s not a parent’s place to keep their kid tied down forever.

May we Never See His Mom Again

In the end, Koichi saves Makoto (and exposes his secret identity), and his Mom leaves. Good riddance, if you ask me. If she had done better, Koichi could’ve gotten his hero license by now. At least now he knows that his Quirk is cooler than others give him credit for, though.

I Give “Mom Descends” a 4.5/5

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Rick and Morty Season 8 Ep 2 Review

Rick and Space Beth have never had the best relationship, have they? From Rick planting a potential bomb in her to deliberately ensuring neither he nor Earth Beth know which is the clone, Space Beth has every reason to hate her dad. This is something that Rick is all too aware of, but unlike the rest of his family, he hasn’t tried to fix things. It isn’t until Space Beth is forced into asking him for help that the two make any headway. And even then, it’s set against the much greater threat of a rogue Federation scientist and alien parasites. The bugs are back at it again!

Rick Gets Space Beth Fired

Despite her becoming an important side character in the show, Rick and Morty never really focuses on what Space Beth has been up to since she left Earth. The most we know is that she’s part of a greater rebellion against the Gromflomite-led Federation. It isn’t until this episode that we get to see what this rebellion is like, and it’s not that flattering. The show makes it clear it’s what the Rebel Alliance was like until Rogue One had them get their act together: arguing amongst themselves rather than fighting. And when Space Beth goes rogue to conduct an unauthorized assassination that fails, forcing her to turn to Rick for help, they’re happy to kick her out.

To be fair, it’s pretty much shown that they only did that because Rick talked down to them, so it’s more or less his fault.

As Rick and Space Beth have to work together throughout this episode, we see just how Space Beth’s concerns about asking her Dad for help were justified. His follow-up attempt to fix things and uncover the conspiracy taking place leads to them relying on someone that never shows up and getting involved in a massive shootout. The fact that said shootout is juxtaposed against Rick and Space Beth arguing over how Rick’s plan could go wrong is the icing on the comedic cake. It also serves to emphasize just how tense the father and daughter’s relationship is, and to great effect.

These sorts of conflicts between parent and child are not new, but they are still interesting to watch. Seeing Rick stumble in trying to prove himself to his daughter is never not going to be enjoyable, since Beth is one of the few things that keeps him grounded. And as the episode goes on and the two fight the rogue Federation scientist using symbiotic parasites to create super-soldiers, the pair seem to achieve a deeper level of respect for each other. Given that it’s Rick and Morty, whether this will stick is up for debate. But it can’t be any less likely than the truce with the Federation.

The Federation Actually Helps them?

In the biggest twist of the episode, Rick and Space Beth end up calling a truce with a Federation General who’s just as unhappy about what’s happening as they are. As a result, the two groups wind up cooperating to defeat their common enemy, and the General proves to be rather competent. Even crazier, though, is that instead of returning to their usual fighting, the rebellion and Federation keep the truce going! They might actually have peace!

The Gromflomites have been the longest recurring antagonists in Rick and Morty, going all the way back to the pilot. They were responsible for some of the best episodes in the entire series. If this truce sticks, this could seriously affect the status quo of the entire show. Then again, it is Rick and Morty, so nothing is certain.

This episode felt like a notable improvement over the season premiere, helping to keep the show fresh as it enters such a late time in its run. Even more notable, though, is how this episode is the first to not feature Morty in any capacity. Given how the series previously did an episode without Rick, this feels appropriate.

I Give “Valkyrick” a 3.8/5

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One Piece Chapter 1150 Review/Recap

If anyone still had doubts about what Imu is supposed to be in One Piece, that’s been put to rest. Imu is, in no uncertain terms, the series version of the Devil. Not only have they fooled the world into thinking they don’t exist, but they’ve made most of those who do know of their existence see them as a God. And as we see in this new chapter of the manga, the Devil can bring out the worst in anyone, even those who are good!

Recap

Having used some sort of power to possess the body of Gunko, Imu proceeds to make their prescence known in Elbaph. Unleashing a massive burst of Haki to knock the Giant kids and adults out, Imu transforms Gunko into a clsssical depiction of the Devil before berating their followers for failing to handle things in Elbaph. Taking command of the situation by having Sommers take charge of the kids, the Devil turns their attention to establishing proper authority in the land of Giants.

Singling out Dorry and Brogy to be the new rulers of Elbaph, Imu proceeds to blow off Brogy’s arm before summoning a demonic book and casting a dark circle. Uttering the words “Domi Reversi,” the other Giants watch in horror as Brogy is sucked underneath. When he emerges, he’s several times bigger, more violent, and sporting a demonic look. It gets worse, though, as Dorry and several Giants have met a similar fate. Impressed with their new minions, Imu commands them to kill Jarul and proclaim themselves to be the new kings of Elbaph. And in a final double-page spread, we see the truly horrifying forces the Devil has summoned to conquer Elbaph, forcing everyone to run in terror!

Review

There are no ifs, ands, or buts about, people: Imu is the Devil. They can possess others, transform them into demonic servants in exchange for their lifespans, and desire absolute control over all they see. Those are all the hallmarks of the Devil and they are named Imu. And they might be the most terrifying thing that Luffy and the others may ever face.

There is a heated debate throughout the fandom about the nature of Imu and whether or not they’re even human or an actual human. If the Revolutionaries’ theory holds up, then Imu is one of the original founders of the World Government, made immortal through the power of the Op-Op Fruit. This chapter seems to support that, as Imu says they must use someone’s life force to fuel their powers. Being immortal would eliminate this drawback on themselves. We still don’t know whether Imu’s powers are from a Devil Fruit or something completely alien, but if it’s the former, it’s likely one of the strongest Fruits in existence. Strong enough to turn someone into an actual Devil and defy all logic and reason to do whatever they wanted.

Imu is the Antithesis to Joy Boy

Which only makes Luffy’s role as the next Joy Boy all the more important.

The previous arc all but confirmed that Luffy has become the newest incarnation of the Sun God, Nika. Nika is the ultimate embodiment of joy, laughter, and freedom. Therefore, Imu serves as their antithesis. They can perform feats on a similar scale, but they’re about power, subjugation, and control. This last part is especially telling since Imu’s main priority this chapter is to establish order and control over Elbaph rather than destroy it outright. They are everything that Luffy naturally opposes, and thus will inevitably clash.

This is brilliant on Oda’s part. If Luffy is meant to be the second coming of Pirate Jesus, then it would make sense to have him battle the Devil themselves. And if it wasn’t Blackbeard, it would be Imu. And right now, Luffy is the only one who can save Elbaph! Hopefully, the next few chapters will see him finally recover enough to join the battle, because right now, the situation feels hopeless.

I Give “Domi Reversi” a 4.5/5

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