Vigilantes Returns with a Day-trip to Naniwa!
My Hero Academia S2 Ep 1 Review
My Hero Academia may be over, but we still got a few years and a few more seasons of the spin-off prequel, Vigilantes. I know it wasn’t written directly by Horikoshi, but like the man himself, Vigilantes shows that it understands the superhero genre pretty well. In this case, it’s through the eyes of heroes who work closer to the streets, given in the form of Knuckleduster, Koichi, and Pop☆Step. As someone who grew up adoring street-level heroes like Spider-Man, the show really captures what it’s like to be a friendly neighborhood hero, and I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next. As it turns out, Koichi and Kazuhiro can’t stay out of trouble even when they try, as they’re about to get roped back into the conflict over Trigger.
Koichi is a Wall Crawler Now
It’s been a while now since Knuckleduster up and left Koichi and Pop☆Step, but the two have been getting by well on their own. Koichi is continuing his unauthorized hero work as the Crawler, but publicly, he’s acting as Pop’s manager. In this case, he’s acting as Pop’s manager, as she’s been asked to appear at a local idol event in Naniwa, but he ends up missing the train. Until, that is, he discovers another application for his Quirk: he can stick to surfaces.
Once again, I love how My Hero Academia wears its influences on its sleeve. If Deku was inspired by the likes of Spider-Man, but on a global scale, then Koichi is inspired by the friendly neighborhood aspects as well as his powers. That second part becomes all the more blatant with Koichi’s new ability directly mimicking the webhead’s wall-crawling abilities. That, and Koichi seems to have the infamous Parker luck, as he winds up having to intervene when he runs into another familiar Pro Hero, Fat Gum. He wins him over by saving his takoyaki, but what neither realize is that they’re both going to be at the same venue. The difference is that Fat Gum is part of a sting operation involving Trigger.
Why can’t they stay out of Trouble?
Even though Knuckleduster managed to stop Queen Bee, the distribution of Trigger hasn’t let up in Naruhata. In fact, doses that turn users into stronger Instant Villains, dubbed “Next Level Villains” are making the rounds. And while Koichi and Pop are at Naniwa, Eraser Head gathers info from some low-level dealers. Meanwhile, its revealed that Fat Gum and Tsukauchi (Makoto’s brother) are surveilling the idol event, convinced that it’s being used as a front to sell Trigger by this “Villain Factory.” To make matters worse, Tsukauchi can’t help but feel that Koichi and Pop look familiar.
At this point, there are several heroes who already know what the Naruhata Vigilantes are doing: Midnight, Eraser Head, and Ingenium. They’ve looked the other way because they aren’t doing anything too reckless and are just trying to help, which they need. Tsukauchi, though, is an officer of the law. He is supposed to arrest them for vigilantism. Plenty of cops in fiction dont do this because the heroes make their jobs easier, but this isn’t always the case. Fingers crossed that Tsukauchi is one of the former.
Parker Luck in another Universe
What makes this funny, though, is that even when they’re trying to have a day off, Koichi and Pop still get dragged into hero stuff. One of the performers they meet, Monika, is an undercover cop. And when she goes to do her actual job, Pop has to step in to cover for her. Thus, they’ve been dragged into this mess without even meaning to!
Like I said, Parker luck.
This was a soft way to start the next season of Vigilantes, in my opinion. I know this show isn’t for everyone, but for those not ready to say goodbye to MHA, I think this show will serve as a good way to enjoy it for a little longer. That being said, Im looking forward to seeing how Koichi and Pop handle themselves without Knuckleduster to back them up.
I Give “Day-Tripping to Naniwa” a 3/5
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