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My Hero Academia Vigilantes S2 Ep 12 Review

So, where were we last episode? The Scarred Man blew the support off the Sky Egg, leaving it close to toppling over. The Pro Heroes aren’t able to do anything. And to top it off, Captain Celebrity and the Crawler are falling to a high-speed impact with the ground. If there was ever a time for a deus ex machina like All Might, now is the time!

Naomasa Does Love his Sister

As we’ve seen throughout this season, whenever he meets up with All Might, Naomasa Tsukauchi doesn’t want his best friend to get involved in his investigation of the Villain Factory. He doesn’t want to bring too much heat onto the villains make them go into hiding. But then, this happened. And now his little sister, Makoto, is in danger.

On the surface, Tsukauchi is always frustrated by what Makoto does, but it’s made clear that its anger born of worry. He knows her personality, combined with her Quirk, could land her in big trouble, so he wants to keep her safe. But now? He’s in a situation where danger has come for Makoto regardless of what he does. So he does the only thing he can do: he calls for All Might.

This treats us to a very heartwarming flashback to Naomasa and Makoto’s younger years as we see just how much he cares about his baby sister. He knows how blunt and outspoken she can thanks to her Quirk, and he’s only hard on her because he doesn’t want her to piss off the wrong person. Which is something that I can understand, as I liked to speak my mind as a kid, which got me in plenty of trouble. I’ve gotten a better handle on it, but my family still cares about my well-being at times. And when it comes down to it, Naomasa is willing to bend the rules to protect his sister.

So This is All Might in his Prime

We know darn well how powerful All Might is thanks to the main series, but getting to see him closer to his prime is still amazing. He managed to clear out the monsters, save the Sky Egg, and save Koichi and Captain Celebrity in one fell swoop. And then he obliterated the monsters again! That one man managed to completely undo all of the Scarred Man’s plans. If Deku hadn’t had to sacrifice One for All, then he could have grown up to do the exact same things. The fact that All for One falls All Might a true superhuman and living deus ex machina is a testament to how broken the character is. The Scarred Man is so impressed that he can’t even be mad over his plans being ruined. I don’t blame him, either. That tornado punch was amazing!

With his fun ruined, Number 6 tries to make a getaway, but before he can, Knuckleduster almost puts a bullet through his body. His investigation into the Villain Factory has led him to its leader, and while they’ve never met, they are connected to each other. If you’re a manga reader, then you already know this, but for anime-only people, this episode confirms what the show has been hinting at: Number 6 has Knuckleduster’s Quirk, Overclock. All for One stole it from him and gave it to the Scarred Man, who decided to base his entire identity off the former hero. Knowing how dangerous his Quirk is in the wrong hands, Knuckleduster is determined to not let the psychotic criminal leave alive.

In the main series, All Might proved that someone without a Quirk can fight even the strongest of villains, but he had that advanced suit of armor to back him. In contrast, Knuckleduster has relied on his wits, brute force, and prep time to get things done, to great effect. I’ve often compared him to the likes of Batman in the MHA-verse, but seeing him use guns, a cleverly sped-up recording, and explosives reminds me more of the Punisher or Billy Butcher. He knows he’s fighting an uphill battle and doesn’t have the luxury of showing his opponents mercy, so he chooses to go for the kill. Under any other circumstances, he might have ended Number 6 then and there, but the villain injected himself with Bomber cells, so…

Yeah, that’s not good.

There’s only one episode left in the season, so ending it on a cliffhanger feels appropriate. Annoying, but appropriate for pacing. This final episode should be very interesting!

I Give “This is a Hero” a 4.5/5

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My Hero Academia: Vigilantes S2 Ep 11 Review

So, I know that these episodes came out a few weeks ago, but for whatever reason, the simuldub of MHA Vigilantes stopped out of nowhere. So I decided to hold off on the posts until the dubs came out! I’m really glad I did, though, because the dub is that good. Unfortunately, what isn’t good is the situation that Captain Celebrity is in. The Sky Egg is about to fall, 50,000 people are in danger, and all communication is cut off. If nothing happens, a lot of people are going to die. Captain Celebrtity needs to go beyond plus ultra anyone wants to get out of this alive!

Koichi Shines

By now, everyone in the Sky Egg can tell that something is wrong. The pro heroes have figured out that they’re under attack from a villain, but any attempts to call the outside are useless. The Scarred Man shut everything down with an EMP. The best they can do is keep everyone calm while the fliers find a way out.

The Scarred Man really thought this attack through. He’s tied down the heroes by having most of them stuck keeping the civilians calm. His bomber monsters already have CC on the defensive, and by the time the flying heroes reach them, it will likely already be too late. They’ve managed to put themselves in the best position to win. Thankfully, CC isn’t alone. Koichi is able to run interference and keep the pro hero safe.

Captain Celebrity is More than a Jock

At first glance, Captain Celebrity is a stereotypical jock, and he does have that personality. He openly admits that he likes being popular and well-liked by others, especially women. To him, it felt like the way things were supposed to be. But then, he met his wife, Pamela, the only person who didn’t look at him like he was God’s greatest gift on this planet. She even called him a balloon because he’s full of hot air! But his desire to get her to like him led to them falling for each other, and despite being polar opposites in personality, they got married.

It’s clear that Captain Celebrity loves his wife, but unfortunately, he’s still a big dummy. And that’s not just because of that stunt he pulled last episode. He kept angering her without meaning to, but even worse his good nature led him to be taken advantage of by people he thought were his friends. That’s why he had to leave for Japan for so long! The poor guy honestly doesn’t deserve that!

Thankfully, Koichi’s heroics were able to do the job! The other heroes start pouring outside to back them up, and it’s a who’s who of characters we’ve come to know. Eraser Head, Fat Gum, Ingenium, Best Jeanist, that dragon lady, Mirko! I know it’s not for everyone, but I like these kind of cameos. It looks like everything is gonna be good…but the CC loses all of his strength and starts falling!

Koichi, you Idiot!

And then Koichi jumps after him like an idiot! And then, the Scarred Man detonates the Bomber to break it free! It breaks the tower!

What a crazy episode! I really liked the flashbacks to Captain Celebrity’s life, but that ending was pretty shocking. Good thing I waited, since it means I won’t have to wait a week to find out what happens next! Go beyond, plus ultra!

I Give “Balloon Soul” a 3.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1183 Review/Recap

Well, well, well, it looks as though Oda has finally decided to address the elephant in the room. Ever since we learned that Brook knew Gunko, or as he calls her, Shuri, fans have been wondering what their history is. Given how bitterly he talks about it, it must have ended badly from his perspective. But the fact that Gunko was able to briefly resist Imu’s control means that there must be more to what happened than Brook knows. Well, it looks like we’re about to find out, as we’re getting another flashback. In an arc that has already given us a flashback. And a flashback in a flashback.

This is a little concerning, from a narrative perspective.   

Recap

The fights against Imu and the God’s Knights continue. Loki is amazed that Imu is still standing, while Imu declares that he will erase Loki and Luffy as the two continue to clash. Meanwhile, the parents of the Giant children get ready to stand against Killingham and Zaza. They refuse to let their children be taken from them!

Elsewhere, the other Straw Hats ask Broom what the deal is between him and Gunko, or rather, Shuri. He acknowledges that she looks like someone from his past that he never wanted to see again. At the same time, though, she was the one who let them go free. Deciding that they should know the story before dealing with the frozen Gunko, Brook begins to tell his story about his homeland.

Seventy years ago, in the West Blue, there was the kingdom of music and instrument makers, Esperia. In those days, Brook was the young captain of the country’s Battle Raider Corps and a close friend of the king, Leuven. He also had a crush on the Queen and former captain of the Royal Guard, Queen Candel, much to Leuven’s dismay. Even more important, Brook liked to dote on their young daughter, Princess Shuri, who said she wanted to marry Brook when she got older. Those were good times.

Review

Well, that was interesting. I think that this is the second time that One Piece revisited the backstory of one of the Straw Hats to flesh it out more, with Sanji being the first. I don’t mind it all that much, as I like well-developed characters. Like I said, though, I do find it concerning that Oda is giving us another extended flashback in this arc. Considering how much time we spent on the stories of Harald, Loki, and Rocks, I’m worried some fans are going to complain about the pacing issues.

That being said, the beginning of this flashback gave us a mixture of things that we should have already figured out, as well as some new information. We already knew that Brook knew Gunko back when she was called Shuri. We knew that the two were close, enough that Gunko has a subconscious fondness for Brook’s music to this day. And we knew that something must have happened that made Brook hate her up til now. And I think I can already piece together how things turned out: Shuri and her dad went to the Reverie one year, Shuri was captured and turned into Gunko by Imu, and that led to the death of her father and the destruction of Esperia. Brook either wasn’t there when it happened, or wasn’t able to stop it. Either way, it’s safe to assume that Queen Candel died.

All that being said, I do appreciate seeing what Brook was like as a young man. He was more or less like what he is today, being the same goofball and skilled swordsman we all know and love. I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the fact that he was crushing on the Queen, either. It’s not cool to covet a friend’s wife, but it’s offset by the fact that he was willing to wait for Leuven to die naturally. They must have been really close!

I hope that this flashback will not run for too long, as we have had to wait on this fight long enough as it is. But if it means that they can somehow get Gunko on their side, that might be enough to turn the tide in the Straw Hats’ favor. They might not be able to beat Imu, but they can run the clock down to ensure that he will have to withdraw.

I Give “Good Mor-Maid” a 3.5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1182 Review/Recap

I’m sorry for the delay on review the next chapter of One Piece, but I’ve been feeling a little burnt out, and have kind of lost my rhythm for posting everything lately. However, with this and the next chapter up, I figure now’s a good time to get back on it. Speaking of which, it would seem that the situation in Elbaph just keeps getting worse. Not only is Imu proving to be as dangerous as we thought, but he’s powered up Sommers and Qillingham enough to make their plan of kidnapping the Giant kids back in business. And they summoned something that they’re scared of, to boot! And it actually explains a bit about them, if you ask me!

Recap

Loki is amazed that Imu managed to tank his blast, to which Imu smirks while calling him (Nidhogg) a traitor. He does recognize Ragnir, who is very mad to see the demon again after all these years. As the three continue their clash, Bonney and Lilith watch from afar while attending to an injured Sanji. Knowing that Qillingham is still trying to kidnap the Giant kids, though, Sanji refuses to rest as he dashes off in pursuit.

Meanwhile, Chopper is tending to the injured Giants, having managed to reattach Gerd’s fingers while Zoro and Goldberg are pursuing Sommers. Who, it should be noted, has gotten another getaway ship for their planned hostages. Speaking of which, Sommers messed up. He made a dream demon of something that the Celestial Dragons are scared of. In the Western Village, rain starts pouring down like crazy when all of a sudden, this giant hand made out of water grabs Colon and the other kids. It’s the Rain God who pelts the lower world with water that the Celestial Dragons are scared of, Zaza!

Review

You’ve got to be kidding me. Of all the things that the God’s Knights could be afraid of, it would be the rain? Well, I guess that it makes some sense. They live so high up that it must be impossible for rain clouds to reach them. Ergo, the idea of water falling on them from the sky would sound completely alien and unnatural. But I think it’s more than that. Endless rain is associated with flooding, and thus, Zaza is a reminder of how the Celestial Dragon’s ancestors likely caused the flood that sank most of the world. Kind of like what the Romans did with Hannibal. After his defeat, Roman parents would use him as a boogeyman to make children behave.

That being said, Zaza does look genuinely terrifying. The dream demon Killingham summoned is massive enough to dwarf even the homes of the Giants, and make the kids look like toys in comparison. It has to be around the same size as Loki in his dragon form, at least! The fact that Killingham was able to create something so vivid means that it must really scare him.

There was that one line, though, that caught my attention. Sommers asked Killingham if he would be able to control Zaza. That implies that if a dream demon is too strong, it could turn on Killingham. That could be the opening that the heroes need to defeat it. Otherwise, they’re going to lose the kids, and they can’t afford to lose them!

This was a pretty grim chapter of One Piece, considering how the bad guys have turned the tide back in their favor. However, there was one small piece of good news. Robin and Saul found out that Biblo had taken all the books from the library to a hidden room, saving them all from destruction. Which means that once again, the World Government has failed to snuff out the legacy of Ohara. But it won’t be safe until the Knights and Imu are driven off. And despite what some people are saying on Twitter, I still think the Straw Hats can win.

As a quick aside, I really liked how Imu personally addressed Ragnir as someone he knew. And judging by the squirrel hammer’s reaction, they must have known each other from back in the Void Century, and Ragnir has every reason to hate him.

I Give “Zaza” a 4/5

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My Hero Academia: More Review

I’ve been waiting to see this come out for months now, and now that it’s here, it was worth the wait! When My Hero Academia ended last year, we all knew that this wouldn’t be the last time we saw Deku and the heroes of Class 1-A. Heck, thanks to Vigilantes, it wouldn’t even be the last time we would see the world of My Hero Academia, with that being put off until at least next year. But the world of the series is so full of potential for future stories, and months after the manga originally ended, Horikoshi came out with a bonus epilogue chapter to tidy up loose ends. This extra chapter, “More,” has now gotten adapted into an anime special, and I’m thrilled it was more of what fans have wanted, and then some!

Uraraka is Living her Best Life…

It’s been years now since the defeat of All for One, and the students of Classes 1-A and 1-B are all grown up and living the life of Heroes. One of the biggest complaints about the end to the original manga was the fact that we never really got to see the main cast actually go out there and do the work of Pro-Heroes, or what their everyday lives are like. The anime did seek to rectify this with a “where are they now?” montage in the credits to the final episode, but fans wanted more. Horikoshi knew this, which is why he made a bonus chapter aptly titled “More,” which is about how two of our heroes realize that they want more out of their lives. The two heroes in question being Uraraka and Midoriya.

In the first part of the episode, we get to see what Uravity’s job is really like, and it’s so wholesome. She and Froppy took the lessons of Toga to heart and are making sure other kids get the help they need before they crash out. And I won’t lie to you, I was laughing when I saw Lemillion turn his “peachy keen” jokes into a game for the students Uravity and Froppy were helping out. It’s embarrassing, but I think the sheer audacity of it is why Sir Nighteye found Togata so funny.

Plus, it was also super wholesome when Uraraka helped the shy kid win the game and become popular with his classmates. No one deserves to be a loner in life unless they want!

All told, Uraraka seems to be living her best life. However, lately she’s been having the same dreams about the late Himiko Toga. As she confides in Tsuyu, she wonders if some remnant of Toga is trying to tell her something…and she is absolutely right. But more on that later.

And so is Deku…

Next, we have Deku, who remains as humble and modest as ever, even as he’s sinking into the backseat of Bakugo’s cool new car. So, around the time My Hero Academia ended, there were a lot of memes going around about Deku growing up to be a worker at a fast food joint. The whole thing was meant to be a joke about how, now that he was quirkless again, Midoriya’s dream to be a hero was over. Even learning that he had become a teacher during the timeskip didn’t change this, as people saw this as him settling for less. But, as Horikoshi said, and as Deku tells Bakugo and Kirishima, he would’ve become a teacher regardless.

When I was younger, there was a brief time when I considered becoming a teacher. I was never that fond of school, but I thought that trying to guide the next generation was a good thing to do with my life. Too bad society doesn’t see the value in teachers and pay them accordingly. So, I respect Deku for wanting to be a teacher, and I think he’s one of the cool ones.

Also, I loved how Deku inadvertedly shot down Bakugo’s invitation to join him at his agency. The fact that the prideful Bakugo was willing to do that for his rival/friend and got rejected before he had the chance is hilarious!

One Last You Say Run

That brings us to the reunion of Class 1-A, all of whom are enjoying their lives to the fullest. And even better, we get to see them all spring into action to stop a pair of criminals, and it’s glorious. Even after all those years, they haven’t lost any of their teamwork! And that shot of them as a group like they’re the Avengers is just the icing on the cake! This is why I love superheroes so much.

But the fans still want more.

So, we all know just how hard people were shipping Deku and Uraraka together. The two always had this great chemistry and brought out the best in each other, and fans just latched onto this like crazy. Sadly, the manga ended without us ever finding out if they ever became an item. Luckily, Horikoshi knew this, which I think is why he decided to make the extra chapter this special is based on. And while I was never that big on the shipping, I did think DekuXUraraka would be an adorable couple.

More importantly, though, I think that Horikoshi used this to address a problem with superheroes that I have grown to despise: how they never want more for themselves.

It’s Okay for Superheroes to Want More

It all started with Spider-Man: No Way Home, but I think the sentiment had been planted in me for a long time. I saw MCU Spidey get completely and utterly screwed over by the powers-that-be. He had to make the entire world forget about himself as Peter Parker, meaning that he was now utterly alone in a world that didn’t like him. And that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back. Why did Spider-Man have to lose his chance at happiness for the sake of everyone else? I know heroes are supposed to be selfless and self-sacrificing, but that’s not fair. They deserve as much of a chance to be happy as the rest of us; maybe even more so, given how much they do!

Thanks to that, I’m now a believer in letting heroes be a little selfish and want more out of life. And it seems that Horikoshi is of that mindset, as while the rest of 1-A go their separate ways, Uraraka and Deku realize they’re not happy with the way things are now. They want more out of their lives, and to see each other more. And whether it’s really the spirit of Toga or not, Uraraka is inspired to take that leap.

Now that is how you get a ship to set sail! It’s a shame that we not get to see how their relationship plays out, but something tells me that those two are going to be very, very happy together. And the rest of the fans are squeeing in joy at the series OTP coming true! I should know; I’m one of them!

I loved this special. This was a really wholesome way to write an epilogue to the series. I hope that we get to see more of My Hero Academia after Vigilantes ends, because it’s just too good a universe to leave sitting around.

Good thing we still got an OVA coming up! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!!

I Give “More” a 5/5

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One Piece Chapter 1181 Review/Recap

So, remember back during Vegapunk’s big lore dump about the Void Century and Joy Boy, and how I started calling Luffy the second coming of Pirate Jesus? I said that partly as a joke, because I couldn’t help but notice the similarities between Joy Boy and Jesus Christ. Both had loyal friends and followers who thought the world of him. Both of them died (well, Jesus came back before ascending to Heaven), but it was said that they would one day return when the world needed them most to save them from the Devil. Well, now we can add another similarity between the two: both were betrayed by someone they called a friend. The difference here, though, is that unlike Judas, Imu not only does not regret turning on Joy Boy, but he became the Devil themself. Or God, as he calls himself. But is there a difference at this point?

Recap

Standing before the monster that led Harald down the path to his death, Loki is understandably pissed off beyond belief. His dad still had half of his life left to live, but Imu robbed him of that! So, Loki doesn’t hold anything back as he swings Ragnir down with all his strength. To his surprise, Imu blocks it using the black flames, Omen.

And then, he uses them to grow giant-sized, allowing him to clash directly with Loki before stabbing him into the ground!

Imu then delivers a monologue explaining that it’s the nature of man to crave power, that gaining it too easily corrupts, leading to covenants, and that his power of Omen leads to domination. He offers this power to Loki, but Loki tells him to shove it, saying this domination of God is just a deal with the Devil, with Imu not seeing the difference. To him, domination is the only source of bliss in the world as he remembers Joy Boy.

Taking advantage of Imu’s distraction, Loki hits him so hard, he crashes into the World Tree, making him cough up blood. Then, he resumes his dragon form and fires a massive blast at Imu. And Imu just smirks at this while thinking Nidhogg really is back! This guy is a menace!

Review

Guys, I’m going to be completely real with you: I think that Oda took some extra inspiration from the Bible when making Imu. I know that many people were already considering Imu to be the series’ equivalent to the Devil. Given how he is said to be Jesus’ biggest adversary in the Bible, it makes sense why Imu would have a deep hatred for Joy Boy, who the series has set up as the equivalent of Christ. What I wasn’t expecting, though, was something that the fandom has gotten particularly interested in: this one panel showing the silhouettes of Joy Boy and Imu talking centuries ago. Thanks to that, some fans think that, rather than always being enemies, the two used to be friends.

I don’t know if this is true or not, but if Joy Boy and Imu were, in fact, originally friends, then that wouldn’t just make Imu the Devil. It would also make him the equivalent of Judas, the man infamous for selling Jesus out to the Romans. Whereas Judas is said to have ultimately regretted his betrayal and killed himself out of remorse, though, it seems that Imu has no such regard. Or if he does, then he has buried it under centuries of fear and hatred. Either way, it doesn’t paint a good picture of him.

Imu Doesn’t See Himself as God or a Devil

What I found more interesting, though, was how Imu acts like there’s not a difference between a God and a Devil. That explains a lot about his mindset. To him, both are beings of unrivaled power who hold dominion over all. The real difference is that while God is actually able to create, the Devil can only corrupt what already exists, and is thus inferior to God. It also makes even more sense why Imu fears Joy Boy and Nika so much. If Imu is supposed to be the Devil, then Nika is the God that they oppose, and he knows that Luffy becoming the heir to Joy Boy could destroy everything he’s built.

All that aside, it’s looking more and more like Imu is meant to be a dark inversion of what Joy Boy, and thus Luffy, stand for. Imu has the ability to warp reality around him like Luffy can in Gear Five, hence why he can grow to the size of giant and his prescence turned those houses into cartoon monsters. I want to see Loki give him a thrashing for his dad, but I don’t think he can handle him alone. I’m not sure anyone can beat Imu right now! The only solution might be for Luffy and Loki to stall him until the demon is forced to retreat back to Mariejois after hitting his limit. Luckily, Luffy is currently eating all the food in the school, so he should be ready to fight soon. And when he does…it’s going to be a day to remember!

What a really good chapter of One Piece. Even with how heavily it focused on fighting, we were still able to learn a good deal about Imu. And while I still think Blackbeard will be Luffy’s final and ultimate enemy, Imu is proving himself to be every bit as hyped as we feared. At this point, it doesn’t matter if he calls himself God or Devil; he’s just that tough.

I Give “God and Devil” a 4/5

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