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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 5 Review/Recap

After the multiple revelations of last week’s episode, I think viewers needed a chance soak everything in. So instead of focusing on Midoriya, this week’s episode focuses on his classmates; specifically Kirishima. As Red Riot, he’s doing his own work study with Amajiki under Great Saiyaman Fat Gum. However, he winds up getting caught in the effects of Overhaul’s master plan in the process.

Recap

At a secret location, Shigaraki meets with Overhaul and tells him he’ll work with him, on two conditions. Firstly, he won’t a subordinate: they’re equal partners in this plan. Secondly, the young man wants to know what Overhaul’s plan is. He already knows it has something to do with what they hit Mr. Compress with. Overhaul cryptically says that he plans to fine-tune what All for One did and upend the status quo.

Elsewhere, Red Riot (Kirishima) is on patrol with Suneater (Amajiki) and Fat Gum. After stopping a trio of robbers, Suneater’s suddenly shot by a fourth criminal with the same bullet used on Mr. Compress. Red Riot pursues the criminal on his own and seems to have him beat. However, the man then injects himself with a drug that makes his Quirk go crazy. As a result, Red Riot pushes his Quirk and defeats the bad guy with his new move: Red Riot Unbreakable! All the civilians present praise the young hero for his efforts, but Fat Gum’s left worried about the criminal used.

Review

By a wide margin, Midoriya’s my favorite character in My Hero Academia; partially because his sense of justice and bravery reminds me of Spider-Man. However, I think a good Shonen story needs to give its supporting cast time to shine. This episode was all about the supporting cast.

Aside from Kirishima’s amazing display, it’s also revealed that Uraraka and Asui are doing their own work studies. Like Deku and Kirishima, they’re working alongside another member of the Big 3, Nejire. As a result of all their heroics, the members of Class 1-A are getting noticed by the public. Honestly, I think its nice to see them get recognition; they’re building their legends as heroes.

As much as I loved seeing what the others are up to, there are bigger problems. I know that Overhaul has some kind of drug that can surpress a person’s Quirk. What worries me more, though, is that drug that criminal used to fight Red Riot. It was like a super-powered steroid, and in the wrong hands, that could be catastrophic. Whatever Overhaul has planned, it’s big. In other words, this episode sets us up for a something monumental, and I can’t wait to see what happens next week! PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Let’s Go, Gutsy Red Riot” A 4/5. Really enjoyable

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 4 Review/Recap

After taking a break last week, My Hero Academia returns with another new episode. One that’s just in time for Toonami’s premiere of Season 4 of MHA. A chance encounter with a villain forces Midoriya to make a difficult decision. Not long after, he learns why All Might and Sir Nighteye split up, and All Might’s task of fighting fate. In other words, this season’s going to be amazing.

Recap

Claiming to be the father of the little girl, Eri, Overhaul tries to take her back with him. Picking up on how terrified she is, Deku’s very hesitant to let her go. However, Togata gets him to stand down. They can’t risk tipping Overhaul off about the fact they’re investigating him. Later on, Sir Nighteye grills him for almost letting his emotions get the better of him.

Unable to stop thinking about everything Nighteye’s said, Midoriya asks All Might what led to the two falling out. Back when he first beat All for One, All Might was in bad shape. Nighteye insisted that he retire and name a successor then; otherwise, he would die within six or seven years. All Might’s sense of justice was too strong, though, and he continued his work as a hero. Years later, Nighteye picked Togata as his successor, but then Midoriya came along. Nighteye called him a fool for giving up his quirk to Midoriya.

Deku’s shocked to hear all this. More importantly, it means that within a year or so, All Might could end up dying. However, All Might’s more determined than ever to continue fighting fate so he can see Midoriya live up to his expectations. In turn, Midoriya vows to live up to the legacy he carries on.

Meanwhile, we see more of Overhaul’s cruelty as he takes Eri back to his base, saying she’s important to his plans.

Review

I think that this episode delivered some pretty big bombshells. Firstly, we see just how cruel and evil Overhaul really is through the terrified reactions of Eri. We throw the word “evil” so much, it sometimes loses its meaning. However, we always think their’s something heinous about hurting a child. Seeing how scared Eri was made me feel genuinely disgusted at Overhaul, and I don’t blame Midoriya for wanting to say no. If someone like Luffy or Goku were in his place, they’d punch Overhaul’s lights out.

At the same time, I knew that Togata, AKA Lemillion, was right about standing down. The fact that he kept his cool under pressure speaks a lot about heroic he is. Even so, I knew he didn’t like letting Eri go, either.

Then we have the revelation of All Might’s possible fate. However, I don’t think Nighteye was talking about the people when he said All Might should retire. Knowing how much he admires All Might, I don’t think he could stand to see his hero in such a state. While he does care about the importance of the Symbol of Peace, I think deep down, Nighteye doesn’t want to accept the fact that All Might’s mortal. I could simply be over analyzing things, however. Regardless, in matters like these, I’m the kind of person who’d rather look fate in the eye and say “you don’t control me.” I hope All Might can fight fate and win, and I hope Midoriya can prove Nighteye wrong.

The next episode’s going to change focus to Kirishima and another one of U.A.’s Big Three. From the look of things, I think it will still tie in to Overhaul. Either way, I look forward to it. PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Fighting Fate” a 4.5/5. Very good episode.

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 3 Review/Recap

In order to do a work study under Sir Nighteye, all Midoriya had to do was get him to laugh. However, it looks like his impersonation of All Might only offended the older fanboy. The meeting of the ultimate All Might fanboys shall commence!

Recap

Despite failing to make Nighteye laugh, Midoriya manages to turn things around by demonstrating his knowledge of All Might. Yet Nighteye refuses to let him do a work study because he thinks he has nothing to offer. So the man gives Midoriya a test: if he can get the stamp out of his hands in three minutes, then he’ll sign off on his work study.

Midoriya gives it his all, but his training’s no match for Nighteye’s Quirk. By touching his target and making eye contact, Nighteye can see someone’s future actions for up to an hour. He effortlessly dodges Midoriya’s attacks. When the test is over, though, Nighteye realizes that Deku never damaged any of his All Might memorabilia. He held back and dodged it all. Impressed, he approves Midoriya’s work study, though makes it clear that he doesn’t approve of him being All Might’s successor.

With his work study secure, Deku begins his first mission. Nighteye’s agency is investigating Overhaul’s actions and needs more intel. However, not long after heading out, Deku runs into a terrified young girl, with Overhaul in tow.

Review

I, for one, found the dynamic between Midoriya and Nighteye to be very humorous. The way that they both fanboyed over their shared love of All Might was funny, even if it wasn’t intentional. Having been a fanboy of multiple things myself, I understand how much fun it is to talk to someone about what you love with someone who loves it as much. That’s how friendships are forged.

All fanboy stuff aside, I think it’s unfortunate that Nighteye doesn’t see Midoriya as a worthy successor to All Might. In the older man’s eyes, Mirio Togata fits all the qualities of the next Symbol of Peace. Midoriya may need to work on his confidence a lot, but for all his faults, we know he has the heart of a hero. That’s why All Might chose him.

The next episode is going to see Midoriya face his biggest test yet, and I think fans have a lot to look forward to. That little girl fleeing from Overhaul is very important, and saving her is the key to stopping the plans he has in store. If Deku can’t save a single girl who’s crying, then he’ll never be able to call himself a hero.

I Give “Boy Meets…” a Solid 4.5/5

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 1 Review/Recap

Recap episodes can a difficult thing for a show to master. On the one hand, they provide established fans and newcomers a chance to get caught up. On the other, there’s those who want to dive into the action. Therefore, imagine my surprise when the first episode for the hit anime My Hero Academia is a semi-recap. Thankfully, I ended up enjoying it.

Recap

The world’s still dealing with All Night’s retirement and the ramifications it has. Everyone wants to get a scoop on All Might, but only one guy is able to figure out what All Night’s message really meant:

Now, it’s your turn.

Enter Tokuda Taneo, freelance reporter and the only one outside the main cast to figure out what the hero meant: he was talking to his successor. Convinced that it’s one of Class 1-A, he’s able to get on campus to spend a day watching Class 1A in their daily lives, all to find the next Symbol of Peace. Additionally, it serves as exposition reminding viewers of the students names and powers.

It doesn’t take Tokuda long to figure out that Izuku’s All Might’s successor due to how similar they are. However, it turns out he’s a big fan of All Might, too, and he and Izuku bond. In the end, he chooses not to write his article about All Night’s successor and keep it a secret. Not before a grabbing a selfie with the future Symbol of Peace, though.

Review

I was apprehensive about this episode at first, as recap episodes can be boring. Thankfully, My Hero Academia subverts this by breaking by not following the standard recap formula. All it does is remind us of the most important moment of Season 3, then give us the name’s and powers of the students. Admittedly, I have a problem with remembering their names at times.

The biggest surprise was how much I liked Tokuda. At first, I was worried that he was just someone looking to cash in on All Might and Class 1A’s growing fame. What we got, though, was a true fan who looked up to All Might for saving his father’s life. Truth be told, I think he did this less for the job and more as a way to reassure himself that there’s still light left in the world.

Tokuda’s Smart

I also have to give Tokuda credit. He was able to figure out the real meaning behind All Night’s message to the world. To the best of my knowledge, he’s the only one aside from Midoroya and Bakugo to figure it out. That’s impressive, and this guy wasn’t even in the manga. I actually hope to see more of him in the future, even if I found his Quirk to be a little too convenient for his job. Seriously, he can make cameras appear from his body; that’s weird, even by Quirk standards.

My Hero Academia is a rising star in the anime world, and in an age where superheroes dominate our culture, I don’t see any signs of it slowing down. This episode was a terrific, if quiet, way of starting a new season, and I look forward to watching it. I also look forward to reviewing every episode. That’s right, I’m doing My Hero Academia on top of SAO: Alicization and all my other things! PLUS ULTRA!

I give “The Scoop on U.A. Class 1A” a 4.5/5

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