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My Hero Academia Season 4, Episode 23 Review/Recap

You know, it’s almost funny when you think about it. Right now, the world of My Hero Academia is going through some tough times. Meanwhile in the real world, everyone’s hunkering down from the pandemic. But you know what, it’s in these trying times that we need to remember how to smile and have fun. That’s just what this episode of My Hero Academia does for us.

Recap

Thanks to Deku’s efforts, Gentle and La Brava’s plans to crash the school festival are stopped. Gentle turns himself in to the heroes and tells them he brainwashed La Brava so she won’t go to jail with him. Before he leaves, though, he affirms his respect to the young hero, who then proceeds to finish his task and make it back in time for the concert.

And rather than talk about it, I’ll just show you what happens.

Needless to say, the concert, and the festival, are a huge success, with everyone enjoying themselves and having fun. And best of all, Eri was finally able to smile for the first time in living memory. At last, Overhaul’s grasp on her has been broken.

As for Gentle and La Brava, the authorities seem like they’re willing to be lenient with them.

Review

I absolutely loved this episode; it’s the best one since the fight between Deku and Overhaul. It wasn’t action-packed or suspenseful as any of the big fights in the series, but it’s still a great episode. In fact, I think Studio BONES improved on the manga. As great as it can be, some things can only be fully appreciated in animated form.

Being able to see Eri smile for the first time was enough to bring tears to a person’s eyes, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Right now, the entire world’s paralyzed with fear by the Coronavirus Pandemic. Here in America, the country’s close to being on lockdown! People are as scared, confused, and alone as Eri was when we first met her.

I know it may sound silly, but I think that it’s in times of hardship that we need to remember the importance of smiling and having fun. No matter how bad things may get, we need to keep reminding ourselves that things can get better, and it’s concerts like what Class 1-A put on that help with that. Heck, even Gentle and La Brava get a silver lining from all this.

Rather than treat him badly, the authorities seem to be willing to help him rebuild his life. Moreover, they’re impressed with La Brava’s hacking skills and even offer her a job. Hopefully, they’ll be able to turn their lives around and move beyond their sad past together. GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA

I Give “Let It Flow! School Festival!” a 5/5.

Also, I love the face that Bakugo makes here

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My Hero Academia Season 4 Episode 21 Review/Recap

Well, the day’s finally here. The UA School Festival is about to start, and Deku and Togata are betting on it. It could be the only chance they have to teach Eri what it means to be happy and smile, after all. However, Gentle Criminal and La Brava plan on crashing the Festival and ruin everything. The fight to protect the UA School Festival starts!

Recap

On the morning of the UA School Festival, Midoriya wakes up early to get some training in with All Might before getting some last minute supplies. By sheer coincidence, though, he ends up running into Gentle and La Brava as they finish their tea ritual. When the former can’t help but gush about the tea he had, Midoriya connects the dots and figures out who Gentle is and what he plans to do. Which is something he cannot allow.

As Deku rushes to stop the villain from crashing the festival, he’s blown back by Gentle’s Quirk, Elasticity. It allows him to give anything rubber qualities, including the air around him. Were Deku relying on his normal tactics, he wouldn’t have chance. However, that morning, Hatsume gave him a completed version of the support gear he asked for: special gloves that let him use his Quirk to create high pressure air shots. With his new abilities, Deku stands his ground against Gentle. The time until the concert begins: 69 minutes.

Review

I would like to reiterate the fact that nothing this season does will top the Hassakai Arc. Thus, I don’t think the show should try and top it. The UA School Festival Arc is about Midoriya growing as a hero by putting him in a situation where he can’t expect any help. If he wants to stop Gentle from wrecking everyone’s fun, he’s got to do it on his own.

Fortunately, the episode makes a point of demonstrating how Midoriya’s improved. His new gloves allow him to create ranged attacks without One for All’s recoil, while the dance training he did for the concert has helped his coordination and reaction timing. It may not seem like much, but without either of those skills, Deku wouldn’t be able to fight Gentle. I’m still hoping that the next few episodes will make up for the lack of action. Go Beyond, PLUS ULTRA!

I Give “Deku vs. Gentle Criminal” a 3/5

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My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episode 18 Review/Recap

Ahh, the cultural festival, a staple of the Japanese educational system. It also happens to be among the things that I wish we did in the US. Every year, schools in Japan have open day festivals where people come to play games, eat, and have fun. And even though its a school dedicated to training heroes, U.A. High is no exception to this common trope of anime. That’s right: the next arc of My Hero Academia is a school festival!

Recap

With the Fall semester now here, Mr. Aizawa informs Class 1-A that the time’s come for the annual school festival at U.A. , so they need to come up with an idea on what event to do. Aizawa says that if they don’t, they’ll be stuck in a lecture the whole time. After multiple ideas being thrown around, they ultimately decide on an idea: they’re going to do a concert, with Jiro leading their band for it.

Meanwhile, Midoriya and Togata are finally able to visit Eri in the hospital, but the former can’t help but notice how Overhaul’s influence still hangs over her. Thus, he’s resolved to help teach her how to smile again, and asks Mr. Aizawa to let her come to the school festival. Unknown to everyone at U.A., a new criminal has caught the police’s interest. Known as Gentle Criminal, he records himself committing crimes and then posts them online to gain attention. Right now, he’s planning something big for his next video.

Review

Well, I’d say that a villain posting videos of their crimes on social media is a first, but I’d be lying. In truth, I’ve seen supervillains in other media do that before, and some jerks in real life have done that, as well. That said, as someone who posts videos on YouTube to gain views and subscribers, I can weirdly relate to what this Gentle Criminal is doing. At the least, his video’s are good.

It’s actually not him that’s editing everything, though. He’s got an assistant named La Brava, who reminds me of a downplayed version of Harley Quinn; one without the tramuatic backstory. They’re both a big step down from Overhaul and All for One. However, after remembering the manga, I know that they’ve got some moderately interesting backstories.

The big draw of this episode, though, was about the legacy of Overhaul and the effect it’s had on Eri. When I heard her ask Midoriya and Togata how to smile, I felt my heart breaking in two. No child should ever have to grow up not knowing what it means to be happy or know what love is. Like Midoriya says, Eri hasn’t been fully saved yet, and he takes upon himself to do so. That’s why I’m invested in this school festival arc we’re headed into.

So, this U.A. school festival arc doesn’t have the action or the stakes of the fight against Overhaul. However, I still think that it’s worth paying attention to. It’s continuing the story that started Season 4, and will help Midoriya grow as a person and as a hero. That, and school festivals in anime tend to have a lot of shenanigans. Go Beyond, Plus Ultra!

I Give “School Festival” a 3.5/5. Soft Start to a Quiet Arc.

By the way, who else thought Jiro’s reaction to being asked to put on a concert cute?

A Quick Announcement

So apparently, the last few weeks have seen Kohei Horikoshi get a lot of flak. First, it’s revealed that a mad doctor in his manga has a name that, in Japanese, translates to something that references the horrorific experiments the Japanese performed on prisoners during World War II. Then, it’s revealed that Bakugo’s birthday is April 20th, the same day as a certain evil dictator. Needless to say, he’s got a lot of grief over this. Now this article from comicbook.com speculates if Horikoshi will pull the plug on his manga.

My advice: go to Twitter, go to Horikoshi’s account, and let him know that we support him. His series could become one of the best manga in history, and in this age where superheroes are in, My Hero Academia stands out like a shining star. Don’t let this gem of a series end like this.

That is all!

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