Boku no Hero Academia 169: Another Spotlight

Boku no Hero Academia, Chapter 169: Defying Gravity

The chapter initially just starts off with some fun school stuff, which... yeah, I think we're in for a couple of mini-arcs around the other students of Class 1A after the overblown and long-running yakuza arc. We get Ashido showing off her dance moves, we get Mineta wishing that Ashido's panties would fly off (and get whacked in the head by Invisible Girl). We also learn about Jiro's hobby of music, although she's all shy about it. Then we get the bit about how there's going to be the well-and-tried trope in any manga set in a school, a culture festival. Something that the entire cast immediately lampshades in a resounding scream. Aizawa notes that yes, despite all the supervillain shit going out there, they have to do this because of the divisions of the school heirarchy, as well as to keep morale up. And, of course, we get a discussion of theme. 

As Iida and Momo take charge, Kaminari suggests the equally well-and-tried trope of innocent fanservice, a maid-themed cafe. Mineta vehemently proposes a titty bar, before he gets hogtied. Every other student ends up giving an idea or two, including some common themes you see in anime like haunted houses and petting zoos... and Tokoyami hilariously suggests "a banquet for the students of darkness" which is... my god, crow boy, you're really laying into this closet emo deal really thick, huh. Of course, after a brief set of discussion and an unexpected input from Todoroki, they decide on the dancing theme. Ashido's apparently already thought an amateur like Aoyama in a single day to dance decently, and after a bit of a shy-shy routine Jiro decides to perform. There's a bit of an ominous face in the Youtube video that plays while everyone's all excited, which... I'm not sure who the heck that's supposed to be. Is it just someone's dirty secret the way Aoyama's was in the previous episode, or is that a hint to something more serious in the school festival? Whatever the case, it's a short and sweet chapter, the sort of a slice-of-life stuff that Boku no Hero Academia so excels at.