My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episodes 21-25:

The final part of My Hero Academia's fourth season, focusing on the Gentle/La Brava arc. 

Yeah, this one took a bit more to make because I was kinda... losing steam? Yeah, basically. It took me a while to make this and I ended up being a bit more concise in talking about these episodes. We'll see what anime season I binge-watch next. It's either the next season of My Hero, or if I do one of the high-buzz animes like Jujutsu Kaisen or Demon Slayer, both of which I've read through the manga but haven't watched the anime fully... or Dr. Stone, which would be a completely new experience for me. We'll see!

Episode 21:

• Yeah, a lot of these school festival arc does admittedly feel rather... filler-y, but considering that we're going to be more or less in full action/drama mode basically all the way to the end of the manga, in retrospect it's nice to have a bunch of episodes in the middle to reaffirm how, yeah, these kids do have friendships and interpersonal dynamics. 
• I do like the brief shot of All Might thinking about his old-school powered-armour support items which made him look like he's hanging out with Iron Man. Silver Age Iron Man, that is, not MCU super-sleek nanotech Iron Man. 
• So yes, the big reason why Gentle stumbled upon Midoriya is because Midoriya was mumbling over Gold Tips Imperial tea. 
• The previous couple of episodes are a bit more slow-paced, but yes, it does sell just why the otherwise 'oh, they're going to cancel the school festival if Gentle attacks, big whoop' is such a driving factor for Midoriya. 
• I do like that Gentle sneaking in throwing his cape to set up an elastic-air barrier is actually framed to make it look like part of his hammy routine. 
• I also really like how Gentle is actually panicking when he briefly speaks to La Brava 'off-camera', so to speak, because he didn't plan on his plans being intercepted by a 'crazy boy'. 
• Oh, that little scene of Jiro and Midoriya discussing about how to take notes? That's amazing. As a proficient note-taker myself, I can appreciate it. 
• I also like the brief showcases of Ashido's dancing lessons and Hatsume's actual advice helping Midoriya in the midst of his actual combat. 
• Man, that shot of Gentle having his eyes glowing looks so creepy, even though the actual things he's saying is actually making him less dangerous to the civilians. 

Episode 22:

• Monoma and Kendo's dynamic is... interesting.
• It is really a nice way to have Midoriya's smarts come into play here as he basically gets the drop on Gentle by quickly memorizing where Gentle puts up his air cushions. Although admittedly the reason that this works is because of Gentle's monologue earlier. 
• La Brava's backstory really is interesting. That sort of hero worship towards Gentle when she's a social outcast is an emotion that I think is extremely powerful, but it's kinda unique here due to the fact that Gentle himself also kind of depends on La Brava because her status as a fan is something that vindicates why he's doing content creation for. 
• Never been the biggest fan of La Brava's love power being something that's so mundane as a power-up, but I do like that Gentle and La Brava themselves clearly don't like the brute force part of this power since it runs contrary to the whole gentlemanly-thief vibe they have going on. 
• "GENTLY SANDWICH! A sandwich is deemed more elegant the thinner it is!"
• Oh yes. The growl that Gentle's voice actor put when he starts ranting to Midoriya about how he's not just fighting for himself, but also for La Brava's dream? Yeah, Yamadera Koichi adds a lot to this character. 
• Man, Gentle's backstory is... it's pretty sad, huh? I mean, the character was all comedic all throughout, but it's kind of the dark side of a lot of these anime and their 'never give up' 'always keep trying' mentality. Sometimes you think when you try out and you're unprepared/untrained for it, you... you really can cause much more damage than if you had stood there and did nothing. 
• "You can mock me and say I'm mentally weak! That's fine!"
• It's so interesting how Gentle's initially self-centered, 'carve my name into the annals of history' dream could be contrasted and compared so well to Midoriya's own. Gentle's such an otherwise hammy character that the amount of thought that the writer put into him isn't really evident until rewatches, but I think the addition of the voice-acting and not having to read this weekly does make the Gentle Criminal arc feel a lot easier to consume, so to speak. I do still think that it's ultimately one of the weakest story arcs in MHA, though.

Episode 23:

•  It is an interesting situation that Gentle surrenders himself with the excuse that he 'tripped and fell' to protect not only La Brava but also Midoriya's desire to keep this fight away from public eyes.
• Ectoplasm sending one of his bodies to escort Midoriya is A+ teacher's responsibility.
• Aww, Aoyama waited and was looking for Midoriya too. How nice of him!
• I like the little nod to the previous arc that Yaoyorozu has like a huge fanbase among the crowd.  
• God bless you, Bakugou. "WE WILL KILL ALL OF THEM DEAD WITH OUR SOUND!"
• It is still very interesting that they got a perfect English singing voice for Jiro. 
• Jiro has the best parents ever. 
• Ye ye fuck off, Overhaul, your specter got banished with the power of a high school concert. 
• I am surprised they are able to say straight-up Azkaban, Gondor, Gandalf and other terms like that without having it censored or altered a bit. 
• Okay, the beauty pageant was a bit more elaborated, but I really don't have too much of an opinion on it. 
• That brief shot of Todoroki putting his head in the little picture board of Principal Nezumi is cute, though!
• At least the police in the MHA-verse are nice enough towards Gentle and La Brava.

Episode 24:

• The Pussycats return! I do like that they still count Ragdoll among their number despite her quirklessness, and we get a brief scene of Tiger apologizing again to Bakugou for failing to protect him.
• Ah, Kota and the shoes. That's cute. 
• HERO BILLBOARD CHART! Which, surprisingly for these shonen worlds, only maybe half of the chart became relevant characters. It is nice, though, that this episode also brings up Hawks from Tokoyami's internship to help build up one of the major characters that we'll be following. 
• #10 is Ryukyu, who we've met before.
• #9 is Yoroimusha, who I remember quitting for just like, one panel. 
• #8 is Wash! WASH WASH WASH WASH!
• #7 is Kamui Woods, who actually did surprise me by climbing so far up in the background of the story. 
• #6 is Crust! I vaguely remember him showing up later on? He's got a cool mask. 
• #5 is Mirko! Everyone's favourite murder bunny. 
• #4 is Edge Shot! He's probably my favourite background hero.
• #3 is Best Jeanist, MIA guy.
• #2 is Hawks! My boy Hawks!
• #1 is Endeavour, of course.
• It is actually pretty heartwarming, as the Pussycats noted, that despite them not doing any hero work since the summer camp, they're still 'within the three-digits'.  
• I really do hope the anime does more with Wash. He (she?) does way too little in the manga. 
• Hawks did make a pretty interesting first impression, huh? Just wanting to rock the boat in this tumultuous times to hopefully stoke the flames of the other heroes so they don't just play safe and continue to preserve the fragile status quo. It did admittedly lead to the epic 'just watch me' line from Endeavor. I did like that Endeavor actually confronted Hawks immediately off the stage. 
• Okay, I don't remember about Hazukashi Teruo or his... uhh... 'shame' quirk that involves him flashing people. 
• Hahaha, Endeavour trying to learn from Hawks about people skills, and his fan going 'nooo you being hardcore is what makes you cool!'
• I always really liked how this Metahuman Liberation arc is basically started off by Hawks investigating rumours, realizing that if rumours are being spread without substantial evidence, then someone wants those rumours to take hold for some reason. 
• Ah yes, the High End Nomu fight!

Episode 25:

• Todoroki's mom returning home and having some fun with her other children is very heartwarming! Again, it's a shame when the Endeavour drama will start up later on, but it's pretty nice to see the focus given to this family.
• I am such a big fan of this manga tackling the fact that a complete piece of shit human being like Endeavour who abuses his wife and kids, who selects kids to succeed him in his career... can actually change. Can actually try and be better, try to be there for his family, while also understanding the fact that some members of his family want nothing to do with him. Like, leaving the flowers without showing his face in front of his wife since even seeing him would be traumatic for her? That's surprisingly sweet. 
• Okay, yeah, the High End Nomu's bizarre teeth and his half-formed mumbling voice is a lot creepier than I thought it would be. 
• Okay, damn, Endeavour's flames turning blue here and there? The studio animating My Hero Academia always had great fire physics from Bakugou and Todoroki's fires, but man, I appreciate this fight so much. 
• HELL SPIDER! Okay, yeah, blowing up that building with his fire net is pretty cool!
• I do like that while Hawks' Quirk is established to be super-badass, we're also seeing him being limited almost immediately and forcing him to prioritize the parts of the building that's the most damaged and stuff. 
• Hawks moonwalking while trying to keep up with Endeavour is such a bizarre scene!
• I do like that Endeavour and High-End are basically analyzing each other -- Endeavour knowing that there are limits to his power, speed and the amount of fire laser things that he can do, and the High-End trying to analyze just when he can trap Endeavour. I do also like that Endeavour is very cautious of Nomu, knowing very well that the High-End's unknown amount of Quirks could be insanely deadly. 
• PROMINENCE BUUUUURN! That was a very cool flashing set of flames
• "It tore off its head and threw it?" That's actually a very dramatic scene as Endeavour gets impaled right in front of the whole world -- including members of his family -- watching. 
• Oh, that one pink-haired fan is a badass kid. "The flames are still burning, TV!"
• One thing that MHA does amazingly well -- which I think a lot of the other manga with 'unbeatable' Big Goods -- is showing just how much to hell and back people like All Might and Endeavour actually still have to fight. Sure, they're fighting enemies on a completely different level than the younger generation, but god damn, Endeavour. 
• Yeah, propelling your unmoving body ahead with heat? That sounds like the ballsy, stupid, self-destructive thing that Midoriya would do. And he has to do it to protect everyone. 
• Oh, I love the little flashback from Hawks' side, talking about no one was seriously trying to surpass All Might due to the sheer gap with the Symbol of Peace, except for Endeavour. And the metaphor of him using little rocks to try and build a bridge across the chasm... very cool.
• Yea, that shot of Endeavour's face as he's about to megaton murder punch the High-End? Very cool. 
  
• Oh, yes. The superhero trope of 'let's take this where there isn't civilians' is always cool!
• A bit forced, but the symbolism of a bio-engineered artificial monster who only cares about fighting strong folk, and Endeavour acknowledging it as something eerily similar to his past and burning it up? I like it. 
• PLUS ULTRA: PROMINENCE BURN! 
• Oh my god, the music of possible despair as Endeavour's flames plummet to the ground... and then the heroic cheer as we see the fist? That's amazingly done. 
• The post-credits scene is Midoriya having a dream of the previous OFA bearers. Neatly ominous!

My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episodes 16-20

It's been a while, huh? I'm reviewing more My Hero Academia, as we continue the rest of season four. Last time, we ended the Overhaul arc. This time, we start the license exam mini-arc for Todoroki and Bakugou. It's not quite as action-packed as the Overhaul stuff, so it's not as intensely-commentated as that arc. 

Episode 16:

• Man, poor Mera's a joke, but I've seen people who push themselves to the point of exhaustion like him, so I don't really find his schtick all that funny. More tragic.
• On the other hand, I've found that Inasa has really endeared himself to me with his bombastic voice-acting.
• "How can turds save humanity?" "Indirectly, as fertilizers-" gotta love my man Todoroki.
• DISCIPLINARY ACTION!
• Okay, I remembered these couple of chapters as being particularly boring to read week-to-week in the manga, but I do feel like it's very important for the world-building to acknowledge that being way too focused on battle prowess and not having 'heart' is not becoming of heroes. As a single episode that's part of a season, though, it does serve as the nice palate cleanser that it's meant to be. (The obnoxious brats are also a lot less obnoxious and more funny with voice actors) 
• Actually liking Endeavor now after the benefit of a couple hundred extra chapters in the manga, I actually do appreciate this early attempt at exploring his other side beyond being a dipshit parent/husband. Him acknowledging -- even backhandedly -- that All Might did have a positive impact on society is a sign that there's more to him than being a hate sink.
• It's also a nice parallel between All Might telling Endeavor to be his own version of the Symbol of Peace, compared to Todoroki attempting to take a different approach. It ended up as a joke, though, unfortunately.
• Is Endeavor yelling SHOTOOOOO a meme that the anime enforced?

Episode 17:

• Of course all the kids have given their powers names. We get appropriate ones like "Assault Dust", "Queen Beam" and "Electromagnetic Bullets" and... the girl with flowers on her hair calls her petal powers "Viral Cosmos", another one that makes a wooden mallet is "King's Ram" and this one kid that makes light rings calls his "Hula Hoop"... yeah, workshop that, kid.
• My favourite kid has to be "Binging Balls", who summons like a swarm of floating chain chops. 
• Damn, that one kid with a giant cannon coming out of his mouth (a.k.a. "Tongue Tank") looks uncomfortable, though.
• Yeah, okay, that whole 'Quick Doomsday Singularity Theory" or whatever that Present Mic and the Shishikura are discussing does sound pretty terrifying, especially seeing how these kids are utterly uncontrollable little gremlins. I mean, sure, these two episodes had an easy out with a clear 'boss' among the kids, but still...
• Bakugou mimicking the 'Glamouroki' is unironically the funniest moment of the episode.
• Some real Gurren Lagann vibes when the rapping starts when our students creates that weird giant ice slide thing. I do feel like the setup for the conflict -- that they can't humiliate the kids but definitely can't lose to them otherwise they'll become rowdier -- is great, but the solution feels overly convenient. 
• Yeah, Endeavor trying his best to be a decent human being to Todoroki is gradual, and while it's very arguable on whether he deserves his redemption arc, I do feel like the discourse its generated is intentional in regards to his character as a complete and utter dipshit who genuinely wants to try and be better. 
• Damn, Nighteye's funeral. It's just kind of a kick in the nuts after the whole wacky fun shit with the preschoolers. 
• Haha, Tokoyami! "This is truly a question of the darkness!"
• Apparently Aoyama usually eats by himself because the cafeteria food does not agree with him... but also wants to shove cheese into Midoriya's mouth. Okay. 
• Yeah. "Aoyama has started showing his true colours" translates to him leering into Midoriya's window late at night, and leaving cryptic messages in cheese. All Aoyama wants to do is to be friends and bond over the fact that their Quirks are totally coincidentally incompatible with their bodies! Poor, poor Midoriya, he got so afraid.  
• Oh, right. Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods teaming up with Edgeshot is shown here in the background as the kids are discussing news. 
• I agree with Uraraka, Ashido's attempts at making acid rain is pretty cruel sounding. 
• Okay, yeah, Aoyama pelvic thrusting into a huge block of stone, then him failing and having the laser trickle out... that's not phallic at all, no /s
• Pretty neat little mini Aoyama episode. Always appreciated this chapter, honestly, even before it became significant in the future.

Episode 18:

•  Yeah, this is the proper start of the 'break' arc. It's... it's honestly a lot of fun, just going from the dancing and the kids actually being kids. I don't think I can really break down this episode too much cause of how light-hearted it really is. 
• Yep, Jiro and Kaminari definitely have a lot more cute interactions that the anime plays up a bit more! I do really like how this arc is basically a soft focus on Jiro -- and the fact that she views her hobby as 'just a hobby' and not at all something constructive to her hero business. Which... is something that I've felt about a lot of my hobbies a lot of time, and I know many other people also struggle with. Not everything has to be constructive! You can have outliers in your interests compared to the rest of your interests! 
• I do like that Kirishima, after going through the Overhaul arc, is kind of worried that they are slacking, but the idea that this is basically a morale boost and a 'life goes on' thing for the other courses is pretty sound. 
• Kaminari's just a low-level pervert with a maid cafe. Mineta gets absolutely hogtied before he gets to speak what's in his mind. 
• Ah, yes, the mental image of Bakugo and Todoroki doing some disco night is pretty hilarious. 
• Eri finally talking to Midoriya and Mirio is very well-done -- the timing that we take a breath from the Overhaul arc, but also the fact that we're acknowledging that her trauma won't just disappear after being saved, after everything that Overhaul did to her. 
• You know, if it was anyone asking Eri on a date other than Mirio, I would've raised red flags. 
• Ah, Gentle and La Brava robbing a convenience store while putting it on not-Youtube. One of the heroes that tried to stop him really looks like he could be a Kamen Rider, with the scarf and everything. 
• I love that Gentle's whole 'Youtube Video' schtick actually gets a fair bit more emphasized in the anime, with some hilarious cuts to different backgrounds, a bunch of random pop-up text and even an outro! 

Episode 19:

• Oh, hey, early cameo by Destro!
• Yep, Gentle Criminal constantly accidentally pouring tea on people... and, honestly, their whole over-the-top lunatic deal are all a lot funnier with voice-acting. 
• I see even in the world of superhero streaming, there are always going to be people that creepily simp for any women on-screen. "SHOW US LA BRAVA!"
• Ah, yes, Bakugo's hidden drumming talent. Which, honestly, I can totally see him being good at, but also him refusing to admit that he's got the ability to do something 'unmanly' like music. 
• Bakugo's angry ranting is rude, yeah, but as Jiro herself realizes, Bakugo's point that the source of the other courses' stress to try and get some self-satisfaction by performing for them is actually valid. It's really a showcase of him starting to grow and show empathy by understanding other people... I mean, sure, he goes straight to "this pisses me off, I want to beat them up", but the fact that it did ultimately come from him understanding and empathizing with people is something I really do appreciate more upon rewatch. 
• ...okay, it didn't quite blow me away as the animation shows for our other heroes, but they got an English singer to get her to sing in perfect English. I thought they were just going to bring in a regular singer as her VA or something, but... that's different for sure!
• "Because of my character design, my hands won't reach!"
• I've never been the biggest fan of long explanations for training and different sub-sets of a power that may or may not be relevant in the future, but... but it's nice to see that the author put a lot of thought into Midoriya's new power-up. 

Episode 20:

•  Yeah, this episode is pretty feels-good with Mirio and Midoriya basically bringing Eri around the school and letting her see how society works. That's all pretty cute. Again, a lot of fun, shorter scenes here and there, but it's mostly just fun stuff!
• I know Romeo and Juliet is probably in public domain, and Return of the King most likely is as well, but the Prisoner of Azkaban? Huh. 
• Yeah, the lady that Hado somehow lost to has... uh... interesting eyelashes. 
• The little short scene of Nezumi begging the police to let them have the festival really does sell that the teachers want their students to have some semblance of good mental health, while also explaining why the police didn't shut down the event despite the fact that there's a whole damn warning from Gentle on Not-YouTube. 
• ...and Gentle's hammy monologue about how he's making this into basically a warning because he doesn't feel like heroes should be having festivals right after a crisis does really make the whole plotline, while light-hearted, still feel like it's a debate of ideals. Neat. 
• Clearly, Not YouTube never got rid of the dislike button!
• All Might briefly noting that he used to have armour does bring to mind a lot of the more... toyetic designs that a lot of superheroes had temporarily in the Golden/Silver Age.
• Again, Gentle and La Brava do feel like a bit of an anomaly and many people describe them as a filler villain that got carried a bit too far, but I really do think that they do work pretty well for a mini-arc villain. The hero (or, well, villain) worship angle from La Brava never really gelled with me, but I've always enjoyed Gentle's hammy monologues, his over-the-top backstory (YouTube is literally his origin story!) and having a voice actor does make it a lot funnier. 

My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episodes 11-15

More My Hero Academia, as we continue on the rest of the Overhaul/Hassaikai arc!

Episode 11:

• And here is where we get the revelation that the Hassaikai has created exactly five bullets that can permanently wipe out a quirk!
• I love the little bit of Twice and Toga correcting Overhaul for using the wrong pronouns for Magne. 
• It is kind of hilarious that we get to see Toga and Twice's first meeting with the yakuza. Toga is just being an absolute shit and refusing to cooperate (while being so delightfully polite) while Twice goes to "I WON'T TELL YOU ANYTHING" straight into some long-winded explanation on how his copy powers work... 
• And we think it's just Twice's neurosis acting up, but the anime makes it a bit more clear that there's some other Quirk at play here that causes them ton reveal their quirk when questioned by Shigaraki. And we see this happen when Toga reveals her quirk. 
• I do like that they ask the question of whether Shigaraki is planning a betrayal, and I think they're able to answer 'no' out of some loophole. 
• Yeah, Mimic antagonized the two Villain Alliance guys a lot, and it is satisfying as all hell when he ultimately snaps and got his ass beaten by Midoriya, Aizawa and Nighteye. 
  
• More Eight Bullets! Sasaki Deidoro is a gecko-looking guy that gets drunk and then causes vertigo in others. Nemoto Shin is the smartly-dressed guy with a bowler hat and a cloak and can force people to answer his questions truthfully. Deidoro is just making jokes about other people being drunk, while Shin seems to be a prideful egoist and a huge Overhaul simp.
• Hissatsu: PHANTOM MENACE!
• My inner Star Wars geek sense is happy because of it. 
• Damn Mirio is badass. He was so close to ending the whole arc there. Beating two of the Bullets, kicking Chronostasis in the face, even drawing blood from Overhaul... if he didn't use the quirk-nullification bullets, Mirio would've fucking won. 
• Also, god damn, Overhaul is a massive jackass. His gaslighting of Eri just piles into the sheer amount of evil shit he's done.
• Mirio weaponizing the cape to make Chronostasis's bullets miss. That's badass. That also gives him a pretty badass boast to yell at Overhaul as he punches him right in the face.
• Oh yeah, fuck you, Shin Nemoto, for weaponizing Mirio's heroic heart and shooting the quirk-nullification bullet at the little girl.
• Also, holy fucking shit Mirio for still fighting and going through a hero's fighting checklist even as he loses his quirk. What a man. What a hero.
• "I am not powerless! I AM STILL LEMILLION!"

Episode 12:

• Ah yes, Lock Lock's character development! It's actually kind of nice that all the talk about him being rough is also because he recently became a dad -- which made him even less predisposed about letting kids participate in a life-or-death battle.
• Five minutes of fighting a superhuman. Mirio, without power, is able to hold out against Overhaul for five fucking minutes, all the while still never letting Overhaul get to Eri behind him. God damn, Mirio. "You were amazing, Mirio" indeed. 
• Man, fuck Chronostasis and his weird-ass head arrows! I forgot that it's how he activates his quirk. That his hair is somehow styled in the shape of clock hands.
• Yeah, we don't actually get to see what Nemoto's last thoughts about this were, but he was probably one of the few to be shown to be the most fanatical in following Overhaul. And since Overhaul used him as basically a power-up candy...
• Overhaul's first power-up form is basically a gooey Machamp, though. That's not the most imposing figure out there. The plague doctor mask becoming a demonic mask is a bit more impressive. 
• Yeah, yeah, cry about being forced to fuse with someone else, Overhaul, you clean freak. 
• Yeah, you can absolutely feel the simultaneous hurt and pride as Nighteye just absolutely trash-talks Overhaul, talking about how he's pants-shittingly scared of Lemillion. 
• I've never been a big fan of 'I can change the future with my guts' trope in shonen battle manga. I'm still not the biggest fan of it. But damn, Nighteye and Deku's voice actors really do make me feel for it in the heat of the moment. 
• Manchester Smash!
• How fucked up is it to basically 'reset' a little girl back and reconstruct her body just so that she can be used in some mad scientist butchery? And that's without taking into account all the mental anguish Overhaul caused on her... honestly, I am happy what happened to Overhaul by the end of this arc. Fuck him. He deserves to suffer the worst out of any villain in this series. 
• It is annoying when I was reading this weekly, but dang, Eri suddenly freaking out and having her mental trauma stop her from leaving is kind of realistic considering all the emotional abuse Overhaul did on him, huh? 
• Suddenly a dragon pushing a giant muscleman falls through the ceiling! 

Episode 13:

• I forgot, actually, that Natsukame Rikiya, a.k.a. the big Bane-esque guy that Ryukyu fought on topside, actually wakes back up and holds the hero forces left behind. Or that his quirk allows him to 'inhale' and suck in the strengths of everyone nearby. 
• Oh yeah, so Toga ends up showing up and doing a good enough impression of Midoriya to cause Uraraka, Tsuyu and Hado to work together to help Ryukyu drop Rikiya down as a battering ram down to the Overhaul boss fight room. That's kinda cool on all sides, actually!
• I guess we needed Twice to contribute, hence the whole deal with the Mr. Compress copy having a role to create a way out for them. It is hilarious that they don't really care about the risk to the copy, but the Mr. Compress copy is indignant about how they should be doing this to avenge his arm. But the Compress copy literally just got taken out by Ryukyu without much preamble. 
• "Plus Chaos" isn't anywhere as catchy as Plus Ultra, Toga, sorry. 
• Also, we actually get a full-body shot of Toga from the front without any goo or hair or environment in the way of her little Togas, but obviously it's just Barbie-doll anatomy. 
• I absolutely love that the thing that changes Eri's mind, that breaks through her mental shackles and causes her to want to be rescued, is the sight of Mirio's cape, and a reminder of his epic "I will be your hero" line.
• Damn, though, it is still pretty terrifying and sad that a much younger Eri basically accidentally killed her own dad because of her superpowers manifesting. 
• Also, how fucked up is it that out of his twisted sense of loyalty, Overhaul misinterpreted his boss's orders to basically help understand Eri's powers so she can control it, and turned it into carte blanche to dissect her over and over and over again?
• Oh, fuck, that insert song hits well. Yeah, I wasn't the most supportive of this arc in the manga, but the anime adaptation just made me emotional so many times throughout this batch of episodes. 
• There's such a powerful sequence as Midoriya makes his mental declaration, and we just have a quick flash of things breaking apart while only the music plays. That works so damn well. 
• Oh, okay, that effect of Overhaul's arm 'glitching' and reverting back to normal when he uses his quirk is pretty damn cool.
  
• Okay, Overhaul's final form, with all the monstrous Resident Evil G-virus meat-tendril arms? That's much, much cooler than the grisly-Machamp form he had two episodes ago. I love that his original human self is just sprouting out of the Rikiya monster-bird-head. 
• Yeah, never mind the Plus Ultra mentality. People like Uraraka aren't going to stand down and go 'well, it's hopeless' when Nighteye makes predictions about how their friend is going to die. 
• ONE FOR ALL FULL COWL 100%!
• Damn, Deku just went full-on Super Saiyan. 
• 
  Also, as loathsome as Overhaul is as a person, I do like the flashback it gets here, where it does help showcase the full scope of his master plan -- selling the serum and the antidote to villains and heroes. How he feels like this is the way for the outdated yakuza to be relevant again in a world of heroes and villains, as a way to repay back his boss... and somehow through all this he ended up thinking that putting his boss into a coma with his quirk and then mutilating his granddaughter is the way to 'repay' him. What a fucked-up dipshit Overhaul is. 
• HOLY SHIT that giant mass of fists that rains down on Overhaul and tears apart his meat-flesh-monster body is cool and scary as fuck. Also cool-and-scary-as-fuck is Deku's shadowed face. 
  

Episode 14:

• SUNEATER! Holy shit, he totally just saved Aizawa. I legitimately forgot about this whole subplot with him and Chronostasis with all the epicness between Midoriya and Overhaul.
• Gunhead martial arts! Oh, I guess since Eri reverted the fusion, Rikiya and earlier Nemoto are still alive, then?
• Hell yeah, Aizawa's power-eraser vision to the rescue. 
• Oh, I guess Rappa is just hanging out there with Fat Gum and Kirishima until Centipeder shows up to arrest him? Silly Rappa.
• Takodana Villain Hospital! Okay, my Star Wars geekery doesn't extend to the sequels, but I appreciate the easter egg regardless.
• Hell yeah, the Villain Alliance attacking Overhaul. Never have the act of brutalizing another person been so badass and welcoming. Okay, Snatch dying from fighting Dabi and Compress is kind of regrettable since we lost him and his badass mustache, but still. 
• I was a bit confused why he would die until I realized that Mr. Compress compressed the flames as well as Snatch's whole part-sand body. 
• Yeah, Shigaraki thought about what Overhaul would hate the most, and... yeah, having both his arms destroyed and to see the results of his work taken by the Villain Alliance? Yeah, fuck you, Overhaul, you piece of shit, you deserve every second of that depression and torment you're experiencing. 
• I don't remember the specifics, but this episode kind of implies that Eri's power on Midoriya ended up reverting a lot of the damage he sustained in earlier arcs?
• Yeah, it's such a gut-punch to see Nighteye die, huh? It's actually one of the most memorable scenes from this whole arc, though. Again, never a big fan of the 'change fate/future' thing, and the 'energy' explanation is kinda bull. But damn, Nighteye has grown a lot on me during this watch-through that I can't help but agree with his hope for the future. 
• Oh fuck, bringing back Nighteye's penchant for smiles and humour just feels so much more sadder now that he's about to die, huh.
• How fucking tear-jerking is it that Mirio can manage to be strong and never falter all throughout the arc, even when he's about to pass out and even after he lost his quirk permanently... but he just breaks down completely and begs Nighteye to fight and live? 

Episode 15:

• We have the new opening which tells me that we're going to have the much lighter set of mini-arcs after this, but this episode is more of a epilogue to the Hassaikai arc, isn't it?
• I do like that Gran Torino actually points out how weird and stupid it is for a teleporter to be sighted four times. I guess Kurogiri just took a while to find and/or educate Gigantomachia?
• Mirio trying his best to jump back into being an energetic hero, while also immediately acknowledging how strange it is... that's a strange way of healing, but damn, Mirio, you're cool. 
• I also like that Midoriya actually contemplated giving his quirk to Mirio, but, Mirio being the cool guy that he is, rejects it immediately. 
• It's not as prominent as Midoriya talking to Mirio, but I do like that the other teachers are shown taking care of Mirio -- Aizawa in a flashback briefly, and All Might was about to knock the door when he realizes Midoriya is already there. They're also not as prominent as Midoriya and Mirio, but I do like that the story acknowledges that Uraraka is also feeling some guilt about not being able to do more. 
• God bless Present Mic. Between "BADDO BOYZZSUU", poking Bakugou in the head and realizing that seeing All Might and Endeavor's staredown is the best time to buy coffee, he's always good for a laugh.
• Oh, Shiketsu's here too. I completely forgot about them.

...holy shit, yeah. Yeah, that was much better in animated format. 

My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episodes 6-10

We're back with some My Hero Academia! Typical disclaimer: I've read this part of the manga, have gone beyond it, but forgot a lot of the details. Also, I'll probably refer to the term 'intern', 'work studies' and 'work internship' interchangeably.

This time, I'll try to be a bit more concise and less wordy with my reactions.  

Episode 6:

• I did really like how the arc structure and the whole 'these interns are following their mentor heroes' causes Kirishima, Tsuyu and Uraraka to end up basically tied in the same mission as Midoriya. It's a nice way to rope in a different set of 1-A classmates compared to the Stain arc. Kind of a shame that we never really got this for basically a good half of the class.
• There are a lot of background heroes that show up in the meeting, but none excite me more than CENTIPEDER. His head is a whole fucking centipede. 
• ...also, fuck, he has a hilarious high-on-helium voice. I'm not sure what I expected a centipede man's voice to sound like, but it sure isn't this. 
• So there exists a 'HN', a Hero Network. Basically a Hero LinkedIn or something. 
• Oh, so the giant kaiju that Ryukyu's team beat up was involved in the drug distribution network!
• There is some really great shots of Midoriya and Mirio's shocked expressions and eyes when they realize and put two and two together -- that Eri's body is being harvested for the raw materials for the quirk-cancelling bullets. 
• That's a very cool stylized image of Overhaul in purple holding Eri in yellow. Very cool. Another very cool shot is the symbolized monstrous plague-mask opening and about to chomp down on Eri. 
• It's not something that really becomes relevant, but I do really like that we highlight how Nighteye brought together minor, local heroes with the mentality to use them to investigate the Hassaikai's bases without raising suspicion.
• Aizawa also almost suspending their work internship, before realizing that Midoriya's the kind of problem child that will move mountains to save Eri, is also a great little moment. 
• Nighteye's trauma about using his quirk on a person in case he sees death in the future is very well-done with the voice-acting. A very neat little detail, too, that Gran Torino sent Midoriya with the purpose of getting Nighteye to get through some of his trauma. 

Episode 7:

• The story does really display Midoriya's confusion and the pressure from all the whole Eri and All Might's death prophecy thing very well, yeah? It does kind of foreshadow a darker bit later down the line when Midoriya succumbs to pressure too... It's also Iida and Todoroki that got Midoriya out of his funk. It's a small scene of him crying a bit, but it's very well-done.
• I don't remember Lock Lock's (Rock Lock? Lock Rock? Rock Rock?) ability, but I'm guessing that he 'locks' things in whatever state it's in. We get to see him lock a plank of wood mid-air. It's like that Stasis ability from Breath of the Wild!
• Fat Gum is all baffled at how Nighteye got information from a Sailor-Moon-esque toy that one of the yakuza bought. "Maybe he bought it for himself!" and "Why did you buy one for yourself?"
• Just like Sentai and Kamen Rider, turns out that "Glitter Squad" has a new show every year. It's an actual plot point because they've been showing Eri reruns of the older shows!
• Yeah, after all that build-up on how the operation's going to go, in the middle of Lock Lock complaining about procedure, SUDDENLY GIANT BANE PLAGUE DOCTOR FIST MEGATON PUNCH THROUGH THE FRONT GATE. I don't remember any of the names of the Eight Precepts/Eight Bullets. "Bane" here is called Katsukame Rikiya. 
• And then we have Ryukyu going into an even bigger dragon to block that punch. What a way to start the fighty-fight portion of this arc! 
• There's a cool background fight of a Yakuza thug that could manipulate like, brambles from a bush. He got taken out by one of the named minor heroes, Kesagiri Man. That's neat. 

Episode 8:

• Mirio and Amajiki's childhood friendship is adorable! I completely forgot that 'Suneater' was because he's someone who wants to shine like the sun, just like how Mirio did. 
• Yeah, giving Mirio clothes 'made out of his own hair' so they can move just as he activates his Quirk... that's the sort of nitpicking detail that I enjoy from this series. 
• It's always kind of a disappointment that Mimic isn't an adorable little anime mascot but just a man that can transform his size, but I guess that's the whole point of the subversion. I'm not sure how 'mimickry' translates into 'control objects from within', but there you go. 
• More Eight Bullets names: Scarecrow Guy is Tabe Soramitsu, "Food". Face mask guy is Hojo Yu, "Crystalize". Blonde guy with a lower-face bird mask is Setsuno Toya, "Larceny". 
• I've always really liked how the Eight Bullets seem to be setting up as a typical 1v1 for a lot of the supporting characters, but then here comes Amajiki, realizing that it's better for one person to hold of these three instead of the group leaving three people behind. 
• The ol 'knife hidden inside a plague mask' trick!
• "Even trash has its pride." "Even trash has strong bonds." None of the Eight Bullets really have too much of a personality, but at least we do get a brief motive rant out of them here. The crystal guy gives a very quick rundown of everyone's one-line backstory, and while they're really not characters anyone talks about too much, it does help to make these minor characters actually feel more like characters. 
• "Vast Hybrid: CHIMERA KRAKEN!!!" Man, Mirio's cool, but Amajiki's my guy. 
• Very cool fight overall. It's so fast-paced, a lot of ups and downs for Amajiki and the three Bullets, a lot of fun powers being utilized without them being over-the-top. I also absolutely love that, in a surprising subversion in a Shonen battle manga, Amajiki actually reverses the concept of the power of friends and weaponizes Tabe's friendship with his companions to knock all three of them out in one go. I like this episode. 

Episode 9:

• I actually do like that the random yakuza punks arrested by Bubble Girl do talk a bit about how the yakuza is different from villains -- that they're supposed to be chivalrous, and it's not until Overhaul's takeover that the yakuza became more modernized and 'villain-like'.
• RAPPA! Rappa is the only member of the Eight Bullets I remember. He's the cool one! 
• His shield-making monk buddy is called Tengai Hekiji. I do like the comparison between the battle-hungry Rappa and how Tengai is just trying to get him to rein those desires in .
• Fat Gum and Kirishima basically going all out in the name of not letting down their resolve and essentially weaponizing manliness... that's manly as all fuck. I also love that Fat Gum quickly realizes that Rappa is the kind of hot-blooded guy who would totally appreciate and get a bit too into taunts and hot-blooded fighting, and does exactly that to goad him. 
• Kirishima's desperation and him just racking his brains as he thinks about what he can do is amazingly delivered by his voice actor, as is the themes about his hardening quirk being so 'boring' compared to everyone else's.
• Oh, hey, the Ashido/Kirishima flashback! With Gigantomakhia making a cameo! 
• "They've started break dancing!" hahahaha!
• I absolutely love how Kirishima's just... completely frozen. I love how we took the 'my body just moved' iconic line from Midoriya and All Might earlier in the series and shows that it doesn't work for everyone... and it probably is a particular gut-punch for Kirishima, who's all about that manly spirit.
• One of Kirishima's classmates in the flashbacks is wearing Luffy's Straw Hat, which was IIRC a little celebration during Shonen Jump where all the other manga snuck in a straw hat somewhere into that week's chapter. 
• I've never paid too much attention to Kirishima and Crimson Riot, but it is kind of neat that Crimson Riot basically embodied a more... old-fashioned 'Golden Age' simple hero. It's a simple "courage is the ability to jump in spite of your fear" moral, but it's delivered pretty well!   
• I mean, shit, Kirishima doesn't get to beat the villain and more like made an opening for Fat Gum, but motherfucker that's a badass moment of him jumping in the way of Rappa's blows. 

Episode 10:

• 
  Rappa is a good man! I love the little bit of correction as he goes from "that ki-" to "that man". I love how his mentality is 'get healed, so I can kill you properly in our next fight!'
• I mean, shit, Tengai is a dipshit, but he is technically just trying to do his job as a yakuza. 
• There's a neat way of 'oh shit, the boss is even stronger' as Fat Gum peels back the reasons why someone as powerful and eccentric as Rappa stays with the Shie Hassaikai. 
• Well, Lock Lock got absolutely fucked up by 'temp worker' Toga. 
• I do like the little flashback to Shigaraki playing shogi and being a jackass about it with Overhaul... and Overhaul's pretentious talk about shogi strategy ended up backfiring, doesn't it?
• I really do love Shigaraki's later (flashback) talk to Toga and Twice about how he's not thinking of the Hassaikai as equals, but rather want to infiltrate and destabilize them, playing along with their plans for now. 
• (Fake) Rappa vs. Nighteye! I completely forgot about this bit, but damn, Nighteye is a badass! He one-shotted Rappa with some seals, and even made a deadpan joke about how 'humorous' his weapons are. 
  
• They are psychopaths, but yeah, this series does a great job at showing how Toga, Twice, and the rest of the Villain Alliance are a family in their own way. There's a neat bit about Toga noting how helping out the Hassaikai -- if they prove to be useless -- is pointless. In-between her psycho-murderer bits, there are a lot of nice points that Toga makes towards the yakuza being a 'soon-to-be-extinct' dying group, leading to them mocking Mimic and getting him riled up. 
• There's also a very realistic flashback to Twice and especially Toga confronting Shigaraki about doing something that they don't want to do. Waving a blade next to Shigaraki's neck is exactly what I expect from Toga. 

My Hero Academia, Season 4, Episodes 1-5

We're back with some My Hero Academia! This time, it's a pretty meaty one with season four, and we'll be doing this similarly to how I did season 3 of the anime as well as One Piece's Wano arc. I have read the manga and have far surpassed this point of the anime, but I'm just rewatching this and commenting as I watch through it!

The Overhaul arc is, to my memory, a lot more action-packed than the previous more exposition/interpersonal drama and general AFO lore-bombs, so hopefully I won't be anywhere as wordy as my previous MHA reviews. Of course, lord knows that anytime I say "hopefully I won't be wordy" things will explode to twice or three times as I originally anticipated...

(Also, yes, I know the dub and English subtitles both use the term 'work studies', but they literally say the English work for 'intern' out of their mouth. I'll try to call it 'work intern' since we used 'internship' for the previous event.)

Episode 1:

• This one is a recap episode, sure, but it's done in such a way that it incorporates a pretty likable reporter? It's still ultimately a recap chapter, so I can't really get too excited about it, but at least they tried to make it a bit more entertaining than the standard by having the plot kinda-narrated by a reporter agency trying to investigate into a rumour of All Might selecting his successor from among 1-A, which... in turn, is a neat recap of the world's perception of All Might's defeat, something that the previous and this season kind of really goes into. I can't say I really care about the cast of Jaku News, and there's a nice twist that the slimy investigator turns out to be an All Might fan who wants to be reassured that 'hope is alive'. As far as these one-shot filler characters go, he's all right. 
• We do get another not do David Shield from the movie. 
• It is cute to see the 1-A kids do some of their daily routine and whatnot, but I definitely tuned out that scene of the show narrating everyone's quirks again. I get why they're doing it, especially with the gaps between seasons, but eh. 
• Presumably "Juko" is "Jakku", if we're sticking to the Star Wars planet naming theme? 
• It is kinda heartwarming to see random convenience store workers cry in tears of gratefulness when All Might walks into his store and give him a bunch of free stuff. 

Episode 2:

• Villain Alliance vs. Yakuza time! I've always referred to them as "Yakuza" instead of their far, far cooler name, the Shie Hassaikai -- the Eight Precepts of Death. I will have to fix that. 
• I always really like the plot concept of organizations that are normally subdued and biding their time, then rising up to fill in a power vacuum. 
• Okay, admittedly, Overhaul was being a massive dickbag by killing Magne and maiming Mr. Compress... and knowing what's about to happen, it's interesting to note that Magne and Compress were the most vocal in mocking the yakuza.
• I also do like that Overhaul, as a professional villain, is basically mocking Shigaraki's lack of planning and organization -- the very same thing that our 1-A students are going to learn, in a sense, from their work internships. This is exactly the sort of questions you need to answer beyond a vague goal when you do businesses and ventures and shit IRL! 
• I do like that this whole plot is kind of forcing Shigaraki to mature -- in a twisted way, of course, since it's all in the shadow of AFO -- from someone who views everything as a game to someone who is slowly restraining his impulses. Admittedly, to kill Overhaul later after using him instead of killing him immediately, but hey, that's some progress, right?
• Poor, poor Magne, though. I absolutely understand the shock value of losing a recurring character, even a secondary one... but it's really sad that we just literally learned a little bit of her backstory here and she gets exploded by Overhaul. Kind of a shame, though the shock value -- that people can actually die in this arc -- is definitely pretty impactful. 
• That's a fuck-ton of blood, though. The initial shot of Magne's death was black-and-white, but then we get copious amounts of coloured blood. For some reason I thought it was going to be censored!
• As an absolute germaphobe, poor Overhaul must be feeling like shit to be drenched by blood and gore. Totally deserved it, though, that bird-masked psycho. 
• Shigaraki actually vaporized and dustified one of Overhaul's goons -- he's nameless and had no personality like Magne, though, so that's why I didn't even realize that dude was from the manga. 
• I always loved the different designs of plague doctor masks of the Shie Hassaikai. 
• We did get a brief nod to... Mimic's Quirk, I think, which allowed him, Chronostasis and the huge Bane-looking guy to follow Twice undetected. 
• "I want to go karaoke." Bless you, Ectoplasm. 
• "SHI. JO. U. SHI. JO. U." Bless you, Present Mic. 
• Mirio is a massive dork with his unfunny jokes. I like him. Being a massive kind-hearted teddybear is really something that makes you feel that, yes, in an alternate universe, he could be the symbol of peace. 
• It's a short scene, but I absolutely love that Midoriya's own dreams have matured a bit and realizing that 'smiles' aren't everything, and he needs to have the strength and victories to make his mother not worry and to properly be the greatest hero (tm). 
• Considering what a massive superhero otaku Midoriya is, it is actually some great restraint on his part not to go into a fanboy exposition monologue on All Might's sidekick until 18 minutes, 30 seconds into the episode.  
• Yeah, that tickle torture machine is 100% a gigantic sexual harassment lawsuit waiting to crash on Nighteye's head. Poor, poor Bubble Girl. 
• Oh, that "are you mocking All Might" face from Nighteye is gloriously drawn.

Episode 3:

• I absolutely forgot that Sir Nighteye's anger at Midoriya isn't because he's trying to imitate All Might, but rather, that he imitated All Might with the wrong amount of milimeters for his wrinkles.
• I absolutely love that it randomly delved into Midoriya and Nighteye arguing about a certain very specific incident where a vinegar quirk got into All Might's eyes, causing his wrinkles to become smaller... god I loved this moment. 
• I also forgot that Nighteye being such a jackass to Midoriya is partially driven by his anger that All Might chose Midoriya instead of Mirio, who he thought deserved One For All more than this random upstart. That's kind of nice from him. 
• Ah, yes, acknowledging unlicensed third-party toys! I love this manga. 
• Nighteye always looked a bit... boring? That's not quite the right word. Mundane, I guess, is the right word to describe him, in comparison to this manga's insanely colourful cast. Giving him green hair with yellow accents helps!  
• I do like that Nighteye's super-stern personality but his desire for comedy out of his subordinates ends up being traced back to him admiring All Might's "strength and humour".
• So Nighteye's "Foresight" quirk does look pretty damn badass, but... the activation of making eye contact is a bit troublesome, surely? I forgot how specific 'eye contact' needs to be. 
• I also really like that it's clear that, just like Mirio, Nighteye seems to have intense training to make use of his quirk, even if it's not said outright. Being able to instantly note that Midoriya's speed-blitz around the room is like a "degraded Gran Torino" is pretty damn cool. 
• God damn, that effect where Nighteye turns everything around him into clocks, and he goes into negative-photograph colours, and there are tick-tock sounds in the background... that's very clean.
• I absolutely love that this whole conflict is resolved because Midoriya is too much of an otaku to hit that out-of-production 10th anniversary All Might tapestry. Yes, I know, Nighteye realizes it's part of Midoriya's quick thinking and keeping his cool under provocation and all that jazz, and he wants to make Midoriya give up and acknowledge Mirio as the better successor... but... still... fanboyism has saved the day!
• It's a simple, brief scene, but I do like the brief acknowledgement of Uraraka, Tsuyu and Kirishima moaning that their previous internship heroes have reasons why they couldn't take them in. We also get a brief cameo of Hawks, who apparently requested Tokoyami as his intern!
• Hahaha, that running gag of Todoroki constantly mumbling to Bakugo about how they 'need to catch up'.

Episode 4:

• The post-credit scene of episode 3 is the end of this episode's cold open. It's a bit weird.
• I've gotten used to it, and Mirio's a cool guy, but man, "Lemillion" is kind of a giggle-worthy name, isn't it?
• I don't think they really explain it enough, and I guess it just falls into the yakuza not falling into the jurisdiction of the superheroes, but it is weird that Mirio's able to tell Chisaki to his face that "hey, you're with the Hassaikai! You're famous around here!" 
• Damn, Mirio handles that accidental meeting with Chisaki absolutely well, didn't he?
• It would admittedly be something suspicious if they just let the crying and clearly-abused girl go with her alleged parent, huh? Obviously Midoriya's goals are a lot more altruistic than strategic, but that's a neat point that Midoriya and Mirio raised. 
• I am 100%, no, 1,000,000%, in agreement with Nighteye's speech about how "you can't save anyone you want, whenever you want" and that good intentions alone isn't enough. But I guess that's why I'm not someone like All Might or Midoriya or Mirio, then.
• Okay, so the "Reservoir Dogs" gang that got... Cronenberg'd by Chisaki instead got restored to health with all their chronic illnesses restored? I guess that's Eri's quirk? I really forgot a lot of the details in the early parts of this arc.
• I do really like the story showing us that All Might has to do things like jog and stuff to keep his weakened body at least functional. 
• I also absolutely love the honestly pretty realistic disagreement between Nighteye and All Might about the importance of a 'symbol of peace' as well as Nighteye being worried about his mentor's actual physical body. Tying it to Nighteye's "Foresight", though... I'm still not sure if it's the best decision, or if it's a part of the story that I would've preferred if it was just a discussion about ideologies instead of 'breaking fate' or whatever.
• And, well, all the prophecy about All Mighty dying against a gruesome villain... I mean, it's kind of a very obvious trope that the likable mentor dies, but I suppose they're just going to keep dangling death flags while subverting it. 
• Speaking of which, god damn, that speech from All Might to Midoriya about how Midoriya's speeches and presence caused him to want to live when he fought AFO... the music and the voice acting... I know I praise the anime a lot, but this was another scene that was elevated a lot from its source material.  
• Haha, look at little Mimic, counting money on the side of Chisaki's sofa. 

Episode 5:

• Randomly we get a giant kaiju fight between a dropkicking half-naked man and... and a giant shark with a wiggly tongue?
• Espa street! Like Mos Espa in Phantom Menace!
• I don't know what the pun being "Gring Wave" is, but I do know that Hado's costume and colours look pretty dang cool. 
• Uraraka and Tsuyu's combination attack is called "Meteor Fafrotskies". Wikitionary tells me it's rain of things that aren't expected, usually animals like frogs. Get it, cause Tsuyu's a frog, and they're dropping a rain of gravity-manipulated rocks and shit, ha ha.
• Oh, Dragoon Hero Ryukyu. I always thought she was the "Dragon" Hero because she turned into a dragon. 
• I absolutely love that Shigaraki, while humbled a little bit, refuses to compromise more than he should -- doing things like demanding a 'please' for the request to put his foot down from the table, and demanding a joint partnership. 
• The juxtaposition of Mimic's tiny doll-like body and the big Bane arm that exploded out of him has always been such a fun visual. 
• It's a pretty neat little narrative tool, juxtaposing Overhaul and Shigaraki discussing the former's X-Men III: The Last Stand anti-Quirk bullets right next to scenes of Team Fat Gum encountering the bullet for the first time. Also, unlike Last Stand or any X-Men equivalents, considering how Quirks are actually central to the society in MHA, yeah, it would seriously fuck up the status quo something fierce. 
• (Power-boosting drugs, on the other hand, I feel, is a bit more common. Still cool, though!)
• Amajiki has one of the coolest superpower concepts I've seen in a long time. Whatever animal he eats, he can transform parts of his body to mimic it? That's so fucking cool!
• "Clams are handy, that's why I eat them every day."
• I love how Kirishima is absolutely pissed that the one gunman with the quirk-erasing bullet isn't staying behind to 'finish saving his friends properly'.
• It's standard in anime for even random background characters to have little character tics, but this guy complaining about his 'box-cutter quirk' and demanding that Kirishima praise him for even having the courage to shoot his gun is pretty funny. 
• Oh god one of his super-long Moonfish knives juts out from his eyeball. That looks painful.
• I do really like the Kirishima spotlight in this episode. And the fact that we call back to last season's speech from All Might to let Kirishima train his 'ultimate move'. I also absolutely love that it's his buddy Bakugo that gives him encouragement, calling back to the sports festival and to All Might's own 'unbreakable' moment.
• Holy fuck Kirishima, you look scary! In a good way! In a cool way! In a MANLY way!
• RED RIOT: UNBREAKABLE!
• HISSAATTTSSSSSSSSSS! RED GAUNTLET! 
• I do really like that despite Kirishima's utter badassery in combat and protecting the civilians, he's actually very briefly blindsided by knife guy pretending to be cowardly to get an opening. It does sour his victory just a bit, but it's kind of realistic that these young first-year students would've been fooled by a trick like this.
• I do really like them having a bit of a foreshadowing to Kirishima's defdining moment as a hero, where he briefly thinks about his inaction against Gigantomakhia. 

My Hero Academia, Season 3, Episodes 19-25

The final part of my coverage of My Hero Academia's season 3!

Again, my regular disclaimer: This is more of a 'reaction'  and my commentary as I watch this season in animated format for the first time instead of a review. Also keep in mind that at the time of writing this review I have been caught up to the manga, although I'll try not to spoil too much of it in case someone's reading this as they watch the show itself. 

Also, a bit of an announcement I'll be unable to post much in July, but I have a bunch of articles set up for release on automated schedule -- which will hopefully prevent the drought of content I had in late 2021/early 2022! It's mostly superhero content with the sprinkling of some anime content, but I should tide you guys over with some content until August-ish where my schedule is much more empty. 

Episode 19:

• I feel like having random explosives blow up the field that a bunch of underaged students have been running around and fighting in is a massive safety hazard. Unlike U.A., they don't even have the excuse of having that healing nurse superhero on standby!
• It is kind of interesting that they have a whole industry for people who act as victims in these sort of tests. 
• Normally I roll my eyes at Mineta's perverted antics, but him acting all high-and-mighty at anything "below R-18" and talking like he has standards so "just saying she's hot is not enough, I've been watching her" actually made me chuckle a bit. 
• Shiketsu's class representative is... uh... a giant walking ball of fur. I do actually like that they acknowledge that Shishikura's acting extremely rudely -- in other words, the 'Bakugo' of their class, although in a different sort of acting independently. 
• It doesn't really come up all that much -- especially since the next couple of arcs are heavily combat-based -- but I actually love that these aspiring superheroes are also being tested on how they would handle rescuing people in these conditions. These superheroes aren't just fighters, they're also helping in rescue operations! 
• I also like that absolutely terrible ideas like using a goddamn tornado to move people in large scale without checking for injuries that cannot be moved without proper stabilizers is noted as a completely dumbass idea. 
• Also deconstructed nicely is the idea that someone trying to be a one-man-show and taking all the responsibility on their own is going to be absolutely terrible in a rescue operation (unless if you're All Might, I guess).
• I also do like the little deconstruction that Uraraka being constantly thinking about her crush on Midoriya is actually portrayed as something that's actually causing her to get super-distracted, compared to how most of her classmates are putting their all into this examination. It's something that feels quite... 'real' for these teenagers, you know?
• Shishikura doesn't quite take it to the degree that someone like Spinner does, but I do like that his teacher actually notes that he's been influenced by Stain's idea to reform the hero society into something that's far more respectable. 
• Of course, this is still a shonen battle manga, so we do have the glorious GANG ORCA coming in at the end for a combat-and-rescue test, but still, I do like that we devoted an entire chapter to just deconstructing tropes about 'hot-blooded' rescuing. 
• I love that there's somehow a list of "ranking of heroes that look like villains". When he becomes pro, I bet Shishikura would rank high there, too. 

Episode 20:

• All Might interrupts the regularly-scheduled manga adaptation for a tie-in episode with one of the feature films. This episode (and I assume the accompanying film, Two Heroes) is set before the training camp.
• I do like the meta joke of Midnight, Cementoss and All Might dissecting... what's actually the IRL trailer of the movie, and they use it as an opportunity to drop random lore bits about All Might's "Young Age, Bronze Age, Silver Age and Golden Age", stuff that gets revealed in cover pages in the manga itself. 
• The plot of this episode is basically a 'special extra class' with some of the more popular students being in a class where they have to try and figure out crimescenes... only with hijinks as the 'plotlines' of what is just a standard hostage situation turns into a locked-room mystery and gets more and more complex.
• Present Mic just raps, yo, yo.
• It's pretty fun for what it is, honestly, I just felt like it could've been slotted like, one or two episodes earlier in-between the battle royale and the rescue operation segments of the provisional exam. 

Episode 21:

• Again, while it does cut away from the superhero fighting, I do appreciate the discussion about the worldbuilding and even the focus on teamwork in tests. This is really something that I felt made the first half of My Hero Academia feel so unique -- something that the post-timeskip manga kind of lacks. 
• Gang Orca is cool, guys. His ultrasonic orca attacks look pretty fucking awesome. 
• Gang Orca can clearly tank Shindo, Todoroki, Inasa and all the other large-scale-area students, but... man, those mooks (who aren't actually villains) must really feel shitty to get tossed around by AoE quirks. 
• I actually do like how Todoroki and Inasa are shown to be putting their egos above everything and how their quirks clash in battle -- something that the manga/anime actually takes great pains to show that when All Might and Endeavor met each other on the battlefield, their rivalry never went beyond words and they actually worked well together. The difference between pros and hot-headed teenagers, I guess. 
• Yeah, okay, Inasa... your motivations... are, uh... kind of dumb. But you're also kinda dumb, so I guess it tracks. 
• It works with Todoroki's character development, too, I guess, since Inasa is directly comparing him to his dad. Albeit in not the most... intelligent way, shall we put it. 
• Holy shit, what was that chanting BGM that plays when Todoroki's flames grow brighter, though? Damn, that actually sends chills down my spine. 
• I do like that Honenuki from 1-B actually shows up in Inasa's flashback of the U-A test.
• Camouflage Tsuyu! I don't think any frogs can actually go full-chameleon AFAIK, but you know what? It's cool. I don't mind. 
• I actually really love Gang Orca's badass boast as he climbs back up after Inasa and Todoroki's combo move. 
• "Please get away from those two!" Bless Midoriya, he's so polite.
• Damn, okay, Nagamasa Mora, you actually have a cool entrance.

Episode 22:

• Midoriya passed this exam -- for some reason, I actually thought he failed? My memory is failing me. That's why I'm rewatching this, I guess. Also, we get to see that Mineta passed -- and considering the rescue segment is based on a point deduction basis, we can actually see why someone like Inasa or Todoroki, who made extreme blunders, would fail.
• Speaking of Mineta, I absolutely love that random line where he talks about how "due to their high skill, they are in conflict with their own egoism"... which would be profound if it came from someone like Aizawa instead of Mineta. 
• Haha, that photograph on Midoriya's provisional hero license! 
• I remembered actually going "whoaaaa this ties into the main Villain Alliance plot!" when Camie got revealed to be actually Toga. It's still a pretty clever plot twist even knowing it's coming -- Toga's easily one of the more stand-out characters that the story's clearly trying to do more with, and it's nice to see that, hey, one of the new characters in a bunch of secondary characters... turns out to be a development of one of the important supporting characters!
• I get why All Might would want to see All For One in his hero costume, but man, the poor guy just looks so baggy in those. 
• I did remember not being super impressed with All Might and AFO's conversation in the manga, but the addition of music and voice acting does really elevate this scene. All For One's scummy gloating, All Might's "I will not die" declaration... 
• Bakugou and Midoriya's confrontation... back when I first read it in the manga, because I was following it weekly, I actually didn't care much for it because we already had a confrontation between the two during the practical classes early in the manga. But now, looking at the story more as a whole, seeing Bakugou's character arc of more as someone who's confronted with how he's failed twice in quick succession (his kidnapping and failing the provisional license), the revelation that he really admires All Might, and I guess appreciating Deku a bit more as... as someone who isn't just an object of bullying, I guess, has made him a bit more amiable to 'talk things out'. Being Bakugo, though, his version of talking things out extends more to duking it out, but it's at least an attempt at communication.
• I also like that Bakugo has pieced things together to realize that All Might might have something to do what he overheard about how the villains' boss could transfer quirks between people. 

Episode 23:

• I absolutely love that this whole mini-arc of Bakugo fighting Midoriya has so much of the monologues be Bakugo's. Whereas the first confrontation is Midoriya getting over his fear of being intimidated by his childhood friend-turned-bully, this is Bakugo trying to go through the jumble of mess of emotions in his head after his pride has been shattered over and over and over again in quick succession. It's not a huge proper fight and more like just Bakugo... lashing out after being frustrated for so long. 
• God damn that voice acting when he's begging for Midoriya to fight, around 6 minutes into the episode? That voice acting and how he's really about to break really adds so much depth to this character. In the manga I kind of read it as him being condescending and proud, but here it's kind of clear that he's holding back tears. 
• It also makes Midoriya's decision to 'okay, hell, let's fight, because that's the only way to get through to Kacchan' a lot more understandable. It's still dumb in the grand scheme of things, but considering that these are two teenagers and we've seen how Bakugo behaves... yeah. 
• And then Bakugo's multiple admission -- to himself and later to All Might -- that Midoriya's surpassed him, that he's weak, so weak that he can't stand up where it matters... poor Bakugo. 
• It's also important, narratively speaking, to turn Midoriya and Bakugo into... well, 'rivals' instead of just someone and his bully. 
• I like the bit where we actually compare Bakugo's admiration ("the way he fights is so cool!") versus Midoriya's ("he saves everyone with a smile!") and actually have Bakugo, in-universe, question if his 'way of admiration' was wrong.
• Man, the animators put a lot of effort into Bakugo's explosions. 
• "Why was I the one who ended All Might?" Man, poor Bakugo. 
• "...you passed me..." I like that little soft admission he has to himself.
• You know, I personally don't really agree that it's healthy for Midoriya to 'keep chasing after' a kid who always abuses him verbally and physically. It did end up relatively all right for the two of them, but... but man, while I was watching this episode and listening to Midoriya and Bakugo's respective POV's, I am so invested in their rivalry. 
• I absolutely like that Midoriya's personal "image" of victory is that of Bakugo, though, leading to him spouting more insults when he is in "I have to beat you" mode. That makes sense. 
• Okay, Bakugo spinning Midoriya mid-air and then rocketing both of them down with a burst of explosion is pretty damn clean. 
• All Might coming in to talk to them and explain everything... it's something that the story has foreshadowed and is honestly kind of overdue, but it's definitely well-scripted and well-scored. 
• I actually never noticed that having All Might and Midoriya's connection be a secret ends up being a neat little parallel to a traditional superhero comic-book's constant themes about guarding one's secret identity. 
• Also, I do like All Might's little explanation to Aizawa, which makes perfect sense -- even if Bakugo feeling responsible for his retirement is technically a half-truth. 
• Leaving the little bit where Bakugo finally begrudgingly gives Midoriya feedback about Shoot Style for the post-credits scene works pretty well, actually, especially since this season's end-credits music is pretty calming. 
  

Episode 24:

• SPOTLIGHT: TWICE! Always one of my all-time favourite chapters of MHA, because it's a standalone chapter that focuses on one of the side-characters, and it's also the first big hints that we're really going to develop the members of the Villain Alliance. I like that they didn't do the obvious thing that other anime would do and stretch it into almost an entire episode, but just got it over with in around 10 minutes, which is the right amount of time it really needs to be. 
  
• I do like the fact that Twice's monologue and his voice in his head that disagrees with him is given a different bit of vocal-processing reverb or something to make it a bit more clear that Twice is disagreeing with himself in his head. It's nothing that's overtly original, sure, but I really do like the little exploration into Twice's Multiple Man backstory and how it absolutely drove him crazy -- so much that he has no place to fit in. 
• I also always liked this because it makes something that initially seems like a wacky anime verbal quirk into something actually serious. 
• I like that over the course of the past couple of episodes and this one, we see the public as a whole reacting to Endeavour becoming the new No. 1 hero even though the man in question barely appears. 
• Dabi totally just casually murdered a bunch of thugs just because they mouthed off a little to him. Overhaul also totally killed those 'Team Reservoir Dogs' guys and horror-merged them into their own pickup truck. 
• I do find Todoroki being all down and sullen because he thought he let class 1-A down to be kinda adorable.
• Pony! Yeah, a 'foreigner speaking with broken English' really works a lot better with voice-over, since she actually says words like "class" and "Vlad-teacher" in perfect English pronunciation. 
• Mirio's face popping out of the wall will never not be funny. What a first impression!

Episode 25:

• Huh. Huh? That's where they decide to end the season? Not at All For One and All Might's conversation? Or even Twice's episode and showing Overhaul for the first time? Mmm... okay then? Mirio's first impression is... uh... okay? I would've put it at the beginning of a season myself, but I was definitely surprised to see it at the end of one. 
• I guess Midoriya remembers it in this episode, but it's surprising that he doesn't have an encyclopedic memory of all U.A. students from sports festivals... I guess he's not that big of a hero otaku. 
• Amajiki seems to have Conqueror's Haki, but all he really has is just some real intense introvert aura. 
• I know Amajiki from the manga, but I could forgive anyone who saw how that scene is depicted in the anime and thinks that Amajiki's quirks actually did turn everyone's head into potatoes. 
• Hado is about to ask Shoji about his mask and we almost got a backstory out of him! Damn it, Hado, you and your scatterbrained-ness! 
• "B-balls???"
• I really do like Mirio going all "all of you, fight me at once!" It really does contrast pretty well with the dorkiness of the Big Three in general while also setting the bar pretty high for our first-year students. And, of course, to establish good ol' Mirio as a goddamn badass... even among the pros. 
• Also, it really does make sense that 1-A isn't super special. There are other special kids with as much ambition as them on other 1-A's that have graduated and advanced to the next years!
• I also like that where Midoriya can try to analyze Mirio's attack patterns... so can Mirio, since he's the ace before Midoriya came along. 
• Jiro's expression to Mirio's... uh... wardrobe malfunction is hilarious.
• Poor Jiro is the first one the buck-ass-nude Mirio goes first, too. 
• "POWERRRRRRRRRR!" 
• Mirio's wholesale takedown of half of Class 1-A is pretty cool, isn't it? Slightly... uncomfortable because how he's naked and how everyone's lying unconscious around him, but damn if it isn't badass. There's just a degree of wackiness around it too because Mirio is just beating the shit out of everyone with clean one-shots while being naked. 
• "HISSATSU! BLINDER EYE METSUBUSHI!" Mirio clearly went to the same attack-naming school as Usopp from One Piece.
• I also absolutely love the deconstruction about how Mirio's quirk looks super-duper awesome because we see the final product of what he is doing... but then the story explains just the sheer amount of effort put into Mirio training to get where he is right now. I... I really like Mirio and how his story ends up developing over the series. 
• Speaking of really liking the explanation, there's some surprising amount of 'no required secondary powers' when Mirio talks about how he can't see or hear while phasing through objects, and how he's going to be repelled at a velocity and he needs to control it. 

My Hero Academia, Season 3, Episodes 12-18

After the epicness of last episode's UNITED STATES OF SMASH, we continue on with my coverage of season 3 of My Hero Academia!

Again, my regular disclaimer: This is more of a 'reaction'  and my commentary as I watch this season in animated format for the first time instead of a review. Also keep in mind that at the time of writing this review I have been caught up to the manga, although I'll try not to spoil too much of it in case someone's reading this as they watch the show itself. 

Episode 12:

• This one is an in-between chapter where we get a lot of recapping about what has happened in the aftermath of the previous large arc, the aftermath of what happened to the students, and some revelations about the Shimura family... before we get the whole U.A. Student Dorm plot development. 
• I do like that even this early on, we do get some bits of redeeming qualities about Endeavour -- at least in regards of how he views the 'honour' of his career.
• That is the most hilarious 'Texas Smash' I've seen! 
• In all the excitement of All For One and Villain Alliances and pro hero team-ups and United States of Smash... I actually didn't realize that this is the first time Midoriya got out of a predicament without breaking an arm! In fact, All Might is the one that broke his arm! 
• The eyecatcher normally shows off random facts about heroes, but the one for this episode is neatly a bit more somber as it informs to the audience that Best Jeanist and Ragdoll are going to be out of hero activities due to their severe injuries.
• It took me until he opens his mouth and speaks that I recognize Aizawa. Man, dude looks so different with his hair tied up like that. 
• Haha, Kyoka's Deep Dope shirt.
• "It's seriously like Brian the Sun!" bless you, Kyoka's dad.
• Bakugo and his mother have an... interesting dynamic. Now which one came first? Is Mama Katsuki's rather physical way of parenting the reason for Bakugo's behavioural problems, or is that the only way that Mama Katsuki can even rein in her problematic son?
• Mama Katsuki appreciates what Aizawa said about Bakugo not actually being corruptible by the villains, which is a nice moment. 
• I also like that Bakugo was actually smart enough to pick up on Midoriya and All Might's special connection, and that he confronts All Might about it. It does work off Midoriya almost blurting out his secret to Bakugo in the first season well, and leads to Bakugo being a secret keeper for a bit later on. 
• Of course it gets resolved in this episode, but I really do like that we do get a scene of Midoriya's mother being super-against him getting constantly injured over and over again. We then circle back to Midoriya pulling out Kota's letter which is a neat little fuzzy moment. I also love that Midoriya instantly tries to respect his mother's attempted compromise of sending him to a hero course not at U.A. -- I think a less-'realistic' manga would've tried to hammer in the setting's main campus or whatever as the best and most perfect place ever. 
• Also, damn, All Might, that is a mighty fine speech you did. 
• Also, damn, All For One, that is a mighty fine twisted version of the 'now it's your turn' speech you did. 

Episode 13:

• This episode is mostly just our 1-A students moving into the dorms, and it's... it's all in good fun. Some discussion about the traitor on Nezu's part.
• Again, nothing really comes of it, but I do like Aizawa emphasizing that, yes, according to the law, and if things weren't in a crisis, what Team Midoriya did is technically wrong. Oh, add the powerful Tsuyu moment that closes this episode to that, too. 
• It really looks like Bakugo just shook down Kaminari and stole his money, yeah? And that was how I read this scene for the longest time. It's still not super-clear since Bakugo was being kind of coy about it, but I think the author had confirmed in one of the Q&A segments that the whole Kaminari thing was meant to be Bakugo using him to distract the rest of the class, while Bakugo actually did use his own money to pay Kirishima.
• Speaking of which, awww, Bakugo does have a heart.
• All the dorm breakdowns... it's something that honestly never really matters in the grand scheme of the story beyond anyone looking for background consistency in the artwork, but it does make for a nice little breather after the intensity of the All For One battle. 
• During the dorm showcase... man they really play up Mineta's perverted tendencies, huh? Though him doing that... uh... thing he did in Hagakure's room is kind of over the line. Clearly the other 1-A kids do so too, because in the background we don't ever see Mineta again, while Sero drags around a mummified lump the size of Mineta. 
• It is basic, but I do enjoy Yaoyorozu going "my house is much bigger" while Uraraka constantly freaks out at how fancy everything is. 
• Room showcases! Without me going into a breakdown of every single room, this episode is one of the comedic highlights of the series. My favourite is probably Tokoyami's super-chuunibyou room, and Ojiro's entirely unremarkable room... 
• Okay, Iida's glasses rack is funny too.
• Todoroki's deadpan "I worked hard" was funny too. 
• Ashido and Hagakure also get super-excited, which is nice since the two of them don't otherwise really get a whole ton of spotlight... actually, it's a lot of nice moments for characters like Sero or Sato who have been really out of focus. 

Episode 14:

• Present-day MHA is epic and cool and all, but man, between Midoriya reacting to life in the dorms and the class getting excited for a 'ultimate move' class, I really do miss the more slice-of-life parts of the earlier parts of this manga. 
• Okay, they do give some in-universe reasons as to why heroes need 'ultimate moves', but we all know the real reason is just that it's fucking cool, yo. 
• Though honestly, other than Midoriya's Smashes, Bakugou's grenades and Iida's Reciproburst, I really can't think of too many 1-A students that use any named ultimate moves. Although, I would also readily admit that calling out attacks are a bit less memorable in the manga compared to the anime. 
• Between USJ and TDL, I do like the running gag of all of UA's facilities sharing acronyms with Japanese theme parks. 
• In this case, Midoriya and the others actually question the "Training Dining Land" and note that a "certain mouse" might get mad at them. 
• Poor, poor Ojiro. Honestly, while I do get that all the other students get some improvements to their quirk usage, all Ojiro got is that "stop moving like someone who has a tail, it's too obvious"... he is Tail-Man! The whole point of him is that he has a tail!
• "I am... here even though I wasn't asked to be here because I didn't have anything else to do today!" God bless you, All Might. 
• Speaking of All Might being adorable... that 'even dummies can be teachers' book. It's like, played for laughs and Aizawa's eyes bug out at the sight of that, but you can tell that All Might's throwing all his effort into trying to do something productive even though he can't be doing any superheroing. 
• I really didn't like Mei when I first met her in the manga, but man, she's a lot more likable in this arc, and honestly, in the anime in general. I think it's the voice-acting making it a lot more obvious that she's just a complete scatterbrain instead of her being a jackass. And oh boy, this episode is a laugh riot with her trying to bring out all her BABY to give to our 1A guys. 
• I also love that Mei's wacky 'why don't you run with your arms' gag towards Iida ends up causing Midoriya to develop Shoot Style. 
• Power Loader has... a very interesting character design, let me just put it that way. 
• Mineta, that string of grape balls... no. Just no. 
• Also, Mineta telling Midoriya that his costume is on the boring side... dude, have you not seen your own giant porcelain diaper?
• Did Tokoyami ever use Abyssal Black Body in combat? I genuinely don't remember! That's actually a cool look! 
• All Might's massive grin when he sees Midoriya do his Shoot Style is adorable! 

Episode 15:

• Bless you, Monoma. You're good for a laugh. 
• Ashido's blunt delivery of "is it Midoriya or Iida?" is hilarious. 
• I also find it hilarious that it's because Uraraka touched her face in embarrassment that she activated her own gravity quirk on herself. 
• We have some absolutely great musical cues when Uraraka accidentally spies Midoriya practicing outside. 
• Shiketsu Academy! I found Inasa actually kind of forgettable in the manga (it genuinely boggles my mind how popular he actually is in the manga's popularity polls), but you know what? That dumbass over-the-top energy coupled with energetic voice-acting is a lot more endearing in anime format. 
• "Ah, blood." The joke is funny in and of itself, but the fact that it's spoken by Camie...
• I 100% forgot about Ms. Joke's existence, though, and her... interesting dynamic with Aizawa. I also completely forgot that Ketsubutsu Academy is a thing. 
• I do like that the 'super earnest' Ketsubutsu Academy student foreshadows the U.A. Crushing strategy of the other schools. 
• Good god there are a lot of hero course students, huh. 1540 in a single location!
• Man, this Mera guy just looks so fucking tired with life in general. Are you okay, Mera? Did the HPSC force you to take too much overtime? Do we have to call HR?
• I do find it interesting that the U.A. Sports Festival is such a double-edged sword. Sure, these guys are just hero students from other schools ganging up on our heroes, but wouldn't any villain that watches these Olympics-tier event basically get a rundown on every power of the U.A. graduates?
• Aizawa's badass boast about how "it wouldn't change how my students fight" is pretty damn cool, as is "if they become pros, everyone will know their quirks. Sorry, we look a little further ahead than everyone else."
• Okay, Mineta, your giant ball-whip thing is actually kinda cool. 

Episode 16:

• I don't think he ever appears after this, but Makabe Shikkui with his stiffening quirk is a pretty cool blue rock-person. He's buddies with Toteki Itejiro, or Boomerang, someone who looks like he's cosplaying Android 17 from Dragon Ball Z. I genuinely don't know if these guys are actually not in the manga, or if they are background characters that the anime expands upon -- I do know this arc does have a bunch of anime-original bonus fights.
• I know Nakagame Tatami shows up later on. I don't know that her quirk is 'Telescopic', though, which allows her to... uh... basically retract her entire body? Like, Mic the narrator says she 'folds her body into itself like a turtle, but pretty sure a turtle just... retracts into its shell. Tatami can retract her entire body between the neck and her hip into her hip. That's like some One Piece nonsense! 
• Shindo Yo, meanwhile, can use vibrations to create earthquakes. He's kinda cool, for someone with a relatively generic-looking design!
• Okay, Jiro's arm-mounted sonic-amplifier gauntlets are cool!
• Ashido actually has a named attack -- Acid Veil! Meanwhile, Tokoyami renamed his Abyssal Black Body into Black Ankh: Piercing Twilight Claws.. 
• I absolutely love that the huge, epic entrance of Inasa and his typhoon quirk is accompanied by some manly HOO! HAAAH! epic music. 
• Among the group of heroes that arrive with Boomerang Android 17 guy to ambush Midoriya and Camie is, for some reason, a random little kid riding a toy truck. ...okay? My favourite part about mangas like One-Punch Man and My Hero Academia is these wacky one-off random character designs. 
• Speaking of random designs, Midoriya has to dodge rocks, spiderwebs, water blasts... and a giant... stapler with cartoony chomper-arms thing? 
• It's mostly accompanied with flashback scenes and I'm never a fan of that, but I do appreciate Midoriya realizing that going too far in breaking his body is, well, conducive to absolutely no one after winning a single fight. 
• Okay, "Camie" gets notoriously 'censored' by having her 'wear' a bodysuit that's coloured chalk-white instead of being skin-coloured, but... honestly, Midoriya still treats her as being naked and I do kind of agree that if this is actually meant for the viewing of a younger audience, they really can't have a girl run around basically buck-ass nude. 
• Sero does something! Good job, Sero! 
• "WAS SHE NAKED, MIDORIYAAAA?" 
• The whole damn Ninninger Ninja Force just shows up to fight Todoroki. Red Ninja Dude has an Ant-Man style ability of tossing random things and causing them to expand into giant size. 

Episode 17:

• I am almost positive this Ninja Force fight isn't in the manga. Blue Ninja shoots out mud! Black Ninja shoots out water! The yellow ninjas are strong! ...they actually didn't last that long, even if I didn't expect them to take up like an entire half-episode. 
• Tsuyu, Yaoyorozu, Shoji and Jiro fight against someone who's definitely anime-original, Intelli Saiko, who's like this huge weird super-posh lady with a monocle and her abilities involve her summoning a fuckton of Physics and mathematics formulae like Kamen Rider Build. Actually, considering that at one point she talks about how "the formula for [her] success" as a catchphrase, and Present Mic emphasizes the word "GEEEEEENIUS!" she might be a more blatant homage than I thought. 
• Saiko's quirk is "IQ", which improves her intelligence... when she drinks tea. It sounds stupid on paper, but remember that Iida's quirk is canonically fueled by orange juice consumption.
• One of Saiko's minions is a lady with an entire chunky Nerf-style slingshot for an arm; a gas-mask girl that can shoot cold air out of giant finger-cannons; another one with finger-cannons can weld doors. Her little 'strike force' includes a girl with noodle hair, tentacle arms, metal staves that come out of palms, spiky hair girl, and a girl that creates a giant Rube-Goldberg hammer. 
• Considering how poor Yaoyorozu kind of gets lesser and lesser roles as the story goes on, I do like that we do get this episode putting her as the leader and planner of the quartet, and getting a whole monologue about how she wants to save everyone in her team. 
• Although, honestly, considering we've seen her make catapults and stuff, she really could've countered sniper-slingshot girl a lot sooner before she got to break Jiro's amplifiers. All I'm saying, Yaoyorozu should really look into making more weapons with her quirk.
• The anime staff at least thought about the fact that making grenades or bombs would cause a 'phreatic explosion', something that I actually was about to question.   
• Okay, that giant speaker is... honestly kind of simple, all things considered, and I kind of expected something that would make use of both Shoji and Jiro, but I'm not going to be too nitpicky. 
• Shoji also has a nice little moment -- everyone reaffirms how they're coming back to save Momo, but Shoji has a cute little flashback of remembering how Midoriya would 'save both of them'. 
• Oh, Shishikura and his ability to turn people into Cronenberg-ed meatballs... him, I remember, due to how absolutely fucked up his quirk is. He also can mould his flesh into floating globs that attack the enemy. Holy shit, though, he really seems like someone that would be super useful in a fight against the villains! 
• "My eyes are handsome and long in length!" I love that Shishikura actually gets offended by Bakugo's mockery.
• There's this guy whose head looks like a plastic bird skull with a black blob in the middle with Marvin-the-Martian style eyes around 18 minutes or so into the episode, hanging out with the Ketsubutsu students. That's a very cool design. 

Episode 18:

• Okay, with all the filler against anime-only students, was that recap from Shindo really necessary? I guess it's to show his 'true' manipulative, opportunistic face? 
• I do actually like the little emphasis on Bakugou making his "A.P. Shot" move weaker so that he can use the attack against people without killing them. He might be bloodthirsty, but he's not out to actually murder people!
• I do actually like the brief focus on Kaminari here! It's a neat little subversion where the fight looks like it's going to be a Bakugou spotlight, but a nice little showcase on how Kaminari's been improving his quirk and working on his own debilitating weakness is definitely appreciated. 
• I also really like the little character moment between Aoyama and Iida, where Aoyama is baffled and actually moved by the fact that Iida's running around helping other 1-A students even if it's something that would harm Iida himself. It's something that seems perfect for Iida after the Stain arc, and I feel like this is an overlooked moment for Aoyama later in the series.
• "Papa, mama, why am I different from everyone else?" 
• That giant pillar of light that Aoyama did to signal everyone where he is... that's honestly pretty damn badass. 
• That yatta dance that Sero, Uraraka, Kaminari and Kirishima do is adorable. 
• It is pretty obvious that Aoyama's giant light pillar is going to attract the other 1A students to help him, but it's still pretty badass. (How did Tokoyami, who's able to create shadow tendril-claws, not pass earlier?) Also, Mineta and Koda are probably the MVP's of that huge ambush attack.