As is so often the case with anime generally but especially this series, I seem to find myself at odds with the general zeitgeist on Boku no Hero Academia at the moment. But before I counterpunch, let me just stipulate to a couple of things.
- I get why people are upset with the re-ordering of arcs. It’s frustrating as hell to blog BnHA right now, because I can’t even say why this is a problem. And this episode exemplifies why it’s a problem but you’d never know if you hadn’t read ahead.
- Whatever you think of the re-ordering, it’s not Bones’ fault. They’re following orders, and orders right now are for the TV series to take a bullet for the movie franchise (which it’s already doing in terms of staff). Disagree with that as you will, but it’s not the studio that makes that decision.
- An original Selkie episode next week is only going to make the fan dissatisfaction issue much worse.
Here’s where I probably leave some of you, because the material itself in the last couple of episodes has been really good IMO. In fact I would say this episode was outstanding, even as it dug the adaptation holes it can never climb out of. In the post-All Might world, it’s Endeavor and Hawks who fill the narrative void. They’re radically different characters, and HeroAca is a radically different story with them at its center. But this episode shows why both of them are such fascinating men, quite worthy of carrying a shounen mega-franchise on their backs.
Hawks’ involvement with the Liberation Army and the League is at the center of why this arc reordering is a trap, but it’s still fascinating to watch play out. Hawks, remember, is only 23 – closer in age to the boy trio than to All Might or even Endeavor. He climbed the ladder quickly but he’s being asked to shoulder an incredibly difficult burden here. The context for that, though, is that the Hero Association is effectively preparing a bunch of 16 year-olds to carry a huge burden in the conflagration they see coming. They may couch is as a contingency plan, bu the truth is they’re preparing to go to war with a child army if necessary.
The fact is, I loved everything about that trio going to town with Endeavor. Like the Gentle Criminal arc it just seems to work much better in anime form than on the printed page. Endeavor is a deeply – deeply – flawed man, but he reveals depths as the series allows him to grow into his role. Once the scope of Hawks’ warning becomes clear, he quickly sets aside his personal issues and accepts the vital nature of this “study” assignment. Deku, Kacchan and Shouto were sent to him because these are the three considered the last, best hope if the shit really hits the fan. Of course there is no room for Endeavor’s daddy issues here, but it’s important that he absolutely grasps and accepts that without hesitation.
Each of these three boys is so different, both in terms of their quirks and their psychological profile. Deku is perpetually over-analytical, setting roadblocks in his own path. Kacchan is impatient and impetuous, if far smarter than he acts. And for no one is this scenario more complicated than Shouto (this really is Kaji Yuuki’s best recent performance, by a wide margin). He’s struggling with the family side more than Endeavor, but then he’s still a kid and Endeavor is a grown man. His declaration that he was there to “use you” was a big moment – but not to be overlooked is the fact that Endeavor was able to brush it off.
Endeavor’s interest in Izuku (that “one of us” comment was a fascinating moment) is a reflection that he understands the potential the boy possesses. The thing is, Endeavor turns out to be a surprisingly good teacher. He even acknowledges All Might’s superior power – “at least, this is the only way I know how to do it”. Slow, steady accumulation of experience – this is the path to growth. He tells Izuku to forget Blackwhip for now, focus on mastering one skill at a time. The driving analogy is a good one – parallel processing is something we do all the time, but it’s learned behavior.
Another intriguing thing here is that Deku sees elements of Bakugo’s power before Bakugo does, and Bakugo sees elements of Shouto’s power before he does. Deku for his part just notices everything, but Bakugo is obsessively competitive. They could each use some of what the other has, but Shouto sort of sits in his own category – blinded by emotion, subject to distraction, he lacks the laser focus of his frivals. They’re an utterly fascinating trio to watch grow, and never more so than as we watch Endeavor grow at the same time.
Nalani
July 11, 2021 at 7:53 pm“…this really is Kaji Yuuki’s best recent performance, by a wide margin”
Did… did you just out and out praise Kaji? Not a variant of “he’s toned down enough that I can tolerate him”, but an actual compliment?
I think the only other time I’ve seen that was in Shin Sekai Yori.
*Looks out of window expecting to see flying pigs and sees a downpour instead*
Guardian Enzo
July 11, 2021 at 8:19 pmWell you’re wrong, because I have noted more than one that his Todoroki is a pretty good performance. Not exemplary by any means, but he doesn’t take anything away from the series as a whole – which for him, is top level.
SSY is without question the other standout for him. Again it’s not like he carries the show or anything, but that he manages to be in such a profoundly great and subtle show and not be a distraction makes it his very best work.
leongsh
July 11, 2021 at 9:01 pmI am anime only for BHA. Thus, unlike manga readers of BHA, I don’t see anything being the problem for now. I do like seeing Endeavour needing to step up his game and set aside his personal issues to coach these three to a higher level of performance. I expect Deku, Bakugo, and Todoroki to be the lynchpin of the new generation of heroes coming up. They really work well together.
ibtachi
July 11, 2021 at 9:09 pmJust going to add my two-cents as an anime only viewer:
– This episode was fantastic, Endeavour’s interactions with the 1A trio, especially coloured by Hawk’s secret message, were honestly up there as one of the series’ best “passing the torch” moments in more than one way — something which seems to have evolved as a stronger thematic throughline than initially established with just All Might and Deku’s shared quirk. It really is fascinating to see how All Might’s retirement has impacted Endeavour, who is genuinely trying his best to be the beacon of strength in his stead. At the same time it seems that experience has made him realise that he not only needs to fill All Might’s shoes but he also needs to prepare the next generation of torchbearers.
– On the topic of the arc swap, it really feels quite seamless. Honestly with a quality episode like this, I was ready to trust them to steer the ship through this… till I saw there’s a filler episode coming up. There’s 10 episodes left and apparently 30+ chapters to adapt (assuming we cover both arcs), do they honestly have the leeway to throw an anime original in there?
Guardian Enzo
July 11, 2021 at 10:00 pmUnless these guys are frickin’ geniuses, you’ll see the problem when we get there.
That said, this episode itself was indeed fantastic. You’d never have imagined Endeavor would turn out to be the crucial figure in the narrative in many ways, and it’s very ballsy of Horikoshi to go that route. He is, as I’ve noted, a very deeply flawed man. But he’s trying to fill an enormous void that no one else can fill, and I think highly dubious of his own ability to fill it.
blargnobia
July 12, 2021 at 6:31 amEndi’s “one of us” line really was important. It seems like he’s still hanging on to his resentment toward All Might, even if he’s toned down his… everything. He has an interesting dynamic with Deku. Not quite fatherly (thank god), but Endi is an inexplicably decent teacher, and seems to at least respect Deku. I wish they had more screentime together.
Endi’s an interesting microcosm of the post-All Might world, too. AM created this illusion things were always going to be peaceful, and his retirement revealed how delicate the world really is. As you pointed out, Endi is deeply flawed (and he knows it) but he’s still trying to keep the hero world going. Endi doesn’t inspire confidence in hero society. He *is* trying, but that doesn’t do much to quel peoples’ anxiety. I swear I was going somewhere with this…
Overall, I was pretty happy with this episode, and I don’t have much to complain abo–
“An original Selkie episode next week is only going to make the fan dissatisfaction issue much worse.”
–*Grabs pitchfork*
Proto
July 13, 2021 at 11:20 amAt this point my best bet might be to wait till the end of the series and then reorder the episodes manually 😀
Guardian Enzo
July 13, 2021 at 12:53 pmLike Star Wars?
Proto
July 14, 2021 at 11:35 amLike Star Wars. A bit less delay between the individual episodes though…. also a good self reminder that I have yet to watch episode 2 and 3. I probably should do that.