Rarely has an episode so loudly declared, “everything before this was the prologue – the real story starts now”. For Vigilante’s second season, anyway. The opening quartet of eps was about as low-key as anything Boku no Hero Academia gets for that long. They wore it well, because Illegals excels at that side of the mythology – the daily lives of relatively normal people in a world full of powered-up freaks. But there were still pieces being moved into position, and it was inevitable that the stakes and action were going to be cranked up.

We start off with a development that feels more or less consistent with that laid-back mode. The police have tracked down a new form of Trigger to mixers – those excruciating hook-up parties that are a staple of Japanese college life (if animanga is to be believed, anyway). Eraser begs off investigating on grounds that parties and socializing are not his thing (and who would argue). He recruits a familiar figure (and I do mean figure) to go in his place – Midnight herself. And she recruits Kazuho to run interference for her – go undercover and occupy the side characters while she focuses on the main suspect, Rin (Akiyama Eri).

One might ponder the merits of asking a civilian, and a (comfortably) underage one at that to assist in a potentially dangerous hero-police mission. But Pop’s involvement is highly relevant, since Kouichi is also invited to the same mixer (everyone knows everyone from the Mad Hatters concert). Kouichi is every bit as socially clueless as you’d expect and begs off drinking as underage, too. But he still winds up being the focus of female attention as he gallantly rescues Rin after she swoons from overindulging. And it turns out it’s not Rin who’s behind the Trigger distribution but her sidekick Hina – who’s doing it as a means of keeping Rin from being picked up by guys (who Hina hates as much as she loves Rin).

Midnight is more than formidable enough to nip this operation in the bud. But it’s symptomatic of a larger development. Eraser and Tsukauchi speculate that the mixer strategy – this version of the drug is administered orally and only enhances quirks without any psychotropic effects – to “recruit” candidates for later enhancement into villains. Meanwhile the scene shifts to Hong Kong, where a gravelly-voiced figure is visiting a very suspicious apothecary. Yes, that man is back – albeit a lot shaggier than we remember him (at least literally).

No question about it, Knuckleduster has been missed. He brings a totally different energy to proceedings than the other main cast. And his return also means the return of Tamao, who’s recuperating in the hospital with her support team. That it doesn’t  include her dad is a sore point for Soga – and it’s great to see him too, by the way. Iwao has been absent a lot during his daughter’s recovery, it seems. Soga was a character who had a lot of pathos in S1 – now he seems to have emerged as Tamao’s closest friend, with perhaps inklings of being something more.

Knuckle’s Hong Kong trip was seemingly intel gathering for the cops. And his contact asks him if he knows any other heroes with a similar quirk to O’Clock. Knuckle visibly reacts at hearing the name “O’Clock” but says he doesn’t know anybody. He then offers the advice to basically “shoot to kill” – otherwise it’ll be too late. The cops can’t do that of course (in theory). But that’s what a vigilante is for… Our long-awaited reunion doesn’t happen, sadly – but paths do cross, and Kouichi is sure he’s seen someone familiar as he flees a minor villain (“Choo-Choo Dog”?). It’s only a matter of time now, surely – and it can’t come too soon for me.