Warning: This review may contain spoilers for this episode and previous episodes of My Hero Academia
This episode of My Hero Academia ended the training camp arc and the fight between the Vanguard Action Squad and the classes from UA. It also helped the story progress a lot further. The suspense from the last episode didn’t end, but that suspense was one element that helped progress the story. A lot of this episode dealt with the aftermath and included an interesting animation style.
Image from Funimation
This episode begins with some of the other members of the class who haven’t been shown in a fight yet. These are people who really have no clue what is going on, but are safe with Vlad King. This makes these people feel almost worthless because they cannot do anything to help their friends, which plays a part later on in the episode. Dabi attacks the classroom again as a distraction for the pro-hero teachers, but is quickly dealt with by the teachers. He later dissolves to show that it was another clone of him.
Although the end of this arc was unexpected, given the surprising end to the last episode, it does wrap up the arc nicely while furthering the plot. This episode gives you something different from what you’d expect, showing that the writers still have some tricks up their sleeves. Given the situation, I was fully prepared to watch an epic fight pitting Shoto, Shoji, and Deku against the majority of the villains, but what we got was so much better.
Image from Funimation
After the squad leaves the area with a member of Class 1-A, the mood of the episode looks dismal. This scene probably included one of my favorites of MHA, with the animation style shifting to a freeze frame to show how upset Deku is because he feels as if he failed. It looked absolutely beautiful on the screen and conveyed so much emotion. The viewer can’t help but feel for Deku. It also reminds the viewer that these are just kids and not actual heroes yet, but they don’t feel that way. In this business, one cannot make mistakes.
The episode then shifts to monologuing while showing some scenes of the cleanup. This adds to the mood of loss, while easily moving forward with some not-too-important items. The aftermath of this attack is not good for the school UA, and a small group of faculty discuss the best way to move forward. The villains were successful in their attack, but they also managed to harm the reputation of the top hero school. The pros also bring up the point that there’s a spy in their ranks.
Not much time is wasted before more information is brought to light on the League of Villains. The detectives on the case tell All Might that they might know where the League is hiding, which begins the next arc. They want to get their missing student back while getting rid of the villains who have continuously attacked their school.
Image from Funimation
The middle of this episode is almost boring compared to the chaos of the last few, but it has to be there to continue the episode. The ending starts to bring hope as a plan is formed. The students who didn’t do much in the fight in the woods feel the need to rescue their friend. They begin to form a plan, which helps build excitement for what is next in the season.
This episode was major to plot development, but also felt like a bore at times. It mostly helped establish grounds for what is yet to come in the season. It’s also exciting to see All Might gear up for a fight against the villains, which really hasn’t been seen so far in MHA.
Featured Image from OtakuKart
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