My Hero Academia

[gunswordfist]

The ice was so beautiful.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So glad they decided to end it where they did. The next episode should easily show why the race is my favorite part of this arc next to one specific part later. The animators really went all out on this one. There were a lot of impressive scenes.

They've upped the pace back to two chapters an episode which means I'm pretty sure how the episode count is gonna go for the season. It's really the only way to meet the 25 episode count.

Spoiler

12 episodes - The Sports Festival
7 episodes - Field Training
5 episodes - End of Term Exams
1 episode - Encounter/Interview with Midoriya

This way it will end with Shigaraki's talk with Midoriya followed by the ride to the camp. With this episode count, it's really the only way it could go. Also ending at that point is a good mirror of the end of season 1 and a reminder that there's still something out there lurking in the dark.

If they continued at two chapters an episode, give or take one or two, I could probably guess what season 3 will cover when we get there as well. Assuming it's also 25 episodes, it'll probably turn out like this:

7 episodes - Summer Camp
6 episodes - Hideout Raid
2 episodes - Home Visits / Moving Into Dorms
7 episodes - Provisional License Test
1 episode - Unleashed / Meeting in Tartarus
2 episodes - Midoriya Vs. Bakugo

I think that would even work out great from a season standpoint since the confrontation is the result of everything that happened from the Summer Camp to that point. After that fight the series has shifted mood quite a bit to where it is now which is the current arc we're in. To be honest, Work Studies at this rate might as well be a full season on its own. It looks like it might be pretty long at this rate.

[close]

They're doing a great job with adaption so far. But the best material is to come.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I really liked how Bones handled the race, especially the mine field. It was one of my favorite parts in the manga and they adapted it perfectly. I'm not sure if anyone out there expected the results for the first round to come out how they did, but I always found it surprising.

Now for round 2. I'm eager to see how the anime staff will handle this part. It wasn't as exciting as it could have been in the manga, but I'm sure it'll come out better here.

[gunswordfist]

I had to rewatch that episode! So good that it helped me sleep better last night.

Spoiler

I love how Izuku has lost just enough (and the fact that there's more than one round) that his victory was not predictable at all. The whole scene was beautiful and reminding me how freaking much I love rooting for Deku. Can't remember the last superhero I wanted to win this much.

[close]

[Spark Of Spirit]

The Cavalry Battle was my least favorite part of this arc in the manga, but they really made it work here. Ratcheting up the intensity in addition to the music and voice acting really added to it. If you liked this part, the material coming up should really get you excited.

This is part also probably where Bakugo was at his funniest.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Episode titles for the next few episodes were revealed:

Spoiler

Episode 7: Victory or Defeat
Episode 8: Tremble, Challengers!
Episode 9: Bakugo vs. Uraraka
Episode 10: Todoroki Shouto: Origin

This implies that the anime will cover the 5 fights that were skimmed over in the manga in episode 8.

Denki Kaminari vs. Ibara Shiozaki
Mei Hatsume vs. Tenya Ida
Yuga Aoyama vs. Mina Ashido
Fumikage Tokoyami vs. Momo Yaoyorozu
Eijiro Kirishima vs. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu

Some might not like this, but I greatly prefer it. Next to the Cavalry Battle, this part of the tournament was the worst part of the arc because we barely got to see anything from these fights and they were all completely glossed over. Aside from Hatsume Vs. Ida, which is basically a joke fight, the other four aren't handled very well and it would be nice to allow those characters to have more time to shine.

At this rate the arc should still be done by episode 12 which is a good place to wrap it up.

[close]

At this point I'm just waiting to see what Stain will look like in the anime.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Mother's Basement just uploaded an interesting video comparing My Hero Academia to Naruto, and how it reflects a very different message for the core audience of its generation than Naruto did for its own.

It's refreshing to see a comparison of the two most popular WSJ series of their time (sans One Piece) that isn't a load of overall hateful jargon on one series or the other.

While I wouldn't quite agree that MHA is outright against the idea of people learning to rely on others (I mean, Deku's ability is something that he got from someone else after all), I do also see MHA as a series that promotes individualism more than Naruto and it's contemporaries. I do mostly like how he nailed the series' main theme, though, in how the society of heroes as it is has been problematic and is portrayed in a negative light, especially in the Stain arc.

I also give him bonus points for pointing out that MHA's world and society is basically what would happen if the villain's plan succeeded at the end of The Incredibles.

Here's the video for anyone who's interested, but be warned that there are manga spoilers here: https://youtu.be/8WDwBgjbRT4

[Spark Of Spirit]

The reference to SEW's video at the beginning almost had me turning it off. 

MHA isn't about individuality vs reliance on others as much as that Midoriya constantly has help from everyone to get to where he is. It's about how in the end you do have to stand on your own two feet or else it's all for naught. Naruto kind of threw out a lot of individual growth for characters around the time the Chase Sasuke arc hit and more or less just had characters get power-ups off screen on their own anyways. That series isn't really the best argument for the whole "friendship" part of the Jump motto.

There's also the elephant in the room as to why the characters in MHA want to be heroes compared to why the characters in Naruto wanted to be ninjas. The heroes in MHA all have stated goals that are all quite selfless, for the most part, in simply wanting to help others (none of them have ever stated it is to get themselves rich and famous) while in Naruto most characters wanted to be ninjas because they just wanted to be ninjas. Naruto wants to be Hokage because he wants people to respect him; Midoriya wants to be the #1 hero because he wants to help and save others. Naruto's goal is actually more selfish and not for anyone else.

But I do give credit to Naruto for its overall message of family and friends being extremely important over selfish needs and desires. It is something that appears frequently in the series, and is one of the best parts of it. I just don't feel it is very consistent about it.

But as for the whole MHA emphasizes individuality over teamwork, I don't think that's entirely true. Shigaraki's whole quest is because he was left alone and forgotten and wants to destroy society, Stain decided to purge the hero world on his own despite what he was being told, and All For One exists only for himself and no one else to the point his name is literally all about himself. Ida's big lesson from the Field Training arc is to not go off on your own and keep to yourself when others can help you, or else you'll end up bitter and hateful like Stain. This even comes back again in the Hideout Raid arc when that lesson literally stops Midoriya and the others from getting killed because of what Ida learned. The current arc is all about working in a team and not hiding important things from others.

I understand what he's getting at in the video, but I think MHA is about both the importance of both individuality and teamwork while Naruto is primarily about the latter but is very inconsistent about it.

Funny he brings up Syndrome from the Incredibles, because Stain and Endeavor are actually the result of that villain's dream world. Endeavor proves that anyone can be a hero which means there's nothing special about it, while Stain shows that thirst for justice is not enough to make you one either. Midoriya gaining One For All after he had already proved to All Might that he had the heart of a hero was why he was chosen in the first place. Powers and drive are not enough to be a hero, the heart and soul is what makes one. This is also the point of Bakugo's (possibly the most selfish student in the series, mind) whole character arc.

Interesting video.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Another good video about the series: https://youtu.be/SSuLOT5IwnQ

In this case Mathwiz is an anime only watcher, and was clearly misinformed about a later spoiler from the manga, but the rest of the video is pretty spot on about how this series manages to stand out on its own two feet despite taking so much heavy influence from many shonen manga of the past.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Very nice video. MHA is all the best parts of shonen without the dry rot that has settled on it from over the decades. It achieves it with its outright bombastic and celebratory tone contrasted with taking itself seriously and continuing the legacy of older series instead of merely referencing and winking at them.

He got the spoiler wrong, but he isn't wrong about how when that happens it will change the whole dynamic of the series. Ever since a certain arc there has been a level of dread in the series that hasn't been shaken yet. And there's clearly a reason for it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

So thanks to all the comparison of Naruto I've been looking over some of the anime (specifically early Naruto when it wasn't quite so lame) and...

There is nothing MHA doesn't do better. There are simple fights that last a hour total, and they aren't even pivotal ones. The animation fluctuates between terrible and slideshow. The pacing is some of the worst I've seen: up there with Bleach and One Piece. Basically every complaint I've heard about the MHA anime, is at least twice as bad here. I'm thinking that some people don't quite remember how bad a lot of the old shonen series could really be.

And I'm only talking about this from a production standpoint. MHA might only adapt two chapters an episode, but those chapters contain a lot of material, and Bones does a great job pacing it out just right. As far as shonen adaptions go, I've seen very few better.

And next week is going to be the point where the series finally reaches its true potential. It's non-stop awesome from this point on.

[gunswordfist]

 

[Spark Of Spirit]

Go Inoue will be playing Stain.

The next arc should be a blast. It's one of my personal favorites.

[LumRanmaYasha]

I'm most familiar with Go Inoue's performances as Kaiser in Rage of Bahamut and Madara Uchiha from Naruto, but Stain is a very different personality from both those characters so I'm curious to see how he'll fare. I'm very excited to see Stain animated.

[Spark Of Spirit]

Speaking of Stain, here's his anime design (it also includes spoilers at the bottom for the current arc, so be aware):

Spoiler

[close]

I've been waiting to see this arc animated since the anime was first announced. Really eager for this.