What They Say:
In the future, mankind is blessed with superhuman abilities called “Quirks” and in response to the growing crime rate, superheroing becomes a viable profession. Izuku “Deku” Midoriya dreams of one day becoming a great hero like his idol, All-Might, but he was born completely quirkless with no powers at all. However, when Deku ends up having a chance encounter with All-Might in the flesh, it changes his destiny forever.
The Review
Content (warning some portions of this review may contain spoilers):
After a few crazy episodes of fighting in the woods, this week’s episode wraps up that little arc as the situation takes an even bigger turn for the worse. Unfortunately for the heroes, this means facing a gigantic failure as the villains achieve their goal and get one step closer towards dismantling hero society as a whole. Fortunately for us though, this means the stage is set for an even bigger battle as the heroes prepare for their most daunting mission yet.
Where we last left the gang, they were attempting to make one last rush to save Bakugo and Tokoyami from falling into the League’s clutches. Despite their best efforts and some quick thinking on their part, they’re ultimately only able to save Tokoyami while Bakugo is taken with the intent of being won over by the villains. It’s a pretty humiliating defeat for the pros, and one that the media doesn’t take lightly, as the heroes are blasted for their inability to protect their students, while Shigaraki revels in having further trampled on the public’s trust in them. Demonstrating the widespread effects of public opinions is something this show has proven to be pretty skilled at in the past, and while this isn’t quite as chilling as how it was used during the aftermath of the Stain arc, it really manages to capture how effectively this kind of chaos can bring down people’s faith in established norms.
Hard as all of this is for the pro heroes though, it’s even harder on Deku as he was the closest to saving Bakugo, but failed to get to him in time thanks to his body giving out. Aizawa has warned Deku in the past about how his inability to protect himself while using his quirk could lead to him failing to protect someone else, but this is the first time he’s ever had to really feel the weight of those words, and it’s the most visibly frustrated we’ve ever seen Deku since the start of the show. Kirishima is just as angry about Bakugo’s abduction as he’s one of the few kids in the class who genuinely views Bakugo as a friend, and can’t forgive himself for being forced to stand by while he was being taken. However, Kirishima isn’t quite ready to lose hope as he overheard All-Might talking with Yayorozu about the tracker she placed one one of the villains and knows that the heroes are planning a raid to storm the the League’s hideout. While Iida and the others try to dissuade them from acting without permission, Deku, Kirishima and Todoroki all want to get to Bakugo first, and plan on doing a rescue of their own. It’s a pretty strong setup for what’s sure to one of the show’s biggest arcs yet, and with both the kids and the heroes having more on the line than ever before, it’s sure to be pretty exciting
In Summary:
The training camp arc ends in the heroes’ defeat as they fail to save Bakugo from falling into the hands of the League of Villains. The public outcry over the incident only serves to further damage both the reputation of UA High and hero society as a whole, and Deku in particular feels the full frustration of being unable to save someone who was within his reach. With both the kids and the heroes looking to redeem themselves from their failure, the heroes prepare to attack the League’s hideout, while the kids plan to sneak in behind their backs to save Bakugo. This rescue arc is looking to be pretty big. and with each group here having something to prove, I’m looking forward to seeing how it all unfolds.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Funimation, Crunchyroll, Hulu, VRV
