Ordinarily, this would be the part where I make the “And on that day, he became Batman” joke, but yeesh. I think Tokoyami smiles more than this kid.

My Hero Academia (Boku no Hero Academia)
Studio(s): BONES
Genre(s): Action, Comedy, School, Shounen, Super Power

So these episodes introduced us proper to the training camp that the UA students will be spending the majority of the arc trying to survive. Now that everyone’s all caught up, the flashbacks are a lot more sparingly used. Episode 40 takes its time to establish the camp, itself, and the heroes who’ll be training them. It actually starts off by dropping everyone in the thick of the action… literally. The first thing that really happens is the students are dropped into a forest packed with golems, made by one of the oddly cat-themed heroes. And on that note, there’s something bizarrely fitting about these cat-themed heroes being grueling taskmasters.

Anyway, I really enjoyed that whole bit. Not only did we get to see a lot of the powers on display, but we got to see a lot of the students working together in order to get out of that situation. Nothing extremely elaborate, mind you. Some pretty basic power combos and stuff. But it’s cool to watch, and that’s a big part of any series that emphasizes powers and abilities like this.

The episode also introduced the character of Kota, who we gradually learn more about throughout the course of the episode. He’s a brooding kid who hates… pretty much everyone around him in his current situation. But you come to find out why, and it’s actually pretty heartbreaking, in a way. And while his hatred is certainly a bit irrational and misguided, most hatred is. Plus, again, he’s a literal child. He’s not going to be the most logical individual. Unless that was his quirk or something.

Yeah. I doubt that’s his quirk. Seriously? Why’d he even look? He knew what was over there.

Learning that both his parents died not long ago is a good example of the series dealing with a tougher subject. The job of a superhero is inherently perilous. The logical person in me says that if you have a small child and perilous careers or lifestyles, one of you should probably stay with said child, just in case (take notes from Android 18). Seems like the most responsible thing to do. But I’m not a parent, so what do I know? Either way, it’s a tough and very uncomfortable thing to think about. A lot of us like to think of our heroes as invincible. But the fact of the matter is… they’re not. And being reminded of that frailty can be devastating.

Episode 41 let us delve into the actual training. A noteworthy point was made by more than one person that over-training can actually damage your body. I found it rather amusing, how many people brought that up. Though it’s not a big deal, really. Obviously, we all know this is a comedy. Exaggeration for the sake of humor, and all that.

I also liked getting to see the villains setting up for whatever it is they’re planning on doing. And without the ability to rely on backup from the veteran heroes (at least not the army of them that they got in Season 1), it’ll be interesting seeing how the students get through this one. And with many of the students split up, at the moment, things are bound to get even more interesting.

Overall, these episodes were great reintroductions to everything the series has been doing well, so far. Deku continues to be a breath of fresh air, in the sea of hotblooded Shounen protagonists. His interest in helping Kota get through his personal problems is admirable. The comedy continues to land and the series shows an ability to really tackle subjects that go beyond pure fluff. A Super Effective return to one of my favorites of the past few years. Go check it out. Or, if you want something a little newer, there’s always Black Clover. It’s… consistent.

If you want to check out My Hero Academia, the series is Simulcast on Crunchyroll, Saturdays at… 5:30pm… wait…

5:30 AM, EST. That… that just seems very wrong. But whatever. And both Seasons 1 and 2 are also available to stream. That’s all for this time, guys. Thanks for reading, as always. Keep up the Awesome.

Take care,
C. Voyage