Friday, November 27, 2020

Viewer Log: My Hero Academia ep 64

 So... guess not all Journalists are out for the big scoop.  

Last time on My Hero Academia, the student’s were introduced to UA’s Big Three, the top ranked seniors of their class. They are the anxious Tamaki Amajiki, the peppy but personal space violating Nejire Hado, and the muscular goof Mirio Togeta. Not being able to articulate what one learns from a work study on in words, Togeta challenges the whole class to a sparring match. While 1A, Izuku especially, puts up an excellent fight, Togeta ends up wiping the floor with them, using his Permeation Quirk to phase through the ground and attack them while making him self incapable of being hurt. Afterwards, he explains that the whole point of a Work Study is to help give them the skills to survive in the hero world on their own. He used it to give him power, as he put it. Togeta mentions to his fellows that he thinks his boss, Sir Nighteye would be interested in Izuku. And while that’s going on, we’re informed that the League of Villains has made contact with Overhaul, the leader of a group known as the Hassaikai. That can’t possibly be good… but we’re going to ignore that for now to do a filler episode recap. In case you’re wondering, yes, I was tempted to skip this, but that would throw off the episode count and my brain will not allow that to stand.

Does it count as heterocromia if he has different
colored pupils?

 

After a quick recap by Izuku about the basic premise of the show, world of heroes, student in training to be a hero, One for All, All Might, all that jazz, we’re shown the scene of All Might battling All for One. It’s revealed to be a video that a nameless reporter from the fictitious Juko News is watching, and getting all choked up about. His editor yells at him to get some work done. He starts writing a piece about the history of All Might, got started in America working with David Shield, Japan’s symbol of peace and so on, but get’s yelled at for just reciting fluff. Apparently, the paper is under additional pressure due to being one of the last to report on All Might’s fall… it’s a framing device just roll with it. They want new dirt, but All Might’s friends aren’t talking and the police are keeping any details on All For One under wraps. When things seem totally lost, their savior steps in, freelance journalist Taneo Tokuda.

 

He shows them the scene of All Might telling the cameraman ‘Now, it’s your turn.’ His editor and the others assumed that All Might meant it as a threat to criminals, but Tokuda doesn’t think so. He thinks that, given All Might just started working at a school, that he may have been referring to a successor that he intends to find, provided that Juko News can get him legally passed security. In exchange, they’ll get the exclusive. They’re willing to give it, and ask if he has any leads. He admits that he thought it might be Mirio Togeta, as he’s the star pupil of All Might’s former sidekick, but thinks that’s unlikely due to the two pro-heroes having had a very obvious falling out a few years prior. No, he thinks it’s a student from Class 1A, due to All Might showing them extra attention. Tokuda get’s his approval.

These two look like cousins, right?

 

At the 1A dorm, Aizawa tells his students that a reporter is coming in to interview them about life in the dorms and how they’re adjusting. He admits that it’s more or less a publicity stunt to alievate tensions in the public and with the student’s parents. Tokuda comes in, then, explaining he’s got full access to the students from 8am to 6pm. He just wants them to go about their day and he’ll ask questions when appropriate. Aizawa tells Iida to get him if there are any issues and then bids them ado.

 

Tokuda gets a bunch of pics of the kids during their school day, capping it off with a rollcall and a quick explanation of powers. I’ve gone over this a few times, so won’t waste space repeating all 20 students and their powers again. After the rollcall, Tokuda flashes back to when he got approval from his editor. He thinks that he can narrow it down from the 20 students if he focuses on what All Might would be looking for. He initially thought it was someone from the Sports Festival finalists, but Bakugo is too vocal about his desire to be better than All Might, Todoroki has his problematic pedigree, and the other top four students don’t “feel” right. No, he’s narrowed it down to one green haired lad.

Convenient store meat buns are like gas station
hotdogs, right?

 

We’re shown Izuku doing an evening workout when he ran into All Might. The former pro had had a doctors appointment, and then was more or less forced to take a bunch of meat buns from a convenience store worker who was a big fan. He brought them to share with class 1A… the favoritism really makes things obvious, All Might! Izuku compliments his mentor for being so selfless, with All Might telling him that its his turn now to be the hero. He walks off.

 

Tokuda joins Izuku and they start chatting while sharing buns. Tokuda admits that he was a big All Might fan, and actually owes the hero personally. 18 years ago, All Might saved his father from a bombing that occurred in an industrial zone. He’d been so shocked and thankful to see his father saved, Tokuda had activated his Quirk without thinking, which lead to an awesome picture that was run in all the papers and more or less got Tokuda into journalism. He admits that he was shocked to hear All Might had retired and that he was nervous about what happens next. Izuku notes that he’d been feeling something similar, given how blatant villain attacks have been getting. But, then Tokuda claims the world still has hope, in the next Symbol of Peace. He gives a quick blurb about his powers, Full Body Lens, that lets him manifest camera’s all over his body and he can print the photos. He reveals that all of his research thus far points to Izuku being the next symbol of peace. He mentions the sludge monster fight, how their powers are similar, and that he’d spoken with the Pussycats and Koda, the last of which is what made him sure. Izuku tries to deflect this line of questioning, but is really bad at it, so Tokuda now knows for sure.

 

Inside, Uraraka starts looking for Deku to join the class for Dinner, spots him speaking with Tokuda and starts trying to figure out what’s going on there.

 

I could see this as the cover of this dudes book in
fifteen years, and Izuku being incredibly embarrassed.

Tokuda tells Izuku not to worry, that he’s not writing an expose or anything, nor is he writing about dorm life. No, he came because he needed to know that “there’s still light in this world.” A light in the form of All Might’s successor, whom he found. He thanks Izuku for being that light, and offers him a handshake. Izuku goes for it, but Tokuda grabs him, and pulls him in for a selfie. He tells Izuku that he’ll cherish the photo, and keep it under wraps. At least until Izuku’s big debut, and then it’ll probably be included in the book he is intending to write about Izuku. “When the New Symbol of Peace Was Young.” I think it’s a bit wordy, maybe “New Symbol: Origin,” has a nicer ring to it.

 

Izuku was humbled by that little interaction. He goes inside for dinner, but is met by Uraraka. She was initially curious as to what that was, but is pretty easily distracted by the meat buns. Lesson for Izuku’s life going forward, Ochako Uraraka is easily distracted by food.

 

At the paper, Tokuda lies about not having found the new symbol, that his hunch had been off. As an apology, he offers them a candid pic of All Might eating a meat bun, which I guess means all is forgiven? The way they acted, he handed them a blank check, but it’s just one pic, right? Tokuda is hopeful that All Might made the right choice.

 

We’re then shown a quick cute scene of All Might sneezing, and then with a runny nose telling Aizawa that he’ll be all right. … If you don’t get that, it’s a reference to an old superstition in Japan. According to it, if you sneeze, it’s because someone is thinking/talking about you. And it’s just a cute moment to end on.

 

Okay, so that episode was… fine. I think the swim meet episode recap from last season worked a little better personally. It made the recap feel less blatant and gave all the kids something fun to do. This one was pretty much all recap with very little of the actual students. I did like Tokuda, though. His power was useful and interesting. I liked his little origin of having his father saved by All Might and how it seemed to propel his life into journalism, and that this whole journey was more for personal satisfaction than anything. I just wish it flowed a bit better, ya know? I could go on, but there really isn’t that much to talk about. It was a standard recap episode. Groundbreaking? Obviously not, but well told and it introduced a fairly interesting one-off character… thought Studio Bones should feel free to use him again in other filler material. Just saying.  Have a good night, everybody!

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/44389802

Twitter: @BasicsSuperhero

No comments:

Post a Comment