#Pyj obsesses

[mamapyjama]

Like everyone else, I’m in love with Dynama. However, this little Kacchan statement wouldn’t leave me alone. This phrase ‘dreadnought love’— what the hell is that? To Google!

The kanji 超弩級 is for the word ‘Choudokyuu’, which is literally a ‘super dreadnought’, or a warship consisting entirely of big guns, but also a word used to describe something extraordinary, the best of the best. (Don’t bother searching the romaji, all you’ll get is a manga about a giant girl).

An image search of the kanji however (i.e. the imagery Japanese readers will associate with the word) results in pretty much every image being a trading card of this super tank/cannon war machine thing, frankly one of the most Kacchanish things ever. The rainbow background was a happy surprise. 😏

So, basically, he’s saying that he wants love to hit him like a fucking cannon (as opposed to Cupid’s piddly-ass arrow I guess?). He demands to be seen as cute, and demands a love as powerful as one of his own special moves (howitzer, panzer, dynamite etc.)

THIS BOY is READY to be considered a love interest.

————————-

EDIT 29.12.22:

Hold the goddamn phones oh shit there’s more!!

Okay, so I was thinking about the fact that this mini comic was supposed to come out with the Chiikawa collab, and wondered what was going on with the manga at that time (April).

Well, while Kacchan was wishing for a transcendent warship of love to come smash him right in the heart (sorry), guess which shitnerd was, at that exact moment, propelling himself across the ocean like a cannonball to come back to his side? FHDIKSBDAJSSJ

It’s me, ya boy Choudeku.

I’m palpitating. Maybe Hori decided not to release it at the time because it’s so on the feckin nose?!

[chaos0pikachu]

I binged watched part 2 of The Glory and I have THOUGHTS and OPINIONS but overall liked part 2 a ton, really need Song Hye-kyo and Jung Sung Il to be in another drama where they get to fuck nasty tho saw someone say a spy thing and now all I can think about is a Korean remake of Mr and Mrs Smith staring them 

anyway thoughts and opinions, obviously spoilers and some unpopular opinions to boot: 

so like, off the bat I am firmly neutral on the JYJ and MDE romance. Sorry y’all. I thought some of their romantic moments were just out of place tonally in the show - the fondue scene especially with the standard kdrama romance music playing, the running hug scene, both come to mind - I wished the show leaned into the dark romance aspects more. Like, my issue with JYJ is he’s way way way more interesting when he’s unhinged and covered in blood. But the show seemed determined to make him a “green flag” which is a term I’m growing increasingly eye-rolly with in fandom which made him way more boring and also inconsistent. 

I was actually salty he didn’t get to stab anyone! Why tease me with a murder knife drawer and not do anything with it??? His best moment was when he put PYJ under and was so wonderfully creepy and intimidating. That was peak. That was his best moment for me in part 2 and the rest was kinda...meh? I didn’t want him to be cutely romantic I wanted him to be secretly unhinged!! Him being a ~green flag~ was meh his other best moment of the show was his monologue to his father’s murderer. Literally one of the best moments of the show and 100% his best moment as a character. I wanted more of THAT and less of him simping after MDE tbh. 

That said, I’m not like against their romance or anything it’s just firmly - fine. It’s fine. 

I’m also very meh/eye-rolling over the concept of a woman being a man’s savior and salvation. I find that trope really boring tbh 

It was nice to see MDE have a partner in crime, and I did like the tent scene with them. I think if there’s fic written if it’s fluff squeecore fic I’ll pass but I’d love a take on them that embraced the darker aspects of YJY’s character. Like dude was an obsessed stalker - which is another reason this green flag thing is weird to me - after spending like what 3 months with MDE if she didn’t like him and also wasn’t a bit unhinged herself he’d be a horror movie char lol like he moved entire ass cities to be closer to her without telling her and lied to her about knowing So-Hee’s mom all in a longcon effort to get closer to her like embrace the unhinged! 

Anyways

We didn’t get much of HDY and MDE this part but know what, I really liked how subtle their relationship was tbh like HDY taking off his shoes before entering her home was a peak moment for me. It’s subtle, but it was a bit of kindness that was so often and so thoroughly denied MDE repeatedly. And obviously that meant a lot to her b/c she was willing to drop her whole ass extended revenge plot and give PYJ a chance to turn herself in. I liked that he didn’t immediately divorce PYJ too b/c it gave him all the opportunity to slowly and symmetrically tear her apart emotionally. 

Like, PYJ realized she actually loved this man, so knowing that MDE got into his head and heart - I loved that he basically admitted yeah he had an emotional affair with her - was clearly so damaging for her ego. And that’s what PYJ cares about most, her ego, her image, her self-preservation. And I loved how HDY tore that down every chance he got. He knows about her affair, he knows HYS true parentage, he knows all her little secrets and when she tries to defend herself he gives her rope to hang herself with it. And she does b/c of course she does!! Oh it was great. 

It shows that PYJ’s idea of love is possession. She’s mad HDY cheated on her, without considering her years long affair with JJJ. She loves her daughter, but not enough to take TWO, TWO different chances to actually protect her daughter (sidenote loved that both MDE and HDY gave PYJ two different chances to take responsibility for her action and make amends and both times she spat in their faces) and she denied them. 

Also what the heck is up with the fact that Mr “Who Should I Kill For You First” didn’t kill a single bitch but HDY killed one of the MAIN bitches??? Like, I loved it but what the heck??? That said would’ve really liked a follow up or sideways scene where MDE gave HDY the info on JJJ and that she knew~ he killed JJJ. I think they should’ve had a final scene together like that b/c it didn’t make much sense to me how JJJ got out of that car accident and ended up at that construction site where HDY followed and killed him after. Plus it didn’t make sense to me that MDE wouldn’t have kept tabs on JJJ and would have left his fate ambiguous like that. He was the one most loyal to PYJ and probably the only person who wouldn’t abandon her in the long run so like, that felt like a weird missing piece to the ending. 

I’m glad PYJ didn’t die tho, I’m kinda meh on main villains always dying tbh sometimes it really works - like JJJ’s death - but other times it feels like an easy out for them. I’m glad she’s in prison suffering especially not knowing one of the people she killed she actually didn’t. Knowledge that MDE can hold over her forever. I loved that I loved that was PYJ’s endgame. 

All that said, I wish the show incorporated more of the publics viewing of PYJ in her downfall. I think The Devil Judge and Hellbound did this way better with how social media and the news really influence the public perception. We got that one news conference and that was it but like I wanted more. I wanted to see more of the public takedown of the crew and have all the victims smiling as they listen to the gossip and chatter around them. 

Everyone’s fates were pretty dope though. KHN was a highlight, so glad her husband is dead, she didn’t forgive his ass in the end, and she’s happier now. She’s one of the best characters of the show, the way she flourished and grew - that SLAP she gave PYJ like no one topped that - was just amazing to see. HDY and his adorable daughter going to UK was so earned (made no sense but earned), the crew’s different deaths like loved that for all of them hahahah suffer. Glad MDE found happiness and fulfilment at the end with YJY. 

My last and only quibble with the finale was two things: 1) I wanted a follow up scene with Soo-Hee’s mom and MDE I think this was a hugely missed opportunity tbh like for MDE to tell SH’s mom we got them all not just PYJ but all of them went down you’re daughter can rest now. I was really disappointed we didn’t get this. 2) I really disliked how the last 20/30mins was dedicated to like a long set-up of a potential s2 about YJY’s revenge. Idk this was MDE’s story and it felt like the ending stopped being about her and became about an ad to watch a potential s2. It dragged on and on and I felt there were other things we could’ve explored instead to really wrap MDE’s story up completely. 

Overall, hands down one of the best kdramas I’ve watched and a high fave. 

[drlobotomia]

Day #29: How did you get into Psychonauts

Hahaha... What a story, Mark!

I was about 20, and by that time I was totally obsessed with the Ice-Pick Lodge games... Actually, with two of them, Pathologic and Knock-Knock. Aaaand actually I’m still obsessed with them but it’s not what I’m going to talk about. So I was searching for some interviews with the CEO of IPL, Nikolai Dybovsky, and when I found the one and began to read it I noticed the list of his fav games there, including Psychonauts. Basically, there were lots of Schafer’s games (as far as I remember). He explained that in his opinion game developers should make games as Tim Schafer do. I truly respected Dybovsky’s game taste, and also I was quite intriguing with the game’s title, so I decided to find and play it. 

Luckily for me there was a steam version, but I had no money and I just added it to my wishlist. And when it was my birthday I received Psychonauts as a gift - that was the time when I screamed my head off because I was already excited about the game. When I installed and started it, the intro absorbed me. The Oleander’s voice, the art style, the music - I blessed Dybovsky for his mention about that game.

The intro had passed, AND THAT’S THE POINT THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF THE WHOLE STORY BEGAN FROM.

When the game let me enter the name, I noticed one funny thing: I couldn’t use 90% of my keyboard for no reason at all. There were only O, K,  space button and some numbers. Being smart and witty I had typed the name ‘KOOOOOOOOOK’, and then the game started! I (Raz, I mean) walked out from the cabin, watched the kids galloping to the Basic Braining, and when I tried to move... Ouch. The keyboard was still not working properly, so i couldn’t move neither back and forth nor sideward. All I could do was just jump up and down like a baked dancer. That’s self-explanatory, I was pissed of by that jump turn of events and I gave up on it.

One year had passed, and that was my birthday again, when I get bored by everything, and the idea of trying to play Psychonauts again stroke me, as I WAS STILL really excited with it. I started the game, and, LO AND BEHOLD! IT WAS RUNNING PERFECTLY! WTF!? But what was the matter then? 

And the matter is, I’m a Russian, I speak Russian. And, obviously, I have Russian keyboard layout. For those not in the know: having two language keyboard you have to switch between two languages using some key combination. Sometimes I forget to do it and get some strange dull thing like ш рфеу ершы ыегзшв дфнщге or rfrjuj [htyf cthm\pyj. And ALSO some games just can’t recognize Russian layout.

I just about missed one of the greatest games just because I turned out to be far too dumb to switch the freaking layout...

[mamapyjama]

I’m having a breakdown. So the back cover of volume 37 is out, and by now we’ve all heard the preliminary translations of Edgeshot’s spiel to Kacchan.

But we didn’t have the images! Now we do, and I have Observations. Please note that I have used a combo of Google image translate and Japanese language websites for this. I don’t read Japanese but I’m fascinated by language and can’t help analysing it.

Firstly, I just want to comment on how bloody romantic the last line is, “Connect yourself to your future where you dreamed of your ideal”, considering he does exactly that, and thinks only of Izuku.

Risō: Ideal

Yumemita: Dream

Mirai: Future

Jishin: Self-confidence, assurance

Tsunaide: Link or connect (as if tied together—nice)

Misero: Show

Gorgeous, beautiful, fantastic work Edgeshot! It also really reminded me of Jeanist’s line to him about his hero name being a representation of his ideal self. These Heroes care about him so much 😭😭😭.

BUT, but but but, the part I really want to talk about is “Omae ga matsu kare wa… Deku wa kanarazu kuru!”

Omae: very informal ‘you’. Edgeshot is literally inside him so I think he’s allowed to be casual.

Matsu: Wait or look forward to

Kare wa: ‘He is’ or ‘boyfriend is’ (bear with me)

Kanarazu: Without a doubt

Kuru: Come or arrive

The sentence is very deliberate in the way Edgeshot says “He is… Deku is definitely coming.” So, what’s interesting about that? I WILL TELL YOU.

In Japanese it’s unusual to use pronouns, which is why you hear Deku saying ‘Kacchan’ directly to Kacchan all the blinking time. If it’s obvious who you’re talking by about via the context, then they don’t say he/she/they/you if possible. Here, have some evidence from translation websites and Japanese speakers:

So we already know Edgeshot is being extremely casual from his use of ‘omae’, and ‘kare’ is a casual term for boyfriend. It is unusual for him to unnecessarily use a pronoun that could also be interpreted as a reference to Deku as his boyfriend, no? He could have very easily just said “Deku is definitely coming!” without adding that ambiguity, But He Did Not.

I just think it’s interesting. And I do believe I will be thinking about this for the rest of the manga.

Edit to add:

1) Yes, ‘kare’ is the pronoun used to refer to Deku in the infamous 348 narration. 👀

2) ‘Tsunaide’ is also used in that same chapter, when Deku describes a boyfriend as someone you hold hands with: “te wo tsunaide”.

I’m not saying either of these things mean anything, it’s just interesting! * shakes uncontrollably *

[mamapyjama]

I’ve been rereading the current anime arc in the manga, and finally got to The Apology™️, and I wondered what words Katsuki used before translation.

Disclaimer: I’m sure others must have posted about this before but I couldn’t recall reading it myself. I do remember there was a lot of talk about the way he used “gomen” as the Japanese fandom were saying how cute and childlike it sounded, so I thought I’d see if there was anything else interesting there.

Oh, my sweet sweet baby boy…

So, just before he says ‘Sorry for everything’ (ima made gomen), he says:

言ってどうにかなるもんじゃねェけど

本音だ

出久

“Itte dōnika naru mon ja nē kedo… Honne da…Izuku”

Which in the English translation, gave us:

And “speak my truth” is lovely and all, but the word from the original that stuck out for me was ‘honne’.

I’m not sure how familiar most people are with honne–tatemae (I only know about it because I go way way too in-depth when researching for my fics lol), but it’s a concept that every Japanese person is deeply aware of, and underpins much of their society.

Here’s the Wikipedia intro:

Ohhh, that is some extra juicy context for Kacchan’s speech. Essentially, he is saying that everything up until now has been his tatemae, a public façade to protect his own position (strong, powerful hero etc), but that he can’t keep that up and he wants Izuku to see his honne, his true, private self.

Excuse me while I melt from the cuteness.

But WAIT! There’s more!

How much do you know about second-person pronouns in Japanese? (Nope, this isn’t about ‘kare’ again this time hehe).

You’ve probably noticed in the anime that Kacchan says “Temee” a lot, and you may have also noticed that it tends to get translated as cursing. So it actually just means ‘you,’ but like a really rude way of saying it, such that the only way of reflecting that in English is to replace ‘you’ with something like Bastard or Asshole.

Again, have an expert explain:

This and the below are from a very excellent article about second-person pronouns and how they are used for context and drama in anime specifically. I’d recommend reading it as the context is really interesting!

So although pronouns aren’t actually commonly used or necessary in much spoken Japanese, when they are used, it’s a deliberate way to tell you about the relationship dynamic between two characters.

But why, you may ask, am I talking about pronouns again?!

Because, dear friends, throughout the first half of his speech, Kacchan uses ‘temee’ as usual to describe his past with Izuku. I’ve highlighted it below, and pls also note the shaky speech bubble showing his nerves during the ‘honne’ section. 🥺

HOWEVER, straight after he says he wants Izuku to see his Honne, Katsuki switches pronouns from ‘Temee’ (v rude), to ‘Omae’ (very casual/familiar). Below is the page after the apology.

Considering we now know pronouns are not necessary to convey meaning, that’s a hell of a lot of omaes on one page!! Boy cannot get enough of saying it.

If you want more about the different pronouns, see below for a helpful table of common uses for both. And please indulge my shippy heart for highlighting the second usage (but, like ‘kare’, you never know)…

Katsuki is showing Izuku immediately and repeatedly that this is who he wants to be to him and how he wants the world to see them. His honne, his inner desire, is to be close to Izuku, to treat him as an equal.

He’s not just saying sorry, he’s showing that—at least from his perspective—things are going to be different from now on. But, like, also, that this was how he felt about him in private the whole time?! GAHHHH.

So there you go, the apology that was already a massive turning point in their story/relationship was actually even deeper and more beautiful than we all thought. Yet again, Japanese conveys nuance and intention far beyond what can be translated. 😭💕

[mamapyjama]

Thought I ought to bring this over here for the Tumblr crew since it’s making a little buzz in the other place and I want to gather all my thoughts in one place.

So, back in 2022 I was in my feelings about Izuku (when am I not?) and wrote the following little sad headcanon on twt:

Made myself sad thinking about how the original Japanese word for Quirk is ‘kosei’, which means ‘individuality’ or the unique part of a personality. It’s no wonder Deku thought he was plain and useless. Everyone has literally been telling him since he was 4. 😓 Like, there’s no way at that age he could separate people talking about his lack of meta-ability from his own unique value as a person when they’re using the same damn word. That’s the kind of stuff that’s going to stick with you. 🥺

Sad to imagine, eh?

Fast forward to 2024 and chapter 412, and as always, I was browsing the jp fandom tweets for reactions after the official release. They often pick up on things we miss like Katsuki’s childlike language, the NTR implications of the kudoichi plot etc.

As I scrolled, I realised there was a HUGE disconnect between what we in “The West” were experiencing (mostly rage at yet another translation ‘choice’) and the existential questioning that was occurring among Japanese readers.

This is just a tiny glimpse, but you should know that every single one I saw was doing the tweet equivalent of staring into the middle distance with a haunted look.

It’s all about the panel below, which was mentioned by the incomparable Pikahlua, as it is unusual in writing ‘mukosei’ without the speechmarks that signify ‘quirkless’ (to use the English term) rather than ‘lacking individuality’.

Horikoshi always uses speechmarks around “Kosei” when talking about quirks, so the implication here is that Izuku never believed he had actual individuality/personality.

Using this interpretation, Kudou observed that Izuku held the hope that even people who were detestable (Katsuki) and those who had no individuality (Izuku) still had human hearts.

Read that again. Izuku hoped that both he and Kacchan, despite their shortcomings, had human hearts. He thinks his only worth is as a vessel, a holder of OFA, and without that he’s barely human.

Ever noticed how some parts of the fandom complain that Deku is a boring MC, that he’s just ‘nice’, and we never get his opinions on things? Yeah.

Remember how hard he cried when All Might said he could be a hero? That was the first time in his life that someone acknowledged him as someone with potential, with worth. (In ch2 he also says “I have no reason to refuse!!” when offered OFA, which always struck me as slightly anticlimactic but makes way more sense now).

And remember how he cried in a similar way when Ochako told the world that he wasn’t special but that he had a special power? She couldn’t have known she was reinforcing his deepest held insecurity, and for a moment his mask slipped. Or maybe he was touched by her assertion that he was just a ‘regular high school kid’? We don’t know, but it’s worth taking a look at these moments in this new light.

You staring into the middle distance with a haunted look too yet? I know I am.

If you’re interested in the bright side (I needed this, I hope it helps):

Narratively speaking, this is the angst section that will lead to Midoriya Izuku: Rising and the happy ending they all deserve.

And the person most likely to disavow him of this sense of inherent worthlessness is the one person who added to it the most in their childhoods.

✨KACCHAN!!✨

No one else can reassure Izuku that he is special, that he’s worthwhile and—crucially—that he always has been, because he’s the only one who knew that all along.

If you need more reassurance, remember that their Origin and Rising chapters so far have all involved each other and have mirrored the emotional journey they’re both on.

Bakugou Katsuki: Origin: Katsuki struggles to accept Izuku and work as a team to battle All Might. Eventually does the bare minimum to cooperate by lending him his gauntlet.

Bakugou Katsuki: Rising: Katsuki coordinates the pro heroes and sacrifices himself to save Izuku. His body ‘moved on its own.’

Midoriya Izuku: Origin: Izuku is bullied by Katsuki, tries to save Katsuki from a villain—his body ‘moved on its own’, and is consequently told he can be a hero by All Might.

It isn’t a reach at all to pretty safely assume that Izuku’s Rising chapter will also be intrinsically linked to Katsuki, and it is his cooperation, faith and love (however you interpret it) that will finally save Izuku from his own sense of worthlessness. Closing the circle.

So yeah, this bit could be rough for the next few chapters, but I have faith that Horikoshi will wrap it up in a way that will be so rewarding and satisfying.

I’m gonna stop now because I’m ill and I need to rest my head, thanks for reading! 😮‍💨

[mamapyjama]

Oh, this is cute. So people were pointing out that Miruko called Katsuki “Dainama” in the chapter around the same time as the Dynama comic was drafted when she’s trying to get him to get his act together. But look, the characters used are different! What could it mean?

Miruko uses: ダイナマあ (Dainamaa), just a shortened version of his hero name (Dainamaito, ダイナマイト) plus the interjection あ which is “Ah!”, like “Hey” in English, something you say to grab attention.

Our little Dynama on the other hand has a really clever name! The hiragana used are: だいなま (Dainama)

Dai: ‘what the—’

and

Nama: rude little shit basically. (Yes I also tittered at that third definition 😏).

It’s a pun!!

So our new favourite son’s name is pretty much…

WTF Is That Rude Thing

I love Horikoshi so much.

[mamapyjama]

I’m almost certain that little Izuku came up with ‘Dynamight’. Like, imagine them playing pretend as Dynamight and Mighty Boy, the hero wonder duo!

This story withholds info for a reason, and everyone but Deku knowing the name means it’s significant to him.

“Your alias represents your desires… your ideal self”, “you’re the last one I’m telling…”

Seriously. His closeness with Deku is ‘the embodiment of how he wishes to be’, and he literally only wants Deku to know once he thinks he’s worthy of it!?

What if this was the real reason they fell out. They’d always wanted to be heroes together, and Deku being quirkless destroyed that. Kacchan distanced himself and convinced himself that he didn’t care, he was better off alone.

He couldn’t use that name while they were apart but mending his relationship with Deku allowed him to want to be that hero again. Deku’s Dynamight. 😭😭😭

[mamapyjama]

————————

I’ve been thinking about these reblogs, like, a lot. See, I and many others have always assumed that the films are a fun way for the studio to capitalise on the original property, to sell some merch and go all-out with some fun animation. I’d never really thought that deeply about it.

That’s how anime films work, right? They make the film, everyone is fine at the end and no non-reversible, destructive actions are taken that would affect the existing ‘canon’ universe/timeline. That was the case for the first and the third movies. Yes, Deku ended up using Melissa’s support gear, but they never refer to her by name, and yes, Star & Stripe was retconned into All Might’s US back-story from the film, but both of those things make complete sense if you haven’t seen the film. Them being in films ultimately changed nothing.

This is different though. If Vestige Katsuki is based on him having used OFA in Heroes Rising, that means that the film directly impacted the entire trajectory of the story, and ultimately resulted in his (temporary!) death.

In fact, the more I read about Heroes Rising, the more it seems like Horikoshi has done quite a lot to make us see this particular film as part of the main timeline. For reference, the trip to Nabu happens over the winter break, just after ch240 (Ujiko asking Shigaraki to bring Nine to him) and prior to the Christmas celebration in ch242 (second panel).

Luckily, while I was researching I found this excellent Reddit post that means I don’t have to go into all the gubbins about how it links in. Yay!

Which is great, because I didn’t want to do that. What I wanted was to do a self-indulgent little Thought Experiment to see what Heroes Rising being canon would mean for the story.

If Heroes Rising is fully canon, all of these things are necessarily also canon:

Bakudeku really spent 8 seconds just staring at each other while alone outside, and again for like 20 seconds once they’d been healed and they were reminiscing about AM telling them they could be the Greatest Heroes together

Katsuki, when hearing “SOMEONE SAVE DEKU!” zoomed across the island in the blink of an eye to blast Nine in the face

The whole of class A planned to have Bakudeku work as a team (but I thought they got on horribly?), and they finished each other’s sentences while strategising together

They fought in perfect unison, finishing each other’s sentences (again, this was quite prominent), protecting each other and holding hands while fighting

Deku was willing to give up his dream of becoming a hero for Kacchan

Without using words, Katsuki knew what Deku was implying when he held his hand out to him, they communicated without words

Bakudeku shared bodily fluids (hurhur)

Katsuki actually said “This is the end for your dream then, too?” acknowledging the loss Deku is about to suffer, sympathising in his own way and checking they’re on the same page.

Every single thing that happened from the Endeavor Agency arc has been in a world where some part of OFA resides inside Kacchan, waiting to emerge and give him a quirk upgrade, sparkly rainbows, speed boosts and eventually, an exploded heart. OFA giveth and OFA taketh away I guess…

And Izuku says all this to Katsuki:

It’s fine. This is the only way. Besides, I’m sure All Might would say that it’s fine if it’s you. If it’s you, who shared our secret… who admired the same person as me… If it’s you…

Then they start talking in unison and do their beautiful sparkling mountain-melting rainbow dance. And… guys, maybe this actually happened?

And then, at the end of it, Katsuki can’t remember any of it. Obviously this helps them slip back into the main manga storyline without having to provide any extra info, but it’s also kind of odd. If the film was not canon, they wouldn’t have to do this, because nobody would ever mention it again anyway (like the other two films).

So Horikoshi had already planned out how he wanted the manga to end and most of the story beats leading up to that (he says in a 2016 interview that he wrote the first chapter with the final one in mind), then Bones asked him to help with the second movie. Because he enjoyed making the first one so much—and he talks a lot about making the most of opportunities while he can—he decided to be way more involved in the second film. He talks in Volume R about how he plotted out the film, assisted with the script and then provided notes throughout the process.

He also mentions that this is one of the first times OFA shows the will of the predecessors, and he was only able to do this by setting the film at the exact time that he did. He was so careful!

Although he knew all this wouldn’t fit into his preplanned manga plot, that didn’t mean he couldn’t use it to his advantage. So here’s my theory:

Horikoshi always intended to have Katsuki and Izuku both use OFA in the finale of his manga, and when he said in the Volume R interview that he’d have to surpass it, maybe he knew he was planning to have his cake and eat it too. The element of them sharing OFA had already been shown, but since he’s made sure to embed the film firmly into the manga canon he’s now able to use that in his ‘real finale’ as he calls it.

I mean in actuality, who knows, right? But wow is it interesting to examine your preconceptions occasionally and consider that this has been under our noses this whole time. And before I go even deeper into a research spiral about how the cast viewed the plot (stop it, just stop it now), I’ll leave you with this prescient quote from All Might:

For the one who risked his life to protect and the one who risked his life to win… One For All gave them a miracle…

I honestly can’t wait to see what Horikoshi has up his sleeve next.

I woke up thinking about vestige Katsuki casually having a chat with vestige All Might. WHAT THE DUCK was happening there if not something seriously fruity and why did we not circle back to it once we’d got over the fact that his heart had exploded?!

What must non-bkdks think is going on? I’m not even sure if we’ve fully discussed what is going on? Whyyy would he have a vestige if he doesn’t have OFA?

It’s not ghosts because a) ghosts haven’t been introduced as a concept in-universe and b) AM is there and he ain’t dead.

SO WHAT IS HAPPENING? Did we just totally overlook the fact that Hori made it canon that Katsuki either has OFA or just has access to the vestige realm for reasons unknown?

Also why is he fully clothed and able to speak, when poor Izuku spent every vestige scene nude and mute? And why is the background white not black? Vestige purgatory? A vestige waiting room?

I feel like when you suddenly realise you haven’t studied and the class has all moved on to new topics and you’ve somehow missed a key, fundamental part of how The Whole Thing works.

If anyone has meta on this please point me towards it because at this point I’m

[mamapyjama]

Rereading old interviews and losing it at how frequently and fondly Hori talks about Katsuki. You can hear his happiness talking about him— he’s such a proud dad to this naughty little kid.

Interviewer: Is All Might your fave?

Hori: Have you seen my cheeky son?!

Okay, I have more interview excerpts that I found reassuring.

1. May 2015 interview where Horikoshi talks about his ‘vertical axis’ of All Might passing the torch to Izuku, and a follow-up question showing that Bakugou is part of that main axis.

2. April 2016 interview where Horikoshi talks about what he thinks a hero should be. He wants to give the readers that feeling that everything will be okay when the hero arrives, which is why he’s dragging Izuku’s arrival out of course. 😮‍💨

3. June 2018, he talks about how ‘rough’ he found it writing the kidnapping plot, and how he only felt better once Katsuki was safe. Also talks about expanding his previous thoughts on what makes a hero, using Dk and Bk as examples.

From the same interview, hints that Eri will be important in the final arc. 👀

4. August 2018, he talks about Bakugou’s childlike nature. He wants readers to understand that he’s just a kid.

5. December 2019 (same interview as the first I shared, but a better translation). Another reminder that Bakugou is not meant to be seen as a horrible person. Also love that Hori will stubbornly reiterate this in the story to prove his point. He wants us to love his boy. 🥹

More to come (pic limit!)…

[mamapyjama]

These tags deserve to be immortalised. SAY IT LOUDER. 💪

I’m almost certain that little Izuku came up with ‘Dynamight’. Like, imagine them playing pretend as Dynamight and Mighty Boy, the hero wonder duo!

This story withholds info for a reason, and everyone but Deku knowing the name means it’s significant to him.

“Your alias represents your desires… your ideal self”, “you’re the last one I’m telling…”

Seriously. His closeness with Deku is ‘the embodiment of how he wishes to be’, and he literally only wants Deku to know once he thinks he’s worthy of it!?

What if this was the real reason they fell out. They’d always wanted to be heroes together, and Deku being quirkless destroyed that. Kacchan distanced himself and convinced himself that he didn’t care, he was better off alone.

He couldn’t use that name while they were apart but mending his relationship with Deku allowed him to want to be that hero again. Deku’s Dynamight. 😭😭😭

[mamapyjama]

And a little moooore:

6. A different Dec 2019 one where he talks about what type of story MHA is, and how Dk and Bkg’s relationship is changing as Bkg improves and learns about being a hero. Just in case we hadn’t noticed.

7. He’s his special boy, and he’s determined to convince everyone of that. These bits of interview reassure me too!

I think that’s it for now, but people are free to do their own hunting in this marvellous list of translated interviews. ☺️

Rereading old interviews and losing it at how frequently and fondly Hori talks about Katsuki. You can hear his happiness talking about him— he’s such a proud dad to this naughty little kid.

Interviewer: Is All Might your fave?

Hori: Have you seen my cheeky son?!

Okay, I have more interview excerpts that I found reassuring.

1. May 2015 interview where Horikoshi talks about his ‘vertical axis’ of All Might passing the torch to Izuku, and a follow-up question showing that Bakugou is part of that main axis.

2. April 2016 interview where Horikoshi talks about what he thinks a hero should be. He wants to give the readers that feeling that everything will be okay when the hero arrives, which is why he’s dragging Izuku’s arrival out of course. 😮‍💨

3. June 2018, he talks about how ‘rough’ he found it writing the kidnapping plot, and how he only felt better once Katsuki was safe. Also talks about expanding his previous thoughts on what makes a hero, using Dk and Bk as examples.

From the same interview, hints that Eri will be important in the final arc. 👀

4. August 2018, he talks about Bakugou’s childlike nature. He wants readers to understand that he’s just a kid.

5. December 2019 (same interview as the first I shared, but a better translation). Another reminder that Bakugou is not meant to be seen as a horrible person. Also love that Hori will stubbornly reiterate this in the story to prove his point. He wants us to love his boy. 🥹

More to come (pic limit!)…