#the brief anxiety that comes out of wanting to do a segment justice

[bokunoheroanalysisforthefuture]

So in looking at my last post, it seems that the image zoomed in enough that I can finally read this damn text here:

So the shop name is ACTUALLY Ninashito (ニナシト) Momiji (黄葉), a garment / clothes shop. Which makes WAY more sense. Still can’t read the lower sign enough, but it’s probably the specific name of the office that I mentioned… a shame, I wanted to find out the name just in case it was something interesting, but alas.

Also, I realized there were translations I didn’t touch from the beginning of the chapter, so if you want to skip ahead, just scroll down to the title card / text. 

Top sign: 英会話 (eikaiwa) [school for English conversation]

I should note, however, that one of the alternate translations for that first kanji is ‘hero’, so this could also mean ‘hero talk’ - an actual pun has been found! :D

Middle sign: フシャ(Fusha/Fushiya) 薬局 (yakkyoku) [Pharmacy]

Bottom sign: 渡辺 (Onabe/Tarinabe) 会計 (kaikei) [accounting/finances] 事務所 (jimusho) [office]

Used Nanori pronunciation for the first one, since that was the company/family name. I’m sure there’s a ‘more correct’ translation based on whichever one has alternative kanji that make a pun of some kind, but I can’t be bothered.

Bridge sign: 田 (den) [rice paddy, field] 等 (tou) [etc., and so forth, class (first), quality, equal, similar] 院 (in) [Inst., institution, temple, mansion, school] 駅 (eki) [station]

While I could fumble around for a rough translation, I remembered to look for Star Wars puns, and so this is the Dentouin / Dantooine station! Though the first kanji can also be read as ‘ta,’ so this could also be the Tatouin / Tatooine station. I’m going to assume this station is close to another school, perhaps a highly regarded university that goes by the name ‘Dentouin’ or ‘Tatouin’, which this is the main stop for.

Anyways, onto the next part, which is short but packed with what I know is a scene that has caused a LOT of division among the fandom. I’ve got my own thoughts on the matter, but that can go into a separate post where I can go into depth about not just All Might’s reasoning, but also Horikoshi’s. 

[No. 1 - Midoriya Izuku: Origin]

Where we left off, Izuku had hitched a ride on All Might’s brief ‘hop’ that covered at least a few blocks, maybe more. Now they come in for a crash landing, though we don’t see any actual damage to the roof - either SOLID construction or All Might was still able to mitigate the impact. I wonder if the people in the building noticed the shake from the impact… maybe not, because of earthquake proofing? 

(Imagine a timeline where the person who lived / worked below the roof came up to investigate this and overheard this mess. And fucking saw Small Might and heard about that injury. What a world. How the FUCK do you react to that?)

(Hell, imagine if he HADN’T dropped the bottles and the Sludge Villain overheard that. He wouldn’t even try to capture someone else, he’d try to get away and blackmail All Might with that info / sell it to other criminals for lots of money.)

His soul is gone, RIP Izuku. But yeah, while Izuku’s recovering from near-death (again), All Might’s frustrated and saying he’s got no time, planning on the people downstairs to help… both of them get down? I suppose he doesn’t just want to leap off from the roof, with it possibly already damaged from that landing? Or he’s just bad experiences with leaping off of roofs that can’t handle the opposing force for his leaps?

No, it looks like he’s about to hop down from the roof and leave Izuku to it, but Izuku panics and begs for All Might to wait. All Might snaps that he won’t, but Izuku pushes forward, asking if he can be a hero without a quirk, and then asking if someone quirkless can be a hero like All Might. He isn’t repeating himself - he’s asking first whether he can be a hero at all, and then whether he can be one that… I suppose inspires and reassures others just with his presence? Man, maybe I can find out if I scroll down, hmm?

All Might starts to say something about quirks, but gets cut off with some painful attack. Imagine if he was having a heart attack while Izuku was distracted with his rambling and mumbling. Anyways, All Might’s cursing internally as he starts to steam, but Izuku doesn’t notice when he’s slouched over and staring at his hands.

Babey… also, being quirkless wasn’t the only reason he was picked on, and it’s interesting that his being picked on is the reason (or so Izuku thinks) he considers saving people to be ‘the coolest thing someone can do’... possibly because no one has ever come to Izuku’s defense? Which, fucking ouch.

(Also let’s kindly ignore the spooky specter!Might there, even if we know it’s just the smoke obscuring his features.)

In the next panel, Izuku perks up and looks right to All Might, focused on how All Might saves people with a fearless smile, and how Izuku wants to be the strongest hero like him- before cutting himself off with a scream on seeing Toshinori’s thin, raggedy true form.

Alright, so I couldn’t just choose one part of this page, it’s all fucking flawless and deserves to be viewed in its natural, uncropped state. I have the executive right, I’ve been very restrained with my choices of panels up until now, I am allowed one (1) full page.

(...don’t mind that I probably will have others a bit later, most notably in the next post.)

But seriously, I fucking love how Izuku starts out by accusing him of being all shriveled up, and then calling him a fake or imposter because of being so thin. Meanwhile, Toshinori, so totally done with Izuku’s shit, just says nothing for a long moment before finally saying calmly and clearly that he is, in fact, All Might… with blood gushing from his mouth. Which, of course, makes Izuku freak out again and deny it.

(God, imagine making this into a Star Wars scene knockoff. Doing the dramatic ‘no, it’s not true, there’s no way’ and Toshinori playing into that unintentionally.)

Toshinori brings up the ‘holding in the gut’ thing for his big form, and Izuku says ‘no way’ again. Then Toshinori sits down and brings up the ‘fearless smile’ bit, and then tells Izuku not to bring up the ‘real him’ on the internet… to which Izuku gives another shaky ‘no way’. Methinks the boy was broken and not actually processing anything at the moment.

And then Izuku gets to see the reality of heroics firsthand:

Yeah, that’s fucking GRUESOME, how did he survive that?? And continue living for FIVE YEARS afterwards? Fucking hells. Izuku’s expression really says it all. And hell, his lungs nearly destroyed, his stomach gone… this man is the most stubborn human being on the planet, and we’re only going to see more of that going forward.

Izuku immediately brings up Toxic Chainsaw, but is still clearly freaking out over this entire revelation. Toshinori says no, that lowlife couldn’t leave an injury like that on him, and says that the fight that did it never went public, because he asked it not to. Still, I have to wonder how it was covered up, a fight of that magnitude should have been intense enough to bring down a mountain… 

All I can really assume is that, unlike the drawn out battles fanon assumes, this was actually a fast, dirty, and brutal underground battle that could have been passed off as an earthquake since there was no ‘visible’ fighting. It would also make it easier to cover up if there was no way for there to be footage or eyewitnesses… I think I might run with that interpretation for now.

horikoshi, end of ch 1: I don't feel like I can accurately convey All Might's intensity and dignity through Toshinori's eyes.

also horikoshi ch 1:

Damn sir, save some talent for the rest of us (not that I can draw particularly well anyways…)

Toshinori says that he smiles to stave off the pressure and fear inside himself, shocking Izuku again. While Izuku’s world slips from under him, Toshinori then says that ‘a pro should always be ready to risk his life’ and that without power, he doesn’t think it’s possible for someone to become a hero - crushing Izuku into speechlessness.

He says nothing as Toshinori suggests becoming a police officer if he wants to help people, and that villain custody officers do admirable work even if mocked (which, yeah, tell the kid who gets picked on to go into a profession where he’d get mocked… Toshi, I like you a lot, but sometimes you say dumb shit and I wanna groan.)

Toshinori ends the conversation with the ‘it’s not wrong to dream, but you need to be realistic, kid’ thing that I know a lot of people deride and tear him down for, and this is not the post I’m going to share my thoughts about it in. Plus, well, I’m sure there’s much better meta out there than I could come up with, and I can’t really change minds anyways, so. Yeah, Toshinori slams the door on the roof and on Izuku’s dreams, all at once.

As he goes down the stairs, he thinks about getting the guy to the police while checking his pockets, swatting several times at the empty pockets as the realization sets in, right before an explosion goes off in the distance and he panics. 

We then arrive at the source of the explosion, and get this page:

Main panel:

Sign 1: 罔 (mou/bou) [net] 青果 (seika) [vegetables, produce] 店 (mise) [shop]

(Technically this can be the second kanji of a pair that, when put together, mean ‘deception/swindling’ [欺罔] (kimou) or ‘slander’ [誣罔] (fumou). I have no idea if those are relevant.)

Sign 2: 田辺 (Okanabe) [name?] 商店 (shouten) [shop]

(First kanji can also be read as ‘inaka’ ‘tan’ ‘de’ tou’ or ‘ya’. I’m sure one of those is some kind of meaningful name or pun or reference I don’t know.)

生活 (seikatsu) [living, life (one's daily existence), livelihood] 

雑貨 (zakka) [miscellaneous goods, general goods, sundries]

Mt. Lady’s panel:

Hanging sign: チャーミークソーツ (Chaamiikisoutsu)

(Not sure how this breaks up or translates, and that last katakana could also be ‘n’, so.)

Wall sign: 喫茶 (tea house/coffee shop) ヤマダ (Yamada)

Death Arms panel:

古着 (furugi) [old clothes, secondhand clothing]

With that out of the way, there’s a LOT to take in from this two page spread. First off, the art is fucking INCREDIBLE, like, hot DAMN I am in awe and this is Hori at the START of the series. Just. Fucking hells. Where do I start?

Firstly, Katsuki is somehow not completely enveloped in the same way Izuku was, possibly because his quirk is acting somewhat as a deterrent? I mean, I understand the dramatic tension, but also like, how? And yikes, that unconscious guy there… I don’t think he’s dead, but like, considering how things look at the moment…

The bottom panels show that Katsuki is very firmly resisting letting the ‘mudman’ take his body, while the villain… somehow seems to think that body will be enough to let him win against All Might. Like, dude, seriously? What’s your plan going into this supposed confrontation? Hoping that All Might will go easy because the body looks like a teenager? And that he won’t gut-punch you and have you spewed right back out?

The crowd watches on, totally unconcerned, because as far as they’re concerned, the kid will be fine as soon as the heroes rescue him. Like, this is just entertainment, it’s not like a kid’s fighting for his damned life or anything.

Going to the top left, we see Mt. Lady can’t fit into the narrow street because her size is too large, though it seems like she technically can fit? I think it’s more an issue of mobility and being able to act without scraping against signs and whatnot. Or just a weird angle?

Kamui Woods is shown pulling Katsuki’s two followers and another civilian (possibly a kid?) out of harm’s way, saying that he’s weak to explosive fires and that someone else will have to handle it. 

Backdraft is shown handling the fires because the firefighters have yet to show up, and then checks in on the others.

Death Arms and that unnamed hero with the baseball catcher themed outfit are watching on, saying that the villain’s too slippery but that the hostage is resisting, and that they can’t do anything against him. 

Basically, several of them are doing something, others are not. 

Onto the next page. Katsuki continues to struggle, and the villain continues to use his quirk to fight off anyone who gets close, like this bird masked guy who I also think is unnamed. And so we get this infamous moment:

And while technically good reasons are given for them to not be able to get close, it’s also, like. You’re still watching a kid die while saying that there’s nothing to be done except wait and pray, which is like. Pretty sus, dudes. Death Arms privately wishes he had the power to blow the villain away, and then we see Toshinori at the back of the crowd, realizing the villain was dropped while he was dealing with Izuku. He clutches at his throbbing side, chastising himself for losing track of time and dealing with the fan, all while calling himself pathetic.

And that’s where I’m ending this off, because this is getting pretty long and there’s no other good breaking point before the very end, so. Next post is gonna be pretty damned long (16 pages of the manga!), so I’ll see how long it takes me to get that done!

[aion-rsa]

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Vestiges

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This My Hero Academia review contains spoilers.

My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 2

“Have you ever thought about the feelings of those they left behind?” “I’ve thought so much about it that I’ve gone crazy.”

My Hero Academia season 5 technically started last week with “All Hands on Deck! Class 1-A” and it’s become an unofficial tradition for each season to begin with an episode that functions as a recap or primer for new audiences, but this premiere was especially superfluous. Sometimes there’s enough of a fresh perspective that can analyze past events critically, but “All Hands on Deck!” Class 1-A” merely covers the characters’ hero names and Quirks as they work through yet another mock battle. 

It’s a slow start that feels more like a tease, but what that premiere does effectively establish is the larger roster of characters that this season will balance. It’s clear that a lot of Class 1-B is on the way, but episode 2 “Vestiges” takes a very focused look at three characters in comparable situations before it embraces the chaos of Class 1-B.

“Vestiges” is an episode that shouldn’t work as well as it does and structurally it’s kind of a mess. The episode is largely stuck in the past and consumed by major passages of exposition that aren’t the most elegant way to explore this material. It’s a very dense installment that bombards the audience with important information, yet the revelations are satisfying enough and are surrounded with gorgeous visuals so that “Vestiges” is still a successful episode, almost despite itself. 

The title “Vestiges” explicitly refers to the former One For All relics that visit Midoriya, but it’s a term that’s applicable to all of this episode’s major characters. This is an episode that’s about the future, but it depends upon the past. Midoriya and Endeavor are completely separated throughout this episode, but “Vestiges” unifies them over how they both just want to do All Might justice, whether it’s as the new Number One Hero or the current bearer of One For All. Endeavor and Midoriya experience the same anxiety, but in totally different ways. 

This episode also draws exciting parallels between Midoriya and Hawks. The first half of “Vestiges” could just as easily be called “Keigo Takami: Origins” and it’s kind of beautiful to see how Hawks’ admiration towards Endeavor mirrors Midoriya’s own obsession towards All Might. It’s honestly comforting to see that Hawks is not in fact a traitor and is just playing the long game with his infiltration of the League of Villains. It’s great to see that the Number Two Hero isn’t actually a Number One Asshole, but it also seems unlikely that this scenario is as clear cut as it seems. 

It’s possible that Hawks is actually aligned with the League of Villains and there’s an extra level of double crossing that’s afoot, but what seems like the more likely development is that Hawks has now opened himself up to some very big dangers in this new, vulnerable position. This is bound to intensify in some big ways and hopefully this injection of The Departed into My Hero Academia blurs the lines between heroes and villains. Hawks might not actually be a traitor, but that doesn’t mean that every other hero is still on the level.

Hawks sees the good in Endeavor and he’s one of the few people that’s actively excited for the “Age of Endeavor”to begin. The end of My Hero Academia season 4 worked hard to begin Endeavor’s redemption arc and it’s encouraging that this is still a slow work in progress for the hero. “Vestiges” really leans into the Todoroki family and they’re far from reaching a healthy place, but it’s a valuable change of pace to spend so much time with a hero’s family. 

The campus nature of My Hero Academia often segregates the students and so this brief moment where the Todorokis attempt normalcy really stands out. Endeavor’s family still has put up a lot of barriers, but Shoto genuinely wants to give his father the benefit of the doubt, which exhibits tremendous growth from where he was at during the first two seasons. “Vestiges” chronicles the emotional connection between Shoto and his father, but it also actively creates more physical similarities between them now that Endeavor has a scar on his face that matches his son’s. Shoto’s matter-of-factly, “That’s a bad scar” is a subtle and perfect response for the situation. This relationship is one of My Hero Academia’s longest running arcs and it makes the payoff here all the greater.

Fractured families continue to be a strong throughline to “Vestiges” and even play a major role with the very nature of two of My Hero Academia’s most important Quirks. There’s an extended sequence spent in Midoriya’s subconscious that’s one of the more surreal moments from the series. The animation is fantastic through all of this and there’s an operatic quality to this dream where every element just screams that what’s going on is vitally important. A fascinating detail that comes forward is that All For One is the older brother of the original One For All bearer, which brings so much of the anime full circle and likely means that a major return of All For One is imminent. 

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It’d have seemed contrived if All Might and All For One were brothers, but this variation on that theme and how All Might and Midoriya are just fragments of this original sibling rivalry is an unexpectedly poetic turn for My Hero Academia’s war between good and evil. My Hero Academia has always looked towards the future and pushes a message about how important it is to value and empower the next generation. However, this glimpse into the origins of these two fundamental Quirks is such an elegant extrapolation of this premise. 

Every action that Midoriya takes has been in service of doing All Might justice and being the best successor imaginable, yet now Midoriya has the collective expectations and legacies of seven other heroes placed on him. His mission remains the same, but it’s now substantially magnified. It’s no coincidence that the original One For All bearer is also an individual who was born Quirk-less, just like Midoriya.

The most exciting detail from this stylized flashback that plays out in Midoriya’s subconscious is that All For One might have had altruistic intentions at one point. There have been comparisons made between My Hero Academia and X-Men in the past, especially in regards to how Quirks manifest across the planet. This influence has always been present on some level, but it now evolves from beyond subtext. It may be a glib oversimplification, but there are definite shades of Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier in the early relationship between All For One and his brother as a rift forms between them over the right application for Quirks as well as society’s perception of these “special” individuals. 

“Vestiges” gets a little too expository during these segments and the same sequences would be just as effective if All For One’s actions could just speak for themselves. It still opens up a rewarding new chapter of the series that feels like it’s the start of My Hero Academia approaching its endgame or final conflict. To the episode’s credit, these developments feel organic and baked into the anime’s DNA even though it’s a major piece of information that gets dropped out of nowhere. It’s also impressive how this sequence retroactively makes All For One even more frightening and succeeds in building anticipation over a possible return of the major villain.

“Vestiges” does an excellent job with how it establishes the larger themes of this new season and the major conflicts that will overwhelm the characters. There’s two episodes’ worth of information in “Vestiges” and this does make up for the disposable nature of last week’s premiere. This is still an entry that functions as an introduction to the new season and technically characters spend the bulk of “Vestiges” in bed and in various states of recovery. My Hero Academia can begin to indulge in pure action and entertainment now that it’s got some of this season’s heavy lifting out of the way. There’s already a grandiose feeling that’s not typically present right when a new season begins. 

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Much like what All For One’s brother tells him about his comic book-esque plan to radicalize the future: There’s more to this story.

The post My Hero Academia Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Vestiges appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[syncogon]

PMMM OP Analysis

(not mine - copied from yt neopolitan333 Sailor Earth, who may have gotten it from somewhere else. im just putting it here to save it for myself)

It starts with Madoka crying outside of time and space. This represents the time loops and unescapable doom. I saw in one video that the blue dots could represent snow, winter; oncoming death. I like this, and it makes sense. The lyrics translate to "I won't forget the promises we exchanged/I close my eyes to affirm it/I shake the oncoming darkness and move onward" Considering the time loop, this makes sense. However, Madoka soon fades into the background and the dots turn purple, reddish, another shade of blue, and yellow. The color choices are pretty noticeable and pretty clear: Homura, Kyōko, Sayaka, and Mami. While Madoka is no longer present, it is all directly connected to and derivative of Madoka. This is Madoka becoming hope itself and creating the new universe.

After the title, we see various images of Madoka failing at magical girl-ness. This is potentially reflective of previous timelines when she was more innocent. The lyrics are "When will I ever be able to see this lost future from her again?" The lost future is the happy visuals of this section. It can be noted that Mami and Sayaka are the only ones present. This is because Madoka sees them as carrying out the magical girl mindset, unlike Homura or Kyōko.

However, Madoka then appears to awaken from a dream. A dream of innocence. Waking up to reality. She rolls around in bed, stuck. Despite all the tragedy around her, she still tries to cling to the magical girl mindset. She's also stuck in the whole time loop mess. Kyuubey is there in both scenes. What he's trying to do is unclear, though he seems to just be observing. The lyrics are "Let's move forward in the world/By shattering the overwhelming shadows of anxiety over and over again" That's what she's trying to do - overcome this tragedy. By the way, the orangey thing-I think it might represent blood. Even in her own bed, tragedy is piling up on her.

The next part shows Madoka and what appears to be Madokami in some kind of magical place. Madoka is surprised at first, possibly her at the beginning learning about magical girls. Madokami probably represents Madoka's beliefs and destiny. It is that which leads her to become a magical girl in different stages - the Madokas of different timelines - before finally merging and reaching her full potential. The lyrics are "Time now begins to tick away incessantly/Carrying our unchanging feelings/We will open the closed door" Madoka's unchanging hope is opening the door to ending suffering.

Before we reach the chorus, we see some brief clips: the Kaname family, Madoka, Sayaka and Hitomi eating desserts together at a café and in gym class, Sayaka and Kyōsuke at a recital hall, Mami and Kyuubey taking a nap on the couch at her place, Kyōko, maybe at that observation deck or the balcony of her hotel room, just looking out and munching like she doesn't really care (pretty accurate for pre-Sayaka Kyōko), a bird's-eye (or prehaps God's-eye?) view of Homura under an umbrella, looking up, distinguishing herself, trying to get her attention, and then finally Madoka, opening her eyes, determined. These little scenes show what's at stake for Madoka. What she has to lose. And Madoka's determination at the end is reflective of her final wish. She will protect this happiness. Even if she is the cost.

Then, we see Madoka running for dear life, tripping against the rain in pure desperation and terror. This probably represents the never-ending tragedy, and her determination and struggle to overcome it. Several times, we see an object in the foreground obscure Madoka. This could be a timeline ending in her death. At the end of the segment, she finally runs off-camera. This could be her finally succeeding (see last paragraph) The lyrics in this part read something close to "My heart awoke to paint the future" She's running with her hope to create a new future.

Madoka then appears to open her eyes and see a cat's silhouette. I'll get this out of the way quickly: Madoka's wish in the first and probably second+third timelines was to save a cat from getting run over by a car. If she hadn't made the contract then, Homura wouldn't have started the time loop at all. The awakening probably represents her discovering magic the first time. The blinding light could also be car headlights. When it comes into focus, she looks confused and holds the cat. This is her making the contract the first time, although she doesn't look terrified yet. It is very bright, so this is the first timeline for sure. "Even if I get stuck on a tough road" is the lyrics. The tough road is her struggle throughout the timelines that was started by making a contract that first time.

After that, we see a clear sky, quite reminiscent of the sky when she destroys Walpurgisnacht at the beginning of Episode 12. This could be heaven, or where Madokami is now. Madoka is seen on top of clear water, holding the kitten, smiling and crying at the same time. This is Madokami, not affected by the laws of the universe, thinking about her journey up to that point with the cat, both sad and happy about her decision. The lyrics are "A beautiful blue sky is waiting for me, so I'm not afraid" The beautiful sky is the new universe that Madoka creates. Her hope for that future gives her courage.

Finally, a dark twilight over the city. We see Homura, then Madoka, in a flash, then the sun. To see the sun in the twilight seems strange, but it could represent hope and light coming into the most unlikely and difficult place - Madoka's wish. Homura and Madoka leading up to it shows the importance in their role of making it happen. It is Homura, in a way, who gave Madoka this power. And to end it all, a picture of Madoka, Sayaka, and Mami. I think the picture is about them as magical girls, fighting for justice. That hope, happiness, and friendship is what influences Madoka most. Again, it's what she wants; what she has to protect. The lyrics are "No matter what happens, I won't be afraid." Despite all the suffering, Madoka will never stop hoping for a better future.

So, basically this opening is about Madoka overcoming everything and eventually becoming Madokami. The lyrics to Connect are often thought to be from Homura's point of veiw, but if you look at the scenes they accompany and look at it more deeply, it's not about Homura's struggle to protect Madoka but Madoka's struggle to bring about a hopeful future. Or maybe, it could be both simultaneously! This opening is chock-full of symbolism. Some people say it's unfutting for the series, but it is not. It's not about the despair of magical girls, but the hope of Madoka. Also, the visuals and lyrics match really well. This comment is probably a couple feet long, but that's because this opening has such a deep meaning. And Connect is just amazing.