#why the fuck didn't anyone tell me my hero one's justice 3 got revealed?!

[belliesandburps]

Am I crazy or is bnha getting way too depressing and miserable with its latest arc?

A few people have actually been telling me that. I'm all caught up so I see what everyone is going on about, but I'll say this from a writing expertise perspective while keeping things spoiler-free.

And I’ll post it under this tab because this is gonna be lengthy:

One of MHA's biggest strengths has always been that it really doesn't have the "protagonist shield" problem. And even the most well-meaning, sweetest, most altruistic of characters, like Midoriya, are very flawed and have things they have to work on. This arc and the reason why it's so much more gloomy compared to its previous ones (minus the arc prior, because that was a relentless bundle of "Jesus Fucking Christ, you guys...") is a byproduct of that, because the series is wrapping up. But it's also a conflict that feels wholly organic, both due to what Midoriya knows by this point, and because of the events that have led up to this arc.

See, once in the actual anime, this bit people are feeling iffy about probably won't be more than a few episodes, so it won't feel AS prolonged and depressing, but it's also necessary from a storytelling perspective. The stakes are very high, and if this bit of misery were over before it began, then there really wouldn't be any weight to the final clash.

I'll give you guys an example.

MGSV is my favorite game of all time. It's a romp a minute that neevr stops being fun to play and replay six years later (holy shit, this game is turning six... O___O; ) but one of its biggest narrative weaknesses (besides Eli's inclusion and Skull Face getting thoroughly screwed) was pacing. Towards the end of the main story, Diamond Dogs is hit with a pandemic (how fucking topical) that sees the player actively bleeding staff, unless you can actively determine the common symptom and quarantine the right soldiers to prevent them from spreading the disease among your ranks. This is a great bit of storytelling because it adds serious pressure to you, the player, to wanna rush through the missions because the more staff you lose to the pandemic, the less functions you have in-game. And it works in the narrative because it pushes the main characters to their limits.

Juuuuuust one itty bitty problem...

There isn't a SINGLE fucking cutscene that actually showcases the virus spreading at mother base. You hear over radio from Ocelot and Kaz what's going on, and that's it. You visit mother base, and everyone's talking about the virus but at a glance, the base is perfectly fine. You never see Venom Snake or the other characters react to this development. It happens, and concludes after just a few missions. And the only cutscene we get is the one when it's finally resolved.

So going into the final battle against Skull Face and XOF, it REALLY doesn't feel as personal or significant as it's supposed to, because we, the players, may feel the weight of the virus, but the characters don't. Venom Snake doesn't even lend a single word on the matter, and he's the main freakin' character. Without those moments to really stew in the misery and the sheer weight of what is happening, the climax lost so much of its luster...and the way the final battle actually resolved sorta sealed the deal then and there...

MHA isn’t doing that.  It’s taking the time to really illustrate the blowback of everything that has come and really does make the situation feel almost absurdly hopeless.  And it doesn’t feel like there’s gonna be an easy solution to resolving everything either.  But we know there WILL ultimately be one, and that the consequences everyone’s now facing will be worth it in the end.  The weight of the situation feels real, and it helps that, despite the gloom, the scenarios are still exciting and the villains are still just as delightfully wicked as ever.  :P

The point being, I get why people aren't thrilled with this arc because we love MHA as the high-octane, energy-fueled, feel-good show that it is. And a lot of that feels absent here, given the circumstances. But they are necessary circumstances to ensure the ending and the series finale, as a whole, becomes that much more satisfying.  Especially because, unlike many shows (anime or not), MHA had the balls to REALLY show that there are consequences to certain things being so fragile and certain lines being crossed.  You don’t tease dire consequences if X,Y and Z happen, then shy away at the homestretch.  MHA didn’t fall into that pitfall, and while the consequences of certain events feel REALLY heavy, speaking for myself, it just makes me that much more eager to see the heroes finally triumph.

This is a great example of "showing, not telling," and it lends so much more weight to everything leading to the ending that honestly has me as excited as I am anxious to see how it all ends.

It also helps that, knowing the rules of writing as I do, I also know that this IS ultimately temporary. And that the show / manga will inevitably feel more like itself again once certain hard lessons are finally learned.