Bubble Girl Is New Best Girl – An Anime QandA Review of ‘My Hero Academia 3rd Season’ Episode 24 and 25
What’s the show? My Hero Academia 3rd Season, Episode 24 & 25.
Doubling up episodes for this review, eh? Pretty much. I was late to getting to the episode 24 review so I figured I’d lump it together with 25—they’re very connected anyway so it works well enough!
Fair enough, so what happens in this—ahem, these episodes? Basically Midoriya and Bakugo are under “house arrest” for the fight in Episode 23 and are stuck doing chores—after Midoriya is released from the chores a day early (due to the fact that Bakugo incited the fight) we get a 1 and half episode long tease for what’s basically going to comprise a fair chunk of season 4. We learn the first year students will be doing ‘Hero Work Studies’ which is kind of like an on the job-apprenticeship just with hero work. We’re also introduced to the “Big Three” the top 3 students of UA who are all third year students.
An unexpected Top 3!
More characters huh? For some reason I’d never even thought of the first years as having upperclassmen but of course they do, it’s a high school like any other. I’m surprised it took this long to actually meet some of them but at the same time glad as like you inferred this show has a lot of characters.
Are they any good? I enjoyed what little we saw of them—or in the case of Mirio, the whole ~lot~ we saw of him. We don’t get a sense of what the other two characters’ quirks are but Mirio has a very interesting power called ‘Permeate’ which as the name suggests allows all matter to pass through him—which as you can imagine makes him very over-powered. As a demonstration he takes on the whole of class 1-A—and they lose!
Mowed down my Mirio.
Sounds kind of unbalanced to have such an unbeatable hero? Maybe, but I do like that they made him somewhat down-to-earth and showed that he wasn’t just gifted these abilities and was able to use them ‘straight out of the box’ so to speak but that he had to work hard to hone his powers into something usable. I won’t go into detail because the show does a much better job at visualising and explaining his abilities and shortcomings but I enjoyed his whole deal. Also I’m glad there’s a girl in the Top 3, this show too often neglects women heroes but I’m just hoping her power isn’t some passive ‘support’ ability like so many of the other women are lumped with.
I suppose I could just ‘Google’ her power, but where’s the fun in that?
Uh-huh, I’ll stop you there before you start that old rant again. So what were your favourite things about the final two episodes of the third season? My favourite thing about episode 24 is the first half of the episode, which was almost like a noir-esque monologue from villain ‘Twice’—that fleshed out his backstory and was really moody and serious and different from anything we’ve seen from this show. I’d like more of this kind of thing going forward for sure!
Twice is kind of cooler without his mask on.
And the finale? Episode 25 gave us a brief glimpse of what will be coming, not just with the ‘Hero Work Studies’ but also the league of villains preparing something big and that someone belonging to the ‘good guys’ has apparently infiltrated their gang. It was a little bit vague but I liked the mystery of it all—also they briefly (like all of 20 seconds) introduced a brand new character who’s ~totally~ my new best girl—well, if her looks are anything to go off of!
A spy amongst the villains!
Yeah, and who’s that? Her name’s Bubble Girl and she’s hot as heck!
Should’ve figured it’d be a superficial decision… Hey, I said I only had her looks to go off, didn’t I?!
Wait. She only appears for twenty seconds or so and you named the entire review after her?! Yep. I’m a simple man who knows what he likes.
Bubble Girl, flawless.
Moving on, so what did you think of the final two episode of Season 3 of My Hero Academia? Full of interest and promise—which is kind of all you can expect for a finale of something ongoing and long-running. Not to go too much into my full thoughts on the season (as I’ll save that for the QandA Rundown) but I was getting a little bit tired of the testing stuff in this season so hopefully next season opens the world up a little bit more as was promised in the early part of season 3. I’m glad the final two episodes have left me wanting more as I do genuinely love this show and the characters—just hoping for a bit more development and intrigue next time!
Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs – Full Season QandA Rundown
What’s the important information? Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs is a Summer 2018 harem/ecchi/comedy anime that aired 12 episodes from July to September. It is based on an ongoing shonen manga series by Tadahiro Miura.
What’s it about? Kogarashi Fuyuzora is a spirit medium who has lived a luckless life, frequently possessed by spirits and constantly homeless because of it, he finds himself at the doors of Yuragi Inn, a suspiciously cheap boarding house and former hot springs. The reason for the affordable accommodation is because it is haunted by the ghost of a high school girl named Yuuna. Immediately sensing a connection both physical and spiritual between himself and the girl he endeavours to find out Yuuna’s “lingering regret” that keeps her from moving on to heaven while also encountering the other ~supernatural~ secrets of the other female tenants of the inn.
The girls are all here, well until more join later in the season…
Why did you watch it? Aside from the fact that I’d read some of the manga before the series started it’s also an ecchi heavy harem series that is filled with beautiful anime girls who happen to tick off so many boxes both visually and characteristically. Of course I didn’t hesitate to watch this show!
Did you enjoy the show? I adored this series—while there’s plenty of things to nit-pick on the presentation side of things it’s easily overlooked for just how much fun this series is.
Don’t get on Sagiri’s bad side!
What was your favourite episode? It’s hard to pick because of every episode—regardless of the actual ‘plot’ of the individual episode—contributes at least a little to the overall story and characterisation while also endearing us to one or more of the characters in a substantial way. The episode that perhaps balanced the fan-service and the wholesomeness that this show became noteworthy for is Episode 9, “Chisaki of the Yuragi Inn” which puts Kogarashi amidst a cavalcade of harem shenanigans and yet has him acting gentlemanly and respectful throughout despite the ludicrous temptations thrown at him!
An easy thing to sleep through apparently.
What were your most favourite things about the show? Kogarashi is the most ~feminist~ a harem protagonist I’ve ever come across and I don’t use that word lightly as it’s practically unheard of that “harem” and “feminist” are combined favourably in a sentence. Never once does he underestimate or speak down to any of the women in Yuragi Inn, never once does he objectify or sexualise them. Sure he ends up getting involved in ~shenanigans~ but they’re never caused by his conscious efforts but as the results of genuine accidents or misunderstandings.
He’s also a badass fighter, which is pretty damn cool! Even if the fights take a backseat to the harem shenanigans.
What were your least favourite things about the show? This show will be infinitely better on blu-ray. Gimme them uncensored shenanigans already!
Who was your favourite character? Yuuna is a beacon of wholesomeness and innocence despite the ~shenanigans~ her sleep spreading gets her into with Kogarashi. She’s endearing and sweet but with a depth that’s rare for a character like her (amnesiac ghosts have seldom seen so fully realised). Sagiri comes so close a second that I’m tempted to call it a tie, but while this yandere has a ton of body-issues that are absolutely unfound of, not to mention all the other insecurities that come with being a feminine ninja her connection to Kogarashi and therefore the audience by proxy is just a bit weaker hence why I’m picking Yuuna as best character!
It was an accident!
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? Initially I wasn’t too thrilled with the OP, “Momoiro Typhoon” by Luna Haruna but the more I listened to it week after week the more I enjoyed it—especially the latter part. And my opinion in the ED “Happen ~Kogarashi ni Fukarete~” by the female cast is somewhat similar, I enjoy it more now than I did at first.
What’s something unique about this show? The very concept of this show is unique, a harem anime but where the male protagonist’s goal is to never see the female main again by having her ~ascend~ to heaven because she’s a ghost with “lingering regrets” that keep her tied to the living world? Whether or not the series actually goes through with having Yuuna “cross over” it’s still a dark ending that the show is all too aware is the expected end goal.
Protect that smile.
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? Monster Musume is a pretty solid comparison—though Kimihito—the protagonist in that series doesn’t hold a candle to Kogarashi but likewise the girls in Monster Musume are far more unique and distinct. As far as anime go, regardless of what you think of the harem genre’s tropes this is still a considerably unique anime and well worth the time spent on it!
I mean obviously there’s going to be a tentacle scene…
Who would you recommend it to? As long as you’re fine with excessive fan-service and harem related shenanigans this series is worth a recommendation to almost anyone—despite its genre its surprisingly wholesome and character driven—in addition to being ridiculously sexy—what, it can be both?!
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘In death we’re privy to the allure of life in all its unexpected minutiae, aka ghost girls just wanna have fun.’
Final score? 92 out of 100.
Any excuse to use this gif again. lol
Previous Yuuna and the Haunted Hot Springs Reviews:
What’s the important information? Cells At Work! is a Summer 2018 anime that aired 13 episodes between July and September. It is based on a Shonen manga by Akane Shimizu.
What’s it about? The series takes place within a human body and focuses on the daily lives of anthropomorphised cells—specifically AE3803 a plucky but directionally challenged Red Blood Cell and U-1146 a no-nonsense White Blood Cell who always seems to cross path with the aforementioned cell—often defending her from nefarious germs who threaten the body they live in.
This gif pretty much sums up the standard episode!
Why did you watch it? It’s a pretty unique premise for a show, and more than anything I was just interested to see what kind of show this would be!
Did you enjoy the show? Consistently, well that’s not to say it was the most consistent of anime it did have the occasional weak episode but it was significantly more focused and delivered an entertaining experience with ease and expertise expected of a series that’s been around for decades. The fact that this is the mangaka’s first work is all the more surprising! Though clearly those working on the anime adaptation have the experience to deliver a spectacle week after week.
A round of adorable applause.
What was your favourite episode? It’s hard to pick a favourite considering how consistent the series is, but Episode 8 “Blood Circulation” had a certain endearing charm to the whole endeavour that made it especially great. It promised a lot, and while in the end the series didn’t deliver on the ~specific~ promise, it still was a worthwhile experience.
Talk about blood pressure!
What were your most favourite things about the show? Platelets! Ahem, sorry… it’s just that Platelets were a consistent bright spot of the Summer anime season and now that they’re relegated to memory it makes me all the more fond of them. The show is fun and quirky and mirrors certain aspects of Japanese society while never getting bogged down in being allegory.
Eminently poke-able.
What were your least favourite things about the show? The show fancies itself as educational—which may be true—but it almost doesn’t need to be. Sure it’s great that a series can entertain and inform in equal measure but the repetitive voice-over that explains in detail the specifics of any given encounter or introduction to a character is overused and halts the action too often. The series is at its best when it just allows its character to interact but feels bogged down in minutiae when it pauses every few minutes to explain something that kind-of could be left unexplained—or at the very least explained by a character in the show and not an omnipotent narrator.
White Blood Cells have seen some shit.
Who was your favourite character? While the Platelet’s will always have a piece of my heart, a ‘group’ of characters can’t ~technically~ be a favourite character as there’s multiple of them. So that’s why Red Blood Cell waifu AE3803 gets the pick from me. She’s just such a hard working cutie pie that I can’t help but love her!
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? Both are fantastic in their own ways. The OP, “Mission! Ken –Ko- Dai –Ichi” by the cast is an infectious (no pun intended) tune that never fails to set the mood in an energetic fashion. While the ED “CheerS” by ClariS is just straight up a delightfully sweet song that bookends each episode with a smile on my face.
*hums ED song*
What’s something unique about this show? While the series is about ‘cells’ in the human body they quickly become so much more than that, never before has the concept of making something anthropomorphised engendered me to something so deeply. I felt like these anime cells were actually within me, and I wanted to protect them by eating more healthy and taking better general care of myself. Well, up until the anime ended, and then the bad habits returned. But that just goes to show the power of this anime and the characters, that I could be protective of something that is nothing but artistic license.
*blush*
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? While it shares some tropes with Shonen action anime there really isn’t any other anime like ‘Cells At Work!’ it is a singular and unique experience.
Who would you recommend it to? Everyone. Yes, while the show might be a little violent for some youngsters, I’d say anyone between the age of 9 and 90 is bound to find something endearing and entertaining about this series.
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘Cute Cells Doing Critical Things’.
What’s the important information? Happy Sugar Life is a Summer 2018 psychological horror anime that ran 12 episodes from July to September. It is based on a manga series written by Tomiyaki Kagisora.
What’s it about? On the outside Sato is a bright, beautiful and very popular girl but inside she is deeply troubled and scarred—the only thing in life that brings her joy is her ‘relationship’ with a little girl named Shio who she’s kidnapped and keeps in her apartment. The two live a blissful life together that Sato would do anything to maintain, even if it means committing murder.
Happy together.
Why did you watch it? Believe it or not I actually like ‘dark’ things, despite my preoccupation with CGDCT and slice of life shows seemingly dictating my choices in anime watching. So when there’s a series that combines both—at the least the latter of which aesthetically if not literally—then you better believe I’m going to watch it!
Did you enjoy the show? As of the writing of this rundown ‘Happy Sugar Life’ is my second favourite anime of all time. Does that answer that question? I adored pretty much everything about this series to the point where I struggle to find fault with anything.
Just like me and this anime.
What was your favourite episode? Episode 9 “Dissolving Rain” had the single most dramatic moment I’ve seen in an anime in a very long time—the fact the build up to it was so masterfully and artfully done is just a small factor in why it was such a sublime episode. Plus the way it turns from honestly loving and beautiful to knuckle clenching tension to absolute horror within the space of minutes is something to behold.
Some breathtaking imagery in nearly every episode.
What were your most favourite things about the show? While this probably won’t be the same for most people, the fact that I could sympathise and even gravitate and dare I say sit in awed wonder of a character is morally ambiguous and downright sadistic as Sato says a lot about the quality of her characterisation and the writing. Not since the ‘Hannibal’ TV series have I been so enraptured and captivated and even siding with the actions of “the bad guy”. Artistically too, this shows pastel aesthetics are absolutely gorgeous and work as a visual contrast to the dark themes throughout.
In both senses of the word.
What were your least favourite things about the show? For a show to have made its way to Number 2 on my favourites list you’ll be hard-pressed to find me saying anything negative about it. Truly the only thing this show is weaker for is the fact that it’s only 12 episodes. I could have easily spent twice as long with these characters.
Who was your favourite character? Sato commands presence whenever she’s on-screen and even when she’s not on-screen the reverberations of her very existence permeate every characters respective lives, she is the burning sun at the centre of this universe, the tyrant at which all obey, all fear and many seek to bring down.
What’s that quote about staring into the abyss?
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? As if it’s any surprise but both the OP, “One Room Sugar Life” by Nanawo Akari and the ED “Sweet Hurt” by Reona are both absolutely gorgeous. The OP is a tense but still exciting and catchy prelude to each episode and sets the mood perfectly, while the ED serves as a sweet and reflective palette cleanser from the darkness that came before.
What’s something unique about this show? Rather than mention something specific about the series as I find everything about this show uniquely brilliant. A fact that still staggers me is the fact that something as beautiful and artistic as this was made by a first-time anime studio. There’s not much information about it that I could find but kudos to ‘Ezo’la’ for coming out this strong and confident with a series like this. I await any of their future series with interest and anticipation!
I love the recurrent motif of eyes in this series.
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? The contrast of cute to dark content is of course reminiscent of such classic series’ as ‘Puella Magi Madoka Magica’ and more recently ‘Magical Girl Raising Project’ but as I discussed in my episodic reviews the US series ‘Hannibal’ feels like the most accurate and appropriate comparison as the darkness in this show comes from nothing more than human desires and there’s nothing ~magical~ about what transpires between these characters.
Who would you recommend it to? I think there’s a certain level of arrogance that comes in recommending a series you love so much to everyone just because it is your favourite. But in that arrogance is an enthusiasm and hope that ~someone~ out there will find as much joy in it that you found in it. I don’t doubt there will be—even among my readers—people who can’t stand this show, but if I can even convince one person to like this show and they find even an ~ounce~ of enjoyment out of this show than that makes me happy.
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘With the ‘Happy’ comes tragedy, with the ‘Sugar’ comes the sour and with ‘Life’ come death.’
What’s the important information? Grand Blue Dreaming is a Summer 2018 anime comedy series that aired 12 episodes from July to September. It is based on a manga series by Kenji Inoue.
What’s it about? Iori has moved from the city to the beautiful Izu Peninsula where he intends to attend university, staying at his uncle’s diving shop “Grand Blue”. Things get out of hand quickly as he’s confronted by a bunch of burly, drunken nude men who are a part of the university’s diving club—despite his attempts to distance himself from them he quickly gets swept up in their drunken antics.
Just an average day at ‘Grand Blue’.
Why did you watch it? The anime’s poster had hot girls in bikini’s and the synopsis promised drunken comedy shenanigans—sometimes that’s all you need.
Did you enjoy the show? I did. It’s a very consistent show in regards to its comedy, no single episode felt like it was less funny than any of the others. That said the comedy does come from a very specific source, so your mileage with this kind of show depends on how much you enjoy drunken people acting like idiots. It’s also a very good-looking show and I’m not just talking about the fan-service, it’s bright and beautiful—when it’s not trying to be intentionally ugly.
Chisa is gorgeous.
What was your favourite episode? Episode 2 had a series of running jokes regarding redecorating Iori’s room in increasingly embarrassing ways that had me in stitches. So that would win for ~funniest~ episode, but the best episode is probably Episode 11 as it prioritises a lot more character development and even brings up some interesting things that were bound to come up when dealing with horny college students like Azusa half-jokingly offering sex to Iori. The show is at it’s best when everyone in the cast gets something to do and so the latter half is definitely an improvement in regards to the structure of the series going forward.
What were your most favourite things about the show? As someone who enjoys a drink, I appreciated just how ridiculous the drinking aspect of this show was—while still maintaining a semblance of reality about the situation. I also liked how every character has a different relationship to Iori and even with as much a glimpse you can tell what each character is thinking of him without even a word being said. It’s simply great characterisation that retains its continuity throughout the season without being all about it.
If looks could kill…
What were your least favourite things about the show? While this show is built upon running jokes and repeated antics, some of them can feel like an easy way to get a laugh—they’re still funny, it’s just there’s only so many times you can end a scene with all the men getting naked and readying to drink.
Who was your favourite character? While I’m probably most like Kohei, the anime shirt wearing, blonde haired otaku. The character I enjoyed the most was surprisingly Aina, I feel like she got the most amount of character development and despite being the “straight man” to most of the drunken antics she was still a fun and funny character to be around—plus she’s adorable!
Suddenly anime shirt!
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? The OP, “Grand Blue” by Shonan no Kaze is all about getting you in the summery mood and it perfectly accomplishes that. While the ED sums up the irreverent nature of the show by being a karaoke performance of a song called “Konpeki no al Fine” by in-universe idol Kaya Mizuki except it’s sung by the voice actors’ for the show’s male characters who get progressively more into the song (and more naked) as the credits progress.
Don’t get naked at karaoke!
What’s something unique about this show? I don’t think I’ve ever seen such reckless drinking portrayed so openly, positively and with such enthusiasm in an anime before. That counts as ~unique~ right?
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? In my first episode review of the show I called it ‘Amanchu’ meets ‘Jersey Shore’ and while I think as much as that comparison was tongue-in-cheek at the time it is pretty accurate. Later episodes have enough character development to be comparable to a show like Amanchu, while the hard drinking, hard partying over the top reactions feel like Jersey Shore—at least I assume so, I’ve never watched that show for more than a few minutes.
“Trust us it’s just water”
Who would you recommend it to? While the comedy is repetitive it’s also very consistent, however like most comedies you need to see an episode before you’ll know if you’ll like it. Some people will be instantly drawn to the series and some people will be turned off by almost everything—at least that’s the reaction I’ve seen online.
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘Beach, booze, bikinis, butts, bad behaviour, buff boys oh and there’s some diving too.’
Final score? 83 out of 100.
A moment to remember… or not!
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What’s the important information? Steins;Gate 0 is a Spring/Summer 2018 science fiction anime that aired 23 episodes from April to September. It is based off the visual novel of the same name which is a sequel to the first Steins;Gate anime and visual novel.
What’s it about? In a divergent timeline from the original Steins;Gate series, Rintaro Okabe fails to save the life of his love interest Kurisu and is presented with a world in which World War 3 will occur from the major global powers fighting over time machines. Several months have passed and Okabe is learning to live life again when he meets two former colleagues of Kurisu’s, Hiyajo Maho and Alexis Leskinen who have been working on an AI project called Amadeus—based on the compiled memories of Kurisu just months before her death.
Why did you watch it? The original Steins;Gate anime is one of my Top 10 anime of all time and any chance to have more experiences with the cast and setting that I loved so much was something I was eager to have! There’s no mistaking that it was my number 1 most anticipated show of Spring 2018!
Did you enjoy the show? I reviewed each of the 23 episodes weekly on the site (links can be found below) and almost immediately I was enraptured by the more personal, more contemplative version of Steins;Gate and specifically our protagonist Okabe. Everything was darker, more subdued, more meditative and I loved it so much for it, it wasn’t ~trying~ to recapture something from the past, it was its own show and all the better for it.
What was your favourite episode? I said it during the reviews and I’ll stick by it, Episode 22, struck a perfect balance and showed Akihabara—a city I have great fondness—for in such a reverent way. It also put to rest the long lingering mourning that Okabe had for Kurisu by getting rid of the AI Amadeus, but doing so in an appropriately emotional way for everyone concerned.
What were your most favourite things about the show? That this was its own show and not a lazy cash-in or fan-service laden rehash. With the exception of a few late-game moments Steins;Gate 0 is it’s own unique beast. I love that the series shows the effect of grief so thoroughly and doesn’t brush off the lasting impact losing someone (repeatedly) has on a person’s mind, body and soul.
What were your least favourite things about the show? I don’t know… while there were individual episodes that I nitpicked a lot in hindsight nothing really seemed especially egregious. If I were forced to choose, I’d say some characters were perhaps underutilised given we were introduced to new characters and had all the old ones return so content was perhaps stretched thin so that everyone had something to do—even if it was seemingly inconsequential.
Who was your favourite character? Maho! Maho is best girl, better than Kurisu, better than Mayuri. What’s that? You didn’t ask me who was ‘best girl’ but ‘best character’? I’m sorry, I don’t see the difference!
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? It’s a hard act to follow, having an OP that compares to the brilliance of the original Steins;Gate’s “Hacking To The Gate” by Kanako Ito. And kudos to the lady she comes close—arguably the lyrical content of Steins;Gate 0’s OP “Fatima” is better it’s just not quite as catchy as the original. The first ED, “LAST GAME” by Zwei is great, evoking almost a late 90’s James Bond credit aesthetic that I totally dig! While the second ED “World-Line” by Asami Imai is pretty much trash.
What’s something unique about this show? It’s hard to imagine something that is ostensibly alt-fiction of a different timeline to not only be so compelling but also almost supersede the original in terms of narrative satisfaction and yet here we are. My love for the original series perhaps makes me a little biased but I can’t help but be enraptured by this more mature approach to the series.
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? For once this is an easy question to answer, put simply if you like Steins;Gate you should find something to like about this series unless all your after is more of the same as the original in which case just go watch the original again.
Who would you recommend it to? Firstly, watching the original Steins;Gate is absolutely a pre-requisite, you’ll be lost otherwise. So if you’ve watched the original and want a darker-alternate ending that not only compliments the original but expands the universe and narrative substantially then this is the show for you!
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘The past is the past, let’s focus on the present and make the most of it.’
The Biggest Villain Is Toxic Masculinity – An Anime QandA Review of ‘My Hero Academia 3rd Season’ Episode 23
What’s the show? My Hero Academia 3rd Season, Episode 23.
So, uh, you kinda weren’t too keen on what this episode was going to be about when they teased it last week? Did it live up to your lack of expectations? As much as I hate to admit it… they kinda pulled it off—even with all my preconceived annoyance at the idea of Midoriya and Bakugo “needing” to fight. But that’s a big italicised and underlined kinda… because it’s still all absolutely unnecessary.
Wait, so you say the “pulled it off” but it was also “unnecessary”? How does that work? Well in the direct context of the show I bought it, plus it was well-written enough that I understood the intentions even if I absolutely hate the ~idea~ of it—I still do hate the idea mind you, I’ve just made my peace with it because of the aforementioned ‘positives’ of the episode.
Okay, I think you’re going to need to explain your problems with them having a fight seeing as you glossed over it last week as you pre-empted this week’s potential for a rant. I don’t like the idea that men have to fight each other in order to come to terms with things they’re feeling but can’t verbalise, it’s all under that delightful ‘toxic masculinity’ umbrella that irritates me so. I hate that we have a culture that celebrates being “tough” and negates the benefits of actually speaking about your problems and so whenever characters who are in all respects ‘allies’ and not ‘enemies’ decide that whatever ~problem~ has come between them needs to be resolved with fists instead of words I die a little inside. This is a problem as old as time itself, and perpetuating these negative “masculine” stereotypes is just wrong.
Makes sense I suppose, so I take it this episode at least gave a good enough reason for them to be fighting? Not really, it tried. I mean I ~love~ that Midoriya is open enough with his feelings that he only wants to talk about it, I’m so glad he’s the protagonist and not Bakugo. But Bakugo, ugh… I don’t hate him… but I absolutely pity him. I pity his irrational, violent sensibilities that make him so emotionally inert to any kind of reactions aside from insulting people and wanting to punch things. It’d be funny if there weren’t innocent people suffering at the hands of ignorant people like this in the real world.
Bringing it around to “reality” huh? Sure that’s wise, I mean we’re talking about a superhero anime here… Doesn’t change the fact that Midoriya and Bakugo are in a relationship—and calm down ‘shippers I don’t mean like that. You don’t have to be dating or sleeping with someone to be in an abusive relationship and that’s what it felt like Midoriya was having to deal with here—a “partner” who can’t express themselves verbally so they have to lash out with violence instead.
Do things at least get resolved by the end of the episode between the two? Kind of but not really, after their fight—which Midoriya loses by the way (make of that what you will)—All Might steps in to allay Bakugo’s insecurities and guilt, you know the reason Bakugo’s apparently been acting this way. Which I think is kinda bullshit because the many flashbacks show that he’s always been a dick to Midoriya so all his recent ‘hang-ups’ seem more like an excuse than anything. But as I said it’s still well written and well voice acted and I wasn’t bored at anytime during the episode so there’s that at least. I’m glad this mini-arc is over and we can hopefully get some interesting plot in before the end of the season!
Phantom in the Twilight – Full Season QandA Rundown
What’s the important information? Phantom in the Twilight is a Summer 2018 action/supernatural anime that aired 12 episodes from July through September. It is an original anime project produced by Happy Elements and is a Chinese co-production.
What’s it about? Ton Baileu and Shinyao Mu are two Chinese exchange students and best friends who’ve moved to London to attend university, immediately they are swept up in supernatural shenanigans as Shinyao is kidnapped by ~bad guys~. Ton finds help from an unexpected source, Umbra who are non-human creatures created out of the public’s collected consciousness on fantasy and supernatural beings. The four umbra who help her are Vlad, Luke, Toryu and Wayne—who run the ‘Café Forbidden’.
One big handsome happy family
Why did you watch it? While Kakuriyo was Spring’s anime for the irlwaifu, this was Summer’s, though it was arguably less directed to a female audience than the poster and synopsis suggested.
Did you enjoy the show? I enjoyed it for what it was, I was glad the series never took itself too seriously—in fact it was at it’s best when it was leaning into the almost over-the-top Supernatural-esque shenanigans. The narrative itself—while adequate never pushed itself to be more compelling or unique and some of the characters felt underdeveloped at times. The best way to sum up the show is that it was fun—but hardly ground-breaking or innovative.
*woosh*
What was your favourite episode? Episode 11 felt the most over-the-top and silly and contained one of my favourite lines in the entire series. The four Umbra and Ton are speeding toward where the bad guy’s were and they’re in a speed-boat going along the river Thames, Luke comments why they decided to go by speed-boat rather than pick something more subtle and Vlad replies “doesn’t it make sense to take the most picturesque approach?” Which kind of tells you everything you need to know about how serious this show takes itself at times.
Also from Episode 11.
What were your most favourite things about the show? I thought it was interesting that the Umbra manifest from people’s ideas about what monsters are, so Vlad is ~literally~ Dracula from Bram Stoker’s book. They’re also all immortal as long as they still have presence in the collective consciousness, which is an interesting way of getting around ideas like extended lifespans and not dying in battles. I also enjoyed the post credits ‘Phantom Plus’ segments which had Chibi versions of the characters addressing the audience and cracking jokes and references about the episode. Sometimes these kinds of segments can feel tacked-on and sometimes cringe-worthy but here they were legitimately funny and something I looked forward to each week!
Magic is the answer to everything!
What were your least favourite things about the show? Ton’s great-grandmother is often mentioned as she was a famous Umbra Hunter 100 years ago, she also opened ‘Café Forbidden’ and had some sort of relationship with Vlad. But I never really felt like anything was gained from having her character mentioned and found her a bit pointless to the story overall. Also it’s worth mentioning that Ton’s friend Shinyao spends 90% of the series kidnapped, which isn’t a great storytelling device and kind of gets ridiculous (but in a not-fun way), but at least Ton’s a strong enough female character to balance it out.
Who was your favourite character? It’s probably obvious but I think Ton was the sole reason I kept watching this show, from the very beginning I loved her energy and attitude and charisma and found her to be a compelling lead with both physical and mental strength.
Totally necessary combat roll.
Thoughts on the OP (opening) and ED (ending) and the soundtrack in general? The OP was “Flowery Song” by Jiro Wang and despite the title this wasn’t a delicate track, it was in fact a pretty strong and energetic soft rock song that I never got tired of. The ED on the other hand “HOME” by May’n, while competent and technically fine was a ~bit~ too sleepy for my liking.
What’s something unique about this show? Probably the most unique thing was the aforementioned plot point of Umbra being tied to the public’s perception of a typical “monster”. Other than that it wasn’t particularly unique in any respects—although watching Toryu ready for battles by pulling a full sized Gatling gun from out of his sleeves was endlessly amusing.
And now for my next trick!
What other anime are most like it for the sake of comparison? I hate not having an answer for this segment but because this is a genre of show I don’t usually watch I don’t have a basis for comparison! It shares some similar elements with Butlers x Battlers (which I watched last season), but comparing anything to that show seems mean.
Who would you recommend it to? While it wasn’t my favourite series of the Summer, in-fact it was pretty low compared to everything else I watched, I could probably recommend it to anyone who likes a bit of Supernatural-inspired action, handsome monster boys and a strong female lead. But only if you’re really bored and have nothing better to watch.
Sum up the season in one sentence: ‘The epitome of “pretty good”, it didn’t do anything dreadfully wrong but nor did it do anything particular noteworthy.’
Final score? 70 out of 100.
Punishment for Vlad.
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Anime QandA 