Visualist x100!! – My Hero Academia Season Three: Episode Five

The fifth episode of Boku no Hero Academia has the cast continue to repel the sudden ambush by the League of Villains. Will they become lunchmeat? Will they succeed in their retort? Find out none of that as Karandi and I share our thoughts on this specific episode that answers zero of those questions!

Kapodaco

I was so immersed with this episode that I forgot to collect screenshots of it. I ended up deleting the torrent file I used, only to realize I forgot about the screenshots, so I downloaded the same episode file again so that I could snap some pics.

While the opening six or so minutes was still a consistent bore, I can happily say that the series has finally gotten back on track with the tensile nature of the situation and the entertainment of finding out what comes next. And hallelujah! Other characters get some time dedicated to them. Never did I think I’d be impressed with Tetsutetsu as a serious character.

Some tropes still persist, absolutely, but the injection of intrigue and character flamboyance aids in the execution of rigorous entertainment. Bakugo had some super insane faces in this episode. Tokoyami is under siege from his own power. We saw some complexity with some of the villain characters (particularly Mr. hundred-swords-as-one-sword). It’s not just about Midoriya, as his character is already developed enough that continually showcasing him as the star by repeating what we already know of him makes it somewhat repetitive. Now I’d like the series to continue with that. Show some different groups working together, talking to one another, building camaraderie. Let them improve their heroic capabilities by improving their teamwork and their trust in one another.

It feels good to be sucked into an episode so fondly that you look down at the episode clock and see it’s more than halfway through. Not since the second season have I gone so long without doing so. Perhaps now with this episode set, my pessimism can take a backseat to what my brain and heart desired from this new season: substance (and fun).

Karandi

I kind of had a less intense reaction to this episode finding the first eleven minutes consisting of either wrapping up sequences we’d already seen, or characters kind of running around. There’s a lot of frantic energy on the screen but very little accomplished because of it. However, the second half of the episode steps it up and I found myself having a great time.

As Kapodaco pointed out, the best parts of this episode come from seeing the other students grouping together and working against various villains. The two students from B Class fighting in the gas was particularly fun to watch and I definitely got sucked right into that sequence. These are two characters I’ve seen before but had never really had much of a reason to care about, and now they’ve been given a chance to flesh out their personalities, bounce off one another, and a goal that they’ve accomplished. It was great to watch.

Likewise, seeing Todoroki trying to keep Bakugo from going crazy with his flames in the forest as they face off against the worst dressed villain in history (and that includes all the ludicrous Sailor Moon villains ever) was really entertaining and I’m hoping we get to see more of that fight soon. Though, seeing Tokoyami trying to control his own power is also something that could be very cool (unless Aizawa comes along and just erases his quirk, in which case it could be over pretty quick and something we’ll have to wait for in the future).

Overall, this episode continues to move this season in a positive direction. I still feel that I’m not really that concerned about the villains as a whole and their motives are a little all over the shop and that is probably making it a little harder to get into the action when most of these threats feel like throw-away characters we’ve barely met. But, with the students stepping up and the fights being quite entertaining, there’s more than enough to enjoy going on.

(To see all posts concerning this collab, check out my Collabs page!)