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EP. REVIEW: My Hero Academia Season 7


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andramus



Joined: 19 Apr 2020
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 9:52 pm Reply with quote
One of the complaints from manga readers I've seen in the past about Star and Stripe's quirk is that it's too fantastical and isn't typical of the more grounded "realistic" quirks of the series.

I suppose the argument is that there's usually a quasi-scientfic biological explanation for a quirk such as Bakugo sweating nitro-glycerine to fuel his explosions. None of the character's quirks would hold up to a real world scientific analysis but I suppose some of them are more plausible than others.

At the time I saw some of these complaints I tried to figure out for myself whether I thought Star's quirk was inconsistent with the level of realism we had come to expect from quirks. For me it comes down to whether or not we have been presented with other more fantastical and less obviously biological quirks in the past. One example might be Kurogiri's warping ability. That is an abillity to manipulate spacetime that cannot be passed off with a quasi-biological explanation such as sweating nitro-glycerine to create explosions.

There are probably other examples but Kurogiri is one of the earliest ones. If someone produced a list of all the characters in the series and their quirks and attempted to categorize which ones are semi-plausible and which ones are fantastical it could lead to an interesting debate as people go back and forth on how each quirk should be categorized.


Last edited by andramus on Sun May 05, 2024 1:39 am; edited 1 time in total
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Connor Dino



Joined: 20 Dec 2010
Posts: 345
PostPosted: Sat May 04, 2024 11:14 pm Reply with quote
^Wasn't there a Class B hero who could produce the sound effects from manga and make them real? Seems like the train has already left the station...
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andramus



Joined: 19 Apr 2020
Posts: 192
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 1:41 am Reply with quote
Connor Dino wrote:
^Wasn't there a Class B hero who could produce the sound effects from manga and make them real? Seems like the train has already left the station...


I think so. He's one of those characters who I didn't really notice when he first appeared and his quirk didn't really register with me. I've seen him talked about here and there and his quirk seems pretty fantastical.
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Glordit



Joined: 11 Sep 2020
Posts: 643
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 7:06 am Reply with quote
Connor Dino wrote:
^Wasn't there a Class B hero who could produce the sound effects from manga and make them real? Seems like the train has already left the station...


Manga Fukidashi showed up briefly a few episodes into season 5. He can make onomatopoeia which all have different effects.

Not even sure why people would try and find an explanation for quirks when they have demi-humans to the point where their appearances are based on their quirk; like Bondo who shoots glue and Ishiyama who can make cement. They are one of many who have a humanlike appearance but everything else is beyond the realm of scientific or basic biology.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
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PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 7:28 am Reply with quote
andramus wrote:
One of the complaints from manga readers I've seen in the past about Star and Stripe's quirk is that it's too fantastical and isn't typical of the more grounded "realistic" quirks of the series.

I suppose the argument is that there's usually a quasi-scientfic biological explanation for a quirk such as Bakugo sweating nitro-glycerine to fuel his explosions.


I think I kind of feel this way, although I'm not a manga reader. It's not so much that I care that there be a semi-scientific explanation, as it is that I prefer the rules of a quirk to feel intuitive and in need of minimal explanation for inferring how they function. Quirks like S&S's feel more like something out of.. Jojo, maybe? ... where they have to spend half the fight explaining the conditions that govern her powers, since there's absolutely no preexisting framework the viewer can leverage to predict how they should behave and what their limits are.

I guess I think that, while it's important for powers to behave in interesting ways and interact cleverly, it's even more important to me that they be succinctly explainable, given the viewer's preexisting background about the world.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11584
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 10:00 am Reply with quote
Quote:
Star & Stripe's quirk is practically a Stand from Jojo's,

Yeah, that was my first thought too. She even looks a little like a JoJo character. But why on earth would she explain in detail how her quirk works (aside from that's what shonen characters do)? She could have just told him if he moved her quirk would stop his heart, without explaining there were even rules.

Whenever anime has people standing around on top of flying jets, the leisurely flapping of their hair and cape just takes me right out of it. Are they flying at hang glider speeds? What's the quasi-scientific explanation for that (never mind even just being able to stand in jet-force winds)?
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FanGamer24



Joined: 10 Apr 2024
Posts: 87
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 10:29 am Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:

Whenever anime has people standing around on top of flying jets, the leisurely flapping of their hair and cape just takes me right out of it. Are they flying at hang glider speeds? What's the quasi-scientific explanation for that (never mind even just being able to stand in jet-force winds)?


Even if they're not moving wind can still exist.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
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PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 11:20 am Reply with quote
Yes, and? How does that address my question?
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Matros



Joined: 22 Feb 2021
Posts: 328
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 11:29 am Reply with quote
Sadly this was another overhyped "fight" by manga fans that ended up being kinda underwhelming, both animation and story wise. Too much exposition, too little fighting. Characters spent more time analysing each other while the time stands still. SaS even had a whole ass inner flashback that's clearly meant for the audience, it's quite jarring.
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Minos_Kurumada



Joined: 04 Nov 2015
Posts: 1182
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 1:13 pm Reply with quote
Matros wrote:
Sadly this was another overhyped "fight" by manga fans that ended up being kinda underwhelming, both animation and story wise. Too much exposition, too little fighting. Characters spent more time analysing each other while the time stands still. SaS even had a whole ass inner flashback that's clearly meant for the audience, it's quite jarring.


Well, HeroAca's appeal comes from the character writing, I have never found myself saying "That was a cool fight".

Like when All Might USApunched AFO, the fight itself was just AFO shooting All Might from afar and then making a big punch to hit him, but the character themes during the fight were top notch.

Thus, never believe the battle hype in HeroAca, they are just vehicles for the drama to unfold.
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MyMasterMatthew



Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 178
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 2:32 pm Reply with quote
Nicholas Dupree wrote:
Hell, we even dip our toes outside of what was or wasn't previously considered “canon” at one point.

I don't understand this line from the review. I'm wondering if that's because I haven't read the manga and haven't watched the movies?

Matros wrote:
Sadly this was another overhyped "fight" by manga fans that ended up being kinda underwhelming, both animation and story wise. Too much exposition, too little fighting. Characters spent more time analysing each other while the time stands still. SaS even had a whole ass inner flashback that's clearly meant for the audience, it's quite jarring.

It's funny you should say that. I heard nothing about this fight, and I really enjoyed it. Meanwhile, all the hype leading into S2 of Jujutsu Kaisen made me quite cynical when the time came. I wonder if my opinion would be different if the reverse happened - if I heard people hyping up this MHA fight, and if I hadn't heard any hype for JJK S2.
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NeverConvex
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Joined: 08 Jun 2013
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PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 2:41 pm Reply with quote
MyMasterMatthew wrote:
I don't understand this line from the review. I'm wondering if that's because I haven't read the manga and haven't watched the movies?


The American hero in this episode was previously featured (and only appeared in) the first movie, I think, and people usually assume the movies aren't canon, but her appearance here seems to have at least partially canonized that film. Think that's what Nick was referring to.
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FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2370
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 3:40 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
But why on earth would she explain in detail how her quirk works (aside from that's what shonen characters do)? She could have just told him if he moved her quirk would stop his heart, without explaining there were even rules.
To be fair, that was an internal monologue; she didn't explain anything to Shiggy for good reason.

Anyways this episode and likely this season given the upcoming material disappoints me. Shiggy thinking over every last detail and repeating a couple slowed the fight to a crawl. When JJK explains itself, it's flirting; with this, it's harassment. Star and her crew are fun, though.
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jdnation



Joined: 15 May 2007
Posts: 2107
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 3:53 pm Reply with quote
USA! USA!

Glad the filler's out of the way. But it was a nice reminder that MHA digs deep and explores subversive and philosophical themes that one normally expects from the more adult focused post-modern comics like Watchmen, the Killing Joke etc. yet still based in more approachable shonen trappings.

Anime has always typically treated it's younger Japanese audiences as being intelligent enough to handle more mature themes than typical western animation, but dang! This is good stuff that balances topics very well and isn't afraid to critique the downsides of superhero society, sympathy for villains and the general human condition!
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11584
PostPosted: Sun May 05, 2024 6:24 pm Reply with quote
FilthyCasual wrote:
Gina Szanboti wrote:
But why on earth would she explain in detail how her quirk works (aside from that's what shonen characters do)? She could have just told him if he moved her quirk would stop his heart, without explaining there were even rules.
To be fair, that was an internal monologue; she didn't explain anything to Shiggy for good reason.

She explained it to us in her head, but she then explained the fundamentals again for Shigaraki. Her lips were moving, so I assume she was talking to him.

SaS: By the way, I tagged you in the last attack. I said your name. If Tomura Shigaraki moves even an inch, his heart will stop beating!

If she'd just said the last sentence aloud, he wouldn't have figured out as much as he did.
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