The students of “My Hero Academia” have returned for a super-powered summer vacation filled with threats in the show’s third season. The series is set in a world where humans have evolved to no longer have a second joint in a certain toe, somehow causing them to develop super powers, referred to as “quirks.” Many then become superheroes, fighting off supervillains, with society eventually developing a system of restraints to license heroes and prevent people from using perks unnecessarily in public. Society’s greatest hero is Toshinori Yagi, known as “All Might,” the symbol of peace with the power to multiply his natural abilities, giving him super strength, speed, and agility. Main character Izuku Midoriya, though dreaming of becoming a great hero like All Might, learned at age four that he was born “quirkless.” He aims to overcome his lack of power by training and learning everything he can about the heroes and villains known to society. Being quirkless also results in friends turning on him, with Katsuki Bakugou, a boy from his childhood with explosive sweat, constantly bullying him. The main source of bullying appears in Midoriya's name, which Bakugou notes can be interpreted in Japanese as "Deku," or "one who can do nothing." Even Midoriya’s mother can’t find a way to support his dream fully, but his possibilities change when he meets All Might. After All Might saves him and gives an autograph, Midoriya clings to him as he leaps away, and after they land, All Might suddenly reverts to an emaciated form. Midoriya discovers that All Might was injured in the past, losing multiple organs, causing him to cough blood in this form and limiting his time powered up. All Might soon recognizes Midoriya's heroic nature, and reveals that his quirk, "One For All," can be passed on, and he chooses Midoriya as his successor. The first episode of this season is a filler episode made to remind viewers of what all has happened, since so much time has passed since season 2’s final episode aired. As summer is coming, the students want to spend some time having fun, but past events have them on a tight leash. In season one, the league of villains attacked Midoriya's school, U.A. High, and only retreated after an all-out counter from All Might. Later in season 2, the villains struck a city Midoriya was in, along with Stain, the man known as the "Hero Killer," and Midoriya and his friends barely survived. With a training camp planned for the summer, the teachers don't want the students too out of their sights, where they'd be in danger. Two often perverse characters, Minoru Mineta and Denki Kaminari, invite Midoriya to do endurance training at the pool, where they plot to spy on the girls, as they need permission to use the pool and see Midoriya as a way to make their lie believable. Midoriya, more focused on training and not knowing their true intentions, invites the other boys from class, and the group soon focuses on swimming races. While talking, Midoriya’s friend Tenya Iida brings up everything they’ve been through since joining U.A. as a way to remind viewers of past events. After the main races, during which numerous characters use their abilities to completely avoid actually swimming, the group gets to the final, with Midoriya, Bakugou and Shoto Todoroki, who has ice and fire powers. The episode comes to an end with the race and the audience learning of things to come from the group’s teacher Shota Aizawa, as well as the League of Villains. The episode does little more than serve as filler, but is a good way to remind fans of the show’s current situations. The following episode gets back into the true story, with the students heading to camp, only to find themselves on a mountainside. Here they meet two members of the hero team “The Pussycats,” and realize they will have to traverse a dangerous forest to get to camp. Before anyone can get back to the bus, one of the Pussycats uses her earth-manipulation quirk to knock them down the mountain with a landslide. She also mentions that because they are on private property, the students can use their quirks freely, which they can't normally do because of societal law. The students come face to face with large creatures, quickly realizing they are earth constructs, and begin using their quirks to speed through the forest. This is one of the more effective moments of the two episodes, as it shows in a few minutes and without clunky dialogue what the characters can do and how far they’ve progressed. Everyone demonstrates the skills and techniques they've learned, and work off each other, as the teachers worked to get them to learn. The group finally gets to camp after three hours, exhausted and facing the effects of overusing their quirks, and get dinner. Here, the group also meets Kota Izumi, a boy with a chip on his shoulder when it comes to superheroes, who says he doesn't want to be near any of them. Midoriya and the others begin to get comfortable at camp, but know they have hard work ahead of them, and Midoriya takes an interest in Kota. What the students don’t realize is the true danger lurking on the edge of the camp, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Fans of the manga know that future episodes will bring visual spectacles to the screen as the students face greater danger. Even those who don't, however, can rest assured that great action is coming, and it will exemplify how far Midoriya has come from his quirkless days.
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Dragon Ball Super has finally come to an end, as the Tournament of Power reaches its climax with Universe 7's last stand against Jiren.
At the end of the previous episode, 17 and Frieza were revealed to have both survived 17's explosion, though they don't seem to have much left in them. Weakened and exhausted from fighting Goku, Jiren quickly takes a fall at 17 and Frieza's hands, with Frieza gloating over him. Toppo, however, calls out to Jiren, inspiring him to keep fighting to protect their universe, and he leaps back into the fray. Jiren launches a massive energy blast, and though the duo holds it at bay, the sheer effort causes Frieza's golden form to dissipate. As the two struggle, Goku somehow manages to return to his feet and helps push back the energy, though his half-closed eye shows he is struggling. The group decides to have Goku and Frieza run in to take Jiren on in close combat, while 17 stays behind to provide cover fire. Goku and Frieza trade blows with Jiren, occasionally taking the upper hand or being knocked around, and Jiren's attempts to bypass them and beat 17 are thwarted. Goku and Frieza work surprisingly well together, showcasing numerous classic skills in tandem with one another to slam Jiren, using the terrain to their advantage. Jiren manages to keep up, however, consistently dodging and attacking the combination attack, and the tournament comes to an end with a multi-knockout. Though I won't say who wins, longtime fans will will definitely guess how things will go, but with a possibly less considered twist. The winner gets their wish from the Super Dragon Balls, and those left learn of a twist to the wish they weren't aware of before. There is definitely a bittersweet feeling to this episode, especially for a fan like me who had long wanted a DBZ sequel and was ecstatic to see DBS. Although it is sad to see it go, there's joy in how everything ended, and news has already come out of a new Dragon Ball movie coming in a few months. Though little information has come out for the film, we have seen Goku facing a mysterious figure, now equipped again with his famous power pole. This is definitely an interesting development, as Goku hasn't used the power pole since his childhood days in Dragon Ball. Back then, he had to use it to reach Kami's Lookout, by placing it in a hole on top of Korin's Tower and extending it as far as it could go. Despite how long he's been without it, Goku is a master with this weapon, and it will be interesting to see how he uses it now that he's advanced so far. Getting back on topic with the series ending, I have to admit I was somewhat surprised by the turn of events, not always in a good way. At the previous episode's end, Goku's body was ravaged as a result of achieving Ultra Instinct multiple times, leaving him immobilized. I was glad to see this happen, as it made the most sense for some kind of penalty to come with this power. Though a known trope in Shonen manga, it can be boring when the hero push himself too hard and never feel the repercussions. This seemed to be how things ended up with this episode as Goku throws himself back into the fray, somehow managing to not just stand, but help fend off Jiren. This wasn't too much of a distraction, however, because it was definitely more interesting to watch how surprisingly well he fought alongside Frieza. The two even fight well enough to protect 17 as they go against Jiren, and it is surprising enough that Frieza had no ulterior motives in the end. Despite how sure I was with past posts about Frieza betraying everyone in the end, I'm glad things took a different turn. Knowing Frieza and how he was acting throughout the tournament, it was definitely interesting to see him fight for the good of everyone. Also along the same lines as Goku's surprising return, it was good to see that Jiren also came back from his beating, if Goku did. True to his status as the strongest in Universe 11, Jiren proves himself to still be a problem for the trio, despite them outnumbering him 3-1. I can't say too much more about specifically the episode without spoiling things, but suffice to say this is definitely not the end. Along with the upcoming movie, it would make sense for a new series to continue the story, considering the episode's end. Whatever comes next, you can bet the millions of fans, including me, will be there to watch. As both DBZ and now DBS have ended this way, I'll have to finish this by saying "Until we meet again, Goku!"
Image from Gfycat.com
Image from Gfycat.com
On top of her own issues, Jessica Jones now has to try to solve the murder of "The Whizzer" as Trish makes decisions that could anger those around her.
At the end of the previous episode, Jessica discovered the lab where she was experimented on when she was a child. Though the disguised building seems abandoned, the remaining equipment caused Jessica to have flashbacks to what she went through. After these discoveries, Jessica is in a bar slamming down whiskey at this episode's start, failing to tell Trish because Griffin suggests she wait until morning. A man comments on her butt and they head to the bathroom to have sex, but upon discovering Jessica's powers, he becomes disgusted, and Jessica tells him to get out, commenting on his inability to satisfy her. Malcolm tells Jessica about Dr. Kozlov's address he found as a result of her snooping, and despite his pleas, Jessica tells him to take the day off as she heads out. Jessica goes to Kozlov's address, only to find a funeral after he was in a "freak car accident," and she begins searching under the guise of being a patient of his. Trish, meanwhile, has started building a relationship with her mother Dorothy again despite Jessica's protests, and a figure watches from a distance. After talking about the decline in popularity for Trish's show, her mother, albeit reluctantly, gives Trish the address of a movie director from Trish's past. After the results she received in the previous episode, Hogarth is found in a daze as she drives, soon pulling to the side where she picks up a prostitute. Back at Kozlov's, Jessica has found his office and discovered a picture of Kozlov with Will Simpson and other soldiers, one of whom enters, now wheelchair-bound. The man, Isaiah, demands to know who she's working for, and attacks her with a baton, only for her to grow annoyed and push him from his chair. The two discuss Kozlov's death, agreeing that it wasn't an accident, and Isaiah blames Will Simpson, who he says is still alive, before they are discovered and Jessica leaves. Trish and her mother finish their meal, and after Trish ignores Jessica's call and reveals that she doesn't want Jessica to know they are meeting, we see that Simpson, using some sort of inhalant, is her stalker. While researching the Whizzer and Kozlov, Jessica gets a visit from two police officers, Ruth Sunday and Eddy Costa, who believe she had a hand in Whizzer's death. Proclaiming her innocence, Jessica takes the officers to Oscar, the man who moved in, but he claims to have not seen anything at the accident, so she angrily leaves. Malcolm wakes up to a message from Trish recruiting his help, and he later heads to a movie set where she gives him a fake ID, telling him to say he is a production assistant if questioned. Trish explains that they are not doing anything that is "physically" dangerous, and soon finds the director, Tatum, who agrees to meet with her in his trailer. Jessica, meanwhile, finds the Whizzer's apartment, and after trapping his pet mongoose Emily in the bathroom, inspects his laptop. She finds a video where he details his powers and his belief that they are causing mental illness and killing him, finally saying "we" have to do something about what's happening. The police arrive, asking if anyone is inside as they try to get in, so Jessica releases Emil to get in their way and escapes via a window. Over at Hogarth's apartment, we see her in a drug-induced state partying with three prostitutes, making out with one of them as they dance. Later as Hogarth sleeps, one of the prostitutes answers a knock on the door which turns out to be Pryce Cheng, saying he has filed a complaint against Jones. Cheng chastises Hogarth for her behavior, saying he hopes she protects her clients like he does, and she pays the prostitutes and demands that they leave before breaking down. Jessica takes Whizzer's laptop back to her apartment, bumping into Oscar along the way, so she stops to ask why he lied to the cops. Treating Jessica coldly, Oscar explains that he is in a custody battle over his son, and doesn't want to risk having his son over super powered problems. Though she is disgusted at Oscar's actions, Jessica moves on to inspecting the laptop further, finding search history that shows Whizzer frequented Trish's website. In his comments, he gave his support to what Trish was saying, and Jessica realizes that Trish is the connection she's been looking for. She leaves a voicemail for Trish, who is busy talking to Tatum, asking for his influence at Metro-General Hospital without mentioning Jessica. When Tatum refuses, Trish threatens to expose him for sexually assaulting her when she worked with him as a child. Though Tatum still refuses, saying she is blackmailing him, Malcolm, who is in the closet, catches the whole thing on camera. Jessica, desperate to find Trish, calls Dorothy and learns of Trish's deceit before Dorothy hangs up, so she heads over and breaks in. Disarming Dorothy, Jessica soon learns about Trish's trip to Tatum, where things have continued to go poorly. Malcolm, enraged after learning what Tatum did to Trish, has assaulted him and broken his nose, then runs away. Trish, crying over her encounter, sees her multiple missed calls and hears a strange noise, discovering Simpson in the shadows. When Simpson refuses to stay where he is despite her gun, Trish shoots him in the leg, but he limps toward her. The episode comes to a climax as we are unsure what happened with Simpson and Jessica rushes to aid Trish. This episode goes miles in fleshing out its side characters, in particular Malcolm, as his continued struggle against his addiction shows his personality. Malcom's protests at Jessica not giving him work were a favorite section of the episode for me, as it connects to his struggles and growth. As a former addict due to Kilgrave, Malcolm is desperate to stay busy, saying that otherwise he could get into trouble, and is disappointed when Jessica refuses to give him anything to do. Almost immediately, he got the message from the dating app, and goes to sleep with her, showing a stumble in his path to resist his impulses. This makes Malcolm both relatable and realistic, as he clearly wants to get better but has difficulty from time to time. If he were just suddenly perfectly fine, it wouldn't feel right, and it would be odd that the drugs were just completely forgotten. As he is now, he serves as an example for addicts that they might struggle, but they can still get clean, as well as for non-addicts to show them how difficult it is to stop using a substance. We get to see a more vulnerable side in Hogarth, though her segments are somewhat bland in comparison to the mysteries posed elsewhere. Despite not knowing what exactly Hogarth has, it's hard to not at least feel sympathy for her, as most people know someone who has dealt with a debilitating disease. Her downward spiral is sure to cause problems down the line, though it could also lead to a redemption down the line. On a different note, Marvel might be continuing its odd desire to make most of the characters have a relationship every season. The biggest one so far is how every Defender has met Claire, and both Daredevil and Luke have had a relationship with her. Luke and Jessica developed a romance, like they married in the comics, and Luke also had a night with Misty, and Danny, meanwhile, had a sort of fling with Colleen. Jessica has assumed a tense relationship with tenant Oscar, and though he seems to have a firm stance against superheroism because of his son, their last interaction seemed to have a bit of witty bantering. Hopefully this is just me sensing a typical pattern, and will not develop into anything else, as along with how it would detract from the main story, I am waiting for the point Jessica and Luke will officially become an item. The next episode will probably start off with some action, so I'm looking forward to getting into it. |
AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
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