"My Hero Academia: Vigilantes" Season One Talkback (Spoilers)

[Light Lucario]

So it looks like this episode and the next episode are comedy focused episodes. Despite the title "Vigilantes" having edgy connotations, this series does feel more lighthearted than the main series, except for the Stain origin story mini-arc. Koichi gets humiliated again, this time by the anime archetype of the American jerk. The further we go, the more it's obvious that this series is not a DBZ-style battle shonen, but written more like an American episodic superhero action/comedy cartoon. That is certainly something way different than what fans of the main MHA series expected. That doesn't necessarily make the series bad, just different.

It does feel more like a episodic action series more so than anything else. It's more comedic than the main series, but it doesn't feel too much like a comedy. Vigilantes having a pretty light tone so far is rather strange given the premise. This is set in a more peaceful time compared to the main series, but it still feels strange. I'm also still curious as to why people were so eager for an adaptation of this series. Vigilantes isn't necessarily bad. It does have some good moments and interesting ideas, but after hearing about people wanting this adaptation for years and claiming that it is better than My Hero Academia, I so far don't think it lives up to the hype.

I thought that last week's episode was okay. Captain Celebrity was a huge cocky jerk, but that's by design. It's such a weird hero name since it would have been ridiculous to use as a new hero. Being so full of himself, wanting to only do his work if he had his crew and cameras on him and wanting to save only women to look good was pretty annoying. Heroes in Japan can also be entertainers or have entertainment gigs, but those are typically on the side of their hero work. Koichi trying to save a dog was at least cute even if he had to be saved by Captain Celebrity.

I was surprised that he wasn't sued over his hero work. I thought that Captain Celebrity not rushing into saving the day before being on camera would get him in some legal hot water too, especially if that led to someone getting hurt or worse. But being a huge cheating creep with women unfortunately made sense too. You'd think that would affect his popularity to a degree at least, especially with other women. Maybe they didn't know or care, but he is the top American Hero, so his lawsuit and allegations should be pretty well known to the general public.

I absolutely hated Pop's whole "Doing nothing is a viable option" line when Koichi wanted to prevent Mokato from going out with Captain Celebrity. To be fair, she was not in apparent danger. Mokato had the situation under control from the start after getting in contact with his wife. That was a really cool moment that made me like Mokato more. But Pop already saw that Captain Celebrity was a huge jerk who did not care about anyone but himself. He was already involved in multiple lawsuits for cheating, including on his wife. While they don't really mention it, I am left wondering if the other lawsuits were for more than just cheating. His wife absolutely sue him for being a cheating punk, but I don't know if the other women suing him could sue him for cheating, which lead me to think that Captain Celebrity did something worse to other women that made them sue him. That is admittedly maybe a case of me reading too much into a small detail, but even if he just kept cheating on his wife, that still makes Captain Celebrity a creep that could hurt Mokato at least emotionally. But because she is annoyingly tsundare for Koichi, Pop wouldn't mind doing nothing about the situation. Unbelievable.

I'm sure it was supposed to be a joke, but it wasn't funny. Pop being annoyed at the cheerleader uniforms for being revealing when her costume is just as revealing, if not more so, was funny. Not wanting to do something to help Mokato against a creep really makes her look like a terrible person. I'm not saying that she's heartless, but when she'd rather let Mokato be in a potentially dangerious situation instead of helping her simply because of her crush on Koichi, it does not paint her in the best light.

Captain Celebrity desperately trying to change his image in order to avoid more confrontations with his wife was weird. I don't know if he'll play more of a role in the future, but this just felt like such an odd introduction if that was the case. I thought that they would just end the episode there, but then they had the setup for the following episode.

This week's episode was pretty good. Koichi lying to his Mom about his life felt reasonable up until the fake girlfriend bit. He was in a painc over making sure that his Mom didn't take him back into the country, but this felt like a cliche sitcom plot. It might have been a tad more believable if Koichi was in high school instead of college. I think he'd be considered a legal adult in Japan at 19, so I don't know if his mother would have that much authoirty to pull him out of school. Mokato agreeing to be his fake girlfriend was a bit of a surprise. I didn't think she'd agree to do it, but his Mom could see right through the lie. At least they didn't spend a lot of time on the fake girlfriend nonsense.

Of course, Pop still showed up with the intent of acting as Koichi's girlfriend. At least we got to learn both Pop and Knuckleduster's real names. Knuckleduster's non-profit job looks legit. I don't think he'd give out business cards if they were fake since that would be more suspicious. Mokato bringing up the possibility of Knuckleduster being a hero does make me wonder if they'll expand more on his backstory soon, especially with the preview in mind. Pop wanting to stand up for Koichi only to be too flustered to actually explain more would have been a nicer moment if I cared about their relationship.

I really hope that they aren't going to build up to a romance between Koichi and Pop. I'm not even that bothered by the age gap, even thoug a 19 year old falling for someone who I assume is 14 or 15 would be kind of weird. They just have absolutely no romantic chemistry. The crush is too one sideded for my tastes and the crush so far is treated more for comedy than anything else. I can barely believe that they're friends, so developing a believable romance at this point feels like a tough sell. Admittedly, Pop being told that she looked casual isn't the best kind of compliment girls and women would want to hear, but it's hard for me to feel bad for her when I don't care like her crush on Koichi.

It was cute that Mokato and Koichi's Mom got along so well. No one was even upset over the whole fake girlfriend bit for long. The angry cat bus was certainly a different kind of Quirk, especially when we've rarely seen animals with Quirks in this franchise. Knuckleduster getting the cat bus to move away from people with a giant cat toy was pretty funny.

Getting to see Ingenium again in action was cool and still helps to establish why his younger brother idolized him. Getting to see Koichi team up with Ingenium made me kind of wish that he could have taken his job offer. Koichi has been able to help people as a vigliantee, but he could do so much more working under pro heroes. Obviously, the pro hero system isn't perfect. We've seen its flaws in the main series, but he could have better training for his Quirk while being able to offer more support to save more people. I felt this way ever since Ingenium was introduced, which made me wonder if the premise of this series doesn't do much for me when I'd rather see the main character work as a support hero. He does come off as much more heroic than the other two leads. He didn't even care about revealing his idenity to Mokato when he was focused on saving her. Koichi could benefit from having a better mask, although I also suspect that they'd prefer to make his face more visible to give him more expressions.

It was still pretty cool to see Koichi's Quirk actually allow him to fly. Establishing that he could fly as a baby only for his mother to get him to stop felt a bit odd. Maybe you could argue that they were hinting that Koichi's Quirk wasn't as useless when a quick lesson with Ingenium helped him and he saved Pop from falling earlier as well, but it felt a bit too minimal if that was the case. At the very least, establishing Koichi's relationship with his mother earlier would have helped to give both the reveal and the speech about letting children go have more weight.

Having Makoto in the loop could be interesting, especially when she is a reporter who was already researching the viligantees. Not to mention her brother being a detective could pose some issues too. At least Koichi's Mom left on better terms. Koichi couldn't get his Quirk to work the same way again, but I suspect that he'll eventually regain that power. We've seen how Quirks can improve over time with proper training, so I could see something like that happening for Koichi.

 

[Yojimbo]

I'm also still curious as to why people were so eager for an adaptation of this series. Vigilantes isn't necessarily bad. It does have some good moments and interesting ideas, but after hearing about people wanting this adaptation for years and claiming that it is better than My Hero Academia, I so far don't think it lives up to the hype.

In general, the second half of the series lives up to the hype.

It was still pretty cool to see Koichi's Quirk actually allow him to fly. Establishing that he could fly as a baby only for his mother to get him to stop felt a bit odd. Maybe you could argue that they were hinting that Koichi's Quirk wasn't as useless when a quick lesson with Ingenium helped him and he saved Pop from falling earlier as well, but it felt a bit too minimal if that was the case. At the very least, establishing Koichi's relationship with his mother earlier would have helped to give both the reveal and the speech about letting children go have more weight.

Having a couple days to think about it, I wonder if the truth is his Quirk is Magnetism. In Marvel Comics, Magneto basically rides Earth's natural magnetic field lines and creates a repulsive force between himself and the Earth, propelling himself upwards which looks like flight. The latter feels a lot like what Koichi pulled off in this episode.

 

[Light Lucario]

In general, the second half of the series lives up to the hype.

Hopefully it will be at least an improvement. I don't know if it will be enough for me to think that the series will live up to the hype, but I'll have to see.

Having a couple days to think about it, I wonder if the truth is his Quirk is Magnetism. In Marvel Comics, Magneto basically rides Earth's natural magnetic field lines and creates a repulsive force between himself and the Earth, propelling himself upwards which looks like flight. The latter feels a lot like what Koichi pulled off in this episode.

That would be an interesting twist. It would explain why he could fly even as a baby and how he was able to fly in this episode. Without the proper training he would have gotten in a Hero course, it's more than possible that Koichi doesn't fully realize what his Quirk is capable of as well.

 

[Frontier]

It does feel more like a episodic action series more so than anything else. It's more comedic than the main series, but it doesn't feel too much like a comedy. Vigilantes having a pretty light tone so far is rather strange given the premise. This is set in a more peaceful time compared to the main series, but it still feels strange. I'm also still curious as to why people were so eager for an adaptation of this series. Vigilantes isn't necessarily bad. It does have some good moments and interesting ideas, but after hearing about people wanting this adaptation for years and claiming that it is better than My Hero Academia, I so far don't think it lives up to the hype.

I guess in the sense that it's a show about illegal vigilantes going up against drug dealers, one would assume the tone would be more darker and grittier, though I also feel it's tonally consistent with the main series.

I think people appreciate about Vigilante's exploring a different side of the setting, more world-building, different protagonists with different age and worldviews, compared to the main MHA cast. It also probably helped Vigilante's that it came out when it did at that point in the main series. Also it has a clear thoroughline of what it wants to be and good build-up.

I thought that last week's episode was okay. Captain Celebrity was a huge cocky jerk, but that's by design. It's such a weird hero name since it would have been ridiculous to use as a new hero. Being so full of himself, wanting to only do his work if he had his crew and cameras on him and wanting to save only women to look good was pretty annoying. Heroes in Japan can also be entertainers or have entertainment gigs, but those are typically on the side of their hero work. Koichi trying to save a dog was at least cute even if he had to be saved by Captain Celebrity.

I was surprised that he wasn't sued over his hero work. I thought that Captain Celebrity not rushing into saving the day before being on camera would get him in some legal hot water too, especially if that led to someone getting hurt or worse. But being a huge cheating creep with women unfortunately made sense too. You'd think that would affect his popularity to a degree at least, especially with other women. Maybe they didn't know or care, but he is the top American Hero, so his lawsuit and allegations should be pretty well known to the general public.

He might be a glory hound and a philanderer but he actually seems pretty competent at hero work. He's at least nowhere near as bad as Endeavor is in his private life.

I absolutely hated Pop's whole "Doing nothing is a viable option" line when Koichi wanted to prevent Mokato from going out with Captain Celebrity. To be fair, she was not in apparent danger. Mokato had the situation under control from the start after getting in contact with his wife. That was a really cool moment that made me like Mokato more. But Pop already saw that Captain Celebrity was a huge jerk who did not care about anyone but himself. He was already involved in multiple lawsuits for cheating, including on his wife. While they don't really mention it, I am left wondering if the other lawsuits were for more than just cheating. His wife absolutely sue him for being a cheating punk, but I don't know if the other women suing him could sue him for cheating, which lead me to think that Captain Celebrity did something worse to other women that made them sue him. That is admittedly maybe a case of me reading too much into a small detail, but even if he just kept cheating on his wife, that still makes Captain Celebrity a creep that could hurt Mokato at least emotionally. But because she is annoyingly tsundare for Koichi, Pop wouldn't mind doing nothing about the situation. Unbelievable.

I'm sure it was supposed to be a joke, but it wasn't funny. Pop being annoyed at the cheerleader uniforms for being revealing when her costume is just as revealing, if not more so, was funny. Not wanting to do something to help Mokato against a creep really makes her look like a terrible person. I'm not saying that she's heartless, but when she'd rather let Mokato be in a potentially dangerious situation instead of helping her simply because of her crush on Koichi, it does not paint her in the best light.

I think they would have brought it up if he had a history of treating women badly across his various cheating scandals. Obviously he's scummy in the sense of prioritizing fame over fighting crime and perpetually cheating on his wife but they gave no indication that he's any kind of danger to civilians even the ones he's trying to cheat on his wife with. He has his personal foibles but he doesn't seem abusive like Endeavor.

I also think it's legitimate for Pop to feel they shouldn't interfere with what Makoto is doing because she's an adult who can make her own choices and Koichi was motivated more because he was jealous than because he thought Captain Celebrity was a creeper.

Captain Celebrity desperately trying to change his image in order to avoid more confrontations with his wife was weird. I don't know if he'll play more of a role in the future, but this just felt like such an odd introduction if that was the case. I thought that they would just end the episode there, but then they had the setup for the following episode.

Gotta convince the wife that you're just having fun with your bros .

This week's episode was pretty good. Koichi lying to his Mom about his life felt reasonable up until the fake girlfriend bit. He was in a painc over making sure that his Mom didn't take him back into the country, but this felt like a cliche sitcom plot. It might have been a tad more believable if Koichi was in high school instead of college. I think he'd be considered a legal adult in Japan at 19, so I don't know if his mother would have that much authoirty to pull him out of school. Mokato agreeing to be his fake girlfriend was a bit of a surprise. I didn't think she'd agree to do it, but his Mom could see right through the lie. At least they didn't spend a lot of time on the fake girlfriend nonsense.

Honestly considering how much his mom has him whipped and controls him emotionally, I'm not surprised.

I really hope that they aren't going to build up to a romance between Koichi and Pop. I'm not even that bothered by the age gap, even thoug a 19 year old falling for someone who I assume is 14 or 15 would be kind of weird. They just have absolutely no romantic chemistry. The crush is too one sideded for my tastes and the crush so far is treated more for comedy than anything else. I can barely believe that they're friends, so developing a believable romance at this point feels like a tough sell. Admittedly, Pop being told that she looked casual isn't the best kind of compliment girls and women would want to hear, but it's hard for me to feel bad for her when I don't care like her crush on Koichi.

I actually thought the Captain Celebrity episode did a good job of showing they have a pretty natural rapport and chemistry with each other when it's just the two of them with no Knuckleduster.

Getting to see Ingenium again in action was cool and still helps to establish why his younger brother idolized him. Getting to see Koichi team up with Ingenium made me kind of wish that he could have taken his job offer. Koichi has been able to help people as a vigliantee, but he could do so much more working under pro heroes. Obviously, the pro hero system isn't perfect. We've seen its flaws in the main series, but he could have better training for his Quirk while being able to offer more support to save more people. I felt this way ever since Ingenium was introduced, which made me wonder if the premise of this series doesn't do much for me when I'd rather see the main character work as a support hero. He does come off as much more heroic than the other two leads. He didn't even care about revealing his idenity to Mokato when he was focused on saving her. Koichi could benefit from having a better mask, although I also suspect that they'd prefer to make his face more visible to give him more expressions.

Of course even Ingenium's team of Pro Heroes needed some vigilante help on two occassions so as much as Pro Heroes can do, there's obviously still a necessity for Naruhata Vigilantes however motivated any of them are.

It was still pretty cool to see Koichi's Quirk actually allow him to fly. Establishing that he could fly as a baby only for his mother to get him to stop felt a bit odd. Maybe you could argue that they were hinting that Koichi's Quirk wasn't as useless when a quick lesson with Ingenium helped him and he saved Pop from falling earlier as well, but it felt a bit too minimal if that was the case. At the very least, establishing Koichi's relationship with his mother earlier would have helped to give both the reveal and the speech about letting children go have more weight.

I think Koichi's personality and how humble and self-conscious he is retroactively explained by his mothers' treatment of him and basically slapping him into the ground and making his Quirk regress. So he never properly fully realized it or developed it, and his identity as a hero, until now.

 

[Light Lucario]

I guess in the sense that it's a show about illegal vigilantes going up against drug dealers, one would assume the tone would be more darker and grittier, though I also feel it's tonally consistent with the main series.

I think people appreciate about Vigilante's exploring a different side of the setting, more world-building, different protagonists with different age and worldviews, compared to the main MHA cast. It also probably helped Vigilante's that it came out when it did at that point in the main series. Also it has a clear thoroughline of what it wants to be and good build-up.

I can understand the appeal of the different setting and expanding a bit more of the world building from the main series. Koichi is a likable protagonist, but I wouldn't say he's drastically different kind of protagonist. He's an adult character and people would like that or find that more relatable than a high school protagonist, but he comes off as a slightly more jaded version of Midoriya. I'm less sure about Vigilante having a clear throughline of what it wants to be and has good build-up at this point, but that might feel more accurate after seeing the whole series.

I think they would have brought it up if he had a history of treating women badly across his various cheating scandals. Obviously he's scummy in the sense of prioritizing fame over fighting crime and perpetually cheating on his wife but they gave no indication that he's any kind of danger to civilians even the ones he's trying to cheat on his wife with. He has his personal foibles but he doesn't seem abusive like Endeavor.

That's true, but if he was under multiple lawsuits, not just the one from his wife, I don't know if they could all sue him for being a cheater. He isn't another Endeavor, but that doesn't mean he couldn't cause harm to other women if he is being sued by them. It is still admittedly a reach on my part, but Captain Celebrity being such a womanizer would still cause at least emotional harm to other women and his wife in particular.

I also think it's legitimate for Pop to feel they shouldn't interfere with what Makoto is doing because she's an adult who can make her own choices and Koichi was motivated more because he was jealous than because he thought Captain Celebrity was a creeper.

That doesn't quite work for me. Koichi was jealous of Captain Celebrity, but I don't think that was why he wanted to help Makoto. He hasn't really shown any romantic interest in Makoto and after learning about him being a cheating scumbag, he didn't want his friend to get hurt. That was the impression I got at least. Pop's response had nothing to do with Makoto being an adult who can make her own choice. She only said that because she is jealous of Makoto. If she was less traditionally attractive or if she wasn't jealous over her relationship with Koichi, Pop might have been more willing to step in to help her. I still don't think it puts Pop in the best light when she didn't care about Makoto going out with someone who is a cheating creep.

I actually thought the Captain Celebrity episode did a good job of showing they have a pretty natural rapport and chemistry with each other when it's just the two of them with no Knuckleduster.

I wouldn't say that translate into romantic chemistry though. I can maybe believe that they're friends, but a blooming romance between them just does not fit with their dynamic. If anything, it feels contrived to have this kind of dynamic, even if Pop's crush does make sense from her perspective.

I think Koichi's personality and how humble and self-conscious he is retroactively explained by his mothers' treatment of him and basically slapping him into the ground and making his Quirk regress. So he never properly fully realized it or developed it, and his identity as a hero, until now.

I still think it would have helped to establish his mother a lot earlier. While you can see how his attitude is retroactively made sense through his mother's treatment, it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for just one episode and feels a bit too much of a show, don't tell issue too. It still generally works for what they're going for, but it could have been a bit more effective with more buildup.

 

[Frontier]

I can understand the appeal of the different setting and expanding a bit more of the world building from the main series. Koichi is a likable protagonist, but I wouldn't say he's drastically different kind of protagonist. He's an adult character and people would like that or find that more relatable than a high school protagonist, but he comes off as a slightly more jaded version of Midoriya. I'm less sure about Vigilante having a clear throughline of what it wants to be and has good build-up at this point, but that might feel more accurate after seeing the whole series.

The way I look at it Koichi is basically the comic version of Spider-Man contrasted with the MCU version of Peter that's represented in Deku, and I think that appeals to a lot of people, on-top of watching him slowly grow as his own kind of more grounded hero.

That's true, but if he was under multiple lawsuits, not just the one from his wife, I don't know if they could all sue him for being a cheater. He isn't another Endeavor, but that doesn't mean he couldn't cause harm to other women if he is being sued by them. It is still admittedly a reach on my part, but Captain Celebrity being such a womanizer would still cause at least emotional harm to other women and his wife in particular.

Fair, even if they don't dive all that deep into the lawsuits to know exactly what they are for, though as scummy as he is I don't get the vibe he's done anything more than flirt and fool around behind his wifes' back.

That doesn't quite work for me. Koichi was jealous of Captain Celebrity, but I don't think that was why he wanted to help Makoto. He hasn't really shown any romantic interest in Makoto and after learning about him being a cheating scumbag, he didn't want his friend to get hurt. That was the impression I got at least. Pop's response had nothing to do with Makoto being an adult who can make her own choice. She only said that because she is jealous of Makoto. If she was less traditionally attractive or if she wasn't jealous over her relationship with Koichi, Pop might have been more willing to step in to help her. I still don't think it puts Pop in the best light when she didn't care about Makoto going out with someone who is a cheating creep.

I think there have been signs that he has a slight crush on Makoto, which Pop picked up on, and I think Makoto being an adult with her own life is why Pop felt justified saying that not interfering with her business was a valid option.

Sure she was jealous, but I think that's still a legitimate point and all she'd really seen of Celebrity up until that point is him being a flirtatious blowhard so she had no reason to think Makoto was in serious danger of anything more than a possibly bad date. They're not close enough to warrant interfering in Makoto's possible love life.

I wouldn't say that translate into romantic chemistry though. I can maybe believe that they're friends, but a blooming romance between them just does not fit with their dynamic. If anything, it feels contrived to have this kind of dynamic, even if Pop's crush does make sense from her perspective.

Relationships can bloom from friendships though. Not saying that will be the case, but it at least means they're getting closer.

I still think it would have helped to establish his mother a lot earlier. While you can see how his attitude is retroactively made sense through his mother's treatment, it's doing a lot of heavy lifting for just one episode and feels a bit too much of a show, don't tell issue too. It still generally works for what they're going for, but it could have been a bit more effective with more buildup.

I think the buildup is meant to be just his attitude and behavior towards himself and other people up to this point, to where when you see how his mom treats him it all really clicks exactly why he is that way. At least to me.

 

[Light Lucario]

The way I look at it Koichi is basically the comic version of Spider-Man contrasted with the MCU version of Peter that's represented in Deku, and I think that appeals to a lot of people, on-top of watching him slowly grow as his own kind of more grounded hero.

I can kind of see that, but personality wise, he doesn't really stand out as a shonen protagonist aside from being a college student. Despite a terrible first impression in the first episode, Koichi is still pretty heroic, as shown in this episode, willing to put himself in danger if he can save someone else. That's certainly not a bad thing. That's why he's fairly likable, but he just doesn't stand out that much to me at this point.

Fair, even if they don't dive all that deep into the lawsuits to know exactly what they are for, though as scummy as he is I don't get the vibe he's done anything more than flirt and fool around behind his wifes' back.

I'm not sure if he could get multiple lawsuits if he was just a cheating flirt. His wife would have legal grounds to sue him for that, but I don't think that would be the case for other women he cheated on.

I think there have been signs that he has a slight crush on Makoto, which Pop picked up on, and I think Makoto being an adult with her own life is why Pop felt justified saying that not interfering with her business was a valid option.

Koichi would find Makoto attractive, but despite that, I haven't really felt much of a crush vibe from him either. Even when she was teasing his mother about possibly dating him, Koichi wasn't blushing or flustered, but rather just told her to not give his mother false hope. Makoto being an adult with her own life is not why Pop said that though. If she wasn't jealous of Makoto, would she have made the same statement? I don't think so.

Sure she was jealous, but I think that's still a legitimate point and all she'd really seen of Celebrity up until that point is him being a flirtatious blowhard so she had no reason to think Makoto was in serious danger of anything more than a possibly bad date. They're not close enough to warrant interfering in Makoto's possible love life.

Captain Celebrity being involved in multiple lawsuits shouldn't have been nothing to write off though. Sure, we don't know what those lawsuits were about, but I think that there was more potential problems here than just Makoto being on a bad date. They already knew that Captain Celebrity was a cheater with his legal situation being so bad that he possibly couldn't even work as a hero in America anymore. Cheaters tend to be manipulative, so while he was just a flirt full of himself, there's still at least the emotional impact of Makoto being caught up in one of his scandals.

Now, if Pop had actually said that Makoto is an adult who can take care of herself, that probably would have been fine. But she didn't. She didn't want to do anything almost entirely because she was jealous of Makoto due to her crush on Koichi. That still makes her look pretty bad in my book.

Relationships can bloom from friendships though. Not saying that will be the case, but it at least means they're getting closer.

I never said that they couldn't, but I just don't see them actually developing a romance between them. I certainly hope not at least. I think that they jumped into Pop's crush way too soon. While it makes sense from her perspective, I don't think it works to establish a crush when they're still working things out as a team. I'm not sure if I'd be that more into their potential relationship if this was saved for season two, but there would potentially be more of a foundation for it beyond annoying tsundare antics.

I think the buildup is meant to be just his attitude and behavior towards himself and other people up to this point, to where when you see how his mom treats him it all really clicks exactly why he is that way. At least to me.

It kind of works, but like I said earlier, it's trying to do a lot of work retroactively to make it fit. Establishing his mother and their strange relationship earlier could have been a better way to lay that foundation. The writing in the series feels a bit sloppy at times and moments like this is one of those examples.

 

[Frontier]

I can kind of see that, but personality wise, he doesn't really stand out as a shonen protagonist aside from being a college student. Despite a terrible first impression in the first episode, Koichi is still pretty heroic, as shown in this episode, willing to put himself in danger if he can save someone else. That's certainly not a bad thing. That's why he's fairly likable, but he just doesn't stand out that much to me at this point.

He's heroic, but he's also kind of insecure and laidback, yet ends up acting hyper motivated anyways which I think helps him stand out.

I'm not sure if he could get multiple lawsuits if he was just a cheating flirt. His wife would have legal grounds to sue him for that, but I don't think that would be the case for other women he cheated on.

Probably depends on what he promised these women during the affairs.

Koichi would find Makoto attractive, but despite that, I haven't really felt much of a crush vibe from him either. Even when she was teasing his mother about possibly dating him, Koichi wasn't blushing or flustered, but rather just told her to not give his mother false hope. Makoto being an adult with her own life is not why Pop said that though. If she wasn't jealous of Makoto, would she have made the same statement? I don't think so.

He's blushed and acted flustered around her before, and his being upset at her being on a date with Captain Celebrity read far more as jealousy than anything else to me. He also probably knows Makoto is out of his league.

I don't think she would have changed what she said if she wasn't jealous of Makoto because she has no reason to get involved in Makoto's personal life and they aren't friends. So I feel like it would have probably been the same.

Captain Celebrity being involved in multiple lawsuits shouldn't have been nothing to write off though. Sure, we don't know what those lawsuits were about, but I think that there was more potential problems here than just Makoto being on a bad date. They already knew that Captain Celebrity was a cheater with his legal situation being so bad that he possibly couldn't even work as a hero in America anymore. Cheaters tend to be manipulative, so while he was just a flirt full of himself, there's still at least the emotional impact of Makoto being caught up in one of his scandals.

Now, if Pop had actually said that Makoto is an adult who can take care of herself, that probably would have been fine. But she didn't. She didn't want to do anything almost entirely because she was jealous of Makoto due to her crush on Koichi. That still makes her look pretty bad in my book.

It probably depends on, again, what exactly those lawsuits entail but there was an equal likelihood that Makoto knew about them going in (which she did).

Yes, she was jealous, but I think her reasoning for not getting involved implied she felt it wasn't any of their business partially because it was Makoto's and she's allowed to do her own thing without them interfering. At least that's how I read it.

I never said that they couldn't, but I just don't see them actually developing a romance between them. I certainly hope not at least. I think that they jumped into Pop's crush way too soon. While it makes sense from her perspective, I don't think it works to establish a crush when they're still working things out as a team. I'm not sure if I'd be that more into their potential relationship if this was saved for season two, but there would potentially be more of a foundation for it beyond annoying tsundare antics.

I don't think there was really getting around it though when it's kind of a big element of her character and why she's even involved with them in the first place and her feelings for Koichi are tied to a major event in both of their lives that connect them together. Besides Pop's crush is pretty separate from the team dynamic outside how she's mostly concerned about Koichi.

It kind of works, but like I said earlier, it's trying to do a lot of work retroactively to make it fit. Establishing his mother and their strange relationship earlier could have been a better way to lay that foundation. The writing in the series feels a bit sloppy at times and moments like this is one of those examples.

But I feel like the foundation was effectively laid with his personality and behavior up to this point, to the point where when we see his mom and how she treats him and the slapping his Quirk, it "clicks" exactly why he turned out the way he did. At least that's my takeaway from it.

 

[Light Lucario]

He's heroic, but he's also kind of insecure and laidback, yet ends up acting hyper motivated anyways which I think helps him stand out.

Being insecure isn't too unusual for a shonen protagonist, but I could see how being more laidback while still being motivated to become more heroic would help to make him stand out.

He's blushed and acted flustered around her before, and his being upset at her being on a date with Captain Celebrity read far more as jealousy than anything else to me. He also probably knows Makoto is out of his league.

I can kind of see how you can read Koichi's actions as more jealous, especially when he did admit that he was jealous of Captain Celebrity when he had his cheerleaders, but I didn't get that impression. I'm sure that he finds Makoto attractive, but I don't think he has a crush on her at this point. Granted, I think it would be hard to sell a crush when they've only interacted in a couple of episodes, but I definitely thought he was more concerned for Makoto going out with a cheating punk as a friend instead of a potential love interest. If he didn't learn about Captain Celebrity's lawsuits and scandals beforehand, I don't know if he would have acted the same.

I don't think she would have changed what she said if she wasn't jealous of Makoto because she has no reason to get involved in Makoto's personal life and they aren't friends. So I feel like it would have probably been the same.

I think a big reason why I have a hard time believing this is because she's already annoying jealous of Makoto to the point where she was stalking her and Koichi when they were interviewing people. That's one reason why it reads less like wanting to not interfere with Makoto's personal life because she's an adult who can handle herself and more like she didn't care to help out because of her jealousy. If Pop wasn't an annoying possessive tsundere, it would be a lot easier for me to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think there was really getting around it though when it's kind of a big element of her character and why she's even involved with them in the first place and her feelings for Koichi are tied to a major event in both of their lives that connect them together. Besides Pop's crush is pretty separate from the team dynamic outside how she's mostly concerned about Koichi.

That's still a pretty big problem though. If a big element of the most prominent female character's characterization is her crush on the male lead and why she's involved with the cast in the first place, that's pretty bad. It's lazy writing at best and sexist at worst. It's hard for me to be invested in this potential romance when Pop feels like she's just there as the token female lead. To be clear, there's nothing inherently wrong with a romance between male and female leads. I like plenty of those kind of pairings in different shows and it can work well. This falls flat for me in large part because Pop's personality is primarily about her crush on Koichi. Yeah, she has her idol career, but that's window dressing at most at this point.

I also think that they could have still kept the whole Koichi saving Pop as a little girl without giving her a crush on him. Or at the very least, they could have built up to this more organically. Instead of giving them more time together, fleshing out their dynamics as part of the team and as friends in order to build up to a romance, they just jumped right into giving Pop a crush about five episodes into the series.

 

[Frontier]

Being insecure isn't too unusual for a shonen protagonist, but I could see how being more laidback while still being motivated to become more heroic would help to make him stand out.

I think insecurity actually is a little more unusal for a Shonen protagonist compared to some of the standards. At least the way it's presented for Koichi.

I can kind of see how you can read Koichi's actions as more jealous, especially when he did admit that he was jealous of Captain Celebrity when he had his cheerleaders, but I didn't get that impression. I'm sure that he finds Makoto attractive, but I don't think he has a crush on her at this point. Granted, I think it would be hard to sell a crush when they've only interacted in a couple of episodes, but I definitely thought he was more concerned for Makoto going out with a cheating punk as a friend instead of a potential love interest. If he didn't learn about Captain Celebrity's lawsuits and scandals beforehand, I don't know if he would have acted the same.

I think the way Makoto has interacted with him and her general vibe/attractiveness is enough to endear a crush, especially the way he's talked about her around Pop.

Heck his issues with Captain Celebrity went well beyond his lawsuits and scandals, he just plain didn't like the guy (especially when he was flirting with Makoto).

I think a big reason why I have a hard time believing this is because she's already annoying jealous of Makoto to the point where she was stalking her and Koichi when they were interviewing people. That's one reason why it reads less like wanting to not interfere with Makoto's personal life because she's an adult who can handle herself and more like she didn't care to help out because of her jealousy. If Pop wasn't an annoying possessive tsundere, it would be a lot easier for me to give her the benefit of the doubt.

I don't think the fact that she stalked one date means that she can't have other reasoning behind her actions than just pure jealousy. I mean, the jealousy can still be a factor but I think it reads true to Pop's character as presented so far even without it.

That's still a pretty big problem though. If a big element of the most prominent female character's characterization is her crush on the male lead and why she's involved with the cast in the first place, that's pretty bad. It's lazy writing at best and sexist at worst. It's hard for me to be invested in this potential romance when Pop feels like she's just there as the token female lead. To be clear, there's nothing inherently wrong with a romance between male and female leads. I like plenty of those kind of pairings in different shows and it can work well. This falls flat for me in large part because Pop's personality is primarily about her crush on Koichi. Yeah, she has her idol career, but that's window dressing at most at this point.

I also think that they could have still kept the whole Koichi saving Pop as a little girl without giving her a crush on him. Or at the very least, they could have built up to this more organically. Instead of giving them more time together, fleshing out their dynamics as part of the team and as friends in order to build up to a romance, they just jumped right into giving Pop a crush about five episodes into the series.

I don't think it's necessarily lazy or sexist it's just how the character is set up and how they factor into the plot. Makoto is written completely differently so I don't think it's a matter of the writers being sexist, it's just the kind of character Pop was conceived as being and how that compliments the story.

Your mileage may vary on whether it actually works in the context of said plot but I also think that Pop has more personality than just her crush so we would probably have to agree to disagree there. I also wouldn't call the "idol career" window dressing when they even dedicated a plot to it and to her giving a performance.

Considering this is a one-cour season and they'd built up to Pop being attached to Koichi (more than you would expect from someone she just met) I think it's reasonable for that kind of plot point to come in by episode 5.

 

[Yojimbo]

Episode 10 "Event Announcement!" - June 9, 2025

Pop receives a request to perform at an upcoming local event, and she finds herself in need of guidance.

 

[Light Lucario]

I don't think it's necessarily lazy or sexist it's just how the character is set up and how they factor into the plot. Makoto is written completely differently so I don't think it's a matter of the writers being sexist, it's just the kind of character Pop was conceived as being and how that compliments the story.

To be clear, I did not say that the writers are sexist. I'm saying that the writing behind Pop does come off as sexist. Makoto's personality doesn't negate any issues with Pop's writing or personality. A story can have a well written female character while having a poorly written or one with sexist writing at the same time.

Your mileage may vary on whether it actually works in the context of said plot but I also think that Pop has more personality than just her crush so we would probably have to agree to disagree there. I also wouldn't call the "idol career" window dressing when they even dedicated a plot to it and to her giving a performance.

Yeah, I strongly disagree that Pop has more personality than her crush. Most of her screentime thus far has been about her feelings on Koichi. She just does not come off as particularly interesting, engaging or even likable to me thus far. They gave her a couple of performance and had an episode about it, but I don't think that makes her idol goal not window dressing necessarily. At the very least, it feels more like a gimmick than anything meaningful.

Considering this is a one-cour season and they'd built up to Pop being attached to Koichi (more than you would expect from someone she just met) I think it's reasonable for that kind of plot point to come in by episode 5.

That's another point we'll have disagree on. I think this ties into one of my big problems with Vigilantes. There isn't enough proper buildup for some big developments. Pop's crush on Koichi, Soga turning from a thug willing to sexually assault someone to suddenly caring about his friends and arguably the twist on Koichi's Quirk all had pretty rushed setup. They just jumped into the payoff. They don't spend enough time developing these story beats to make them feel more well written. It's why the writing feels a bit sloppy. Pop's crush in particular, while it makes sense from her perspective, feels more like a weak excuse to justify her existence in the cast. Not that she was pointless prior to the crush, but more like she has no reason to be included if she didn't have feelings for Koichi.

Pop's crush on Koichi isn't necessarily bad despite my issues with it. I just think it needed a lot more time in the oven to be something more well written, which to be fair I could say about multiple other plot points in this season thus far so it isn't just Pop I have issues with in spite of my frequent complaints about her.

 

[Frontier]

Look at Koichi doing a show intro like a pro! He nailed it as well as Deku would have! Even reminded me of an Arrowverse intro!

We return to Kuroiwa in his private life, reflect in a hospital room on how much he's changed, how his life has improved with the new people in his life...TO HIS WIFE. In fact his name is actually Oguro! And his wife is...not doing well. And it seems like the reason why is none other than Hachisuka! No wonder why he's been hunting her down!

And speaking of, we've got Soga trying to track Hachisuka down and he has a picture of her in middles school where she had long hair, both eyes, and a genuinely bright smile. She seemed like a completely different person. I guess it's nice that Hachisuka's gal pals are loyal enough to try and warn her about a shady guy looking for her...though I didn't expect one of her gal pals to be another one of Hachisuka's drones and release a bunch of bees out of her skirt that nearly kill Soga if not for his buddies showing up in time. Jeez.

The only thing Knuckle's wife can still speak is asking about "Tamao," their child, and wait a minute...where is this Tamao? How does Knucleduster have a picture of Hachisuka before she looked like Hachisuka? Why was Hachisuka even in their house? Wait, don't tell me!?

Dang, part of the reason Knuckleduster even hangs out with Pop and Koichi is because he's been using them to drag out Hachisuka with their flashy crime-fighting. I mean, he's obviously tried to protect them and care about them, but still.

Welp, Koichi still tries to get along with Soga and co. but Pop would probably really rather they all die in a ditch somewhere.

So Hachisuka has a "host family" in this husband and wife she has either dead or barely alive as she's mooched off of their house and money. And now she's about to move. No one in Hachisuka's life is spared.

Look at Kazuho getting an invite to perform at a concert venue at a shopping mall! She might finally have a chance to go legitimate! Though despite how she acts in costume, she's surprisingly insecure, and needs reassurance from Koichi...who is only really reliable with his All Might mugs. But hey, Knuckle actually got to lay out some good fatherly advice, which was nice.

Yes Koichi, bringing in Makoto, who is Pop's favorite person in the world, is the best plan! Especially when she's figured out all your identities. But don't worry, she has no intention of blabbing and if Pop wants Makoto to manage her career, Makoto is going to manage it to massive success! She would never betray or fall short for a client.

Dang, look at Knuckles' workout routine! Even Batman might get envious.

Captain Celebrity is still channeling the Japanese spirit with his cheer squad while fighting a GIANT ENEMY CRAB THAT FLIES, but Makoto's also got him wrapped around her finger and can use him to help turn what would be a karaoke night at a normal venue into a full-on indie concert. Makoto is just THAT good!

Pop still has her doubts, especially when she's got to work with others and sing a really catchy theme song for the Marukane store...but she'll try her best! And also, Koichi knew her so well to know that any reassurances he gave her would not go over well.

Hachisuka planning to crash the concert? Well, too bad for her Knuckleduster has caught her.

To be clear, I did not say that the writers are sexist. I'm saying that the writing behind Pop does come off as sexist. Makoto's personality doesn't negate any issues with Pop's writing or personality. A story can have a well written female character while having a poorly written or one with sexist writing at the same time.

I guess where we disagree is that I don't see Pop's depiction as necessarily sexist because I feel like I see where the creators are going for with her and how that works within the plot.

Yeah, I strongly disagree that Pop has more personality than her crush. Most of her screentime thus far has been about her feelings on Koichi. She just does not come off as particularly interesting, engaging or even likable to me thus far. They gave her a couple of performance and had an episode about it, but I don't think that makes her idol goal not window dressing necessarily. At the very least, it feels more like a gimmick than anything meaningful.

I think she definitely has a personality beyond her crush, with her character quirks and how she reacts to people/situations separate from Koichi, even if her feelings for Koichi are a big part of her character.

I guess where we differ is whether we feel like they've done enough with her idol career to convey it as an important aspect of the character, but considering the focus is more on Koichi's development of a vigilante I think they've done enough to convey it.

That's another point we'll have disagree on. I think this ties into one of my big problems with Vigilantes. There isn't enough proper buildup for some big developments. Pop's crush on Koichi, Soga turning from a thug willing to sexually assault someone to suddenly caring about his friends and arguably the twist on Koichi's Quirk all had pretty rushed setup. They just jumped into the payoff. They don't spend enough time developing these story beats to make them feel more well written. It's why the writing feels a bit sloppy. Pop's crush in particular, while it makes sense from her perspective, feels more like a weak excuse to justify her existence in the cast. Not that she was pointless prior to the crush, but more like she has no reason to be included if she didn't have feelings for Koichi.

Pop's crush on Koichi isn't necessarily bad despite my issues with it. I just think it needed a lot more time in the oven to be something more well written, which to be fair I could say about multiple other plot points in this season thus far so it isn't just Pop I have issues with in spite of my frequent complaints about her.

I think the thing with Vigilante's, to me, is the build up to certain reveals or moments is more subtle rather than rushed so that when we do get to the reveals it explains moments/reactions that we'd seen in the earlier episodes, most of which happened by the midpoint or later in the season which I think, considering this is a one-cour anime, is reasonable pacing-wise.

The thing with Soga is just diving deeper into his backstory and how he is when he isn't around people he dislikes, so I don't think there's quite a disconnect there. It's showing a new side to him.

I also feel like Pop's feelings/relationship with Koichi is still developing, so I think how they're handling it right now is fine. She's justified her involvement with the cast through her actions in helping with the vigilante activities.

 

[Light Lucario]

I think the thing with Vigilante's, to me, is the build up to certain reveals or moments is more subtle rather than rushed so that when we do get to the reveals it explains moments/reactions that we'd seen in the earlier episodes, most of which happened by the midpoint or later in the season which I think, considering this is a one-cour anime, is reasonable pacing-wise.

Rushed may not be the most accurate way to describe the buildup upon further reflection. It just feels like they go from point A to point C without enough time, if any, on point B. It feels really half baked to me. Other than maybe Koichi's Quirk, I don't think that you can really call the build up subtle so far. Being a one-cour anime doesn't excuse this kind of pacing or writing problem. Part of the issue could be that this was a monthly manga series, or at least I believe it was, so maybe even in the source material they didn't really feel like they had enough time to build up to some developments.

The thing with Soga is just diving deeper into his backstory and how he is when he isn't around people he dislikes, so I don't think there's quite a disconnect there. It's showing a new side to him.

No, that's just suddenly turning him from a street thug into someone who we're supposed to find at least somewhat sympathetic with his backstory and that he cares about his friends. It comes right out of nowhere and it is sloppy. Even if I somehow could ignore his attempted sexual assault, he still spent the first two episodes beating up the two leads. Showing more sides to Soga and his friends isn't a bad idea, but they just jumped right into it. It's less like they're showing a new side to him and more like doing a complete 180. It makes him look like an extremely poor man's Bakugo.

I also feel like Pop's feelings/relationship with Koichi is still developing, so I think how they're handling it right now is fine. She's justified her involvement with the cast through her actions in helping with the vigilante activities.

Her actions in regards to being a vigilante have mainly been on the sidelines, just helping out with the crowds. That's not nothing, but it really doesn't justify her involvement in the cast. If she didn't have a crush on Koichi, Pop would feel even more just there than she already does. Both Koichi and Knuckleduster have more justification for being in the story than Pop does and considering that she is supposed to be the female lead, that's a really bad sign. To be clear, I'm not saying that she's pointless or has had no impact on the storyline beyond her crush. I'm saying that Pop's justification for being a vigilante is a lot weaker compared to the two male leads, which is questionable at best writing wise, especially when starting off the series with an attempted sexually assault already put her writing on a really poor foundation.

 

[zoombie]

Well one thing we are going to find out when we conclude season, is something very rare and unusual.

Spoiler

And that is you are going to have our main lead and one of the two secondary leads, never encounter the season 1 main villain. Outside of that brief on the street interview, Koichi never meets Hachisuki and interacts with her at all. I don't recall if he finds out about her existence and her role in everything that happens in this season.

And I understand this is originally a manga, and the next arc after this comes out right after this, so there is no stop in action instead of a seasonal anime, so don't really notice.

Also one thing that differs All Might and Deku dynamic with Knuckleduster and Koichi. If Knuckleduster is a surrogate father figure to Koichi, it is one sided on his part, because unlike Deku, Koichi has an actually father. So he doesn't feel that way at all towards Knuckleduster.

 

[Yojimbo]

Holy twist, so it's personal with Hachisuki for Knuckleduster. That's why he reacted the way he did a couple episodes ago.

What the heck... so Hachisuki can possess bodies, too? This is smelling like All For One is behind Trigger and he gave her a second Quirk in addition to this bee quirk. Duster's wife had the same eye patch, other eye gone. Seems the quirk burns out over time and it's fatal on the host.

Soga worried about Crawler and Pop got a eye roll but it made Duster 'sideline' them by telling them they should go to the premiere on the roof - which... an invite sent to her blog - feels like a trap. Never do solo, feels like Duster is trying to look out for them but they're a team.

"I reluctantly agree."

Makoto is a beast.

Koichi, there is no right thing to say or do. lol.

Wait, Hachisuki is going to turn out to be Tama isn't she? Man...

Looks like this rooftop event will be the mid-season/season finale battle.

 

[Frontier]

Rushed may not be the most accurate way to describe the buildup upon further reflection. It just feels like they go from point A to point C without enough time, if any, on point B. It feels really half baked to me. Other than maybe Koichi's Quirk, I don't think that you can really call the build up subtle so far. Being a one-cour anime doesn't excuse this kind of pacing or writing problem. Part of the issue could be that this was a monthly manga series, or at least I believe it was, so maybe even in the source material they didn't really feel like they had enough time to build up to some developments.

I would feel like revealing things 3-4, maybe 5 episodes with smaller moments building up to it between them is giving them enough time, though your mileage may vary. I think they've actually done a decent job of progressing things naturally at this pacing.

No, that's just suddenly turning him from a street thug into someone who we're supposed to find at least somewhat sympathetic with his backstory and that he cares about his friends. It comes right out of nowhere and it is sloppy. Even if I somehow could ignore his attempted sexual assault, he still spent the first two episodes beating up the two leads. Showing more sides to Soga and his friends isn't a bad idea, but they just jumped right into it. It's less like they're showing a new side to him and more like doing a complete 180. It makes him look like an extremely poor man's Bakugo.

I don't know about sympathetic so much as just handling him similar to the League of Villains in the main series. Initially come off pretty bad and antagonistic, but part of that is just a result of how society ended up treating him and no one really trying to understand or accept him until Koichi did.

Her actions in regards to being a vigilante have mainly been on the sidelines, just helping out with the crowds. That's not nothing, but it really doesn't justify her involvement in the cast. If she didn't have a crush on Koichi, Pop would feel even more just there than she already does. Both Koichi and Knuckleduster have more justification for being in the story than Pop does and considering that she is supposed to be the female lead, that's a really bad sign. To be clear, I'm not saying that she's pointless or has had no impact on the storyline beyond her crush. I'm saying that Pop's justification for being a vigilante is a lot weaker compared to the two male leads, which is questionable at best writing wise, especially when starting off the series with an attempted sexually assault already put her writing on a really poor foundation.

Not just in managing crowds but also in terms of her social media presence and likeability versus Koichi and Knuckleduster. She gives them an eye in the sky, she's better at talking to people, she keeps them aware of what's going on through her phone or contacts, etc.

I don't think the fact that Koichi is a big part of her motivation makes her any less justified to be involved in the plot than Koichi and Knuckleduster, especially when she's still pulling her weight in her own way and is meant to contrast with the other two. Especially when she's also tied to Koichi's arc. And she can more easily be with Koichi in casual settings and for him to bounce off of than Knuckleduster is.

 

[Light Lucario]

I don't know about sympathetic so much as just handling him similar to the League of Villains in the main series. Initially come off pretty bad and antagonistic, but part of that is just a result of how society ended up treating him and no one really trying to understand or accept him until Koichi did.

I don't think that works in large part because of how quick the turnaround was for Soga. They didn't quickly show the League of Villains in a more tragic light until much later, which made it feel less jarring and more organic. There was actual buildup and payoff for their backstories. Soga was shown as a thug, but they changed their minds in his third appearance in the show. You could maybe still say that he's a victim of how society treat people based on their Quirks, but that's feels more contrived here because of how quickly they did it. The problems with their superhero society also ties into the conflict of the main series much better than it does here.

It also really helps that despite being victims themselves, the main series does not underplay that the League of Villains are indeed still villains. They're all mass murderers who are extremely dangerous. Being victims of their society because they couldn't find people that could connect with them until far too late doesn't change that. Soga didn't kill anyone, but I do think that attempted sexual assault is still really bad. And the show just seemingly doesn't treat it as such. It's borderline a joke since no one understands why Koichi and Pop get upset when they see Soga.

Not just in managing crowds but also in terms of her social media presence and likeability versus Koichi and Knuckleduster. She gives them an eye in the sky, she's better at talking to people, she keeps them aware of what's going on through her phone or contacts, etc.

Her likability boils down to people finding her attractive and focusing on her butt if the interviews from a few episodes ago are any indication. That's not really a great selling point. Aside from finding the truth about that salesman, I don't think that her contacts or being their eye in the sky has really been that helpful. Her Quirk is basically useless as far as combat goes and she has no real interest in trying to improve her chances with any training. Koichi is the only one training with Knuckleduster while Pop just watches from the sideline. Using Pop in more of a supportive role is not inheriently a bad thing and there are character who still shine in those kind of roles. I just don't think that Pop's supportive role has been particularly noteworthy in regards to their vigilantee work.

I don't think the fact that Koichi is a big part of her motivation makes her any less justified to be involved in the plot than Koichi and Knuckleduster, especially when she's still pulling her weight in her own way and is meant to contrast with the other two. Especially when she's also tied to Koichi's arc. And she can more easily be with Koichi in casual settings and for him to bounce off of than Knuckleduster is.

I wouldn't say that she's pulling her own weight since Pop largely feels just there while the bulk of the focus and importance goes to both Koichi and Knuckleduster. Koichi being her main, if not her entire, motivation being on the team, does feel like a big issue. If you could somehow remove Pop's crush from her characterization, what role does she have in the story? Does she function effectively the same or would you need to create a whole new reason for her inclusion in the main cast? If the romance is so vita to her characterization that she can't be in the story without it, then that's a problem. While I still dislike Pop's crush on Koichi, it does feel like it was included because without it, Pop would have even less to do. That obviously doesn't make it better for me, but it does make the crush feel like the writers just didn't know what to do with Pop after giving her a pretty weak Quirk so they went with a one-sided crush.

 

[Yojimbo]

I wouldn't say that she's pulling her own weight since Pop largely feels just there while the bulk of the focus and importance goes to both Koichi and Knuckleduster. Koichi being her main, if not her entire, motivation being on the team, does feel like a big issue. If you could somehow remove Pop's crush from her characterization, what role does she have in the story? Does she function effectively the same or would you need to create a whole new reason for her inclusion in the main cast? If the romance is so vita to her characterization that she can't be in the story without it, then that's a problem. While I still dislike Pop's crush on Koichi, it does feel like it was included because without it, Pop would have even less to do. That obviously doesn't make it better for me, but it does make the crush feel like the writers just didn't know what to do with Pop after giving her a pretty weak Quirk so they went with a one-sided crush.

I think more so with Makoto working with them now, they're going to put Pop into an arc where she feels inadequate and in a moment of vulnerability i.e. she screws up her performance, feeling sorry for herself and not being on guard, she gets ambushed when she's alone i.e. on her way home, on her way to Koichi's place and either a) injected with Trigger b) becomes a drone like the girl in this week's episode or c) gets possessed next by Hachisuki. Either choice setting up a confrontation against Koichi and Knuckleduster and they have to figure out how to stop her without hurting her, things get said, maybe some truths finally get admitted, and they save her. Although I'm hoping it will in-part be a different solution where she has her agency, like a strong enough will can overcome whatever this quirk is and Pop breaks free when Koichi is able to say something that gets through to her. But she's sidelined while she recuperates. Especially if it's b) or c) and happens long enough, she'll be badly injured (but then again if Naruhata's hospital has staff with a healing quirk, done deal in and out of the hospital. Whether that was the writer's plan all along with Pop or they were winging it on this limited series, shrug. I think the series will end with either Pop doing some soul searching then retiring from vigilantism or becoming an idol full-time.

 

[Light Lucario]

I think more so with Makoto working with them now, they're going to put Pop into an arc where she feels inadequate and in a moment of vulnerability i.e. she screws up her performance, feeling sorry for herself and not being on guard, she gets ambushed when she's alone i.e. on her way home, on her way to Koichi's place and either a) injected with Trigger b) becomes a drone like the girl in this week's episode or c) gets possessed next by Hachisuki. Either choice setting up a confrontation against Koichi and Knuckleduster and they have to figure out how to stop her without hurting her, things get said, maybe some truths finally get admitted, and they save her. Although I'm hoping it will in-part be a different solution where she has her agency, like a strong enough will can overcome whatever this quirk is and Pop breaks free when Koichi is able to say something that gets through to her. But she's sidelined while she recuperates. Especially if it's b) or c) and happens long enough, she'll be badly injured (but then again if Naruhata's hospital has staff with a healing quirk, done deal in and out of the hospital. Whether that was the writer's plan all along with Pop or they were winging it on this limited series, shrug. I think the series will end with either Pop doing some soul searching then retiring from vigilantism or becoming an idol full-time.

Those options do sound plausible, especially when we know that the bees can control people. Not a fan of the idea of more Pop being the damsel in distress though. Even if she is able to break free out of control on her own or with some help with Koichi, I don't think that it would be enough to improve that potential storyline. I do expect that Pop will step down as a vigliantee by the end of the series. She just isn't cut out for it. Koichi actually wants to be a hero and Knuckleduster has personal motivation to take on villains himself. Pop wants to be an idol, or at least enjoys being a local street idol, which doesn't help with fighting against villains or criminals. She has no real motivation to potentially risk her life and safety by being a vigilante compared to Koichi and Knuckleduster.

I thought that this week's episode was pretty good in parts at least. The opening bit was really good and surprising. Knuckleduster's wife being in the hospital wasn't too shocking. I kind of figured that he would have someone in danger to justify being a vigilante, but Hachisuki being responsible for what happened was a big twist. I'm sure that she's really his missing daughter Tama too. I honestly like Hachisuki because of how she's able to seemingly blend in as a normal high school student despite being a creepy villain underneath. I thought that made her distinct from Toga for example, but if she is Tama, then All For One most likely gave her multiple Quirks. I thought that her bee Quirk was something she had naturally, but given her middle school picture, it might not have been. For some reason, I just assumed she came across All For One and took on a job for him, but she most likely was brainwashed instead.

Soga going around for Knuckleduster was weird, but it made a slight bit of sense given how he didn't want to involve Koichi and Pop more than needed. I truly hated how that girl lifted up her skirt to unleash those bees against Soga. Much like the attempted sexual assault on Pop in the first episode, it came off as edgy sexist garbage that a teenager would write to sound dark and serious. They could have easily had the bees come out of somewhere else, but they had to do that instead. It's also really annoying that they had Soga blush over a girl seemingly try to flash him when he and his friends tried to sexually assault Pop. That isn't to say he deserves to be sexually assaulted. I just think it's rich for Soga to say "What kind of guy do you take me for?" after what he attempted to do.

Knuckleduster getting Soga to look for leads for Tama made more sense than Soga just suddenly wanting to help. I also wasn't a fan of Soga seemingly being concerned for Koichi and Pop. Even after showing him kindness a few episodes ago, it still feels rather forced given what he did to them. On one hand, Knuckleduster using Koichi and Pop as distractions is a bit rough. But on the other hand, I honestly didn't care personally. I hate Pop and her writing, so her being danger doesn't upset me aside from the potential terrible writing behind it. I like Koichi, even though he didn't have the best first impression, but I guess I don't like him that much if I wasn't bothered by the notion of him being in danger or at least it made me question how much I like him.

This could have easily made Knuckleduster look more cruel, but luckily, I don't think it does. While he's using them as bait, he still cares about Koichi and Pop to a degree. He thought that the cat bus in the previous episode didn't have anything to do with Trigger, even though it turned out that it did, but once he saw that Koichi was in danger, he did what he could to help. He also spends time training Koichi so that he is better able to handle himself in dangerous situations. So in spite of his motivation, he isn't throwing them to the wolves, but I don't think that Knuckleduster is particularly close with either of the other leads. I think that's fine given his personality, attitude and motivation.

I was annoyed over the prospect of Pop getting an idol gig with Makoto's help since I thought that would lead to more annoying tsundere antics. Fortunately, that did not happen, so that was a relief. It probably helped that Pop was more self-conscious and worried over her idol performance, so she wasn't all about her crush for Koichi for once. It was still there when she was looking to him for advice, but it wasn't as prominent as usual, which was appreciated. Makoto using her management skills to improve the idol gig was pretty impressive. Given how her Quirk works and how she was reaching out to Pop's hand, I suspect that she'll end up asking Pop a question at some point. Maybe it will be an important question or be used for more tsundare reactions.

Koichi being so friendly with Soga when they ran into him could be seen as part of Koichi's kind nature given he already helped to save Soga. I still think it's the show continuously trying to ignore/forget what Soga did in the first episode. With the bit of buildup to this idol performance, it almost will certainly be interrupted by another Trigger user. Knuckleduster finding Hachisuki to end the episode was a pretty good cliffhanger.