My Hero Academia: Season 4, Episode 23 Review

The latest game news from IGN - one of my fave channels ever - check it out The School Festival is finally here. This arc in Season 4 has carefully walked a thin line between building tension and stalling for time in the lead up to the School Festival and, looking back, has maintained a satisfying balance throughout. Introducing Gentle Criminal and La Brava as two c-list villains committing petty crimes for attention was funny until it became annoying. And just at that moment, the show kicked things into gear, turning the duo into not only a tangible threat but also into characters that we quickly became invested in. Now that these two are out of commission, the School Festival can begin. However, My Hero Academia never rushes to discard one story or character for the sake of another, and this episode is no different. It dedicates its opening five minutes to Gentle and La Brava, helping the audience transition from an emotional rollercoaster episode to one of pomp and celebration. This opening scene is gut-wrenching, as we see even more heart behind all of Gentle Criminal’s bluster, as well as the sad truth to La Brava’s state of mind. Once they’re taken away, however, Deku guides us to the gates of UA and into the School Festival, which is still going ahead as planned. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/03/13/anime-you-should-binge-watch-on-netflix-in-march"] Here’s where the episode really begins, and the School Festival itself is every bit as exciting, campy, and colorful as you’d expect it to be. We get to see an entire song performed by Class 1-A, with the focus here being on Kyoka as the band’s frontwoman and on Eri in the audience, desperate to see Deku onstage. The whole event is a delightful spectacle, with everything playing out as planned. That includes Aoyama’s laser light show and Todoroki’s dry ice. We even get an explosion from a very animated and enthusiastic Bakugo to kick things off. The song itself is nothing special, considering how good this show’s soundtrack typically is, even in those simple background melodies that you hardly notice. But if it had been any kind of chart-topping track then it would have detracted from the moments where we see and hear specific characters doing specific things: Midoriya throwing Aoyama to create the light show, Eri in the audience with tears in her eyes, and the flashback to Kyoka’s childhood with her parents. This flashback is one of the more unique ones we’ve seen in the show so far. We see Kyoka’s parents as professional musicians – her dad with long hair to really sell it – and the room full of instruments. The background art is drawn in a sketchbook style and dipped in sepia tones that really gets across a tone of nostalgic reflection. We see a heart-to-heart confession from Kyoko to two very kind and supporting parents, which works to elevate the tone of the song still being performed on stage. The blend of color and hand-sketched backgrounds in Kyoka’s flashback are reminiscent of Japanese Sumi-e art (a style brought to Japan by Chinese Zen monks). Details and homages like this pop up now and again in My Hero Academia, a show that is so heavily inspired by American superheroes but still makes subtle efforts to evoke its roots. They add a level of sophistication to the show’s delivery that’s already present in its storytelling. What’s particularly tender about this episode – and about this season overall, looking back – is how it handles the character of Eri. Since being rescued from the Shie Hassaikai, she hasn’t left Mirio’s side. Her actions and body language speak far louder than her words, especially here as she is so desperate to see Deku onstage that she looks to be bursting at the seams. Eri has been so thoughtfully written as a character; her color scheme in what she wears has steadily become more vibrant and expressive. She talks a little more, episode by episode. She is, with the love and support of Mirio and Midoriya, blossoming.

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