The Sixth Sense [My Hero Vigilantes 117]

The gang’s back together, sorta.

Last chapter “Knuckleduster” gave Koichi permission to fight. Now, “Pop Step” has given her blessing. Or, at least, their ghosts? Spirit forms? Look, I’m not sure what’s happening here. Maybe Koichi’s injuries are messing with his head. Maybe we’re witnessing the Near-Death-Pep-Talk Trope in full effect. Or maybe it’s a little of both. Safe to say all three main characters are close to death right now. Whether Koichi is really being visited by his near-death friends or not, I don’t think it’ll be fully explained anytime soon. Let’s just go with it.

What? I said Knuckleduster’s dead last chapter? Yeah, I did. Well, maybe he’s not. Give me a break, okay? Frankly, I don’t know anymore. He’s badly hurt. Pop’s badly hurt. Koichi’s badly hurt. What do yo want me to say? That all three characters will die at the end of the series?! …Oh… Oh, no… No, no, no. You can’t do this to me, MHV. You just can’t! Don’t make me love this series, then kill the main cast. That would be horrible!

Usopp Keeping It Real [One Piece 1036]

Onigashima’s destruction is imminent, as well as my continued annoyance with Raizo’s fight.

Is the only point to Raizo VS Fukurokuju’s fight is keeping Fuku away from Orochi? I bet it is. Say? Where’s Denjiro? He’s the only member of the Akazaya Nine that’s both healthy enough and unaccounted for to show up and take down Orochi. But not before Komurasaki reveals who she really is. Oh, the look on Orochi’s face when that happens will be glorious!

Usopp got an unexpected character moment. I love his speech to Kin’emon and Kiku. And all while protecting them! Usopp’s a coward, but that doesn’t mean he’s stupid or weak. Yes, Oda considers him the weakest member of the Strawhats. But the weakest grizzly bear in a forest will still mess you up if you get him mad. Remember that on your next nature hike, kids.

This logic also applies to finishing an RPG

Big Mom. I still say Law and Kid need to defeat her to remain Luffy’s rivals. The question is how? Their awakened devil fruit abilities could evolve, I guess. That plus a little strategy could do the trick. Rolling a 20 on their LUCK stats won’t hurt either.

Good Heavens, Miss Mei Hatsume, You’re Beautiful! [My Hero Academia 339]

The comedic calm before the storm.

Yep, that’s what the chapter was. A little lighthearted breather before things ramp up again. Maybe we’ll get one more. Whether or not we do, it’s nice seeing Hatsume again.

Ignoring the accidentally made killer A.I. robots, of course.

Long Live the BDSM King [One Piece 1035]

Zoro finally crowned the King.

Last chapter, we saw Sanji’s victory over Queen. This time it’s Zoro’s takedown of King, real name Alber and the first member of Kaido’s crew.

Makes sense Kaido recruited King. Both are powerful non-humans feared by the government. I like the detail of them being locked up at Punk Hazard for a time. It gels with what we knew about the secret government facility. Although we still don’t know where either Kaido or King’s original home is. That may be something Oda’s saving for the Void Century flashback.

King forgot to use the safe word

Catch These Knuckles [My Hero Vigilantes 116]

Knuckleduster’s final gift to Koichi: Permission to fight.

I thought he’d make it. I really did. But, no. Looks like Knuckleduster is dead, for real this time.

Thankfully, his spirit could visit Koichi before passing on. How? It’s a trope, just go with it. The fallen mentor telling his apprentice goodbye in a am I dreaming/hallucinating way to give said hero that last kick in the buns to overcome their current state and win is a classic. I’m just glad Koichi and Knuckleduster got in one last conversation. And after reading this chapter, I can see why the creators waited until now for it to happen.

You should’ve gone for the head, Number 6

Koichi knows he’ll be okay. He doesn’t need Knuckleduster anymore. But more importantly, he has permission to fight back. To do what Knuckleduster has always done, punch the crap outta bad guys.

No Time For T*tties [My Hero Academia 338]

Aizawa’s got a plan. But what is it?

Heck if I know! Maybe the “him” Nezu’s referring to is Stain? Or, Rappa? Or, Gentle? Or, The Crawler? No, no. Let’s not get crazy. Hmm… What about Mr. Compress or Kurogiri? I can definitely see Kurogiri getting involved from a narrative point-of-view. And, Aizawa is the one who made the plan so… Okay! Let’s go with Kurogiri, Y’all!

Deku’s already got the weight of the world on his shoulders. A couple boobs on his face are nothing.

Don’t Trust The B– in U.A. Dorm 23 [My Hero Academia 337]

That’s right, Aoyama. You can still be a hero. …As long as you help us trick All For One.

I’m still disheartened by the traitor revelation. Aoyama or Hagakure, I just wanted a true villain as the spy. Instead, we get a by-the-books betrayal ending with everyone seemingly forgiving Belly Laser, with a chance at redemption thrown in for good measure. What’s Aoyama’s chance at redemption, you ask? Getting Deku alone, of course. That’s one of the orders AFO gave our sneaky friend. U.A. simply needs to have it appear Aoyama does exactly that to lure AFO in. Not AFO himself, mind you. He’s too smart to go himself, but U.A. can work with that somehow.

Somewhere, Gentle is uncontrollably rolling his eyes

One-Punch Manslaughter [My Hero Vigilantes 115]

Where for art thou, All Might?

The Crawler’s in trouble. Number 6 not only recharged his energy, but is now stronger than he’s ever been thanks to feeding off the Anons’s exploding bomber cells. Koichi did great. Number 6 couldn’t touch him, but going at 100% for so long finally caught up with our favorite vigilante. The balance of power has dramatically shifted. To make matters worse, he’s badly hurt. So, what now, Y’all?

Facebook’s Mission Statement

Don’t Be A Drag, Jambe A Queen [One Piece 1034]

Congratulations on your upgrade, Sanji!

And it’s a unique upgrade at that. While Franky’s cyborg body leans on the mechanical/robotic side, Sanji’s body is more biological. Brilliant, Oda. It looks like our favorite chef technically can’t turn invisible, but is now so fast he can imitate the technique. A cool way to for Sanji to keep his Steatlh Black description while making it his own. “Stealth” Black Leg Sanji. Like I said, brilliant, Oda.

Ifrit Jambe adds lightning to Sanji’s flames, and since he said they’re hotter, I wonder if they’re also now blue! Dabi would be proud.

And with that, Queen became the first dinosaur to go into orbit

Horikoshi, You Lying Mother— [My Hero Academia 336]

Deep breaths. Relax. Don’t panic. Now, where did I put my chainsaw?

Aoyama’s a traitor.

He’s the one who led the villains to USJ and the summer camp. Okay. He and Hagakure were the top two suspects. I get that. See, Horikoshi? I understand. I’ll even admit I like the Aoyama family drama. The general revelation coupled with learning Yuga’s parents put him in this precarious position along with Yuga’s sorrow of having to keep doing All For One’s bidding, knowing the current dreadful state of the entire country is solely on that megalomanic and his allies was enjoyable. I ‘m shocked. I’m intrigued.

I’m massively disappointed.

Having an unwilling participant be the U.A. traitor is so amazingly underwhelming I wanted to scream! Where’s the conflict? What about the repercussions? Will Aoyama get kicked out of U.A.? Of course, not. None of this is his fault! Years of wondering what the traitor will do next. Years of anticipating the sweet drama of Class A dealing with having a monster living with them this whole time, a person they thought a friend seeking their very destruction, gone. And in its place? A kid in over his head who will no doubt be forgiven because Horikoshi won’t push the envelope. Yes, this news makes sense, but it still sucks.

When Sir Elton John wants freshly baked sugar cookies in 10 minutes, you best get it done

I was so excited last chapter at the prospect of having a willing betrayer in U.A.’s mist. Someone secretly more powerful than she let on. Damn! I was wondering why Horikoshi revealed Hagakure as the traitor last chapter without her doing something or entering her POV. This is the answer. Ugh!