English Dub Review: My Hero Academia “Smoldering Flames”

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Despite the operation’s success, Overhaul’s maiming by the League of Villains ends the rescue of Eri on a bittersweet note. Still, the efforts continue to capture the League’s members, including Kurogiri, who is being pursued by Tsukauchi and Gran Torino. They’re eventually able to corner him, but not without getting attacked by a giant named Gigantomachia who All for One also trained to serve him. They get away, if only barely, with Kurogiri in tow.

Back at the hospital, most of the kids are fully recovered, with Togata being the only one left to see if Eri can get enough control of her quirk to bring back his powers. Deku, racked with guilt, tries offering him One for All, but he turns it down, committed to get back to UA as soon as possible. Once he’s out of the hospital, he and Kirishima are taken to the police station for questioning, but eventually get back to the dorms with a big welcome waiting for them.

With that, the focus shifts to Bakugo and Todoroki, who continue their Provisional License training and meet up with the other students who failed like Yoarashi and Camie. Though to Todoroki’s chagrin, Endeavor has shown up to observe and strikes up a conversation with All Might.

OUR TAKE

It’s officially a new cour of the season, which means a new Opening and Ending! And they’re a bit of a departure from the last set in terms of tone. The opening looks to be a lot more leisurely, focusing on the upcoming school festival instead of life or death struggles against villains and saving horned girls in distress. I’ll admit I’m not super stoked on losing the more tense tempo for the latter half of the season ( making me think they should have had 25 episode seasons from the start so that the last three could have gone out on a higher note) but I’ve yet to be really displeased with the direction of the show thus far, so I’m sure I’ll be fine regardless. Also looks like there will be more focus on Jirou, who I think has gotten the shaft way too much for being such a fun character. And the ending is pretty low key too, focusing on glimpses of both existing and upcoming characters through photographs, but works for what it is.

Aside from that point, though, there isn’t a whole lot going on in this episode. It’s both putting the last touches on the previous arc and starting up the next. Basically it’s a transition point, going from the end of the aftermath of fighting Overhaul and pushing Bakugo and Todoroki to get back in the action by reminding themselves what it means to be a real hero, which they seemed to miss during their first run through of the exam. That understanding actually ends up being a sort of theme that permeates throughout the episode in little moments. Both Deku and Uraraka feel like they could have done more to help Togata or Nighteye despite their very clear successes and contributions to the operation. It’s a sign that they will both always look for ways to help more than they did, showing their true commitment to being heroic.

But we still have threats on the horizon, one of which being a literal giant who is now under Shigaraki’s control. I don’t know when that guy’s going to come back into play, but it does help us to feel that the League is very much a danger out there. And now that Funi has officially dropped the same-day or even one week delay of this show and treats this like every other show, you can get a glimpse two weeks into the future to find out!