Sep 30, 2019 8:54 PM
Redemption Arc I Pt.1 - Boku no Hero Academia
Anime Relations:
Boku no Hero Academia
Title: Boku no Hero Academia
Original Viewing Date: June 2017 (3 episodes)
Original Score: Mid 5
Redemption Viewing Date: 9/30/2019 (4 episodes)
New Score: Low 4
I started this endeavor out on what I thought would be a softball. By that I mean that I had a pretty concrete opinion on how I felt about the show and didn't really expect much to change. And while in some respects I was right, it soon became evident that it was gonna be more complicated than that.
I'd like to preface by saying that I am not the audience for this. While comic books and superheroes inhabit the same 'nerd-space' I've grown up in, I personally couldn't care less about that stuff. Just never grabbed my imagination. On top of that, action shounen is the diametric opposite of my wheelhouse in the anime realm. So typically BNHA would be a complete pass for me; I wouldn't bother even starting it. Buuuuuuut...I like the characters. I won't front, roughly 80% of the characters have really cool designs and quirky personalities that piqued my curiosity and made me a bit hopeful. Maybe they can make this worthwhile and fun! The problem comes in of the other 20% though, namely Deku, Bakugou, and All Might. I just was not vibing with them on my first sitting and chalked it up with me just not being a fan of the genre. I gave it a middling score for a few chuckles and a decent bit of potential and went on with my life.
But after visiting again, what I dismissed as nitpicks morphed into throbbing irritations. While I respect Bakugou more and feel virtually the same about All Might, Deku is just unbearable now. His seiyuu is just layering on this whimpering, grating inflection that just hurts me so much. On top of that, he strongly feels like a fake nerd: a caricature of flighty, obsessive, and awkward teens whose writers don't understand the facets of low self-esteem. He was put here solely as a vessel to deliver the overbearing positive message of perseverance and justice, which is really the aspect to the show that made me drop this a point. Don't get me wrong, I can dig some sappy feel-good sentiments, but the stench of it is just overwhelming here. Sure, I know they'll delve into arcs of internal conflict, societal conflict, and other more nuanced topics, but with how I'm seeing this now, I cant help but feel that they'll either be A) handled haphazardly or B) dwarfed completely by the central themes and that obnoxiously corny OST that had me audibly groaning.
Overall, this was just a struggle to get through today. I've got the feeling that if I were to continue this to the end, I'd get to a 3/10, but I'd like to hold onto that positive perception of the minor characters and I really don't like trashing on shows that are this level of popular. So its squeaking by at the lower end of my 4s. I feel frustrated and almost ashamed for giving this the score that I am, but I gotta call it how I see it. I'm just hoping this trend won't continue as I regroup for the next show.
Original Viewing Date: June 2017 (3 episodes)
Original Score: Mid 5
Redemption Viewing Date: 9/30/2019 (4 episodes)
New Score: Low 4
I started this endeavor out on what I thought would be a softball. By that I mean that I had a pretty concrete opinion on how I felt about the show and didn't really expect much to change. And while in some respects I was right, it soon became evident that it was gonna be more complicated than that.
I'd like to preface by saying that I am not the audience for this. While comic books and superheroes inhabit the same 'nerd-space' I've grown up in, I personally couldn't care less about that stuff. Just never grabbed my imagination. On top of that, action shounen is the diametric opposite of my wheelhouse in the anime realm. So typically BNHA would be a complete pass for me; I wouldn't bother even starting it. Buuuuuuut...I like the characters. I won't front, roughly 80% of the characters have really cool designs and quirky personalities that piqued my curiosity and made me a bit hopeful. Maybe they can make this worthwhile and fun! The problem comes in of the other 20% though, namely Deku, Bakugou, and All Might. I just was not vibing with them on my first sitting and chalked it up with me just not being a fan of the genre. I gave it a middling score for a few chuckles and a decent bit of potential and went on with my life.
But after visiting again, what I dismissed as nitpicks morphed into throbbing irritations. While I respect Bakugou more and feel virtually the same about All Might, Deku is just unbearable now. His seiyuu is just layering on this whimpering, grating inflection that just hurts me so much. On top of that, he strongly feels like a fake nerd: a caricature of flighty, obsessive, and awkward teens whose writers don't understand the facets of low self-esteem. He was put here solely as a vessel to deliver the overbearing positive message of perseverance and justice, which is really the aspect to the show that made me drop this a point. Don't get me wrong, I can dig some sappy feel-good sentiments, but the stench of it is just overwhelming here. Sure, I know they'll delve into arcs of internal conflict, societal conflict, and other more nuanced topics, but with how I'm seeing this now, I cant help but feel that they'll either be A) handled haphazardly or B) dwarfed completely by the central themes and that obnoxiously corny OST that had me audibly groaning.
Overall, this was just a struggle to get through today. I've got the feeling that if I were to continue this to the end, I'd get to a 3/10, but I'd like to hold onto that positive perception of the minor characters and I really don't like trashing on shows that are this level of popular. So its squeaking by at the lower end of my 4s. I feel frustrated and almost ashamed for giving this the score that I am, but I gotta call it how I see it. I'm just hoping this trend won't continue as I regroup for the next show.
Posted by
CureEtude
| Sep 30, 2019 8:54 PM |
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