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[cntr]

Quirks are limited to a few people, and you can't do much without mass production. And my impression is that the MHA society deliberately discourages using quirks to their fullest extent if you're not already in an appropriate profession, analogously to real life Japanese society works. Ochako could make rocketry a thing, but society discourages quirk users from doing something so revolutionary and potentially harming stability.

Can't imagine teleport quirks being that good though, maybe if All for One was using them, but on their own, no way.

e: also, Ochako might not be able to handle doing that, even the simplest rockets would be far beyond her weight limit. Maybe endgame Ochako, but not current Ochako.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I know we usually heap on a lot of praise to this manga usually, and this last chapter was pretty good at this, but in general I think the series is pretty poor at a consistent world building(? tired and I'm using this term but I feel there might be a better somethign to what I'm saying). I think its in large part that we don't see a "limit" to the current technology that's usually crucial for sci-fi settings (not that it is one, but hey, if its in the future...). Like, do they have cell phones? What is the average person's equivalent, what are the technical advancements happeing right now? Who the fuck makes all these disposable robots that are for some reason not used as part of the police force? Or even posing a possible threat to heroes jobs? Whenever technology comes into play its always for conveince sake to what is needed at the moment.

Which I honestly think is fine. Manga is probably one of the worst formats I can think of for world building because they are such long running projects that require strong opening pushes there really just isn't time for all the thinking about moving parts thats required in good world creation. And also the fact they can never go back to early chapters and correct inconsitencies. Once it happens, it happens.

 

[cntr]

To be fair, we don't know if the police use robots or not. For all we know, they actually do, but since their jobs were effectively supplanted by heroes, it's not really a thing. And robots seem to be shite and easily defeat, which is honestly pretty realistic for robots

Horikoshi's mentioned that the only heroes and people with quirk-disabilities are allowed to legally use high-tech equipment, which again seems pretty consistent to me. And since t's been established since the first chapter that quirks are effectively suppressed and discouraged, and implies that this is a reaction to the collapse of society. Which screws people like Twice up. Makes sense that the truly advanced equipment would be similarly restricted in order to maintain the status quo.

now yeah, you can disagree whether that would actually happen, but I think it's plausible and besides, its real purpose is to comment on the real-life discouragement of individuality in Japanese society. That's even the literal translation of the Japanese word used for quirks, "individuality".

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Okay but I really do think the robots are kind of a huge deal because they can affect so much of the world in a variety of ways. Like manufacturing? What about people's jobs? Is japan the only place with robots? Is it their prime export? In a world where quirks exist are other countries somehow self-efficient on resources? Or do they need robot work forces putting Japan at the top of the economic chain? Much like with the cellphone and various other products. This is the difficulty with building a world, there are just so many moving parts that rarely does anyone ever do it justice.

And again, I didn't think it was a problem, always a little thing in the back of my head, but whatever I ignored it because, like you said, not what this manga is about. These are problems in a sci-fi setting and this is not a sci-fi setting. It wasn't until you mention the quirk appocalypse that it started to bother me because that is such a complicated backstory to the world. When you mentioned it, I took a good long think about it, and it's kind of dumb. It's kind of really dumb in what is a pretty smart manga. Like can you imagine if we were being restricted by laws enacted over a hundred years ago that never budged regardless of changing time or social things?

I can't stress how much it didn't bother me until you mentioned it, because up until now I just assumed it was modern Japan. Yeah Modern Japan where quirks one day popped up, but I just attributed that for the tech boost? God, being reminded of that overly complicated backstory has actually kind of ruined the setting for me in a lot of ways... wows oh wow...

 

[Cerium]

Eh, as with most shonen, you start with the desired setting and work backwards. The worldbuilding is only important insofar as it justifies a society where superpowers are common and something like One For All has had enough time to pass down several generations.

 

[cntr]

What's so complicated about it? Seems pretty straight-forward to me.

And robots aren't that big of a deal. They're pretty pointless out of manufacturing. Science fiction exaggerates how important they must be.

e: Also, I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that the laws are a hundred years old. They're a few decades old, and engineered to maintain the status quo, which is quite reasonable, especially from an Asian perspective.

 

[Meffer]

I know we usually heap on a lot of praise to this manga usually, and this last chapter was pretty good at this, but in general I think the series is pretty poor at a consistent world building(? tired and I'm using this term but I feel there might be a better somethign to what I'm saying). I think its in large part that we don't see a "limit" to the current technology that's usually crucial for sci-fi settings (not that it is one, but hey, if its in the future...). Like, do they have cell phones? What is the average person's equivalent, what are the technical advancements happeing right now? Who the fuck makes all these disposable robots that are for some reason not used as part of the police force? Or even posing a possible threat to heroes jobs? Whenever technology comes into play its always for conveince sake to what is needed at the moment.

Which I honestly think is fine. Manga is probably one of the worst formats I can think of for world building because they are such long running projects that require strong opening pushes there really just isn't time for all the thinking about moving parts thats required in good world creation. And also the fact they can never go back to early chapters and correct inconsitencies. Once it happens, it happens.

HunterXHunter does the same type of world building and it's considered one of the greatest shonen of all time. This world building is fine, it's too much if you just dump and bunch of crap on the reader at one time.

 

[SalvaPot]

Yeah, normally world building works to make the story more interesting. Look at One Piece, is loudly considered the best piece of world history in manga with all the twists and turns it provides, but if you really think about it it just feels that ways because of the characters and their motivations and how they actively affect the world. The world is set up so we could have the story of a young kid from the most peaceful side of the world who goes out to become the King of the Pirates.

In the same way MHA works, really. The world gets expanded and explained upon as the plot demands, its still a fairly young series.

 

[NHarmonic.]

Loved the chapter. The designs just keep getting better and better, and the world is so interesting and engaging.

I always end up wanting more

 

[Lunar15]

MHA's backstory is full of contrivance so that the author can have this wildly unbelieveable society still acting in a set of rules and a setting familiar to our modern sensibilities.

He didn't want to make an ultra-futuristic setting: He wanted that society to follow very similar structures to what we have now. It took a lot of contrivance to get that point but I'd argue he's done a pretty good job of making it all seem vaguely believeable enough to sit back and enjoy the character-driven ride. We've learned more and more about society as we've gone on, and none of it has really felt that contradictory.

 

[cntr]

Yeah, like, I think it's believable but I'm willing to make a lot of assumptions and inferences about the setting. It still breaks if you look at it too closely, but so does all fiction ever. And the story isn't about the future anyway.

 

[Newtype-001]

Okay but I really do think the robots are kind of a huge deal because they can affect so much of the world in a variety of ways. Like manufacturing? What about people's jobs? Is japan the only place with robots? Is it their prime export? In a world where quirks exist are other countries somehow self-efficient on resources? Or do they need robot work forces putting Japan at the top of the economic chain? Much like with the cellphone and various other products. This is the difficulty with building a world, there are just so many moving parts that rarely does anyone ever do it justice.

And again, I didn't think it was a problem, always a little thing in the back of my head, but whatever I ignored it because, like you said, not what this manga is about. These are problems in a sci-fi setting and this is not a sci-fi setting. It wasn't until you mention the quirk appocalypse that it started to bother me because that is such a complicated backstory to the world. When you mentioned it, I took a good long think about it, and it's kind of dumb. It's kind of really dumb in what is a pretty smart manga. Like can you imagine if we were being restricted by laws enacted over a hundred years ago that never budged regardless of changing time or social things?

I can't stress how much it didn't bother me until you mentioned it, because up until now I just assumed it was modern Japan. Yeah Modern Japan where quirks one day popped up, but I just attributed that for the tech boost? God, being reminded of that overly complicated backstory has actually kind of ruined the setting for me in a lot of ways... wows oh wow...

I dont get it...
Like none of that matters???

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

Loved the chapter. The designs just keep getting better and better, and the world is so interesting and engaging.

I always end up wanting more

Same. Just thought I'd chime in to say that things seem to be ramping up. I wonder if it'll get more brutal.

 

[Grexeno]

There's a question: if someone from Class 1-A where to ever die in the story, who would it be? (Eraserhead doesn't count.)

 

[Cerium]

There's a question: if someone from Class 1-A where to ever die in the story, who would it be? (Eraserhead doesn't count.)

Ojiro, Tape Guy, Bellybutton Laser, one of those peeps I'd think.

 

[Poodlestrike]

There's a question: if someone from Class 1-A where to ever die in the story, who would it be? (Eraserhead doesn't count.)

Normally I'd pick one of the top-of-the-class kids, so they can do a "shit's gotten real" moment, but they've done a great job of establishing that even 1-A's top talent doesn't compare to pro heroes, so there'd be no real point in that. I don't think they'll kill any of them, tbh.

 

[Cerium]

The top three (why is it always three in shonen?) are not going anywhere. They have plot armor.

If Horikoshi wants to shock and amaze, he'll kill off a popular character like Tokoyami or Asui. But I doubt it.

 

[Meffer]

The top three (why is it always three in shonen?) are not going anywhere. They have plot armor.

If Horikoshi wants to shock and amaze, he'll kill off a popular character like Tokoyami or Asui. But I doubt it.

Tsuyu was that close earlier in the series. Thank god it didn't happen.

 

[Poodlestrike]

The top three (why is it always three in shonen?) are not going anywhere. They have plot armor.

If Horikoshi wants to shock and amaze, he'll kill off a popular character like Tokoyami or Asui. But I doubt it.

I just don't see what he gains at this point, tbh. The villains have been thoroughly established as legitimate threats, there's no need to fatally Worf anybody.

And Rule of Three is a thing everywhere. Like seriously it's all over the damn place.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

I dont get it...
Like none of that matters???

It didn't matter until I suddenly found out the story takes place two hundred years in the future. Like, this is all on me being kind of dramatic about it, but fuck that's such a complicated backstory for a giant guy getting punched by a giant girl and the whole crowd cheers. Also to the person that said HunterXHunter has good world building, it does, and is much more consistent in it but I still think its poor. Wehn I'm talking about the world, I'm talking about maps, neighbors, world economics. The only manga I can think of that meets my, admittedly, pretty high standard of "good" is FMA in large part because there is a map.

There's a question: if someone from Class 1-A where to ever die in the story, who would it be? (Eraserhead doesn't count.)

I'd bet Iida. He's important enough but also kind of B tier enough that killing him would have weight and not throw things too out of crazy balance.

 

[Cerium]

I just don't see what he gains at this point, tbh. The villains have been thoroughly established as legitimate threats, there's no need to fatally Worf anybody.

And Rule of Three is a thing everywhere. Like seriously it's all over the damn place.

Killing a popular character is usually done to establish that no one is safe.

 

[Poodlestrike]

Killing a popular character is usually done to establish that no one is safe.

That's my point though, they kidnapped Bakugou in the middle of a training arc and crippled All Might permanently, they've already established that nobody is safe.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

The rule of thumb is that stakes can always be raised and that, yeah sure the MC's were safeish, but when the side characters get match with a villain after that, you start to sweat a little that the villain might win and if he wins...

 

[cntr]

I don't expect any of the notable characters to die soon, but yeah it'll happen eventually.

The thing is that even the "side" characters are relatable and likable, and it'd feel pretty bad if any of them died. Heck, even the implication that Camie died was enough to make people a bit upset, and we literally never met her.

And that'll be even worse when it happens, even the "minor" 1-A characters are eventually gonna get focus and development. Heck, Aoyama just got major development a few weeks ago.

 

[SalvaPot]

I just don't see what he gains at this point, tbh. The villains have been thoroughly established as legitimate threats, there's no need to fatally Worf anybody.

And Rule of Three is a thing everywhere. Like seriously it's all over the damn place.

It didn't matter until I suddenly found out the story takes place two hundred years in the future. Like, this is all on me being kind of dramatic about it, but fuck that's such a complicated backstory for a giant guy getting punched by a giant girl and the whole crowd cheers. Also to the person that said HunterXHunter has good world building, it does, and is much more consistent in it but I still think its poor. Wehn I'm talking about the world, I'm talking about maps, neighbors, world economics. The only manga I can think of that meets my, admittedly, pretty high standard of "good" is FMA in large part because there is a map.



I'd bet Iida. He's important enough but also kind of B tier enough that killing him would have weight and not throw things too out of crazy balance.

Whaaaat HxH has a World Map (Pretty much ours but scrambled), same as FMA, who is also hours only super focused in eastern europe. HxH also has lots of cultures and, hell the most recent arc is all about world economics and an expedition in a global scale. There is two chapters based 100% in the power balance and politics of the world.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Whaaaat HxH has a World Map (Pretty much ours but scrambled), same as FMA, who is also hours only super focused in eastern europe. HxH also has lots of cultures and, hell the most recent arc is all about world economics and an expedition in a global scale. There is two chapters based 100% in the power balance and politics of the world.

I'll be honest, I stopped after the big election arc, which I did really enjoy in that weird way HxH does but while I remember a bunch of moments, if you asked me to name a country or even a city within it I couldn't give you an answer.

 

[cntr]

...also MHA would take place about a hundred years in the future, the 2100s.

e: and I'm not sure how FMA meets those standards, Amestris and Ishval are the only places that really matter as countries. Xing, Drachma, and Xerxes also kind of matter but not really. The maps are just fluff, not anything important to the story.

 

[SalvaPot]

I'll be honest, I stopped after the big election arc, which I did really enjoy in that weird way HxH does but while I remember a bunch of moments, if you asked me to name a country or even a city within it I couldn't give you an answer.

York New?

Meteor City?

North Korea?

 

[Sölf]

So, after 8 weeks or so I finally caught up again. Which was timed good, since the arc just ended. xD

I really enjoyed the rescue mission. I only hope Uraraka makes some progress with her feelings, whatever that may be. Hero Academia has resolved issues pretty fast so far, so I would hate it if something like this was drag on for god knows how long.

 

[OniBarubary]

If they killed Invisible Girl...how would we know?

 

[Sölf]

If they killed Invisible Girl...how would we know?

Mineta would know.

 

[SalvaPot]

So, after 8 weeks or so I finally caught up again. Which was timed good, since the arc just ended. xD

I really enjoyed the rescue mission. I only hope Uraraka makes some progress with her feelings, whatever that may be. Hero Academia has resolved issues pretty fast so far, so I would hate it if something like this was drag on for god knows how long.

Well, they pretty much handwaved right now with Uraraka "Putting aside her feelings for now" to focus on her career.

 

[cntr]

I read that as "I'll put aside my feelings for now to focus on the test", but again we'll have to see what's up when we return to focusing on the students

 

[Frozenprince]

I just hope it doesn't get dragged out.

Either get together or don't, don't tease us for 300 more chapters with their feelings.

 

[Sölf]

Well, they pretty much handwaved right now with Uraraka "Putting aside her feelings for now" to focus on her career.

I read that as "I'll put aside my feelings for now to focus on the test", but again we'll have to see what's up when we return to focusing on the students

Yeah, as cntr said, I also thought she was only talking about the test.

 

[Meffer]

Yeah, as cntr said, I also thought she was only talking about the test.

Yeah it was only the test.

 

[Cerium]

Maybe Horikoshi was setting up an arc that will involve Midoriya's crazy stalker and Ochako in some kind of twisted love triangle that ends with a confession.

 

[Meffer]

Maybe Horikoshi was setting up an arc that will involve Midoriya's crazy stalker and Ochako in some kind of twisted love triangle that ends with a confession.

Ochako confesses to Deku but it's actually Toga! =O

 

[Cerium]

Ochako confesses to Deku but it's actually Toga! =O

Ah, a great excuse to set the relationship back by 100 chapters.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Ochako confesses to Deku but it's actually Toga! =O

They then proceed to go on a cute date, fall in love with each other, Toga reveals herself, Ochako accepts that and they kiss...

I can live with that.

 

[Veelk]

I'm apprehensive as fuck about Toga. For a series that's known for avoiding the pitfalls of lesser shonen, at first impression, Toga is the typical yandere sex/love obsessed character whose batshit crazy but makes for convenient catalyst for sexualized scenes.

At first, I thought it this was going to fall into it with other characters as well when the girl she was impersonating did it, but since it's her, for now, being sexualized is legitimately focused on her. Also, she seems to be played up for more disturbing scenes than typical yandere that are often played for comedy. Still, more than any character thus far, she's setting off alarm bells, if only because female villains being associated with lust as a negative is such a tired low-hanging fruit that I honestly expected better from MHA when I first saw her.

Still, I have to remember that tropes are not inherently bad and MHA has more than earned enough credit to give it some benefit of the doubt. It's been highly respectful of it's female characters and it's fanservice is often far more innocuous than most. I'm willing to see where they go with Toga.

I'm just saying, if there are character pitfalls MHA is in danger of stepping into, Toga is the closest it's come.

 

[Cerium]

I'm reminded of that arc in Ultimate Spider-Man where Chameleon takes Peter's form and ruins his personal life starting with his love interests.

 

[FlowersisBritish]

Bah, with all my joking about Toga, we honestly haven't really seen that much of her in the grand scheme of things. I'd say she's had marginally more screen time than Dabi, but that's still not much. We really haven't seen much of this new villain's alliance outside of the school training arc, and the part where All Might shows up but they got kind of second staged to A4O. The villain's, while fun, are a pretty passive element (Outside of Stain) in the story so far outside of a few instances. Pretty sure that's about to change with this new arc, but who know? Might be all about the new guys as the jobber up or something. Like within one chapter they gave a joke deadpool character a lot more validity for who he is. Good on MHA, but I more attribute that to how little screen time they've gotten.

 

[Meffer]

Honestly, I see Toga doing something with Ochako and Deku since they're the only classmates Toga get blood from and the fact she gleaned information regarding Deku and Ochako from him in their fight.
She did cut Tsuyu during the trip but there was no focus on Toga getting her blood but maybe she did. We'll see.

 

[cntr]

Toga's transformations are likely limited by how much blood she has, right? If having Deku's blood is part of Shigaraki's plan, then would he really waste the drop of blood he has on something as mundane as Deku's relationships? But again, I wouldn't worry about it just yet. When we return to focusing on the students and see Ochako's thoughts, then I'd worry about it.

I think the Plague Doctor gang is going to be the next major arc. We had a ton of plot with the VA, and they're all considerably stronger than the class is. The plague doctor guys could let us have a proper arc with someone else, and fights with a group on par with the class in strength. (Assuming they are.)

 

[cntr]

new Horikoshi sketch, by the way

 

[Poodlestrike]

I'm apprehensive as fuck about Toga. For a series that's known for avoiding the pitfalls of lesser shonen, at first impression, Toga is the typical yandere sex/love obsessed character whose batshit crazy but makes for convenient catalyst for sexualized scenes.

At first, I thought it this was going to fall into it with other characters as well when the girl she was impersonating did it, but since it's her, for now, being sexualized is legitimately focused on her. Also, she seems to be played up for more disturbing scenes than typical yandere that are often played for comedy. Still, more than any character thus far, she's setting off alarm bells, if only because female villains being associated with lust as a negative is such a tired low-hanging fruit that I honestly expected better from MHA when I first saw her.

Still, I have to remember that tropes are not inherently bad and MHA has more than earned enough credit to give it some benefit of the doubt. It's been highly respectful of it's female characters and it's fanservice is often far more innocuous than most. I'm willing to see where they go with Toga.

I'm just saying, if there are character pitfalls MHA is in danger of stepping into, Toga is the closest it's come.

Agreed on "female villains whose lust is their negative" being a problematic trope, and Shonen Yanderes generally being tired, but I feel that Toga represents a potentially interesting subversion in a couple of ways. Firstly, she's actualized; she's already gotten her first love-obsession-murder cycle under her belt, or possible multiple cases. Usually, the Harem/Shonen Yandere is played for comedy because yeah she acts scary, but she never hurts anybody (aside from doling out Amusing Injuries). Toga? Not so much.

Second, it's a pretty clever play on the idea of bloodlust, with her taking it a smidge more literally than a lot of Blood Knights. It's actually a characterization I've seen before, but only with male characters, interestingly enough.

 

[cntr]

The yandere archetype are characters where love/lust is the primary aspect of their personality, and the murderousness is a secondary (often comedic) feature, with the implication that if the murderousness is overcome or accepted, it's all okay.

In that sense, Toga isn't a true yandere, murder and blood are the primary aspects of her personality and presentation in the story, and the lust is a secondary aspect. In other words, she's an obsessive serial killer, not a romantic yandere. Which is acceptable to me, since it lacks the questionable implications.

Horikoshi could end up mishandling it, but he hasn't messed up yet, so I'm not too worried at the moment.

 

[cntr]

sorry for the bad translation, but I enjoy this concept

 

[FlowersisBritish]

To people saying Yandere is a tired trope, I say, give me recommendations now! No really, I love this trope, I can never get enough of it, and honestly I don't really see it that often in the things I read. I mean, yeah as side characters/villains sometimes but the whole "dere" thing is meant to differentiate romantic archetypes. I wouldn't call a suddenly appearing female character who is lustful/a little crazy a real "yandere" unless they have a potential as a real romantic interest. Though, I think your definition and my definition of Yandere might differ by a few multitudes of crazy. Regardless, I'd appreciate some examples just so I have an idea of what other people in the thread mean.