Written by: Gabriel Castillo | Published on: June 28, 2021
This episode is jam packed: new opening and ending, undercover work, suspicious new baddies, and a sinister message. The countdown begins!
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS
Summary
Hawks continues his infiltration operation and tries to gain the League of Villain’s trust. Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakguo, and Shoto Todoroki start their internship at Endeavor’s agency. The number two hero passes by and leaves a secret message for the number one.
A Little Spy Work?
This episode opened with another intriguing sequence involving Hawks, the number two hero, and his top-secret mission. Previously, they revealed that Best Jeanist went missing and now (technically a flashback), viewers caught a glimpse of him talking to Hawks. Did this speedy birdman have something to do with the top hero’s disappearance? To add more spice, Hawks made contact with Dabi and a new set of shady characters including Slidin’ Go, the hero that hugged Bakugo and Shoto previously. These little bits of clandestine work, mysterious elements, and partial reveals were incredibly exciting and effective in building wonder!
Number One’s Hero Agency
As the new year arrived, Class 1-A went out on their internship program with various hero agencies. Izuku Midoriya, Katsuki Bakugo, and Shoto Todoroki all ended up going to Endeavor’s incredibly busy agency. This trio in one agency? Awesome news as viewers will be treated with a ton of action! Who doesn't love action from these three?
Cracking the Code
At the end of Endeavor’s first encounter with his new interns, Hawks arrived and things seemed odd. The number two’s demeanor was strange and he was pushing a book about the Meta Liberation Army. Endeavor smelled something suspicious and his bit of sleuthing paid off as he unearthed the secret left by Hawks — a new enemy and a countdown to disaster.
New Opening and Ending Sequences
The new opening, entitled Merry-Go-Round, was performed by a Japanese rock band, known as MAN WITH A MISSION, famous for a hard/dance rock style and their signature wolf masks worn by each member for performances and videos. They have done opening tracks for other anime such as Log Horizon, The Seven Deadly Sins, and Inuyashiki. This opening is fueled with energetic riffs and infectious energy; it’s definitely something that gets viewers hyped (especially for the second half of the season).
The ending sequence has a more somber vibe with Uso Janai by Soushi Sakiyama, a J-pop singer-songwriter. This song feels like a good track for someone who just had a tough day and wants to let things out. It almost seems like viewers are going to need this song in the near future due to the events of the coming arc!
VERDICT
Author's Rating: 8.8/10
The covert operations of Hawks definitely dominated this episode and the small hints of hush-hush happenings were great! It was great to see into what was going on in the shadows and how tension was building up. The fantastic reveal at the end signified a countdown of sorts for coming events and that set the mood for the coming episodes. Lastly, the new opening and ending songs were fantastic and fitting for the vibe of this season's second half!
What exactly happened to Best Jeanist? How will the heroes react to what’s coming? What is the Meta Liberation Army? What will Endeavor do about this decoded message? Find out in the next episode!
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Official Anime Twitter: @heroaca_anime , @MHAOfficial
My Hero Academia Season 5 is available for streaming on iQIYI with new episodes every Saturday 17:30 (GMT + 8)
