One of the most appealing things about My Hero Academia as a series is that it tries to actually consider what kinds of impacts super powers would have on society. The story looks at both the positives and negatives of hero society, with a focus on those positives being worthwhile. In My Hero Academia: Vigilantes episode 3, those lines continue to become blurry. In this episode, subtle hints at each of the main cast begin to surface as they learn to operate together. Right alongside, “Bee” improves the series adaptation of the spin-off manga’s pacing.
The regular folks of hero society
“Bee” digs a bit more into the psyche of Koichi via his internal monologue. As hinted at, he’s very much like Deku as his childhood was filled with dreams of following All Might’s legacy. Unlike Deku’s turn of fate, though, Koichi has bills to pay. It’s a surprisingly simple but incredibly sympathetic reason for not pursuing the hero through legitimate channels. Where the mainline MHA series tends to put its characters into one of two camps, hero or villain, even those placements are tied up with the idea of being a hero or villain, rather than more traditional life.
With the slight exception of Ochaco Uraraka for the manga’s earlier days, MHA doesn’t really tackle how things like the economy really functions in its world beyond being some form of ours. Even with Uraraka, it is clear the solution to her problems is becoming a hero. In comparison, Koichi doesn’t have a powerful enough Quirk to sneak in between the cracks of the blessed. He doesn’t get into a prodigious school in his youth, so instead he’s got to go through the deflated college path and work a cashier job. This perspective is what really informs the wanderlust that draws him to continue vigilante work.
Idols and angst
At the same time, Pop☆Step and Knuckleduster get more depth via showing instead of telling. Both have immediately taken to Koichi’s rooftop hut immediately and both are unrecognizable out of costume. They both suggest implicitly that this is now their hideout, a way to be their true selves away from whatever they do during the day – and it’s also notable that Pop is still in school. The first portion of My Hero Academia: Vigilantes episode 3 centers on Pop’s life as a burgeoning idol. While she definitely loves the spotlight in costume, it’s also very clear she’s very green and doesn’t have a clear vision of what the idol life is like. There’s something to be said about how unsurprising it is to see the young idol used like bait for a Trigger-addled and slimy fan. Even unofficial idols can be exploited.
Knuckelduster gets some hints at something deeper, though more at the end of the episode. As new villain Kuin Hachisuka (Sayaka Senbongi/Morgan Laure) unleashes her bee quirk to spread Trigger, it is only Knuckleduster who even notices the bees specifically. It’s clear from this that he’s been chasing Trigger for longer than it seems. He’s been playing dumb, appearing to want to beat up Trigger users for the love of the game, but clearly there’s more under the mask.
Production highs and lows
Compared to the strange pacing of the first two episodes, “Bee” threads the needle between the chapters it adapts well. There’s a clear through line from start to finish, even if it is subtle at first blush. There’s also some more fun work used with Vigilante’s sound effects, in so much is that they’re being used more in less action-focused segments. Applying the same effects to slime or Knuckleduster drinking a beer maintains that visual distinction.
That distinction does still apply to known My Hero Academia characters too. Overall, it’s still better to distinguish the character designs compared to the main anime. Even so, there’s still a slight uncanny valley effect that comes from seeing several hero cameos in “Bee.” No one is off model completely but there remains a sense that something is just a bit off. Best Jeanest gets off the worst, in my opinion. He loses a lot of his lanky figure in his brief appearance. Even so, he gets better than a lot of the civilians, many who seem to suffer from having no face disease.
Vigilantes settles in
Settling into a comfortable pace, My Hero Academia: Vigilantes episode 3 continues a strong lead for the spin off series. As more of the secrets of the Trigger drug begin to become clear, there’s a looming sense that a large battle for the soul of Koichi’s town is incoming. Getting there should be a treat, even if the production isn’t yet quite hitting the peak of its parent series.
My Hero Academia: Vigilantes airs Mondays on Crunchyroll.
Featured image © H. Furuhashi, BETTEN. C, K. Horikoshi/SHUEISHA, Vigilante Project
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'MY HERO ACADEMIA: VIGILANTES' - "BEE" - 7/10
7/10
Travis Hymas is a freelance writer and self appointed Pokémon historian out of Salt Lake City, Utah. Known to be regularly obessive over pop culture topics, gaming discourse, and trading card games, he is a published critic featured on sites such as Uppercut and The Young Folks.
