miniaichii - Tumblr blog

miniaichii · 3 years

Text

Dadmight post-war arc I am manifesting it

I didn't really edit this and it was written in like two takes but here oof

•

It took four days for Izuku to break down; after the surgeries, the panic, the morphine. He had been up for nearly 24 hours minus one drug-induced nap the doctors forced on him; too in shock to sleep, and poor Inko had suffered the same fate. She’d crashed a few hours ago; still dead to the world on the hard hospital sofa.

Toshinori had seen Izuku’s unrested eyes open again at 11:30; had just enough time to cross the room before the poor kid was crawling for the edge of the bed, and two minutes later he was shaking in Toshinori’s arms, mouth wrenched open as silent sobs wracked his body; the most emotion he’d shown since the last battle.

"I know," Toshinori whispered, stroking his hair over and over. "I know. I know…"

He did. Of those closest to Izuku, Toshinori was the only one who knew—who could even imagine what it felt like to lay there with a hole punched through the middle of your life. To feel what had been perversely carved from your body. To crave painkillers more than food.

At forty, he’d known what it felt like to claw up a hospital bed, trying to escape the agony of sawn-through bones between morphine doses. At forty, Toshinori had wished he’d simply died.

At forty.

Izuku…

Izuku was a baby. A child just barely learning to walk in the world he’d chosen. He was supposed to be worrying about homework and crushes, for God’s sake—not relearning how to live with one arm.

Toshinori cradled him close; heart splintering when he accidentally jostled the cuff and Izuku almost gagged from the pain. Whispering apologies, he curled white knuckles in his hair and gently leaned their faces together. They sat like that for awhile, curled into one another against the wall.

Toshinori nuzzled and cooed like a new mother—and for once, he wished Izuku would revert back to the flustered, stammering mess he’d turn into before if coddled. It had been a quiet hope that the boy would grow more comfortable with closeness, but not like this. Anything but this.

“W—would you have given it to me?” a tiny voice squeaked. “If you’d known, w—hic—what would happen… would you have still wanted me?”

Toshinori was good at hiding his emotions; he had hidden and faked them for a living for decades, but heaven and earth couldn’t stop the tears that ran in droves down his bony cheeks. 'Of course,' he wanted to scream. Of course.

Izuku was tucked so deep in his heart that Toshinori couldn't remember how it felt without him. When it wasn't so full of pride and joy it felt fit to burst. Izuku had saved his life. Wanted him? Toshinori would die without his boy; maybe he'd already be dead.

But he also saw the reality; the way he flinched and trembled at any loud noise. How little he ate (and how little he could keep down). The dullness of his once-expressive eyes, even now. In his arms, Toshinori felt how small Izuku still was under the toned, battered exterior.

If he'd known… If he'd looked at that overexcited twig of a boy from over a year ago and known he'd end up here…

Toshinori didn't know. Frankly, he felt a bit selfish, because the grief alone of never knowing Izuku was enough to say yes.

But Toshinori knew the answer his boy wanted, and he couldn't give it to him. Couldn't tell him the truth either; not while Izuku was suffering. In the end he just heaved a weary sigh, planting a kiss on his temple.

"Come on," he murmured.

He’d lost weight already. Toshinori could feel it as he struggled to lift Izuku back into bed without waking him. To his dismay, he was met with fluttering green eyes anyway as he laid his precious cargo on the mattress. Izuku just stared blankly at the ceiling as Toshinori pulled the covers up and sat down beside him. When he pushed his fingers through bushy curls, Izuku didn't even look at him.

“You came back to me,” Toshinori whispered, eyes shimmering with tears. "You'll never know…" his throat closed, and he found Izuku's hand under the covers. "... You came back to me," he whimpered, squeezing till his knuckles turned white.

Izuku bit his lip at that, eyes leaden with tears, and Toshinori knew exactly what he was thinking. He had thought it himself; too many times to count.

Izuku was thinking; I wish I hadn't.

He was already pulling the covers back again, slipping off the flimsy hospital flats to crawl in beside his boy. It was hard to gather him up in his arms like this without hurting him, but Toshinori managed to fold himself around the small, broken body; tucking him securely against his chest.

Izuku couldn't hug him—his good arm was folded under them, but Toshinori found it and laced their fingers together. With his other hand, he pulled the comforter over their heads before carefully wrapping it around his boy.

Izuku didn't fight him, but Toshinori felt his shirt dampening and the way he trembled a little harder.

"Shh," he crooned, barely louder than the machines murmuring next to them. "It's okay. I've got you. I love you…”

Izuku only whimpered, but soon his labored breathing began to slow, along with the tremors. But even long after he'd drifted off, Toshinori remained wide awake. He knew he wasn't going to sleep tonight; just like he'd barely slept the three nights before—but it was okay. He dared to nuzzle into soft curls, closing his eyes.

As long as Izuku was here in his arms, it was okay.

•

My ao3

2K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

happy holidays my gift to u all is a set of my favorite mido images i have saved, featuring:

SMILEY EXCITED BOY

snarly (rightfully) mad lad

the sweetest watery smile i have ever seen god he deserves the world

gotta hit those books feat best boys kiri and iida

please god he deserves all the support he can get thank u aizawa,,,”problem child”,,fuck

newfound determination!!!!! hes gonna save eri hes gonna do it sobs i believe in him

SMUSH

WHAT a charmer i adore him

BASHFUL SMILE ft my sunshine girl melissa

madlad midoriya mode has been activated all villains immediately vacate the premises or face the consequences

the feral smile of a job well done

let him rest….ft best kids iida and uraraka. iida once again proves to be the best pillow

smile smile smile smile smile smile ft tododokidoki

please please please i would die for him

sweet victorious genuine boy oh my god his heart is so good im crying

and last but not least

look how excited he is my special boy,,,

thank you that is it merry holidays joyful times i hope u all have a good time kick back and relax today and also remember to stan midoriya izuku

3K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Photo

“I mean— he’s probably fine.”

Hi, I’m alive and very much into My Hero Academia now. 🙈

26K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

Happy Halloweennn🎃

Yehhh, the cats are here again! Too bad I cant fit bakugou inside tho🥺

171 notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Photo

When its a rainy day, we need this kind of love

a tododeku love

9K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Photo

Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes,

But it’s the only thing that I know.

6K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

1K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

Here's The Thing...

[Apologies in advance for those who are offended by the following post.]

Most People: Aw, look at these boys! Their relationship has grown so much! Why can't people see that when the evidence is right in front of-

Me: ...

Most People: What?

Me: Nope, I don't want to start.

Most People: Oh come on, man! You're always whining about how their dynamic is "flawed" and "toxic" and all that. This is a really wholesome momen-

Me: Did you not read earlier in the chapter?

Most People: ...what?

Me: Earlier in the chapter. Just before this panel. Right after All Might revealed Nana's Quirk...

Most People: Oh, you mean their banter? Yeah, that was adora-

Me: Katsuki literally told Izuku he wasn't go to catch up. He persistently reiterated the idea that he was going to get better while Izuku would get left behind wasting his time.

Most People: Well, yeah, but that's just Katsuki's way of encourageme-

Me: Would you feel encouraged or insulted if you had just recently gotten your new Quirk ON TOP OF a surprise new Quirk in the span of less than a year and then someone else would say you were incapable of learning how to handle more Quirks?

Most People: But Izuku doesn't seem bother-

Me: What you don't know can't hurt you. You can have a problem and never acknowledge it.

Most People: But... but...

Me: And let's talk about the start of the chapter, hm? Katsuki has no obligation to be in the room despite being in on the secret, so he could really just leave any time he wants-

Most People: But All Might was wasting time!

Me: And Katsuki says they're wasting his time. Not Izuku's, not the group as a whole, just Katsuki. He could have still told All Might to move the conversation along without making it about himself, but he didn't do that. Do you know how unnecessary that is?

Most People: ...

Me: All Might then talks about how the users of One For All operated. How they all died early in their lives, how the weren't the best, but they were something. And what does Katsuki say?

Most People: ...

Me: He says they have lame Quirks. He calls them a bunch of nobodies. He just straight up disrespects what they've been through, opting to focus on how flashy they were instead of their actions, in a typical Katsuki fashion. This kid has seen Blackwhip, he knows how smart Izuku can be, and yet he's putting all that aside tp maintain his own ludicrous ego.

Most People: ...

Me: I already mentioned the banter that occured between Izuku and Katsuki, but once again: does Katsuki offer to help Izuku? Does he offer any constructive insight? Does he keep his mouth shut? No, no, and no. He opts to once again bolster his pride, and drag down Izuku's in the process. That panel up there? That's not "Friendship Goals." That's a boy trying to hold a civil conversation with a megalomaniacal egotist who's barely even trying to learn how to be a decent person. Izuku doesn't even flinch because he's dealt with this for about a decade. How exactly is their friendship great?

Most People: But... but Dad Might-

Me: All Might's no help here, either. He knows just as much about Izuku and Katsuki's past as anyone else. He's as in the dark as everyone else. And I doubt he had many friends of his own during childhood, unless David Shield and Nighteye count later down the line.

Most People: ...but... but didn't Izuku say that he never thought he could speak to Katsuki so naturally?

Me: So? Everyone else could talk to Katsuki just fine in spite of his garbage personality. Sure, it's special that Izuku did it, but it's not impossible. Besides, it's not like Katsuki's saying anything new or helpful back to Izuku.

Most People: But... but the Wonder Duo!

Me: No. I'm done. I already said too much, and you all aren't going to take me seriously anyway. I'm sorry if I'm offending you right now, but I'm just calling it like I see it. And what I'm seeing is that Katsuki still hasn't changed all that much in spite of it being almost a year. I'm seeing that you're using Izuku's protagonist status to justify that because he sees himself and Katsuki as friends, they are friends, even though in reality Izuku, like any other protagonist, is not right all the time or perfect all the time, and therefore his word should not be taken at face value. I'm seeing through All Might and most of the fandom that you'll be wearing your rose-tinted glasses and completely ignore a person's actions in favor of what you wish to see because the alternative is too uncomfortable or too difficult to process. I'm not seeing what everyone else is seeing and frankly, I don't want to.

Most People: ...

Me: Sorry for wasting your time. Carry on.

-Crimson Lion (19 January 2020)

1K notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

Ultimatum: The Art of Lying In A Made Bed

(Or Why My Experience With Chapter 285 Is Contrary To Everyone Else's)

[Manga Spoilers Ahead. Also Opinions. Feel Free To Ignore.]

After Chapter 284, many fans were wondering how the story of BNHA would follow up on Katsuki's development. Now that Chapter 285 is officially out, fans are clamoring about Katsuki's latest acts of heroism, about how his arc is finally kicking it into high gear.

I'd be inclined to agree, but… you know how these things go.

[Heads up fans/stans, if you like Katsuki you might wanna bail. The word vomit that follows is pretty much incoherent and reflects my disaster of a thought process.]

I was looking forward to Chapter 285. I had my reservations on the execution of Chapter 284, but if the next chapter could follow it up and then some, I'd be pleasantly surprised. But then the leaks came out. And then the fan translation. And as of today, the official VIZ translation.

While everyone else is cheering for explosion boy, I'm just… done.

285 didn't get me to see how far Bakugo's journey has come. 285 didn't get me to finally root for him. And maybe I am making this decision prematurely, maybe I am missing something, but…

...the way things are going in the story I just- I just CAN'T root for him.

And I'm not saying the rest of you can't, if you're still reading. Katsuki is definitely a different person compared to Chapter 1, a better person, and he's definitely been heading on the up and up! If you can and want to support him, then by all means, go for it, don't let me stop you! It's just…

For me, chapter 284 was a wavering torch: a flicker of hope that sometimes dwindled, but was still there. Chapter 285 was the moment where I wanted to jump on the Katsuki Development Train, to finally gain some semblance of respect for him. But when I jumped, I landed on the tracks, and had to crawl back onto the platform.

I missed my chance to jump on that train. Whether it's because of previous circumstances or recent circumstances, I'll never know…

You probably wanna ask me at this point, "But Crimson, why DIDN'T Chapter 285 make you see the awe inspiring pinnacle of character development that is Katsuki Bakugo???"

To put it simply: it's a culmination thing.

For starters, there's a sort of… whiplash with Katsuki's development in the last few chapters. People like me will complain that Katsuki's development is too slow, in the case of the last 2-3 chapters, it feels like a switch was flipped, and now it's become too fast. Perhaps it's a me thing, but let me try to explain…

Shoto starts out as a standard background character. By the time he gets his spotlight in the Sports Festival, he comes off as reserved and antagonistic. After the whole "it's your power" moment, Shoto is finally able to accept the side he always hated. Then Katsuki fights Shoto, and we're shown he still needs time to grow; his left side comes with a lot of baggage he can't just brush off in the span of a single sparring match.

Fastforward to Hosu. Shoto's starting to take other people into better account. He's starting to learn to better control his fire. He's reconnected with his mother. His goal is no longer one-upping his old man; he has goals, people, that he wants to protect. He's coming into his own and wants others to do the same, like Tenya.

He joins the Katsuki Rescue Squad because, like Izuku, he had an opportunity to save Katsuki, didn't, and now he wants to make up for it. When we get to the Provisional License Exam, we're yet again slammed with the fact that his growth is still not done via Inasa, that there's still a bit of Endeavor he has to shake off, even if it was in the past. And he does progress towards that with the Remedial Course Arc. And while I have my opinions on the Endeavor Agency Arc, I'll admit that it was another development opportunity for Shoto and the Todoroki family. Shoto's growth comes with setbacks, but overall it's consistent.

Let's shift gears to Tenya, who's characterization I find fascinating. He starts out opposed to Izuku when they first meet at the Entrance Exam. He sees how Izuku is (for lack of a better phrase) "better qualified" at heroics thus far, reassesses his position, and apologizes whilst making amends. When Tenya resorts to LITERAL MURDER against Stain, the narrative does not let him go off without reprocussions. His arms are damaged, his supervisor's teaching license is revoked, and while he managed to avoid legal charges via police cover up, it still came close. Tenya listened to Stain's words, and opted to improve himself by that notion. He tries to set a better example, be a better class rep. It isn't a one and done.

Him lashing out during the Hideout Raid Arc is an offshoot of that. He doesn't deck Izuku just to be a dick; he's trying to knock some sense into him. They're so focused on Katsuki that they're forgetting about everyone else. Their friends, their teachers, their parents. If they f*** up like Tenya almost did at Hosu, they'll have hell to pay, and he doesn't want that. Of course, once they explain that combat/murder is not their M.O., Tenya tags along, if only to ensure the operation goes smoothly without this hitch. And again, Tenya keeps up. He looks after his classmates, looks after Izuku during the Shie Hassaikai arc. His growth is also consistent.

There are probably more characters I could elaborate on (Ochako, Momo, Eijiro, etc.), but I'll stop there. So, what's the deal with Katsuki's arc?

Well, it's… frustratingly back and forth.

It's one thing to have setbacks like Tenya and Shoto. It's something else entirely to have multiple setbacks and to keep trucking on with only abstract signs of development, but otherwise feeling like a very similar character compared to several chapters ago.

This is (in my opinion) Katsuki's problem. If we're going by what the manga stated, his arc technically started in Chapter 11: "Bakugo's Starting Line." But this is a rocky start. Izuku tells him about OFA right from the getgo out of guilt, but this neglects the fact that he's technically lying to everyone about it (including his new friends Ochako and Tenya), that OFA is a world-shattering secret, and that Katsuki is likely the worst person to tell this to considering that Izuku just handed Katsuki's ass to him and Katsuki was willing to use lethal force in their Trial. That aside, instead of say, sucking up his pride and opting to try and learn from everyone else, Katsuki doesn't really change strategies or approaches. He essentially does what he was planning to do since the start of UA; he's only crying because, SURPRISE, people are better than him. You'd think he'd expect that considering he called his middle school crappy…

After the USJ, once everyone had their "Lol Bakugo sux" moment on the bus ride, we get to the Sports Festival and everyone is clamoring to join Katsuki's team despite his apparent unapproachability. This feels less like something happened in the two weeks leading up to the Sports Festival, and more like history repeating itself from middle school. Moving on to the tournament, we don't even get to see how capable Katsuki is at serious combat. Two of his matches resort to Deus Ex Machina pulls, and the other two are in his corner by principle instead of difficult.

First off, Katsuki vs Ochako. I don't know why people praise this fight. For starters, it makes Katsuki HEAVILY OoC. Ochako is the only person he asks if she wants to back out before the match even starts. The ONLY person, which kinda undermines the whole "he didn't underestimate her" thing. Then he takes a reactionary stance the entire battle. Like, I thought we were still dealing with the "fist first" Katsuki. He does this to Eijiro, Fumikage, even Shoto, but Ochako? Stay still and then attack. Even if he did get his gravity removed, couldn't he just… propelly himself and let her have it. If he was proactive, he could have ended the fight quicker. Instead, he just plays sitting duck and headless chicken. If you're gonna have Katsuki win the fight, don't bulls*** it.

Which brings me to the final bit of that fight: the meteor shower. Having Katsuki blow that away after supposedly expending most of his energy earlier in the match just does NOT sit right. Ochako gets the upper hand, and then you just… negate that? You expect me to believe that Katsuki could generate an explosion at that magnitude, if nothing else? And what exactly does that do for him in the end? No one else tires him out for the remainder of the festival, which is pretty sketch.

(And yeah, I know I know "What part of her was frail?" but that's more of a retrospective thing than in the moment, coupled with the facf that it's never elaborated on again in any capacity, with Ochako or with someone else. It's a throwaway moment; a waste. Moving on…)

You really can't say much about the matchups with Eijiro and Fumikage. With Eijiro, it's an endurance match, and Katsuki apparently has infinite stamina and is on the attack. And he just… rushes him, which I'm pretty sure anyone else would do. Then with Fumikage, Dark Shadow is weak to light. Katsuki's explosions emit light on contact. Do the math.

And I am especially mad at Katsuki vs Shoto because one, he stays in place yet again at the start of the match, and two, he can apparently ignore his Quirk' weakness to low temperatures. In a gym uniform. Against a glacier the size of a building. Even with his power output, you don't see his explosions dampening in magnitude. It's obviously in his favor, which defeats any tension the fight could have had. It sucks, and in the long run, as a wise man once said, "Todoroki should have folded [his] ass."

Then we get to the Final Exams (ABOUT DAMN TIME) and… Katsuki hits Izuku for trying to cooperate, nearly gets knocked out once, and gets knocked out the second time around. He does not want to work with Izuku despite it being All Might, is petty enough to consider losing, and actively grumbles against working with Izuku. And all of his supposed self-preservation goes flying out the window when he's willing to try and beat All Might, leaving Izuku having to come and carry this boy out of the gate, which should not have let him pass.

Then there's the Training Camp attack. The second Izuku is mentioned, Katsuki decides to go AWOL, and while being kidnapped sucks, I am less sympathetic when you're boneheaded enough to help them capture you because you wanted to fight villains instead of getting to safety like the professionals recommended, all because of your one-sided hatefest with one of your classmates. Congrats, you played yourself.

Then we get to the Provisonal License Exam, which feels like a step in the right direction… until you realize this will boil over into Deku vs Kacchan 2, which will get both of them in trouble, which will give Katsuki insight into OFA while Izuku gets shunned by his classmates, and which will prevent Katsuki from the one ass beating that could have potentially taught him something. It's essentially the narrative covering his ass, and then he has the gall to be happy about other people potentially getting set back just because he was set back. Geez dude.

The Cultural Festival essentially undoes what the Remedial Course Arc accomplishes, having Katsuki look down on the rest of UA when he said NOT to look down on people earlier. And then his speech is still heavily antagonistic to the rest of the school, and to the idea of basic human decency and kindness in general. And if I'm being honest, that whole "he can play drums" feels like a big ass pull to keep him in the spotlight. At least the story brought back his ability to cook down the line.

The Joint Training Arc is just shoe horning in regards to Katsuki. It acts like his gearing up towards saving, but the circumstances are heavily, heavily in his favor, and not in a good way. I've already brought up how Katsuki won't get "saving" until the Endeavor Arc, and how here he's just doing it to show off, so I won't go into it here. Then apparently he gets to outwit a recommendation student 'cause why not? It makes him look more impressive than he actually is, even though he outright states he hasn't changed much if at all. Not to mention the narrative makes it sound like he was some sort of underdog, even though he only got kidnapped and didn't get his license. And I know those are big things, but not enough to warrant his victory feeling that triumphant. I'd probably buy it if he didn't win the Sports Festival or pass the Final Exam. Keep him in that slump for longer than you actually do, or it lessens the impact. And let's not forget, he might have been willing to help Izuku with Blackwhip via fisticuffs, but the second he realized he wasn't getting anything out of it, he noped out. And it's been what, almost 200 chapters since his "starting line?"

I don't have much to say during the Endeavor Arc (that was its own can of worms), but as for the War Arc thus far… here's what I mean by "whiplash." The arc begins in Chapter 253. By Chapter 257, Katsuki will demonstrate how much he just does not give a f*** about Izuku's mastery over OFA so long as it looks like he'll come out on top. By Chapter 274, when Izuku's gotta split, it'll look like Katsuki has been thinking about some stuff, but by 275 he's gonna throw that out the window so he can attempt to one up Tomura and Izuku, and then he'll nearly get killed for it. And we won't know what exactly Katsuki is thinking until a flashback in Chapter 284 (which chronologically takes place after 257), where he has a conversation with All Might about his past with Izuku. Or at least the bullet points. If you're me, the start of the conversation feels less about Izuku and more so about his situation: his situation with OFA. And as much as I want to believe there was at least one good kernel in Katsuki that he was too stubborn to let out with Izuku, I feel like Katsuki only brings up him and his capabilities now because he got a Quirk. That's what put him on Katsuki's radar. That's what forced Katsuki to take notice of Izuku, what caused him to be unable to ignore his own weakness. Because of a Quirk. That's… borderline shallow, if not remarkably so.

And even when Katsuki is attempting to save Izuku in 285, his first thoughts are still on OFA. And even if we go by the line of thought that Katsuki is thinking "Even if OFA sucks, it's still Izuku's Quirk." And that's nice and all, but the flashback makes it seem like the Quirk is still All Might's Quirk as well. That all of Izuku's worth is hinged on the fact that he got a Quirk now and therefore can't be written off. Maybe he doesn't owe this to his accomplishments, but the narrative is terrible in its implications that Izuku wouldn't have gotten as much attention without it. At the end of the day, Katsuki is still associating Izuku's worth with his Quirk. And as much as I want to vaguely, vainly hope that this will change later on, I'm already at my limit

...and now that I've said my piece on almost the entire narrative thus far, let's shift gears to a few more tidbits in 285.

Again, the flashback. I think it's significant that they're shifting the focus briefly on middle school again. But you wanna know what sent me the wrong way? They didn't include the god forsaken suicide instigation. They can show Katsuki gloating. They can show Izuku up against a wall. They can even show a notebook and Izuku's face during the Sludge Villain rematch. But they can't show Izuku reacting with sorrow mixed with almost fury. That can't show Katsuki threatening him with a mere "What?" and the sparks on his palms. They can't show Izuku standing and crying, small and defeated.

"BUT HORI SAID HE WENT TO FAR WITH THAT SCENE!1!" Blah blah blah, doesn't change the fact that it still happened. Doesn't change the fact that it should be addressed, at any capacity. Doesn't change the fact that the story had the balls to recall middle school but couldn't bring itself to remember the one thing that could get its audience raising eyebrows.

But that's alright, it gave you the notebook; clearly it's done enough.

And maybe in another timeline, I could have let my jaw drop when Katsuki was hit and the chapter title was revealed. "Katsuki Bakugo: Rising" It would have been pretty damn powerful too.

...but with all the previous crap the narrative has pulled, it feels like more shoehorning. It feels like more Erasehead stepping in and shaming the audience. It feels like more All Might letting Katsuki in because he's not completely familiar with the finer details. It feels like more people. In narrative parroting that Katsuki changed when he does the bare minimum, as a hero or as a person. I can't treat this development legitimately, because so many other "legitimate" developments pulled a "psyche!" and headed out.

So, I'm done. I'm done with Katsuki, done with hoping his development will be done in a somewhat satisfying manner. Done with people telling me "it's actually good though!" like I'm blind and deaf or something, when I have enough brain cells to formulate my own opinions, and we both have enough brain cells to leave each other alone if we don't agree. Maybe when the series ends and we can all look at this in hindsight, and Katsuki has either found a way to redeem himself, or remain deplorable, I might talk about it then. But for now. I'm drawing the line. I might talk about what we've gotten up to this point, but everything past 285 I'm taking with a grain of salt. 'Cause I'm sick of hoping for something that obviously won't come through, and it's better for me and everyone involved if I just pack up and move on. BNHA isn't just Katsuki's story after all.

And if you made it to the end of all this… I hope you'll either respect my opinion, or respect my thought process. That's all I can ask.

-Crimson Lion (27 September 2020)

164 notes · View notes

miniaichii · 4 years

Text

Just A Thought

This has been said time and time again, but Katsuki had SO MUCH potential for living up to the hype his fans claimed he'd exceeded.

Even if he was planned to not get any development in the initial run, if Hori wanted to and had the time for it, he could have done something incredible for Katsuki's arc.

But instead, Katsuki goes through the motions, with plenty of setbacks that really mean nothing.

And none of the fans care because contrary to popular belief, BNHA is more of a traditional shonen than people realize. It's a slightly different flavor of the same food. At the end of the day, these people are here for a battle shonen manga, not an in-depth exploration on the emotional caveats in a superpower society and the consequences that should address it.

And Hori could tackle that route, but being a once a week mangaka is already stressful enough. And the editors have seen the figures and how they correlate to Katsuki, so there's no way in hell they're letting their cash cow off the hook.

So, Katsuki gets away with inflicting 10 years of physical, verbal, and psychological torment (because apparently "abuse" is too strong a term) on Izuku. He gets away with attempted injury on a student the 1st day, using a lethal attack despite being told not too, attacking his partner during the exam, and refusing to head back to safety in the midst of a villain attack, all without being reprimanded for whatever reasons. He gets away with dragging out his former punching bag in the middle of the night, gets in on a monumental secret he has truly done NOTHING to earn the trust of, and gets away from the one fight that he might have learned something from.

He gets to act like he's surged miles ahead when he's only taken the first few steps, and he's also backtracked more than his fair share. Chapter 285 could have been a momentous occasion, but it just... rang hollow if you were still trying to understand what makes Katsuki so appealing.

Katsuki recognizes that what he did to Izuku was wrong. But he only got to that point because the Quirkless kid he grew up with got a Quirk. Intentionally or not, Katsuki ties Izuku's worth to his Quirk. It's "I shouldn't have treated him wrong because he's got a Quirk, he proved himself" instead of "I shouldn't have treated him wrong because he deserves basic human decency."

And the narrative can keep on coasting because it KNOWS it can. As long as Katsuki looks like he's improving and the fans keep eating it up, they don't have to put in any effort. The fans will "fill in the gaps."

...the only reason I barely held out as long as I did was because there was a small piece of me that was still hopeful, that Hori would manage to either deliver proper repercussions and push him forward, or do the opposite and blast him back.

Instead, he gets skewered and gets to be all poignant as he falls back to Earth, because that's what's expected. We were already at point A, 285 and 286 catapulted us to point B, but they forgot the line in-between. Nevermind that the parallels between Izuku and Katsuki don't line up here. Nevermind that Izuku's bout of righteous fury came after Tomura started wrecking everyone (something Izuku was trying to prevent), while anytime Katsuki threw hands earlier in the series, it was always his call on his terms.

But it's okay for Katsuki to just echo the actions and capabilities of others, because apparently his starting point is so low that that's enough. He doesn't get to grow significantly unless someone's already outpaced him. The narrative keeps it at his pace because it favors him.

...so much for Plus Ultra, huh?

169 notes · View notes