My Hero Academia: Vigilantes 1x05 "Judgment" - reaction & review
Added 2025-05-05 22:36:54 +0000 UTCHey everyone! Here it is - my reaction to episode 5 of Vigilantes! WHOA!!! The stuff with Koichi and Pop Step was SO FLIPPIN GOOD!!!!! Like how did they legit almost bring me to tears within 30 seconds of showing Koichi in his tighty whiteys?! Also we have a new vigilante in town, hmmm!! Speaking of which, oh no, THAT GUY?! Are you kidding me?! How could he possibly be a good guy?! Guess we'll find out! Great ep! Enjoy! ~ MH
Comments
Thank you so much for your comment, I was grinning the whole time reading it!! You get it—you get Koichi, Pop, the hoodie, the EMOTIONS, all of it!! I totally agree, Koichi’s little college misadventure hurts my soul (poor bb just wanted FRIENDS 😭) and the way you broke down Pop’s layers?? Literal genius. I like how you see her tough-girl energy as both a mask and a reflection of her comfort around Koichi and Knuckle. And YES that hoodie scene!! It had me screaming—her BLUSH?? The HANGER WITH A HEART?? I can't handle how cute she is omg. Also like, Knuckle absolutely wrecking the moment… I screamed. The audacity!! 😂 I love how you describe all the little touches that make their dynamic so rich—and YES to the music + moonlight + jump combo… chills. Literal chills. And don't even get me started on Stendal!! Total edgy comic book anti-hero energy, you're spot on. (Deathstroke vibes for sure). Your analysis of the manga/anime differences, character arcs, and even the symbolic meaning behind names was awesome as well. Thank you so so much for taking the time to share all this—and thanks for all your kindness and support!
Melissa Moore
2025-05-11 20:17:59 +0000 UTCAHHHH no! Lol not the Jojos! True though, they might fare better! OMG that's so true about the pink hair, it's even more of a twist! Oof, that'd be one killer collab, literally!
Melissa Moore
2025-05-11 20:12:48 +0000 UTCI love this episode it’s emotional & the content with the characters/in the story was juicy. Yeah I had to hold myself back from talking about Koichi’s disastrous college debut because I’m pretty sure it was shown earlier in the manga. But it’s really unfortunate that in his excitement to have friends instead of acquaintances Koichi brought some upperclassman to his apartment building before explaining that it was in a rundown part of town I’m guessing because it was the only apartment he could afford by himself. It sucks that it led to a lot of nasty rumors being spread about him especially because I feel like Koichi must have tried to explain but no one gave him the benefit of the doubt I feel so bad for him. Thankfully even though it’s absolute chaos he now has friends in Pop & Knuckleduster because he seems like an extroverted guy and was definitely lonely before those 2 crashed into his life. Also Knuckle continues to say unhinged stuff LOL. I forgot to say it in the last comment but I was very excited when the 1st episode had a word & definition at the start and now that it has changed to a new word/definition I can tell you a fun fact which is that each volume of the manga had a word accompanied by a definition which was what the volume usually focused on in a general sense which is cool. I think it’s nice that after a small time skip of 3 to 4 months the group has come close enough that Koichi has given them a key his apartment. Popstep thinking about what to do for her next concert & writing a new song while moving her hand around is very cute. I appreciate the love & care Koichi has/shows towards his AM hoodies and how he will not stand for them to get insulted it’s interesting to see his character get a little angry. I like that the hoodies are official merchandise & just like Koichi Izuku might have all of those hoodies as well with how much of a super fan he is. I love Pop’s facial expressions & body movements in the Manga & in the anime it’s great to see her in movement. I think it’s so sweet that she immediately feels bad about taking Koichi’s pudding once he says he might have wanted it coming out as her feisty personality to cover up her embarrassment. It’s interesting that Koichi seems to imply that Pop kind of looks for a fight which from his perspective is correct but I don’t think she normally acts like this & only does around Koichi & Knuckle possibly a combination of the Pop personality being a mask she created for herself, her crush on Koichi bringing out the t side of her emotions & being comfortable enough around them that her more aggressive/real side comes out although she might not slowly realize it. I love how quiet she gets once she realizes the hoodie he’s missing is the one he gave her as well as the respect she shows by not saying anything until he finished his story. I love the story about how Koichi missed his hero exam & how he & Pop 1st met although not officially since they didn’t talk back then and he didn’t remember because let’s face it Koichi can be dense about some things. I wonder if this is accurate when when it comes to Tokyo’s streets being confusing to someone unfamiliar with them. Koichi was a cute kid I love his hairstyle. I love how he had the heart of a hero back in middle school like Izuku & it really shows who he is that even though it potentially was going to mess up his chances at being a hero he could not just leave a kid in danger. Yeah, the I’m here line doesn’t have the same impact when you’re in your underwear LMAO & I like the gag about how the river is only dangerous to a younger girl like Pop & not to someone just a little bit older. Something I like about the manga is that because it’s not in color you are less likely to guess that this kid is Pop which made the reveal better for me but it’s still vague enough that it’s still great in the anime. It’s really sweet that he was actually more worried about this random kid being cold sacrificing a hoodie he loved to give it to them. I love Koichi’s sentiment about passing on a heroic spirit to that kid & how he would be satisfied having not been able to become a hero if that kid became a hero one day. Also in a way him saving her gave her the chance to even have her dream of being an idol so in an abstract way maybe he did pass on something to her. I think the reason Pop got angry & insulted him after that story is an expression based on her guilt knowing now after so long that she is part of the reason why he wasn’t able to become a hero & maybe wanted to push him away in that moment feeling like she didn’t deserve to be friends with him. I love how much love and care you can tell the animators put into Kazuho’s jumping & movement it adds some more weight & emotion to have her so well animated for this 1st really big moment for her character outside of the idol persona. And you can’t blame her for getting emotional with the guilt and her crush combining with her potentially being self conscious/having confidence issues in her civilian life & it’s obvious that Koichi wouldn’t blame her either but she doesn’t know that & it’s natural to be irrational about stuff like that. And since we see a placard with her name on it in her bedroom we get to learn that her name is Kazuho which is a very nice name which literally means to harmonize/harmonious child which fits with her being an idol & other meanings can be to mix or be in harmony with someone else which considering the romance being built also fits. I love the reveal that she was the kid he saved all that time ago with the very cute huge crush energy she has holding on to the hoodie with a wild blush on her face. I love how multiple people I have watched had the thought that the kid might not have been a boy but didn’t say it until the reveal also it was entertaining seeing you realize the kid was Pop right before the reveal. It’s so wholesome that she has kept it all this time & much like the hoodies are Koichi’s prized possessions this 1 is hers. I love the perspective change seeing the story from Kazuho’s POV with the focus on her eyes & seeing Koichi coming to save her it’s a beautiful moment and of course she was always thinking about him a crush developing was natural. Also it’s cute that the hanger she uses for the hoodie has a heart design. All of this stuff with her wanting to show her gratitude for Koichi saving her back then & continuing to do so now and thinking about how she sees him as having the spirit of a hero & how she will always see him as a hero especially with the shots jumping silhouetted against the moon & the moment of her jumping high into the air with a smile on her face alongside the beautiful music. I understand why this stuff made you emotional & tear up it’s just that good & while I didn’t almost tear up while watching the anime although I think I did in the manga because I had read it before and was ready for it I still felt the emotions you know it’s so well written/heartfelt. I feel so bad for Pop losing all of the momentum she built gathering her courage because of Knuckle being at the apartment completely ruining the mood the man has no idea he stopped a potentially really sweet romantic moment it’s an oh come on moment for the audience. There is a lot of emotion in Kazuho singing about Koichi saying that the hoodie gives you courage earlier when she might not believe she has courage herself. I feel bad for the guy with the rock quirk because while he might have immediately taken Trigger again right after being released for all we know Kuin forced the drug on him. I love the little line that implies Koichi doesn’t want this guy to end up labeled as a villain showing a care for villains not many are able to. It’s so funny that Koichi is happy this guy got his vigilante name right I guess it is a sign he is becoming more well known. It’s interesting that Knuckleduster is busy with something else makes you curious about his personal life especially when he was also late to that last fight against a villain as well. It’s really cool to see Koichi in action in this episode because we can see a lot of improvement with him making some good & fast moves against this guy including as people pointed out an Akira slide. It’s interesting to see 1 of his quirks weaknesses not having good footing which put him in a bad spot. Stendal is not a good guy but his entrance saving Koichi as well as his attacks/agile movement are awesome. I love his design making me think of Deathstroke but with red and black colors also I love his really long ponytail/very ninja/samurai inspired hairstyle. It’s wholesome how excited Koichi is at the idea of more & more people with Justice in their parts doing good in this part of town. It’s wild that Knuckle is the one saying people who fight with their own sense of Justice can be dangerous which while right when coming from him is like the pot calling the kettle black even Koichi is taken aback by him saying something sensible LOL. It’s crazy that the thug from the 1st episode who did terrible stuff to Koichi & Popstep wants to talk to them & apparently used to not tolerate wrongdoing. If that’s true it makes you wonder about what might have changed & the most interesting part is that he seemed to specifically want to talk to Knuckleduster. Also Pop calling him the Dox n’ Murder man Is wild not that he doesn’t deserve to be called out but it’s still a crazy thing to say. It’s disturbing to see how brutally Stendal deals with the rock villain especially once the guy starts crying & looks like he’s about to ask for mercy. With all his talk of conviction & judgment Stendal definitely feels like a wannabe Stain and I think he’s meant to be reminiscent of characters like the Punisher or Red Hood from comics. It’s crazy to see something so gory & dark 5 episodes into a show (I mean we saw the guys head go flying). Also Stendal’s voice is fitting with his justice. It’s interesting to see the kind of vigilante Stendal is compared to the Batman & Spider-Man type vigilantes our group are like as well as Stendal compared to Knuckle who doesn’t go too far. Also almost forgot to say this but I love that both The Crawler & Popstep have K names it’s cute. I ship them so much <3. Awesome reaction & thoughts. Keep up the great work. :-) <3
Supermonaman
2025-05-09 04:35:53 +0000 UTCNo! Now that you said I can kind of imagine them killing of Duster. Ugh please just try to take one of the Jojos out. They have a better chance at making it out somehow. They tend to do that, even in other universes. Isnt that really cute. I loved reading this part. Imagine not seeing pink hair— it was an even bigger surprise to me! lol fun stuff 😀 Yikes bee girl and Stendhal better not collab. Mhmm☝️😗
Manny
2025-05-08 10:59:37 +0000 UTC
