The Scene We all Needed in 2020

 Written by Shiggins

Wholesome goodness.

There's been a lot of anime this year. In fact, I've done my best to forget a ton of them because of how bad they are... Ignoring that however, we've had some real winners too. We've had Jibaku Shounen Hanako-Kun, a beautiful animated and silly adventure involving a ghost boy that haunts a toilet. There was also Dorohedoro, the bonkers story about a lizard-headed man trying to find his real face, as well as the colourful in every way Deca-Dence, and many more that would take far too long to list. 

And as with every year, we got some of the greats returning as well. Attack on Titan, Haikyuu, Fire Force, No Guns Life, and the focus of today's article; My Hero Academia. 

It's no secret that I love My Hero Academia. I love Izuku "Deku" Midoriya, who is currently one of my favourite anime protagonists of the modern age. I wrote a Top 20 MHA Characters list a while ago (although sadly, this was made before Mirko's awesomeness was revealed so she's not on it...), I dress up as my pink waifu Ashido when nobody is looking, and I've finally started reading that Vigilantes spin-off. It's not bad.

So obviously I have been watching the anime, mostly to hear the dub cast and see certain scenes done right. The most recent season, which is season 4, began in 2019 and covered a lot of big moments, like the villain Overhaul, the development of Mirio, FATGUM finally making his debut (and voiced by Kyle Hebert too!), that amazing finale with "Plus Ultra Prominence Burn"... there was some strong stuff in there. However, the scene I keep thinking about and going back to all the time... is Hero Too.

If you haven't watched the series but were curious/bored enough to read this article anyway, then this explanaton is for you. During the Shie Hassaikai arc, main character Midoriya finds himself and several other heroes engaged in a battle against the underground organisation that adore plague masks (which is a sign of good taste in my books) and save the abused girl Eri from their clutches. As the battles rage, we see flashes of Eri's horrible childhood, including being drained of blood for Overhaul's science project and how she has literally been exploded into pieces and restructured back together by his Quirk multiple times. While these reveals are brief, they do the job of showing why Eri is as traumatised as she is, and making her actions completely understandable to the audience.

Throughout this entire arc, Eri is terrified. This is a broken girl, mentally and physically, who has no hope in the world. Even when Mirio Togata fights for her, it's clear that she has no faith in him actually succeeding and believes she is watching a man about to die. It's only through the combined efforts of Mirio's sacrifice and speeches, and the determination of Midoriya, that she's even able to try and help. And help she certainly did because it resukted in the ultimate defeat of Overhaul and she was freed...

Except not really. Sadly, that's not how mental health works. The torture om Eri's psyche experienced is something she might possibly never escape, and Overhaul's clutches still remain to this day. Of course, Mirio and Midoriya have vowed to do everything they can to help her, and this finally brings us to the School Festival where this scene takes place. 

Midoriya and the rest of the class spend their time preparing for the school festival by doing several things, such casting and rehearsing a dance, mostly to impress the other classes and try to get away from the growing distaste that their peers are feeling towards them. For Midoriya however, the real goal is giving Eri a day to remember, so he pours his heart and soul into it. There's a fight with a new villain called Gentle Criminal (who is a ton of fun) that becomes a desperate struggle for Midoriya as it means he might be late for the dance. Yes he needs to defeat this enemy, but the priority is the dance for Eri. 

When we do finally get to the dance scene... Honestly, it's a damn cheesy song and dance routine but I love it because of that. It's like when you watch a Christmas film or Princess Bride. The cheesiness is part of the joy, and it's such a fun scene. Everyone is doing their part, and there's a great subplot being resolved about Jirou growing out of her shell to work up the courage to sing this song and take the spotlight for once. (Great performance by Chrissy Costanza too, that can't go unmentioned. Neither can the composer Yuki Hayashi, or the lyricist Ayapeta. Full stars all around). 

But the highlight... Eri smiles. 

Now let's be blunt. This is not a cure for Eri's inner pain, and it's been shown she is still struggling constantly, with people around her being careful. What this is however is a massive step forward and the beginning of real growth for Eri. Since this scene, we've seen more of Eri trying her hardest, experiencing Christmas, and more that I won't spoil for the anime watchers. 

I'm going to say what almost every single person on the planet has said and you're probably tired of hearing or reading at this stage; 2020 sucked. It really bloody sucked. We lost some great people this year, a pandemic took over the world, we got no new MCU releases which I took very personally, and let's not even talk about politics...

But things can and will get better, guys. 

Not just because they have to get better, but because we all need them to. If you need help, whether it involve your mental health or whatever else, please don't be afraid to ask for it. If you know someone in need of help, don't be afraid to do what you can. We're all in this together.

And this is why I have to pick Hero Too as the biggest and best anime scene of 2020, because we could all use some more help in our lives. Hero Too is fun, silly, bright, and a great way to show the effect an act of good will can have on someone. It might not be instant, but every step matters.

Here's to 2021! Good luck to you all!