My Hero Academia: Vigilantes

Episode 8

While last week explored the idea that popularity and being a public figure tie into being a hero, this week showcases one of the worst examples of that. Captain Celebrity is as straightforward a satire as you can get. He's loud, bombastic, only saves people to boost his brand, and tries to hump anything with a perky chest. The episode doesn't get serious with the commentary revolving around him, even though it very easily could. Instead, it focuses on the comedic angle. Vigilante isn't the most tonally consistent show, and next week also looks like it's going to focus on the lighter side of things rather than the deeper social commentary. Half the time, it feels like watching a slice of life series taking place in the world of My Hero Academia. There's nothing wrong with that, but when you watch this episode alongside the Stain backstory one, there is a bit of tonal whiplash there.

Captain Celebrity is the antithesis and also a shining example of what we commonly expect from heroes who act in a public service capacity. He's getting the job done, but it's not because he cares about what he's doing. He cares about how it makes him look. He wasn't willing to help people until his whole camera crew was set up, and there was a point where his actions endangered others. However, he doesn't get into any societal trouble. The main issue that he has to confront at the end is that his flirtations get him in trouble with his wife, so he needs to tweak his image to avoid a lawsuit. That's a pretty grounded and funny way to resolve him as a character, but it feels like the episode was teasing something else with him that just never came up again.

The soundtrack of this episode was awesome. It is willing to experiment with different types of music. Since Captain Celebrity is American, they present it in a style that reflects that. Sean Schemmel also does a fantastic job in the role, and I don't think we talk about his vocal range as much as we should. It's also nice to see Makoto again. I'm glad it looks like she's going to be a recurring character. No idea where KnuckleDuster has been. It's implied he's been doing research on Celebrity in the background to provide that exposition, but he hasn't been present for a while, and that's a little concerning. Pop has gotten more screen time than him, and I'm just waiting for the right time to talk about her because I still don't know what her role is supposed to be, outside of just being a potential love interest. Maybe things will go somewhere next week, given the incredibly last-minute setup at the end of this episode.

P.S. KOICHI, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, STOP TAKING YOUR MASK OFF

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