folded in the firmament

This is way after the fact, but I wonder if they'll update any of the Demon Slayer nendoroids in the future. Like, I love the Sanemi nendoroid and think it's perfect in so many ways, but it would reach unprecedented levels of perfection if he had an ohagi or a beetle to hold, or a wider range of expressions to fully reflect the journey of his character over the course of the series. I haven't really followed a Ufotable as a studio, so idk if it's realistic to hope for something like this, but it seems like they really want to do right by the series and characters, and it would make sense to have a final merch push after they finish animating everything (I'm sure the sales will play a role as well). I want to believe...

The final chapter of MHA was bittersweet, hopeful, but with enough realism to remind us that life can still be mundane, underwhelming, painful. Honestly, this was a pleasant surprise to me as someone who saw this series as excessively optimistic at times. I wasn't expecting the epilogue chapters to go the way they did, and while I don't think the execution was perfect, I appreciate Hori for making the effort.

To get my complaints out of the way, I wish there had been more time for Deku and Bakugou to talk - about the apology, about Bakugou's death, about how their feelings about one another had evolved over the course of the series, or at the very least had more internal monologues. Deku in particular felt so...distant? Bakugou is my favorite character, so I'm probably the most hung up over him. He went through this incredibly traumatic experience, but we never see if and how this affected him (certainly, it had to have). At the same time, he's the type to keep his most personal thoughts and feelings private, he's also less about verbal expression and more about actions, so I can understand Hori's choice to an extent...but idk, that's where the internal monologue could have really helped.

Similarly, it's quintessential Bakugou (presumably) to secretly save the money for Deku's suit for such a long time. IMO that level of gift-giving plays right into his strengths and was an incredibly significant gesture given what we know about him as a character. Perhaps he doesn't have the words, but he can show, very clearly, to Deku that he can finally return the same admiration and deep affection that Deku always held for him. It isn't explicitly canon, but it's enough for me, it's more than I was expecting, actually.

Initially, Deku's ending made me sad. And I think it still does to some extent. He saved the world, and the world, for the most part, moved on. But that's reality. For many IRL helping professions, this is the routine - doctor's save lives, therapists successfully intervene in crises, the work day ends with lives irreversibly change, and then we wake up the next day to start it all over again. I've seen complaints that Deku lost his dream, didn't have a "becoming Hokage" type of moment, etc, but that was never why he was trying to be a hero in the first place. It's upsetting, of course, but he continues to help people despite the lack of quirk, the popularity, because he genuinely cares about humanity.

And in the end, we see that returned to him through those around him, we see his dreams return. He and his image of victory will get to compete together for the rest of their lives. I'll be 90 years old, and those panels of Bakugou reaching his hand out to Deku will exist somewhere, in a library, on someone's bookshelf or coffee table. And that's while it isn't perfect, it's an ending I can get behind.

Random finale thoughts...

"From now on, I think I’ll hide a red bean mochi in my sleeve and give it to Shinazugawa every time I see him," is hilarious to me because it makes Giyuu sound like he's going to somehow maintain and infinite supply of red bean mochi on hand and attempt to give Sanemi a brand new one every time they interact, no matter the context, for an indefinite period of time. That, or he's going to present the same one to him over and over and over (and over) again.

When I read the manga, the translation I read used "when" in place of "every time," which read more like a singular event. For the record, I this isn't a critique - I love the scene and this line no matter what. Tbh, I like the official English sub translation even more because there are a variety of ways you can interpret it. It's still endearing, there's also a layer of mildly unhinged (I say this lovingly) persistence to the cause lmao.

The gradual progression of Katsuki going from anger and panic at the idea of Izuku having a quirk at the beginning of the story, to breaking down upon realizing that Izuku will lose his quirk, is really moving. I feel like there are so many ways to interpret it - he's grieving what he believes could be the loss of their rivalry, something that become so special to their relationship, grieving for what he perceives to be unfair - Izuku has worked hard, embodied all the characteristics that make a hero (selflessness, courage, empathy), yet he'll still ultimately lose his the quirk he trained so hard to master, grieving the future he may have been imagining where they would both work as heroes together.

I've seen some calling Katsuki "pathetic" and "childish" for his reaction, or that his reaction proves that his character has not grown. But I disagree with those interpretations. It wasn't the scene I was expecting, but it works so well when you consider the entire story - Hori has really brought him full circle. Katsuki's breakdown, to me, doesn't only show how much he's grown to care for Izuku, but it also shows how he's come to embrace help from others, and empathize with others. His dreams are no longer centered around him, alone, being the number one hero, he wants Izuku to have a fair shot at his goals as well. He can't fathom following his dreams without him.

Is his crying childish? Yeah, in a sense, but I don't see this as a bad thing. I remember back in the chapters when he was fighting Shiggy the first time, he mentioned how that battle was the first time he ever truly felt terrified for his life. He's (and the rest of the class) still so young. He's gone through so many intense situations in such a short time, and now he's being faced with the reality that the future he imagined isn't going to be what he expected, that his life, and the life of those he cherishes, have permanently changed. I can't see his reactions now as anything but realistic.

Anyhow, I really loved this chapter. I've sometimes been critical of Hori's decisions, but I really love the bittersweet, yet hopeful ending he seems to be developing.