Decided to watch the first episode of MHA on my own just in case, but I actually managed to make it back in time, and at the scene I wanted to talk about to boot.
Like everyone is saying, Izuku having his dreams crushed is a tough pill to swallow, especially because it's Truth in Television: sometimes, for all your preparation and aspirations, you can't make your dreams a reality (though that's not me saying that you shouldn't support others in their endeavors nonetheless; there are just times when it unfortunately doesn't pan out for whatever reason
).
That being said, Izuku's the protagonist of a shonen series—what are the chances that he's not going to acquire/develop a Quirk and thus demonstrate, as is common with this genre, that Hard Work Hardly Works? Heck, doesn't the OP alone already prove that he's going to gain superpowers at some point?
I'm not rooting for the kid to fail, but it feels like the conventions of the genre are undermining the gravitas of the situation.
@ Great: I've had my fair share of rejection when it comes to applications for both jobs and school, so I can relate. What I'm going to say is going to be trite, but you just have to keep trying and hope that things eventually work themselves out.
edited 5th May '18 9:01:08 PM by X2X
"Just wants a friend but had to give up his ding dong for it, tragic." - AngelLightStar@Physical Stamina: That may as well be his quirk name.
Edit: How many page toppers will I get?!
edited 5th May '18 8:59:06 PM by OrionAurora
We are all made of star stuff. Very, very weird star stuff.@X 2 X, I think the series reaches a good middle ground with the dilemma you're talking about.
I won't say anything about what happens, but I have to say in general I think people sort of, I don't want to say "fetishize", but make too big a deal about BadAssNormals and how inspiring they are. Especially since a lot of the time they feel like they're only "normal" in name only. Batman comes immediately to mind.
edited 5th May '18 9:04:14 PM by LSBK
Batman is a terrible example of a Badass Normal anyway.
Rorshach is where its at.
@ LSBK: I can agree with that. I definitely understand it (and have ascribed to it before), since perseverance in the face of danger is always an admirable quality (especially if you're one of those unlucky few in Superlandia), but I get where you're coming from.
As someone who likes Batman (particularly the DCAU version), the amount the things this man has accomplished on his own in a world of superpowered beings really stretches the "normal" in Badass Normal. Plus, as even Justice League (2017) nailed on the head, he's rich. And he's got genius-level IQ if I'm not mistaken—and this is regardless of whether or not he's actually in the DCU's Top 10 in terms of intelligence.
edited 5th May '18 9:17:36 PM by X2X
"Just wants a friend but had to give up his ding dong for it, tragic." - AngelLightStar@ Physical: My understanding has always been, given how bases are used as an euphemism, that "swinging the bat" is flat-out talking about scoring, at least if we're talking in a purely sexual manner. (Hence, "scoring a home run." But see Enlong's post above.)
In Naota's chat with Amarao just now, however, it sounds like it could also be an euphemism for impotence.
edited 5th May '18 9:22:31 PM by X2X
"Just wants a friend but had to give up his ding dong for it, tragic." - AngelLightStar

@Orion: When a fanboy meets his idol, he can summon unimaginable levels of strength.