Review: My Hero Academia Ep. 14 – That’s The Idea, Ochako

The new season starts off with reflection on the events of the past season as well as looking towards the future.

Despite the League of Villians’ attack on USJ (Unforeseen Simulation Joint), life goes for Izuku Midoriya and his classmates as they gear up for the UA Sports Festival. While Ochako Uraraka’s name is in the title of the episode, I wouldn’t say that she is the main focus. Midoriya is still front and center as he should be, he is the main character after all. But Ochako’s backstory does get some attention and we also got to hear from other classmates in Midoriya’s class that we didn’t hear from that often in season 1.

There are flashbacks to the events of the previous season, but they are not forced and they are integrated well with the new story elements. I particularly enjoyed the segment with All Might’s letter to his mentor which gives us his perspective on meeting Midoriya for the first time and how much he has come to appreciate the young man’s perseverance and determination to do what it takes to become a hero. The relationship between All Might and Midoriya is what makes the series so great, and this episode has continued in that vein.

The UA Sports Festival is explained by Shouta Aizawa, who surprisingly managed to get up to teach his homeroom class despite his multiple injuries he sustained during the attack of the USJ. Apparently UA Sports Festival is this new Olympics since the original Olympics were deemed out-of-step with the times when quirks started to become the norm in the human population. This competition is also a chance for the students of the school to start making a name for themselves since scouts from hero agencies will be watching the games looking for potential talent.

All the students are expressing excitement even Ochako, which is odd considering she is usually more calm…unlike…*cough* Bakugo *cough*. As she, Midoriya and Tenya Iida head to lunch she reveals the reason why she chose to be a hero. She actually wanted to work for her father’s construction company using her quirk, Zero Gravity, to help lift the heavy machinery and help save costs. But her parents told her that she should pursue her own dream, and that is when she decided to become a hero for a good agency so she could give back to her parents with the money she earns. Midoriya’s thoughts on the matter sum it up best when he comes to the realization that Ochako is the most grounded out of all the students, which is ironic because her quirk causes objects to float.

This episode was fun to watch, I love the humor that was sprinkled throughout. The best moment was when All Might (in super-powered form) asks Midoriya to have lunch with him with Ochako gushing over how adorable the scene was. It was also great to hear from students like Shouto Todoroki and Fumikage Tokoyami, who are going to have bigger roles to play in this season. It is a good start for great things to come and needless to say it is important for Midoriya to hone his abilities and skills along with his “One For All” quirk in preparation for the UA Sports Festival if he is to achieve his dream of becoming a hero.

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