Being The Topic Du Jour And All

being the topic du jour and all

The problem with the Adrien-is-a-sentimonster thing isn’t the no-man-of-woman-born whatever, since they’ve bent over backwards to insist that a sentihuman is completely 100% physically for all intents and purposes a human being like anyone else. Yeah, someone on this show is a sentimonster or at the very least there’s going to be a plotline about someone thinking that they are one.

The problem is that in the case of Adrien specifically, “posessing his own amok” could never be anything else than a tangible allegory for breaking free of his father’s abuse. And the problem with that is that they’ve already discarded the option through the very framework of how sentimonsters work. ~Controlling the amok~ has long since been tested and proven false. 

In “Feast”, Nathalie blackmails the sentimonster with a threat of removing the amok, and Feast clearly, physically reacts to her powers. In “Ladybug”, Marinette gives Sentibug the amok and Nathalie promptly wipes her out of existence. 

Posessing the amok will never be enough. 

In order for any sentimonster on this show to be truly emancipated, it needs to posess not only the amok, but the peacock miraculous. And with that, the amount of provisions for the allegory has sunk any elegance to it, turning it from an apt narrative device to a matter of plot mechanics. If Adrien has to carry two pieces of jewelry in order to be a free man, then the show has also set up a clear precedent of miraculouses and other magical jewelry falling into the hands of relatives with sticky fingers. 

That’s why I’m still not convinced - because this setup would amount to some MASSIVELY CLUMSY STORYTELLING. If Adrien is a sentimonster, then the only tidy way out of it is if The Wish ends up being used to turn him into a Real Boy or something to equal effect, and then what was the point except just adding another item to the list of Adrien Agreste’s life is despair. 

(again: Those Rings clearly have some kind of magical abilities beyond any possible amoks, because this entire Felix-Gabriel feud can not be over a family heirloom. If that’s truly all they are, then Gabe’s redemption is going to be his using The Wish to set Adrien free once Felix completes the set and I’ll probably sit here pulling my hair) 

The character arc of Ochako Uraraka

I think the biggest problem with Ochako was thinking of her feelings as a burden to other people. She just doesn't wants to be a bother to anyone and that's why whatever she has to say or what's going on her mind isn't important to her and she just keeps bottling it all up.

Pretty ironic when you remember the fact that she wants to become a hero who can lift the burden of other people.

I think, it emerges from her own household where her parents worked so hard just to keep food on the table. By the Bonus Material that Horikoshi added it can be seen how far she's willing to go to save money i.e. how far she's willing to go to not be a bother and while wanting to help her parents is a very good thing but going on extreme lengths to do so and then giving birth to a new set of problems definitely isn't.

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Instances of Ochako's bottling up her feelings:

She doesn't even talks about herself. She told Izuku in the Cavalry Battle that it's better to team up with people you're friends with but later revealed that how bad and ashamed she felt for relying on him. The problem here is also that she's too critical of herself. She knows her limits (after her brawl with Bakugo, she knew she lost because she didn't have a back-up plan, in season 5 also she admitted that she should have been a bit more calm) and while that is a good thing, she just overvalued other people way too much.

Even after her battle with Bakugo when Deku comes to check if she's okay, she pretends as if nothing happened and all his worries were for nothing. Because again, it was her loss and she wouldn't want Deku getting bothered by it. So she just puts on a fake cherry smile and wishes Deku luck for his match only for him to overhear her crying in her phonecall with her parents.

She has strong feelings, opinions and motivations but she wouldn't let anyone be bothered by it. She has a side that gets jealous, that is insecure, that is strong willed but she wouldn't let it show.

Another big instance is when she refused to go for the Bakugo Rescue in Kamino. She knows Bakugo well to understand that he wouldn't like receiving help from people he looks down on. She thought too much about what Bakugo would think and it all ended up in vain when Izuku and gang went anyway and saved Bakugo from the LoV. Just like Asui at that time she felt sad and maybe ashamed but she never said anything like that during that time and yet it was brought up again in the recent manga.

Why? Because it was yet another example of her ideology that her opinion is not necessary which is wrong since her take on this matter was damn important!!

Despite her own second thoughts on the matter she suggested how Bakugo who was the victim, would feel about all this and that lead to Deku deciding that it would be Kirishima to offer help.

Her biggest development in the Pro Hero Exam?

Come to think of it, it was one of my least favourite arcs because how less of Ochako it had. Most characters in MHA learn from their mistakes but ever since her battle with Bakugo it felt like Ochako was never making any mistakes and suddenly been reduced to nothing but a love interest. This scene right here is also probably one of the most misunderstood or misinterpreted scene in MHA.

Ochako decides to completely her feelings away for Deku might have been a good thing on the short term basis but if we look at the impact it had on the larger scheme of things, we can see how big the concequences were. She thought that again, her own feelings are very unnecessary and just a burden on Deku and his Hero career and even for herself, so she decides to put it all away but it's just partial as stated by Toga in chapter 288.

"When you keep bottling it all up it only grows on the inside"

Which is true because ever since the pro hero exam it feels like despite not admitting to herself or Deku, her crush has only gotten stronger like seriously Chako, you say that you don't like him and yet to keep that All Might Keychain safe and close for your dear life!

So yeah while it might look like a character development on her part, it was one of the biggest mistakes Ochako has made in the entire series! And she was forced to face the consequences of it when Deku left UA and she couldn't do anything anymore. She was forced to face all of it and finally admitting how much of a dummy he is!

Some moments of realisations

One of my favourite thing about MHA is how realistic the characters are written. Despite Ochako not admitting her feelings much often, she does have her own moments of truth.

Before her brawl with Bakugo she admitted that they were all rivals and she wants to get stronger too.

After the Bakugo Rescue she admits that they were all uneasy.

After Sir Nighteye died, she admits to herself that she wants to save people.

In season 5 she admitted how dangerous hero work is and acknowledged how Deku's power hurts him too.

She has a parallel to Bakugo in a way that goes around announcing his motivations to the whole world while she cannot even admit it to herself. She looks up on other people so much that she doesn't looks at her own strength and while idolizing Deku had its own merits, what about her own capabilities?

After Sports Festival she went to learn some Martial arts because she needed more combat experience.

After the Black whip incident she attaches grappling hooks to her costume which gives her more mobility in air and ability to grab people and things from distances (obviously) giving her much needed ranged moves.

But where is her mastery over Zero Gravity?

Where is her use of her actual power?

Their is a big reason why the name for Toga vs Uraraka 2.0 was "Miss Candid vs Miss Shut away". Toga here is the candid one! She is honest because she has learned it the hard way (during her quirk awakening) that the transformation is only external. She tries telling that to Ochako but well, wrong place, wrong time.

Despite being the more Frank person of the group Ochako is not honest to herself and even Horikoshi has stated in his bonus Material that she has no hidden sides to her *wink* *wink* What's the meaning of this?

Obviously, Ochako has a secret side. A dual personality of some sort, that is not the cherry girl we're used to seeing on regular basis. The one that is insightful, brave and doesn't give a shit about what other people have to say and we finally witness it after the war arc when Deku leaves UA.

Now that is not to say we haven't have seen that side of her in pieces even before the war ended. She has shown her sheer wit and determination in Ocha vs Bakugo.

She shows her thoughtful side in season 5 when she acknowledged how hard it is to be a hero and her philosophy on saving other heroes in need.

We have seen it all in tiny bits and pieces though she herself thinks of them as something insignificant, as something not necessary. She just goes along with everyone and never truly admits to the situation because that will lead her to admitting her own flawed thinking.

During the war arc, both her philosophy and her Candidness were put to a test and she was made to face the harsh realities of war. She saw Toga crying, she saw casualties, she saw heroes giving up, she saw the society and the hero system fall apart right infront of her and for someone who originally wanted to do it as a job it was an especially important moment that Ochako had to witness.

And finally her breaking point was when Deku leaves UA. It wasn't the only thing that changed her forever but rather the series of events that followed the events of war but it had to be one of the most shocking ones.

After the kids make an epic return in chapter 319, we see the true side of Ochako Uraraka. The real one that is not faking things just for the sake of keeping the environment tension free. She is still a figure of reassurance for her fellow classmates and family but she is no longer thinking too much about how other people would think, infact she doesn't give a damn!

She is calm, determined and decisive.

She was the major advocate in bringing Izuku back to UA and it just only goes to show how far she has come, both as a hero and as a person.

You know, I really love how together Chat Blanc and Ephemeral show the how Marinette and Adrien compliment each other.

Like, we know that Adrien is the heart of the duo. Not to say that he doesn’t use his mind, but he makes decisions using his heart. That’s why he was able to reconcile the reveal right away in Chat Blanc. But at the same time, he didn’t think it all the way through, and it had some consequences.

And Marinette is the brain of the operation. Once again, not that she doesn’t have a lot of love to give, but what her heart says often gets overshadowed by her complicated logic. That’s why it took her a little more time to realize that yes, she loves this boy with all her heart for all that he is.

I think once we have a simultaneous, mutual reveal (and have the heart and the mind working together during the fallout), that’s when they’ll get to know forever. That’s when it will stick. They need each other the whole way.

Both sides have their downfalls. Both sides have their strengths. Honestly, it’s truly beautiful. This is why I fell in love with the lovesquare. This is why I’m here.

I completely agree with you but still want your reasons :)

after sleeping on it I've decided adrien isn't a senti.and no not just bc I don't want him to be. and no i won't give you my reasons.and I will go back to ignoring it. :)

Marinette: Have you ever known someone awhile and then you see a completely different side of them that you had no idea existed and now you’re questioning everything about your own perception?

Luka, the only person who has any idea what is actually going on between Adrien and Marinette, yet has successfully kept the whole ordeal a secret: Yeah.

I accept that.

Also, you and I share and do the exact same plan (its like I wrote the post) 😃

after sleeping on it I've decided adrien isn't a senti.and no not just bc I don't want him to be. and no i won't give you my reasons.and I will go back to ignoring it. :)