On this episode of the Kinky Nerdy Poly Podcast, G & M delve into My Hero Academia, exploring its plot, characters, and societal themes. They discuss the protagonist Midoriya’s journey, the significance of quirks, and the complex dynamics between heroes and villains. G & M also share their favorite characters and reflect on the show’s deeper messages about power and society. Tune in for an engaging conversation on one of anime’s most beloved series.
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This episode was edited by Vic.
The music in this episode is the Secret of Tiki Island by Kevin MacLeod and is licensed under Creative Commons 3.0. You can find more of Kevin MacLeod’s music at his website.
Transcript:
This transcript was edited by Vic.
Episode 54: My Hero Academia
[00:00:00] G: Welcome to the Kinky Nerdy Poly Podcast.
Hello, I’m G.
[00:00:34] M: And I’m M.
[00:00:36] G: And on this episode of the Kinky Nerdy Poly Podcast, we’re going to be talking about My Hero Academia, M’s favorite anime.
[00:00:46] M: It is one of my favorites, maybe not the favorite, but definitely one of my favorites. And
[00:00:51] G: it’s definitely the one you’ve talked to me most about.
[00:00:53] M: Well, that, that might be because it’s more recent,
[00:00:56] G: Okay
[00:00:56] M: but we also have done an episode “Ouran High School Host Club.”
[00:01:00] G: Yes.
[00:01:00] M: Which I did talk to you extensively about. But “My Hero Academia,” also called “MHA,” is a well loved anime with heroes, villains, and also societal and political conflict. And of course, we have to give a spoiler that we will be
[00:01:15] G: spoilering everything.
[00:01:17] M: Spoilering anything, possibly.
[00:01:19] G: Yeah, so if you don’t want to be spoiled, go and watch the
[00:01:22] M: go watch first.
[00:01:23] G: Six or seven seasons, plus some movies.
[00:01:26] M: Yep, and then, then come back and listen.
[00:01:29] G: Yeah, we’ll still be here.
[00:01:31] M: We will be. Hopefully.
[00:01:35] G: That was an oddly depressed tone. Are you afraid I’ll stop paying the 5 dollars a month for hosting?
[00:01:41] M: No, no, no, no. I wasn’t thinking about impending doom or anything. So, MHA is a pretty, I like it.
[00:01:50] G: Yes.
[00:01:51] M: We’ll talk about our opinions, but before we even get into that.
[00:01:54] G: Yes.
[00:01:55] M: Can we summarize the plot
[00:01:58] G: Okay
[00:01:58] M: for the people who are listening in or tuning in who don’t necessarily watch anime or haven’t watched this one.
[00:02:05] G: Okay. Do you want to summarize or do you want me to summarize?
[00:02:07] M: You should summarize. You’re fresh on it.
[00:02:09] G: I’m fresh on it. Alright. So, in a world much like our own, with the major difference being that in some undetermined time in the past, people started developing superpowers, which they call quirks in this world. At the start of the series, 80 percent of the world has gotten superpowers through these genetic quirks.
So basically, this is the plot of “X Men” if the X Men had already mostly taken over the planet. So, “House of M” for comic book fans out there. Without the reality altering part. The show focuses on Midoriya, whose other name I’m forgetting.
[00:02:54] M: Deku.
[00:02:55] G: Deku. Well, that’s not his, that’s his hero name. That’s not his first name.
[00:03:00] M: Oh, sorry. I thought you were asking for his hero name Midoriya, why am I forgetting it? No, it’s I’m blanking on it.
[00:03:06] G: Okay,
[00:03:07] M: we can Google it
[00:03:07] G: I’ve always called him Midoriya in my text to you. So I’m just gonna stick with that
[00:03:11] M: Okay
[00:03:11] G: So the main hero the protagonist of the series, Midoriya, desperately wants to be a superhero and follow in the steps of his favorite most powerful superhero of all time all might but finds out at a very early age that he does not have a quirk. He is, he’s been
[00:03:31] Both: born quirkless.
[00:03:32] G: He is a muggle in a world full of, uh,
[00:03:37] M: Wizards and witches.
[00:03:37] G: Wizards and witches.
[00:03:39] M: And even, I mean, his mom has a quirk,
[00:03:41] G: His mom has a quirk
[00:03:42] M: and it all relates to, what is it, their hand size or their feet size or something like that.
[00:03:47] G: I think they said something about them being born with an extra bone in their toe.
[00:03:51] M: Oh, in their toe. Yeah. That’s right. It’s something about the like, oh, he has this condition. He’s not gonna have a quirk.
[00:03:57] G: Yeah. People who are born to quirks have an extra toe in their pinky toe, I believe. Extra bone in their pinky toe.
[00:04:05] M: Okay.
[00:04:07] G: Is what I vaguely remember.
[00:04:09] M: Right. It’s a little weird.
[00:04:10] G: It is a little weird.
So he is obviously somewhat depressed by this knowledge, but he commits to the idea of still trying to become a superhero, even in a world where he does not have superpowers.
[00:04:24] M: And he emulates, or not emulates.
[00:04:28] G: Worships.
[00:04:28] M: Idolizes.
[00:04:29] G: Idolizes.
[00:04:31] M: All Might.
[00:04:31] G: Yes. Japan’s number one superhero, who also seems to have generally brought in an age of heroes.
It, it, they don’t really dive into it, but the implication is that before All Might really took center stage, the world was a lot more chaotic and villains were doing a lot more shit, I think is the implication. But. We, we live in a world of heroes now. All Might is number one superhero of Japan. So, Midoriya is still committed to becoming a hero, despite the fact that he doesn’t have a superpower in a world that’s filled with superpowers.
And he happens to run into All Might one day. And he asks All Might, can I still be a superhero even without superpowers? And All Might says no. You need to face facts. Villains have superpowers. You can’t be a superhero without superpowers yourself. Which, Midoriya does not take well. But, despite the fact that he does not have superpowers, he still attempts to save a person he knows.
[00:05:48] M: An acquaintance.
[00:05:49] G: Mmm.
[00:05:51] M: Sure, yeah, it’s hard to explain.
[00:05:53] G: He goes to save a classmate.
[00:05:56] M: A classmate. That’s, that’s, that’s the description.
[00:05:58] G: That’s just, that’s the description. Save his classmate Bakugo from the clutches of a goo villain, despite the fact that he doesn’t have superpowers, and All Might is so impressed by this, he decides to tell Midoriya a couple of secrets.
One is, All Might is dying. Or, maybe not dying, but he is, he’s been severely wounded in a previous fight. And he is losing the ability to maintain his superpowers. And two, All Might was born quirkless. He did not have superpowers. He was given his superpowers, which is very strange. Because everybody else is born with their powers.
[00:06:45] M: Right.
[00:06:45] G: And he offers Midoriya the chance to become the next symbol of peace. And transfer his powers to Midoriya. From himself to Midoriya. Then the events of the anime kick off.
[00:06:59] M: Yeah, I really love this handing off of the quirk thing.
[00:07:02] G: Yeah.
[00:07:02] M: I think it’s like passing the baton, you know. For me it was very like warm hearted. But then also he’s like, and you’re gonna have to train because your body can’t actually handle these quirks yet.
[00:07:15] G: I mean, even after he trains.
[00:07:17] M: Even after he’s trained, it’s true. Because this is a freaking powerful quirk. This quirk that All Might gives him is One for All.
[00:07:25] G: Yes.
[00:07:26] M: Which, as the name implies, is like, to spread it around, to
[00:07:30] G: Yeah, I’m, I’m a little unclear about what it all entails, but it just seems to basically make you super strong.
[00:07:39] M: Super strong, and there’s variations based off of who had the quirk beforehand.
[00:07:43] G: Yeah.
[00:07:43] M: So, like, some people had, um, what was that one thing, like the shadowy thingies. Um.
[00:07:52] G: I might not have reached that point in the anime yet.
[00:07:54] M: Which, how far are you?
[00:07:56] G: I am in the raid.
[00:07:58] M: Okay.
[00:07:59] G: Where Lemillion just got shot.
[00:08:02] M: Okay.
[00:08:03] G: And had his quirk destroyed.
[00:08:05] M: Oh, poor Lemillion. Isn’t that sad? Okay, so you might not be there yet. Have you met any of the previous quirk possessors?
[00:08:12] G: No.
[00:08:13] M: Okay, never mind then. Ignore everything I said.
[00:08:15] G: Okay.
[00:08:16] M: And like, anyways. So the quirk is pretty powerful.
[00:08:20] G: Yes.
[00:08:21] M: And, like, Midoriya’s body couldn’t handle it at first and still has trouble with it.
[00:08:28] G: Yeah, and so from there he trains, All Might starts transferring the power, which is apparently a month long process. And Midoriya goes to U.A., which is considered to be the best school.
[00:08:42] M: What does it stand for again?
[00:08:44] G: I have no idea.
[00:08:46] M: I looked it up once.
[00:08:48] G: I don’t think it’s ever explained in the anime.
[00:08:50] M: I think they do. Do they not say it even once?
[00:08:53] G: No, they just call it UA.
[00:08:56] M: Now I’m curious, UA is the inverted kanji for hero.
[00:09:01] G: So it’s just Hero High School?
[00:09:04] M: Yeah, it’s a play on words, um, apparently. That’s like one of the theories from the wiki, the fandom, the wiki fandom.
[00:09:12] G: Mmhmm
[00:09:12] M: It says, UA kind of sounds like Yue. And UA means hero in Japanese. So
[00:09:20] G: Okay
[00:09:20] M: UA means hero school in Japanese. That’s what I’ve got.
[00:09:24] G: Yeah. So Midoriya goes to the best superhero school, which is Hero High School, apparently.
[00:09:31] M: Apparently.
[00:09:32] G: Um, so a bunch of shenanigans happen.
[00:09:35] M: And of course we have the classic competition to get in to UA.
[00:09:40] G: Yeah
[00:09:41] M: Like that’s kind of a big part of the beginning. And that’s like one of those classic, like, Um, that’s like a, not a trope, but like, it’s a thing in a storyline.
[00:09:50] G: I think it’s like a Japanese anime trope of like
[00:09:53] M: No, it’s not just in Japanese anime. It’s like in other, um, books and stuff like that. There’s always like that competition. Like in Harry Potter, there was that fourth year. competition.
[00:10:04] G: No, I meant like the, to, to get into the school.
[00:10:07] M: Oh yeah. No, no, that’s true.
[00:10:08] G: Yeah.
[00:10:09] M: Yeah. Like the idea of being competitive to get into a school that’s true in Japan, but I meant more of like how it plays into the quote unquote hero’s journey.
[00:10:17] G: Okay. Yeah.
[00:10:18] M: Uh, like that there’s some kind of competition with your schoolmates.
[00:10:22] G: Yeah.
[00:10:22] M: That’s a thing.
[00:10:23] G: Mm hmm.
[00:10:23] M: Yeah.
[00:10:24] G: Happens multiple times. Actually constantly.
[00:10:27] M: It constantly happens, actually they just keep doing that. So it’s kind of subverting it because like there’s not just like the one thing.
[00:10:33] G: They all want to become the number one hero.
[00:10:35] M: Right, of course. Who doesn’t?
[00:10:38] G: Was that a good summary?
[00:10:39] M: I feel like there’s so much to summarize, but yeah.
[00:10:42] G: Okay.
[00:10:43] M: We got the, we got the basic facts.
[00:10:45] G: We got to the starting point of the show. If we want to summarize the whole show, we’d be here for the entire
[00:10:50] M: So Midoriya, I put away my notes. Midoriya gets to be trained by the person that he idolizes.
[00:10:58] G: Yes.
[00:10:58] M: The other thing you should know about Midoriya is that he likes to keep a lot of notes of different heroes and their abilities.
[00:11:04] G: Oh yeah.
He is a superhero nerd.
[00:11:08] M: Very much so. Very nerdy.
[00:11:10] G: He has spent a lot of time analyzing how various superhero quirks work and how various villain quirks work, which is surprisingly useful in now that he has superpowers.
[00:11:24] M: Yeah, it’s very helpful
[00:11:26] G: Yeah
[00:11:26] M: to be nerdy. And like a lot of other people are like, oh, we don’t know how that person’s quirk works, which then puts you at a disadvantage.
[00:11:33] G: Yes.
[00:11:33] M: Because then you don’t know all their capabilities, so you can’t find ways around it.
[00:11:38] G: Yeah.
[00:11:38] M: But Deku or Midoriya, he’s like, oh,
[00:11:42] G: Yeah, whenever he gets into a fight, he spends a lot of the fight thinking how the other person’s quirk works and trying to use that knowledge to his advantage.
[00:11:51] M: Right, because that kind of was his OG quirk before All Might gave him One for All.
His true power was that, you know, analyzing other people’s quirks. So, what are your overall thoughts on “MHA”?
[00:12:08] G: Um, I think it’s fine. It’s, it’s nice. Relatively light action that I can sort of put on the background while I’m working and still follow the story. I don’t think it’s gonna become one of my favorite animes of all time, but Yeah, I think it’s, I think it’s fine. I like it.
[00:12:28] M: I think, you know, this isn’t like my top favorite anime, even though I’ve talked to you a lot about it because it’s more recent. I was like actively watching it while I was talking to you about it. Um, I really liked, for example, “Gurren Lagann”. That might be my ultimate all time favorite anime, if I’m being honest.
[00:12:45] G: Yeah.
[00:12:46] M: I’ve, I’ve watched it and re watched it and re watched it and re watched it.
[00:12:49] G: Mmhmm
[00:12:50] M: I just love the shit out of that anime. But, this has become one of my favorite animes, and this is because I think how they do the hero/villain development, and like, it’s not all just one guy. It’s not all just Naruto, right?
Like, the anime focuses a lot on teams of people who are working together to accomplish larger goals. Not just the heroes, the villains too. I mean we see very intricate dynamics. It’s not all just like a Midoriya saves the day, it’s like people have to pave the way for these things to happen.
[00:13:25] G: So you like the team dynamic and it all seems like you kind of like the examination of the ramifications.
Cause I think something that like, I liked “Bleach”, but the fights that happen in “Bleach” are like separate from the world cause they happen in like the spirit world. Uh, it seems like you, you might like “MHA” because it kind of examines the ramifications of having a society of super powered people.
[00:13:50] M: Yeah.
Like that’s super, like there’s a lot of societal and political things that are brought up in this show that I really like. Um, so, you know, before we get into the political and societal drama, I think just, you know, going back to like Midoriya and sort of like other good things about the show is like, there’s this wholesome element of like, everybody has this quirk and their quirks make them special and unique.
Because like, there are some really weird quirks out there.
[00:14:18] G: Oh yeah.
[00:14:18] M: Like Best Genist. Who can um, manipulate denim thread, right?
[00:14:24] G: Yeah. That, I will admit, the first time Best Genist, or Blue, is it Best or Blue Genist?
[00:14:32] M: I thought it was Best Genist.
[00:14:33] G: Whatever.
[00:14:33] M: Do I have his name wrong?
[00:14:35] G: Whatever. When I first saw him on screen, and I saw his name, I was like, is his power just threads?
Can he control threads? Is he a a thread-o-mancer? Like
[00:14:45] M: a thread-o-mancer
[00:14:47] G: Like, I don’t, I don’t understand and he has like jeans like all the way
[00:14:52] M: up to his nose
[00:14:53] G: His nose.
[00:14:54] M: Yeah
[00:14:54] G: and so you can really only see like the top of his head.
[00:14:57] M: Yes
[00:14:57] G: And just like I don’t I don’t get it
[00:15:01] M: No,
[00:15:02] G: but then he has like a really awesome moment.
[00:15:05] M: Yeah. He has a really awesome moment. And you’re like, Oh, so I think what’s good about this show is that it shows like, even things that are like totally wild and out there, like they can really contribute and they can.
[00:15:15] G: Yeah, that’s one of the things I do like about the show is it addresses the concept of like, some quirks are just straight up better than other quirks.
Like, All Might’s just had, like, his quirk is just basically makes him, like, an unstoppable brick, and he can just call on, like, vast amounts of power behind any one punch he does, which is just obviously better than basically any other quirk. But the show does sort of emphasize the fact that when it comes down to a fight, yes, power counts for a lot, but generally speaking, the more skillful person will come out on top.
[00:15:54] M: Yes. It’s a lot about skill and I like that a lot
[00:15:58] G: like Blue Jeanist or Best Jeanist, whatever.
[00:16:02] M: Let me go look it up before we we don’t want to mislead.
[00:16:05] G: Yeah
[00:16:06] M: Best Jeanist
[00:16:08] G: Best Jeanist goes up against maybe not the overall big bad, but one of the overall big bads who is called “All For One,” which is a little confusing, but.
[00:16:20] M: That’s because if you imagine All For One’s quirk is like the opposite of one for all. Instead of sharing it with other people, what you’re doing is you’re like collecting the power for yourself.
[00:16:29] G: Yes.
[00:16:29] M: So it’s like all of everybody else’s quirks are your quirks now.
[00:16:33] G: Yeah,
[00:16:33] M: hoarding of quirks, capitalism, allegory.
[00:16:39] G: So Best Jeanist goes up against him and he is obviously outmatched, uh, but he’s still able to save, basically, his entire team’s lives, including the police that are with them, he’s able to save them all after a surprise attack from All for One. And, uh, All for One does compliment him, cause he was, at first, I think, confused about what happened, and then once he realized how Best Genius had saved everybody by using the denim threads.
And he was like, oh, that’s actually a very skillful use of your quirk. But unfortunately, I have too much power for you to deal with, no matter how skillful you are. So yeah, that is one of those cases where like power did trump skill, but a lot of times it really comes down to how skillful can you use your quirk.
[00:17:34] M: Right.
Absolutely. So like another reason that this is one of my favorite recent time animes is because I think it addresses a lot of these dark topics. So like even though it has this wholesome like, even people whose quirk is manipulating denim, even they can really contribute and be helpful. Is that it also is darker in a sense, like it really touches on these deeper issues in society in a way that other anime like “Naruto” and other action based anime that I haven’t personally Not to say that I don’t like those, I think those are also fun, but this one I think addresses like the darker elements of society a little bit better, and it has a more serious tone. For the most part.
[00:18:21] G: Yeah
[00:18:21] M: I mean, as you’ve mentioned, cause, um, you know, audience folks, as G has been watching this, they have been texting me, like, I can’t believe all this happened in one semester at school! You know?
[00:18:35] G: Yeah, I kind of imagine the, it was, it was happening over one year. The fact that all the events of like the first and second season I think happened in one semester is kind of wild.
[00:18:46] M: I actually want to pause before we go on because I realized, and I was, when I was writing up our show notes about like this idea of everybody, no matter how quirky they are, they can play a role and they can contribute and whatever, I realized that that comes very much off as like the “Rudolph” phenomenon of like, what I don’t want to be saying is that you have to make yourself useful to society to be worthy.
[00:19:11] G: Yeah.
[00:19:11] M: Because I’ve realized that, like, very much the “Rudolph” story of, like, he has this nose, and, you know, then only when it becomes that he’s useful, that, like, he’s valued.
[00:19:23] G: Yeah.
[00:19:24] M: And actually, I actually will come back around to that phenomenon. But before that, I want to talk about the sort of, like, societal and political implications of all of this.
So, they live in a society that’s mostly people have quirks. But one thing about the society is Not just anyone can use their quirks. You basically have to get licensed to be able to use your quirk and quirks are heavily policed. There is a policing element.
[00:19:51] G: My understanding was that you could use your quirk as long as it didn’t affect other people.
Cause I think Midoriya’s mom, like, shows off her quirk at one point, but like, as long as your quirk is not affecting other people, you can still use your quirk. Yeah, to use your quirk on other people, you have to be licensed in some way,
[00:20:11] M: Mmhmm
[00:20:12] G: which leads to some
[00:20:14] M: Even if it’s to save someone else or even sometimes in the case of like self defense was my understanding too.
[00:20:19] G: Yes.
[00:20:20] M: Because that can be influencing other people.
[00:20:23] G: Yeah.
[00:20:24] M: So yeah, it’s not like people are totally banned from quirks, but there’s a degree of this that’s kind of good. So my, my thought was, I’m kind of going out of order in my thinking, but you know, It’s kinda good that, like, not just any Joe Schmo can go out there and willy nilly use their quirk.
[00:20:42] G: Yeah, I mean, it does make sense to a certain point, but the, the point where this really sort of leaped out to me as being kind of weird was the camp attack arc, like where the class goes to the summer camp and they get attacked by the League of Villains.
[00:21:01] M: And before we get in any further, just briefly, can you summarize the League of Villains?
[00:21:05] G: So the League of Villains are led by a guy who has a hand on his face. I haven’t quite figured out if the hand is like part of his superpower set or not, or his quirk or not.
[00:21:18] M: He gets more background later on.
[00:21:21] G: Okay
[00:21:21] M: You’re not there yet.
[00:21:22] G: But basically he is trying to overthrow the current world order of heroes
[00:21:31] M: Mmhmm
[00:21:31] G: and make it a more sort of Darwinistic, dog-eat-dog world, I think.
The League as a whole organization is trying to take down heroes as an institution, I think would be their mission goal.
[00:21:48] M: I do think it goes further than that because, so there’s also another movement, the Liberation Movement.
[00:21:52] G: Okay.
[00:21:53] M: And the Liberation Movement, I would say that’s more their goal.
[00:21:56] G: Okay.
[00:21:56] M: And maybe that was the League of Villains original goal. And the League of Villains actually, like, kind of subsumes the Liberation Movement later on.
[00:22:04] G: Mmhmm.
[00:22:04] M: Until But I would say that the League of Villains became less about let’s, you know, get rid of this hierarchical society where heroes are on top. But they actually want to change, they want to flip the script.
They want, now, villains on top. But, I won’t derail anymore, go back to your point.
[00:22:24] G: Oh, so the League of Villains attack this group of high schoolers while they’re at summer camp and they’re not prepared for it, and they have to get express permission from their teacher to start using their powers in self defense.
Which strikes me as really odd, because at one point it’s implied that one of the villains that’s attacking the camp is a guy who has swords or knives coming out of his teeth. And I think it’s implied that he’s like eating someone. I don’t think it ever shows who that was, and none of the classmates are ever like shown up as missing later.
[00:23:03] M: Mmhmm
[00:23:03] G: but it kind of implies that he’s a cannibal, and it just like Like, I’m sorry. I don’t really care what the law says about if I can use my power or not. I’m going to use my power to defend myself against a cannibal with knives for teeth.
[00:23:23] M: Right, exactly. And I think that that is what the liberation movement, um, is trying to do is they really want to first of all, get rid of those laws. They don’t want people to be restricted on using their quirks because what they saw was that there was tons of injustices being committed. And they were basically powerless by the law to stop those injustices. And I think this person is not part of the liberation movement, but this one, um, there’s a hero, actually they’re not a hero, by definition.
They try to be a villain, and they actually really want to do good. They used to go to UA, they got thrown out, I think.
[00:24:00] G: Okay.
[00:24:01] M: Or they, they failed their exam or something, I can’t remember. Do you remember this?
[00:24:05] G: No?
[00:24:05] M: I feel like you have already seen this part, but I could be wrong. But this, like, person tries to be a villain because they felt like, you know, well, in order to be a hero, I have to go to UA and get licensed or whatever. I have to go get licensed and, like, you know, pass these exams and whatever. And they even tried to, like, help others, but then because they’re, like, not licensed to do it, they were in trouble with the law, blah, blah, blah. And so this person ends up in a good way. And, you know, I think it’s Midoriya who might say to them, like, you still have worth, even if you’re not, like, officially a hero.
But, that being said, like, I want to come back to the “Rudolph” phenomenon, because I think this society does put, like, particular value on heroes. Because not everybody who has a quirk is a hero, as we know.
[00:24:52] G: Mmhmm.
[00:24:53] M: It does become like your self worth is tied to being a hero
[00:24:56] G: Yeah
[00:24:56] M: a little bit for for some people
[00:24:59] G: For like the entirety of the class
[00:25:02] M: Right
[00:25:02] G: where their whole identity is tied up into being a hero I do not think any of them would do well like in a way you kind of see how they would have turned out if they had not made it into the top class, because there’s like, so there’s class 1A, which apparently is like the top students and then class 1B, they also got into the hero program, but they are judged lesser for some reason. I’m not quite sure why.
There’s literally one guy who’s literally a mirror, like, uh, Tetsu Tetsu Tetsu Tetsu is like a mirror, like he has the exact same power as like one of the guys in class 1A.
[00:25:40] M: I always thought that, from my understanding, 1A and 1B were more equal. And in some cases they’re even seen as, 1B is even seen as being better. There are several moments where like 1B is being seen as, as more.
[00:25:53] G: I don’t know. It is, especially during the tournament arc,
[00:25:57] M: Mmhmm
[00:25:57] G: where like they’re trying to determine like who show off their powers for the tournament. The Class 1B people really hate the Class 1A people.
[00:26:08] M: Oh, they do hate them.
[00:26:09] G: Yeah
[00:26:09] M: they do hate them.
But I think that reason comes from the fact that 1A got attacked and had to hone their powers. Like they even say that at one point. They’re like, well, 1A was like thrown into these situations where they like had to be, they were forced to grow. But 1B, and maybe they explore it later on, because I remember them having a huge conversation about it, whereas like, so this must be later.
[00:26:34] G: Yeah.
[00:26:35] M: But like 1B ends up being like more top, more top tier, because they haven’t been in those dangerous situations as 1A, so they had to grow in a different way.
[00:26:45] G: Okay.
[00:26:46] M: So, that was my understanding, was it was not because they were inherently different.
[00:26:51] G: Yeah, but besides the 1B, there’s also the general ed students.
[00:26:55] M: Right.
[00:26:56] G: Some of them are really pissed off about the fact that they did not make it into the
[00:27:00] M: Right
[00:27:00] G: hero course. So, yeah, I do think you do actually kind of see how some of those students would have turned out if they had not managed to snag one of the top spots.
[00:27:10] M: Right.
[00:27:11] G: And it’s not pretty.
[00:27:12] M: Right. And so, I was very sympathetic to the liberation movement, not the League of Villains,
[00:27:18] G: Yeah
[00:27:18] M: but the liberation movement, because they were like, and they did not go about it the right way, but they were like, people should be able to use their quirks for self defense, we shouldn’t have these laws, they’re unjust, and I think it came from a good place. But that movement, the liberation movement, gets co opted by the League of Villains. And the League of Villains, it’s very clever, and I think we can actually learn a lot about our own society and politics from watching what happens, because the League of Villains makes their movement sympathetic to the liberation folks.
[00:27:48] G: Mmhmm
[00:27:48] M: They’re like, well, we also want what you want. Look, we, we don’t want heroes, like, abusing their power, right? Even though the League of Villains ultimate goal is not really the same,
[00:28:00] G: yeah,
[00:28:00] M: as the Liberation Movement. But they use the liberation movement’s ability to touch people on that heart to heart level of like, well, don’t you wanna use your quirk? Like, and they’re railing people all around the world saying like, yeah, we should be able to use our quirks. And the, and the League of Villains is like feeding off of that. They’re like, we’re gonna have a whole army of people who are gonna back us because we’re gonna subsume the liberation movement. And that’s ultimately what happens. And I think from a real world perspective, that shows how like powerful and oppressive movements can use other movements by making their cause sympathetic. And I think we can really learn from that.
[00:28:35] G: Yeah.
[00:28:37] M: Now that we’ve kind of flushed out the plot and talked about the societal ramifications, we are about to talk about our favorite characters. Now we can get into some, maybe a little bit more lighthearted stuff.
[00:28:49] G: Yeah. Well, my favorite character is Sue, who is the frog lady.
[00:28:55] M: She’s great.
[00:28:56] G: She’s great. She is like the most practical person there is. Like, I think the first time the Class 1 A got attacked, they get separated because a villain uses his powers to like teleport them randomly across like the, the area. And Midoriya’s like, we should go and like fight the villains. And like, Sue’s like, Maybe we should focus on not like being tortured to death first. It’s like maybe that should be our number one priority before we try to like fight the villains.
And she’s just always like very practical about the situation and definitely my favorite character. My vote for who should be the next symbol of peace is Sue.
[00:29:38] M: I dig that. I really like her too. Of course, I love frogs, and then she gets like frog power, and it’s also a very cool quirk.
[00:29:44] G: Yeah.
[00:29:45] M: So I really like her a lot.
[00:29:46] G: I do like how like when they’re like doing like the short intros, like explaining the powers, and her intro is like, Sue, her power is frog. She can do what a frog can. Like, other times it’s like, oh yeah, Mr. Aizawa’s power is that he can temporarily suppress other people’s quirks by staring at them, but if he blinks, it no longer works. And it’s like a very detailed explanation, and then for Sue it’s like,
[00:30:13] M: Frog!
[00:30:14] G: Frog! She’s a frog.
[00:30:17] M: She’s great.
[00:30:17] G: I think there’s also a point where like Midoriya is like asking his classmates about, I think it’s in the same arc where like they’re being attacked in the student training center and he’s like asking his classmates about their powers and like Sue goes over her list of powers And it’s like I can also vomit out my stomach, but I’m not sure how that’s helpful in this situation
[00:30:38] M: It can be helpful sometimes I think Yeah, she’s great.
And of course there is um, Aizawa, you have already mentioned.
[00:30:47] G: Yes
[00:30:47] M: Which is your
[00:30:49] G: Probably my second favorite, mostly because like
[00:30:52] M: Aizawa’s like their teacher.
[00:30:54] G: Yeah, he, Mr. Aizawa’s their teacher. He also is like I think he takes a very practical point of view of, like, he needs to be hard on these students because the villains are not going to be easy on them.
So he, like, pushes them really hard, but he does it because he doesn’t want to see them die
[00:31:12] M: Mmhmm
[00:31:13] G: in, like, a real fight. So, he comes across as, like, very cynical, but I, I think he does really care about the students.
[00:31:21] M: He definitely cares about the students, and I love his quirk. I think the ability to, as you said, suppress other people’s quirks by staring at them, and he has to train to keep his eyes open forever, and so his eyes are all bloodshot.
[00:31:33] G: Oh yeah, he, he like has an eyedropper, like all the time, and basically his main piece of equipment is like, Sunglasses.
[00:31:43] M: Mmhmm
[00:31:43] G: They don’t look like traditional sunglasses, but basically they hide where he’s looking at. So that villains don’t know if their powers are like being suppressed right at that moment.
[00:31:52] M: Mmhmm
[00:31:52] G: And they can’t see when he’s blinking.
[00:31:54] M: Right. Yeah. He’s fricking cool and he continues to be cool. So I hope that you enjoy him as you continue on.
[00:32:02] G: Yeah. How about you? What are your favorite characters?
[00:32:05] M: Well, I really like Shinsou Hitoshi. Have you gotten to Shinsou Hitoshi’s arc?
[00:32:13] G: The name is not ringing a bell.
[00:32:15] M: He is the guy that in the tournament
[00:32:17] G: Yeah,
[00:32:18] M: like not the entry tournament like the second one. He’s the one that like can command you basically brainwash you and he tells Midoriya to lose for him.
[00:32:26] G: Right, right, right. If if you answer a question,
[00:32:30] M: Right
[00:32:31] G: Because it has to be a question if I remember correctly.
[00:32:33] M: Yes, but I, so like I thought that that’s how it worked, but then as like later seasons come along it seems like it can also be like sneakily like statements that could also be interpreted as questions.
[00:32:44] G: Mmkay.
[00:32:45] M: Because like he can kind of get away with a little bit more than just straightforward questions.
[00:32:49] G: Okay.
[00:32:50] M: So that way it’s, it’s trickier, right? Like people can fall into his trap a little bit easier.
[00:32:54] G: Yeah. So yeah, once you answer a question, either a straight up or a tricky question. He basically can issue at least one command, if not more.
[00:33:05] M: Mmhmm
[00:33:05] G: I hadn’t quite figured out what the extent of his power is.
[00:33:07] M: Mmhmm
[00:33:08] G: But yeah, he wants to be a hero. A lot of people, when they hear about his quirk are like, oh, good thing you’re not a villain. You’re not a villain, right?
Right. Yeah, so his quirk is kind of demonized.
Yes.
[00:33:22] M: Super demonized. And Aizawa
[00:33:24] G: Because it’s a, it’s a very, like, straight up invasion of autonomy.
[00:33:28] M: For sure. Um, and he does not want, like, he’s very, he’s like, I want to show that my quirk can be used for good.
[00:33:35] G: Yeah.
[00:33:36] M: And he struggles with that throughout the show.
[00:33:38] G: Mmhmm.
[00:33:39] M: He’s like, can this be used for good? And Aizawa kind of takes him in as his pupil.
[00:33:43] G: Okay.
[00:33:43] M: As his, so you haven’t gotten to this point yet, I guess. But he has this whole arc, and of course for me, his quirk is super kinky because it’s very brainwashing. I just want to really make sure and be clear that it’s the quirk that’s kinky for me. But besides the quirk being kinky, it’s also just so cool of a quirk and the fact that he is so dedicated to using it for the powers of good and helping the heroes and he has to fight harder to get into the hero class because he’s originally a gen ed student.
[00:34:08] G: Yes.
[00:34:09] M: And then there’s a, some kind of competition or something for someone to get into the class.
[00:34:13] G: I’ve not gotten to that point yet.
[00:34:15] M: Okay, I’m saying a lot of stuff you haven’t gotten to then. I feel like we should have waited on this episode a little bit.
[00:34:20] G: I thought I was on like season 5 of 7, so.
[00:34:23] M: Oh, well.
[00:34:25] G: It’s fine.
[00:34:26] M: Okay, I guess I should have given not just spoilers for our audience folks, but spoilers for G as well.
[00:34:31] G: I don’t mind spoilers.
[00:34:32] M: Okay. So I love seeing Shinso, Hitoshi.
[00:34:35] G: Yeah.
[00:34:36] M: Shinso really develop in these like creative ways. And getting to prove his worth. And I see you have a question here for me.
[00:34:44] G: Yes, didn’t you also cosplay as Todoroki?
[00:34:48] M: Yeah, so I’ve cosplayed both Shinso Hitoshi and Todoroki, and Todoroki’s a great character as well. He’s the fire and ice character. I really love him. He gets so much character development.
[00:34:59] G: Yeah. So I’ve been kind of doing a running commentary to M as I’ve been watching episodes.
Like, I think I first said I wanted Sue to be the symbol of peace in our, in our text messages. But another one of my sort of favorite messages to you is when Todoroki is first int-, maybe not his first introduction, but close to his first introduction in the tournament arc. He says something along the lines like, I wouldn’t want to disappoint dear old dad. And I immediately message you as like, Nobody says dear old dad and they don’t fucking hate their father
[00:35:33] M: and for really good reason Yeah, Todoroki, what I do want to say is for people who are tuning in our audience folks, if you haven’t watched the series yet or you haven’t gotten there yet, and you do plan to go back. I do want to give a content warning for people that domestic violence and abuse from Todoroki’s father
[00:35:51] G: Yes.
[00:35:51] M: And, in fact, his father has a whole redemption arc, which you are not at yet.
[00:35:56] G: No.
[00:35:56] M: His father gets a whole redemption arc and, to be honest, it’s still really hard to, like, give any grace to his father, but it’s starting to, like, grow on me as they’re exploring it. I mean, because he’s obviously not absolved from it, even now. But he’s coming to terms, like, I did horrible things to my family, and I want to begin the process of redemption. I want that. And I think that was very powerful for, like, everyone, like, um, it was just, it was very intense.
So yes, if you have some, like, dad trauma or parent trauma, um, just be a little bit cautious watching. And yeah, I just want to give that warning.
And I know, of course, so we’ve talked about Midoriya, the main character of the show,
[00:36:40] G: Mmhmm
[00:36:41] M: The kind of primary protagonist, but they’re all kind of like main characters in a sense. But the super main character is Midoriya.
[00:36:49] G: Yes.
[00:36:49] M: And, or Deku is his superhero name, which he reclaims from Bakugo, who calls him Deku as a degradation.
[00:36:56] G: Yeah, it means something like idiot or something.
[00:36:58] M: Yeah.
So he reclaims it as his hero name, which is, I think it’s amazing. And I know you don’t really like Midoriya.
[00:37:06] G: He’s kind of bland. Like, from a morality point of view, he’s basically already perfect. He does become a little bit more interesting later on, when like his sort of more idealistic view of the world sort of starts clashing against like the actual reality of being a pro superhero.
But still like he’s very much, he always makes like the right decision, the morally right decision, even if it is against his personal interest in the moment. Like there are points where he’s like in the tournament arc, he like basically does like some ad-hoc therapy to Todoroki in the middle of their match.
[00:37:47] M: I remember that.
[00:37:48] G: And it causes him to lose. Cause he always wants to see everybody doing their very best.
[00:37:56] M: He really cherishes the individuality of everyone, which I love about him.
[00:38:00] G: Yeah, but just not super compelling.
[00:38:03] M: I feel then that I must be a bland character. Like if somebody were to write M into a book, cause I feel like I’m very much the idealist.
[00:38:11] G: Yeah
[00:38:11] M: I really treasure the individuality of everyone.
[00:38:15] G: I mean, there, there are ways to make that a little bit more compelling, like, if there is a little bit more clashing between, like, trying to resolve the conflict of idealism versus the lived realities of the world. But that just doesn’t happen that much in this show.
[00:38:31] M: I will agree with that, and like, I like Midoriya, I do, because I think not every character has to be, like, you know, super deep. But I agree that he is not very flawed. Like you said, he’s kind of morally already perfect. Quote unquote.
[00:38:44] G: Yeah.
[00:38:44] M: He’s so encouraging. He’s so such a light in people’s lives. And I like him for that bit of like wholesomeness that it brings. But I do agree that he’s a bit one dimensional
[00:38:56] G: Yeah
[00:38:57] M: Because of that. And I also felt that the villains, or many of them, got like way more development than some of the heroes.
[00:39:06] G: Yeah, I mean, Twice has already been very interesting.
[00:39:09] M: Mmhmm.
[00:39:09] G: At least in the point that I’ve seen, we’ve kind of explored a bit of his origin. So Twice, his power is that he can make duplicates. When he first started using this power, like really started using it as like an adult, he created a bunch of clones of himself to like do his work for him essentially.
But these clones also didn’t want to do work. So this eventually caused like a huge fight and it left one person standing and he’s not entirely certain if he’s the original person or if he’s a clone and he has like, uh, not quite a split personality, but very disassociated personality.
[00:39:49] M: If you like Twice, you will love the development that he’s about to get in the next couple seasons.
[00:39:54] G: Okay.
[00:39:54] M: Especially the most recent season. You will love.
[00:39:57] G: Okay.
[00:39:57] M: So just keep on going.
[00:39:59] G: Just, just buckle in.
[00:40:00] M: I, I thought you were like way further.
[00:40:03] G: Okay.
[00:40:03] M: So like, there’s so much more for you to see. And I think so many people have said like season six is like really, really good.
[00:40:12] G: Okay.
[00:40:13] M: So just hang in there. You’re going to get even more development.
[00:40:15] G: Yeah. But some of the villain development didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me.
[00:40:20] M: Mmhmm
[00:40:21] G: So there’s like this big cultural moment, I’d say, inside the show, this inside the world of the series, where there’s a serial killer named Stain who targets superheroes or pro heroes, and he eventually gets defeated.
During his defeat, basically his manifesto about what he believes about the modern day hero is inherently corrupted by, I think capitalism, I think is kind of what it boils down to. He says a lot more about it, but basically he believes that the only real current superhero is All Might, because he doesn’t do it for like the fame or the money.
And he dies during a fight, and it’s kind of represented as this big cultural moment where like a bunch of people who were just kind of sitting at the sidelines before decide, yeah, Stain really represents us, and we’re gonna go join the League of Villains? I’m not quite sure like how the leap from like the current superheroes are like kind of corrupt and you leap to let’s go kill them in like this villain organization.
Like I’m not I don’t quite understand the leap
[00:41:34] M: Okay, I was just refreshing on it because I wanted to make sure I didn’t like miss anything
[00:41:38] G: Yeah
[00:41:39] M: But from my understanding Stain is not really with or for the League of Villains
[00:41:44] G: No, he is definitely not with the League.
[00:41:46] M: Right
[00:41:47] G: But, the League uses his death as kind of like a rallying call.
[00:41:51] M: Well, that’s what I was saying about the League subsumes, like, even the liberation movement.
[00:41:55] G: Yeah
[00:41:55] M: Like, they are gonna use these other things to make people sympathetic to their cause.
[00:41:59] G: Yeah, I guess I don’t quite understand because there’s definitely a moment where this is brought to the forefront or like the guy with his hand on his face. I forget his name Shikegari She
[00:42:12] M: Shigaraki
[00:42:14] G: Shigaraki He’s introduced to potential recruits and they’re like you want us to join your organization, but how do you like represent the the Stain, the ideology he represented. I don’t feel like he gave a particularly compelling answer, but they still joined up with him anyway.
So, I don’t know. I mean, overall, I’ve really liked the story developments and how they’ve looked at various things. That’s the one thing that’s kind of a bit jarring to me. It might just be me. I’m willing to admit that.
[00:42:43] M: Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen that part of it, so I think I’d have to go back.
I do know that the League of Villains, like, they definitely had a vested interest in, like, turning anybody to their cause.
[00:42:52] G: Yes.
[00:42:52] M: By, it seems like, any means necessary, making their cause more sympathetic, and I am not sure, again, because they do it with the liberation movement as well.
[00:43:02] G: Yeah, and I’m also willing to admit I may have missed something because I do tend to watch this while I’m working from home. So it could have been like I missed an important point when I like got a phone call.
[00:43:15] M: Yeah, and it could just be like, it didn’t just hit, you know, it just wasn’t well developed in that case.
[00:43:20] G: Yeah.
[00:43:20] M: And before we end, you know, this has been a very good discussion about heroes and quirks and freedom of whatever and less corporate.
[00:43:28] G: Yeah.
[00:43:28] M: Yeah. Because I think like the allegory that a lot of this is, is like capitalism creates problems.
[00:43:34] G: Yeah. I mean, also All Might kind of caused a lot of problems.
[00:43:38] M: Yeah.
[00:43:39] G: Which I thought was not an area I was expecting for them to examine. Basically sort of like the idea is that like All Might used his power and especially his fame that his power brought him to sort of establish a world order. But he didn’t do a good job of creating traditions or institutions which would help keep that world order going. So the fact that he’s, at this point, the point of the story that I’m in, he’s basically lost all of his power. Like, I’m sure he could still beat up, like, an average mugger if he wanted to. But, like, when it comes to fighting other super powered people, he can’t do it anymore.
And, like, the whole world is now becoming a more chaotic and violent place because All Might’s no longer there to enforce. Okay, I’m going to use a term I learned in a political science class. All Might enforced a negative peace, where he used his power and his fame to make sure everybody followed the rules.
But now that he’s no longer there to enforce that negative peace, he’s no The whole thing’s kind of crumbling.
[00:44:51] M: And as I think Stain kind of points out too is like the quality of heroes has kind of decreased because everybody relied on All Might.
[00:44:59] G: Yeah.
[00:44:59] M: Like Stain sees All Might as that’s a true hero.
[00:45:03] G: Mmhmm
[00:45:04] M: Even though I know like kind of the verbiage that we’re saying right now is like, well, he also had problems, but that all might kind of created this society where people relied on him.
[00:45:13] G: Yeah.
[00:45:14] M: And then like, therefore a lot of people’s agency got lost.
[00:45:18] G: So yeah, I’m a little surprised they decided to sort of do a little bit of that examination, even though they haven’t like super delved into it. But I do think it has made clear. At least within the context of the anime, that All Might kind of messed up.
[00:45:34] M: Mmhmm
[00:45:34] G: Like, it’s not super critical of him, but it’s like, he didn’t do anything to build a positive peace. He didn’t like try to create institutions or like, he didn’t, he didn’t do anything to like alleviate the problems which cause people to turn to crime.
Right?
[00:45:50] M: Right. And he also did not encourage any agency on anybody’s part.
[00:45:54] G: Yeah. And that’s the thing that. Even though I criticize Midoriya for being a somewhat one dimensional character, that’s something Midoriya does, like, he is very much, like, tries to uplift people all the time.
[00:46:05] M: Absolutely. So, there was something I didn’t consider before I saw your notes about this.
[00:46:10] G: Yeah?
[00:46:10] M: Was that this show kind of reminded you of Gattaca. Yes. I thought that was a brilliant tie in. So for those who are tuning in and don’t know, what’s Gattaca?
[00:46:19] G: So, Gattaca was a sci fi film from, I want to say the early 2000s. Where the plot of the movie is that sometime in the past, genetic modification of people became okay. And a majority of the world is now genetically modified. But one person who wasn’t genetically modified is trying to find success in that world. Even though he has to basically lie about his status. And he has to like, compete with people who are genetically modified to be better at their jobs or positions.
[00:46:57] M: Yeah, I thought this was a great tie in because I watched that movie back in like, I think we had to watch it in in high school biology.
[00:47:04] G: Yeah.
[00:47:05] M: But when I saw your note about that I was like, oh, yeah.
[00:47:08] G: Yeah.
[00:47:09] M: Very similar.
[00:47:10] G: I mean, obviously a very different tone.
[00:47:12] M: Yeah. Very different.
[00:47:14] G: But in some ways, like Midoria is a lot like the protagonist in Gattaca, in that they both really wanna succeed in this world. It’s just, the guy, the protagonist of Gattaca has to lie and cheat, essentially. Well, he doesn’t cheat, but he has to lie all the time about his status. And Midoriya just kind of lucks out in get, like, in getting superpowers.
[00:47:41] M: Mmhmm.
[00:47:41] G: I mean, he super lucks out in getting, like, one of the most powerful quirks in the entire world.
[00:47:47] M: Yeah.
[00:47:48] G: So, but yeah, it’s kind of similar starting positions, I guess.
[00:47:52] M: Definitely.
So to wrap this episode up G.
[00:47:57] G: Yeah,
[00:47:58] M: I have one final question for you.
[00:47:59] G: All right,
[00:47:59] M: if you had a quirk?
[00:48:01] G: Okay,
[00:48:02] M: Which quirk would you want? Could be one we already discussed it could be one that you
[00:48:06] G: Okay,
[00:48:07] M: you know invent yourself What quirk would you have?
[00:48:10] G: I mean this might be… this might be the typical gender fluid person’s response, but I would probably do some form of shape shifting.
[00:48:19] M: Okay
[00:48:20] G: Like being able to like change my body to like fit how I’m feeling
[00:48:26] M: Okay, I like that, I like that.
[00:48:28] G: I’m not sure how it would be used for superpowers, but
[00:48:31] M: But it’s a quirk, it doesn’t have to be useful.
[00:48:33] G: Oh yeah, it’s a quirk, it doesn’t have to be a, yeah.
[00:48:36] M: Yeah!
[00:48:36] G: How about you, what quirk would you want?
[00:48:39] M: You know, I realize we didn’t talk about one person, I don’t know if you got there yet. I think it’s the guy who can either like stop time or rewind time, or what’s that guy’s name? Oh, okay. You gave me a face like you don’t know that guy.
[00:48:50] G: I don’t know that guy.
[00:48:52] M: Okay. Well, I think I would want to do something with like time manipulation.
[00:48:56] G: Okay
[00:48:56] M: But like maybe not. I don’t want to necessarily like go back in history and like greatly change events, but I’m just like, you know, little tiny tweaks or pausing time or something like that.
I always used to think I would want to just be like have invisibility.
[00:49:13] G: Yeah.
[00:49:14] M: That sounds fun. Or like, um, reading other people’s minds, but I think that could get annoying. And like, weird.
[00:49:20] G: Yeah.
[00:49:21] M: Like, maybe I don’t want to actually know what everybody thinks of me, for real. But, like, I don’t know, something about the time thing, I’m like, that could be, that could be fun.
[00:49:29] G: Yeah, I want to be a shapeshifter.
[00:49:32] M: If I make my tea a little too hot, I can just go back.
[00:49:36] G: Is that what you want to use your powers for?
[00:49:38] M: I don’t know.
Well, anyways. That was my last question.
[00:49:42] G: Okay. So if you like listening to us talk about My Hero Academia and you want to support us watching anime and talking about it, you can donate at the link in the bottom of the show notes.
[00:49:55] M: And, of course, you can always share with your anime fan friends or quirky heroes, just like All Might shares one for all.
[00:50:02] Both: Plus Ultra!
[00:50:04] G: This is G.
[00:50:05] M: This is M.
[00:50:07] G: Don’t be afraid to love how you love,
[00:50:08] M: love what you love,
[00:50:09] G: and love who you love. If you’d like to get in touch with either M or myself, You can tweet us @KNPPODCAST.
You can find us at knppodcast.tumblr.com, or you can email us at kinky.nerdy.poly@gmail.com.
[00:50:31] M: Going back to the podcast, since we’re talking about it, you know, on Spotify, we’ve had a five star
[00:50:36] G: Mmhmm,
[00:50:37] M: until recently. Now we have a an average 4.9 star. And I was talking to X about it and X said well It’s because like whoever is rating you four star, they’re rating you based off of like comparing you to a professional level podcast.
[00:50:52] G: Yeah
[00:50:53] M: But we’re not. We’re an amateur podcast.
[00:50:56] G: Yeah, even after 50 episodes. Jesus Christ, we haven’t done 50 episodes of this podcast.
[00:51:02] M: Yes, we have.
[00:51:03] G: That is wild to think about.
[00:51:04] M: That’s wild, and for, and since 2019, basically.
[00:51:07] G: Yeah, in the before times.
[00:51:09] M: In the before times, and then shortly we got hit by the pandemic, even.
[00:51:14] G: Yeah.
[00:51:14] M: And so, like, you know, this podcast has been a huge accomplishment, but, you know, we’re not quote unquote true professionals. Something else that I’m going to miss out on,
[00:51:24] G: Yeah
[00:51:24] M: from my old workplace is that they had a podcast studio.
[00:51:28] G: I mean, we never got a chance to use it.
[00:51:30] M: No, but we could always go somewhere else to do podcast recording.
[00:51:35] G: Yes. There are studios that we could like rent out by the hour.
[00:51:38] M: Yes. Which are like 80 an hour.
[00:51:40] G: Yeah.
[00:51:41] M: So little pricey.
[00:51:43] G: But honestly, the money that we spend on this hobby is a lot cheaper than like, say, going golfing.
[00:51:50] M: Oh, yes, and also much better for the environment.
[00:51:53] G: Yeah, much better for the environment.
[00:51:55] M: Yeah.
[00:51:56] G: You heard it here, folks. Podcasting. It’s cheaper than golf and better for the environment. I apologize to any of our audience folks who are avid golfers.
[00:52:05] M: I know, I had that thought too. I was like, who’s listening to this that likes golf? I’m watching you. Well, I’m literally not watching you.
[00:52:12] G: Yeah
[00:52:13] M: I should say that for legal purposes.
KNP Podcast 