"Just this once, we'll save the boobs for another day!"
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Despite feeling a bit rushed in service of cramming so many exams into a single episode, "Stripping the Varnish" delivers a few moments of clever comedy and provides some welcomed character development for one of My Hero Academia's most criticized and polarizing characters.
As someone who isn't particularly fond of Mineta's perverted antics, I was admittedly concerned his fight with Sero against Midnight would lean further into that shallow direction for the sake of a cheap laugh or two. While the battle initially appears to start off that way—with Mineta upset that Sero has been knocked out and pressed up against Midnight's body—the backstory we get for Mineta and the surprising turn of events that conclude the exam make the character far more likable than he's been in the past.
Why Mineta, a womanizing pervert who's often found crying in the face of danger, would enroll in the hero program at U.A. High has been a mystery until this point. "Stripping the Varnish" delivers an explanation behind his motivations, which, as shallow as they may seem, go a long way in making Mineta more relatable. While the drive to be cool and popular with girls is hardly a noble ambition, it does offer some insight into Mineta's insecurities, setting the stage for what could potentially be an interesting character arc.
Mineta's brush with death during the League of Villains' attack awakened within him the realization that his thinking was backwards. Instead of striving to be a hero in order to be cool, he should strive to be cool, and in doing so awaken the hero within. This revelation made for a triumphant conclusion to his practical exam, as turning the tables on Midnight and surprising her with a clever plan of his own was a rewarding moment of redemption for the character. While I'd love to see more of Mineta's insecurities and cleverness explored in the future, the phrase he utters after completing his practical exam didn't leave me with much hope, as he says: "Just this once, we'll save the boobs for another day!"
As much as I enjoyed the conclusion to Uraraka and Aoyama's battle against Thirteen, nearly half of it was a frame-by-frame rehash of the post-credits scene from the previous episode. Rather than giving us half of the scene last week and then repeating it at the start of "Stripping the Varnish," I think it would have been far more impactful if the scene wasn't teased last week, but instead reserved for a fresh and surprising start to this week's episode. That said, the new content in this fight was absolutely delightful.
I especially enjoyed seeing Uraraka put into practice the fighting techniques she learned from Gunhead, showcasing a far more intimidating side to the otherwise sweet and bubbly girl. The unforgettable look on her face as she took down Thirteen gave me a newfound appreciation of My Hero Academia's incredibly expressive character designs.
In order to get through so many exams in such a short amount of time, "Stripping the Varnish" breezes through a few more practical exams, none of which I found nearly as memorable. Characters like Hagakure, Shoji and Koda rarely ever get screen time, so it's hard to feel much of connection to them when they finally do get a few minutes in the spotlight. That said, I did appreciate the tidbit of backstory we got for Koda, and his fear of bugs created a few hilarious moments that made him much more endearing. I also pleasantly surprised by how Kaminari and Ashido's exam offered a bit more insight into Nezu, showcasing the amusingly maniacal side of U.A. High's principal.
The Verdict
With just two episodes left of Season 2, "Stripping the Varnish" barrels through several more practical exams, paving the way for Deku and Bakugo's impending showdown against All Might. While not every fight is especially memorable, Mineta and Sero's battle against Midnight delivers some welcomed character development, making the grape-headed pervert a bit more relatable. Likewise, a brief peek at Koda's backstory offered some endearing insight into one of My Hero Academia's lesser known characters, and the glimpse at evil genius-like side of principal Nezu was hilariously fun.
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