Love how a song originally about a pair of ex-lovers has become a song about a separated mother and son. In both cases, the man has been assumed dead, and returns to take his revenge. The woman is blindsided that the person she's mourned is alive and grown into someone she scarcely recognizes. I would never have believed this song could apply so well to a non-romantic relationship, but it really does work! Thank you for sharing!

Who’s ready for Toya’s backstory to get animated soon?

I'm shocked at how well this song fits Dabi and his mother. You can feel here not romantic love as in the original, but the love of mother and son.

This is amazing. Like holy shit. The shot at 2:20 of how Rei and Touya/Dabi are both victims of Enji to the point them had a complete mental breakdown is fantastic- heartbreaking, but fantastic.

"Could either of us really he free?" With Enji looming over both of them literally gave me chills, holy shit.

"can either of us ever be free" THE PAINNNN

That shot of little Touya screaming as he bursts into flames was so beautiful and heartbreaking

Your designs for both Rei and Touya really gives Touya his mothers features. They have the same slope of their nose and similar eye shapes, and their jawline is practically the same. It really makes the impact that he was her baby at one point

FINALLY, SOMEBODY WHO UNDERSTANDS THAT TODOFAM AND THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO MUSICAL ARE A MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN LOOK ME IN THE EYE AND TELL ME THAT HELL TO YOUR DOORSTEP IS NOT DABI'S REVENGE THEME SONG

Holy crap I’ve never seen this song be interpreted like this, but it’s SO satisfying. She’s just a mom who wants her baby back 😭

I live for the day Toya gets to meet his mom again. I feel like she's the one person he wouldn't hurt.

The first dabi reveal where he revealed himself was sad within but i hated to admit that Shigarakis backstory was worse. Then the second reveal of what happened came out I was like.... "Shit no he had it harder"

omg i love this song and always associated it with touya and rei. I'm so glad someone finally made an animatic of it, and holy shit you did it perfectly!! the moment dabi says "this man is dead", and we see little touya turning into flames, and rei's expression, OMFG!! followed by the "he died a little each day", it so accurately described what happend from touya's point of view. and then the few times endeavour appeared, they were so well timed and honestly gave me chills. this shows how they are both victims of the same man and messed up in their own way. rei and touya's relationship is just so tragic, and you captured it really well. and i haven't even talked about your amazing drawing skills yet, the expressions, the perspectives and transitions, it's so good! I'm sorry if I'm not making much sense, i'm just so glad someone saw the connection between touya and rei and this song as well, and then made this tragically beautiful animatic!

My head cannon is that Dabi is actually a mama’s boy and loves his mom with all his heart.

Dabis story is basically a twisted version of the count of Monte Cristo if you really think about it

I'm gonna be honest, i opened the video without expectations, just because i love toya's backstory and this song. But i was positively surprised! This is one of the most amazing animatic I ever had the pleasure to gaze upon! The song's choice is PERFECT, the roles they have, the fact that both of them aren't free, the ENDING, THE PARALLELS!!! I honestly find more things I like about this while i'm writing this comment, some moment of very smooth animation (like Toya's child version burning by his flames), congratulation on your work!

THIS ROCKSSSS when dabi said; "this man is dead" and it showed touya slowly losing his innocence just KILLED me like omg ur art is amazing-

i liked 1:45 How she tries to reach out and confort her son Toya, but then Dabi smacks her hand away

This song was tragic in the original musical but here? I’m this context? With this beautiful animatic? Genuinely heart breaking

OMG THE PERSPECTIVE TURN AT 1:58 AND THE ENDING WHERE HE SITS DOWN AND IT ALL ENDS UP BEING A CONVERSATION IN HER HEAD WOW WOW WOW

... well my heart hurts.

So many characters can fit this song but for some reason these two never came to mind but they should have. It’s perfect.

This is so heartbreaking! It's her baby boy, she grieved him, and to see him alive but so different than what he was must be devastating. To realize that he was alive all this time. She was finally opening up, I can't wait to see how this will be dealt with, and how all family members would be responding to this!!

What MHA could've been. Ppl dog on this fandom, and I haven't been a part of it for a long time, but 99% of the time you guys do a better job of getting themes across than the author does. That deserves applause.

THIS IS SO GOOD! THE PAIN ON BOTH SIDES, THE PAIN OF A MOTHER AND THE HATE OF THE SON FOR HIS FATHER BUT STILL LOVING HIS MOTHER 😭😭😭😭 I LOVE THIS 😭😭😭😭💙💙💙💙💙💙

Dabi: (To Endeavor) You Knew I was Your Next Successor Dad. You always knew. But when the Doctors said Otherwise, What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO?! NOTHING!!!! Endeavor: You were not meant to be my Successor of being a Pro Hero, That was Not My Fault! Dabi: Not Your Fault?! Who Filled my Head With Dreams?! Who told me to Train Until My Bones Crack?! WHO DENIED ME MY DESTINY???!!!!!!

1:11 THE WAY HE BURNS AWAY ITS SO COOOOOOL

THE LYRICS THAT FIT ENJI *SENT* ME OH MY GOD?? AND WHEN YOUNG TOUYA WENT UP IN FLAMES HOLY SHIT OH MY GOD

You managed to express the pain, the anguish, that both of them were probably feeling in that moment. This is a masterpiece.

I come back to this animatic occasionally, and my favorite part has to be when they're both shadowed by Endeavor. They are both locked by him, in very different ways.

oh my GOD the way everything moves around just amplified the pain. the changes in perspective were just done so perfectly

This is the first non-romantic take on this song I've seen, but man does it work well here. Very good job and very emotional.

This reminds me of that saying that a mother knows her child that’s what this reminds me of

Haven't commented yet, which feels like a crime because this is so good. I don't have the words to explain how much I love this. This painful happiness she has to see her son alive, mixed with the joyful sorrow of realizing he's not who she knew. And his distant emotional state, so much anger he can't let go of, while somehow still longing for what he knows he'll never have. "Can either of us really ever be free?" With them in Endeavor's shadow... Just so good!! A favourite I keep coming back to~

I've watched this many times and the synchronizing between these two is _perfect!_ You've fully captured the anguish they're both in, especially here 2:10 - Rei's mourning the tragedy of her eldest son, Dabi's rejecting her pleas, knowing there's no turning back for him, but feels that bit of pain as well and can't hide it. "He died a little each day," perfectly describes Toya's descent into madness, and eventually villainy, and those flashbacks certainly do it justice. It's crazy just how fitting this is. Amazing work.

This was a year ago but I just have to comment. The hands?! The perspective the choreography the ART?!? The is genuinely the best BNHA animation I’ve ever seen and trust me I’ve seen a lot.

I always find myself coming back to this. It’s amazingly emotional...

When he say THIS MAN IS DEAD (first) the animation is just 😱😘 so beautiful

Ahhhhhhhh, I LOVE this! I love the drastic change from kid Touya with big bright eyes and ruffleable hair and looking so lively, and then Dabi with the grown-up face, the sharp angles and lines used to draw him (Ever since you posted Sailor Song, I've had an obsession with the way you draw Touya / Dabi, it is just so beautiful and expertly captures the state which his character is in at the given time.) 0:26 is so sweet, how they actually express their love and genuine enjoyment of each other (considering that was before Shouto came to, where their relationship gradually turned to a self-reinforcing state of neglect and survival. Not that it was not strained from the beginning, but still. Once upon a time, it was genuine) And Rei has short hair, so pretty! 1:00 is hella beautiful, where little Touya's feet move and Rei tries to follow. And the movement is so smooth and natural, and then at 1:03 the contrast between Touya and Dabi just becomes so clear. 1:15 The way Touya grows up to the lyrics "He died a little each day" Is just ouch. Especially the casual way Dabi holds on his shoulder like he knows exactly what happened; he's simply emphasizing it to Rei. And the in-between shot at 1:20, again just captures him having aged, but not turned completely into the adult(ish) that Dabi is, and his hair is a little longer and less fluffy, with more little spikes, and there's just so many little details that visually tells the story of Touya and I love it!!! And not only is his look so determining of his character, he is also such a dramatic, like at 1:25 with the hand movement, and the LOOK he gives Rei is so full of hate and suffering and blame, and Rei is nervous and kinda hiding in on herself, but still following him with her eyes, and the body language just continues to 1:31 where Dabi’s stance is robust and strong, with a low center of gravity and tense muscles (especially the shoulders and neck) while Rei is regretful and more frail in her torso, her shoulders slumped and with a higher, and therefore also more unstable center of gravity. Like Dabi, the mass-murderer-arsonist, has the justified position in their conflict, while Rei, the nervous and frayed, made the mistake. And he has, in their isolated relationship, which makes it even more scary when Dabi has all the power in their relationship, but at the same time is limited by the complicated feelings they share. And then Dabi looks inwards, turns to Touya and is scared, of his quirk that he cannot escape at 1:34 (seen in the way he looks at his hands like he wants them as far away from him as possible) And the way Touya reaches out to a Rei who has more important stuff to do is just so heartbreaking! How she drags Fuyumi along, how Natsou runs by and Touya actually grabs him, looking so scared at 1:37, but he is ignored. The little detail of how he cries and first looks down, then up at 1:38 is so realistic! Such a beautiful detail, making him seem even smaller when Enji just imposes himself, looking so dominant and terrifying to Touya, who has just been left alone 1:46 AND THIS!!! The transition (going the opposite of the one in Sailor Song), where Dabi rejects the too late comfort Rei has to offer, but he still needs it, if raising his shoulders in an almost childish manner is any indication. Childish, not meaning brattish, but vulnerable 1:58 the turn of the camera here is AMAZING 2:09 and his outburst of flames, like even though it is what physically hurts him, it is still his instinctual way of protecting himself. And the way he crimples forward, in a raw show of self-protection while Rei stands and pleads. 2:12 I love, love, love how Rei looks up and Dabi looks down, it is so interesting because both ways is a powerful show of a character feeling despair, but it is illustrated in vastly different ways. Dabi’s more internal and hateful, tense like he could erupt and lash out at any moment, and Rei more abandoned, just shouting in hope that anyone can hear 2:20 Is Enji’s shadow, perhaps reminding them of the actual reason for their conflict, and how they are both suffering and powerless to him. But then at 2:22 (and I LOVE the way the camera turns while their gesticulations gradually gets more and more extreme and raw) the conflict infects their relationship, even though the root to it is Enji 2:28 And they’re both reaching out, despite the distance, and even the movements, that was fast paced, but systematic before, is not slow when they sing “when you are still so far awaaay” at 2:32, and the silhouettes drifts away from each other. And again with the body language, Rei’s eyebrows being lifted up in a powerless manner, while Dabi’s are pinched, but the last little part closes to the middle of the face is still turned upwards, making him seem tense, but just as sad as Rei And then they walk again! Where before it was Rei and Touya walking the same way, but Touya faster, thus creating a distance between them (just like their storylines) now Rei walks independently, and they both walk towards each other but also opposite of each other, which can symbolize their conflict and long years of miscommunication, and at the same time their wish to reunite and reconcile. 2:44 And Dabi looks remorseful, and looks at his hair! It is softer again, more wavy and less ends, just like Touya’s hair was. And how he takes Rei’s hand like acceptance of her apology, but also as he reluctantly removes it from his face and places himself for the recording to begin. The beautiful frame for the story that begins and ends with Rei and the TV has so many different feelings to before and after they’ve had their “interaction”. Is the whole thing Rei’s imagination? Part of Dabi’s intention for the video? A wish both of them had, or simply a what-if? We don’t know! But the way Rei crumples in front of the TV, caressing it just like she did Dabi, but for her own comfort or simply for support in her squat, we’ll never know. 3:11 “I did it” Had me sputtering out loud. So much drama, so much emotion in the animatic, and then your cute little scribble celebrating a real life accomplishment while two fictional characters have had their hearts impaled with guilt. Oh yeah, and how the change in perspective between the cuts feel so effortless, I am only slightly jealous and very impressed. And the way you draw Rei with womanly features but still a realistic body and broad shoulders (at least broader than what is the usual for animation). There is another, perhaps more adult balance in Rei’s body (that sounds kinda creepy), but it is a joy for me to watch it, as it feels way more grounded that way. Thank you for making this! I really enjoyed it. Your drawings and especially their faces and how you capture age and how “worn down” they are is so beautiful, and just makes it all so emotional. And oh god you started it in May!!! That is crazy, but gods the end result is good. Again, thank you for animating, and perhaps I went a little overboard with my analysis, but we don’t have to tell anyone that. There are symbolisms wherever someone sees one XD. Hope you had a great new year!

"hey, guys and welcome back to Dailey does of crying"

the animation of baby Touya burning to a crisp... I have no words Massive Kudos

Yeah, I’m crying really damn hard right now. It’s all so unfair. They didn’t deserve any of this!

Everyone with a villain OC:*Saves song to playlist*

OH WOW THIS HURTS The both of them standing in Endeavor's shadow made me SCREAM The pain and grief and anger is palpable!

The fact that this isn’t more popular is a crime

HOLY SHIT THAT IS INSANE I LOVE IT AWSOME WORK

The Todoroki family really is suited to theatre. Grand and tragic...

Can we please talk about 2:15 ??? LIke holy heck !?! That line was such a masterpiece

the ending was not only a punch in the gut but an entire judo flip

This is incredibly beautiful. You're so good at displaying emotion and I love the difference in that shown with them talking to the shadow of Endeavor with one being more sad and upset almost pleading to make him take it all back and the other being mostly rageful And Dabi's hand on Touya's shoulder as he grows up AH it's just gorgeous, incredible work

This is beautiful. There’s so many moments I love like at 0:30 with the swirl in Toya’s eyes or at 1:13 the facial expressions as he burns away. I love at 1:22 you can see the color and life in his eyes dull. 1:34 is a great transition followed by another heart wrenching moment as we see Toya being left behind and how at 1:39 he looks down at first but desperately looks up at Endeavor. Another beautiful transition at 1:48 and the way he tenses his shoulders is just UGH. The change in perspective/angle at 2:00 is also a really nice detail. 2:10 is very well executed as well. And then 2:21 where they both look up at Endeavor with the line “Will either of us ever really be free” followed by another amazing transition at 2:56 I know this is just a wall of text but I have no idea how to format this and just feel the need to point out some of my favorite moments in this incredible work of yours. Excited for what you have to come ❤

HOLY SHIT! From start to finish this was amazing but you could not even imagine how that last transition at the end made me react. It was absolutely perfect!

This was stunning. Every frame of Rei and Touya was beautiful and impactful, and it was the perfect song choice.

Words cannot explain how unprepared I was for this animatic

Considering we just got the reveal in the anime, the timing really worked out, well done :3

I WISH WE GOT MORE SCREENTIME WITH REI!😭😭😭 I'm not crying you are

I just want to say that I come back to watch this every day. It's fucking insane. The Animation when she walks, THAT SPIN AROUND? THAT'S FUCKING INSANE!! IT'S CRAZY. THE EMOTION? THE FLUIDITY? THE FACT IT"S SO ON BEAT FOR THEM!?! ITS FUCKING INSANE AND I WANT YOU TO KNOW HOW TALENTED YOU ARE THAT THIS EXISTS!!! YOU ARE INSANE WOMAN/MAN/PERSON BECAUSE I DONT KNOW YOUR PRONOUNS!! YOU ARE SO GOOD

Lyrics: Rei: My god, my heart beats faster And my mind is racing Could it be? Could it be that you've come back to life? I know those eyes following me Dark and familiar and deep as the sea I know that face, strange though it seems Younger and kinder, it haunts all my dreams How can you stand there, a whisper from me Yet somehow be so far away? And eyes once familiar, a stranger I see With so many words left to say Dabi: This man is dead, he is no more He died a little each day Like a thief, the Château d'If has stolen him away The mind plays tricks, you are confused The man you seek is long gone Dead and cold, a story told By those he trusted, those he loved And those who then moved on (instrumental) Dabi: I am a ghost, just a mirage (Rei: there in that voice) Who chases traces of you (Rei: traces of you) Rei: Dark and familiar and deep as the sea Dabi: This man is dead, he is no more (Rei: I know those eyes) And though it's torturing me (Rei: Torturing me) Both: Can either of us really ever be free? How can you stand there a whisper from me When you are still so far away? And why does the truth seem too hard to be true? With so much broken Dabi: And so much damage. Both: There are no words… Dabi: ...left to say

2:45 i love the little detail that he leans into her touch before pushing her away

Brava! Well-done! It's clear you put a lot of love into this, and I think it's really interesting and unique how you took a song between two former lovers and applied it to a mother and her son. Poor Rei, I cannot even begin to imagine the pain she must've felt, seeing her son (whom she thought was dead for many years and the stress of which partially led to her being in the psych ward) alive but horribly disfigured and one of the highest-ranking villains. Then, the way he just airs their dirty laundry like that, for the whole world to see... Seriously, hasn't Rei suffered enough? She was forced into a Quirk marriage, used and later abused by her husband, lost her son (or so she thought), had a psychotic break and threw boiling water on her other son (not that it excuses her actions but tbf she was under a great deal of stress and it's evident that later she felt really guilty and horrible about it), and then was thrown into a psych ward at a hospital for the past 10 or so years while her children grew up without her. And NOW she finds that her supposedly dead son is alive and a terrorist?! The fact that she doesn't crack beneath that weight and is still allowed to leave the psych ward is a testament to her inner strength. I wouldn't blame her if she did crack, I think if I were her I definitely would. I can only imagine the guilt and sense of responsibility she must feel, even if it wasn't really her fault for what Toya became. And poor Rei is also gonna have her name dragged through the mud alongside Endeavor's, because people almost always blame the parents when a child goes awry. Endeavor deserves to have his good name tarnished and to be raked over the coals, but Rei does not, in my opinion. She's not a perfect mother, there are some things she maybe could've handled better, but she still tried and is still trying to be a good mother. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. We all do what we can with the knowledge, capabilities, and resources we have but sometimes we mess up and sometimes there is no "right" choice. I hope Rei can find it in herself to forgive her past self, and realize that she probably made the best decisions she could at the time, or at least what she thought were the best decisions. I digress though, once again wonderful job!

This is so technically impressive what the fuck??? I don't even follow BNHA anymore but this is top notch

THAT WAS SO SICK

I had a feeling I was gonna cry when I saw this, and I wasn’t wrong! This should go without saying, but neither of them deserved to go through any of that...

The camera angles are so dramatic and done so fucking well, good job my dude, this is so good.

I've watched this a million times 😭 the transition to dabi sitting down in the TV had me SCREAMING it was so good

Family therapy is gonna get Real I can just see it oh and love the animatic ti really good 👍😊💕💕💕

Something I would love to see if Toya or well Dabi talking to his mom. Even tho he's a little crazy

Every scene and every word. From afar, I'm holding you, always.

This not only beautiful the art shows so much emotion, poor Rei, poor Toya :')

OUGHHH I haven’t watched bnha in a good while but I love seeing more of the todoroki family fleshed out, especially with these two rei and dabi are such interesting characters and to see this dynamic so well done is beautiful 😭 thank you so much for this video!!

THAT WAS SUCH A GOOD ENDING

I burst into tears with Rey, the animation is great, thank you😢😭

Truly wonderful. Every angle, their expressions and emotions shown were so heartbreaking.

This has to be one of the most impressive animatics I've ever watched. I love the art style, the movement, the creative shots, the memories... and it fits the song perfectly.

I really love all the details and the fact that here it’s actual movement. The song suits them perfectly How is this not viral?

Me: *clapping and holding back tears* “This video was started in May “ Me: Thats nice. That’s nice……*realizes we’re in January of 2023* Oh shit 🙂

The count of Monte Cristo is an amazing book. So many details and all matter so much to the story, Alexandre Dumas did a beautiful job. Mercèdés and Edmond are brilliant characters and their story is beautiful. Not the typical "he comes back and they get married", no, he helps her after his vengeance, even going out of his plan in order to not further hurt her because of how much he still loves her. And she immediatly recognjzes him despite of his new life, his lies and despite those 20 years they were apart. This music fits soo well, thank you for the beautiful video

My god….this should be in the anime…

Oh my goodness the perspectives, the expressions, it's all perfect!!! I love this sm!!!

1:11 😱😱😱 that was so beautiful 💀💀💀

Gave me literal GOOSEBUMPS had to come back to this animatic and marvel at it's awesomeness

crying. this is so well done! the movements, the emotion, especially the transition to manga events. amazing job !!! T___T

I never thought that a Song would be so fitting for the relationship between his mom and him but daaaang that so god damn fitting... and the Animation is soooo beautiful im litterly crying

OMG THIS IDEA AND SONG IS SO PERFECT, THE LITERAL GENIUS AND EXECUTION 🙏🛐😭😩❤️

oh MAN getting recommended this after the most recent chapters this is. this is ending me this is killing me dead this is SO good-

2:08 HOLY FUCK

WTF THIS IS INSANELY GOOD!! PERFECT SONG AND AMAZING ART! I FELT LIKE I WAS WATCHING A MOVIE! DISNEY NEEDS TO HIRE YOUR ASS IMMEDIATELY!!!

i would have never thought to put this song to something like this, but damn. this hurts, this really huuuurts (but it is also brilliant as hell)

The song choice matches so well

I don't think everyone understands how powerful this is. This is so good! I love it so much! Also, the way you drew young Dabi? B E A U T I F U L

Words cannot describe the utter beauty of this animation. Not only that, but the ideas and the plot are incredible!

THIS SONG FITS SO WELL, AND THE ANIMATION WAS AMAZING

This was amazing~! I really love the different shots and variety of movements to keep each part fresh. The bird's eye shot where Dabi stands is especially gorgeous! Very well done :D

I didn't think I would like mha but I binge watched it. When Dabi revealed himself, I was in shock. Like WTF??? I feel so bad for the entire family :(

starts SOBBING it's so good omg

My God I cried 😢 so heartbreaking animatic.

Came back to this after chap 388 cuz WHAT THE FU-

That was so adorable and sad I wish that was in the anime I want his family to get back together and be happy again do any of you agree with me

Please tell me I’m not the only one crying

This song and Everyday a little death gets me but adding My Hero Academia to the mix? Now that's powerful! The emotions, Touya and Rei reliving the past of the abuse and mishaps of where things went wrong with Enji's obsession for no.1 and for a perfect heir. The torment of guilt, anger, self loathing and pain it's just so impactful. Beautifully done. Especially the ending where Touya ducks his head in the "It is done" fashion and Rei can do nothing but cry because she knows she's failed to protect her children and like her husband has to wallow in grief