No tags yet.
Mob Psycho 100
The mind is only as powerful as the ideals driving it.
The Series in a Sentence
Shigeo Kageyama, nicknamed Mob, is a middle-schooler blessed with amazing psychic powers in a world of espers and mentored by the great con-artist Arataka Reigen in an effort to better himself without his powers and keep his emotions under control so his powers aren’t unleashed on others - like a powerful esper organization with world domination plans.
What I Liked
The studio, Bones, did an excellent job from start to finish. Starting from episode 1’s opening scene, the feeling and style is solidified with the weird monsters and Mob’s power to obliterate threats around him with ease. Steadily going forward, you start to see how Mob doesn’t rely on his powers, but the exact opposite, he suppresses them and his emotions in an effort to be better without them even when other characters plead him to use them. Compared the ONE’s other work, One Punch Man, I find Mob’s actions really interesting. Mob has all the powers to mercilessly decimate anyone but he doesn’t use them for that - instead, he joins the Body Improvement Club so he can become stronger and impress the girl he likes, Tsubomi, and better himself on an extremely human level. A small amount of the human population would even try to do the same if they had powers that could have them worshipped as a god - and that’s what makes Mob and his battles with what most people would do interesting in my eyes. Arataka Reigen is the motivation behind how Mob walks through life fighting to improve himself while functioning as the comedic relief of the anime and he doesn’t disappoint in comedy or true mentorship. Through Reigen’s deceit and cons, there’s something truly warm about him that blankets Mob’s growth. The characters themselves only get better when the evil esper organization, Claw, is introduced. The animation of the action scenes is what drives the fights to heights beyond imagination to make you never forget when Mob goes off at 100% and the floodgates of his emotions are destroyed temporarily. Ritsu’s awakening, Mob’s motivation to save him, and Reigen’s explosion at the finale solidify this as an anime that cannot be missed for how full this anime is in 12 episodes. And I gotta say, the opening encompasses the series so well, it’s one of my favorites with its transitions and creativity.
What I Didn’t Like
Again, my largest gripe was that other characters fell to the sidelines once Claw was introduced, which almost (almost!) makes the time spent with ultimately minor characters seem wasted. The art style, even though I thoroughly enjoyed something different than the thin lines that most anime use, may turn off some viewers because it does seem more rugged and closer to ONE’s original art style. A google search will show you what the manga looks like. Also, I didn’t read the manga so there could be changes that I’m not aware of that could put a bad taste in original fan’s mouths.
Overall Feelings
Mob Psycho 100 tells me that no one is special...but in a good way. Psychic powers or not, there’s always room for improvement and it’s up to you to go and make it happen. Epic fights are the cherry on top for the characters and ideals that were taught by Reigen and executed by Mob, solidified their relationship as teacher and student - and I think I learned a lot by seeing Mob’s struggle to become a better person. Plus the Body Improvement Club is how all jocks should be because it was a beautiful touch for White-T Poison to be fully accepted by them. Mob is not the hero we deserve, but the hero that we need.