DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionMob Psycho 100
MANGA ActionMob Psycho 100
OVA ActionMob Psycho 100: Daiikkai Rei toka Soudansho Ian Ryokou - Kokoro Mitasu Iyashi no Tabi
ANIME ActionMob Psycho 100 III

REVIEWS

• 

  Sevaaru

  100/100
  If season one wasn't good enough, we got more... and better

  ━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

  Welcome to my review of the second and (possibly) best season of Mob Psycho 100 so far.

  ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ •__ STORY __• This second season follows the same premise as the first season: Our main character is Mob, who is a teenager boy with psychic powers who will have to face the struggles of having desmesuring powers, as he doesn't want to hurt others or neither use them for selfish or malefic purposes, as well as other problems that will be presenting to him in his journey. This second season takes a much more personal approach to character development than the first, developing not only Mob himself deeper, but also his "master" Reigen, having to know much more their problems and personalities. This development is executed brilliantly through all 13 episodes, leaving what could possibly be a room for a third season. ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ __• ART AND ANIMATION •__ __BONES__. If that word wasn't enough, let's get deeper into it; unlike the One Punch Man 2 season treatment, Mob Psycho is still getting animated by the same studio this second season (studio BONES), and what a stellar job they have done with this one. ㅤ ㅤ Character movements are fluid and expressive as ever, backgrounds are colorful and full of detail and life, you'll never see rigged still-talking scenes, the animation studio really outdid themselves this season again. ㅤ ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ __• SOUNDTRACK AND VOICE ACTING •__ Mob Psycho has always stand out for it's amazing voice acting and sountrack, ranging from its amazing opening "99.9" by MOB CHOIR, and endings that change on the course of the season, to it's amazing battle ost and amazing voice acting putting some examples like the always calmed Mob to the always exaggerated Reigen voice. Also the sound effects are top-notch!

  ㅤ

  ▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰ __• CONCLUSION •__ Overall, Mob Psycho 100 II is a perfect sequel, not only standing as a really fun show to watch, but also as a very emotional (and sometimes funny!) series that gets better an better with every episode. I end this one review proudly giving this season a solid 10/10, and recommend it to everyone that still would have doubts on watching this second season, see you on a possible season 3! ㅤ ㅤ ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
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• 

  Mob

  100/100
  "I wanted it to be something that feels kind" - ONE

  “Everyone grows because of their encounters with other people. People need other people.”

  Let’s get this out of the way, Mob Psycho 100 was already an amazing show and there’s lots of reasons why season 2 is several steps above season 1 from the spectacular visuals and animation, to the structure and pacing of the plot itself, to the charming sense of humor and emotional heft and of course the character development that our main characters go through as well, but none of that gets to the heart of what elevated Mob Psycho 100 season 2 from a great show to a masterpiece.

  

  More than any of that, it’s Mob Psycho 100’s humanism and thoughtfulness that makes it stand out from the rest. It’s celebration of human connection, both good and bad, and how each and every encounter you have with different people can mould you as a person is a central theme that is prevalent in almost all aspects of the series. Episode 1 sets the theme of this season perfectly starting off with a little short story that amounts to Mob realising he needs to put in the effort to understand other peoples and his own feelings to help him grow as a person which sets off his character development.

  

  The humanity of this show shines most clearly when it’s focused on our protagonist and his Master, which at first seemed unbalanced because Reigen appeared to be purely taking advantage of his student. When Mob’s growth causes a shift in their relationship and cracks start to appear because of insecurities, it is a humbling moment to see Reigen forced to reevaluate that Mob has grown up and it spurs a change in him as we see him taking an active role in Mobs life to give him the help and advice he needs as he tackles adolescence. Acknowledging that their bond is meaningful and dear to both of them and that their meeting gave them both a purpose in life is the essence of what this show is about, creating connections that will guide you to better yourself.

  

  This theme about the community and people you surround yourself with and how they will affect your life would not be complete without talking about the Body Improvement Club, their unrelenting positive vibes and goodness is the driving force behind most of Mobs character development this season. Their involvement in the show which once seemed to be a simple gag ended up being the reason for Mob proactive attitude and bringing Mob courage in some of the toughest fights of his life. Perhaps one of the biggest examples of the change the right environment can bring you is seen through Dimple as he slowly takes on the role of a protector and worries over Mob. To a lesser, but no less important, extent Mob’s family and their encouragement to help him achieve his goals is what keeps him grounded as his battles reach absurd heights. These are the people Mob remembers when he’s about to lose all hope or lose himself to his psychic powers.

  

  Considering the overarching theme of the season and how its lovingly crafted into every single aspect of this show, it is no surprise that the main villains of this season are characters who are the antithesis of human connection. Their philosophies clash with Mob’s of course like any shonen until they fight it out but that’s not nearly as important as how the fights change Mob as a person. Growing through the foes you face is hardly a novel concept, it feels refreshing though because Mobs growth isn’t related to his powers, but to become a better person for the ones he loves. It is through communicating with these awful characters that Mob comes to the understanding that there are some truly terrible people out there. When Mob accepts this fact, he’s quick to throw away his pacifism and fight them with all his strength. Despite most of the show advocating for self improvement, Mob Psycho 100 displays nuance and maturity by showcasing not everyone will be 100% susceptible to change and that sometimes you might end up being changed instead. The final battle is less a clash of strength and beliefs and more a showcase of Mob applying every lesson that he learnt through the course of the season from both good and bad people.

  

  “I wanted it to be something that feels kind. When I came up with the concept, I was thinking something along the lines of ‘kindness’ or ‘the connections between people’” - ONE

  At its core, Mob Psycho 100 is not a story about an insanely over-powered person, but about a kid learning what it means to grow up. It’s about appreciating your family and friends for all that they do for you all cause they want to see you achieve your full potential. It’s about learning from your hardships, and even from the people you dislike. It’s about empathising with others and giving everyone a fair chance in life. It’s about being good-willed and offering the world some kindness in your every day life because the little moments matter the most. It’s about the human condition.

  
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• 

  Lenlo

  87/100
  Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 is a powerhouse of animation and emotion, only stumbling in it's final arc.

  

  Upon finishing this series, the only question on my mind was how many animators did Bones sacrifice on ONE's altar to achieve this. Following their prior season, Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 continues Bones adaptation of webcomic and manga author ONE's 4th work, Mob Psycho 100. ONE has also authored the critically acclaimed One Punch Man series, redrawn for Shonen Jump by Yusuke Murata, and was later also adapted to anime by Studio Madhouse. Both were fantastic, and both pushed the envelope in terms of animation for TV anime. Following these up was no easy task. And yet, somehow, some way, Studio Bones did just that. They created an anime that you can find, almost in its entirety, on Sakugabooru. A blog dedicated to beautiful animation. But is there any substance, any depth, to what that animation portrays? Let's find out.

  Welcome to Mob Psycho 100 S2, lets jump in!

  Quick Warning: This review contains spoilers for Mob Psycho 100 Season 2! Also, you can find individual episode write ups on my home blog here

  

  Animation/Art

  Before we go any further, I want to go a little more in depth on Mob Psycho's animation and art. I made it clear in the introduction that Bones went a little crazy here, and I meant it. There is not a single episode that, in motion, you can say looks bad. Take the above for an example. Initial look, it's just a scratchy doodle. But in motion, in context, the emotion of the scene, the sheer awkwardness of the character shines through. The emotion and passion Mob Psycho conveys is simply astounding. There is nothing I can say here that I have not already said previously, so the best thing I can do is this. If you are not convinced on Mob Psycho's animation, just go read my Episode 5 write up here. The examples I give and gushing I do should be more than enough.

  Compounding this, Mob Psycho also doesn't tie itself down to any one style. There is a baseline art style, that being ONE's original art, but Bones never feels constrained by it. Often throughout the series they will change it, or even jump to completely different mediums, if it fits the scene. Multiple times throughout the season we see unique mediums such as paint on glass, sand, watercolor or sketches, that really make the scene standout. This helps break up what little monotony Mob Psycho has. And one you start taking color into consideration, the entire series just pops. It really felt like Bones just let their animators and artists do what they wanted, trusting them. And what results is a series that, visually, is wholly unique. With only anime such as Ping Pong coming to mind to compete with it.

  

  Direction

  As far as direction and cinematography goes, this is hand in hand with Mob Psycho's animation. It takes what was already technically skilled work and, through framing and informing animators how to setup the shot, enhances it. One could easily take jabs at and joke about Mob Psycho's direction. About how Episode 5's almost constant use of Letterboxing is pretentious or showy. It's a valid criticism to make, however in my opinion the Letterboxing accomplished its goal. Mob's time in the dream was clearly separated from the real world, it differentiated it. To take this a bit further, Mob Psycho isn't afraid to take a gimmick and commit to it. Never half-assing any particular shot, no matter how ridiculous it may otherwise seem. Basically, if you draw something with enough passion, people will accept it. And that is what Bones did with Mob Psycho.

  

  Story/World

  However, here is where Mob Psycho starts to falter a bit from its otherwise perfect record. The early stories are fantastic! Each one either being a well done standalone episode, or a 2 parter that tells a longer story. I don't think there was a single arc prior to episode 10 that I did not enjoy in some way. From the opening establishing episodes to the more emotional such as Mogami or Reigen's, they all told their stories well. In particular, I found Reigen's arc of discovery and admittance of his actions to be the highlight of Mob Psycho's run. There was no bombastic action set piece, not real stakes at play. Just a single man and his friendship with our lead. Yet it was the most emotionally impactful arc of them all. Sadly, Mob Psycho doesn't manage to keep this up through to the end.

  You see, Mob Psycho's finale is nothing short of a disappointment. For most anime, this is horrendous, but for Mob Psycho it's worst arc is still good. Simply not as good as the others. In my opinion this final arc has all the hallmarks of a good Mob Psycho story. It's issue however is that it doesn't do anything new or unique this time around. All of the major plot points or set pieces can be found in previous arcs, even ones in this same cour. For example Suzuki, the villain, is just a poor man's Mogami, while the arc itself is Season 1's Claw Arc on a larger scale. For the sake of not needlessly repeating myself, here is a link to my episode 13 write up here. Suffice to say, Mob Psycho really shot itself in the foot narratively with this last arc, though it wraps up well.

  

  Characters

  Mob Psycho picks itself back up with its characters though, as all of the important ones are fantastic. Mob and Reigen, our two leads, carry every single episode on their backs. Reigen's sheer charisma making him a joy on screen while Mob captures the hearts of the viewers. Together, their chemistry is perfect, with Mob acting as Reigen's straight man. Mob also grounds Reigen's character, helping him never get too absurd, acting as the focus for Reigen's more serious emotions and dilemmas. This isn't to say these two leads are the only good characters in the series, not by a long shot. Mogami is a terrifying villain and Serizawa a unique take on what Mob could have become. However, Mob Psycho is by no means perfect in this regard. For every good character in the series, there is dull and pointless one with no reason to be there.

  You see, for as varied and colorful as Mob Psycho's cast is, I could only tell you the names of maybe... 10 of them. A large portion of the cast is just dead weight. Nice enough in their individual episodes, but not needed most of the time. Now, this isn't actually a problem until the final arc. Until then, Mob Psycho never has any of them overstay their welcome. However once the final arc comes along, in its desire for a big Shounen set piece, Mob Psycho focuses to much on them and reveals their problems. Take Sho and his posse for example. I don't care about any of them but Ritsu, and none of them were introduced until the end. Yet here they are having a fight with one of the big Ultimate 5. These characters take away from our leads, instead of playing off them, and its sad.

  

  Ending

  Lastly, I have to talk about the ending, as I have lambasted up till now. You can find a fuller breakdown in my post on episode 13 as was linked higher up, but here's the short version. The final arc of Mob Psycho Season 2 is... unfocused. Prior arcs had an emotional throughline, hit on a single section of Mob's personality. Where as this finale just feels like a standard Shounen arc for the sake of having a big fight. Suzuki the villain is a weaker version of Mogami, the fights are fantastic but often devoid of any emotional weight, and the plot itself is just dull. This is a fight to save the world from domination, yet Mob Psycho's strong suit until now has been the deeply personal connections of its stories. Simply put, the arc is to grand in scale to fit with the rest of the series.

  Conclusion

  So all in all, to long didn't read, how was Mob Psycho 100 Season 2? It was a lot of fun! A stupendous amount of fun. Every episode was hype, and you could find almost the entire season in Sakugabooru clips. Yet at the end, I just felt... empty. With every episode building on the previous and getting more and more emotional, Mob Psycho built its own hype to impossible levels. Making it so the final arc could never hope to live up to it. So while the series was fun, and I enjoyed watching it, that's all it is. I won't remember the series for its emotional impact or how it changed my life. When people bring it up in conversation the first thing that will pop into my mind will be its animation. It's because of this that Mob Psycho falls short of perfection, landing in squarely in "good fun".

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