Mob Psycho 100 II

"I wanted to make something kind." - ONE [Author of One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100] (paraphrased since I can't find the source of the interview)

The most hyped up second season since My Hero Academia II has come to fruition and let me say, it does not disappoint.

My expectations were sky-hecking-high after an incredible first season. Yet, SOMEHOW, the second season went above and beyond the call of duty and blew me away with the most amazing season of any show I have ever seen in my life. Allow me to explain.

While most people's complaints related to the show is "bland" and "too ... slice-of-life". I must first say that this show is centered around the characters rather than the plot, despite the plot being really, really good.

Nothing related to the story is wasted. Every character, every line, every moment, every sound, camera angle, power, you name it, is important. There wasn't a single episode that I felt that I was sold short. I ate up every moment, because it MATTERED.

While small things like incredible animation, directing, pacing, humor, romantization of normal occurrences and all other terms I could use to show how great the show is despite 90% of the population not knowing what that means, I want to focus on the main part of the series I love the most.

The characters. Every single one of them feels like a fragment of a real person's soul, and shaped to become a well rounded character. Reigen, Mob, Teru, Ritsu, Suzuki, Shou, CLAW, new villains, side villains, and school kids, are all important characters. I was constantly surprised and satisfied with how real these characters felt and reacted to their situations. Their motivations were understandable, and frighteningly relatable.

The relationships between these characters are even more fascinating and is what brings me to tears a majority of the time.

The psychology of this show blows my mind, and saying that it has taught me how I think is flawed (by showing characters that mirror my way of thinking) and how life is actually beautiful (albeit being kind of awful sometimes) would NOT be an understatement.

Mob Psycho 100 is my favorite form of entertainment on all platforms for probably the rest of my life. I would not hesitate to recommend this anime to other people, knowing that many people will probably miss the point of the whole show, which is this:

You matter. Relationships matter. Living life joyfully and working hard, even as a everyday commoner, is not something to be ashamed of, but to be cherished. Enjoy yourself, your life, and your relationships. A message needing to be heard by every human being.

I hope this review was helpful.

What makes a show good? Is it the story’s ability of positing a revolutionary concept or to delve into deep unprecedented philosophical topics and tackle uncharted themes and ideas? Or, maybe it’s the unique characters present that imbue the show with relatability and separate it from the rest? This season of Mob Psycho 100 has me thinking otherwise. Mob Psycho takes themes like self-identity, comradery, uniqueness and blends them into a tale that I will not soon forget. Mob Psycho tackles the aforementioned themes in a way that most of its predecessors have failed to do. This has me believing that in order to fabricate ... a good story, you don’t need the most original concept but need to execute whatever you have in your hand to a T.

This season, we again go on a journey with Mob (the OP psychic) and Reigen (the conman) as they exorcise the demons present in the world and those present inside of them. The plot is as simple as it gets, we have our exorcisms going on; Mob being taken advantage of and deciding to become a better person; Claw, making a move; the body improvement club being awesome, etc. The plot doesn’t really diverge from what was presented to us in Season 1, though it does take some detours, those are what make this season so much better than the first one.

The previous season focused more on the fights and their aesthetics whereas this season the attention is more on the character development through the fights. Sure, the fights look as beautiful as ever, but more importance is given to how the characters change and what they take away from the fights. Reigen and Mob visit various clients, and most of the time the exorcism of the spirits serves as a catalyst for Mob’s growth as a character and as a human. But, where the anime shines is not the plot, but the characters.

The characters are the heart of the show, which is true for most stories but more so with this one. The characters may look like typical shounen characters if you look superficially, but when scrutinized, one can come up with a different conclusion. One aspect about the characters I love is how human they feel. Mob does not require any catalyst for the instigation of the feeling that he needs to change, it comes from within him. It’s a joy to see him transform into a socially acceptable person from a socially awkward teen. The show handles this change in a way that is realistic and poignant, which is to be expected as the show does such a great job of portraying the difficulties and hurdles faced by Mob due to his awkward disposition. No development feels rushed or out of place and everything is handled at a pace that is not too fast but not too slow that the watchers get bored. As you watch Mob trying his level best to grow up as a person, you can’t help but start to support him. The body improvement club is what our society should be. They are introduced as temporary comic relief characters but slowly they become an integral cog in the growth of Mob. We don’t spend much time with them on screen, but whenever they are on screen the experience is absolute gold.

The two characters in the spotlight are Mob and Reigen with the latter also getting a character arc which is probably one of the best I’ve seen in recent years. Reigen is a conman, he swindles people, including Mob, for his own personal gain, but, despite that he’s one of the most likeable characters in the series. At first, there seems to be a dichotomy between him and Mob, with Mob lacking the very confidence that Reigen seems to be brimming with, but this season lets us view things with a different perspective. We see Reigen’s inner struggles vicariously and realise he’s not much better off than Mob. Reigen when put in a difficult situation where his only ally seems to be him himself, his introspection reveals a great deal about him and his relationship with Mob. He realises that under the pretence of helping Mob control his powers, he was actually taking advantage of him and was holding Mob back from enjoying his youth. After his epiphany, he does not feign ignorance but tires to better himself as a person. Reigen, in Mob’s own words, is a genuinely good guy. Furthermore, his ultimate move – Self Defence Rush – is capable of destroying the whole planet and needs to be nerfed.

The anime also boasts a spectacular cast of supporting characters. We’ve got dimple, the spirit who wanted to take over Mob’s body at first but warms up to him and becomes more and more of a comrade after each passing episode. This change happens gradually which helps audience familiarise themselves with his character. We don’t get any abrupt character change and thus the show avoids alienating the viewers. Another character worth mentioning is Mogami, a resentful spirit who is the perfect depiction of what Mob would’ve been had he not met with Reigen or had Reigen been a selfish person. The serendipitous meeting between Mob and Reigen is what kept Mob and his uncontrollable powers anchored to the ground. The body improvement club is as epic as ever and this season has convinced me that the biggest muscles they have are their hearts. The characters are meticulously crafted and handled with care. That being said, there are some flaws here and there.

Most of the villains are underdeveloped and are there only as an obstacle for our heroes to overcome. We don’t know their motivations for joining the evil organisation that they have joined and neither do we learn about their personalities. Not all villains are cannon fodder though. The leader of the organisation has a goal set in his mind and though his motivations are a bit overbearing, it’s not difficult to picture that among tens of hundreds of espers one would come across such a guy. Although, the villains are not as interesting as they could have been, I don’t think it matters much because at the end of it all what Mob Psycho really is, if you ask me, is a coming of age story.

The animation is absolutely fantastic. Studio Bones have outdone themselves once again. If you’re holding out on this show because you think that the animation looks crap then, I don’t know what to say to you except you’re missing out on an acid trip. The facial animation conspicuously shows the characters’ emotion and much of the characters’ thoughts are accentuated through their body language. There is a lot of visual storytelling which is really well complimented by the unique art and animation. Lastly, the fights are stupendous. The animation does a great job of presenting the tension and force exerted by each punch, each kick that the characters throw and receive. Every time someone uses his/her psychic powers to pin someone to the ground, the anime does an awesome job of accentuating the augmentation of gravitational field around them which helps in visualising the incomprehensible telekinetic powers that the characters possess. This one guy has the power to teleport himself anywhere he wants and keeps doing so while fighting. You would think that it would make it very hard for us to follow him as he keeps darting around, but due to the excellent cinematography and clever use of visual direction, you can always keep your eyes on him using your peripheral vision. That’s some next level stuff right there. Massive props to everyone involved in animating the series.

The music is brilliant as well. I’m no connoisseur of music but I can tell whether a piece of music fits a scene or not and in the case of Mob Psycho 100, most of the pieces perfectly complement the ongoing scene. The music during fights are perfect to get you hyped, and those during the emotional scenes will make the feels hit you like a truck. Also, the OP is fire.

Mob Psycho 100 is one of the best character driven narratives to come out in recent years. It’s a near prefect retrospective look into a teenage mind and how everyone is susceptible to change. It sends a message that no matter how incongruous you are with respect to your surroundings, no matter how detached you are with reality, you can always start over.

(Slight spoiler warning in the third paragraph)

“There can be no deep disappointment where there is not deep love.”

When season 2 of mob psycho 100 got announced it would be an understatement to say that I was excited. I was brimming with excitement to see the continuation of Reigen’s, Mob's and all the other characters story. But now after it’s release and I’ve watched all the episodes of my oh so awaited season 2. I’m honestly not feeling it, and I’m very disappointed.

I’m in no way saying that mob psycho 2 is a bad show. Not at all. The animation ... is stunning, the direction is phenomenal and the voice acting is as good, if not even better than the first season. It’s noticeable that a lot of care and effort has been put into making Mob Psycho 2. But despite all of these amazing features it has, I feel as if Mob Psycho has lost what made it unique and fun. What made the first season of Mob psycho great in my opinion is three points: the lightheartedness, the sense of humor and the characters. Season 2 only hits one of these points, but actually improves upon it. The characters. Mob and friends have never been better. Mob actually has an arc spanning over the whole season, not one forced into the last few episodes (as in season 1). Mob wants to improve as a person and actively makes an effort to do so. Something you really can’t say he does in the first season. Reigen also has an amazing arc this season. I won’t talk much about it because it would be a shame if I spoiled it for someone. Reigen was more or less the same person at the end of the first season as he was at the start. In season 2 tho, he’s a changed man at the end. It’s not only Mob and Reigen that’s gotten better, but all other characters also stepped up in season 2. They all changed so much that some felt out of character. But I don’t mind since the most of the characters are very well written. And that’s the part of Mob I adore. The rest of it kind of sucks.

The two other points that season 2 doesn’t get is the lightheartedness and humor. Which mostly goes hand in hand. Mob psycho season 1 is a lighthearted slice of life anime about a boy with psychic powers that despite his lack of emotion tries to live out his normal life as good as possible. Mob psycho season 1 never gets serious and dark. It has its emotional moments but never something too serious. In season 2 mob literally comes home to find his house on fire and sees what he believes to be his family burning. Mob Psycho 2 is one of the darkest and most serious shows I’ve seen in a while. And I don’t understand why, Mob Psycho was funny because of how lightheartedly these situation that would be handled totally different in other shows. That’s why it’s funny. When the most serious thing ever happen and Reigen then laughs about it later isn’t funny. It seems more like a flaw in Reigens character. I feel weird saying this but Mob Psycho season 2 isn’t funny at all. Season 2 abandons the concept of the first season and it makes me really disappointed. The first season of Mob Psycho was an analysis of manchildren and more or less a parody of shounen animes. But the second season isn't a parody anymore. It’s turned into what it made fun of in the first place. I find it very hard to even call it a slice of life anymore.

To further prove my point that Mob psycho isn’t a slice of life anymore is the frequency and lengths of fights. There are few fights in the first season of Mob, meaning that when Mob went 100% and the fights broke out, it felt Impactful and epic. But in season 2 there are fights more or less every episode. The fights are longer, some spanning over something like 10 minutes. The animation might be great, but it gets overwhelming. I was finding myself sighing and thinking isn’t this fight over soon? Rather than being amazed by them as I was in season 1.
The most stupid thing ever happened as well. You know how the show is called Mob Psycho 100. Well suddenly mobs emotions can get ever 100% and he grew even more powerful. The point of the WHOLE show is that once the emotions get to 100% they overflow and Mob can’t control them anymore. But what’s the point of that if he suddenly can get 200%. It breaks the concept season 1 put up. Season 2 takes everything season 1 does good and throws it in the trash can.

What was once fresh and amazing is now just another My Hero Academia, and it’s a real shame. I had high hopes for this anime and I was let down big time. I would honestly rather watch the worst anime ever than rewatch this. The animes I feel the least from are the ones that are mediocre, the animes with extreme wasted potential. And Mob Psycho has sadly become one of them. I was expecting greatness and when what I got was very mediocre. It hit hard and my rating off this season of Mob Psycho suffered.

Sometimes, I wish I could wipe my own memory and relive the experience of something all over again. Whether it’s a book, manga, video game, TV show, or anime, there’s probably one thing out there we all want to experience all over again for the first time. Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 is one of those things.

With its ever growing popularity, ONE's Mob Psycho 100 is back in town with its eccentric character cast and innovative ideas. It’s hard not to love the show with its sheer dynamic visual style. But we know Mob Psycho is much more than its animation quality. In fact, ... this is one of the few show that fully manages to capture the magic of the manga and perhaps outdone itself even more. Mob’s return reminds me how an underdog young boy like him can make a difference in a world where anything is possible.

As one of the most anticipated sequels, Mob Psycho Season 2 immediately gets the viewers back on track starting from the first episode. It’s not in a huge rush to accelerate the plot like some sequels but instead get fans to familiarize the franchise again. We are reminded of how characters can change and make a difference with Mob being the most prominent example this season. He’s no longer a shy little kid like before and stands up for himself. Mob is like capeless hero armed with esper power and a strong desire to be himself in this season. Regardless who he is facing off against, he doesn’t back down and shows just how much he has grown. Now, that my friends, is more than just hitting puberty. On the other hand, we are also reintroduced to Reigen, the sexy bad boy who is known for being super shady. Business returns for him and he isn’t afraid to guide Mob with his way of words. In the earlier episodes, the duo deals with urban legends and eventually, he even decides to make a website for psychic business. With this business, it should come to no surprise that he’d attract unwanted attention. Knowing Reigen, he deals with his problems in unorthodox ways with a full air of confidence regardless of consequences. The season boosts his personality in full fold with him taking on the role of a businessman, a con artist, and anti-hero. Regardless how the show delivers his character, I always find him to be the most entertaining part of this season. Why? It’s because of how much variety Reigen brings out of this show. Mob Psycho shines when characters’ actions speaks louder than words, and in most cases, Reigen does so. It’s the type of fan service where ONE knows how to give to us, the audience.

As part of the plot, the first half felt like the storytelling is a bit loose although remains consistent to the show’s overall themes. When experimenting with ideas, Mob Psycho always wants us to feel something whether it’s sadness, laughter, or excitement. Indeed, there’s a deeper degree of emotions drawn out with the attitude and actions of the characters this season. Mob is an example of such when he became a much larger than life character. He wants to improve himself and continues to overcome his own personal obstacles. It makes me want to see him succeed and the show executes Mob’s character growth emotionally. I’m not going to lie, this season might just make one of you shed a tear or two.

You could probably guess that while the second season contains its goofy moments, we can’t forget about the threats of certain espers. In the latter of the show, we are introduced to Claw, an organization that wants to make the world under its image. Is the world ready? Can anyone stop them? If you’re not aware, ONE is also known for his other popular superhero work, One Punch Man. This show no doubt has its own legion of heroes only that they aren't dubbed as such but act with heroic intentions. Even Reigen, our local bad boy knows who the real villains are despite his reputation. Claw itself is a mysterious organization especially with their charismatic leader, Toichiro Suzuki. As a very powerful esper, his own confidence perhaps dwarves even Reigen. After announcing his plan for a New World Order, he makes it clear that nothing will get in his way. The second season pushes him as the Big Bad along with the Ultimate 5, a series of elite espers who serves directly under their boss. If you don’t believe me, just watch what characters like Shimazuki and Mingeishi can really do. They test the limits of Espers’ powers with few rivals. But still, I don’t think Mob Psycho was ever designed to be a battle shounen. It’s more of an supernatural action flick that combines elements of its unique humor, style, and surreal imaginations to make a worthy show. And trust me, what I came to see is what I got from this season.

Bones, what can we do without you? With so many action packed projects under your belt, Mob Psycho really is another title that fully deserved its spot on their roster. Make no mistake, the second season is a feast of extravagant animation that went beyond my expectations. In particular, chief animation director Yoshimichi Kameda is able to sell the character designs as real as possible while decorating the show with jaw-breaking elements. Episode 8 is an example with the extensive amount of stylistic choreography. It may look a bit rough at times but the episode delivered the highest quality of anime action I haven’t seen in years. When the show isn’t showing off its over the top tier animation, it’s well known to execute its character personality through cleverly timed expressions. There’s no shortage of moments this season when you find characters react in overly exaggerated manners. It’s the type of selling that makes Mob Psycho 100 Season 2 so great.

It’s been a wild ride this season. With just 13 episodes, Mob Psycho’s sequel manages once again become a sensation from Studio Bones and its talented staff. There was no episode where I felt bored as it managed to connect me with its wealth of creative ideas and character growth. Very few shows I’ve seen these days can match up with the style that Mob Psycho has built and to say this without bias is a real accomplishment. Keep up the good work Mob Psycho, because you definitely earned it.

I uh... There's no... no fucking way. Season 2 of Mob Psycho has set the bar really, really high and we're only in the 2nd month of 2019. Bones bring this game to MHA S4. You better.

Without a doubt Mob Psycho 100 has easily become one of my favorite anime/series of anything in my books.

So before I get into my review, I sincerely plead anyone that hasn't yet to go out and watch S1 then continue with S2. For a brief description of what Mob Psycho is it is a CHARACTER driven anime that revolves around Mob, or Kageyama Shigeo as he grows up ... more and more from a very shy and awkward "nobody" trying to become a "somebody". If you're expecting some huge overarching plot driven anime that's gonna press on some "endgame" every couple episodes, you'll disappoint yourself.

However, I'm not saying that that isn't set up either as that is in S1, but it's not really "important". Again this series is much more character driven and much less plot driven.


Onto the review:


Story:
After episode 7 I just couldn't help but solidify the fact that season 2 is not just as good, if not even better than Season 1. Season 1 while a very great season had me feeling like "oh it's one of those anime where stuff just happens now and then" but boy was I wrong. And I'm glad I was, as this season does solidify that pretty much every episode and every arc has weight carried over to the next one.

What can be considered as just a joke or throw away character can reoccur for future arcs as not a main character I'd presume, but as a reminder that the world is actually being built and they're not just being thrown away after an episode. There were a lot of powerful scenes from S2 that were really, really powerful, episode 5 and episode 7 having some of the strongest by far and I honestly got really emotional after watching them.

I never really felt bored of watching an episode and the further you go into the anime the more you realize that there aren't any "filler" episodes as you either get more world building or character development from either Mob or the other characters. Mob easily getting a lot of character development this season. I'd argue the first season was mostly just to set up Mob's character with small hints of development here and there but the payoff is shown in S2 as you actually do feel happy or sad when Mob's showing his emotions and expressing himself.


Season 1 arguably just consisting of Mob going emotional, he unleashes his powers and repeat when it comes to the main character side of things. But that's not the case here. Mob starts to form his own identity this season and you don't get the development by him having to unleash his powers or some huge psychic breaking event to happen.

Overall, huge payoffs, huge step ups in terms of story for S2.
10/10

Art:
"hurr Durr iT Ugly, It Lewk Bad"
Well too fucking bad not every anime has to look like Fate Zero or Violet Evergarden. Even though the art style "looks bad". It's not supposed to look good either.

It easily redeems itself with the actual animation and the myriad of art styles it blends here and there. If you've watched at least one episode you'd understand that, it doesn't just consistently stick to one type of art style instead it'd go from the regular art style to black and white, literal doodles and so much more that it's hard to even list out without trying to get references. These aren't even in just the gag parts of the anime, in fights they even change up the art style here and there for a couple seconds.

Animation:

While the animation for season 1 wasn't even close to a slouch, season 2 went even further and we're only 7 episodes in, I'd still claim that the animation clearly improved over S1 feeling a bit more fluid but twice as crazier in some instances.

(Btw fuck you Yaoi on Ice season 1 should have won best animation and you know it.)

I'll skip over sound and music as I personally don't wanna sound like a smart ass claiming things I'm not too sure about as music in general is very subjective amongst anything else. However, S2's OP is pretty great, I'd put it on par with S1's.

I like Mob Psycho for its unique take on the slice of life genre, but this season has been partially boring.

The story has centered around variety of incredibly dull events such as running for student council president, farming, chasing after molesters and washing dogs. This side of the series doesn't have much to offer as of currently to be honest. It's practically collection of empty ideas that don't really come with any real content not character-wise nor story-wise. There aren't even any jokes inserted inside these events. Thus far the pinnacle of the humor has been the animated movements of fat spirit guy's stomach.

The supernatural ... side of the series has offered only one decent scene seen in episode 01 when Mob opened up and it was hinted he would be going thru some type of self-discovery that would further lead to his character development when he questions his own purpose in life and what he really wants to do. Then this idea was put on-hold and the episodic side of the series started rolling, leaving me to drop few why the fucks out loud.

As for the action, the fights have been incredibly uninteresting thanks the "villains" being so soulless. Molester who wears a rain coat and likes to show off his dick. Some type of pseudo-insane woman whose sole character merit seems to be asking people if they are thirsty. Literally a piece of root that fucks with the farmer's shit for who knows what reason. I am not finding these characters and their practically non-existing personas/reasoning to be very interesting nor entertaining to follow.

The battle OST's have been equally boring with the fight scenes. Few interesting, more uplifting sort of songs have played during the slice of life side, and the OP and ED are quality, but otherwise even the score has been disappointing and surprisingly lackclystery so far. The animation is based Bones same with the art of course. Some like it, some don't -- I do, tho whoever directed the opening animation deserves a medal.

I haven't nowhere near lost hope yet and hope it goes for better, but this is a weak start for lacking sequel that is not being nearly as entertaining or good as the first season.

Since season 3 is right around the corner, I decided to give an overview of Mob Psycho 100 and what makes it one of the most unique shonen anime around today. If I had to describe Mob Psycho in just one sentence, I would say that it's a shonen that rejects the tropes and teachings of shonen SOO hard that it accidentally became an old school superhero comic. Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama is a genuinely good person who was born with absolutely incredible power, but only wishes to use that power to help other people and make the world a better place. He never has to ... train like crazy to be the very best. He starts out being the strongest just though his natural genetics. He makes friends throughout the series and greatly values friendships, but he gains friends completely independent of his powers. He doesn't use his powers because he's lonely and wants to impress people so he can have friends. He would have about as many friends and be just as happy if he never had powers. Mob doesn't define himself by his powers. He's just a really chill dude with a strong sense of morality who happens to have powers. Shigeo doesn't resemble any shonen hero I can think of in the history of shonen. He's Japanese Clark Kent.

To understand why Mob Psycho is weird as a shonen, you have to look at the evolution of shonen manga/anime starting in the early 1970s. One of the biggest and most influential shonen heroes of that time was Joe Yabuki. Joe doesn't start off the manga as a particularly nice guy. He's kind of an asshole antihero who starts out at the very bottom of society. However, he trains hard and along his journey he grows stronger, makes allies, and eventually transforms into someone you can cheer for. Devilman was another 1970s antihero. Amuro from the original Gundam is a depressed teen who is reluctantly forced into war and later gets screamed at by his mother for being a murderer since he's mowed down so many enemy soldiers. He's killed thousands of people by the end of that series. Once you get past the Astro Boy era, young man's manga/anime has traditionally been dominated by anti-heroes who don't start the series as nice people and often aren't truly "heroic" in a traditional Western sense. Kenshiro was a Mad Max/Bruce Lee ripoff who wandered the wasteland killing hundreds weak goons with zero remorse and was the most popular and influential shonen character of his decade. Goku was one of the first shonen heroes to even resemble a Western superhero, but that was mostly due to the meddling of Toriyama's editors. Toriyama always wanted Goku to be more like Sun Wukong from Chinese mythology. Sun Wukong the Monkey King is an arrogant, selfish little monkey jerk who just enjoys the thrill of fighting and isn't really a moral paragon.

Now let's step into the 90s. We begin the 90s with Yusuke Urameshi. He's a juvenile delinquent who likes to get in fights and smoke cigarettes on the school roof while he's cutting class. He doesn't see himself as a particularly nice person and doesn't usually go out of his way to save the world. He more often gets put into these situations where he has to fight in order to protect the few people he actually cares about and if you mess with his friends then he'll fuck you up! You guessed it! We're still stuck on anti-heroes! The mid 1990s are dominated by Shinji Ikari who is a generally nice boy with serious psychological issues and depression. Not exactly a traditional superhero. Naruto and Deku embody the shonen Jump hero of the modern era. They begin the series as losers who get bullied constantly. Then they start working hard and eventually gain tremendous power. Once they improve themselves and gain more physical power, only then do they start to gain friends and get a girlfriend and things go right for them. The moral message of modern shonen is that if you work hard, you can grow stronger. Once you become stronger either physically, academically or in some capacity, even the people that bullied you will reluctantly respect you. You can make friends and get a girlfriend and be a winner in society. It's supposed to encourage Japanese children to strive and seek self-improvement, which is a healthy message. However, it's often unfortunately mixed with a "Might makes Right" worldview. If Deku or Naruto had never gotten super strong, they would have continued getting absolutely shit on by everyone around them. Bakugo like Vegeta before him starts out as an outright evil bastard who hates the main character for being born inferior to them and daring to not bow down. Then they begrudgingly respect the hero only because the hero is strong. They never actually have to suffer consequences for their misdeeds or really have a moral epiphany. Usually, there's a time skip and suddenly the asshole rival is just kind of accepted as one of the good guys. If you're strong in shonen, that's ultimately what matters. So, as mentioned above the self-improvement message is kind of poisoned by this almost Fascist worldview.

Another way that Mob does away with Shonen's "might makes right" morality is that it completely gets rid of the biggest curse in all of shonen...power levels. Mob's teacher is the funniest character in the show and the most popular character in the whole franchise. He has no powers whatsoever. He's just a regular dude who cons people into thinking he has powers. This regular dude with a power level of 2 is able to repeatedly save Mob from danger, positively impact the story, and not get sidelined by a lineup of increasingly strong characters who have bigger numbers than him and therefore make him irrelevant. Mob genuinely reveres his teacher and in no way sees him as lesser, even though he's millions of times stronger than him. Naruto's best friend isn't some normal dude. Naruto's best friend in defiance of all logic is Sasuke, who is both a horrible person and also despises him. Why? Because Sasuke is strong! Krillin is officially still Goku's best friend when Toriyama remembers, but in reality, it's Vegeta. Why? Because Vegeta is strong! At no point in this series does Mob's respect for someone increase simply because they're strong. Mob meets someone early in the series who thinks psychics are superior to normal people and is SUPER strong. Mob just thinks he's some asshole. Once he sees the light, he grows to respect Mob. Not because Mob is strong, but because Mob changed his worldview, and he genuinely feels remorse for being an asshole.

Mob somehow manages to be subversive while also being incredibly traditional. Mob is storytelling SO old that it's new again. Shonen has never seen anything like it. Even American comics since the success of Watchmen in 1986 have at least partially turned away from inspirational stories like this. It would certainly be boring if every anime was like Mob and every comic hero was Superman, but after SO much subversion and anti-heroes, this honestly felt refreshing. Also, I hope all future shonen take note of Mob's success and FUCK power levels!

Another great season of Mob Psycho 100! An anime that's better than One Punch Man XD


Art/Sound:
It's studio bones. What the fuck do you expect besides crisp animation, epilepsy causing visuals and orgasmic sakuga? Animation is just as good as the first season if not even better with visuals that just grab the audience's attention every episode! Sound wise, we have received phenomenal voice acting also present in the first season, however, the opening and ending themes seem lackluster compared to the original's! Oh well, at least the soundtrack is still fantastic! (Disclaimer: They are still good songs but just not as good as the first ... season's in my opinion.) I'd give the art a 10/10 and the sound an 8/10!

Plot/Characters:
Once again we join our dynamic duo on a mostly episodic adventure through the world of ghosts, spirits and demons! Albeit the episodes aren't as memorable or as funny as the original's in terms of plot, story or sequences, they are still a solid watch. One thing that has surpassed the first season easily has been the sheer amount of character development! The cast was already fantastic and I had a couple of criticisms on their development and purpose yet I'm glad this season has managed to take care of most of those criticisms! Like, fuck me sideways... Mob is feeling emotions, voicing opinions and falling in love! I'd give the plot a 7/10 and the characters an extremely near perfect 9/10!

Overall:
Is it better than the first season? No. Is it worse than the first season? No. It's simply stronger in certain elements and weaker in others, thus making it about on par with the original! I've always enjoyed ONE's creations and Mob Psycho 100 II isn't different; it delivers in most categories and is an enjoyable watch this season. I'd give it an 8/10 with an enjoyment of an 8/10 also!

Edit: After 8 episodes, the anime has progressed heavily plot wise and become more intense and covering a wider range of emotions granting it a 9/10!

"If it ain't broke don't fix it" [Warning: minor spoilers]

Mob Psycho proves how effective this can be as it soars in popularity, despite the story following the same formula it did last season with the first 1-8 episodes being slice of life comedy on Mob’s daily life doing mundane events. If this was another anime these episodes would be classified as filler, but since it's Mob psycho "everything is super important for Mob's personal journey!" The supernatural parts were episodic psychic hunts of the week against random, one note rumours, ghosts or urban legends such as a old granny running in a tunnel or a ... naked creep in a raincoat. They're just a bunch of over exaggeragated, random ideas that don't contribute to the overall story.

In the last 9-13 episodes the show focuses on Claw as it ups the scales with a bombastic "take over the world" arc, in a similar fashion to every ending in a typical battle shounen. The problem here is the setup is all rushed. There's no build up to this massive climax, no foreshadowing to what the boss's plans are, who the ultimate 5 are etc. It all just comes out of nowhere starting over a massive moment in the form of shock value to get Mob involved.

Fans praise Mob for how character driven it is, centering around Mob's personal journey. While Mob does receive a lot of character development, especially the two episodes focusing on Mob and Reigen's relationship and how much Mob has grown in comparison, it's not partially difficult to develop someone who's a blank canvas. Yes Mob develops emotions and becomes a better person, but that doesn't excuse him having the personality of a wet towel.

This season focuses more on Mob and Reigen, which as a result were the most interesting and developed characters. That's not to say that others such as Mogami and Serizawai didn't receive a good amount of development, however the rest of characters were either too simple or undeveloped. I know nothing more about Mob's classmates, Tsubomi or gym bros than i did last season. Mob's brother or Teruki don't receive much focus. The boss was a generic bad guy who wants to take over the world because he can since he's the strongest esper. Not the most compelling motivation now is it? The villains such as the Ultimate 5 or former Claw members were forgettable since the show didn’t spend time to actually develop them.

The animation is amazing, as expected of Bones and there's an abundance of sakuga throughout the show. I didn't find any of the new osts memorable, but the opening song and visuals were equally as catchy and creative as the first season.

The fights scenes were underwhelming, aside from the gang Vs Shimazaki. For example, Mob Vs Mogami was a bunch of flashy esper attacks compared to Mob Vs Koyama last season which had better choreography, animation, higher stakes and more intensity. I’m positive people only enjoyed this fight because of the animation. I'd like to add that since the Mogami arc was shorten, the payoff for what Mob went through weren't nearly as satisfying or impactful as in the manga.

The big final battle was hard for me take seriously. It felt rushed, the choreography was lacksuter and the way they upped the scales so drastically clashed with the tone set in the earlier lighthearted, slice of life episodes this season.

Look, I like Mob. I've watched the anime and read manga, but i can't understand all the praise. I mean, look at it's absurdly high MAL score. What does Mob Psycho do that's so special compared to other shounen? Because I'm clearly not seeing it.

I loved the first season. It was seriously one of my favorite anime around. With its message of opposing elitism and taking value in what you have, learning not to beat yourself up over failures, and choosing meaningfully to improve, I thought it was unique in so many ways.

The second season, however, really rubs me the wrong way. Everyone feels grossly out of character, and the world feels relentlessly mean-spirited. The first season was, generally, pretty optimistic. People were generally pretty nice, villains tended to come around in the end, and it was a fairly happy show for the most part. Season 2, on the ... other hand, is just cruel. The world feels so much more bleak and cruel for no particular reason. Reigen especially seems to have had his character butchered. In the first season, Reigen was a conman, but he was generally well intentioned. He conned people to make them feel better. He was a bit too blunt and could be a tad rude and dismissive, but he was never mean. In season two, however, he's become easily the most unlikable character. He's gone from a moral compass to a bully with no real reason.

I also feel like the music and art, while still phenomenal as usual, is a step down from the first season. I don't feel myself being floored by it like I was the first time around. Of course, by the standards of anime in general, it is still exceptional, but by Mob Psycho standards, it's not much.

It is still possible for the show to recover, but halfway through the season, and I'm not optimistic.

One Hundred out of One Hundred !!! Better yet make it 100000000000% !!!

That very last scene from Episode Seven, really had welled up all my tears that have been forgotten when I had read the web manga, its simply indescribable how simple words convey such an emotions that pierces through your heart after being gray for so long, the soundtrack finished it beautifully and now I can't even stop crying. I am just so overwhelmed right now that I even made an MAL account just to say this.

I am grateful to have read the web manga and is still alive to see it animated before ... me.

Mob Psycho 100 II follows in the footsteps of its antecedent in having terrible comedy, uninteresting battles, and fatuous characters. Mob-kun is essentially a younger, non-bald version of Saitama with none of the “charming” qualities that would allow the viewer to become engrossed with his various escapades. Situational comedy typically originates from Mob’s lack of self-awareness, in conjunction with the manipulative nature of the self-proclaimed “Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century” (i.e. Arataka Reigen) who frequently employs “special moves” that are intended to be hilarious, but, more often than not, are puerile absurdities that involve copious amounts of — hypertension-inducing — sodium chloride. ... Nevertheless, Reigen might be the lone bright spot in an otherwise prosaic show. His unjustified confidence, matched with his unabashed approach toward solving impossible problems elicited intermittent moments of laughter. Not the type of laughter that would knock one out of their chair, but the mere fact that he had the cojones to throw a punch at Toichiro Suzuki (an immensely powerful Esper, whom Reigen had no chance of defeating) was quite entertaining. But no singular moment is entertaining enough to qualify as “LOL” material.

Almost every aspect of Mob Psycho 100 II follows a conventional pattern that can be seen in an assortment of other anime. A short list of commonalities should aid in exemplifying this point: 1) the extravagant battle sequences evoke comparisons with the absurdities of Kill la Kill, 2) Mob is exceptionally OP with dormant powers, similar to numerous main protagonists (Naruto, Gon, Lelouch, Saitama, Kirito, the list could go on for days), 3) Mob is a “nice” guy — which, as it turns out, meant “foolish, stupid, or senseless” in the 13th century — which is why Reigen takes advantage of him, much is the same fate as other other MC’s, 4) A “monster of the week” approach is used where a new, “invincible” foe is introduced and subsequently defeated by the end of each episode, and 5) plot armor is used heavily to prevent the defeat of Mob, due to him being the requisite main character of the series. Thus, as one can plainly see, Mob Psycho 100 II is rather standard-fare, which is reminiscent of similarly themed shows.

Akira used psychic powers in the late 1980’s. Lelouch, from Code Geass, used the power of Geass (a psychic power) to willingly control his subject’s actions. The method in which the psychic powers are being utilized in Mob Psycho are certainly distinct, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been explored in the past. Furthermore, because Mob Psycho was created by ONE — the same author who wrote One Punch Man — the character designs, jokes, and overall story-telling method are nearly identical. Making the use of psychic powers a flipping of the script, in a manner of speaking; as Saitama is 100% strength-oriented with no psychic/supernatural ability, whereas Mob is 100% psychic-oriented with no strength/speed.

In either case, both assumptions are — likely! — incorrect. Mob Psycho is not enjoyable (they even botched the OP for season 2) and the probability that Mob is in fact Blast, is slim to none. If the viewer wishes to delude themselves into thinking otherwise, then that’s their prerogative. But rest assured, Mob Psycho II is bottom of the barrel, trite entertainment masquerading as an unparalleled deconstruction of the superhero genre.

It’s a have to watch, the animation is at peak the character design and motives are phenomenal and the story is great. For the plot it’s about a young boy named Mob whom has paranormal powers which is controlled by his emotions, his job is to exorcise spirits working with his master, i’d Go in more depth but wouldn’t want to spoil anything. In every aspect it tries to be different which makes it stand out compared to other anime. Comparing season 1 with 2 you could tell the differences between characters maturing as a lot of them are young teenagers. 10/10 would highly recommend.

It rarely happens that second season of any anime tops the first season but its not the case with the Mob Psycho 100, because its clearly improves over 1st season artistically and story-wise too.

Mob Psycho 100 is lucky that its not being handled by any other studio then Bones because otherwise it might not have gotten the same treatment that its getting here, any other studio might have changed the director for the second season and all know how well that sits with anime fans. Just look at that One Punch Man's second season's PV, the anime has not been released yet but people ... are freaking out at the PV because not only studio is changed but director also is changed. The thing about mob psycho 100 is that artistically its very unique and one of kind like Bakimonogatari, I am glad that it follows the art style of manga and does not shy away from its quirkiness and respects authors will and his intent. When its comes to animation studio bones knows what they are doing and god they have done a phenomenal job here, each and every frame of mob psycho 100 is masterpiece and can be looked as a drawing that can be hanged in household as a art-piece.

The anime's other unique thing is his main character Shigeo (Mob), who thinks supernatural powers are part of his daily life and does not give him any edge over anything. And that mentality is something which makes him unique in the shounen genre and which through he grows as a person. While talking about this anime we can not ignore the one person that is Reigen, he servers as a mentor to Mob, a kind of mentor he truly deserves as shown in the episode 3 of season 2. I really like that overall the show has not changed much from the first season it has just improved upon on the first season.

Mob Psycho 100 is back!

Let’s start of the art, personally I really like the art of this series, it looks amazing even though the characters have quite simple designs because of how fluid the animation is and how well drawn the backgrounds are. Even though the character designs are quite simple it doesn’t mean they’re bad, I like Mob’s basic design because I think it fits his personality. He isn’t a very interesting character in my opinion and doesn’t say much but I think that his character is improving. Personally, I prefer Reigen’s character and his design and find him to be funnier and more ... interesting even though he isn’t as well developed of a character as Mob who found out at a young age that his psychic powers are linked to his emotions which he tries to suppress which makes him a bit boring in my opinion, he is also quite socially awkward which I think also makes him a bit boring. I still like him though somehow, but I prefer Reigen.

I like that Reigen is a con artist, but he is still a nice person which is shown when he has stood up for and helped Mob on several occasions, I also think he has a better design. Mob’s character improved in one of the most recent episodes where there was a ghost family and he didn’t want to exorcise them because they weren’t doing anything wrong, it showed that mob wasn’t just someone that followed what Reigen and the other characters told him to do and it developed him as a character a bit more. He has also started voicing his own opinion now which has made me like him as a character more, he also nearly got a girlfriend and even when she said she had only asked him out because she lost a bit, he wasn’t angry, because he has to suppress his emotions, he also put her book back together for her with his psychic powers.

Personally, I think that the story hasn’t been as interesting as the first season so far, It seems to have been more slice of life with no real progression, but we are only four episodes in, and due to recent developments in episode four, the most recent episode as of writing this review, I think the story will start progressing from now. There have been some funny moments in this season so far, such as the dashing granny and their customers not paying. There isn’t really much else to say about the story so far as we are only four episodes in but so far, I think it has been good.

One of my favourite parts about Mob Psycho 100 II is the animation, which is just as amazing as the first season, the animation is very fluid, there is always stuff going on and the backgrounds are well drawn. You can tell studio Bones likes Mob Psycho 100 and are a talented studio for the animation to be this good. I also think that Mob Psycho 100 has quite a unique art style and studio Bones has adapted the animation to fit this. I also think the sound is very good, the opening and ending themes are also amazing, most people seem to prefer the opening of the first season, but I prefer the second opening. It hyped me up for the show and didn’t have that annoying counting that the first opening had where they seemed to skip half of the numbers. I also liked the ending but no where near as much as the unique opening, the ending just seemed a bit generic and lacklustre. The voice acting is also very good, my favourite voice actor is Reigen’s. I find Mob’s a bit boring but it fits the character however.

Overall, I am enjoying season 2 of Mob psycho 100 quite a lot however not as much as the first season so far, it hasn’t really had any progression, but I think that will soon change. It is Mob Psycho 100 after all, and I think I will have really enjoyed season 2 once it ends. Sorry if the review wasn't that good, It's my second anime review. I'm looking forward to watching more of season 2 and am interested how this season will end!

Story: 10/10. At face value, Mob Psycho is simply a story about a special boy trying to fit into his relatively normal life. The premise is nothing particularly rare or new, but the execution is perfect. From the well-done characters to the development they undergo, to the every-day scenarios that range from wacky and comedic to serious and emotional, Mob Psycho is able to juggle various (almost seemingly conflicted even) themes and situations with ease, making a diverse and engaging anime.


Art: 10/10. Bones hits it out of the park with Mob Psycho. The animation and art is consistent and beautiful. One particular episode in ... Season 2 has perhaps the best animation I've seen in a LONG time.

Sound: 10/10. Stellar soundtrack that is utilized at all the right times. The first season had a good soundtrack and with season 2 we get some more great songs.

Character: 10/10. Easily the strongest aspect of the show. The characters in Mob Psycho are endearing and have their own trials and tribulations to overcome. Yet in the face of that, the development towards their goals is organic and wholesome.

What Mob Psycho truly excels at is the great character interactions, that can have comedic undertones yet still convey strong emotion to a viewer. Regardless of how wacky or silly a situation will be, Mob Psycho is still able to turn it into a powerful message about one's character or capacity to change, and it really helps to understand these characters even more. I've never quite seen a show that is able to handle both ends of the spectrum: on one end, being wacky, silly and maybe not even taking itself seriously to the other end of being serious with its characters and trying to tell a tight-knit story.

Enjoyment: 10/10. Mob Psycho never fails to keep me entertained through its whimsical comedy, stellar action and interesting character development. Whether it's a perfectly executed comedy scenario or a tear-jerking interaction between characters, Mob Psycho nails it every time. Additionally, every episode is beautifully paced and I can't point out any particular episode I disliked. In fact, I love them all.


Overall: 10/10. Season 2 has elevated Mob Psycho from an enjoyable, wholesome show to one of my favorite anime of all time. It delivers on the fantastic set-up of the characters in season 1 while masterfully balancing action, character development, comedy and charm in equal doses without any one diluting the other. I can easily say Mob Psycho is my anime of the year and will be hard to beat.

If you are coming back to the second of Mob Psycho to once again experience the series, then I do have great news for you. It's maintained the level of quality it has presented in Season 1 and it has continued to develop on the themes it has been presenting so far. If you were satisfied in the past by Mob Psycho, it is very unlikely that this season of Mob Psycho is gonna be any different. If you're on the opposite side of the spectrum, I haven't seen Mob Psycho change its approach in any way that would cause someone to consider the series ... any better than they had if they have gotten an initial negative response from it. So if you consider giving the series another shot, there was nothing done to quelch your prior displeasure as everything is consistent.

To go more in depth, the series follows the absolute same formula the previous season had, in the sense that it starts with a bunch of more comfortable situations that do not have a lot of high stakes for the world at large or even the protagonist himself, but eventually situations that force him out of the comfort zone take hold and force him to have an emotional response. In other words, the protagonist stoically endures every situation thrown at him and then has an outburst that displays who he is by the emotional response that has been triggered by the event. During the same battle and events leading up to it, he endures the immoral indignities that are placed upon him, and through enduring them, he showcases that he is the more moral man in the end. Ideally, every fight he endures fighting shows that he has become a better person and the fact that he endured that situation displays what the correct moral path in their life would've been for the aggressor. The animation presents the same level of care and detail it has always done and the OST at this point feels very familiar. Everything about the experience at its core has been the same, even if the execution has slightly improved.

Mob's motivation has not changed in the slightest. He still wants to become a better person so that society and the people around him would actually want to be around him. He seeks to become a person that is worthwhile to have around by making other people appreciate and respect him. What is a person's worth, if all you seek is to entertain yourself by proving your superiority, and you end up unwanted as a result? Who are you gonna measure up to once you are alone, when everyone thinks you are a monster and despises you? Power is not something that helps Mob in the slightest, because it cannot make him feel better about himself, about how the world at large would just not interact with him, and power has only ever been a detriment in achieving that goal. Thematically, it tries to touch upon that a person's worth is not decided by themselves, and everybody is useful to somebody else. From the very beginning, that never changed. His feelings and situation continue to adapt around this theme.

Every praise you have probably given Mob Psycho for the things it has done is gonna be maintained as valid because the show is gonna be experienced in the exact same way and really in order to not reiterate every praise the show has been given so far, I've described exactly what the show has done and seems to continue doing. The decision of whether or not to watch Mob Psycho should be a simple one if it was pleasant or unpleasant in the past. But I believe there is some validity in having a healthy amount of doubt. Here's exactly what has been bothering while watching the second season.

Mob cannot win.

What do I mean? I mean that, every single time that Mob sets a goal for himself, he is forced into a situation that he has to endure that completely overshadows the thing he set for himself to achieve at the start. This also applies when Mob earns something that he would be capable of calling an accomplishment towards getting towards his goal. The series, outside of showcasing that the people around Mob appreciate, respect and want him, does not seem to want to showcase how Mob became more adept as a person. The only thing that I seem to observe that people are generally more open about who Mob is, and react positively to his attitude. But his attitude does not bring him any tangible results. Mob does not seem to be stronger or more physically capable. He does not seem to be better suited to attracting another partner. The very thing he set himself to do. In other words, as a result of his intense work, Mob achieves nothing tangible, not even on a small scale. Even if this growth should at least be proven and some result should be displayed, the only thing really shown is that Mob's relationships improved.

I understand that the primary point of the series and to Mob as a character is not to achieve a great feat after displaying an intense amount of perseverence and dilligence. But I consider that he at least has to receive some credit and proof that his efforts pay off. As far as Mob is concerned, what he's doing and what he endured has indeed caused him to change and the people around him notice that. But none of this seems to put him any closer to the goal he set for himself, at the very least in his eyes. He has no tangible proof that he has gotten better and that he would be able to finally impress the person he has strived to the most. It seems like all these efforts do not pay off, and all that Mob gets as a result out of them is appreciation from the people around him. Which given his character, it is a satisfying result, but ultimately, the person he wants to impress the most is out of reach and every time he tries to move onwards towards that path, he is sidelined by another event that forces him into yet another emotional outburst.

Mob deserves to win. And when I say win, I don't mean that he is provoked into a fight he never chose to have then fights back or that he was forced to step in because the circumstances of the entire ordeal will harm his close ones. I mean that Mob has to set a goal for himself, minor or major, and then achieves that goal and gets what he wants. Without being sidelined and without any outside interference interfering with Mob's goal. He is constantly being held from moving forward, yet his attitude adjusts so that he would be able to. And none of adjustments seem to bear any fruit. It is starkly clear that Mob has become a better person since the start of the series and that the world he is surrounded by appreciates him better. I just sincerely wish that Mob would be given an opportunity to prove to himself that he's become a better person and as a result, he'd end up appreciating himself more too.

This lack of apparent growth hinders me from considering Mob great and if anything would be done about this, I'd definitely start leaning towards that direction. Simply because Mob endures every confrontation he is forced into, as long as he is not proactive, he will not move further to achieve anything, and despite the brilliant presentation and well thought out psyche of Mob, the series is gonna be boring me while it stagnates. For once I'd enjoy Mob taking initiative and moving towards something he wants to do on his own without interruption. Hell, you can even have him have an emotional outburst during it if that is a demand. Because as it has been proven, positive emotions can also overwhelm Mob, you could cause that reaction from Mob and not rely on him having to endure the world falling on his shoulders to feel overwhelmed and start acting.

I believe that this concern has risen out of the fact that eating the same type of food a second time does not have the same impact as the first. If you plan to keep every element that you used in the series prior to this season, you need to add something that adds to the experience. Sure, I genuinely did want more Mob Psycho, but I didn't want to experience a rehash of what I've already experienced so far. Some other ingredient should've been added to the food so that its taste would be a new experience. Perhaps the ingredient that I wished for is just something that would've changed the taste enough for me to enjoy the food's flavor even better. But the familarity of the taste was still welcome. But that does not mean that me or other people won't want new ingredients added.

Despite all this, I believe the series has remained consistent and presented Mob Psycho enthusiasts with more Mob Psycho, and it has accomplished everything a fan would seek from the series. I am concerned about how Mob will grow as a character as given the approach portrayed he might stagnate or the changes he might experience will feel unrealistic. But for what the series is currently, Mob continues to deliver on its theme, it is as much of an worthwhile experience to have as it has always been, and it still continues to deal with personal growth quite well. I wish I would have more details on how it is different and what changed, but the series deals with the exact same themes using the exact same techniques within the exact same structure. The only thing that I experienced in this season that I did not in the previous is that within this season Mob has displayed a lot of growth, but I could no longer consider it personal because Mob Psycho hardly presented how his growth has impacted Mob's life. But I do not mind it as much now, as I can see it becoming a problem in the future.

Like you, I was waiting for the unknown entity seen in the "????!!!%" state in Season 1 to somehow be expatiated upon and it wasn't. This season was incredibly unsatisfying and lost it's reputation of breaking tropes and instead made the decision to follow every single Shounen trope. No ground breaking themes or events in this season, sadly.

Every single villain in Mob Psycho's universe starts out with certain convictions and beliefs. Maybe this is a disadvantage the Shounen format has, but I feel the writers really took the worst of the format's issues and exacerbated it beyond belief. Every time a villain shows up, you ... know for a fact that they are going to end up having a change of heart, or start having immense respect for Mob, specially when Mod reks them. Somehow losing makes the villain realize that he had been wrong about every single thing, and a little schoolboy (whose struggles are incredibly generic with loneliness and social awkwardness being the main themes) knows what the real way is to live in this world and enjoy it. The writers fail to understand that everything that bad happens in the world, isn't always going to be related to psychic powers. And not all issues can be explained away by saying, "You don't have the right attitude". Mob is never faced with an opponent that cannot be defeated with powers, or faces issues that actually make him rethink this beliefs or question them.

This anime's basic statement is beat your enemies to a pulp and suddenly their ideologies and convictions will be forgotten, and they will follow your beliefs and respect you. For a show that focuses so much on inner strength and moral platitudes, the moral of the story is always that if you defeat your enemy, they will yield to you. It's like a guy pestering a girl at a party, begging her to sleep with him. Following this anime, I bet if I use physical strength against the girl I'd be able to conquer her in mind, body and spirit. Because being beaten up made her realize that I was very empathetic or had a similar life or something. It is incredibly creepy how Mob treats his villain, instantly realizing their hopes dreams and ambitions and continuing to ignore the villain's convictions in favor of his own path, which requires that he controls his emotions in order to be a better person. The world somehow tends to literally revolve around Mob and what his most recent emotion is. Situations manifest that only serve as a teaching moment for Mob and to realize that great truth about life that you can find on a fortune cookie.

The villains have zero backbone. Even the horrible show that is My Hero Academia has respectable villains that actually touch upon the nature of evil. And how mere defeat and lectures from a school boy aren't enough to sway anyone's heart.

I swear to God if these people talked about their feelings anymore I'd feel I was watching a chick flick. Being a nice person does not have anything to do with how Mob behaves. He sets a very bad example to follow. Even though he is OP, he is hardly ever able to nip any problem in the bud. There are zero consequences to anything that happens in the story and everything works out perfectly in the end. Having empathy is a necessary part of living a full life, but not to the extent that Mob says it does. Sometimes things need to be resolved with extreme prejudice, not because we hate the sinner, but because we want to protect someone or something.
My interest in the second season was piqued by the inner "thing" that resided in Mob. The entity that was from another world. That moment was hair-raising and was amazing. I believe the most viewed videos on youtube have to do with that part of the 1st season. I was really looking forward to that this season and it is basically forgotten. I don't understand why there is a huge disconnect between the studio and the people.
I would understand if the second season was more slice of life and didn't focus too much on fights, but that isn't the case at all. There are dragonballz type fights and action galore but none of them scratch your itch. For once we had an anime that broke the tropes and showed people who were so certain and full of themselves being brought down into the ground by an awkward school kid. There was something very cathartic about that, but that never happens in this season. They literally have to remove Mob from the scene in the beginning of the final arc so that the plot can progress, therefore Mob only ever has to deal with the biggest of the villains, who is also dealt with in a very anti-climactic way.

Addition of so many espers to the show has also dampened the world-building. With every single esper that is added, the world of Mob-Pyscho becomes more removed from the fantasy we live in, therefore we end up caring a little less about the world and the consequences of living in a world with psychic powers.

People are sick and tired of anime MC's getting the ever-loving crap beaten out of them for 15 minutes out of 26 minutes and then having the fight resolved in a couple minutes with everything working out. Just how many times do we have to see Mob getting pummeled into the ground? It's sort of sadistic in the sense, it made me feel that the creators of the show hated Mob in some weird way.

I'm just very disappointed and I am happy that this season is over and I wouldn't have to see this again in my life.

It's taken quite a while to sit down and write my thoughts on Mob Psycho 100 II. For the longest time, I've been trapped in this limbo of not wanting to write but never finding anything remotely close to my perspective being represented. It's as if no one has any of the same problems I have with this season, therefore I’ve yet to find someone disappointed in it for any of the same reasons as me. As such, this review is born more out of a place to satisfy myself and bring peace to my perspective than anything I’ve written thus far. Keeping a measured ... and somewhat informed perspective is still integral to what is being written here, but the fact remains: this was the first of many anime from 2019 to disappoint me.

Let’s get the big positive out of the way. The visuals are some of the best in recent years. Season 1 already had stellar animation with its vibrant fight scenes filled to the brim with sakuga. The first scene alone was enough to set the standard for this series, which would be matched by several key fights in the show. There’s a sense of weight and impact to many of the attacks combatants use, from psychic blasts to superpowered fists slamming people into the ground. It’s not that the fights were ever exceptionally brutal or bloody since they weren’t, but they were heart-pumping with how they communicated each devastating hit and frenzied blow someone took. It’s the way characters would stretch and contort with every crushing blow, how environments would shatter upon impact and the camera zooms in at a controlled pace to create dynamic angles that sell attacks traveling at blistering speeds. The show’s simple, rugged art style allowed for all of this to be possible, and the direction by Yuruzu Tachikawa that allowed for a steady hand that could keep up with the frenzy being shown on-screen This second season continues this trend with several astounding sequences such as the main fight scenes of episodes 5 and 11. While nothing is ever quite as epic a slugfest as Mob vs Koyama in season 1, the animation in most of the fights here is top-notch. The camera is allowed to be taken to even wilder heights as battles get more aerial than ever before. Hakuyu Go, the man behind the monstrous fights from Fate/Apocrypha episode 22 and One Punch Man episode 12 came back and delivered another grand slam with his storyboarding and animation direction for this season’s 5th episode. Perhaps more so than any other fight in this series, it feels dynamic and larger than life in a way that’s hard to put into words. Few titles this year can keep up with some of the fights presented here, even as films such as Fate/Stay Night: Heaven’s Feel 2 step up to the plate.

Even outside of the monumental fights, the show’s rough art style and vibrant aesthetic make it interesting to look at even in scenes of characters just sitting around and talking. They never quite reach the levels of just having lip-flaps be the only real source of motion for minutes on end like with most shows that require exposition dumps or characters conversing, as there’s always a nice visual gag or a few gestures going around. The general aesthetic of the show is eyecatching in general, and the designs remain simple yet often vibrant just as before. The only moments I found awkward were in episode 9, including its big fight scene. Even then, it’s not like the show ever looked bad, so a few stumbles in animation quality still have the show looking better than many of its contemporaries.

Unfortunately, animation does not a good anime make, and I have a more complicated assortment of feelings towards everything else about the show. The easiest to cover would be Kenji Kawai’s OST, as I didn’t notice a single new background track. All of the music that plays during the fight scenes sound exactly as they did in season 1, and find themselves feeling overplayed here. If any new additions were made, it’s unnoticeable in the show itself, which is criminal for a Kenji Kawai score. This man did the music for Ghost in the Shell 1 and 2, as well as Irresponsible Captain Tylor. Even his Gundam 00 OST had a few memorable pieces that got expanded upon with each installment. I’m not sure what happened here. Luckily, we still have a banger of an OP theme with “99.9” by Mob Choir feat. sanjou no Hana. It’s a more adrenaline-pumping, energetic tune that captures how much more action-driven this second season is compared to the first. The show also has 4 EDs, but the only one I care about is the song that played at the end of episodes 1 and 7: “Gray” by sajou no Hana. It’s easily the most tender and emotional track, fitting for some of the beautiful moments that cap off those two episodes.

This brings me to some of the emotional climaxes in the first half of the show. Episode 1 was a beautiful and hilarious reintroduction to Mob as a character, with him being roped into running for student council (and failing miserably) before someone asks him out. We follow him as this new girl, Emi, as they struggle to connect before Mob eventually reveals his psychic powers in one of the most genuine scenes in the show. The way he uses it to repair a piece of writing her so-called friends tore up in front of her really brings to light how committed the show is to accentuating how much of a sweet person Mob is and how beneficial his powers can be. The show has always been about self-improvement and recognizing the benefits of your gifts while never losing sight of how everyone has one so no one should let their gifts define them as some supreme being. While there are a lot of moments like this peppered throughout the series, it’s when the show decides to quiet down in its more human, slice of life moments, where Mob Psycho 100 is at its best. There’s no better example than the Reigen arc, which comprises episodes 6 and 7. Finally taken to task for his slimy conning and how he puts himself before even Mob, the one person who looks up to him for all the advice he has given, Reigen is at wit’s end. It’s only when he finally owns up to what a scummy douchebag he can be that he’s saved from the ultimate character assassination which had been catching up to him, before Mob lets him know that he understands who Reigen truly is beyond all of the fronts and scams he put up. It’s hard to do this moment justice without spoilers, but it’s the one time this show nearly brought me to tears. Mob and Reigen by this point, have become a perfect duo for exemplifying the core themes of this show, and their dynamic, ever-evolving personalities are a joy to watch.

Sadly, there’s the rest of the show.

Episode 2 is a perfectly fun joyride of explosive animation and cute comedic scenes, so I’m got gonna dog on this one. Episode 3 is where the cracks really begin to form, as Mob has to choose between doing his job of exorcising spirits or sparing them as they just want to live their lives. This feels like a plot that should have been handled as early as the 3rd or 4th episode of season 1. It’s the most obvious story to tell with this kind of premise, and the way they execute it feels so melodramatic and hamfisted, like the show keeps shouting “FEEL BAD” without just letting the emotions play out naturally. It feels sophomoric for how late into the series this plot comes in. Then we get episodes 4 and 5, which make up the Matsuo arc. Matsuo possesses a teenage girl and a bunch of espers are summoned to exorcise him, including Mob and Reigen. Once Mob holds his own against Matsuo, he’s effectively transported to a nightmare scenario where for several months, he’s powerless and put into a school where everyone hates and bullies him, that way Mob’s idea of self-improvement and how his powers don’t make him who he is will crack. It’s amazing how in a show about absurdly durable superhumans that something like this can still test my suspension fo disbelief, but sometimes this second season does that to me, especially since it feels like the show wants to go to extremes to get its point across compared to season 1. It’s going this far just for the classic fight between self-improvement/the human spirit and nihilism and chaos. It doesn’t exactly feel earned, and when Reigen’s voice finally reaches Mob after months in this simulation (probably a couple of minutes in real-time) and suddenly makes him remember all of his values so he can stand up to Matsuo, instigate the epic fight scene, and win the literal and ideological battle. It all feels hamfisted and not nuanced, even compared to season 1 which never had to go overboard to get its point about self-improvement and foregoing entitlement across. It all starts to get across the idea that the show is gonna keep suffering from these issues as it progresses into its second half, making it all the better when the Reigen arc avoids these pitfalls.

I should mention that at no point in these first 7 episodes is Claw, the evil organization that wreaked havoc in the second half of season 1 while threatening to make a return, even mentioned. In season 1, this made sense as we were getting to know the world and what kinds of enemies and struggles Mob would face before the evil organization stomped onto the scene to test our heroes and further solidify the show’s main themes. Season 2 tries the exact same structure, with the first 7 episodes being primarily slice of life comedic or dramatic escapades as well as encounters against one asshole psychic, before episode 8 onwards has the big bad Claw organization jump into the fray. However, this set-up doesn’t work as it completely undercuts the looming threat they’re supposed to have. It would be fine if maybe there were a few encounters planned out by them or even passing mentions to remind the audience not to get too comfortable as the bad guys could come back at any moment. It ends up just having these guys retroactively leave no impact on the story or setting from their first arc back in season 1, undercutting what tension they could have. I get that maybe their reintroduction with the sabotage of Mob’s family in episode 8 is supposed to come as this wham-episode cliffhanger surprise to end all of the endearing hijinks the first 8 episodes had, but it felt so obvious that it was never truly earned.

Everything afterwards has its own set of issues. There were some nice scenes with some of the supporting characters such as the members of the Body Improvement Club that Mob joined and had tried to keep up with back in season 1. Long-since reformed Teruki Hanazawa and the reformed Claw members along with Reigen taking on the teleporting Shimazaki, one of the top dogs of the organization, made for a fun and creative action setpiece. However, the first hurdle outside of the untwist that the son of the big bad of the organization very obviously did not kill everyone in Mob’s home and instead hid them and tried to awaken Mob’s power to help him fight the dad, was the first lame thing to occur here. Killing them off would be rather out of character for the show, which makes this so obvious that it genuinely feels cheap. Another awkward move was everyone’s decision to leave Mob with Reigen and Dimple when he was rendered unconscious, given that Reigen isn’t even a psychic, Dimple is still pretty weak after his encounter with Mob back in episode 3 of season 1, and they’re facing a group of superhumans who want to track down Mob. I get that this is supposed to show that Mob’s closest friends who aren’t the ultimate non-Mob badasses are with him to help, and that the plot still needs to get from point A to point B. It does feel like this show writes itself into a corner, though.

Then the final episodes pull a few sins that I never thought possible: they made me stop caring. I no longer cared about the conflict, and I even stopped caring about Mob. I get that Mob is this pillar of self-improvement, the kind of guy you should want to root for all the way as he goes from the small kid you wanna protect to the badass who can protect you all the same while remaining true to the nervous dork he’s always been. Up until this final arc, the show has managed that, but with how hamfisted the show gets and how Mob becomes the center of almost everything, I felt ejected from what was going on. I was no longer immersed. When Mob faced the penultimate bad guy who was clinging to the main antagonist’s coattails cuz he finally felt valued and useful, I didn’t care. When the show blatantly spelled out multiple times that the dude was basically being used and that he needed to learn to truly value himself so he can stop being a shut-in loser who clung to people, it went in one ear and out the other. Season 1 was never the most subtle thing on the planet, but it never felt this preachy. That’s not to say that these lessons aren’t worth teaching, as they absolutely are. However, season 1 did most of them better. I get that this is all meant to be payoff as Mob does what Reigen did back in season 1 by bitch-slapping to sense into misguided and/or entitled espers, but by the end he basically becomes Jesus, going as far as to attempt what seems like an ultimate sacrifice when trying to save the main antagonist of the show, who wants to rule the world.

That brings me to the big boss man himself, the boring man Toichirou Suzuki. He views people as lesser and beneath him, so he wants to rule the world. While the show does make fun of the generic nature he announces his plans before he and his goons proceed to tear up the city, he still remains the boring bid bad guy who wants to rule the world cuz he’s the coolest and best while everyone else is boring and lame. There’s basically nothing else to him. He feels the least like an actual person out of anyone in the show, more akin to a typical Fairy Tail antagonist than even some of the lesser Mob Psycho 100 side-acts. His fight with his kid was only barely more interesting than his fight with Mob, as at least that one had personal stakes and build-up despite that being a fight designed to job the kid who was already a mysterious, untrustworthy powerhouse. I genuinely felt bored when Toichirou and Mob threw buildings at each other, as this climax barely had any build-up to pay off. The fact that afterwards the dude’s wife and kid are there to forgive and support him despite all of this, comes across as utterly asinine in context. Sure, forgiveness and reform are part of self-improvement i.e the core of this show, but there is a level of believability that can be strained before the show’s decisions regarding its themes and messages become hamfisted and ridiculous. The dude treated his wife and kid like shit due to his callous nature, and his kid wanted revenge on the man. For them to just quickly forgive him, resulting in everyone turning a new leaf, is a bigger stretch than when Teruki immediately went from an entitled jerk to a chill dude who gets everything without warning in season 1. There’s a way to make a quick and dramatic character change work, but that requires evidence that the character is starting to crack beforehand, and we have to spend time with them during the change. Otherwise, it’s like when Kirito got super depressed at the end of SAO episode 3, only to just become a generic OP badass in episode 4.

That’s ultimately the problem I have with this second season of Mob Psycho 100. While its visuals are outstanding, it frequently overreaches when it comes to delivering its messages and thematics. It’s often hamfisted, sometimes extremely questionable in its writing. It’s a shame because a lot of the show’s lighthearted and comedic moments are incredibly charming. The subplots regarding the girl Mob pines for, the girl from episode 1, and Reigen’s arc are wonderful just as the slice of life and comedic elements in season 1 were. There are some sweet payoffs present too, and the show has a good heart to it. There are some shounen titles people believe work better when they’re purely in slice of life mode such as Fairy Tail, and I think I can say this applies to the second season of Mob Psycho 100. When the show wants to be more profound than that, it stumbles pretty heavily more often than not. It hurts to say because I was genuinely hyped for a continuation of a great series, and there are several wonderful moments and elements here. It just bogged down by all of these issues to the point that I somehow managed to stop caring. I could not have imagined that happening prior to the last arc of the show, let alone before I even got to season 2, but here we are long after this mixed bag ended. Where it counts, this season is not as consistent or effective as its predecessor, which is the opposite of self-improvement. That’s some cruel irony.

I came into Mob Psycho with a very open mind, hoping to be amazed by some genius story with amazing characters and great developments. What I received was some underwhelming bullshit about a young boy being manipulated by a degenerate con artist to eliminate these meaningless 'spirits'. Mob for whatever reason has insane innate psychic power, more than everyone else which is never explained and is LITERALLY HORSE! He doesn't want to abuse them or whatever but then just abuses his power for the entire show which was just cringe to watch. Also the antagonist of the show CLAW or whatever is actually so lame ... it's painful. Terrible show.