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.

(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.

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.