For the episode itself, I'm not sure I like the change to the cake. In the manga, Reigen doesn't chase after the cake, once Mob uses his power to stop it from falling, he flings it right into Reigen's face. Here, it sort of seems like Reigen getting cake'd was accidental? In a sense, that does sort of make more sense for Mob's character, but the fact that Mob was actively using his power to play a joke was one of the elements I thought that made it so effective. That he wasn't just using his powers to help save someone or something, but using them to for the same level of social interaction he use to have with Tsubomi. And having him use his powers for a gag whilst he used physical prowess to try and save the cat was a brilliant way to showcase both his acceptance of ??? & his physical growth throughout. Still maintains the most important bits, like Mob laughing at the end, and arguably it's an even stronger parallel to their first meeting, whereas Mob stops the drink from falling & spilling on him there but here he stops the cake from falling so Reigen splats on it. At least visually it's more symmetrical this way.
As the season whole though, I had a nagging thought throughout watching it, "I really wish I hadn't read ahead." About three years ago I decided I needed to read the rest of Mob Psycho 100, and it was one of the most emotionally powerful experiences I've had consuming media. The end of the Broccoli Tree arc, & the contents of this episode especially, struck a powerful chord with me, so much so that I was absolutely confident that as long as Season 3 had the same love poured into the adaption, Mob Psycho would become my favourite anime. And having watched this season, I've come away with the thoughts that they absolutely delivered on the adaption and with the feelings that it didn't quite match my expectations.
I'm in a weird place where the content in here is definitely worthy of a 10/10 imo, but my experience watching it wasn't really that of a 10/10 but for reasons that don't really feel valid to criticize the season for. Obviously it was silly of me to ever expect this could carry the same emotional impact as my first go-around with the material, so I think I'll still give it a 10/10. But it still sort of sucks that I felt somewhat emotionally detached from this at times, moreso waiting to see how they'd adapt certain panels that have been etched into my heart, rather than be fully absorbed in the drama at hand. Things still got to me of course, you'd have to be a monster to feel nothing during the end of the Broccoli Tree arc, but still doesn't matched the power of that original reading for me. The only real exception was episode 8. I always really liked that side story in-between the last two juggernaut arcs, but since it doesn't pack the punch that those do, I felt more invested than I remember in the anime. Especially with Inukawa's alien adventure, holy crap did they go all in on adapting the hell out of those omakes.
I will be re-watching this dubbed in like a month or so dubbed, so I might change it to a 9/10 after or that or be more confident in the 10/10 score, but for now I'll settle on a 10/10 since the content is still exactly what I loved in the manga, but now I got strong sakuga to go along with it (albeit, ONE's paneling in the manga is god tier).
Thought I suppose I should talk a little bit about why this content is so powerful for me. This post is long already and I've already gushed about this material in the manga section, so the heart of my love for this series is it's endless empathy and kindness, and just how full-circle it is with all it's resolutions. The conclusion of the Divine Tree is perhaps my favourite example, Mob finally understanding Dimple after Dimple mocks his shirt (which is both a legitimately funny joke and a great way to make use of their established dynamic to make this realization feel earned), and his method of showcasing his trust in him by sacrificing all his power, highlighting all his trust in Dimple. How Dimple's introduction in the series saw him attempt to brainwash Mob for his own selfish gain, it only made sense that his "end" would be him selflessly brainwashing Mob in order to save him. Throughout Season 3, the series still manages to contain the sakuga we've come to expect from the series, but the focus is always explicitly on providing emotional catharsis for the characters, as showcased with every showdown in the last few episodes. Even though Hanazawa, Toichiro, & Ritsu don't succeed in stopping Mob, but their encounters are all filled with callbacks to earlier encounters and some form of personal victory whether it be saving the victims, choosing your family, or reaching 100%.
It's one of the strongest endings I've ever seen. Completely thematically cohesive, strong full-circles storytelling that highlights the growth that happened throughout the narrative, and emotional character-focused writing. I understand why some are upset by the destruction caused by Mob being brushed aside in the end, but that's never even registered as an issue to me. |