Mob Psycho 100

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The following review is in Spanish and English (translated with the support of DeepL)
The version read is the Spanish translation by Kurochi! belonging to "MangaWorks Fansub".

Mob is the most powerful character of the work, it’s something established from the first chapters, during the development of the story different and diverse characters will appear to prove how true it’s. Therefore, it could be foreseen, that its thematic ideas are related to power and strength, and yes, they are, but in the center is not the consecration through the exhibition, on the contrary, it’s the decrease to turn it into a characteristic. You aren’t special because of ... your powers, that only constitutes a part of who you are.

However, Mob has an essential defect, or more specifically, a lack of little control of his emotions, he doesn’t understand them and doesn’t know how to express himself. This is the main difference between him and others, not because he is an esper (an individual who has paranormal abilities) but because he feels unable to connect with others. The story begins with his desire to change and at first, as is usual for most boys, it will be for a girl.

As he begins to work towards his goal of getting better he will meet different people in various social groups, an ensemble that makes for a charming cast. Each has a certain degree of participation in the story even as it grows in unexpected complexity and breadth, as well as being recognizable by personality and design. Although some of them only have the function of acting as a support in Mob's story, they perfectly fulfill that duty at the moment they should have relevance to themselves and to the narrative.

ONE uses several characters to be direct participants in some arcs, while others will have more of an appearance in the fun Omakes. Whatever the case, there is a constant reference to the world that benefits the thematic intentions. And among them there is a character deserving of his own mention because he qualifies as the other protagonist of the story, Reigen Arataka.

An ordinary person whose supernatural characteristic is his common sense, time and again he represents the moral bubble in a situation where it seems that there is no logic, because he lands the extraordinary events that are happening. At that point his ordinary attitude passes as heroic or intimidating, a situation that ONE reinforces through comical coincidences, but even beyond that appeal, the factor that makes him unique lies in the dichotomy of his figure.

Because Reigen is neither a hero nor an untainted figure of reason, from the first chapters he is characterized as a swindler, not unscrupulous, but still a swindler at the end of the day. He is someone who knows perfectly well what his mistakes are but doesn’t work to improve. If Mob is alone by incapacity, Reigen falls into loneliness by the choice of indifference.

That duo come together and unexpectedly complement each other, a relationship of student and teacher, where sometimes the student becomes the teacher. Mob will learn human logic from Reigen about the value of self and friendship, while Reigen will understand that if Mob is able to try hard there is no reason why he can't try either. It's not a perfect relationship because neither is, there will be fights and misunderstandings, but their respect for each other will be what drives their progress.

And even when the focus of the story is set in coherence and sobriety, in the line of ONE's style we find strong characters, no, absurdly strong. Again and again will appear someone more powerful than the previous one, he has an ability never seen before, his enormous power is only a percentage of his total strength, he has never been defeated, among others. Provided ideal scenarios to be an exhibition of power, and the manga corresponds, more than enough.

The characteristic drawing of ONE is the one that is often described as the main flaw of the story, there aren’t few who only recommend watching its animated adaptation (it must be said, it’s perfect), but beyond the aesthetic question of connecting or not, already intrinsically dependent on each person, there is the doubt of his ability as a mangaka, and there is no way to disqualify his talent.

Manga is drawing but not only drawing because that would be illustration, instead it must take into consideration the presentation of its story through the panels and their distribution, which constitute the elements to build a visual narrative. The author's drawing and style are adapted to the thematic intention to reach a certain level of consistency in their detail. The various assistants deserve credit for specifics, but in the overall perspective of pacing and presentation it is to ONE's credit.

His battles are an exhibition of emotion and spectacle because he knows where to place the elements that constitute it to achieve it, he doesn't lose the rhythm of the battle even if there are different jumps between viewpoints or a monologue from any character. He manages to keep the sense of urgency and freneticism and increase, he elaborates the strokes for the inclusion of destruction, blow, force, which underline the absurd level of power of his characters. Especially in the battles of pure power, those where the intelligent use of skills has priority counts with elements of strategy and improvisation, keeping another kind of attention in the reader.

And yet, the best demonstration of his skill is in the rest of the moments, in the dramatic aspect and small advances of the characters, they are panels that don’t stand out for the detail of their backgrounds or the facial expressions of the characters, on the contrary, he embraces simplicity to communicate the maximum in the minimum of elements.

Just like drawing, comedy is a matter of connection solely based on personal tastes, to connect or not, and in the case of ONE I have had fun with its different occurrences. There are several chapters dedicated to being solely a joke, and even one of the final situations is quite absurd, and they still don't seem detrimental to the pace or intent, it's another tone that still fits with the teachings. It's not a matter of taking its presentation seriously or not, it's a matter of enjoying it as it happens.

Because if you dedicate that moment you will find the reader with a multitude of teachings that arise from its characters and narrative, having value instead of saying for the sake of saying, they are also fully explicit so it is worth reading them for yourself to know what it's all about. Enter that world of Espers and unimaginable powers to understand that true value lies in wanting to keep getting better.

Mob Psycho 100 deserves nothing less than 100.

Español

Mob es el personaje más poderoso de la obra, es algo establecido desde los primeros capítulos, durante el desarrollo de la historia aparecerán diferentes y diversos personajes para probar que tan cierto es. Por ende, podría preverse, que sus ideas temáticas están relacionadas acerca del poder y la fuerza, y si, lo están, pero en el centro no se encuentra la consagración a través de la exhibición, al contrario, es la disminución para convertirla en característica. No eres especial por tus poderes, eso sólo constituye una parte de quien eres.

Sin embargo Mob tiene un esencial defecto, o más específicamente, una carencia, poco control de sus emociones, no las entiende ni sabe expresarse. He ahí el principal factor de diferencia entre él y otros, no es por ser un esper (individuo que tiene capacidades paranormales) sino porque se siente incapaz de conectar con los demás. La historia comienza por su deseo de cambiar y en principio, como suele ser usual en casi todo chico, será por una chica.

Conforme empieza a trabajar en su meta de mejorar conocerá a diferentes personas en diversos grupos sociales, un conjunto que constituye un elenco encantador. Cada quién cuenta con cierto grado de participación en la historia aún si la misma crece en inesperada complejidad y amplitud, además de ser reconocibles dada su personalidad y diseño. Si bien algunos sólo tienen la función de actuar como un apoyo en la historia de Mob, cumplen a la perfección ese deber en el instante que debían tener relevancia para sí mismos y con la narrativa.

ONE utiliza a varios personajes para que sean partícipes directos en algunos arcos, mientras que otros tendrán más aparición en los divertidos Omakes. Cual sea el caso, hay una constante referencia al mundo que resulta en beneficio para las intenciones temáticas. Y entre ellos hay un personaje merecedor de mención propia porque es calificable como el otro protagonista de la historia, Reigen Arataka.

Una persona ordinaria cuya característica sobrenatural es su sentido común, una y otra vez representa la burbuja moral en una situación donde parece que no existe la lógica, porque aterriza los sucesos extraordinarios que estén sucediendo. En ese punto su actitud ordinaria pasa como heroica o intimidante, situación que ONE refuerza por medio de cómicas coincidencias, pero todavía más allá de ese atractivo, el factor que le vuelve único radica en la dicotomía de su figura.

Porque Reigen no es un héroe ni una impoluta figura de la razón, desde los primeros capítulos se le caracteriza como un estafador, no inescrupuloso, más sigue siendo estafador al fin y al cabo. Es alguien que sabe perfectamente cuáles son sus errores pero no trabaja en mejorar. Si Mob se encuentra solo por incapacidad, Reigen cayó en la soledad por la elección de la indiferencia.

Ese dúo se junta e inesperadamente se complementa, una relación de estudiante y maestro, donde a veces el estudiante se vuelve el maestro. Mob aprenderá la lógica humana de Reigen sobre el valor de sí mismo y la amistad, mientras que Reigen entenderá que si Mob es capaz de esforzarse no hay razón por la que él tampoco pueda intentarlo. No es una relación perfecta porque ninguna lo es, habrá peleas y malentendidos, pero el respeto de uno por el otro será lo que impulse su avance.

Y aún cuando el enfoque de la historia se establece en la coherencia y sobriedad, en la línea del estilo de ONE encontramos personajes fuertes, no, absurdamente fuertes. Una y otra vez aparecerá alguien más poderoso que el anterior, tiene una habilidad nunca antes vista, su enorme poder es sólo porcentaje de su fuerza total, jamás ha sido derrotado, entre otros. Brindado escenarios ideales para ser una exhibición de poder, y el manga corresponde, sobradamente.

El característico dibujo de ONE es al que se le suele calificar como el principal defecto de la historia, no son pocos quienes sólo recomiendan ver su adaptación animada (cabe decirlo, es perfecta), pero más allá de la cuestión estética de conectar o no, ya intrínsecamente dependiente de cada persona, está la duda de su habilidad como mangaka, y ahí no hay forma de descalificar su talento.

Manga es dibujo más no únicamente dibujo porque eso sería ilustración, en cambio se debe tener en consideración la presentación de su historia a través de los paneles y su distribución, que constituyen los elementos para construir una narración visual. El dibujo y estilo del autor se adaptan a la intención temática para alcanzar cierto nivel de consistencia en su detalle. Los diferentes asistentes merecen el reconocimiento por los específicos, pero en la perspectiva general de ritmo y presentación es crédito de ONE.

Sus batallas son una exhibición de emoción y espectáculo porque sabe donde ubicar los elementos que la constituyen para conseguirlo, no pierde el ritmo de la batalla aún si hay diferentes saltos entre puntos de vistas o un monólogo de cualquier personaje. Consigue que la sensación de apremio y frenetismo se mantenga y aumente, elabora los trazos para la inclusión de destrucción, golpe, fuerza, que subrayan el absurdo nivel de poder de sus personajes. Especialmente en las batallas de puro poder, aquellas donde el uso inteligente de habilidades tenga prioridad cuenta con elementos de estrategia e improvisación, manteniendo otro tipo de atención en el lector.

Y aún así, la mejor demostración de su habilidad está en el resto de momentos, en el aspecto dramático y de pequeños avances de los personajes, son paneles que no destacan por el detallado de sus fondos o las expresiones faciales de los personajes, al contrario, abraza la simpleza para comunicar lo máximo en el mínimo de elementos.

Tal como el dibujo, la comedia es una cuestión de conexión únicamente basada en gustos personales, de conectar o no, y para el caso de ONE me he divertido con sus diferentes ocurrencias. Hay varios capítulos dedicados a ser únicamente una broma, e incluso una de las situaciones finales es bastante absurda, y siguen sin parecer detrimentos del ritmo o intención, es otro tono que todavía encaja con las enseñanzas. No es cuestión de tomarse o no en serio su presentación, es de disfrutarla correspondiendo al momento que esté sucediendo.

Porque si se dedica ese momento se encontrará el lector con una multitud de enseñanzas que surgen de sus personajes y narrativa, teniendo valor en vez de decir por decirse, también son plenamente explícitas así que vale la pena leerlas por sí mismo para saber de qué se trata. Entrar en ese mundo de Espers y poderes inimaginables para comprender que el verdadero valor se encuentra en querer seguir mejorando.

Mob Psycho 100 no merece nada menor a 100.

Mob Psycho 100 is one of my favorite animes, and I genuinely think that season 2 is great, worthy of a 10. But, coming to read the manga, I say it's not that much. ONE deserves credit for his work, but a significant part of Mob's greatness came from Studio Bones.

Story: 6/10
It got lost at some point. Many people think that season 2 is the end, and in fact it could've ended there. Claw was defeated, as well as Suzuki after having the greatest fight of all series with Mob, Mob was fully grown as a character, and Hazamada, Ritsu, Reigen and the others had ... finally found their place. It was a good closure, and a season 3 seemed unnecessary, but I love Mob so I'd be up to it if it was good. It wasn't. If I were to review season 3 alone, I would give it a 3 or a 4.

Season 3 decided to focus on the psychic helmet club and how it was becoming a huge cult. It seemed a cool idea that Mob's followers were creating a new spiritual monster just by their beliefs, much like Neil Gaiman's American Gods where gods are real and powerful if there are many people believing on them. It also seemed a great parallel to Mob and his own self, how he is not special, to the point that his identity can be stolen and distorted by a giant "mob" of the people out there. It could've been a great Man vs Self/God-Self conflict, then oops, it was Dimples all along.

After that, somehow they thought it would be a nice idea to a final conflict that Mob was isekai'd by a car and became an out of control allmighty psychic. This was stupid and incoherent to Mob's arc, since he has been close from dying in many situations in the past, and now you'll say that he could control himself in Suzuki's fight, but not when he was hit by a car?

Art: ONE/10
I don't care too much about it, but it's still here. ONE can't draw, simply. Other authors, like Hajime Isayama, were also bad at drawing when they began, but improved a lot during the years. ONE, somehow, managed to improve literally nothing.

Character: 7/10
I gave this a high rating for the amazing development given to the main characters: Mob, Ritsu, Reigen and Hazamada. I love how ONE fleshed out Reigen's toxic attitudes with Mob, showing how bad is a relationship like this, and that he could developed a character like Reigen, making him really suffer the consequences for his mistakes and become a better person.
Now, I would love to say that Mob is the most developed character of the manga because of how much he has changed. He changed on everything, his life without friends, his relationship to his family, his job, the way he works to improve himself, everything was brilliantly written and made Mob grow as a person. Except one thing, his school crush, that stayed the same and was dragged in for the entire series.

I was shocked to see that the little screentime Tsubomi had was created by Bones. The manga cares so little about her and put her as a cardboard with no personality, and we're supposed to care about her since she is the main source of conflict in the final arc.

Mob Psycho gave brilliant arcs to some characters, but unfortunately couldn't do the same to female ones. The few ones we had were irrelevant, and then we have Tome. A great character, very important in the beginning and discarded later. I think the best part of season 3 was her club's arc on getting her to meet a telepath, and their search for aliens.

Having them all together in the end was a very wholesome and emotional scene, and I'm excited to see this in the anime. Still, her and the other girls never have a role in the story and Tome was very disconnected from everything that happened regarding Mob and his friends (even the Body Improvemente Club knew Mob's ongoings and helped in some fights). My thoughts on how season 3 could be better: Give Tome actual development and a major participation in the story like the others, and giving her more focus instead of Dimples.

Dimples was a character that I never hated nor liked too much. He was good in seasons 1 and 2, but in the third one he is all over the place. Sometimes he just wants to be Mob's pal, other times he wants to take over the world with a cult, he differs too much from the main characters by the fact that he doesn't have an arc, and that makes the end more stupid. Not only he is forgiven instantly by his actions, he is also magically ressurected to Mob's wantings. This also brings up an unspoken rule in Mob Psycho, that no named or relevant character is ever going to die. Honestly I think that ONE simply didn't know what to do with Dimples after he made him stick up with Mob, so he had to create this situations in season 3 to make Dimples feel like something more than Mob's pet.
By the way whatever happened to Shimazaki

Enjoyment: 5/10
Like I said, the anime was great, as it took all the greatness that the manga had and made it even better. With amazing animation, story, character arcs and fighting scenes, it became one of my favorite animes, and I admire ONE for making it all possible. However, the manga felt very underwhelming compared to it, and this third part was mostly disappointing. I'll watch season 3 when it airs, but I won't hype ir nor recommend it to the others like I was doing in season 2.

Overall: 6/10
Mob Psycho was a good manga, with terrible art but a great story and great characters, yet it lost its way in the third part. It will forever be one of my favorite animes, but I wish that it ended in season 2 and that Tome was way more relevant than she is. Overall, it serves as a good example of how all great things have to end at some point.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Almost every aspect was poor (3) for me. Let me elaborate. Please bear in mind that i kind of forgot a lot of things about this manga because i didn't like it so much, and that this is my own opinion so you shouldn't be err attacking me for it.

Story: i was very unimpressed with all arcs. let's just say all i remember is explosions. my favourite part in the story was reigen's character development (somewhere near the ending)

Art (4): obviously not the best art ever, i'm not going to trick myself into saying that the art is mediocre because a lot ... of manga have better art i believe

Character: i see that the ending was supposed to be character development for mob, but the problem is that i didn't feel like it was very interesting. exploding everything and crying? that's about it? i suppose reigen is an interesting character for helping mob out in the ending (i remember his dramatic part because i liked it), but bear in mind that this manga has other characters too... in the end, isn't everyone else kind of... unneeded? maybe i should reread the manga but this is what i remembered.

Enjoyment: i don't remember laughing a lot for the comedic parts with ekubo. even worse, i was looking forward to mob's character development but it just didn't suit my tastes in the end. i read every chapter as it got published so maybe the wait for it made me forget details? anyway, i do not remember enjoying the ending as well...

I think I had expectations that were too high, but i believe some may enjoy the read as seen from the other 10/10 reviews. if you really want to start MP100, i actually want to recommend watching the anime instead because the animations and sound are really cool. like... perhaps... award-winning cool.