~{Story}~
Mob Psycho 100 is about an 8th grader psychic named Shigeo (also known as Mob) who tries his best to become a normal person by trying to fit into society. The story focuses on Mob and how he tries his best to control his powers and not cause any harm, while being in very risky situations. The story may seem a bit simplistic at first, and near the beginning it kind of is, but the series starts to get more complex and explores many themes like morality and what it means to be different. But the story just doesn’t focus on Mob, but also other characters too, like his mentor (who is a scammer) and his brother (who has an inferiority complex). At first the series has more of an episode/slice-of-life structure, but in the second half, the main story gets introduced. And also, a lot of the omake chapters from the manga got adapted, so you’ll be seeing some short stories revolving around Reigen and Mob throughout the series. The overall story doesn’t really end, since the manga is ongoing, but the final arc of this series wraps up nicely, while teasing what’s next to come. Hopefully it gets a second season to continue the series.
Story: 9/10
~{Presentation}~
Mob Psycho 100 looks and feels a lot different from your normal anime. The style is very over-the-top, exaggerated and weird, and it matches the tone of the series. It’s supposed to be weird and quirky and its style isn’t something you will see often. But the series just isn’t a comedy as it is more than that. There are a good amount of moments in the series when things get a lot more serious and emotional. Unlike One Punch Man, Mob Psycho 100 expects you to take them seriously. However, they are handled in such a way that you as a viewer are aware that things aren’t being played for jokes anymore. The series switches between its tones very well and not once did it ever feel drastic. The art style is quite unique too, and that will be mentioned later in this review. Bones did a good job in adapting the manga, though it’s not the most perfect adaptation I’ve come to expect from a studio like them. Near the middle of the series, the pacing got a little fast and the buildup was a slight bit underwhelming. And too many unnecessary omake chapters are adapted and they ruin the flow of the series. But those are only minor gripes to what is an outstanding anime.
Presentation: 9/10
~{Character}~
What is probably the most impressive and surprising thing about Mob Psycho 100 is its characters. For those who were expecting another One Punch Man, were probably shocked at how well-written the characters are. Even as a One Punch Man fanboy myself, even I admit that most of the characters in One Punch Man aren’t really complex, they’re just fun and entertaining. Mob, our protagonist, starts off as an apathetic school boy who’s wants to fit in, but can’t due to his powers. He’s much more complex and well written than he seems. He can’t express his emotions because releasing them releases his powers. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone with his powers, but accidents do happen. He has a hard time in deciding what’s right and wrong or whether he should be selfish or selfless. The way he’s handled is amazing. Then we have Mob’s con-man mentor, Reigen. He may start off to be a little irritating, but his character is used well during comedic situations. And he’s more than what he seems too. Then we have Mob’s brother, Ritsu, who is also handled really well and his character change is believable. And there’s a bunch of side characters that are all used well for comic relief.
Character: 9.5/10
~{Art}~,
It doesn’t take long to realize that Mob Psycho 100 has a really, really unique art style. ONE was never a good artist and his web manga don’t look too good. Mob Psycho 100 was his best looking work, yet a lot of the panels can look cruddy or unorganized. However, this crude art added to the style of the series. Bones manages to adapt the art of the manga, while making it visually appealing. The crude look of the manga is still in the anime, but things look more detailed and organized. The zany art style adds to the comedic moments, and feels stylish during its action sequences. The backgrounds are pretty well done too. The character models look really unique, though they all have similar faces, just like the web manga. The art isn’t the most detailed, but doing so would ruin the style. However, the lighting and colors used in the series and the shadows are really well done.
Art: 9/10
~{Animation}~
If there’s nothing that interests you in Mob Psycho 100, there’s always the stellar animations. Simply put, it’s the most well animated TV anime series I’ve seen, and yes, it’s better than One Punch Man. When I mean better, I mean that it is more fluid. Since the art style isn’t incredibly detailed, this lets the animators makes the animations as smooth as possible. During big fights, characters will be going all over the place and destruction would be happening very fluidly. The cinematography is also stellar and the way it moves during fights is very stylish. Sometimes the fights can feel overwhelming, due to how much is happening on the screen. And Bones extended most of the fights and made them longer, so they can have some more eye-candy visuals.
Animation: 10/10
~{Voice Acting}~
The seiyuu cast do a great job in doing the comic relief and executing the more dramatic moments. Mob’s seiyuu, Itou Setsuo, has barely done any voice acting before, as he only did one supporting role before and this is his first main role. But he doesn’t sound like a newbie at all as he does an excellent job as Mob. He gets the apathetic tone of his voice right, but he really shines when he has to add emotions to Mob. He does his angry voice really well and his seiyuu delivers during emotional scenes too. Sakurai Takahiro (who is doing a lot of voice acting recently) does Reigen and he does him perfectly. It’s well known that Sakurai’s a really talented seiyuu and he gives all he’s got as Reigen. He makes his character absurd, wacky, deceiving, and truly hilarious. Irino Miyu does a very good job as Ritsu and gets his emotional and strong-willed personality right. Matsuoka Yoshitsugu’s really at his best when he does supporting characters and him as Teruki was a perfect choice. And all of the other seiyuu also do a good job in what they have to do.
Voice Acting: 9/10
~{Music}~
The music in Mob Psycho 100 is also really good and adds to the already amazing series. The OP, "99", is really good and catchy and I don’t need to say much about how the lyrics are quite matching for a series like this. Never did I thought that counting up to 100 could be so fun and addicting. The ED, "Refrain Boy”, is also very good and it really matches the dramatic aspect of the series. The vocals, the lyrics and the music is great in that ED. The background music is also really good in the series, particularly the ones used during fights. The add more to the tension and make things more fun. The music used during a fight in the fifth episode was particularly good.
Music: 8.5/10
~{Enjoyment}~
I knew I was going to enjoy Mob Psycho before it even aired. I really loved the web manga and the fact that Bones was going to animate it makes the chances of the anime being a good adaptation really high. And Bones surely did deliver. Though some of the omake chapters getting adapted ruined the flow, everything else was done perfectly well. The characters are really well developed and really well handled. They ended up being more complex than they originally seemed. The story itself is really good and manages to keep you interested most of the time. The way the humor and the seriousness is blended together makes sure that none of the tonal shifts feel jarring. I don’t think I’ll have this much fun again in a long time.
Enjoyment: 9/10
In the end, if you haven’t checked out Mob Psycho 100 yet, then seriously, what are you doing? This is the most fun you’ll probably have this year, and it’s not wise to skip on it. Even those who didn’t like One Punch Man should definitely check this out because it’s quite a different anime and it’s much more complex than it originally seems. The characters are well developed and handled excellently. Mob’s struggle to make the right choices is presented fantastically. The art style is unique and adds to the wackiness. But most importantly, the animations are simply stunning and some of the best I’ve seen. Mob Psycho has all the ingredients to make an amazing anime and uses all of its potential. Mob Psycho 100 is easily a candidate for anime of the year, and if you haven’t checked it out yet, you should do so soon.
+ Handles its characters well and Mob is a really realistically done and complex character.
+ Amazing direction and conveys the style of the web manga perfectly.
+ Very unique art style and mind-blowing animations during major fights.
+ Properly blends its humor and wackiness with its emotional and dramatic scene.
+ Premise is simple, but the execution is really well done and the story starts to evolve in the second half.
- Pacing was a little fast in the middle and the adapted omake chapters break the flow.
Overall: 9.1/10
