Mob Psycho 100 III

“Whatever you want to do doesn’t have to be work. You should just live however you want to.” - Reigen Arataka

It’s truly bittersweet seeing Mob Psycho 100 come to an end. The relatable journey of Mob, his master Reigen, his friends, and loved ones has been one for the ages. It has been a wonderful and relatable story of Mob’s growth, learning to know that people care about you not because you have special powers, but because of how you are as a person, and how you treat people. You watch a somewhat introverted boy, Mob, while not being the most interesting person around, though whomever he does meet, he changes them for the better, and that’s quite the beautiful thing.

Now, I’m going to be honest. I did find this season a bit inconsistent at times with its arcs, and therefore a bit inferior to Season 2, especially with the action sequences as well. However, the underlying message is still very much there, with Mob’s story of growth. This season also included one of the best episodes of the entire series that gave me quite the emotional ride, so if you haven’t watched this season yet, there is much to look forward to.

STORY:

The story is pretty simple, just decorated with a lot of flashiness and a unique animation style. I see a lot of people complaining about the slice of life elements about this show, but the main theme of this show is simply illustrating Mob’s journey through middle school, so why would there not be slice of life moments? Without them, it’d just be yet another battle shonen, and while it may look like that sometimes, I don’t believe that’s what the show is going for. That said, some of the sudden shifts in tone can be a bit jarring and inconsistent, and that’s probably my one and only gripe of this show.

At its core, this isn’t really a story driven series, but more of a character driven one, so I definitely won’t say that the story is what stands out in this show. All the action sequences, the dramatic moments, the fun tidbits, all of this is just part of Mob’s journey of learning about himself, his powers, and how to become a better person.

ART:

The unique animation style makes character expressions stand out a lot, and the animation is still very well done, but I would have to say that Season 2’s action sequences stood out a bit more, especially with the Shimazaki fight. The colours though, still very impressive, and there was nothing not to like here. The animation in the OP and ED also were worthy of praise, especially the fluidity of the ED.

MUSIC:

The music is also fantastic, with the very unique OST. The OP is very well done, and the song “Exist” by Mob Choir was probably one of my favourite ending themes ever.

CHARACTERS:

The cast of characters in Mob Psycho are all awesome and unique in their own ways. Firstly, Mob. He’s come a long way since Season 1, when he was weak both physically and emotionally. You may have noticed less 100% blasts as the series went along, and that’s because Mob has grown more stable emotionally, and that’s a good sign for his growth. Teenagers are often in a state of turmoil in their minds, and Mob’s no different from your typical teenager, but it’s the supportive people around him that helped him become a better person. However, people aren’t supportive towards him just because, it’s because Mob affected them too, with his wholesome personality, and genuinely makes them change. Just look at Teru’s development throughout the series, and you can see how Mob changed him for the better.

The supporting cast are also very standout, and I like each and every character in the series. Reigen seemed to take a bit of a back seat this season, but whenever he was on screen, it was awesome. Since I watched Season 2, Reigen has always been near the top of my favourites list for characters, and for good reason. We know that he’s a bit of a trickster to most people, but to the people he genuinely cares about, he gives excellent advice. The moral ambiguity that we see around Reigen has been a joy to watch throughout this series. Yet another star of the show this season would be Dimple. A specific arc this season really made him a contender for my favourites list, and if you watched this season, you know exactly what I’m referring to. He and Mob may clash sometimes, but in the end, they both care about each other deeply. Everyone else, such as Teru, the Body Improvement Club, and Mob’s other classmates also had their time to shine this season, and every single one of them I grew to like a bit more.

ENJOYMENT:

Really solid throughout, even with the more slice of life moments.

THEMATIC EXECUTION:

Whether it’s something sad, something tense, or something wholesome, Mob Psycho never fails to amaze me with its execution. It can make you cry, it can make you sweat, it can make you happy too. The animation just makes every single one of these themes more impactful too. In my opinion, the show is executed to near perfection.

OVERALL:

Mob’s journey is over, and it’s been such a good one. It was truly a great look into a mind of a teenager, and even if you’re not a teen right now, I hope the show resonated with you to some level.

No matter how rough life can get, people will still support you. You don’t need to force yourself to be unique, live the way that you want to, and don’t conform to what others do just to be “accepted” in society. There isn’t just one way to live, there is always room for change and growth, no matter how old you are. Don’t ever stop being a dreamer. Go ahead, keep thinking that aliens are real, because once we lose our uniqueness, it’s equivalent to dying.

Thank you, ONE, for writing something so kind.