Believe it or not, I picked this show up solely because I thought it had a cool sounding name. Little did I know that it’d leave such a profound impact on me. Not just on me though, but also my philosophy, my ideals and how I carry myself. Though by the point I’d picked up this series I’d already shared a mindset similar to that of the bodybuilding club in it. I nonetheless felt vindicated that this series was able to artistically convey the message of setting your mind to achieve anything you set out to do, as well as the sheer power of raw honesty and not relying on a desirable trait you were born with to solve all of life’s problems. Possibly the most poignant aspect of this series is how it’s able to use its stylized world to convey an optimistic narrative of such magnitude, yet simultaneously, feeling rather frank and not full of itself, just like the titular main character. So what is it about Mob Psycho 100 that fills me with such determination that I feel that I can conquer just about any hurdle that life throws my way?
Off the bat, I can say that Mob Psycho is upfront in the message it’s trying to convey. It’s a show that follows the path of an Esper named Mob-Shigeo who is timid and refuses to coast through life by utilizing his powers and instead takes a humbled and honest approach to dealing with his problems. Despite his intentions however, will he be able to stick to his ideals when he’s faced with an entourage of problems coming from both his otherworldly abilities and the trials/tribulations of being a teenager?
Though Mob is an easy going kid, you might have to consider if he’d still act as humble as he does if he weren’t to have the abilities he does despite his reluctance to use them in his everyday life, and that’s something that I love about this show because it dedicates two episodes to answering this very question. When I say “That’s something that I love about this show” what I’m referring to more specifically is the journey it presents to the audience. Getting gradually introduced to the life of Mob is done seamlessly and paced exquisitely. Seeing how he’s used, duped, treated, and convinced is masterfully done through the use of excellent storyboarding and how each character is uniquely written. For example, the show will present something that Mob can or will not do. This causes the audience to postulate the result if the opposite were true or a scenario where Mob’s morals would be tested and the show will right then and there present Mob the exact dilemma that you thought of in your head. Though each reaction Mob has to a situation is context sensitive, he’s doing his best to stick to his ideals no matter what. Leaving the audience asking themselves whether or not they could hold themselves to a similar degree.
Through the combination of foreshadowing and the slow unveiling of a character’s motivation/ulterior motives, the story never misses a beat and remains thoroughly engaging throughout. Mob’s overly honest blunt nature and demeanor to the characters and situations around him comes off as not only endearing, but also hilarious and at times sad. Mob serves as an excellent proxy for the show challenging the ideals of the audience. Though we all root for Mob to succeed, the show will ask and present the viewers with interesting takes such as: is it always morally justifiable to restrain yourself in a situation where everyone involved would benefit if you didn’t, if you had all the power in the world what would it take to stop you from using said power for ulterior motives, and what’s the point of giving something your all if there’s bound to be someone better than you. Unlike many other anime, Mob Psycho is more focused on showing a character redeeming themselves, no matter how pitiful, instead of treating them as another statistic to the viewer as a warning sign. Coinciding with this show’s theme of honesty are its themes of: redemption, as well as improving yourself and righting your wrongs. And what better way to present these themes than through its characters?
This series might just have the best and most varied assortment of characters in all of anime. I know that is quite the bold statement to make and you might’ve even thought, ”watch more anime” but I declare that this series is able to handle a huge cast and use it to its advantage more than any other shonen. Most other series, especially when it comes to shonen, do have a larger cast than mob psycho, that is true. However these characters often come and go, and it doesn’t take long before the series begins to feel inflated to the point that you wish the story would go back to basics and just focus on the actual main characters. This thankfully, isn’t the case for Mob Psycho. And the best part is, it manages to maintain a hefty main cast without ever feeling bloated. In fact, each time a character is introduced I am delighted to see what spices they’ll bring to the story’s table. From Reigen’s shady but emotionally gripping mentorship of mob, Serizawa finding the will to try his hand again at life after a traumatic event, Teru and Ritsu learning from Mob’s example to better themselves, to the medley of side characters giving the world life and depth far beyond you’d imagine.
What’s more impressive about this show’s cast of characters, is how even a side character that’s not introduced until the very end of the series is given just as much depth and nuance as anyone else from the main cast. For this character study, I’d like to briefly take a deeper look at the aforementioned character arc of Serizawa. With a similar backstory to Mob, but more closely resembling that of a hikkikomori. Do not fret as I will not spoil anything, but I must say that it's seemingly uncommon these days for anime/manga to make a character like Serizawa and to show someone like him improving himself. It was a great way to show how it's not the end of the world for someone who might find themselves in a predicament similar to his and that it’s never too late to change for the better or impossible to do what you want/have to do. Most other shows that have a character like him don't give them a shot at redemption and just use them as a warning sign to viewers. Mob Psycho’s unique brand of optimism shining brightly even in the grim face of reality and intrusive thoughts makes each character’s internal struggle and how they overcome it that much more enthralling to watch unfold.
I briefly mentioned this earlier, but another riveting component of this series is the show’s visuals. Though initially unassuming, especially being that it’s based off the webcomic by the notorious ONE, the visuals left me jawstricken with how it mastered the ability to utilize its unique visual style to enhance the emotional depth of each scene. The scene is uneventful? Then sure, expect visuals that look just as unassuming as the modest scene itself. However even in these calm moments, the demure atmosphere is only enhanced by the show’s atmospheric and ambience filled chic. The scene is full of action? Then expect the complete opposite vibe of the restrained scenes, as the visuals utilize the entire rainbow plus its brother to demonstrate all of Mob’s bottled up emotions finally being let out of their cage. The scene is showing a dramatic scenario? Then the show will change to a widescreen with dull, morose, and a grayscale color theme to amplify the heaviness of interactions characters will have with each other in those moments. On top of that, the show faithfully adapts ONE’s iconic style of this seemingly simple artstyle, yet the adaption manages to strengthen the character’s expressions and make them feel way more dynamic and multifaceted. Yet still succeeding in keeping the source material’s uncomplicated appearance intact. How it’s able to look so marvelous and epic yet simultaneously simple is an accolade unique to this show, and this show alone.
The only other thing that adds to the power of each scene is the show’s soundtrack. Though the OP/ED for both season one and two both rate among my top five anime OP/ED’s of all time, the OST I feel is rather underappreciated when discussing facets of this show that makes it come to life. The soundtrack for both seasons are an amalgamation and blend of video game boss-like synth songs reminiscent of the outrun genre of music, and traditional japanese folk and ambience that add to each scene’s vibe. Of course there are those tracks that always play when Reigen, or Dimple are on screen and do an action unique to them where their distinct boobish tune plays, queueing you in for a moment that’s bound to make you laugh or, at the very least, blow a little extra air out of your nostrils. Overall, the soundtrack is an overlooked aspect of this anime that’s filled with epic boss themes, synthy-smooth and dreary tunes to creep in the dark to, and soothing japanese-folk instrumentals that makes you reminisce over asking out your childhood crush for the first time by a riverbed.
Adding onto the aural department of the show, the voice acting is another area of this show that takes this experience to the next level. Mob, Reigen, and Dimple’s seiyuu in particular give an outstanding and more than convincing performance in their roles as the characters. Sakurai Takahiro is able to evoke Reigen’s false-confidence with so much real confidence that every scene that involved Reigen always amused and engaged me in whatever crazy tactics the character would pull off next. Itou Setsuo manages to give Mob’s stoic demeanor so much life that you are convinced that this kid really isn’t just an emotionless robot, but rather a kid who struggles to restrain all of his powerful emotions. Hearing bits of his excitement when discussing milk or his mild dismay when someone wrongs him, you can always get a sense of his true emotional intent through Itou’s inflection. And lastly, Ootsuka-Akio does a fantastic job giving Dimple this sleazy and scummy attitude, yet retaining just the right amount of gold in his heart that he teeters the line between being untrustworthy and someone you’d be okay indebting your life to. The voice actors are another aspect of this show that don’t nearly get the attention they deserve.
Possibly the most poignant aspect of this series is how it’s able to use its stylized world to convey an optimistic narrative of such magnitude, yet simultaneously, feel rather frank and not full of itself just like Mob himself. So what is it about Mob Psycho 100 that fills me with such determination that I feel that I can conquer just about any hurdle that life throws my way? It’s that your "talents" do not make you vastly superior to others, no one is impressed with your skill in rhythm games or chinese cartoon trivia. There's nothing stronger than the power of raw honesty, admitting to our faults and working on them to improve ourselves and grow as individuals.
The show manages to take dilemmas we face in our mind and our world on a daily basis and presents solutions/growth mindsets to overcome these mental hurdles. With the illusion of said solutions being larger than life, but with the actual solutions being fairly cut and dry. The show’s ability to juxtapose these unhealthy mindsets that plague our society as esper wildebeests with someone as straightforward and honest like Mob instead of some cocky arrogant shounen protagonist is surprisingly refreshing. The way Mob Psycho handles taking on life for what it is, despite what talents or traits he's been born with, is righteously optimistic in a way that fills me with ambition. What Mob does better than any other anime, is that its morals are based around running towards a goal rather than away from its fears.
