Mob Psycho Anime Review

AKA: Mobu Saiko Hyaku, モブサイコ100

Genre: Supernatural, Comedy, Action

Studio: Bones

Episodes: 25 + 1 OVA

Seasons: 2

*I will focus on the particular version of the topic I’m reviewing, for example; Mob Psycho 100 Manga may get a different score from the anime if I feel the adaptation of the manga wasn’t a good representation of the manga or if it’s a video game turned anime and vice versa. The manga may score high but the anime may score low or the video game may score high but I may score the anime low if I feel like the anime didn’t really do it justice, make sense? Alright, let’s get into iiitttttt.

Do you love psychics? Do you have an interest in the supernatural? Does your heart skip a beat when you witness “bad” art styles? Then you’ve come to the right place! Today’s review comes from one of my favorite shows, that I was finally able to get into myself, Mob Psycho 100. I had seen this show for years and years but never sat down and took the time to watch it. I also had the idea that for some reason I thought it was super long but it was only like 25 episodes so I went through it pretty quickly ☹️ but it was a fun time.

Production comes in from Bones, which if you aren’t familiar with their work you’ve been living under a rock or this is your first anime. Bones is responsible for the likes of; Wolf’s Rain, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Soul Eater, Eureka 7, Bungo Stray Dogs, My Hero Academia, etc. They have a lot of great shows under their belt so it wasn’t a question of quality for me. I will say one of the constant complaints I have seen about Bones is that they tend to not be great when it comes to pacing their shows, which I will say sometimes I can see that but it’s not a HUGE deal breaker for me. I still think they did a wonderful job with Mob Psycho.

Mob Psycho 100 is centered around the protagonist Shiego Kageyama, who goes by “Mob” because he lacks presence and is more of a “background character.” What’s so great about him is that his looks are very deceiving. He looks like a typical, ordinary character but he is actually a strong esper and has psychic powers that could probably rival my boy Saiki K (I don’t know though, Kusuo can kinda do anything but that’s another discussion), anywho, he’s really strong but he has trouble controlling his powers.

Thus, enter the greatest master of all time, Reigen Arataka. He’s actually a con-man who Mob visits when he’s younger to basically vent his feelings about his lack of control over his abilities and Reigen basically sees an opportunity to mentor him. He’s also a self-proclaimed psychic but has the psychic ability of a potato. The series is basically Mob trying to get through life but of course trouble follows him and finds him wherever he goes.

What I love about the show is the comedy, it’s my type of funny, and the characters. Mob is amazing as the main character. I related to him because I’ve been told too many times that I don’t really have a presence, not in a particularly insulting way but just in the ‘by the way I can never tell when you’re there, you just blend in with the wallpaper’ way, and I don’t really disagree. I’ve never thought I’ve particularly stood out or anything and I didn’t think I was special in any sort of way so I always just felt like I was ‘there’ in places, you know?

That’s one of the things I picked up from Mob. He didn’t really seem bothered by the fact that he didn’t stand out but while meeting new people and having different experiences, he actually always stood out from his peers but not in the way one would think. He was just the one that stood out because he didn’t stand out.

He wasn’t the loudest or the biggest. He wasn’t the most outlandish or had the biggest personality in the room but you knew he wasn’t like the rest because of his ability to not stand out.

Reigen is a whole scammer and I love him for it! A lot of Mob’s development would not have happened if it weren’t for this man and that to me is so funny. I don’t think he intentionally means to actually be helpful, he’s really just trying to make money and use Mob but lucky for him, Mob sees him as his ‘Master’ and friend. I loved their progression as master and student as well because there does come a point where we learn that Mob and Reigen go hand in hand like PIZZA AND PINEAPPLES (Yeah, I said it)

Pros:

Art Style – It’s not super clean or perfect but it does stand out and grabs your attention and the fight scenes were beautifully animated.
Catchy Opening and Ending Songs – Both seasons knocked it out of the park for me but season one’s opening is my favorite of them both. The counting and the animation of the opening theme = *chef’s kiss*
The characters – I know fan favorites are probably Mob and Reigen, which don’t get me wrong I love them too, but I also love some of the supporting characters and villains (once you get to know me you’ll find out that I am a villains girl all the way! I LOVE a good evil antagonist).
Plot – It’s nothing complex or complicated, it’s really easy to follow and it’s not drawn out or annoyingly long. It’s actually pretty simple; loveable and naïve main character with monstrous powers looks to overcome his wallpaper-like personality and also there’s some evil villains who want to take over the world, real easy to understand.

Cons:

Length – Now I know I said I did enjoy how the show wasn’t drawn out or super long just for the purpose of being long, however, I would have preferred if season 2 was a little longer than what they gave us. I felt like the whole story surrounding the Claw organization did go by a little too fast. I also would have loved to see some more fight scenes between the captives and claw, but I suppose because they weren’t that strong yet they were no match. Maybe we’ll see them grow in the next season?

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t have much complaints for the show other than that and I don’t really have suggestions on what could have improved. I do think the show is fine the way it is but maybe I’ll have some complaints when the next season airs? (I kinda hope not).

Conclusion:

Mob Psycho 100 is definitely a must watch! I have heard time and time again that if you enjoy One Punch Man, you’ll pretty much enjoy this as well. Granted, I didn’t really get into OPM (I will try again though) but I can see the comparisons (also if you’re a fan of this AND OPM, you might enjoy reading Mashle who is basically their love child on steroids, but again another time for that). If you love silliness with a touch of good story, this show is for you. Some people don’t like the art style, which is a valid critique, but I think it compliments the show well. All that being said, it’s time to give my rating and, no surprise here, Mob Psycho has earned itself:

🍙🍙🍙🍙🍙

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