Although ‘One-Punch Man’ is possibly his best-known work, ONE has also left us a “little brother” for Saitama with ‘Mob Psycho 100’, a manga that mixes paranormal events, ridiculous humor and action in equal parts.
logically the anime series It did not take too long to be released, although it has been arriving in small doses and with enough space between seasons. But yes, it has been a wait that has been totally worth it.
Welcome to Aliño City
In this case we also have a very, very powerful protagonist, although he wishes he had a more normal and peaceful life. Shigeo Kageyamaalso know as “Mob“, is a teenager with impressive psychic powers who tries to control his emotions as much as possible so that his abilities do not get out of control. This has made him a very introverted and reserved child, who practically does not relate to anyone.
The big exception is Reigen Arataka, a swindler who poses as a psychic and has Mob hired by two Duros to help him perform exorcisms and eliminate spirits he can’t even see. Although Mob strives to maintain control in his day to day life, sometimes things pile up for him until the emotions are too strong and he unleashes his overwhelming powers.
This anime is, first and foremost, Mob’s story. and how little by little it grows before our eyes. Maybe not so much physically, but thanks to everything she is going to experience and to all the people who join her during the series. he becomes a very different person, and for the better.
It is a witty and funny anime, with a very well measured humor but also not afraid to get intense and dramatic. Each season combines the day to day of Mob and Reigen dealing with different cases and dealing with all kinds of spirits with a perfect tone of slice-of-life… Until secret organizations, megalomaniacal spirits and psychics come in with a desire to dominate the world.
Sometimes this change is too forced, because it literally seems that we went from going to buy bread to an attack, and such a sharp turn in pace and register is one of the few things that can be blamed on the series.
‘Mob Psycho 100’ is a peculiar series, in the best sense of the word, with a very defined personality and that it gives me the feeling that either you enter the game and love it or maybe you will never get hooked.
Although they seem normal at first, their cast of characters are a festival of subjects of all kinds with character designs that have nothing to envy to those of ‘JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure’. And no matter how strange they may seem, each one with its own peculiarities, the characters are what make the anime grow, and also Mob. Because quickly the beat guys from the bodybuilding club become the best colleagues you could wish for, and Reigen becomes a father figure that many would like to have around.
All this carnival ends up giving life to a city where psychics are the most normal thing in the world, school marathons, urban legend hunts, and a giant broccoli out of nowhere.
And continuing with the peculiarities, To talk about ‘Mob Psycho 100′ is to talk about Bones’ animation, whom we know better from ‘Boku no Hero Academia’ but who do not leave anything in the inkwell with this series. Still maintaining the drawing style of ONE’s manga, they manage to find a very good balance by giving an organic touch to animationwith very fluid movements and vibrant colors that also end up giving the anime all its distinctive features.
In the quieter moments the animation holds up very well, but when Shigeo fully unleashes his powers it’s an explosion of color, lines and lights that makes you dizzywith animators who are not afraid of perspective and its limits.
Looking to the future
The third season of the anime has just been released and we can see it along with the rest of the series through Crunchyroll, with a new chapter every week.
Without giving you spoilers, this season already has a little farewell aftertaste, at least with its first episode. Looking back, many things have changed since the beginning of the series and we have been seeing how Shigeo has grown a lot emotionally. He used to be a very withdrawn child who barely expressed himself, and now he has been freeing himself from the crutches he had put on himself and is daring more and more to come out of his shell.
The first episode of the new season also has a slightly introspective tone, with Shigeo trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life through a quiz for school, and realizing what all she doesn’t want from her future.
Neither he nor we (well, those who keep the manga up to date yes, but shhh) know what the future holds, but Shigeo has been becoming a more self-confident person. and that little by little he is disassociating himself from his work with Reigen, and it has been a real pleasure to see all this growth journey he’s done through the entire series.
But if we thought that this season was going to be quiet, the trailer also anticipates that there will be a lot of action, perhaps an unexpected villain… And drama, a lot of drama.