Review of Mob Psycho 100 II
As much as I do still love Season 2 of Mob Psycho 100, I rated it an 8/10 due to my issues with its main villain and with its narrative pacing. SPOILER WARNING! While Season 1 focused on the whole "everybody is special and no one is superior" theme, Season 2 started delving into Mob's personal character development -- how his efforts in Season 1 have changed him for the better. This is what makes this season shine because you get to witness how different Mob is here. The once passive blob of a boy has shone into a much more well-rounded individual who takes initiative, assertshis opinions, doesn't allow himself to be stepped on, and looks at people more realistically. His dynamic with Reigen changed subtly because of this. Also, he used to think that under NO circumstances can he hurt anyone with his powers, but sometimes, it's just not enough to be kind to someone. Don't get me wrong because I LOVED this arc in Season 2!
Some other specific, feel-good episodes I loved were (1) the episode where Mob actually DATED someone and lowkey made a move on her with his psychic powers (SOOO CUTEEE!!!) and (2) of course, Reigen's character development episode. Reigen was essentially the same person from start to end of Season 1, but in Season 2 he has transformed into clearly a different person. This episode seriously brought tears to my eyes because we can all somehow relate to Reigen just as much as Mob. Reigen is also a lonely guy who tries to be special, and yet can't seem to become that even as an adult. He has made plenty of mistakes and doesn't have an excuse or valid reason to have done so. But does this mean he is incapable of change and unworthy of friendship? Once again, Mob comes to the rescue and tells him the words he never knew he needed: he is a good person, and that is all that matters.
But okay. As much as I am singing these praises for Season 2, there are two reasons why I gave this season an 8, despite giving Season 1 a 10.
The first is that I did not enjoy the main villain as much as I did with the Scars in Season 1. We already tackled the whole egoistic, man-child perspective in the previous season, so it felt kind of repetitive to me that the boss had the same issue. And while this kind of makes sense, I personally believe that while the hero of a story evolves, so should the villains he faces. I was looking forward to the show tackling a more mature villain or a villain with a completely different perspective, the same way it handled Mob in a different light in this season. However, the only difference between the boss and his underlings is his level of power. While the fight scenes still had incredible animation (perhaps even better than that of Season 1), for me, they lacked the depth that they once had. In addition, is it me or did the Scars suddenly feel under-powered? Koyama was so strong in Season 1, but suddenly he was reduced to "just another ally."
In my opinion, Mogami would have made for a much better final villain for the season instead of being just another roadblock to the finish line. He incorporated a level of tone and darkness that was pretty new to the season, going so far as to show Mob a parallel world and way of thinking that is much more sinister. Because while Mob refuses to use his power for evil, Mogami explains that this is because it makes him "privileged" in a way. If not for his powers, the world would be cruel and unjust to him, which means it isn't wrong to abuse them for the sake of punishing hopeless people. Mogami would have made for a great foil to Mob, since the former started out by helping other people just like Mob, but eventually fell astray.
My second reason for giving the season an 8 is that the pacing was more disorganized compared to Season 1. I felt like Season 2 rushed the Claw arc towards the end when they could have picked up where they left off in Season 1, and gradually made their way to the finish line. I also felt that this season touched a lot of different points and storylines in a way that was confusing for me, especially in the first half. One episode, they talk about how Mob doesn't see a distinction between spirits and humans in terms of dignity, in another, he's battling Mogami using his soul (???), next the Scars conveniently assist Mob's gang, then it's suddenly the final boss fight. While these were all individually satisfactory and Mob's own character development was consistent throughout, for me, the narrative as a whole wasn't. They should have paced it in such a way to have everything make sense by the end. Also, there were no longer depictions of Mob holding in his emotions, building up to a catastrophic blast like in Season 1 when he reached 100%. I wish they had stuck to that initial premise rather than having Mob instantly access full power much more often and easily. As a result, there were times when the fights bored me a little because they felt less epic and nuanced than they used to.
In spite of all this, Season 2 is still such a rare gem, and the series as a whole is just incredible on a whole other level. I just love love this series and I can't wait for Season 3!