Review of Mob Psycho 100 II
Mob Psycho 100 at first view is comical and blatantly simple with the only thing unique about it is it's concept. But let me tell you, Mob Psycho is deeper and much more impactful than it looks. It deals with emotions, life and that fact that no matter how great a person might seem, they have flaws; while even those vilest manipulating, and calculating people can be AND have role models in those they are using and change their toxic characteristics as life goes by. The protagonist, Kageyama Shigeo aka Mob is a below average student with the only thing amazing about him is thathe is an over-powered psychic, too over- powered in fact that he has to control/suppress his emotions so that his psychic powers don't explode and hurt those around him, making him almost emotionless. This just makes him have a poker face almost all the time incapable of expressing emotions to the fullest, and thus a person of zero presence. Many people have a hard time expressing, acknowledging, understanding emotions in reality and I personally believe that those who are in harmony with their emotions are those who are able to completely live their life the way they see fit.
There have been many stories that attempt to be about emotions and its linkage to *special powers* but drift apart as the story progress. But Mob Psycho does a really heart throbbing job in maintaining this. I mean, Psychic powers and emotions? It's a very clichè concept but with the main character, it becomes really unique. Generally in any story, the protagonist is really powerful and when enraged they show their insane dominance over any villain. And Mob Psycho isn't any different, but it deals with every emotion possible: Anger, Sadness, Happiness, Relief,etc.
Mob, though being a pushover he didn't have anyone to talk to, until he comes across Reigen, an emotionally and socially intelligent psychic charlatan with an incredible luck in convincing people he is the real deal with his quirks, that he puts to good use. Reigen openly uses Mob as a psychic to exorcise evil spirits for his own benefits. Mob is shown to see Reigen in a mentor light, who tells him that being an esper is nothing special and is similar to a person who can run fast, or lift or what not.
The story progresses in a way that Mob understands his life and his role in life as a human more than his insane psychic powers or his role as an esper. It is uniquely written because I believe that mostly stories always try to exaggerate the roles only the main character can play while trying to make it look suave by an attribute that anyone can have. Mob Psycho 100 is the exact opposite in that, as the story with its characters including the protagonist himself trying to tell that Mob is amazing because of the person he is and not because of his psychic powers.
From the beginning of season 1 till the ending in season 2, we see the story going around characters rather than the characters going around the story. Every detail shown is important, with even the most comical events being intricately placed to have greater meaning elsewhere. While the first season being entirely to set up the main characters, the second season is entirely to develop them, but not for the sake of the story.
The characters develop as a whole, as a person as in real life, they all try their best understand themselves and mature along with time and life. The first episode in season two attempted to show us what the entire season is going to be about and does more than an amazing job at it.
The art style actually complements what the author probably wanted to convey, with the characters not being flashy; sometimes adding more depth to their personalities, while at the same time making everything comical with it. Comedy serves as an important element in Mob Psycho, it actually dulls down the depth in a good way, making it enjoyable by a wide range of audience. The music blends in too well,l while being rightly placed to not make it too dramatic and show what it is, exactly as it is. It surely is a must watch for people of all sorts, as I am sure everyone can relate with one character or the other, or sometimes all of them, and possibly even help them mature a bit.