Review of Mob Psycho 100 II

Mob Psycho 100 II follows in the footsteps of its antecedent in having terrible comedy, uninteresting battles, and fatuous characters. Mob-kun is essentially a younger, non-bald version of Saitama with none of the “charming” qualities that would allow the viewer to become engrossed with his various escapades. Situational comedy typically originates from Mob’s lack of self-awareness, in conjunction with the manipulative nature of the self-proclaimed “Greatest Psychic of the 21st Century” (i.e. Arataka Reigen) who frequently employs “special moves” that are intended to be hilarious, but, more often than not, are puerile absurdities that involve copious amounts of — hypertension-inducing — sodium chloride.Nevertheless, Reigen might be the lone bright spot in an otherwise prosaic show. His unjustified confidence, matched with his unabashed approach toward solving impossible problems elicited intermittent moments of laughter. Not the type of laughter that would knock one out of their chair, but the mere fact that he had the cojones to throw a punch at Toichiro Suzuki (an immensely powerful Esper, whom Reigen had no chance of defeating) was quite entertaining. But no singular moment is entertaining enough to qualify as “LOL” material.

Almost every aspect of Mob Psycho 100 II follows a conventional pattern that can be seen in an assortment of other anime. A short list of commonalities should aid in exemplifying this point: 1) the extravagant battle sequences evoke comparisons with the absurdities of Kill la Kill, 2) Mob is exceptionally OP with dormant powers, similar to numerous main protagonists (Naruto, Gon, Lelouch, Saitama, Kirito, the list could go on for days), 3) Mob is a “nice” guy — which, as it turns out, meant “foolish, stupid, or senseless” in the 13th century — which is why Reigen takes advantage of him, much is the same fate as other other MC’s, 4) A “monster of the week” approach is used where a new, “invincible” foe is introduced and subsequently defeated by the end of each episode, and 5) plot armor is used heavily to prevent the defeat of Mob, due to him being the requisite main character of the series. Thus, as one can plainly see, Mob Psycho 100 II is rather standard-fare, which is reminiscent of similarly themed shows.

Akira used psychic powers in the late 1980’s. Lelouch, from Code Geass, used the power of Geass (a psychic power) to willingly control his subject’s actions. The method in which the psychic powers are being utilized in Mob Psycho are certainly distinct, but it’s nothing that hasn’t been explored in the past. Furthermore, because Mob Psycho was created by ONE — the same author who wrote One Punch Man — the character designs, jokes, and overall story-telling method are nearly identical. Making the use of psychic powers a flipping of the script, in a manner of speaking; as Saitama is 100% strength-oriented with no psychic/supernatural ability, whereas Mob is 100% psychic-oriented with no strength/speed.

In either case, both assumptions are — likely! — incorrect. Mob Psycho is not enjoyable (they even botched the OP for season 2) and the probability that Mob is in fact Blast, is slim to none. If the viewer wishes to delude themselves into thinking otherwise, then that’s their prerogative. But rest assured, Mob Psycho II is bottom of the barrel, trite entertainment masquerading as an unparalleled deconstruction of the superhero genre.