Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Mob Psycho 100 II (2019)


Mob Psycho 100 II is the second season based on the webcomic of the same name.  It is comprised of 13 episodes.  The anime follows Kageyama Shigeo, also known as Mob.  He has extremely powerful psychic powers but does not abuse them at all.  Although he is only a high school student, he has trouble interacting with other people.  In the first season, he had gained followers who created a cult dedicated to him, as well as becoming the shadow leader of the school.  This means he's surrounded with trusty backup who can help him since he is too timid (or indifferent) to stop others from teasing or bullying him.  The cult shows up from time to time, trying to locate Mob and it seems like they might be important but it never culminates into anything this season.


Mob works part-time at a psychic exorcist shop, owned by Reigen.  Reigen is Mob's master but he is all talk and doesn't have any significant psychic power himself.  Reigen can be somewhat annoying at times since he spouts too much rubbish but he does also have plenty of starring moments.  Like the first season, Mob has a % counter which represents his emotions.  He's most powerful once it hits 100%.  This makes sense since he suppresses his emotions most of the time.  The counter is less obnoxious here as it doesn't constantly pop up.


A lot of the humor comes from Reigen's antics and Mob's indifference.  The best part is watching Mob when he uses his powers since everyone always underestimate him, yet we, as the viewers, know that he is by far the most powerful psychic.  There are some really random moments where the characters or the spirits do something completely unexpected and this is part of the series' charms.  It defies your expectations during scenes where it appears to follow the typical tropes and structure of anime but then comes up with something completely out of the blue.  It works extremely well.


Th season is somewhat episodic at first and can be hard to get into.  Each episode has the characters exorcise a different spirit.  Some of the spirits' designs and powers are creepy.  They meet various other characters as clients or helpers but they don't really turn in later episodes.  This is a story of Mob's journey and how his interactions with others have started to change him for the better.  Not only does Mob change, but Reigen does too.  Reigen may be a hypocrite at times when dealing with Mob but at his core, the pair cares for each other and understand how the other works.  There's an unexpected event midway through the season.  This story arc emphasizes Mob and Reigen's relationship with how it has grown and is truly genuine.


The anime has frequent art shifts.  The default one is a unique simple-ish cartoon style but still contains plenty of details.  The animation quality during certain action scenes with the shifting and arcing camera angles makes it dynamic and great to watch.  The season can be separated into two parts.  The first half is a slice-of-life with Mob trying hard, building up his stamina and hoping to impress his crush before asking her out.  It lulls you into a false sense of security and then hits you with a wham episode in the second half of the season.  It has a heavy impact and completely sucks you in.  The tone changes significantly and shifts the focus to defeating a major villain.


The second half results in an arc that's more cohesive than anything before.  It's filled with heaps of action as well as showing more psychic powers.  There are some fantastic fight scenes that's fast paced and dynamic.  We get a great sense of camaraderie between Mob and all the other characters that he had befriended.  If you're waiting for Mob to show up and completely dominate the villains, then it might disappoint you.  That being said, we do get to see Mob unleash his full power and the ending is still within the theme of the series, that is, Mob is kind and he wants to help others.


Overall, Mob Psycho 100 II is a great anime.  The first half can be a bit slow but it picks up significantly in the second half, leading to an ending that feels like an adrenaline rush.  Mob and Reigen significantly develops as characters and to top it all off, there are some brilliantly exciting fight scenes that serves as a highlight.

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