I recall being excited a few years ago when Mob Psycho 100 was revealed as the latest anime to be adapted from the manga of enigmatic creator, ONE, a man many would recognize as the brains behind the brilliant One Punch Man. As a major fan of One Punch Man, I had to temper my expectations for this fresh new series with its comedy that parodied the conventional shonen clichés while reveling in some of the genre’s most heart-pounding action and high-level animation. It simply captivated me from the start. It was ridiculous to expect more of the same and too much from this series (especially since a different studio was in charge). So I kept my expectations low in order to give it a fair go; yet, I learned that Mob Psycho 100 was more than simply a simple swap of psychically enhanced espers for superheroes. Yes, there’s enough familiarity to keep fans of ONE’s earlier work interested, but it’s the new aspects and a distinct visual style and sound that win us over.
Mob Psycho 100 covers the daily lives of eighth-grader Shigeo Kageyama, or “Mob” as he is often known. “Mob” means “background character,” which is suitable given the character’s humdrum demeanor; his design is fairly plain, with no flair, and he sports the always fashionable bowl cut. Even in terms of personality, the vast majority of the time he is extremely restrained, blank, and expressionless. Appearances can be deceiving, and much like Saitama in ONE’s previous work, whose unassuming form concealed tremendous strength, Mob’s inconspicuous exterior conceals perhaps the world’s strongest psychic talent. Unlike Saitama, who wanted to test the limits of his power and find challenges, Mob wants to keep his power under control so that he does not harm others around him. This is represented by the number “100” in the title, which signifies a counter visible throughout the series that increases from 0 to 100, with the increasing number indicating Mob’s developing stress. The number 100 indicates his inevitable emotional collapse, which results in the hallucinogenic release of his psychic powers.
It all seems serious, but with ludicrous hijinks along the way, such as ghost bikers and ridiculous cults, among other weird incidents, poor, earnest Mob is constantly out of his depth. The negative to this approach is that the pacing may not be suitable for some, however it did not bother me. Due to the series’ larger events only occuring when the counter reaches 100 (which does not happen once per episode), some viewers who are not won over by the series’ humour may feel this build is too long.