Another week, another episode of Mob Psycho, though this week is a little different. Last time was all action and comedy. This time, Mob Psycho takes a more somber, character driven tone, and I love it. So that said, let’s dive in!
Like I said, this week Mob Psycho was much more subdued than previous episodes. There were very few flashy lights or pretty sequences, instead focusing almost entirely on Mob’s character development. Since Reigen is with Mob virtually all the time, it also helps build his character as well. A sort of 2 for 1 deal. Personally, I loved it. It really helps Mob Psycho be more than just another Shounen series. This character focus makes the action sequences mean so much more, especially since the biggest ones are tied to Mob’s emotional state. Gives it a depth that other series can’t reach. With all that said though, how about we hop into some specifics now?
Mobs character growth was a treat to see. In the first episode we see him learn about being more open. Now we see him start trying to apply this to his day to day life. Voicing his opinions and standing up for his beliefs more. So quiet was he before that Reig2n comments on it directly, with how much Mob is talking. They aren’t invalid or petty questions either. But rather questioning the morals of what they are doing. For instance, I found his concern over the curse to be an interesting question. Like a reverse placebo effect. The man believes he cursed someone, Reig2n let him think he did something bad. Could they not have stopped that, helped him? Convinced him it was wrong? Perhaps changed him for the better? Mob is starting to show concern for other people, or atleast vocalize it.
The follow up for this is Mob worrying about he, himself, turning evil. Using his powers for evil. This ties in with all of the stories this week, from the curse to the stalker, to the very end. In particular it connects to the spirit family, whom he had unlimited power over, and was being told to basically destroy. I find this interesting because it ties back into Mobs initial focus of improving himself in the Body Improvement Club. That psychic powers don’t make him special. What was basically the central theme of the entire first season. I like that, directly before this spirit family, Mob Psycho directly hits on this with the 2 bullies trying to shake him down for his money. Everyone tells Mob to stand up for himself, but Mob is so strong, he is afraid what will happen. It’s great setup.
Meanwhile, Reigen was simultaneously part of the problem, and the solution. In his quest for more work, he started taking on questionable work. Turns out, bringing and relying on a middle schooler for your main job has some unintended consequences. But like always, Reigen and his knack for people figured this out. I love that he put Mob before the job, though it is still scummy that he took the money. Still, he recognized that Mob sees the world differently with his psychic powers. To him spirits are just as real and valid as people, and so some jobs might be more complex than others. It’s great, even if Mob doesn’t quite realize it himself. Having already read the original webcomic past this point though, let’s just say these rifts are more relevant than one might think.
As far as the spirit goes, considering Mob Psycho is a Shounen, I wasn’t expecting how that went down. I knew, as a webcomic reader, but even back then I wasn’t expecting how it would go. Namely, how Dimple’s conversation with the father went. In typical Shounen, the spirit would have given in, Mob would have a bombastic fight, and feel bad about it later. Mob Psycho though flips that on its head, with the spirit standing by its non-violence, how it can’t do that infront of its child. Not only does this hit Mob hard, really contributing to him seeing himself like the bullies from earlier in the episode, but it hit me hard to. This powerless spirits, begging Mob to let them live peacefully. Its a somber scene, compared to Mobs regular visual dynamism.
Lastly, we have the ever present percentile number, growing just a bit larger. In the first series, this was basically a countdown to the next big sakugao moment. I suspect it will be the same here, but Season 2 has already had some gorgeous sequences. It makes me wonder just how far Bones is going to go this time. It also ties to a specific emotion, usually connected to the previous few episodes themes. Based on the past 3 episodes of Mob Psycho, the current emotion is going to be tied to his fear of becoming evil. Makes you wonder what could push him over that line for that particular topic, doesn’t it?
All in all, while this episode was much more subdued and contained no big animation segments, I still loved it. Mob Psycho builds its characters so well, that just seeing them talking is engaging. How many other series do you have the lead questioning that they are to strong? That are worried about becoming a bully, about what would happen if they were the bad guy? I’m sure they are out there, and I am sure they are probably above average because of this care for detail. Simply put, Mob Psycho cares for its characters, and this makes me care. Mob is our beautiful bowl haircut headed boy and I can’t wait to see where he goes. However much suffering that might lead to.
