Crunchyroll has quickly enjoyed a reputation for, among other offerings, a fairly rich catalog of shonen action anime. While its most popular offerings lately have been more overtly action-packed additions like the latest exciting season of Jujutsu Kaisen or viral new entries like The Elusive Samurai, Mob Psycho 100 proves its best anime exist beyond simply trendy Shonen Jump shows.
Mob Psycho 100, written by ONE of One-Punch Man fame, got a stellar three-season adaptation thanks to the intricate, heavily stylized animation of Bones, with its performances, particularly with a strong English dub led by Kyle McCarley, as a major plus. The anime ended on a emotionally powerful note as it wrapped up its story, making this the perfect time for newcomers to discover it.
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Mob Psycho 100’s corresponding three seasons hold up immensely well. It may not have the visual flair of character designs reflecting Yusuke Murata’s artwork as a template, but nobody will have any trouble admitting that Mob has utterly superior animation on a more consistent basis, proving true years after its 2022 conclusion.
Audiences are already aware of ONE’s excellent writing offsetting his rougher illustrations, the latter often instead oddly kinetic and emotional and reflecting his story-focused writing. Bones’ animation brings this style to life, making it feel utterly unique, with weighty motion and powerful impact, alongside incredible renditions of Mob’s psychic aura, for instance.
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But beyond technical aspects and neat quirks like occasional use of screentones and painterly backdrops to make the anime feel like an eclectic, sentient piece of pop art, it also has a pretty phenomenal story. Very basically, it tells the story of Shigeo “Mob” Kageyama, a teen boy who struggles to keep his psychic abilities from unleashing his destructive potential.
Mob Psycho 100’s Characters Are Relatable & Refreshing
While ONE’s other primary anime adaptation has certainly seen better days, Much like ONE’s other work with Saitama, Mob looks like an average, unassuming youth, who, despite living in a world full of dangerous fellow psychic-powered individuals (“espers”), struggles less in battle with them, and more with self-acceptance and his social life.
The series quickly subverts expectations, using its often comedic scenarios to contrive significant emotional payoff even by season 1’s finale.
Mob is already immensely powerful, but as a human alongside others in an ordinary world, his extraordinary powers don’t paint over his limitations. Fortunately, he surrounds himself with those who nurture his growth throughout the series, with Arataka Reigen standing out especially well, initially seen as a con artist, but inspiring a very real confidence in Mob in the anime.
Nobody is above other humans in this series, and power without emotional maturity or personal growth, is worthless.
Mob encounters rival espers who, despite also being incredibly powerful, pale in comparison to his abilities. Instead of comically dispatching them, typical of ONE’s style, Mob humbles them, be they rivals or outright antagonists. Nobody is above other humans in this series, and power without emotional maturity or personal growth, is worthless.
These realizations come gradually for viewers, and really kick in particularly as they go into season 2 and beyond. Mob Psycho 100 is hailed as one of the greatest anime of all time, after all, and a big part of that is how it portrays breathtaking action, while its greatest appeal ultimately being in seeing how Mob grows more confident in everyday life.
Mob Psycho 100 is a near-perfect series for embodying these strengths and quirks. Despite limitations like rushed pacing of some story arcs near the end, and conflict is resolved a little too neatly and quickly, it’s a top recommendation for good reason, easily hooking viewers in across three seasons and a pair of excellent OVAs no anime fan should skip.
- Release Date
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2016 – 2022
- Network
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Tokyo MX
- Directors
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Katsuya Shigehara, Kenichi Fujisawa, Yohei Shindo, Hiroshi Takeuchi, Tsuyoshi Tobita, Takashi Kawabata, Shohei Miyake, Yoko Kanamori, Toshiyuki Sone, Tomoaki Ohta
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Setsuo Ito
Shigeo ‘Mob’ Kageyama (voice)
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Takahiro Sakurai
Arataka Reigen (voice)