“99.9” by MOB CHOIR feat. sajou no hana
There is a phenomenon that happens, where your expectations for a premiere are so high that you worry (sometimes with cause) that it can’t possibly live up to them. And that disappointment is a very hollow feeling when it comes. But somehow with Mob Psycho 100 II my expectations lapped that concern and left it in the dust, because I had absolute confidence – no matter what my expectations were, this premiere was going to be great. There’s just too much quality in every facet of the jewel for that not to be the case – source, studio, director, staff, cast. I was never worried for a second (and for me, that’s pretty goddam rare).
I’ll be honest – I probably should be worried, because my expectations are freakishly high. The first series would almost surely have been my #1 show if it had aired in 2018 (that it was #4 in 2016 is just a testament to how good that year was), and there’s every reason to expect this one will be better. All of the key personnel are back in place – most crucially genius director Tachikawa Yuzuru – but with the addition of renowned animator and Tachikawa collaborator Kameda Yoshimichi as chief animation director (the first time he’s accepted that role for any series). We’ll be seeing ONE’s manga through some of its strongest material too – and by all accounts, it’s brilliant.
I actually found myself putting off this premiere for most of the day (a day off for me) just because I knew I’d only have the experience of savoring my anticipation for this series once. It was well worth the wait, of course – the best premiere so far even with as great as Dororo was, and I’ll be shocked if it’s not the best of the season in the end. Like all great anime directors. Tachikawa-sensei understands and respects the importance of intra-episodic pacing – each ep is a self-contained narrative journey, a steady build, and the B-part is always always the half that floors you. So it was here – but in ways I would say were somewhat surprising.
As he did with the series premiere (where he intentionally adapted two chapters which come much later in the manga), Tachikawa starts us off with a somewhat gag-driven Mob-Reigen sequence. This time around it’s only half the episode, though, and there are elements of some importance lurking here. Among them, I would judge, was the eye-opening experience Mob-kun has of manipulating living things – in this case vines, but who’s the say once the principle has been applied, it has to stop there? Exorcising a spirit haunting an amateur farmer’s field is no real challenge for Mob, but it’s a good re-acquaintance with he and Reigen – and a reminder of just how overpowered Mob is.
The paradoxical side of these two central characters is at the heart of Mob Psycho 100 to be sure. Reigen is a swindler, a scam artist, sometimes a buffoon – but he’s also incredibly ballsy, quite noble in his way and absolutely the guiding light in Mob’s life. As for Mob, well… Mob-kun is such a good boy it just breaks my heart, yet he’s also probably the most dangerous person in the world. One can imagine someone less kind and humble than Mob having his powers, and be terrified – but just as much, one can imagine what Mob’s life might be like if he didn’t have to contend with the burden of those powers he didn’t ask for. That’s where Reigen’s guidance comes in, and that’s a strong and recurring theme throughout the story.
Back at school (and beyond) we touch base with many of the faces from the first season – the Body Improvement Club, the student council president Kamuro-kun, the Occult Research Club. There’s also Ichi-san, who’s now part of the Mob cult the “Psycho Helmet Religion” – milking it for everything she’s worth, hiding that she knows the “missing founder” Mob and planning to use that knowledge to her maximum benefit at just the right moment. As for Kamuro, he’s decided to resign as president over the false accusations scandals Mob confronted him with – and that gives Ichi just the excuse (to help him impress Tsubomi-chan) she needs to push Mob-kun down a course she thinks will help him become the person she can triumphantly reveal to her fellow cultists as their dear leader.
What follows is, out of left field, an emotional wrecking ball (and we’re only in week one). Mob running for seitoukaichou is of course a disaster – he freezes during the assembly and becomes the first student ever not to utter a single word during his allotted 5 minutes of speech time (in fact, Kamuro has planned all along to throw himself on the mercy of the school and be re-elected – which he is). But an unexpected benefit seemingly results from it – responding to a note in his shoe locker, Mob meets Emi (Matsui Eriko), who says she was struck by his courage in confronting his fears and getting on-stage, and confesses.
All I can say is, the world just doesn’t deserve Mob-kun. He declines of course (though we don’t find that out immediately), but still spends the next week with Emi (walking home with her, then coming back to school for Body Improvement Club) so as not to hurt her feelings. Mob could never accept a confession knowing he’s in love with someone else (Tsubomi) but he could never hurt someone who confessed to him, either. What makes this truly heartbreaking is that it turns out (I had a feeling it would) that Emi asked him out on a dare from her friends. Even this still isn’t enough to turn Mob against her, though – and Emi realizes that the joke is on her, because Mob comes closer to seeing the real her than any of her so-called friends has. That whole sequence with the torn-up novel is both gut-wrenching and uplifting (and of course, gorgeously executed).
What can I say that won’t sound like gushing? Not much, because this was all, in a word, great. The OP and ED (even the eyecatches) weren’t forgotten either, mind you – they were also stellar, as was the acting (Ohtsuka Akio doing comedy is A-OK with me, and him being in both my favorite shows of the season so far? Score!). Bones is pulling no punches with the animation, and Tachikawa is for me the single most brilliant director of his generation (yes, edging out even Matsumoto Rie) – all of his visual flourishes are tasteful and in-the-moment. That’s nine paragraphs for a premiere and truthfully I could easily write nine more, but I don’t need to – you saw it for yourselves. As an anime fan I spend my days waiting for that rare generational classic show to come along, a few times a year if we’re really lucky – and we’re watching one play out in front of our eyes in Mob Psycho 100 II.
“Memosepia (メモセピア)” by sajou no hana
Miyu Fan
January 8, 2019 at 9:02 pmMob Psycho’s second season was the most anticipated series for me and this episode still blown me away. I totally love the new OP, Yuzuru Tachikawa has a way with his OP that I like (Death Parade OP is still a favourite of mine).
Unfortunately I think this is a one cour series because the cast has already finished recording it. With the number of episodes still unconfirmed, I hope it’s a split cour series rather than a wait for third season.
Guardian Enzo
January 8, 2019 at 9:05 pmI may be wrong, but wouldn’t 1 cour be enough to fully adapt what’s left of the manga?
sonicsenryaku
January 8, 2019 at 10:06 pmNo it wouldn’t be; although it would mean that the cour would end at a very VERY strong point within the mob psycho narrative; one that in isolation, has a lot of finality to it as a season closer. Hell, back when i was following the manga, i had at one point thought that we had reached the finale of the manga when i was reading the arc that would be closing of this season of mob psycho. That being said, we absolutely need 2 cours to complete the manga
Guardian Enzo
January 8, 2019 at 10:10 pmOK, well – good to know, thanks. I know Bones is blowing through a lot of budget on this show, so I’m not making any assumptions about another cour after this one, but I’m happy to get whatever we get.
sonicsenryaku
January 9, 2019 at 12:56 amYea me as well, but it would be so satisfying to see the rest of mob psycho adapted by this year. There’s a special feeling you get when watching a banger of an anime that runs for 24 eps, you know? I just want the momentum of this precious story to be carried all the way to the end because like I’ve been telling you, it’s a hell of a ride and that’s no hyperbole. That being said, if we only get 12 eps this year (which might be the case considering Bones has two shows lined up for April release: Shinichiro Watanabe’s Carol and Tuesday and Bungou stray dogs S3), while it’ll be a bummer, I’ll be a happy camper as S2, especially in terms of it’s scale, is going to blow people away.
When you have the president of an anime production studio not only heavily involved in a show’s animation production, but is absolutely candid about his passion for a series, you know you’ve got something special. When you have the chief animation director, the legendary Yoshimichi Kameda, saying to people: “you haven’t seen the good parts yet” of a show he’s already enthusiastic about, you know you’ve got something special. When you have Takumi Sunakahora, a highly prestigious animator tell you that out of his entire animation career, one of his most proudest works is his efforts on mob psycho II ep 5, that’s when you know you’ve got something special. Which speaking of, I know EXACTLY the reason why Takumi would be proud of that particular ep; I’m pretty sure that’s the point in the arc we are currently in that shit really goes down and most people reading the manga realized that indeed, Mob Psycho 100 was and is, THE SHIT!! And if the shots from the second pv are any indication of what ep 5 is going to be like, then hot fucking damn; bones knows how to work the fucking shaft. Like i said before, get ready to make some space in your favorite anime of all time catalog when MP 100 is fully adapted because it is for me one of the best coming of age stories in manga and in any medium period. It profoundly captures what it means to find purpose and emotional maturity during adolescence in a way few stories ever do. Strap in buddy.
Guardian Enzo
January 9, 2019 at 8:56 amI don’t need convincing, believe me. But Bones has definitely taken the “do it right or not at all” approach with MP100, and as a result, I worry that with its modestly good but not great sales what might otherwise have been a profitable series is losing money. That’s why I don’t think a full adaptation is a given.
As for Minami and Bones passion for this project, I saw it first hand when he was at A/X introducing the first two eps. The only thing I could compare it to is the way Horikawa Kenji (ironically I saw him speak at that same A/X) and PA Works feel about Uchouten Kazoku. You get the feeling they’d do whatever it takes to see that whole series animated even if it loses them money.
King Wombo Jr
January 9, 2019 at 1:29 pmOut of curiosity, do you happen to have a link to Takumi saying episode 5 is one of his most proudest works?
King Wombo Jr
January 8, 2019 at 10:13 pmOh no, there are four major arcs left, three the length of, if not longer than, the first season’s claw arc (so around 4-6 episodes each).
Then there are a bunch of small, though significant arcs that could take up their own episode as well.
A single cour won’t do it unless they severely rushed/cut down the source material, butchering it in the process, which I really can’t see such passionate adaptors doing.
Miyu Fan
January 8, 2019 at 10:17 pmI haven’t read the manga yet, but I have seen manga readers said 2 cours series is needed to properly adapt the rest of manga. There are also still no confirmation that the last story arc is going to be animated from the promo materials and the OP.
So yeah with the anime staff are being silent on the episodes count for the second season or whether they are adapting until the end of manga, I predict there’s another season or a movie in works. Or maybe they will squeeze everything in one cour.
BigFire
January 9, 2019 at 6:10 amThe manga ended at chapter 101 back in 2017. So they should have a clear idea on how the story will end. Thus far the OP is showing the World Domination Arc, which may well take up the whole Winter season.
Guardian Enzo
January 9, 2019 at 8:50 amI think the latter is very unlikely indeed – no adaptation for the final arcs is a greater risk than cramming everything into this cour. There’s too much TLC being put into this adaptation for that to happen.
This show is so good I’m just not going to agonize too much over it. Relish what we get and hope for the best. Also, I’m kind of desperate to see the next Tachikawa original too.
DauntingOverlord
January 9, 2019 at 1:18 amWhat a great episode. Made me real happy to see Mob back.
Orion Taylor
January 9, 2019 at 7:22 amI’ve been waiting so long to see the ripped novel scene be animated. I was not disappointed. I want to say more, but spoilers obviously.
Delia
January 9, 2019 at 2:30 pmAfter years and years of tsundere significant other nonsense, last season gave us Sakuta. This season, Mob. Nice guys who can be friends with the females around them, make mistakes yet recover, and make outstanding gestures of kindness-not-romantically-motivated. This may get wider audiences for anime.
Kurik
January 10, 2019 at 12:20 amIt was indeed a good episode and glad it back. Curious though and apologies if this has been covered before, but did Tsubomi already know that Mob was an esper? She didn’t seem surprised at the end of the episode when he put the book back together.
Orion Taylor
January 10, 2019 at 12:23 amYes, it is shown at the beginning of the series that Tsubomi was only briefly impressed by Mob’s powers when they were children, and quickly stopped caring about them after he revealed his powers to her. That experience was one of several greatly shaped Mob’s attitude towards his own powers.
Guardian Enzo
January 10, 2019 at 7:27 amAnd towards Tsubomi, I would argue.
Orion Taylor
January 10, 2019 at 8:07 amMost definitely.
Orion Taylor
January 10, 2019 at 3:53 pmHey Enzo, do you know who voice the lead mean girl who ripped up the novel? I have a sneaking suspicion that it’s Aoi Yuuki (who coincidentally voice Clementine in Overlord, a character that looks very similar to the mean girl), but it hasn’t been posted on MAL yet.
Guardian Enzo
January 10, 2019 at 5:32 pmNot sure. I find ANN to be faster and more accurate when it comes to seiyuu credits than MAL, but they haven’t posted that role as of yet.
Yukie
January 14, 2019 at 12:32 amWasn’t expecting to ship two characters so hard from just the premiere, not to mention in Mob Psycho 100.
kiwi
January 14, 2019 at 2:33 pmas a manga reader, i am ECSTATIC about what is to come. This is going to be one wild ride!
and answering some people’s questions about remaining source material: If bones were to adapt the entire manga in this one cour, it would feel rushed and incomplete, no doubts about it. Although I was quite satisfied with the pacing of the premiere, and I have trust in the production staff that they did the right thing for mp100.
even if this season isn’t a complete adaptation, the manga is still out there, in all its amazing glory. (ONE’s artistic skills have certainly increased over the run of mp100!)
So yeah, this season is going to be awesome, and even if it’s not a complete adaptation, im glad for every second of mp100 that we can get!