Watching 'Mob Psycho 100 II'

Mob Psycho 100 II is the 2019 sequel series to Mob Psycho 100, which aired in the summer of 2016. Both seasons are directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa, who also directed Death Parade, and was the assistant director of Terror in Resonance. Like season one, the show was produced by the renowned studio Bones. Mob Psycho 100 is based off of one of the webmanga that is created by One, the man behind One Punch Man. The manga ran from 2012 to 2017, a story that is told across 109 chapters, and 16 volumes. The second season consists of thirteen episodes.

The story revolves around the high school student, Shigeo Kageyama, or as he is known, Mob, who works as a part timer for Reigen Arataka. Mob is someone who lacks confidence in himself, and tries his best to hide his emotion as a result of an event from his past, an event where he lost control of his psychic power, as a result of his emotions, and unintentionally hurting his brother. Now, instead of using his immense power to get by, he chooses to improve his body and character to make himself a better person. Along the way he meets various groups of colourful characters, and gets into misadventures while fighting an international group of psychics bent on world domination.

The narrative picks up where the first season ends, tying up loose ends from the first season while setting up the second season at the same time. The structure of the second season is very similar to the first, starting with episode-long mini adventures, and before long, treading on multi episode arcs of increasing length till the finale of the show.

The show introduces a handful of new characters, however the main cast revolves around those that were introduced in the first season. While the narrative of the first season had a lot of comedy in it alongside some dramatic elements to the characters, the second season leaned more towards the dramatic, exploring the emotions, and the growth of the characters, while the humour is pushed to the rear slightly.

The animation, just as it is with the first season, is fantastic. While it may not be aesthetically pleasing, it is effective. It manages to use many different styles without breaking the believability of the show, while on the whole maintaining consistency of tone in an interesting manner. The characters are incredibly expressive, and the gestures are fantastically animated giving the entire show an energy that is not present in anime with conventional art styles. The show as a whole is a treasure trove of sakuga, especially when it comes to the action set pieces.

The characters, old and new, are all fantastic. Seeing them work off of each other is fantastic. The development, and the progression all the characters go through is masterfully done. The three central characters of Reigen, Mob, and Dimple are all very different from where they started the story, and they are incredibly well-developed. The supporting cast remains a highlight as the likes of the body improvement club are a group of the most likable characters in the entire show. This is not because of the comic relief they provide, but also for the comradery among them fighting alongside Mob without a second's hesitation.

The music is once again done by Kanji Kawai, who also did the music for Ghost in the Shell, Ranma 1/2, Maquia When the Promised Flower Blooms, and this season’s Shoumetsu Toshi. The soundtrack is fantastic, fitting in with the show like a glove, and not only that, it is a fantastic listen on its own. The piece when Mob loses control of his power is a particular favourite of mine. Just as it was the case with the first season, the opening for season two is both imaginative and great to listen to.

This is a show that I cannot recommend enough. The narrative is exciting, emotional, heartfelt, the character development, and progression effective, the visuals are stunning, and the music is superb. Both seasons are worth the watch. The show is available to watch on Crunchyroll.