Shadow’s Impression:
Mob is back and I AM SO HYPED.
I’ve been rewatching the first season of Mob on Toonami in preparation for the second season. And I absolutely love how this season has started just by this first episode. Of course, I knew that Mob was already good considering I’ve heard nothing but praises of the manga’s story so I feel like there was no need to be concerned in that aspect. All the characters we know and love (minus Teru who I’m sure we’ll see soon) are here being their fantastic selves. Reigen continuing being his scummy, con-artist yet lovable self, the body improvement club being absolutely amazing and supportive of Mob and Ritsu being hilariously protective, supportive of his brother and Dimple being his typical self and Mob just shutting him down. The gang is back and it’s glorious.
BUT NOW LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY FEELS.
I did not expect my feels to be hit so hard from the first episode. From poor innocent Mob being pressured into running for the next school counsel president to bombing his speech where he was unable to say a word in the entire five minutes of his given time. This poor boy… someone save him. What I didn’t see coming was this new character named Emi leaving a love letter in his shoe locker. The show totally had me going in believing the two were actually dating, considering Mob’s behavior and them spending an awful amount of time together. Mob is such a gentleman. cries
However, it feels like I was thrown through another loop when it was revealed that Mob had actually turned down the girl’s confession but continued spending time with her. Turns out she “confessed” to Mob as a dare by her friends after losing rock paper scissors because they thought his five minute silent speech was hilarious. Some friends…
I do want to bring up Mob and Emi’s friendship during that week they were hanging out though. At first glance, it was a little confusing. Especially since it really did seem like Mob had decided to date her. But looking at it again, while the whole thing turned out to be just a huge lie, I think Mob was in a sense using Emi and their newly budding friendship to distract him from the critical hit he received after failing the elections. Now I don’t mean that in a negative aspect. Especially since this new pace actually did help cheer Mob up and prevented him from falling into complete despair and further embarrassment. And judging from the flashbacks that Mob provided, he genuinely seemed like he was having fun hanging out with her and actually got along with her pretty well, if not awkwardly at times.
However, the part that hit me SO HARD was when Emi’s “friends” ripped up her story and Mob started picking up the pieces, saying if they were just going to throw it away, he’ll take it. PRECIOUS CHILD. I absolutely loved Mob in the first season and after seeing him this episode, I’m probably going to love him even more as this season moves forward. Mob is a freaking cinnamon roll too pure for this world and needs to be (emotionally) protected. While people may think Mob is just an emotionless blob, he’s actually observing everything around him. Taking in everything he sees. And while he is socially inept, he’s trying his hardest to try and connect to others. Even when Emi told him that all he’s doing is going along with what everyone says, hardly having an opinion of his own, Mob took her words to heart and was actually trying to learn from it. And when he started to tear up while picking up the torn up pieces, all the while saying how you need to pick up the things that are important to you, the feels literally one-punched my heart. I also loved how when Emi’s “friends” were telling him that Emi wasn’t his girlfriend, Mob ignores the provocation and goes on to scold them over ripping up something she worked so hard on. Instead of correcting them that they never went out in the first place, Mob focused on the more important issue while also knowing that revealing that information would have embarrassed Emi further.
Can we also appreciate how Mob didn’t even respond when they told him to “get a clue.” A phrase that set him off in the first season but he is able to ignore it in order to help a friend in need. MOB IS SO GOOD.
This new girl, Emi is actually a pretty interesting character so far. Even if she threw Mob for a loop with the whole pretending to confess thing, she still seemed like a really nice girl who just got involved with the wrong crowd. From this one episode, we learned so much about her. She is basically being walked all over by her so called friends, but goes along with it because she’d probably be lonely without them. She has a hidden passion for writing and is very self-conscious about it. Whenever she is nervous or embarrassed about something, she closes one eye (which is a very interesting detail because I literally do the same thing when I’m amused by something). And while she started hanging out with Mob out of a dare, I do believe she genuinely enjoyed hanging out with him. Especially since she actually showed him her writing, which she even says she’s never done before. She trusted him enough not to make fun of her and showed him something very close to her heart. It must have been even more touching for her when Mob started picking up the ripped pieces of her story and even put it back together using his psychic powers. Ugh, I’m starting to ship them… I’m also really liking Emi as a character and can’t wait to see more of her.
UGH, this series has already started out so strongly. While it wasn’t the most action packed episode, I feel like it was a very nice ease back into the series while reintroducing some details viewers may have forgotten about. But it was done so tactfully and smoothly. This had to be one of the best continuing series first episode I’ve seen in a while. Animation is solid as usual and I’m excited to see some more action scenes, which I’m sure we’ll be seeing soon if the opening is anything to go by.
Possibility of watching: Guaranteed
Possibility of blogging: High
Midnight’s Impressions
Shadow did an amazing job of summing up this episode, so on that I don’t have a ton to add on that front. What I do have to add is how much I adore Mob Psycho 100. I was super pumped when I heard the announcement for season 2 because I feel like Mob lives in the shadow of One Punch Man. Both being written by the same person I feel like Mob never got the popularity and following that the mangaka’s other work did and so I didn’t have high hopes for a second season. I nearly went through the roof with happiness when I heard it was happening and I am more then pleased with it’s strong start.
Mob is a pleasantly socially awkward delight like always, but the growth he showed in this episode alone was astounding. Sitting there long after Emi left and seriously considering her words and working to change things about himself, that takes a lot of courage and mental fortitude.
Emi is a character that I find immensely interesting. We learn so much about her in just one episode, we should be mad at her for what she did to Mob. Asking someone out on a dare is an immensely low thing to do and honestly it’s something i’ve always despised since my school days. I’m not mad at her though, as Shadow pointed out, it seems like she’s a genuinely nice girl who fell into the wrong crowd and wanted to stay in with them because otherwise she’d be lonely.
Honestly, what makes this entire episode work for me is the fact that Mob turned her down. If he had accepted and been genuinely dating her before the reveal that it was a prank in which she asked him out on a dare, I would probably be a lot angerier. What made this work though, is he turned her down and was spending time with her as a friend and not a boyfriend.
His response to her and her friends also made this work for me.
Emi and Mob aside though, I really loved the first part of the episode with Reigen on the farm. I don’t think I could of laughed harder at the part where he has Mob speed grow the cherry tomatoes and discovers that they have no taste. It’s like his dream of a new business venture in vegetables goes right out the window and it was amazing.
My only critique of the episode is that the opening seems a little weak compared to the first seasons opening. Not visually, visually it’s entirely on par but the music doesn’t do as good of a job of getting me pumped up for the episode. If that’s my only complaint though, then Mob Psycho 100 season 2 is doing something right.
I can’t wait to jump back into this crazy world.
Possibility of watching: Guaranteed
Possibility of blogging: If Shadow doesn’t mind sharing
