Paranormal OnePunch Man Starts Out Strong
The announcement that Mob Psycho 100 was going to get an anime series so close after OnePunch Man aired surprised me. The fact that ONE (the creator of both manga) was going to be closely working on this one as well was a happy surprise, as OnePunch Man was one of the best newly airing shows last year. The news that Studio Bones was the one that will be animating Mob Psycho 100 also had me elated, as they have a great reputation as one of the best shonen anime producers, with both Fullmetal Alchemist anime, and the recently finished Boku no Hero Academia just being some of the many hits that Bones has produced. So with all of this being tied together in a neat package had me a little bit hyped that Mob Psycho 100 would be at least a decent show this season.
Mob Psycho 100 stars Arataka Reigen, a con artist who specializes in getting rid of spirits, has a stingy personality in paying his employee, and claiming to be a rising star in exorcism, and Shigeo Kageyama, nicknamed “Mob”, who is the one who can actually sense spirits and is extremely powerful in destroying such evil creatures. While Shigeo leans extremely close to Saitama from OnePunch Man in terms of strength (he completely destroys everything with ease this episode), the dynamic between Shigeo and Arataka brings a fresh take on an otherwise paranormal version of OnePunch Man. Arataka is clearly using the poor kid, and Shigeo just goes along with it, unaware of just how much that he is being manipulated. The duo work well this first episode, and they play off each other well with the comedic moments being timed just right.
What really surprised me the most about the first episode of Mob Psycho 100 is that Studio Bones decided to be ballsy and animate Mob Psycho 100 to look exactly like the original manga. For those that don’t know, ONE draws the manga pretty fast, and characters are ugly compared to most manga standards. While his style takes some time getting used to, when you get over the hurdle, ONE’s drawings become heartwarming. Bones, instead of prettifying the series decided to keep faces and backgrounds the same. The result is a show that looks like almost no anime that has come out to date. Characters are animated roughly and move exaggeratedly, alongside the backgrounds. Its to the point where I can’t tell if the show has a huge budget or normal budget at all, and though it looks ugly, it also looks unique and great at the same time. Its going to be one of the more divisive series this series, and I’m almost certain that it will be because of the animation rather than the humor aspects of Mob Psycho 100.
Mob Psycho 100 is one of those shows that is either going to be drooped by everyone extremely quickly, or will be watched heavily for weeks to come. If you are a fan of ONE’s work, or enjoyed OnePunch Man‘s type of humor, then this show will work for you very well. Mob Psycho 100 is completely a comedy anime, and so long as the jokes keep up this pace, I will be continuing to watch. However, it will not be surprising if this show leans too close to OnePunch Man in terms of humor, and may be wary for some. If you want to see the series right after it airs, Crunchyroll has the series rights for the US.
Final Verdict: 3.5/5
