Mob Psycho is amazing

I just rewatched the first 2 seasons and watched season 3 and the OVA before it for the first time.

As you get older, you sometimes wonder if anime, especially shonen, is still for you when you haven't watched it in a while. In the past year, I was watching various live-action shows (The Sopranos, The Wire, Always Sunny Season 12 and a bunch of other shows with my partner). The last time I watched MP100 was in 2019, so about 6 years ago for the second season. I was curious to see if it held up and I had not seen season 3. I had rated the show an 8 out of 10 initially, but I told myself: "Oh, come on, how good could it be really?"

This show made me eat my words when I hit the 5 episode mark (Teru vs Mob)

I love seeing the love Reigen has for Mob while being a mentor figure towards him while also seeing how lonely and aimless he was before Mob came into his life. It made me tear up on more than one occasion. Watching the final episode and seeing how he finally has a room full of people who want to be his friends when the Separation Arc showed how he didn't have any before really hits hard. Maybe it is because now that I am Reigen's age and I wasn't always as surrounded by friends as I am now that I can relate to that feeling of having such consequential bonds.

Other than that, the character's ability to bullshit his way through so much never ceases to be funny. The lecture he gives to the Claw members, the "Self Defense" Secret technique he uses on Shimazuki, and his ability to convince even espers that he is this great psychic never ceases to be funny.

Watching Mob develop as a person and become more assertive through his experiences coupled with Reigen's guidance and watching him become a form of All-Loving Hero that never views himself as superior in spite of being the most powerful being in his universe was so satisfying. There's a scene where Mob sees a bunch of Espers who are looting the city and he asks something along the lines of : " Do you think, you have the skills to farm this bread you stole? Do you think you could repair the windows you broke?". This line echoes the themes of humbleness and of humans needing other humans to survive and have happy lives. It is also heart-warming to see so many people (Reigen, Dimple, the Body Improvement club, Teru, etc.) all come together to protect and care for Mob and cheer him on. Season 2's scene where the BIC's president, Musashi, lays down his life to protect Mob against a rival psychic made me tear up. The final action scene of season 3 with Reigen is another example.

Other than the character development, the animation was amazing. Teru vs Mob, Suzuki vs Mob, All the espers taking on Shimazuki, Dimple vs Psycho Helmet, etc. are all great feats of animation and the general scraggly art style of the piece adds to the identity of the show.Too often, anime is concerned with looking pretty and making every character look like a model. MP100's scraggly look perfectly interacts with the very kinetic animation of the show.

Overall, an 8.5 out of 10, I recommend it to anyone looking for a good show to watch.