English Dub Review: Mob Psycho 100 “Boss Fight ~The Final Light~”

Always eat your broccoli, kids.

OVERVIEW (SPOILERS)

Mob gets increasingly into his fight with Toichiro, losing touch with himself and becoming absorbed by his power until he notices Ritsu. He then snaps out of it, concentrating fully on ending the battle and rehabilitating his opponent, but not even surrounding him with buildings is enough to stop him. So, he instead begins torturing Toichiro until he submits, causing a massive wave of energy and unleashing a demonic final form. Mob soon puts him down, but can’t contain the explosion of psychic energy, so he tells everyone to run…and then goes back to diffuse it himself. In the end, the difference between him and Toichiro was that Mob can be the protagonist, but he can think outside of himself, which Toichiro could never do once he gained power, even when it drove his wife and son away.

After the explosion, Mob is found by Reigen, Ritsu, Teru, and Dimple. Mob is exhausted, but his chest pocket of his uniform has burst open somehow. On their way back, they stop by the Body Improvement Club, who start an impromptu training camp that Ritsu gets dragged into. The next day, the real aftermath of the battle is uncovered: a giant stalk of broccoli. The public is shocked and confused, but Mitsuura finds this great news for his psychic research. However, Rei decides she’ll be leaving if that research will be used to create more dangerous espers, which the others agree with, so he decides to put an end to it. The former members of Claw look for jobs, with Serizawa going to work for Reigen and Mob. Toichiro is imprisoned, possibly to be used for testing, but has clearly taken Mob’s words to heart.

Reigen and Mob set up in the newly insured office with their new employee when Mob has a realization. The giant broccoli was actually from a bag of seeds he was holding onto.

OUR TAKE

And that was Season 2 of Mob Psycho 100. Like with the last two episodes, I was getting worried that it would fall into the more typical tropes of a shonen manga final battle (done in the now expected but glorious animation style this series has become known for), but what really brought it back for me was the ending of said battle and the epilogue. While flashy psychic powers are nice to see and all, the show sticks to its core themes of making the real power come from an appreciation of people and caring for those outside yourself. And in true Mob Psycho 100 fashion, things end in a truly strange but memorable way to best cap off a stellar season. Usually endings where no one dies and things conclude so happily tend to feel cheap and saccharine, but this manages to feel grounded and heartwarming instead.

The aftermath of this battle seems to be a turning point for the story. While psychic powers seem to have been kept from going public for the time being, the outlook on such abilities amongst those who have them has made a drastic change. Following Reigen and Mob’s example, many have come to realize that their powers are not what makes them special or powerful. They’re still just regular humans who have to live in the world with other humans, and those who now have the chance are taking it to form a normal life, even those who never quite had one before, like Serizawa, who I guess is going to be a more recurring character from now on. Now I guess Reigen has two powerful psychics under his command, which is as intriguing as it is potentially lethal.

With so much about the world irreversibly changed, I was honestly worried where this series could go from this point to keep things feeling fresh and worth keeping the story going. Then I found out that there’s only ten chapters worth of manga left to adapt! Though it’s also the equivalent of four volumes, where as this and last season adapted about six each. Does this mean we have just enough for one last season to properly conclude things? That’s hard to say, but I doubt that a series as beloved and successful would stop so short of its completion. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if we get that final season in another three years, but for now, let’s just revel in yet another solid installment in this series.