English Dub Review: Mob Psycho 100 “Cornered ~True Identity~”

I’m not crying, you’re crying!

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Reigen has finally hit the big time. Now that his psychic agency has taken off with a high profile case, he’s been invited to a television show, “Supernatural Detective”, to show the world what he’s got. However, there’s a psychic there who’s got it in for Reigen and Joto, both of who are hatching a scheme to humiliate Reigen for intruding on his psychic turf.

A young boy is wheeled out and is said to be possessed, and each of the psychics is asked to go up to the boy and try to exorcise the spirit that’s within him. Reigen goes up and, not knowing what to do, hits the boy with a blast of purifying salt, which seems to be effective. However, Reigen knows that this isn’t a real move, so the TV show must have wheeled out an actor to pretend to be possessed to make things interesting. In a performance of good showmanship, Reigen uses every special move he’s got in a flashy display. It looks like Reigen has gotten through, but he’s undercut when Joto speculates that this boy isn’t possessed at all. The host of the show congratulates Joto on figuring this out, and Reigen is revealed to be a complete fraud.

News of Reigen’s exposure spreads to the world and his reputation plummets. In one night he goes from a rising new psychic to a disgusting con who all of his former clients and friends turn their backs on. Hitting rock bottom, Reigen has no choice but to do a press conference to try and save what’s left of his reputation. Reigen faces down the press and stands strong against the prying fingers of the horde of reporters that sits in wait. In a rare moment of honesty, Reigen is completely truthful and answers almost every question to the best of his ability. Yet, one question catches him off guard, “Why did you want to be a psychic?”

Reigen reflects upon his life and how he almost had to abandon his psychic agency until a chance encounter brought Mob to his door. We see their first meeting and how Reigen’s kind advice to Mob earned his starry-eyed respect. Similarly, Reigen was inspired by Mob as well to be a better man, but as we return to the present, Reigen realizes how he’s taken advantage of the young boy. Live over the air, he tells Mob how proud he is of him and the young man he’s become. In an instant, psychic power floods the press room and surges all the camera equipment into the air. Reigen departs triumphant and later meets Mob in the city, where the two reignite their friendship as master and student.

Our Take:

True friendship will find it’s way back from even the darkest times. That’s the heart-melting message that Mob Psycho delivers to us this week. And while there have been plenty of shows out there with themes of friendship, it’s a rare thing to see a show approach the concept with such sincere complexity in mind. This episode concludes the journey Reigen has on his own, separated from his long-time friend Mob, and at the beginning, I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wasn’t sure if they’d get back together again. A great show finds ways to keep you guessing even when you’ve seen a certain type of story before, and Mob Psycho does exactly that, throwing Reigen into a real odyssey before bringing him back to salvation in such a way that anyone with a beating heart will start to feel the waterworks tugging at the corner of their eyes.

As I mentioned last week, this episode gives us a more honest perspective of Reigen, of who he is and where he comes from. Last week brought him from the depths of sadness to the heights of fame, and this week does the same in reverse to great effect. We can see the duality of Reigen exemplified here. Not quite a real psychic, but not exactly a con artist either, he is the most sincere fraud that there ever was, who tries to help people in his own way, even if it is a touch dishonest. Life doesn’t offer us clear cut people, and I’m struck with how well Mob Psycho can incorporate mature and complex themes like this into its story.

But the thing that will really stay with you comes in one moment, the end of the press conference where Reigen puts his whole life on the line, facing the entire world to deliver his confession. In one fell swoop, Reigen defeats all the qualms we’ve had about him since the first season, all the smoke that hides who he really is from Mob. In just a few words, we come to see Reigen in a totally different way as he truly becomes the good man that he’s always wanted to be.

I don’t think there’s a single way this episode could be done any better. Week after week, my beliefs are being confirmed that Mob Psycho 100 is one of the most brilliant shows ever made. A classic with every episode, a show this good needs to be seen to be believed.