MOB PSYCHO 100

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there's a few things that really, really bother me about mob psycho. its biggest issue is the sometimes juvenile writing: characters abandon subtlety to announce their intentions or repentance aloud, as if performing for a play, and it comes off as childish. super, super childish, especially as characters heel turn themselves so easily, so... again, juvenile. i don't know why it didn't stick out to me so hard on any of my previous viewings, but it did so this time. there's just a ridiculous amount of scenes in which the viewer's intelligence isn't respected whatsoever and things have to be spelled out--but they don't! the viewer isn't a lobotomite, jesus. the other thing bothering me is the wobbly pace of the first two episodes. i won't call them bad--they certainly aren't given they're an introduction to mob psycho's captivating art style and animation, voice acting aiding the presentation. it's just that their narratives--the way the plot travels--is super uninteresting, and super boring. to be honest, the third episode is a life saver--were it not for its sudden spike in interest, i'd have certainly dropped the show. but then, i'm forced to admit that the first two episodes put in quite a necessary amount of legwork in setting the tone, story, world for mob psycho. they're essential, sure. they just could've been done better, given the incredibly brilliant season two opener--ah, but that's not appropriate to discuss here. well, regardless of these issues, mob psycho 100 is still a very, very fine anime. like previously mentioned, the art style and animation is simply top notch: characters move as fluidly as the scenery does, the idea of 'flatness' completely obliterated as the two intersect regularly. magic powers, the crux of the show, are shown off with an immense amount of detail, an angling towards wow factors. voice actors that contribute do so well you'd be hard pressed to find replacements. and the story, as dramatic and (sometimes) plainly relayed as it is, still travels through funny, comedic, relatable, and interesting paths... especially towards its excellent ending run. one thing that bothered me when i first watched this show years ago was a feeling of fatigue for school settings combined with a fatigue for overreactive, overacting typical of anime. mob psycho does both of these, but i'd say, admittedly, it probably does it the best of any... for what it's worth.