is a Japanese

web Web most often refers to: * Spider web, a silken structure created by the animal * World Wide Web or the Web, an Internet-based hypertext system Web, WEB, or the Web may also refer to: Computing * WEB, a literate programming system created by ...

manga series written and illustrated by

One 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

. It was serialized on

Shogakukan is a Japanese publisher of dictionaries, literature, comics (manga), non-fiction, DVDs, and other media in Japan. Shogakukan founded Shueisha, which also founded Hakusensha. These are three separate companies, but are together called the Hito ...

's ''Ura Sunday'' website from April 2012 to December 2017. It has been also available online on Shogakukan's mobile app ''MangaONE'' since December 2014. Shogakukan compiled its chapters into sixteen '' tankōbon'' volumes. The story follows Shigeo Kageyama, nicknamed Mob, a boy who has strong psychic powers, and his struggles to find the simple happiness he is looking for. An

anime is hand-drawn and computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening o ...

television series adaptation was produced by

Bones A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, and ...

. The first season aired between July and September 2016, followed by a second season from January to April 2019, and a third season from October to December 2022. A live-action series adaptation aired from January to April 2018. A spin-off manga series, titled ''Reigen'', was serialized in Shogakukan ''MangaONE'' app in 2018. In North America, Dark Horse Comics licensed the manga for English publication in 2018. Meanwhile, Crunchyroll licensed the anime series for streaming, with an English dub produced by

Bang Zoom! Entertainment Bang Zoom! Entertainment is an audio post-production studio with its headquarters in Burbank, California, in Greater Los Angeles. It has worked on anime, video games, television series, feature films, and original animation projects. Their work ...

in December 2016, and broadcast on

Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...

's Toonami block in October 2018. As of July 2016, the manga had over 1.2 million copies in circulation. In 2017, ''Mob Psycho 100'' won the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the '' shōnen'' category. The anime adaptation has been considered one of the best anime series of the 2010s.

Plot

Shigeo Kageyama is an average middle school-aged boy, nicknamed Mob. Although he looks like an inconspicuous person, he is in fact a powerful esper with immense psychic power. To keep from losing control of this power, he constantly lives a life under an emotional shackle. In order to help learn how to control his abilities, Mob works as an assistant to con-man Arataka Reigen, a self-proclaimed spirit medium. Mob wants to live a normal life just like those around him, but a barrage of trouble keeps coming after him. With his suppressed emotions growing inside Mob little by little, his power threatens to break through its limits as he eventually encounters other espers like the Claws.

Media

Webcomic and publications

Written and illustrated by

, ''Mob Psycho 100'' began in

's ''Ura Sunday'' webcomic magazine on April 18, 2012. It has been also available on Shogakukan's mobile app ''MangaONE'' since December 2014. The series finished on December 22, 2017. Shogakukan compiled its chapters into sixteen individual '' tankōbon'' volumes, released from November 16, 2012, to July 19, 2018. Dark Horse Comics announced on April 23, 2018, that they have licensed the series for English serialization in North America, with the first volume which was released on October 24, 2018. A spin-off manga series titled ''Reigen'' was serialized online in ''Ura Sunday'' website and in the ''MangaONE'' mobile app starting on March 19, 2018. Shogakukan released a compiled volume on February 19, 2019. In March 2020, Dark Horse Comics announced the acquisition of the manga for English-language release. The volume was published on December 2, 2020.

Volume list

Anime

On December 2, 2015, ''Ura Sunday'' announced that ''Mob Psycho 100'' would be adapted into an anime television series. The anime adaptation was produced by

and directed by

Yuzuru Tachikawa is a Japanese anime director. Starting his career at Madhouse, he is known for directing the anime series '' Death Parade'', ''Mob Psycho 100'', and '' Deca-Dence''. Biography Tachikawa was born in Iruma District, Saitama on December 2, 1981. ...

. Hiroshi Seko wrote the scripts, Yoshimichi Kameda designed the characters, and

Kenji Kawai is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kam ...

composed the music. The series aired between July 12, 2016, and September 27, 2016, on Tokyo MX, later airing on ytv,

BS Fuji Fuji Network System (known in Japan as simply , FNS) is a Japanese television network operated by Fuji Television Network, Inc., part of the Fujisankei Communications Group. FNS distributes entertainment and other non-news television programmes t ...

and TV Asahi Channel 1. The opening theme song, "99", is performed by Mob Choir while the ending theme song, titled , is performed by ALL OFF. ''Mob Psycho 100'' was simulcast on Crunchyroll, while

Funimation Crunchyroll, LLC, previously known as Funimation from 1994 to 2022, is an American entertainment company owned by Japanese conglomerate Sony as a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex that specializes ...

broadcast the show's simuldub. The English dub was produced by

. The series was simulcast on

Animax , stylized as ANIMAX, is a Japanese animation satellite television network, dedicated to broadcasting anime programming. The channel also dubbed other cartoons in Japanese language. A subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment Japan, it is headqu ...

in Southeast Asia. The Bang Zoom!-produced dub has been released on Blu-ray + DVD Combo Pack with a limited edition on December 5, 2017, and was broadcast on Toonami on

starting October 27, 2018. According to Jason DeMarco, Adult Swim executive producer, legal issues with the licensing of the second season at the time, with the Japanese version licensed by Crunchyroll, and the English version licensed by Funimation, prevented the second season from the airing on the block. The third season would also not air on the block, mostly due to Crunchyroll's "unwillingness" to licence the series to Adult Swim. The series was also streamed on HBO Max in the United States until August 3, 2022. Madman Entertainment imported Funimation's release in Australia and New Zealand, and Manga Entertainment distributed the series in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Following a screening of three Bones films, attendees reported that Bones teased that progress was being made on a further ''Mob Psycho 100'' anime project. In October 2017, an event anime titled was revealed. It is a 60-minute compilation of the anime series and features new scenes focused on Arataka Reigen. The event anime was screened twice at the Maihama Amphitheater in Chiba on March 18, 2018, and was later released on home video. At the end of the event, a second season of the anime series was announced, with the staff and voice cast returning to reprise their roles. ''Mob Psycho 100 II'' aired from January 7 to April 1, 2019, with the series being simulcast on Crunchyroll. On April 18, 2019, Funimation and Crunchyroll confirmed that season two would simuldub on April 25. The opening theme for the second season is "99.9" by Mob Choir feat. sajou no hana. Four ending themes performed by sajou no hana; , , and , were used for the second season. Following the conclusion of the second season, another

OVA , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

was announced, with Yuzuru Tachikawa reprising his role as director. The OVA, titled was released on September 25, 2019. The second OVA episode premiered worldwide at Crunchyroll Expo 2019 on September 1, 2019. Simulcast streaming of the OVA episode on Crunchyroll began worldwide (except Asia) on September 25, 2019. On October 19, 2021, it was announced that a third season was in production. Takahiro Hasui directed the season, with Yuzuru Tachikawa serving as chief director. The main cast and staff reprised their roles. ''Mob Psycho 100 III'' aired from October 6 to December 22, 2022. The opening theme is "1", and the ending theme is "Cobalt", both performed by Mob Choir. The third season's simuldub was slated to be produced by Crunchyroll rather than Bang Zoom! with some roles recast, due to the choice to move dub production to in-person recording sessions at their Dallas based studio, rather than remote recordings, after largely relying on the latter at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the planned recastings was the voice of Mob, Kyle McCarley, who stated that he would likely not be reprising the role as Crunchyroll had refused to negotiate a potential union contract for future anime dubbing productions with McCarley's union

SAG-AFTRA The Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA, stylized as SAG·AFTRA ) is an American labor union representing approximately 160,000 film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, recordi ...

. McCarley had offered to work non-union on season 3 under the condition that Crunchyroll discuss with SAG-AFTRA, but as this did not proceed, McCarley will likely not return. This news prompted much criticism of Crunchyroll on social media.

Drama

A 12-episode Japanese television drama was broadcast on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certified ...

's MokuDora 25 timeslot from January 18 to April 5, 2018.

Other media

A fanbook was published on November 17, 2022. It includes detailed information about the series, its characters, story and setting. It also features illustrations by various manga artists, including

Hiromu Arakawa is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for the manga series ''Fullmetal Alchemist'' (2001–2010), which became a hit both domestically and internationally, and was adapted into two anime television series. She is also known for '' Silve ...

, Kotoyama,

Takako Shimura is a Japanese manga artist. She is primarily known for her manga works which feature LGBT (especially lesbian and transgender) topics. Her best known and selling series are '' Aoi Hana'' and '' Wandering Son''. ''Aoi Hana'' was adapted as an ani ...

, Nagano,

Ryōji Minagawa is a Japanese manga artist born in Sumida, Tokyo. He was invited with ''Spriggan'' story writer Hiroshi Takashige to go to a comic convention in Portugal in 1996 as a guest of honor due to his work on ''Spriggan''. He worked on other manga co ...

and Itaru Bonnoki.

Reception

Manga

''Mob Psycho 100'' won the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the '' shōnen'' category in 2017. As of July 2016, ''Mob Psycho 100'' had over 1.2 million copies in circulation. The comic book writers of San Diego Comic-Con listed it as one of the "Most Wanted Manga" from 2016.

Critical reception

Ian Wolf from ''Anime UK News'' praised the first two volumes of the series, giving them 8 out of 10, and stated "

’s art is notable for a few reasons. The art is designed to be humorous rather than stylish. Part of the comedy value in One’s work is the rough styling that adds to the scenarios he creates. In this second volume of ''Mob Psycho 100'', it is the action which is the main focus. There is some comedy thrown into the mix as well, but mainly this time it is about the battle between the two psychics and their different philosophies. It is also interesting to witness this fight because it is one in which one of the participants is trying their hardest not to fight, while the other is giving it all they’ve got. Having said this, there is still some comedy added to the heat of the battle, the main highlight being when Teru tries to use knives to beat Mob, but Mob deflects one of the knives away, accidentally cutting off a massive chunk of Teru’s hair. It is at times like this where One’s art style can sometimes fall down. His rough artwork does lead neatly to the chaotic scenes he is trying to depict at the height of the fight but when it comes to the more dramatic moments, the rough style lacks pathos. Here, the anime has the edge when it depicts the fight because other elements such as the music or the use of colour can add to the tension".

Anime

In the

1st Crunchyroll Anime Awards The 1st Crunchyroll Anime Awards were held on January 28, 2017, honoring excellence in anime from 2016. The awards were first announced by Crunchyroll in December 2016. The voting period was open from January 3 to 10. The results were announced ...

, the first season of the anime series received two awards: Best Action and Best Fight Scene (Shigeo vs. Koyama). It was also nominated in six other categories, including "Anime of the Year". At the 4th Crunchyroll Anime Awards in 2020, the second season of the anime also won two awards: Best Animation and Best Opening Sequence for "99.9" by Mob Choir feat. Sajou no Hana. It was also nominated in five other categories, including "Anime of the Year". ''Mob Psycho 100'' was one of the Jury Recommended Works in the Animation Division at the 20th

Japan Media Arts Festival The Japan Media Arts Festival is an annual festival held since 1997 by Japan's Agency for Cultural Affairs. The festival begins with an open competition and culminates with the awarding of several prizes and an exhibition. Based on judging by a ...

in 2017. In November 2019, '' Polygon'' named ''Mob Psycho 100'' as one of the best anime of the 2010s, and Crunchyroll listed it in their "Top 25 best anime of the 2010s".

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa dist ...

also listed ''Mob Psycho 100'' among the best anime series of the 2010s. In September 2020, the series went viral after American businessman Eric Trump, son of then-

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

Donald Trump, published a tweet connecting the series to allegations of

censorship by Google Google and its subsidiary companies, such as YouTube, have removed or omitted information from its services in order to comply with company policies, legal demands, and government censorship laws. Numerous governments have asked Google to censor ...

, due to

Google Search Google Search (also known simply as Google) is a search engine provided by Google. Handling more than 3.5 billion searches per day, it has a 92% share of the global search engine market. It is also the most-visited website in the world. The ...

results for "mob" showing Mob's face rather than a group of people.

Critical reception

'' Anime News Network'' listed the first season of ''Mob Psycho 100'' among the best anime series of 2016. Nick Creamer praised the series' visual style, character story and its concepts of heroism and society also presented in ONE's other work '' One-Punch Man''. Lauren Orsini commended the coming-of-age story of Mob and praised the series' animation and music. James Beckett of ''Anime News Network'' gave the second season an A+, and describes the series as "I don't know how else to put it: ''Mob Psycho 100 II'' is about as close to perfect a season of television as I can imagine. I am willing to bet that the series will go down as one of the best seasons of anime ever produced, and you owe it to yourself to experience it first-hand. A modern masterpiece of animation that needs to be seen to be believed".

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Toonami Adult Swim 2010s webcomics 2012 manga 2012 webcomic debuts 2017 webcomic endings 2018 Japanese television series debuts 2018 Japanese television series endings Action anime and manga Action webcomics Anime series based on manga Bones (studio) Coming-of-age anime and manga Crunchyroll Anime Awards winners Crunchyroll anime Dark Horse Comics titles Exorcism in anime and manga Fiction about psychic powers Fiction about spirit possession Funimation Ghosts in popular culture Japanese comedy webcomics Japanese-language Netflix original programming School life in anime and manga Shogakukan franchises Shogakukan manga Shōnen manga Supernatural anime and manga Television shows based on Japanese webcomics Tokyo MX original programming Toonami TV Asahi original programming TV Tokyo original programming Warner Entertainment Japan franchises Winners of the Shogakukan Manga Award for shōnen manga