Premiere Report: Mob Psycho 100 II OVA

The lovable cast of Mob Psycho 100 make a heartwarming return with a brand-new OVA: Mob Psycho 100 II: The First Spirits and Such Company Trip ~A Journey that Mends the Heart and Heals the Soul~. A full-to-bursting crowd sat patiently in the main hall, or “Grand Central” in the theme of Crunchyroll Expo 2019, for the eagerly anticipated first look back into the world of Spirits and Such Consultation Staff. Director Yuzuru Tachikawa, series Character Designer Yoshimichi Kameda, and voice actor Setsuo Ito were all in attendance to share their excitement and joy along with the convention's audience.

Right before the screening began, the three panelists shared their experiences of working on the OVA and interesting behind-the-scenes trivia. Those in attendance not only got to be the very first to screen the OVA ahead of its September 25th DVD and Blu-ray Disc release in Japan, but they also could watch Setsuo Ito (voice and stage actor for Mob) perform lines from his character live. In relation to the hot springs company trip that the group of six share in the OVA, the three panelists talked about their own company trips and the process behind working on the series. Anime character designer Kameda shared that he oversaw the design of a new original character for the OVA, voiced by Kikuko Inoue, and weaved some of her facial structures into her look.

“I really paid attention to Reigen in this OVA as well, and closely followed his facial expressions, actions, and lines,” said Yoshimichi Kameda. “My sole responsibility was to be the character designer for the OVA, and I had a lot of fun designing the clothes. The animators did a great job with the movement and animation, so please pay attention to those.” Setsuo Ito mentioned that there's a “slight difference in the characters between the main series and the OVA.” He ended his commentary with, “Mob's coat is very cute and I helped to choose it,” and the audience cheered in support of the design. With the encouragement of the panelists, the room chanted “Mob” at the top of their lungs to hype up the start of the premiere.

Following the critically acclaimed second season, the OVA packs a punch and gives viewers a fair amount of screen time to revisit the core six characters. The story comes into play as an inn hostess hires Reigen to exorcise the unknown terror plaguing the inn and the inn's guests. As always, Reigen takes full advantage of the situation and invites his entire office under the guise of an office bonding outing, when in reality he needs their skills to get the job done.

As an original, the 25-minute special features similar comedic beats and rewind-and-pause action animation found in the other seasons and ONE's manga. However, we now see how the cast interact with each other after a second season of character development and a new employee. After Serizawa's transition from Claw to Reigen's office, he's nervous about his new position and overprepares for the trip as part of his couple of weeks on the job. Reigen, Mob, Ritsu, Dimple, and Serizawa head to Ibogami Hot Springs in Zebra Prefecture by train and share mutual excitement for the hot springs. When the train moves through the tunnel towards the prefecture, both Serizawa and Reigen fall asleep and are transported into a parallel world separated from the other three.

The addition of an adult Esper in the main cast helps to heighten the comedy, especially when Reigen is trapped in the parallel world with no idea what's going on. Serizawa leisurely strolls in between the two worlds, clueless to poor Reigen who has no idea how to get out. Despite his panic at their supposed entrapment, Reigen tries to play cool which inadvertently digs him into deeper trouble since Serizawa believes his employer has got the situation handled and leaves him. On the other end, we finally get to see Mob relax with his brother and Teru, all enjoying a field trip without any pressure of imminent danger. No high school setting, no emotional rollercoasters; just a simple overnight ryokan stay with great food.

Of course, it wouldn't be Mob Psycho without the animators busting out their animation toolkit to showcase scenes that range from Reigen's over-the-top desperation—for comedic effect—to subtle growth within Serizawa as he learns to how to trust himself and begin his mature restart in life.

Overall, the OVA contained a fun wrap up to the events of season two as the show transitions from an evolving relationship between Mob and Reigen to Serizawa's relationship with the both of them. As the panel ended, Tachikawa, Kameda, and Ito thanked the crowd for their continued support. Those who weren't as lucky to come out to Crunchyroll Expo 2019 only have to wait a couple more weeks to see for themselves once the OVA officially launches on Cruchyroll come September 25th.