Mob Psycho 100 III

Episode 9

Mob Psycho 100 doesn't tend to be a cliffhanger-heavy affair, but when the series needs one to land, it packs it with enough wallop to punch through reinforced concrete. Which is to say: what the hell??? I thought we were all having a lovely time basking in the fruits of Mob's emotional maturation, and now I have to sit with that for an entire week? Look what they've done to My Boy!

I wouldn't want all this shock and awe to distract from the rest of the episode, however, because until Truck-kun makes his rude entry, Mob puts together a lowkey, lighthearted, and uplifting chapter of my darling son's life. Tsubomi's forthcoming departure reintroduces all of the anxieties from the season premiere. Actually, rather than reintroduce, it would be more accurate to say that she reminds Mob that life marches on. Sure, he can take things at his own pace, but that's a pace nonetheless. It's a progression. Procrastination eventually catches up to us, and now Mob has less than a month to figure out how to be cool.

The kickoff of this final storyline follows lots of familiar rom-com conventions. Dorky Mob's crush on Tsubomi fills him with aspirations that outstrip his current social credit, so he seeks out all his friends, family, and acquaintances for their input. Much of this advice is unhelpful or contradictory, of course, and the writing revels in the natural humor of that. The Body Improvement Club bros are big, dumb, yet unfalteringly supportive galoots. It's funny to watch Tome get tongue-lashed by Takenaka and Mob in tandem. And Reigen's scene is so typically Reigen: pearls of wisdom dished out from page one Google search results.

However, the subtler, more important point being made here has nothing to do with Mob working up the nerve to confess to Tsubomi. Instead, this episode is a testament to how far Mob has come since we first met him. Look at all the friends he has. The connections he's made. The drive he has to seek them out for help. It doesn't matter if most of their advice sucks or their taste in fashion is apocalyptically terrible. What matters is that all of these people are in his corner, regardless of what his future with Tsubomi will be like, if there will even be a future. The episode has so much fun with these characters' wild and diverse personalities. It's a nice moment of reminiscence before the drama kicks into gear.

I also like the material with Tsubomi this week, which continues, in small ways, to humanize her beyond the protagonist's main object of affection. I appreciate the series' sardonic sense of humor because it takes everything archetypical down a peg or several, including the myth of the “perfect” girl. One look at the hilariously long line of confessors, and you can feel the depth of Tsubomi's exasperation. Ichi also asks Mob (and, by proxy, the audience) to consider Tsubomi beyond the rose-colored tint of his unrequited feelings. What do we actually know about her? That's not a bad thing; people date to get to know each other better. But it's an important thing to be cognizant of. In the best-case scenario, where Tsubomi accepts Mob's confession, that's not a victory or a reward. It's the beginning of something different, with its challenges and experiences.

I think Mob understands that too. When he finally works up the courage to call Tsubomi, it's depicted with painfully palpable nervousness. Props, yet again, to the adaptation because his every twitch, tic, voice crack, and bead of sweat jettisoned my soul back to the first time I ever dialed up a girl I had a crush on. I'm still shivering from that resurfaced embarrassment. But once he finishes the call with a meeting set up, Mob's fine. He realizes he's taken the first, most challenging step, and just by putting himself out there, he's accomplished something. I think, subconsciously, he realizes he's going to be okay. Even if his confession falls flat (and let's be honest, it probably would have), he still has so many people who care about him. And he cares about them. They're all parts of each other's lives. They built that together. That's special.

And naturally, just as he's about to reach the apotheosis of that character arc, he kisses the grill of a car and drops his lovely bouquet—another talisman from a precious ally—in a pool of his own blood. Like the similarly shocking cliffhanger from the second season, I'm a tad miffed by how it distracts from an otherwise quiet and thoughtful episode. But I also trust Mob Psycho 100 to do this dramatic turn justice in the long run. Unless the series turns into an isekai next week. There are some things I cannot forgive.

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Mob Psycho 100 III is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Steve is a regular freelance contributor to ANN and also the guy who called Arataka Reigen an internet sex symbol that one time. Feel free to roast him on Twitter about this. Otherwise, catch him chatting about trash and treasure alike on This Week in Anime.