Mob Psycho 100 II Episode 12 Review: Master ~ Leader

Spoiler alert: this is not the last episode. But it’s a really good one!

Plot

It feels a bit strange having watched this episode. It feels like nothing really happened but so many things did. I think I got really absorbed into it, and this can only be good, right? Right. Let’s see how.

I was complaining in the previous review about the choice to go for a conventional ending to an unconventional season; and I still stand by that. As a grand battle it is not what I would have wanted to see as a finale. I did, however, find this episode more balanced that the previous two.

A huge part of enjoying Mob Psycho II is the art. I often think I take the quality of visuals and animation for granted for two main reasons: I watch a lot of crappy anime with bad animation and a lot of crappy anime with exquisite animation. So it feels to me like good art is not what will make or break the show. It’s more of the brownie points you get for having done a good job with the concept and enhancing your message with the right visuals. And some of you may strongly disagree, but think about it: what is a beautiful body without a beautiful mind? Aesthetics are wonderful and great to fetishize over, but without morals all is bound to wither away and die in due time. ANYWAY, what I’m trying to say is that the art did help a LOT in the process of me appreciating this episode and kind of letting go of the fact that it’s not what I’d want it to be, there.

And to be fair, there was a healthier balance to the season’s overall moral code that there was in the last couple of episode. We got a lot of redundant talk on how ‘WOW, Shigeo’s all different now watch out!’ but then Shigeo was also there to walk the walk, if you know what I mean. I loved how straightforward and blunt he was to Katsuya, taking his not-very-exciting backstory and making a wrecked moment out of it.

‘That guy saved me.’
‘Dude, no.’

I mean, I did not expect to see Shigeo act in that way. And there’s a part two to this, and that’s against the big boss, where Shigeo has the ethics to try to reason with him, but also the maturity to make the conscious choice ‘You know what, I suppose I need to hurt this guy in order to protect everyone else from getting hurt.’ There was an extra cool moment where Shigeo started saying something deep about the feelings of others as his last little lesson to the boss; then he pauses, looks away, and is like, fuck it, seriously, I’m just gonna beat the shit out of you. Re-watched it and still laughing.

And then there’s other little things that did a good comeback and made the storyline feel a bit more linear. Like the boss saying he’s the protagonist and all; remember that from Season 1? The whole idea that the world does not revolve around one person, which we see so often in anime? *slow clap*

It all comes together to making this an episode that’s, let’s say, exceeding expectations for me at this point. Fight me. #ariesszn

Wait what, there’s more?

Well yes, there is another episode, and I can’t wait. I love watching Shigeo lose it and I’m hoping that’s all we’re gonna be getting next time.

How did you find this Mob Psycho 100 episode? Let us know in the comment section! And don’t forget to check the rest of the Winter 2019 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO!