Mob Psycho 100


Mob Psycho 100 is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by One. It was serialized on Shogakukan'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 in 16 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 television series adaptation was produced by Bones. The first season aired between July and September 2016, followed by a second season from January to April 2019, and a third and final 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 in December 2016, and broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami block in October 2018.
By December 2022, the manga had over 2.8 million copies in circulation. In 2017, Mob Psycho 100 won the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the category. The anime adaptation has been considered one of the best anime series of the 2010s.

Plot

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 consistently represses his emotions, and as a result has trouble expressing himself. In order to help learn how to control his abilities, Mob works as an assistant to well-meaning 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 deals with supernatural threats, such as ghosts and other espers.

Media

Webcomic and publications

Written and illustrated by One, Mob Psycho 100 began in Shogakukan'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 collected its chapters in 16 volumes, released from November 16, 2012, to July 19, 2018.
Dark Horse Comics announced on April 23, 2018, that it had licensed the series for English serialization in North America, the first volume of 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.

Volumes

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 Bones and directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa. Hiroshi Seko wrote the scripts, designed the characters, and Kenji Kawai composed the music. The series aired between July 12 and September 27, 2016, on Tokyo MX, later airing on ytv, BS Fuji and TV Asahi Channel 1. The opening theme song, "99", is performed by Mob Choir while the ending theme song, titled "Refrain Boy", is performed by All Off.
Mob Psycho 100 was simulcast on Crunchyroll, while Funimation broadcast the show's simuldub. The English dub was produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment. The series was simulcast on Animax Asia 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 the first season was broadcast on Adult Swim's Toonami programming block beginning on October 27, 2018. According to Jason DeMarco, Adult Swim executive producer, legal issues arose with the licensing of the second season at the time, as the Japanese version was licensed by Crunchyroll, and the English version was licensed by Funimation, and it prevented the second season from the airing on the block. At the time of the legal incident, both companies were not owned by a single conglomerate company. The third season would also not air on the block, mainly due in part to Crunchyroll's "unwillingness" to work with Adult Swim on syndication deals for most of their licensed catalog. 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. Muse Communication licensed the series in Southeast Asia.
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 Mob Psycho 100 Reigen 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, the 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; "Gray", "Memosepia", "Mabuta no Ura" and "Ikiru Hitobito", were used for the second season.
Following the conclusion of the second season, another OVA was announced, with Yuzuru Tachikawa reprising his role as director. The OVA, titled Mob Psycho 100: The Spirits and Such Consultation Office's First Company Outing 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 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. 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 did not return. This news prompted much criticism of Crunchyroll on social media.

Live-action drama

A 12-episode Japanese television drama premiered on Netflix on January 12, 2018, and was broadcast on TV Tokyo's MokuDora 25 timeslot from January 18 to April 5 of that same year.

Stage plays

A stage play adaptation of the manga was announced in October 2017. It ran in Tokyo from January 6–14, 2018 at The Galaxy Theatre. The play is directed and written by Keita Kawajiri, while Setsuo Itō reprised his role as Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama from the anime. The other cast includes Ryōma Baba as Arataka Reigen, Takeshi Nadagi as Dimple, Takuya Kawaharada as Teruki Hanazawa, and Gaku Matsumoto as Ritsu Kageyama.
A second stage play adaptation was announced in June 2018, with the cast and staff returning to reprise their roles. It ran in Tokyo from September 13–17 at The Galaxy Theatre, and in Hyōgo from September 20–23, 2018 at Shinkobe Oriental Theater. Shoichiro Oomi and Kentarou Kanesaki replacing Yūya Kido and Naoya Gomoto as Tenga Onigawara and Musashi Gōda respectively, while Seiichirō Nagata joined the cast as Shō.
A third stage play adaptation, titled Mob Psycho 100 , ran in Tokyo's Hulic Hall from August 6–15, 2021, with the cast and staff reprise their roles from the previous stage plays.

Drama CD

A drama CD, titled "Psychic Human Show", was released on January 25, 2017. This CD includes 15 tracks written by creator One and director Yuzuru Tachikawa. It includes humorous skits, character songs, and talking songs. The jacket illustration was drawn by the anime series character designer and animator.

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, Kotoyama, Takako Shimura, Nagano, Ryōji Minagawa and Itaru Bonnoki.

Reception

Manga

By July 2016, Mob Psycho 100 had over 1.2 million copies in circulation. By December 2022, the manga had over 2.8 million copies in circulation.
The comic book writers of San Diego Comic-Con listed Mob Psycho 100 as one of the "Most Wanted Manga" from 2016. Mob Psycho 100 won the 62nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the category in 2017. The series was nominated for a Harvey Award in the Best Manga category in 2019.