Mob Is Round And Ritsu Is Sharp. 

out of the 90 or so panels that ONE devotes to the mental fight between shigeo and mob in mob psycho 100's confession arc -- from mob's conscious awareness of shigeo's presence to shigeo's eventual dissolution and assimilation of mob -- just seven show us that the child can actually be heard arguing with himself from the outside.

since the anime concluded its run last year, i've had those panels on my mind. studio bones only animated the largest one and relegated shigeo's speech on it to internal dialogue (much more on that decision here). they're so compelling that i decided to redraw them in my own style.

this is the seventh and last of them. it occurs just before shigeo smacks reigen in the head with a chunk of fallen city in hopes of scaring him off (it doesn't work).

its text reads:

｢他人が”僕”を飼い慣らすことはできない。モブの本当の姿を知ればあの人は僕を開放するよ。」 tanin ga boku wo kainarasu koto wa dekinai. mobu no hontou no sugata wo shireba ano hito wa boku wo kaihou suru yo. 'no one else will be able to tame me. now that he knows mob's true form, that man will set me free.'

[image ID: amidst swirling teal winds, hair wild and eyes aglow, a teenaged japanese boy wearing a gakuran and an eerily neutral expression muses 'tanin ga boku wo kainarasu koto wa dekinai. mobu no hontou no sugata wo shireba ano hito wa boku wo kaihou suru yo.' storm clouds are gathering around his eyes as he speaks, partially obscuring his face.]

ONE's original panel:

この一連の他の絵 kono ichiren no hoka no e other drawings in this series panel 2｜panel 3｜panel 5｜panel 6

I dont think Mob is naive as much as he's socially unaware, like the reason why he trusts Reigen so blindly is a bit more complex than just him being naive

Cause Mob reached out to Reigen because he was desperate to find someone like him, someone who understood his psychic specific issues, someone that could truly know what he's feeling and going through and give him guidance and support

Post incident Mob's thinking process was something along the lines of my powers hurt people -> my powers are bad -> my powers (my emotions, my instincts, myself) cannot be trusted

So he lost all confidence and trust in his own actions, resigning to being as passive as possible to avoid any further damage to anyone else, thus he started doubting his own perception of reality too

He's a kid already struggling with being ostracised for being socially inept, who just got traumatised and all of his insecurity increased by the tenfold, he doesn't know how to process what he's going through. He needs help.

And here comes Reigen, seemingly reliable, a responsible adult in a child's eyes, someone who claims he can understand him

Even tho Reigen doesnt. But it doesn't matter, because Mob finds comfort in his words and takes them to heart

Even if Reigen doesn't fully get it, even if he doesn't see the bigger picture, even if his advice isn't always the best

Eventually, Mob grows up, realises Reigen isn't as honest as he seemed through his 11 year old perspective, but like most things, he refuses to acknowledge it on a deeper level

Mob knows, but never tells Reigen, never thinks about what all those lies mean to him (ofc until he forces himself to face those doubts regarding Reigen, to properly acknowledge both of their flaws and accept them as they are, I should scream into the void about Confession Arc more God)

Due to his lack of trust in himself, Mob has relied on Reigen for years now to shape his moral compass, his thoughts, his decisions

Because well, Reigen lies, sure, but he isnt a bad person. When he hurts Mob, it isn't intentional or with ill intent, he still wants the best for him, what's the issue?

Except that it stunts Mob's growth. He doesn't develop as a person, doesn't have goals or wishes or ambitions, can't make choices on his own, he doesn't even let himself acknowledge his own emotions, he refuses to let himself exist

But Mob realises in time that he wants more than that, he wants to become better and be independent and feel again

Still, he puts the acknowledgement of the lies on hold for as long as he can, unwilling to question the way things are

This can make him feel a little naive, he constantly relies on Reigen and trusts his decisions and raises questions rarely until separation arc when he finally puts his foot down

And I do think that moment is the most resounding proof we have that Mob knows and allows himself to be used by Reigen, not wanting to shake the status quo, until he gets fed up

I mentioned the social ineptitude at the beggining but idk if I should even elaborate on that, you've watched the show, you know what I mean

He's blunt and can't read social cues or tonality that well and can't speak in front of crowds and is overall pretty awkward and I do think some people conflate that with naivety

Mob is still a child, he doesnt fully understand how the world works at the ripe age of 14 years old, but some folks take that as him being inherently naive/innocent/whatever which I don't find true

i love how reigen specifically picks on mob for being gullible and for letting himself be used by others – which is a BOLD MOVE for someone who is lying to and using him, but it’s such a realistic character trait that reveals so much of his inner turmoil. he resents how easy it’s been to use mob, he wishes mob would make things easier for his OWN conscience by calling him out on it, and of course he’s full of self-disgust over how he’s been taking advantage of mob’s good nature. he could alleviate the guilt by being honest, but he thinks that their relationship will end the moment he does, so he’d rather force mob’s hand than have to confess himself. and part of mob’s reluctance to accept the obvious truth – that reigen has been lying to him – has to be some shame over realizing that he bought the lie, hook line and sinker, for years! so hearing reigen constantly belittle him for being gullible? ouch! reigen is inadvertently pushing mob deeper into repression.

Me: goes to the Fullmetal Alchemist exhibition once Also me: (shhh, I know this scene could never have happened. It’s a metaphor)

mob’s hobbies include

being kind to all of god’s creatures on planet earth

lying to his brother

favorite visual gags:

something drawn realistically to show an emotion

something drawn poorly to show an emotion

Had riza ever tried to train ed with a gun, u think? How do u think roy felt about this

Mama Hawk just wants to keep her boy safe. She, more than anyone, knows that you can’t always rely on alchemy to fix all your problems :’)

Bonus:

minor MP100 brainrot relapse!

summer = campfire = ghost stories = S&S company outing

don't mind me just going a bit insane. anyway GREAT WRITING

pissed about them cutting out the part of confession arc not because of the lore but because the shot of shigeo cradling mob’s face in his hands would’ve been a one-hit k.o. miracle clip for mp100 amv creators