nora - she/her - yelling about other things in @extra-spicy-fire-noodles
215 posts
Alright I gotta talk about a thing.
I’ve seen a lot of posts about Mob bringing light and happiness into Reigen’s life. I’ve reblogged a lot of them, because they’re great and adorable. You see it all over. Reigen in a dark place, borderline depressed, Mob shows up, needs guidance, actually saves Reigen.
And then one day I was scrolling through and I thought. Does that really happen? Sure, Reigen is a conman and doesn’t have a ton of friends and is kinda wandering in his life but is he really in such a dark place?
On the one hand, I had the option to say that people were projecting, or that everyone just loves that “I was a broken boy and you fixed me” trope (I’m begging you to read Artemis Fowl, which is where that quote comes from). And that would have been fine.
But then I thought back to my own experiences, and I thought back to every time a friend or a family member looked me in the eye and said “hey, I just really get the feeling you’re going in a bad direction, do you need something?” and it hit me that this is exactly what happens to Reigen.
The common use of this trope is that character A appears put together but then is revealed to have a tragic backstory where they fell apart as a person and have been putting up a front, and character B helped them put the pieces together. But this isn’t what happens to Reigen. Reigen get snatched up in the canon timeline metaphorical moments before his crash-and-burn event.
We never see Reigen think about what a dumpster fire his life was before Mob because it wasn’t a dumpster fire. It was approaching one, yes, but it never got there. Mob stepped in and gave Reigen direction, and re-lit the flame of motivation that Reigen had lost when he forgot that he wanted to “be someone.” Reigen was 100% heading in the direction of falling apart, but Mob came in at the last second and picked him up before he actually got there.
I think that’s one of the main pulls in their relationship to me, because a lot about their dynamic couldn’t be possible without it. The entire separation arc relies on the fact that Reigen doesn’t understand Mob’s effect on his life, or the emotional maturity that Mob has shown, which he probably would have noticed if he’d known the whole time that Mob fundamentally improved his whole disastrous life. Even the fact that Reigen is still a con artist relies on this. If Mob had “saved” Reigen from his lifestyle, Reigen would have been given the chance to re-work his life entirely, abandoning the more negative parts of his personality that he says later on that he hates.
Anyway I have a lot of feelings about this and I really respect ONE for taking this angle.
[id: part of the reigen spinoff manga. first panel shows roshuuto walking while on the phone with rusty-sama attached to his body. photos of jodo and his other connections are in the background. second panel shows only his phone and says "no one else would help me. all of my personal connections were for naught." end id]
something something uhh people need other people
i seriously hate that one of the main symbols of reigen's kindness and selflessness is his goddamn feet
[id: four pages of the mob psycho manga.
toichiro says "you understand? ...i can't sense a thing from you. maybe you're related to this boy..." reigen looks at him angrily as he continues to say, "but you should stay back if you hold dear to your life."
a closeup of reigen's feet as he steps toward toichiro
mob says "i will stop you." shigeo looks over his shoulder and says "no one can stop me." another closeup of reigen's feet stepping forward
???% stares forward intensely, reigen looks scared, and then a panel of reigen holding his shoes in a trembling hand
a closeup of reigen's feet with the sound effect "shwoo." tome looks up in horror as reigen faces away with rusty-sama attached to him.
end id]
Motherly Love.
and without the silly quote, because I can't decide which one I like best:
Start your day right with my favorite shot of Tome Kurata from the Reigen manga.
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
If you really think about it, what Ritsu was going to do for Mob during Confession Arc (allow himself to be hurt again to snap Mob out of the state he was in) is pretty much exactly what Mob did for him during the Cleanup/Claw Arc of season 1. Mob’s wasn’t intentional or planned out like Ritsu’s was going to be, but he found Ritsu in a violent and abnormal mental state and accepted him fully despite his actions, allowing himself to be bullied to protect Ritsu from enduring the pain of the consequences of his actions. And it was this self-sacrificial beating Mob endured from Koyama that snapped Ritsu fully out of his rebellion and bloodthirst by begging some “super powerful being” not to hurt him (like Mob did to himself in his head).
Also, “Half of that is true, isn’t it?”/“Dont bother trying to get rid of me. Because I’m your brother.” VS “This isn’t some separate, scary version of you. It’s a part of you.”/“Because I’m your younger brother.”
[ID: A series of Mob Pyscho 100 screencaps, here described in pairs.
Ritsu with shadowed eyes and Mob with solid glowing white eyes.
Mob looking serious or neutral and Ritsu with a fearful, shocked expression.
Mob kneeling with a genuine smile and Ritsu smiling with self-assurance.
Ritsu crying and looking battered and Mob sweating and looking harrowed. End ID]
But Ritsu decided to change the ending this time, and end the cycle of self-sacrificial trauma.
Of course, parallels in Confession Arc is a given bc it’s half of the entire point, but it’s fun to explore them.
🫠 i dont know what i am drawing but i love post confession terumob
Little gif i did for the end of mp100 s3 ! It’s been almost a year… this series has such a special place in my heart, i was so happy to animate a little bit on s3 !
Whoa, its been a wonderful ride reading the REIGEN manga from start to finish. Thanks so much to the team of @reigenscans that worked really hard and did an amazing job <3
Ive been following the discussion on reddit about the last chapter of the Reigen manga. While many here on tumblr and reddit liked the chapter, some people thought it felt a bit off. On reddit, treehouseclimber_ made an interesting post about how Reigens character arc felt unresolved in the end. I replied, going by “framedarcanes” on reddit, but thought I could post a more elaborated reply here too.
So, where does Reigen find himself at the end of chapter 7? I thought id share my view on it.
Long analysis under the cut ! 😊 (my first one too .___.)
Keep reading
been doing a mp100 rewatch and i think im gonna need to write an essay at some point about hands as a symbol of human connection in the anime in particular… reaching out for connection is such recurring imagery…. and so is rejecting connection through violence enacted with bare hands vs psychic powers…
reigen being so lonely and having all these grand gestural hand motions when he’s putting on his greatest psychic persona but very rarely genuinely reaching out… that one shot in the s3 op with all the hands rly got my brain going ougugh
Every character in Mob Psycho is so lonely at the beginning of the series, but they all express it in different ways so they don’t realize they’re all dealing with the same problem!
Mob makes himself small and quiet and blends in and does his best to never make a scene and never ask for anything and never think about what he wants. Reigen makes himself big and loud boisterous and takes up as much space as possible–but it’s all show, it’s all slight-of-hand, it’s a magic trick so everyone looks where he wants them to and he doesn’t have to risk anyone seeing through him. Ritsu makes himself perfect and dutiful and studious and pours himself into the mold of A Good Son, A Good Student, A Good Brother, and thinks that if he buries himself deep enough no one can touch him. Teru makes himself sharp and brilliant and frightening and puts himself at the top of the pyramid and convinces himself that it’s a feature that no one can get close to him. Dimple does the same thing–makes himself into a god and a monster, someone who only sees humans as pawns. Never equals. Never friends.
Everyone has walled themselves off from genuine connection, convinced themselves that there’s an important reason they’re alone that isn’t just that they’re afraid, and the series is about all of those walls being torn down, bit by bit. There are a million ways to be lonely, but the solution to all of them, every time, is vulnerability and kindness.
my predictions for mob’s haircut, if he gets one
reuniting with mom
i love this weeks omake…,.,
hey ! any tips on how to draw ritsus emo ass hair? u dont have to tho
here are my tips n tricks + general assumed structure
i dont draw his hair consistently but tbh you dont have to. just give him bangs and spikes that sprout from the whorl and ur good
rayman
my buddy
On The Subject of Change
A Mob Psycho 100 Fancomic
Based on the works of ONE
Lead Artist: @rustnut
Assistant: @fireflysummers
Summary: A snapshot into the new life of Minori Asagiri, who has sworn against the odds to change.
Content Warnings: Canon-typical violence (flashback)
COMPLETE
[Chrono]
Previous: [14-16]
Back on my kageyama parents love, Reigen is an honorary member of the kageyama family and noone can convince me other wise 😤
I've had this ageswap story in my head where as a kid Reigen jumps in the middle of the street to save a dog and he meets Mob when Mob shows up to save Reigen (and the doggo) from oncoming traffic. So Reigen stalks Mob to the office and he's genuinely a good kid because little Reigen thinks it's the coolest thing to help people with your powers and Mob acknowledges this and agrees to take him on as his student
to say the same thing that i've been saying for YEARS once again, mob and reigen's relationship is so bonkers crazy insane, like... here's mob, 14 years old, and reigen's been lying to him since he was 11. to reigen, it was a white lie, even a kindness. to mob, it was not so inconsequential -- it was proof that he was not alone in the world and that he could be okay as an adult. and of course mob believed him fully at first. why wouldn't he? but over the years, the cracks started to form. if things didn't quite add up, mob tried not to think about them. and reigen kept digging the hole deeper; he never thought it would go this far. now mob's 14 and the truth is seeping in around the edges of his consciousness but he refuses to speak it, even after the press conference, when reigen all but begs him to. reigen wants him to say it. i know you've been lying to me. just say it. but mob won't and reigen can't, and they settle back into this weird holding pattern for a while longer. when things finally bubble over for mob, this is at the heart of it. the repression, insecurity, anger, doubt -- mob learned a lot from his master, including: we don't talk about it. so reigen, finally, SHOUTING the truth at him -- it doesn't matter that mob already knew. there's power in the confession, reigen's humility to finally admit it, the vulnerability of saying it out loud instead of leaving it unspoken. it takes all the air out of the conflict, the tension almost immediately evaporates... mob just needed to hear it. to be shown that it was okay to be honest, vulnerable... then when he returns from his long-built-up confession to tsubomi, mob breaks down in tears but it doesn't destroy the city. he just cries and reigen awkwardly pats his back and it's okay.
anyway SCREAMS at the top of my lungs, i love mob psycho 100