First Impression: Ascendance of a Bookworm

     When I first started watching this show I thought it was going to be your average isekai - the main character dies and is reborn in a fantasy world, however that is not what I discovered. This show keeps surprising me. It does start out with the basic premise of an isekai, but there is a twist. In "Ascendance of a Bookworm" the main character is reborn as a child - someone who is weak and at the bottom of the social system. It almost seems like the person previously inhabiting her new body dies and then she is inserted in their place. I hope that the anime plays with this concept in future episodes.

     At first I didn't really like Main (pronounced 'mine') the main character. Her central personality trait is that she likes books. At the beginning of the show she is rather self-absorbed in her books (or lack thereof being born into a low class family) and tries to manipulate others to get her way. She is also a bit of a prodigy and tends to succeed quickly/easily often due to her previous life experiences. However, the show does have the advantage of character growth, both in Main and other central characters, steady plot development, and obstacles to be overcome.

     Although Main has the advantage with knowledge of today's technologies, she has a fatal flaw in her physical weakness. If her illness is not addressed she really will die - and no amount of knowledge about modern medicine will help her here. This produces a great foil for potential plot and character development. Also, it is through this weakness that her character is really able to shine. 

     At the time of this 'impression' I have watched about a season and a half of "Ascendance of a Bookworm," It has been cool to see how Main has grown as a character. She has really come to love the world that she is in. While she still goes crazy over books she loves her new family and wants to do right by the rules of this world. I am interested to see how she will continue to grow.

"Ascendance of a Bookworm" is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

Anime Review: Mob Psycho 100

Title: Mob Psycho 100 and Mob Psycho 100 II
Genres: Comedy, Action, Supernatural, Coming of Age
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

General Set-up: Mob Psycho 100 takes place in a fictional city called Seasoning City, following, at first, two main characters: Shigeo Kageyama and Arataka Reigan. Shigeo, otherwise known as Mob, is a middle school student at Salt Middle School who works part time at "Spirits and Such Consultation Office" run by Reigan. Mob, however is not a normal middle schooler--he has psychic powers. And what happens when he gets to 100%? No one knows.

Characters: Shigeo Kageyama/Mob is a second-year student at Salt Middle School (aka a 7th grader) who was born with amazing psychic powers. He is quiet and shy, but also desperately wants to become popular--something psychic powers can't help with. Also, Mob reasons, if he is popular, he will have more courage to ask out the girl he likes. While his powers are explored in the show, a greater focus is given to his internal growth. After all this is a coming of age story.
                    Arataka Reigan is the owner (and only full-time employee) of "Spirits and Such Consultation Office." He is confident and charismatic--but has a small problem--he doesn't actually have any psychic powers. He uses Mob to help with any job involving actual spirits, while he handles the jobs that don't actually involve spirits (the clients just think that it involves spirits). He is also known for exorcising spirits from photographs using Photoshop!

Plot: I, like many people, was under the impression that Mob Psycho 100 would be a tournament anime like Yu Yu Hakusho or Hunter X Hunter. Or maybe you assumed that this show would be similar to ONE's (the author) other work: One Punch Man. Mob Psycho 100 is  a touching coming of age story. While it most certainly is a story about crazy psychic powers, it is just as much driven by its characters. The content of the episodes changes and it may be about psychic battles, but could just as well be about personal growth--or even both. It is also surprisingly funny with an expanding cast of characters, and you just can't help but root for Mob and Reigan.

Ending (NO SPOILERS): While it has been rumored that there will be a Season 3, nothing has yet to be confirmed (as of 6/3/20). Currently Mob Psycho 100 has 2 seasons (the second being called Mob Psycho 100 II) and 2 OVA's. While the current ending is satisfying, there is still room for plot that can be resolved in another season. Plus, the show is so enjoyable that I could love to see more.

Sound Design: Like many anime, the soundtrack has a very limited number of songs: a battle theme, more emotional music, and background music. However the songs really do fit the mood of the scenes even if they are a little bit repetitive. And when the "battle theme" plays, oh man, am I excited for what will come next.
                        And the dub is seriously excellent and available to everyone on Crunchyroll. The voice actors for Reigan and Mob are especially good, able to capture the emotion, charisma, chaos, and conflict in the characters. While the translator does run into a few problems related to puns in English/Japanese, the dub does fit the overall production and tone of the show.

Animation: The 2019 Crunchyroll best animation award speaks for itself, but because it is go good I am going to talk about it anyway. This show has some of the most stunning animation I have ever seen, easily surpassing One Punch Man in the fight scenes (but that is just my opinion, so please don't come for me in the comments). The coloring specifically is something I wanted to mention as I don't know many shows that play around (well) with color. At first glance the coloring is nothing special, normal tones and colors, but once psychic powers begin to play, the colors change and the animations changes fluidly and unexpectedly.
                  On the surface level the animation is...unusual. Unlike Once Punch Man, Mob Psycho's animation is a lot closer to the author's (ONE's) style. Overall the style is quite simplistic. However the animation really shines with the fluidity of animation allowed by the simplistic style. It is very eye catching in the fight scenes, surprisingly colorful, and I, for one, love it.

Things to Watch our For: There are a couple of bare butts shots and torture is mentioned. Oh, and also a lot of psychic (and non-psychic) battles.

Other Media: Mob Psycho 100 is a manga written by ONE. ONE has also written the manga One Punch Man which is also now an anime. Additionally, Netflix has a live action adaption. I haven't watched it so I can't comment on the quality.

Where to Watch: Currently available for streaming in sub and dub on Crunchyroll. (Free with adds.)