Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Mob Psycho 100 III Blu-ray Movie Review

Mob Psycho 100 III is the third season of the popular cult-favorite action-comedy. Created by ONE, Mob Psycho 100 III features animation production by BONES (Bungo Stray Dogs, Darker than Black). The series theme music is composed by Wataru Maeguchi (opening) and amazuti (ending).

Produced by Akio Matsuda (Someday's Dreamers, Unlimited Psychic Squad), Fumihiro Ozawa (Ascendance of a Bookworm, The Demon Sword Master of Excalibur Academy), Hirotsugu Ogisu (Girls und Panzer, Space Dandy), Masahiko Minami (Cowboy Bebop, The Vision of Escaflowne), Shinji Ōmori (By the Grace of the Gods, Ascendance of a Bookworm), Shūhō Kondō (Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, The Duke of Death and His Maid), and Yūsuke Ueno (Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle, Teasing Master Takagi-san), Mob Psycho 100 III is an action series aimed at more than just the Shonen audiences. Mob Psycho 100 III features voice-performances by Setsuo Itō, Takahiro Sakurai, Miyu Irino, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka.

What’s the world to do when the broccoli comes to town? After an intense and overwhelming battle with Shigeo "Mob" Kageyama (Setsuo Itō), the aftermath of the epic battle is a giant oversized and ominous broccoli tree. The tree becomes a center point of worship and is adored and cherished by the Psycho Helmet religion. The giant broccoli is now referred to as The Divine Tree by followers. The tree of broccoli is now having a strange impact on citizens.

Is it possible The Divine Tree could be influencing the people in strange and peculiar ways? Could it be brainwashing the town? Now it’s up to Mob alongside Arataka Reigen (Takahiro Sakurai), Ritsu Kageyama (Miyu Irino), and Teruki “Teru” Hanazawa (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka) to figure out chopping down the broccoli tree before its too late. The broccoli is too large to simply chomp down – can the tree of broccoli be defeated?

Mob Psycho 100 III features superb character designs by Yoshimichi Kameda (Doraemon the Movie: Nobita's Treasure Island, Paroru no Miraijima). The designs are unique compared to many other anime productions. For one thing, the designs certainly have a comedic sensibility to them. One can certainly feel a sense of the designs adding a great deal to the production – to the comedic qualities of the series.

The animation is one of the most impressive and important elements of the production. The series features art direction by Ryō Kōno (Paranoia Agent, Space Dandy) and chief animation direction by Yoshimichi Kameda (Flip Flappers, INU-OH). The series animation is a testament to the work of the animation team and the work they did on the series. The animators brought their A game to the production and helped to create a visually imaginative world and landscape that is quite a bit different compared to most other anime series. The animation certainly doesn’t feel as typical as on some series and this is one of the strengths inherit in the production. There is plenty to appreciate here and this is something that extends to the detail in the action scenes. The animators made sure to bring out the extra details in the action and this makes for a more intense and epic sense of scope for these action sequences. The result is something that will entertain action fans with the noteworthy animation.

The cinematography by Mayuko Furumoto (My Hero Academia, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) is another noteworthy aspect of the production. The cinematography is certainly a key element of the series and something that is worth commending. The visual language of the series is quite a bit different compared to most comedy series. Most comedy anime series don’t have as intricate looking a aesthetic with regards to cinematography. The end result here is something that is a bit more complex and more notable. The result speaks for itself.

The score composed by Kenji Kawai (World Trigger, Vampire Princess Miyu) is one of the major highlights of the production. The music adds a lot to the series. The series music is a key and essential element of the series. Kawai is a talented composer – one of the greatest film composers in the entire anime industry -with so many great series and films to their credit over the years. The music makes a solid impression and is a big part of the series charm. Fans of the composer will appreciate the music style used for the production. It certainly aids the storytelling and there is something commendable about that aspect of the score.

Written by Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen), Mob Psycho 100 III features solid character writing and dialogue. The scripting is humorous and there are some charming aspects to the series storytelling style. Fans of over-the-top and goofy comedies with some twisted elements (akin to the stories featured on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim programming block) will find the storytelling with regards to Mob Psycho 100 III similar and agreeable. Fans of these types of comedies will find something to appreciate with the comedic style.

Directed by Yuzuru Tachikawa (Blue Giant, Death Parade) and Takahiro Hasui (Aikatsu Friends!, Bungo Stray Dogs), Mob Psycho 100 III is an entertaining action series and the directors balance out both the comedy and action sequences. For fans of action-adventure and epic storytelling, the directors of the series bring together something interesting – something that builds for action fans while paving out something more than a typical Shonen anime. Mob Psycho 100 III continues the trend with the third season. Established series fans certainly won’t want to miss out.

Mob Psycho 100 III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Released on Blu-ray by Crunchyroll, Mob Psycho 100 III is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high-definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series has a compelling high-defintion presentation with impressive color reproduction, detail, and clarity. The series animation looks stellar and the line art and background animation make an impression.  The colors look outstanding and make a nice impact on the series. The action scenes are also fluid and look great with good encoding capably highlighting the details in the action scenes – these aspects allow for a tighter looking image and one that audiences will appreciate for the encoding strengths.

The Blu-ray release benefits by having a more robust encode. One of the great qualities of physical media and the Blu-ray disc format is the superior encoding compared to streaming services. With streaming video services, the video quality is often provided with lower video bit-rates and this sometimes can make a notable difference in the picture quality. For videophiles and enthusiasts wanting to get the best possible presentation available, the Blu-ray disc format provides a distinct advantage.

Mob Psycho 100 III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (with English subtitles). The sound direction by Kazuhiro Wakabayashi (Blue Exorcist, Darker than Black) is well preserved. The series sound presentation capably handles both the dialogue and series score. The English dub option provides a more immersive soundstage with crisp fidelity and detail. Fans of English dubs will appreciate the extra surround soundstaging for giving a wider surround stage to the presentation – enhancing the soundtrack and sound effects through the rear channels. The Japanese language version may be comparatively limited to 2.0 stereo audio but the definition and clarity is excellent. Purists will prefer the original language version. English subtitles are well done and are free from egregious grammatical and spelling errors.

Mob Psycho 100 III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release includes a nicely designed o-card slipcover. The slipcover features unique key artwork that is different from the key artwork featured underneath the slipcover. For slipcover fans, this adds a lot of value to the packaging. The addition of a separate piece of art (providing two key pieces of art) adds something special to the entire release. The set looks great in hand and will look excellent on a shelf, too.

On disc extras include:

Promo Videos (HD, 4:39)

Commercials (HD, 1:23)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Unfortunately, the on-disc supplemental package is a little underwhelming. The bonus features could have been more impressive. The set could have included some audio commentaries, behind-the-scenes, cast/crew interviews, making-of documentaries, photo galleries, roundtable discussions, convention panels, and more. Alas, the set only includes a small selection of standard bonuses.

Mob Psycho 100 III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Mob Psycho 100 III – Season 3 is going to continue to appeal to fans of the cult-favorite anime series. The series has a unique blend of action and comedy. For fans of anime series that are a bit different from anyone else out there, Mob Psycho 100 III provides a bit of that uniqueness. The series has an impressive animation style and nice production values.

The Blu-ray release provides an excellent high-definition presentation and lossless audio encoding. The first print run of the release includes a nice o-card slipcover. The only downside to the release is the lackluster selection of bonus features. Fans of the series may still wish to consider a purchase for ownership and a superior video-audio presentation. Recommended.