Mob Psycho 100 vol. 5

Mob’s brother Ritsu has been kidnapped by the evil organization known as Claw.  They’re a group of psychics who are combining their power in order to bring about a revolution where they’re in charge of the world.  It’s a simple plan, and one that stands a good chance of working given the quality and variety of the psychic powers they’ve got at their disposal.  Mob, however, is in another class entirely, and if he’s being backed up by Teru (and Dimple) then the members of Claw should be the ones running scared.  Right?  Well, Mob and Teru are still kids, so they don’t have the life experience or emotional control that their opponents do.  Fortunately for them, Mob is running late for his work with shyster supreme Reigen.  OR IS HE?  Could it be that Mob’s boss (*rimshot*) is the actual secret head of Claw!?

Had “Mob Psycho 100” followed “One-Punch Man” to the land of Shonen Jump, there’s a pretty good chance that the action here may have been spread over three volumes or more.  Mob, Teru, and Dimple take on multiple antagonists in some cleverly staged fights which showcase either the depth of their power or the range of their strategic thinking.  (These terms apply veeeeery loosely when applied to Dimple, of course.)  While cramming so many battles into one volume runs the risk of making them seem breezy and inconsequential, mangaka ONE manages to make each of them unique.  Either through the powers utilized by the antagonists, the way our protagonists overcome these powers, how we learn something new about the characters involved, or a combination of the three.  Thanks to this approach, the all-battle approach of this volume never became tiring, which meant that I was still ready for more even when it wrapped up.