Mob Psycho 100, Mental Health and the Shonen Aesthetic

[@DeathAlchemist]

"Mental Health Training Arcs" is the best way to put Mob's growth tbh.

[@coolbeans5911]

gigguk from a distance: *T O U R N A M E N T A R C*

[@PontoLyone]

Oh that's great

[@realswobby]

I would watch it, honestly

[@danyosuna7276]

I want to point out the FLAWLESS character design for Mob in season 2, when he finally "snaps" agains mogami and dimple goes "actually, who are you?" we actually realize the change but the whole season he is looking more and more mature with each chapter (even looking a little bit like his brother)

[@justanawkwardnerd]

I also thought that was hilarious, honestly. He was so pretty, I just kept replaying the scene from the shock and just to appreciate it all.

[@howUdo]

love it when mob reaches a new level ofhis growth and it literally affects his character design and dimple goes who are you? cos even someone close to mob are flabbergasted at his change, mentally. Like that time mob became overconfident at being popular and literally look like he came from jjba

[@mechajay3358]

*YOUR LIFE IS YOUR OWN* 💯

[@slimyguy8]

Alpha Jay 3.0 get ready! wake your psyche up mob!

[@Chris-bz2rf]

FIGHT ON

[@manofhonor151]

so who's ready for the broccoli arc to be animated

[@indigo4740]

Wait hold up there is more about that broccoli?

[@manofhonor151]

@@indigo4740 yep read the manga if you want to see the broccoli arc or wait for third season (if it does get another season)

[@lop90ful1]

I myself m jyped for the next mha arc,it will be fantastic also cabt wait for its op

[@cinnamonsplash]

I'm sooooo hyped for s3! (Even though most of the storyline got spolied to me... _internet is a savage place when it comes to spoilers_ )

[@deepeshmeena6570]

@@cinnamonsplash the spoilers in mob psycho 100 doesn't matter much. It's how the scenes are played is what makes this interesting. Edit: I just realised that I am 1 year late.

[@kombuchas4684]

11:24 I mean, Mob never planned to go the pacifist route with Mogami. Since he was an evil spirit who has demonstrated his willingness to hurt living humans, Mob had no qualms exorcising him. 11:40 And yes, Mob did use his powers against Teruki, but the take away message wasn't that sometimes violence is necessary. The message was that no matter how hard Mob tried to resist, he could not control his powers from unleashing. Mob hated and feared himself for this.

[@djroscurro9859]

I think having more than one takeaway is entirely plausible. Sometimes people really do need that push to understand. Edit: ok for some reason I thought you were talking about that final fight with toichiro LOL

[@olmo4767]

is it a sign of my age that I think Mob's PARENTS should have helped with his issues? they have extremely poor communication with him, if they payed more attention to their son they could have helped him more than reigen could ever have. Besides, it's their moral duty as parents, they're responsible for him!

[@gochathetruly2624]

@@catsaresocute7516 That's how japanese society works

[@pearlyp9898]

Yeah, I definitely agree that the Kageyama parents have poor comunication with their kids. And I don't think that that is a flaw of ONE's writing. In fact, I think it serves to highlight the point that Mob is a very average kid when you remove his powers. His parents aren't bad, but they aren't that good either, and that's what most parents, especially in japanese society, are like. The way both of their sons developed from the ???% incident, along some other more minor details, like the comparisions, seems very deliberate from a writing standpoint when you analyze their characterisation.

[@neonfroot]

@@pearlyp9898 Yes. East Asian society is far more obsessed with decorum and academics than Anglo-America. Affection in East Asia is nil. Work isn't just for a living. Its a lifestyle. "Working yourself to death" is a literal thing. Its so bad that hikkimori (NEETs) are a growing caste because of burnout. This worker ant culture is why anime and manga are so colorful and campy.

[@fabulousmyriad267]

Actually, I sympathise with his parents feeling out of their depth when dealing with their sons powers. Rather than pretend to understand their sons conflict with his powers (looking at you Reigen), they try their best to provide his basic needs. Future manga chapters show Mob having a talk about his future career with his parents which is very relatable.

[@halfdemonprince]

To be fair, absent or despondent parents are pretty par-for-the-course in shonen anime. Most of the time the parents are simply killed off.

[@RinKagaminer]

God, that blog post made me so angry. The writer seems to conflate pacifism with watching paint dry, as if shows of force were the only way to play an active role in society. He assumes humans are the most powerful things in the solar system second only to the sun (to which I propose launching oneself directly into Jupiter). “Claw did nothing wrong”-I shouldn’t even have to explain why that’s false. They’re terrorists. Pacifists are apparently in the “fodders of history”-so who does he think Gandhi or Martin Luther King were? And the fact that he thinks Reigen is an awful character was really just the icing on a cake that reeked of support for dictatorship and oligarchy.

[@rishimehta4486]

The author titles it as a critique and then goes on rambling how they like shows which agree with their definition of justice and how they don't like the theme of pacifism(which wasn't even present in the show) then tells the reader that the writing is bad but doesn't give any evidence in support of their argument. What kind of critique is this? Is throwing personal opinions now critique?

[@islandboy9381]

''Is throwing personal opinions now critique?'' My dude that's 90% procent of KZbin reviewers

[@user-tr9rw7ne8x]

wasn't ghandi a questionable person who slept with underage girls and racist towards black africans iirc.

[@Aleczandxr]

Awesome video.

[@robertrivera5569]

Ayyy its you, the hunter hunter guy

[@metallicarequiem2936]

Who would have thought that one of my one of favorite discussion youtubers would be in the comments of another one

[@georgespiggott5615]

i'd say that naruto undercuts its own message by giving naruto all those special abilities (uzumaki chakra, son of the 4th hokage, tons of powerful mentors like jiraiya and kakashi and the 3rd hokage, literal reincarnation of a demigod, etc). he's super privileged in a lot of ways despite having a sad childhood.

[@TheRealObi-wanKenobi]

What are you reffering to when you say "naruto's message"?

[@justanawkwardnerd]

Same. And that a lot of times, he feels like he's talking _at_ people more than he's talking _to_ them. It doesn't help that a lot of his relationships seem rather shallow - he doesn't really hang out with anyone just to hang out with them. Interpersonal relationships and downtime to cultivate them in Naruto is honestly rather weak, and much more glaring when you look at Naruto, a character who's more extroverted in his friendliness than much of the other cast - or at least he's meant to be. It's kinda sad, honestly.

[@justanawkwardnerd]

@@TheRealObi-wanKenobi Maybe about being the underdog, and the value of hardwork? That was more apparent in Part 1, but the Chosen One message started hitting harder in Shippuden, and the whole reincarnation stuff made it feel like a lot. Like, Naruto's strength and power ended up being more from powerups from a psuedo-god rather than him merely grinding it with good teachers, especially since he was supposed to be the antithesis of Sasuke who at least grew up around resources that showed and started cultivating his strength outside of school, while Naruto only started off with not even being good in school either, yet Naruto fought to match up with him with what few skills he had. I'm not gonna really get into Kurama at this point, really. I personally got tired of all the power ups Naruto and the Uchiha and general ended up getting - it was getting more about "what new superpower can we introduce and break the power scale with," and it just wasn't as fun anymore. Naruto has a similar pedigree as Sasuke, which kinda messes with the message of "hardwork vs. talent" which was helped defined by meeting Lee and Neji, as there was a _reason_ Naruto resonated with Lee, and was against Neji, even though, ironically enough, Neji was right. The end of the manga was exhausting for a lot of people, as it was just one thing after another after we thought we were getting to the end, and the insertion of aliens and reincarnation and the power that comes with exhausted a lot of people, including me and OP, I think. I hope what I said made sense?

[@TheRealObi-wanKenobi]

@@justanawkwardnerd I don't think Neji's idea of destiny and the hardwork beats talent idea are the same. Shippuden did fuck up -hardwork beats talent-, however part 1 also never really dit it "right", because Lee lost to Gaara. I'm pretty sure that Gai said "your talent is your ability to work hard and never give up" in Lee's backstory. Atleast something similar to that. Later he also says "Luck is part of a ninja's skill" when talking about Lee's surgery. I don't think the message was ever hardwork beats talent, because of these quotes. Especially the first one, saying that hard work is also a talent. According to that hardwork vs talent wouldn't even be a question, since it's the same thing. I'm pretty sure there was supposed to be a message there, that was never adressed again. As far as I know. The message about destiny is consistent. Neji believed that there is a fixed destiny for everyone. Naruto proved that wrong by beating him even though he was destined to lose according to Neji (He changed his destiny, destiny isn't fixed). The prophecy about Jiraiya's student wasn't fixed either, since Jiraiya's choice could influence things. Naruto and Nagato both ended up being the students of prophecy, because of Jiraiya and all the choices and actions of the people involved. (Destiney wasn't fixed) The reïncarnation meant that naruto and sasuke would end up fighting over their ideals till they die, like every reïncarnate before them (Except Madara). The final fight stopped the cycle of reïncarnation and the eternal fight between the ideals of Ashura and Indra. So Naruto changed his destiny by making peace with sasuke (He changed his destiny, destiney wasn't fixed).

[@blazingexil4003]

That doesn’t undercut his crappy upbringing, emotional struggles and insecurities. I also just despise this hard work vs talent bullshit. That wasn’t the main message in Naruto.

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

this video single handidly convinced me to watch this show

[@flu3b93]

My commented is featured in a Mathwiz video! Btw, I meant that as a complement

[@MishaMishaMatic]

I love discussions surrounding what "shonen" is. Especially as we know it is just a demographic but we can pick up on reoccurring themes that make things feel intrinsically "shonen". Enjoyed hearing how you would apply those points to Mob Psycho 100. Nice work.

[@thomasffrench36]

I would actually describe it as the Jump aesthetic. If you go around other shonen magazines, they don’t have that typical shonen style that people think of.

[@sasha7628]

such beautiful thoughtful video! It made me want to rewatch mp100 all over again!

[@littleotaku8353]

Power Scaling definitely falls under the "let people have fun" umbrella. Harrassment and bullying does not, which is something some scalers are prone to.

[@subhadramahanta452]

Today's people sure does need some of the mental health training arc.

[@HxH2011DRA]

Shout out to SocraTetris's "The Philosophy of Mob Psycho 100" this vid reminded me of it.

[@MathWizHQ]

Watching this video now and it's really good. Gonna link it for any random people who stumble across this comment: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYG6ZJ-cibuJpKM

[@whyamithewerewolf]

Mob Psycho is different from any other anime that I have seen and I think one of the things that makes it great is that it's hard to categorize, it's like a complex layered dessert filled with wholesomeness, motivation and spectacle. I like Naruto and HxH(actually, you know what, no, I hate the Chimera Ant arc with every fiber of my being and I'm still mad about it) but they don't do it for me like MP100 does.

[@justkon1789]

Amazing video man, perfectly put and it spoke to me

[@christianmagrum3282]

I love many of the points you bring up in this video especially about the small differences in media making all the difference in the world

[@animalia5554]

One seems to have a reoccurring theme that you are both more and less then what society sees you as

[@HANIMEME]

Really good video analyzing thee goodness of MP100. Also not really directly related but your video gave me the idea of using the body improvement club theme while working out!

[@jamespaguip5913]

Mob is a relatable character

[@howUdo]

Mob ageing like fine win in each season

[@irespectyou1856]

Bro, I don’t even see your videos in my feed or my notifications anymore even when I have all notifications turned on,it’s bullshit! But nevertheless the video was great and beautifully put together!

[@apreciemos]

I love your voice and how you narrate, it's really soothing. The content of the video itself is great as well.

[@rinkiko]

This is a pretty insightful analysis of the show

[@Miki_Naz]

This video just reminded me why this is one of my favorite channels on youtube :)

[@shigeos2ndmom]

11:31 "???" finally got addressed in the final arc MP100 season 3 episode 34-37

[@ryancarless7921]

Nice video. Always cool to look at Shonen action series like this

[@jyothsnaaddanki8500]

Dude you could talk about naruto all day and I'll still listen

[@maxmalickfall1504]

I enjoyed hearing your thoughts about both series, I’m subscribed now

[@animeerik1481]

So I was unfamiliar with the term power currency, but when you first said it instantly understood what you meant by it. I think its a term that's clear enough that in a context of battle anime it is obvious what's meant by it. So even if it might not be the 'official' term, I do think that's it clear enough and I will possible use it in the future. Anyway excellent video as usual mathwiz and I hope that Fairy Tail turns out to be better then my memories of it.

[@ody1212]

Jesus Christ, I've been looking for the person who coined "Power Currency" for hours! I know I've heard the term being used before; I'm fairly certain it was in a power system analysis video, probably about Nen specifically. I remember the segment where the term was introduced going something like... *describes Nen / Chakra / Ki as power currency* "Yes, I actually call it power currency, because the more of it you have, the more [you're able to accomplish various things]*, just like real life currency." *I can't recall this part accurately.

[@MathWizHQ]

I also thought it might have been in a discussion of nen, but I don't remember who said it.

[@ody1212]

​@@MathWizHQ THE QUEST IS OVER kzbin.info/www/bejne/oaeWd4ForputgKs The phrasing makes it sound like he came up with the name himself.

[@MathWizHQ]

YUP. THIS IS IT, CHIEF. I remember watching this video a while back.

[@alycat1380]

5:32 - 5:34 rock and roll mob! XD omg!

[@MegaJufy]

What's the point of power if you don't even understand the basics of living? That's the point of Mob. Its highlighted when he shittalks the weak Claw espers. Could your mystical fighting skills design an aqueduct? Or make lamp oil, or give a veteran a job, or help a blind man get around a city? No, the answer is no. You got some new power to beat the new big bad... so what? What are you gonna use that power for next? Oh, nothing? It's just gonna sit in your rolodex until the next big bad shows up and the author needs to make him appear strong by tanking your newest skill. And repeat until ep. 300.

[@alexmikhylov]

Mob refused to fight Teruki because at that time he had a rule of not using powers on humans

[@MathWizHQ]

Yes, but Mob eventually learns that sometimes it's necessary to break that rule. That's why he's able to fight people like Mogami and Suzuki in the second season. The Teruki fight was essentially a draw since both characters ended up going back on their ideals.

[@alexmikhylov]

@@MathWizHQ Mogami was not human. anyway, he started to consciously fight humans using powers way back when dude with spiral fists attacked Ritsu. he basically adjusted the rule that it's okay to use powers against humans to protect or help other humans. he never broke it. and during the Suzuki fight we can see why the rule was necessary - at one point Mob nearly lost himself in a battling frenzy, but regained control thanks to his journey and development and connections with others.

[@aminuteofb6848]

@@MathWizHQ Doesn't he violate that rule in the first season tho? Mob ends up brutalizing Koyama in order to defend Ritsu. Also, even in cases like Suzuki, I felt the point of the fight was more "even if we have to use violence as a necessary evil, it's still not good for us." Hell, Mob "winning" the fight technically doesn't save the day, only causes Suzuki to turn into a nuclear bomb that threatens to destroy the city. It's not a victory on Mob's part, it's a failure. It's when Mob decides to be kind that the day is saved.

[@thinBillyBoy]

Amazing video! Thank you for it!

[@PontoLyone]

Lol @ Mob's speechless speech

[@forrestjones3745]

great vid would luv to see ur analysis of katekyou hitman reborn my fav shounen anime

[@Legalmind2]

Is there actually a multipart series on monogatari coming, because if so I have to speed up my monogatari watching schedule. I'm only about half way done.

[@MathWizHQ]

Maybe not a multi-part series, but rather a handful of individual videos spaced out over time like what I did with Naruto. I have a few installments of the anime left to watch, but I already know of at least 2 topics I want to discuss.

[@johnlola9669]

Why do his voice sounds like sasuke speaking in English? 🤔 Is it only me?

[@CandyThePuppy]

14:29 you when you don't take care of your mental health

[@Drawingsagespaz]

Love your videos.

[@camerongrow6426]

I love the term Power Currency. I've never heard it myself but I'm going to find the term very useful.

[@kiat982]

shigeo is a slice of life protagonist forced to be a shounen protag

[@sophslay1146]

HUGTO PRECURE MENTIONED

[@yourbroskijack]

I enjoyed your VIDEO!!!!!

[@PUOPUO-PUO]

Someone, impact me with facts of the internet

[@boringa55binch89]

i'm kinda bummed the blogpost got deleted - from what i've heard of it i'm sure i would've disagreed with the post, but it would've been an interesting read nonetheless

[@MathWizHQ]

the blogpost is gone, but the video upload of it is still on their channel last I checked

[@hollowify_tensa_zangetsu]

I agree power is used to impose ideology on others. The shonen protagonist (generally) doesn't "force" there ideology on others, more often it used to balance the contradictions of the dominant authoritarian ideology. Like our enlightenment did for us. The shonen ideology goes from the French to the English revolution. French being "we can create equality throught force" the English was " the world is unfair, we have no chance to create a utopia, but here values and beliefs to smooth out the unfairness in the world"

[@maxmustermann9058]

Epic ending

[@WeebRevolution]

I appreciate the perspective, its a bit hard to like this show when you're friends with HXHDRA2011 to say the least. I guess most of our gripes come from how it handles power, its cool that One acknowledges that sometimes it has to be used, but I prefer shonen series where characters go out of their way to use their powers for good. Mob is growing and isn't quite sure how to use his powers for most of the series and I find that a bit frustrating personally. It nails all 3 other aspects of the shonen aesthetic so thats cool!

[@MrMoises621]

hmmmmmm...

[@pearlyp9898]

I mean, pretty sure the slow development of his powers is cause he's traumatised by them, and that theme of trauma, when you look deeper, actually seems to be a big part of how the show handles a lot of it's characters. I understand how that could be frustrating to some, tho. But I, personally, really appreciate when shows take their time exploring the flaws and problems of their characters like this.

[@altoreuz1312]

I get a bit frustrated as well as a lover for action series sometimes. But One originally didn't intend it to be an action manga in the first place, just 'Slice-of-Life that happened to have superpowers' he just ended up putting a lot of action-packed moments for it to be considered such. So I get why it didn't go the usual all out route.

[@hollowify_tensa_zangetsu]

Hsha mob is ichigo kurasaki...holy shit 😊

[@SkyMushrooms]

3:09 excuse me what?

[@cithara8954]

SkyMushrooms i laughed

[@nicheman4455]

Manga reader here. At 11:40 you are right on the money

[@tomasroque3338]

Thank God your Monogatari video series won't actually be 35-parts-long, that'd be way too *little*. But honestly, Monogatari is the best anime ever and the more Monogatari analysis there is, the happier I'll be.

[@manofhonor151]

id love to hear your take on One Punch Man

[@MathWizHQ]

Season one was fun but not super interesting. I'll get around to the second season eventually.

[@manofhonor151]

@@MathWizHQ i'd recommend you read the manga instead cause i heard the animation for the second is a huge downgrade compared to the first season

[@AnEvilSnowman]

On the shonen is a demographic point why do you think there is a lesser popularisation of Senin anime? Why is hunterxhunter still considered shonen despite the more mature themes? I might just not have enough exposure to anime to know the difference.

[@MathWizHQ]

I'm guessing shonen stuff (generally) is more popular than seinen stuff due to the reputation of magazines like Jump. A number of manga authors nowadays (whether they work for Jump or not) have mentioned how they grew up reading weekly shonen jump, so it could be an ease of access thing. Because it's designed to appeal to a younger audience, more people can connect to it. I dunno, I've never heard of a seinen magazine with the kind of influence that Jump has, but that doesn't mean such a magazine doesn't exist. Also, HxH is still considered a shonen because it was published in a shonen magazine. It's that simple. Even from an aesthetic standpoint, though, HxH is still incredibly shonen.

[@AnEvilSnowman]

@@MathWizHQ it might be the case that the weekly format only really works for the shonen demographic others are more suited to one offs or light novels. The intricacies of genre are not simple and this new thing of "shonen is a demographic not a genre" that seem to be piping up around anietube in the last year although strictly correct is going to limit discussion.

[@MathWizHQ]

I also talked about shonen as an aesthetic. The point of the video was that, even though shonen was originally just a demographic, it has since been used in a context that merits further discussion. I just think "the shonen aesthetic" is more accurate than "the shonen genre."

[@azazazazaz936]

I disagree with the ideas that all those 4 things are necessary for a series to fit in the Battle Shounen aesthetics. Attack on Titan doesn't really fit most of these but is certainly a Battle Shounen( and one I do hope will be covered in the Nen show podcast since it gets a lot more interesting thematically as it goes along). Then there's HunterxHunter which is the best representative of the genre and I wouldn't say it really fits those criteria that well. The idea that power is necessary for achieving one's ambition is discussed in CA but ultimately rejected. Empathy is certainly important but its most important feature in the show is the lack of it from the main character toward people who are not his friends( and that starts from the first arc where people die and the main characters don't care). There's not a strong passing of the torch theme in it and the general outlook of the series is neither optimism nor cynicism, but a blending of the two

[@maxillebastille9079]

Hunter Hunter is a deconstruction of the Shonen genre. so by nature it wouldn't fit them.

[@theplaytheroist6433]

How about you can talk about Black Clover, it'll be interesting video to talk about it

[@mattgoggin3831]

Look into Steven universe the main character deals with anxiety from feelings of inadequacy and as he address these feelings he grows in power

[@Miki_Naz]

8:51 what anime is that?

[@MishaMishaMatic]

Hugtto Precure

[@Miki_Naz]

@@MishaMishaMatic ty

[@MADKapo]

If you're still looking for this "insecure shounen protagonist" maybe you should check Black Clover, the manga to be exact since the anime is so inconsistent with its quality. I couldn't define Asta as insecure but I believe he brings out some interesting aspects that compose your perfect protagonist.

[@wandered8744]

I love the show

[@HEyZEus-tv7et]

I think I understand what anime you're looking for: 1. It doesnt exist, you're being too picky 2. Gurren Lagan? Maybe? 3. Me personally, I'd say Gangsta nails it but the studio went bankrupt sooo...

[@kdotshadyrecordfan1]

Have you read berserk?

[@theguy29juju]

Bruh that Eleven×Heaven blog post is so stupid.

[@1am636]

lol i thought it was a copy of saitama but with hair

[@viktornagy7801]

Naruto is too looooooong

[@MopedOfJustice]

You know, I think that you have the potential to really elevate commentary on anime. The main issue right now is that you seem to be a fish in a really small pond in terms of the culture of substantive criticism. I think that you'd benefit hugely from doing more extensive research on literary criticism. Right now you seem a little over-reliant on a small set of tools and fairly narrow lenses. Totally Not Mark is a good point of comparison for this. He's another smart guy doing criticism of anime/manga, but he managed to make a whole series of videos using the bulletpoint version of a single, simple framework for talking about character development, all the while talking like it was "the truth of the matter" rather than a particular lens. Don't get me wrong, those videos aren't bad. They got boring after a while, but I generally thought that they were good and informative. The issue is that there are a lot of intelligent people who want to really dig deeper into these mediums, but they haven't learned how and need to reinvent the wheel to say anything at all. Given that position, I think that what you've managed is impressive, but I also think that you're capable of doing a lot more by doing more research into literary criticism. Film criticism too, but that tends to be the one thing that the anime community is more commonly good at. I apologize for the wall of unsolicited advice, but seeing that blog's insipid rant on Mob made me realize that people like you (and TNM, etc.) can do so much better.

[@SuperBallani]

Dude, please no. i want Mathwiz to make content and analysis by his own standard as he does and as everyone else does. Maybe YOU found these videos "boring after a while" but for me, and a lot of other people, it's not boring when you talk about different shows or that you you tackle different aspect of a show in each video. There is always something different to say since what we are talking abou is different.

[@MopedOfJustice]

@@SuperBallani I don't think that you actually understand what I was trying to say if that's you're response, especially regarding TNM's series. That I thought it was boring was just an aside. I think it was a good series and I'm glad that it exists. That statement you made: "it's not boring when you talk about different shows or that you you tackle different aspect of a show in each video" Is one that I totally agree with! It's good that there are people doing this (well, the first part is non-specific, but we're both mostly talking about the second and his DBZ focus). I just also had a criticism of it, but it's still a series that I used to explain how I thought anitube has a lot of potential. I'm not saying that Mathwiz should defer to some singular external authority. If you read my comment more carefully, you would have seen that I very strongly ran that implication already. How? Well, my biggest complaint for TNM is that his frameworks can sometimes be too narrow and insular. If he did more research of the kind that he has already started to do and gained an appreciation for more lenses of criticism, it would help him step back from any one particular dogma and give a more nuanced view that is more about his own perspective than applying one singular perspective of someone else. It's a very common development arc, and I think it's great that TNM has been independently putting in work to make that progress for himself. Does that make sense? I think that our values here are mostly in agreement.

[@hannahreis8914]

@MopedOfJustice As a communication student, I have done a little literary analysis on different anime and their authors, and I agree with you! I personally feel a need for good rhetorical criticism (film or literary) on anime, and Mathwiz and other anitubers are stepping up and identifying some of the rhetoric for us - showing us what makes these stories and their characters persuasive and easy to identify with. I love that these youtubers are putting their own spin/opinion into the mix, too. That's what makes their videos valuable, and I'll sometimes quote/cite them in my research papers, too. I've found lots of film reviews on stuff like Studio Ghibli/Miyazaki films, but much less literary analysis, such as an English major would focus on. So keep up the good work, @Mathwiz, because I absolutely LOVE the work that you are doing (I'm a huge Naruto/Mob Psycho/HxH fan, btw, so thanks for all the videos!) and if you feel the desire, look into the "internal forms" of literature that the "New Criticism" analysis method addresses, such as mood, setting, repetition, theme, etc. (or even just the 7 key elements of fiction, it's all similar, haha) It might seem weird to apply bits of literary analysis to anime, but they do originate as manga, so it works, I think, just as different perspectives that affect story arcs :)

[@MopedOfJustice]

@@hannahreis8914 Hey, thanks a bunch for your feedback. It was encouraging to hear your opinion on it, since you seem a bit more qualified than me (I'm a philosophy student).

[@hannahreis8914]

​@@MopedOfJustice Aww, thanks, and that's cool, because we need philosophy in the mix too! That's something that affects every anime, every story :)

[@hish33p32]

Second

[@Ben-gh1bz]

He lost me when he said he likes Mob more than Naruto. I am out of here

[@boringa55binch89]

he said he likes naruto more than mob tho...?

[@daddyrizo1346]

nothing but an overrated trash anime that’s surprisingly not fully forgotten I’ll give it another season or 2

[@dbtooclean9215]

Mob psycho ?

[@daddyrizo1346]

yup

[@dbtooclean9215]

Daddy Jean I feel like it’s underrated

[@daddyrizo1346]

everyone was sucking it off when it was airing and there are still some pretentious weebs talking about it to this day it’s obviously not AOT levels of popularity but this shit is far from underrated wtf are you on lol

[@heikesiegl2640]

@@daddyrizo1346 wow cool dow ... -.- it IS a great show. Just not the typical stuff you normaly see. Not as many bs tropes. Its more about emotion and how to fit in and still staying true to oneselfe. Just vecause you don't like it doesn't mean its bad.