The following contains spoilers for Episode 1 of Mob Psycho 100 III, "Future ~Career Paths~," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The first episode of Mob Psycho 100 III, brings the show back to its core themes and continues Mob's path. In the aftermath of his intense battle at the end of the last season, a giant broccoli has sprouted in Seasoning City, and scores of people have begun to revere the strange object as something divine. Somehow, amongst the profound change experienced by the city and some characters later shown in the episode, Mob is still, refreshingly, his plain old self.
Now that his middle school tenure is coming to a close, Mob has to commit to something over the next few years; be it high school or some other trajectory. Since he has no idea what he'll be doing with his future, Mob mulls over the situation throughout the first episode of the new season.
Some Growing Up to Do
Mob still desires to live a normal life, and like any normal kid at this point in their life, all the voices echoing all kinds of things to him regarding what he should end up doing with his future leave him unable to pick any one thing. From Mob's perspective, everyone around him has figured something out, and it is evident that many people chose their path; be it high school, helping out with the family business or anything, from an understanding of their individual roles in their specific situations, not to mention some kind of underlying passion about something. Even Dimple is reminded that he once had aspirations, so part of this episode is really just Mob hearing about other people's life plans. Mob still hasn't found something for himself yet, placing immense pressure on this moment as something that will have the biggest impact on his life going forward. What he doesn't know is that these decisions aren't quite so important when you're barely finishing middle school.
Symbiosis
What is alluded to in the first episode, and may go on to be a major thematic component this season is Reigen's relationship with Mob. As Mob thinks about his future, he asks his Master Reigen for advice. Reigen, being the dramatic and theatrical person that he is, concocts an exaggerated story about how he came to establish his "spiritual practice", but the truth is simply that he got bored with his job as a salaryman, and very soon ended up wanting to quit his conning too, if it weren't for the appearance of a certain boy at his office one day. It has been apparent from the beginning that Reigen relies on Mob for various things, particularly when it comes to being affirmed as some kind of authority figure; someone who is more put together than he actually is.
His charisma hides his fear of being mundane; of failure, and while he is a total fraud; Mob's reliance on him, even if stemming from a fundamental misunderstanding, has given Reigen a sense of belonging. Reigen is threatened by Mob's growth, not out of malice, but out of the fear that Mob will one day no longer need him – the inevitability of which Reigen understands very well. It is clearer now more than ever that while Mob's future plans are the premise of this episode, it is Reigen who has some growing up to do.
The Growing Team
After being saved in the last season, the former Claw member who was part of the Ultimate 5, Katsuya Serizawa, has found solace working for Reigen as an auxiliary member of his consultation office. Reigen hopes to show Serizawa the ropes, and luckily for him, Reigen's phony clairvoyance and overall psychic potential aren't apparent to Serizawa at all. Reigen's special power is his ability to convince people, even the most put together of people, of some of the most ridiculous things.
Serizawa, having been recruited by Reigen, is considered a junior member of the team despite the fact that he actually has psychic powers. Reigen does not. After accidentally breaking a wooden doll brought in by a client who thought it was cursed somehow, Serizawa hilariously gains respect for Reigen who manages to concoct a brand-new special move to fix it: Rice Grain Big Bang. His Salt Splash also makes an appearance in the episode.
The Broccoli in the Room
Mezato, the girl Mob met in the first season during Dimple's cult leader phase, correctly deduces the exact origins of the giant broccoli stalk currently being revered by members of the Psycho Helmet Cult. Her overactive imagination, journalistic talent and strength of deduction enable Mezato to quickly surmise that Mob is behind the broccoli; however, due to his focus on his future plans and what he'll be filling out on his career aspiration form for school, Mob is more interested in hearing what plans Mezato has for her own life, being very happy for her as her chosen path seems to be one that Mob thinks would be very good for her.
Big Bad
When Reigen is summoned to assist a smoking bachelor with a really intense smoking habit, unresolved abandonment issues and a total lack of motivation, Mob, Serizawa and even Reigen for a moment, are unable to see the giant evil spirit emanating from the client. The Mob Psycho 100 series's famous animation courtesy of Bones shines for briefly, but in that moment, we are reminded what kind of ride we're in for: the beautifully animated, hilarious yet strangely poignant kind. Mob and Serizawa exorcise the evil spirit and as they leave, their happy client picks up an Easter Egg: a batch of printed Ura-Sunday magazines. Perhaps the client will read about his own exorcism in the Mob Psycho 100 comic.
99
Having been exposed to someone so deeply dissastisfied with his own life made both Mob and Serizawa worried about their current life path, with the latter deciding that he would like to go back to school. Mob, while still unsure about what he will be doing exactly, has at least decided that he won't be at Reigen's forever. As the ending credits play, Reigen admits that not even he had life planned out completely, going as far as to drop the series' most radiant gem: "your life is your own". This credits-scene highlights how important Mob is to Reigen on an emotional and psychological level, and of all the characters in the series so far, it would appear that he has evolved the least. The post-credits scene features an ominous-looking Dimple relaxing on top of the giant broccoli saying "My time starts now".
Overall, the first episode of Mob Psycho 100 III was essentially faultless, and carries on the series with an almost seamless return to itself, but also huge leaps and bounds made for the characters in this first episode. It sets up the remainder of the season, and its clear that like in the first season, Dimple is going to have a major role. It is the strongest start the show could have had, and with this, the Fall Season can truly be underway.