#ONE is a good artist you guys are just mean.jpeg

[palms-upturned]

you know, i don’t usually care when ppl dislike something i enjoy, but when people call mob psycho 100’s art style ugly or say that the aesthetic is what keeps them from starting or continuing the series, i think my heart breaks a little bit. mp100 is such a good example of what happens when you just go out there and create with sincerity. the mob psycho 100 manga (and really all of ONE’s work) is an incredible study in visual storytelling, paneling, page composition, etc, and ONE has a really amazing sense of how to boil a visual down to its essentials. realistic rendering is definitely an admirable skill, but in comics, it isn’t even close to being as important as communicating a story. ONE’s visuals may not be as realistic or cute or pleasing to the eye as the industry standard, but they’re creative, evocative, expressive, atmospheric, downright terrifying at times, heart wrenchingly sincere at others. not to mention the story itself is so well written and thoughtfully crafted and soothing like a balm.

and the anime oh my god, the anime is like... pure joy. pure creative joy. so many different talents brought on to the show and given complete freedom, so many different mediums of animation utilized, so much love for the source material poured into every frame. the one punch man redraw/anime are stunning too, but there’s something about the way that studio bones honed in on exactly what makes ONE’s art so charming and evocative and funny and scary and good and then put their own creative spin on it to make it into something new without losing sight of ONE’s original vision, instead of remaking it to fit the industry standard that just... man. you can’t even compare the two. every second of mp100 is like comfort food. wholesome and indulgent and just as delicious the seventh time you enjoy it as it was the first.

i’m not really one to recommend ppl to watch something that they don’t want to, if something just isn’t your cup of tea, then why force yourself? but... i make an exception for mob psycho 100. even if it looks like nothing that interests you, i recommend giving it a shot. especially if you’re a creator of any kind. it’ll make you question how you judge media, it may even make you question just what is most important to you in developing your own art. and even if it does none of these things, even if you dislike the series, there’s still something to be said for the simple courage and ambition that ONE had to just put himself out there and create, regardless of whether his art met a certain aesthetic standard. it’s really heartwarming to see how he’s been rewarded for it. and looking at the difference between the early days of one punch man and the final chapters of mob psycho, it’s pretty clear that “learn by doing” works. ONE’s scribbles have touched so many people’s hearts, inspired the absolutely gorgeous work of art that is the mp100 anime, inspired many other burgeoning artists to be braver and more ambitious. if nothing else, i hope you watch/read the series and walk away from it feeling like, “i could do that.”

and if none of this applies to you, then, well... maybe just don’t rain on people’s parades with snide comments about the art style. if mp100 teaches us anything, it should probably be to encourage artists rather than to put them down and commend people who have the courage to try something new.