Summary
Just as quickly as this arc started, it’s over, but this episode still proved to be a touching way to wrap up the Telepathy Club Mini-Arc and close this chapter in Mob’s life.
We recap the Crunchyroll anime series Mob Psycho 100 season 3, episode 8, “Encountering the Unknown,” which contains spoilers.
Mob (voiced by Setsuo Ito) and his friends still have plenty to accomplish before their time at Salt Middle School comes to an end. Last week, the boys of the Telepathy Club sought to find a way to help Tome (voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki) achieve her goal of encountering a UFO. We even met a new esper named Takenaka, who has joined in to help them. With Reigen (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai) driving the club to the mountains, this week’s episode is sure to be a riot, and we may even see some aliens too.
Mob Psycho 100 season 3, episode 8 recap
As the group pulls up to Mt. Mud Boat, Reigen wonders why they chose that particular location. The boys explain that this place is said to have UFO sightings every seven years around this time, and the last time someone saw a UFO there just happens to be seven years ago.
Tensions slowly grow in the car as the group realizes they passed the hiking trails a while back, and nobody bothered to say anything. Mob struggles with motion sickness in the front seat, forcing Reigen to pull over after he throws up. They decide from there to walk towards the hiking trails instead, coming back for the car later.
Mob and Shirihiko disappear into the forest to use the bathroom as the others wait by the car. When it seems they’re taking too long, Reigen suggests that they all search for the missing boys together, as it’s too dangerous to go alone. Both groups wander the forest looking for each other, and when they finally find each other again, they realize they have become lost. They can no longer locate the path, and even worse, they no longer have reception either. As Mameta realizes he left the book on UFO summoning back in the car, they wonder if they should head back down the mountain to try and find where they came from. However, Reigen says it’s better to hike up to try and get a better vantage point.
Their struggle pays off when they encounter a trail. Tome wants to head back down, but the others think they should at least attempt to summon a UFO since they’re already out here, and they put a lot of effort into this for her. Tome only seems to grow more frustrated by the suggestion, as she tried to disband the Telepathy Club for this very reason. Her frustration rises to the surface as she digs into the other club members for dragging her out here with lies about finding new telepaths. The more she goes on, the more upset she gets, crying as she says they have no idea what it feels like to have their hopes trampled on.
Reigen tries to get them to continue climbing, but Tome refuses. She only agrees to continue after Mob offers her a hand, although she does not take it. They reach the top of the mountain just before sunset, which is perfect since most UFO encounters tend to happen around five p.m. As they wonder how to continue without their book, Takenaka begins forming rocks in a circle and reciting a spell, revealing he spent all night doing research, and that’s why he was late earlier. Tome and the club are surprised by how serious he took this, but he says he had to after seeing how serious they actually were.
Takenaka then reads Tome’s mind, not only proving his powers to her but revealing her insecurities about forcing her delusions onto the group. The other members of the Telepathy Club immediately begin to assure her those feelings are wrong and untrue. They all start attempting the UFO summoning ritual together, but something in Takenaka’s mannerisms makes Reigen question if he’s hiding something. He reluctantly reveals that the author of the UFO book their referencing was arrested for fraud several years earlier. Although nothing in the book had any basis, he didn’t want to tell them because he didn’t want to ruin an opportunity for the Telepathy Club to work together. Reigen assures them that they should be proud of themselves and enjoy their experience together.
Just before they leave, Mob wonders about the reported UFO sightings. The group decides that since those actually happened, maybe it’s worth sticking around a bit. Mob attempts to send out a telepathic signal to see what happens, and Tome thanks him. Although Mob tries his hardest, almost passing out in the process, the boys grow sad when it seems his efforts have not worked. Tome attempts to cheer them up by reminding them there’s still hope to communicate with aliens in the future.
Just then, a giant green light appears behind her, shocking everyone in the group. They begin to panic, unsure of how to proceed. The situation only worsens as humanoid figures descend from the sky. The figures touch down, revealing smooth skin, long limbs, and large eyes, exactly like Tome was expecting. They reach out their hands for a handshake, and despite her cautiousness, Tome accepts. The aliens invite the group onto the ship, much to the boy’s excitement.
The aliens beam them up to their ship, and they all end up enjoying snacks together. The boys suggest that maybe Takenaka can translate between Tome and the aliens, but she’s too nervous to think of anything, so Mameta suggests playing games instead.
Mob Psycho 100 season 3, episode 8 ending
The Telepathy Club and the aliens hang out on the ship, playing everything from handheld video games to cards. They share drinks and food, chatting with each other into the start of the new year.
Just before wrapping things up to go home, the aliens present the group with a gift as a token of their friendship. In return, everyone from the group also gifts the aliens with an item as well. They seem very pleased with their earth gifts despite how genuinely random they are. Tome then thanks the aliens for the encounter, hoping they can meet again.
The group makes it back to Earth just in time for the first sunrise of the new year. However, they realize Mameta was accidentally left on the alien ship. From here, Mameta begins narrating. He hopes to convince the aliens to take him back to Earth but is unable to communicate with them. Somehow, after slaying their greatest enemy, he becomes like a hero to these aliens, even earning the favor of their queen. After an undisclosed amount of time, he’s finally able to convince them to bring him home, where he barely remembers anything.
While I wasn’t expecting a filler episode this week, this episode definitely hit some intense emotional notes. As each arc ends, there is a sense of finality this season. It’s easy to tell that the middle school chapters in Mob’s life are closing, which can be just as painful as it is exciting. However, everything was emotional, as the last few minutes of the episode with the unexpected Mameta twist were quite fun to watch.
What did you think of Mob Psycho 100 season 3, episode 8? Comment below.
