mp100 and then some

_ the Kuchisake onna is a popular urban legend that's known to partially cover her face and to have a sharp object. The way the dialogue branch goes is that she asks if she's pretty: if you say no she kills you, if you say yes she slits your mouth to look like hers, you're supposed to dodge the question to survive.

in mp100 canon, she wears a mask- which she takes off to reveal her slit mouth - and uses scissors as weapon. She absorbs the fear and power of those who are afraid of her. And because she's famous, and kids talk, many people have instinctive fear of her from childhood. as Shinra says "she symbolizes fear"

And because Mob can't read the atmosphere, didn't learn about her a kid and others fear of her, it didn't affect him. Unlike with everyone else she couldn't use his fear to become stronger. And she got exorcised by him easily.

Mobs comment is probably about their talk after lol cult arc, because that arc also strongly focused on reading the atmosphere theme, more on that later.

The Kuchisake onna being a symbol of fear contrasts with Mob getting to 100% courage in Mogami arc. It's his first 100% positive emotion, and he is able to have courage through having fear, as they're connected.

So, the thing about Mogami world is that it actually starts with Mob being singled out by students and bullied by his teacher before Minori did anything. she sensed the atmosphere and that he was the black sheep, and so took advantage of mobs situations and started leading the bullying to secure her place in the social hierarchy. she's controlling the atmosphere, the other students choosing to follow her is what gives her power of authority.

like Tsubomi, she is the popular girl at school. there is also a parallel between Tsubomi and Minori saying something cruel to mob "read the atmosphere" vs "you should just die" more on that in a sec

Because there's a parallel of reading the atmosphere, fear, sharp weapon with the Kuchisake onna too, Minori having a box cutter and stabbing Mob is a call back to that.

Now there is a connection between lol cult arc, urban legands arc and mogami arc when it comes to the theme of reading the atmosphere, but the change in the anime makes the Mogami arc focus more on the lol cult arc's references instead of urban legends arc.

I've made a post about this before, so short version, the thing about Mogami's fake world is he knows from testing mob's limits that in his fake world he can't use either Tsubomi (we know this will break the illusion from Dimple) or Ritsu (we know this will break the illusion from Muto).

The parallels between Tsubomi and Minori are there in both the anime and manga, but instead of the stabbing in the manga, the anime instead has the addition of blood on her cheek.

Because Mogami is trying to show Mob that the world is cruel and people can't change, the scenarios in Mogami land are dodging what Mob's mind would reject.

Mob rejects the reality/Dimple's illusion of Tsubomi saying something cruel, and says he's relieved it was just an evil spirit, but when its someone else- Minori- telling him "he should just die" he accepts mogami's worldview, reaches his breaking point, and fights back. (ironically enough that was the time mogami possessed her to give mob's breakdown a final push)

the anime addition is the blood on her cheek also about him relating to Minori (and by extension Tsubomi) because he also hurt others (there's a parallel of Minori hurting Mob and the cat vs Mob hurting Ritsu> and getting blood on their cheeks)

so when he reaching his breaking point, he was accepting that he himself can't change. And after he saved Minori he tells her he's glad he met her cause she and Mogami taught him that people can change. **

There's the fact that we get the introduction of how mob represses his emotions in lol cult arc and saying he is terrible vs him having his first positive 100% in mogami arc.

Mob thinks that his emotions, powers and actions make him a terrible person. in lol cult arc he says "I'm terrible". in mogami arc he recognizes Minori is like him as he says "I still have to save the terrible Asagiri-san" (they use the same word: "saite"***)

Dimple is the one who helped snap mob out of Mogami's illusion. which is fun cause of how connected lol cult arc is to the other two arcs.

the beginning of the connecting thread is the lol cult arc, where we are introduced to mobs inability to read the atmosphere, both in current time at the cult and in the flashback with Tsubomi and other kids.

(I'm not putting all manga panels referring to reading the atmosphere or going with the flow, it's like every other page in this arc)

In the cult mob is supposed to laugh and he doesn't, if not by dimple's brainwashing then "the natural flow given by the mood" should. Neither of those work, partly because of his inability to read the atmosphere and partly because he'd been repressing his emotions since childhood. it's just as easy as not being affected by the Kuchisake onna.

in Dimple's attempts to brainwash him, he uses Mob's memory of Tsubomi when he didn't laugh with the group and she told him to read the atmosphere. Mob rejects and breaks the brainwashing, saying that he's glad it was just an evil spirit that's saying this.

that moment had scarred Mob and was so affected by what she said that he started repressing his emotions, rejecting a part of himself, and he rejects the fact that she said this, rejects truly knowing her, like he rejects a part of himself.

he also reaches the first 100% we get to see -a negative emotion- and he called himself a terrible person as he exorcised dimple.

after the lol cult incident Mob talks to Reigen about it. he feels bad that his inability to read the atmosphere ruined everyone else's fun. Reigen figures out that it was a brainwashing situation (that whole cult pressure - dependency situation) and assures Mob that his inability to read the atmosphere actually saved the day.

mobs percentage meter goes down to zero. His first positive emotion 100% will be in Mogami arc and here instead the percentage going up was a negative emotion before Reigen neutralized it.

for the connections between the Kushisake onna and lol cult arc, that whole slicing peoples mouth aspect connects to Dimple's name /lol cults name/ forcing people to laugh. and how peoples beliefs are making the spirits stronger.

The theme of reading the atmosphere connects all three arcs.

There is something about Mogami land being a world without connections vs Dimple telling Mob that him not going with the flow and repressing his emotions will make him all alone etc

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* some might say it's because that's too dark to be aired, but possessed Minori did impale her dad in the anime so I dont think the anime wasn't holding back.

**now that i think about it, there's also the theme of people can change connection with knife/ box cutter in teru's arc but thats a whole other tangent for another time

(🎶OFF OST - JUSTUS)

inspired by this image: