REVIEW -- One Punch Man (anime)

One-Punch Man is a Japanese anime series based on the webcomic created by One and its subsequent manga adaptation illustrated by Yusuke Murata. Set in a world where monsters run rampant, the story focuses on Saitama, a superhero who has grown bored as he has become so powerful that all of his battles end in a single punch. The series was directed by Shingo Natsume at Madhouse and was written by Tomohiro Suzuki. The series also features character design by Chikashi Kubota, who also served as chief animation director, and music by Makoto Miyazaki.

Plot:

On an alternate unnamed world in the metropolis of Z-City, strange monsters have been mysteriously appearing and causing disasters resulting in the world's superheroes rising to combat them. Saitama, the protagonist of the series, is the strongest hero who easily defeats the monsters or other villains with a single punch. However, due to his immeasurable strength, Saitama has become bored with his power and is constantly trying to find stronger opponents who can present a challenge to him.

Beautifully drawn artwork and stylish action, bust-a-gut tier comedy, and tons of parodies of the action
anime genre. What's there NOT to love about this show?

As Saitama is active as a hero, he meets various other heroes and villains. He gets a disciple in the form of the cyborg Genos and consequently joins the Hero Association in order to gain official recognition. Despite defeating many strong monsters that even the Heroes Association’s top members are unable to defeat, Saitama struggles to gain respect. Most people look down on him due to his plain physical appearance and some accuse him of being a counterfeit hero. Only a small number of individuals in the series recognize his talent and humility towards others.

Sorry, couldn't help myself. That intro is too awesome...

The Verdict:

Once the news broke out that Toonami was adding this anime to their weekend anime block, I figured I better get on the ball and review this series before it finishes up it's first run on Cartoon Network.

One of the most random shots during Deep Sea King arc... but one of the few
times they actually show civilians before the bad guys show up.

It’s only 13 episodes, but this first season(?) makes it worth your time for a tight concise story. 

At first glance, One Punch Man seems like your traditional Shonen Jump anime with the hero who fights against evil in some bizarre quest to become stronger. Saitama is a hero, but he has a different problem that sets him apart from other Shonen heroes. Saitama is so powerful that he can defeat any adversary that he encounters with literally ONE punch – hence the name, One Punch Man. Most of the anime is about Saitama’s ongoing struggles to find an adversary to truly test the limits of his power but even during the two part finale, Saitama reveals that he hasn’t even scratched the surface of his full potential, wondering if he’s cursed to be never truly “challenged” in battle. This is a complete 180 to the dynamic found in action-heavy anime modeled after Dragonball Z’s success. Goku and Vegeta are always striving to become stronger while Saitama is sitting at the top of the plateau without any equal, looking down over the ridge.

All of that just to kill a single mosquito.

The biggest take away from this anime is Saitama’s worth as a hero. It’s not fully explored until Saitama takes in the cyborg , Genos, as his “student” and Genos encourages them both to join the Hero Organization that works for the government. Genos is propelled to the top ranks with ease while the officials and several of their fellow heroes can’t take Saitama seriously. They look at his successes as mere flukes and see him as stealing the glory from more recognizable heroes. Saitama is the type to brag about his exploits but by the end of the series, he began to make more of his fellow heroes believers in his abilities. Genos even begins to wonder if Saitama’s powers have limits – if at all. The way how Saitama’s strength of character, especially his selfless behavior of tarnishing his own heroic image at the cost of saving lives, is the beauty of how the narrative of this anime stands out.

My biggest issue with the anime was that all of those cool, interesting characters that you see in the kick-ass introduction of this anime don’t show up until roughly two thirds of the way into this anime. It’s a damn shame too as all of those characters bring something different to the table and add to craziness that makes this anime stand out. Then again, the anime’s creators did their best with this for what they were given, cramming so much content from the One Punch Man manga into this 13 episode season. It was confirmed earlier this year that the anime would be getting another season, but with no air date when it would go into production nor when will it be available.

In the meantime, I guess I'll pick up reading the One Punch Man manga to fill in the gaps. 

Watch it or Don’t Bother?

Saitama's "secret" training regime

Definitely watch this. If you’re fan of action anime or over the top craziness, this is definitely for you. There are moments where I absolutely laughed my ass off at this anime and other moments where I was fully invested into the action. It’s the same dynamic that kept fans emotionally hooked to Dragonball Z and many other Shonen Jump-style anime (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach, etc.).

There's still no timetable on when the next season is going to drop, but for what it's worth, this is a nice concise story for those looking for a shorter anime to fill in the time before the Fall television season kicks off in full swing.