Saitama has a rather peculiar hobby, being a superhero, but despite his heroic deeds and superhuman
abilities, a shadow looms over his life. He's become much too powerful, to the point that every
opponent ends up defeated with a single punch.
The lack of challenge has driven him into a state of apathy, as he watches his life pass by having
lost all enthusiasm, at least until he's unwillingly thrust in the role of being a mentor to the young
and revenge-driven Genos.
~~~WARNING: May contain some grammar issues.
Don't judge me, not everyone's native speaker you kno. Thanks.~~~
____
Before OPM anime started airing I've already known about comic version drawn by majestic [Murata
Yusuke](http://anilist.co/staff/1903/YusukeMurata) (mostly known for [Eyeshield
21](http://anilist.co/manga/43/Eyeshield21)). Seeing that manga had pretty decent amount of fans (at
least in my country) I decided to give it a try and... I stopped reading after few chapters. Why? I
just found the story very confusing - I mean, the guy who finishes everything with one punch? Cities
in which it's only natural they're being attacked by some freaky monsters? This seemed very boring to
me, I saw no plot at all, pace was too fast, etc. ... That's why I wasn't hyped at all when I
discovered ONE's story is getting TV series. Neverthless, when the 1st episode came out I gave this
series a second chance. Superheroes were never my thing, but I remember being pleasently suprised
after watching Tiger & Bunny (the series I've also written off at the beginning and which turned out
to be actually good).
And yeah, I was suprised one more time.
_____________________
OPM tells the story of an average guy who decides to become a hero after a certain event. He starts
his traning, goes completely bald and gains extreme power. Seems cool (cross out the bald thing), any
disadvantages? Well, yeah. He's so powerful he finishes every fight with a single blow. It makes his
hobby pretty boring and with each successive fight he is more and more resigned. He feels no
excitement he used to feel + everyone think he's a freak because of his looks. Aaaaand~ That's the
story for you.
Sounds like another weird Japanese shiet? Well, maybe. But who said it's bad?
You just wait.
___________
The weakest and only weak point of the series is the beginning. Not because there's something wrong
with it. It's very well animated, it's hilarious, it's dynamic. The thing is - it may be TOO dynamic
for some people who aren't used to such anime (the problem that appears in
[Gintama](http://anilist.co/anime/918/Gintama), but lasts much longer). In the 1st ep. we have 4
different stories, 4 completely unrelated fights. OPM literally welcomes you with a whack of action.
You're getting to know Saitama, but in a really twisted way. It gives the series pretty chaotic look.
Well, I guess there was no other choice if producers wanted the anime to comply to the original story.
Tho in a comic version it worked better. The additional motion and music created something, that may
be illegible or ridiculous at times.
Fortunately, by the 2nd ep. this confusing feel disappears. We have less fights, but they're longer
and more complex with actual plot that continues in the next ep. It's also the time Genos appears - he
kinda lowers the pace + his fights are imho waaaay more interesting, diverse and they give the
producers opportinuty to show off some mad animation skills. He also generates additional gags.
BUT - if you don't mind fast pace and craziness - good for you. Then you may actually really enjoy the
1st episode.
As for other flaws (if you can call it a flaw) - I can't think of any. I'm sure there were some
scratches, but guess they were so tiny I've already forgotten about them.
____________________
I didn't notice it at first, but OPM is one of the greatest shounen M&A parodies. It gives the whole
new look to the popular superheroes culture. You can also see some references to various series (like
[HxH](http://anilist.co/anime/11061/HunterxHunter2011) or
[DBZ](http://anilist.co/anime/223/DragonBall)).
Saitama's personality makes half of the series. I dare to say he's one of the best shounen
protagonists. Ironically, cause he's like the antonym of The Ideal Anime Hero ~!(this title goes to
Genos, who's also like his own parody).!~ He has no looks, no flashy powers or weapons, no one notices
him, he acts more like a shadow and it's frequent that someone tooks all the glory for what he's done.
I've read someone's opinion that Saitama himself may represent the hero's power, not the actual
protagonist. I like the idea. He's like the power-up every beaten protagonist gains at the end of the
battle. ~!See Genos (most of times) or guys like Mumen Rider. !~Then he saves the day.
Saitama's so simple and cute (even his name and design are), craves no attention, he does what he does
just for fun. He may look carefree, but inside he's very mature and... emotionally stable? Compared to
other anime heroes. In some ways he resembles Gintoki, he's also the similar age.
Saitama carries a wonderful messages, such: "if you love doing something, just do it, even if
everyone's against you). And I know such message often appears in shounen series. But what I love in
OPM is that this message comes out in a very natural way. Without any bombastic speeches or scenes.
It's just like your friend is saying: "hey, dude, don't mind them, just do it~!). It's really
heart-warming.
The other half are stunning fights with great artwork (both in the anime and manga). OPM is the series
produced by [MADHOUSE](http://anilist.co/studio/11/MadhouseStudios), the studio I madly love for
creating anime such [Mouryou no Hako](http://anilist.co/anime/4879/MouryounoHako),
[Paprika](http://anilist.co/anime/1943/Paprika) or [Redline](http://anilist.co/anime/6675/Redline)
(high quality artwork, anyone?) Nearly every ep keeps you in suspense, they have one of the most
dynamic fighting scenes I've seen. Which is impressive, knowing that OPM had an average anime budget
to use. Of course not every frame is beautifully animated, some less important scenes are less
detailed. But if those scenes sacrificed themselves so the animators could make better fighting scenes
- that's completely fine with me. They still made a good job.
The backgrounds are also well-drawn and detailed.
The series is even more epic due to amazing OST composed by [Miyazaki
Makoto](http://anilist.co/staff/14497/MakotoMiyazaki), eg. Genos' fighting theme or sad theme (don't
know their names, the official OST wasn't released the time I wrote this review). Speaking of the
music, I guess it won't be exeggaration if I say the opening has the catchiest song in the entire 2015
[[THE HERO!! by JAM Project](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QImBolnTVH8)]. Its animation is also way
above average. It looks extremely good and perfectly shows the series atmosphere. Is mainly focuses on
Saitama being too cool for this show, other characters appear at the very end. This OP was something
that gave me the power to continue the series after not being sure what to think of the 1st episode.
As for the ED... meh? Personally, nothing special, I've been skipping it since the beginning. It has
very relaxing tune and pretty colour scheme. Not even a single character appears in it. It's more like
a slide show to calm down a viewer after seeing so much action. Its defect is that not everyone WANTS
to be calmed down after a show, especially if you're watching a few eps in a row.
The other strong point of the series is humor. It gave me
[Gintama](http://anilist.co/anime/918/Gintama), [Tiger &
Bunny](http://anilist.co/anime/9941/TigerBunny) and [Danshi Koukousei no
Nichijou](http://anilist.co/anime/11843/DanshiKoukouseinoNichijou) vibes. It's pretty unpredictable
and it really often laughs out cliché things which happen in popular series. ~!Like "naming" your
attacks (Normal Punches in Saitama's case) or killing the bad guy before he pompously introduces
himself instead of attacking. There's also Saitama facing Boros who unleashes the power that can
destroy the whole planet and he's like "ok."!~
There's also pretty big amount of gags that strongly focus on character's relationships, the most
visible are Saitama-Genos, but later in the manga some other characters will appear ~!(eg. King)!~.
When translated properly, some of their quotes are really gold.
__________
The characters are very likable (even some of the enemies). Saitama and Genos make very unique duo.
Their teacher-student relationships are one of the kind and their characters complement each other.
Like I said, Saitama acts in a hidden way, everything he does is unpretentious. He shows overwhelming
power, but also some kind of "meh vibe". Tho behind the scenes of his hero career his life is pretty
akward and average. Genos is more flashy in fighting, but very reserved in personal life. He's the
Cool Guy of the series (he even has fangirls). He also seems naive towards Saitama and other people he
looks up to.
Looking at them from kinda different point of view it's like they're just one stereotypical anime hero
divided in half. Which is pretty interesting thing to do. If I was to simplify them, I'd say Genos
represents hardships in fighting in the universe of the OPM, while Saitama represents hardships in
social life all of us can face. At least that's how I see them. I also love the fact that their
personalities slightly change after their first meeting.
Beside Saitama and Genos, there are also a few more important characters that will appear later in the
series. Such as Sonic, Metal Bat (oh god, this man
<3), Mumen Rider, Tornado or Silverfang. It's a bunch of pretty interesting characters with variety of
fighting skills and techniques. Unfortunately we don't know much about them, hopefully their stories
will show more of their personalities in the future (cause I highly hope for the 2nd season and
guess it's just a matter of time). But what I noticed is that they also represent some kind of
parodies of different type of characters. Some of them are also references to different
people/characters from japanese pop culture. But I don't want to spoil anything. As for the staff,
we can hear some really famous stars, like Kaji Yuki [Eren Jaeger, Alibaba, Finnian], Miyano Mamoru
[Yagami Light, Death the Kid, Tamaki Suou], Nakamura Yuuichi [Gray Fullbuster, Okazaki Tomoya,
Kadota Kyohei] or Morikawa Toshiyuki [Kurosaki Isshin, Tyki Mikk, Namikaze Minato]. ___________
##~~~To sum it up:~~~ I think One Punch Man is very outstanding anime and one of the best series of
2015. It's very well made adaptation of the manga with original story and high quality animation. It
has everything that good shounen should contain: dynamic and interesting battles, hilarious gags,
great characters and stunning audiovisuals. 
There are only two types of people in the world: one who absolutely love One Punch Man, and other who strongly dislike it for being too predictable. Now finally that the anime is over, I can review it properly. Story: 8/10 One Punch Man is an action-comedy anime which tells a story about a man named Saitama who is ‘a hero just for fun’ in a world where monsters and heroes are quite common. He is quite overpowered and manages to kill anyone in just a single punch, which has made his life quite boring. Soon a new cyborg named Genos is introduced who is in search for another robot who destroyed his village and he later requests Saitama to become his master after seeing his strength. At first the story sounds quite predictable and the idea of killing anyone in a single punch adds more to it. Yes, it’s true! It becomes a little predictable and the humor of killing anyone in a single punch dies off quickly. But the anime doesn’t has only that much to offer. The story starts developing from 5th episode with the introduction of Hero Association and a ranking system which classifies heroes into C class, B class, A class and S class having rankings in each class. New characters are introduced and the story becomes more interesting. The last two arcs were very good, so just don’t drop the anime in your early episodes thinking that it’s getting predictable or is not worth watching. img(https://polyphoni.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/one-punch-man-ep-1-polyphoni.ca-001.png) Art: 10/10 This is the best element of One Punch Man! The art of this anime is fabulous. Madhouse has again done a wonderful job. The backgrounds are really well done and the fighting scenes are amazing. Infact One Punch Man and Fate/Zero are the best graphics anime I have seen in my life! One Punch Man is actually a pretty average budget anime. The secret behind One Punch Man’s amazing graphics lies behind the fact that it has been directed by Shingo Natsume (Key animator of Gurren Lagann, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Hachimitsu to Clover), assisting Kazuya Murata and with the legendary Kenichi Konishi supervising the animation, Sejoon Kim (animator of Gundam) as a regular animation director. Another notable element of One-Punch Man’s visuals is the digital animation, something also tied to Natsume’s presence. Other than the animation staff, there is someone else who deserves special credit. People who have read Yusuke Murata’s version of One-Punch Man – the one the anime is based on – know that even before the anime, the series already was animated. Sort of. Sometimes rather arbitrarily, Murata would go on to draw sequences step-by-step with a ridiculous level of detail, almost as if they were key animation sheets. Something he is capable of putting off because he’s an exceptional and dedicated artist, but also because he is a fan of animation. img(https://i1.wp.com/49.media.tumblr.com/821822aeaf870aacaface53cc354fe18/tumblr_nxkzavBQq21rtrfoao1_540.gif) (Sonic vs Saitama) img(https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2Forig06.deviantart.net%2Faf12%2Ff%2F2015%2F296%2F1%2Ff%2Fone_punch_man_wallpaper_hd_saitama_anime_by_corphish2-d9e2jbp.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*) Saitama img(https://i1.wp.com/i.imgur.com/lXjsKtI.gif) Genos Sound: 10/10 Another element of One Punch Man which makes the show amazing! Opening and Ending song, both are wonderful. I keep listening to both of them over and over again because they are that awesome. All the OSTs are also worth listening to, and some are just superb which may give you goosebumps! Voice acting is also top notch. Many talented voice actors like Miyano Mamoru, Sawashiro Miyuki, Kaji Yuki, Sakurai Takahiro, Nakamura Yuuichi, Hayami Saori, Namikawa Daisuke etc are there and they have done a great job. img(https://animetop10s.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/opm-l1.jpg?w=640&h=360) Character: 10/10 All the characters are quite likeable. They have unique personalities and possess a unique charm in themselves. I will write a few words on my (and people’s) most favorite characters from One Punch Man: 1. Saitama – Our favorite hero, the protagonist of the show, quite humorous. 2. Genos – Saitama’s partner, best disciple, cyborg an cool. 3. Mumen Rider – C class hardworking hero who rides a cycle but is physically pretty weak to fight with monsters but is very courageous and hardworking/ 4. Sonic – A ninja! What more? Everybody likes ninjas (Naruto haters please keep it low! -_-) 5. Tatsumaki? – You know what I am talking about if you have seen 11th episode of One Punch Man! ;) [If you still don’t understand, let me know -_-‘] img(https://i0.wp.com/images5.alphacoders.com/656/656718.jpg) (Saitama and Genos) Enjoyment: 10/10 I really enjoyed One Punch Man because of it’s intense action which were beautified by amazing graphics and coated with amazing soundtracks. img(https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/fe/f6/6d/fef66d3a2d281653f6b1b6d87eb48ae9.jpg) (Saitama vs Boros) img220(https://i1.wp.com/static2.fjcdn.com/comments/5746832+_b2311e1f13de353910efc06c76ad836e.png) Overall: 9.6/10 img(https://i2.wp.com/orig12.deviantart.net/d068/f/2015/011/f/5/badass_saitama_by_shadowfrost1-d8diqmu.png) If you like action-comedy (with frequent serious arcs), adventure and superpower anime, and elements like graphics and sound are an important factor for you then you MUST WATCH this anime! Even if you don’t like all that, you can give it a try. I assure you that One Punch Man is NOT some random cliche anime which has random power boosts which makes it impossible to watch. It is quite entertaining.
Waring this review has spoilers. First Impressions So we’ve got parody of superheroes with a M.C. who takes out his enemy's with one punch and its apparently considered to be the savior of anime. What could possibly go wrong? Side note, this has been edited on 3/3/16 Story, 6/10 One Punch Man is an okay parody on the super hero genre. it has this very bare bones “monster of the week” kind of plot. One punch man basic plot didn't really bother me that much because this is a parody show and when it comes to parody shows you really do not need the best story out there you just need something basic to keep the plot going. When it comes to a basic plot to keep the story going one punch man dose this very well. Also while watching this show I had to ask myself did I find this entertaining. Yes I did find it entertaining because at the end of the day that is what a parody show is supposed to do Now one negative I have to say about One Punch Man and this is probably me nit picking but as a whole one punch man runs on a singular joke, which can make it loses its steam very fast . You might as well call it one pun. Speaking of it running on one joke which did bother me a bit because you would think that a parody show would have more jokes than just one joke. But what should I have expected from a title like one punch man. Character's, 5/10 The M.C. is overpowered to the max. he just an average guy who want to be hero for fun and fight strong opposition. The side characters are quite lively and some what interesting. They are pretty much parodys of super hero type would see in comic books. Art, 8/10 The animation is fanatic to say the least with its lovely backgrounds and well animated fights. Sound, 6/10 It has a great op that matches the show and a good ost that fits the shows tone. The ost was made by makoto Miyazaki enjoyment, 7/10 what I love about this show is the fact that it is doing a parody on super hero's. I also like the over the top fight scenes. but I did find it a little boreing after awhile. overall, 6/10 one punch man is an ok parody on the super hero. but its not the savoir of anime as people will say it is. now with you want a fun show to watch then you will love one punch man.
# [~~~**This review will contain Spoilers for the show!**~~~]()
One Punch Man, a Shounen parody which manages to be better than a lot of shounens.
[**_(SPOILER AHEAD)_ STORY:**]()
The story follows Saitama, the most overpowered character.
He's just trying to keep peace meanwhile living his life.
Every encounter with him ends in a single punch, hence the name.
Throughout the show we see basically the same scenario: Saitama goes about his day, monsters pop out,
he kills them in a second.
Though despite this the series still manages to be extremely addicting. This can be attributed to the
non-fighting scenes. Saitama always meets new and weird people, this gives the show a lot of new air
due to the reason that there is now new people that can pull off some good jokes/gags.
Genos, for example, he's your average "I must avenge my family" guy but in contrast between the
nonchalant Saitama it makes for a very fun duo. Genos fights with tension and a strong will meanwhile
Saitama sits there.
The show also explores the idea of how being the most powerful being is actually really horrible, you
can't have fun anymore cause all of the encounters you get are extremely easy and not risky at all.
There is no rush, no need to worry. Just sit back and wait. Saitama struggles with that, he's always
hopeful that one day he'll find someone who is stronger than him, just to feel **something**.
~~~img420(https://media.giphy.com/media/VXJWhaO7afRe/giphy.gif)~~~
[**CHARACTERS:**]()
The main character is Saitama, the most powerful being on Earth. Saitama struggles with that fact and
tries to seek things that he'll have a challenge beating.
Genos is the typical shounen hero, he wants to avenge his village. He takes everything super seriously
and his fighting style shows it. He is basically the opposite of Saitama and that makes for the both
of them to be an amazing Duo.
We do meet more characeters but with only a few we get more story on.
Bang, an old fighter dude. He has his own dojo which he passes his knowledge unto other people. He is
quite serious, just like most teachers. He hints at a future villain named "Garou" who became
extremely powerful. He is the one who sets up the second season.
Sonic, not to be confused with Sonic. He is very fast, like he can move at the speed of sound. He
loves fighting stronger opponents, he is very child-like when it comes to that. This guy is basically
like a mosquito, annoying.
Thats about it from the characters that we get to see and hear about a lot. Yes a lot more characters
showed up like for example Terrible Tornado who we also have quite a bit info on but still, this
review can't go on forever.
~~~img420(https://giffiles.alphacoders.com/170/170196.gif)~~~
[**ART/ANIMATION:**]()
One Punch Man's art and animation is all over the place.
You can from highly detailed fight scenes (like the one below) to simplistic stuff (like above).
The detailed fights look incredible, they are smooth looking and make you feel the tension and the
overall severity of the situation (until Saitama takes out the Enemy in one punch lol).
The less detailed counter-parts serve as a comic relief, after many fights and serious situations we
are taken back into the relaxed state due to these situations. In a way this can also visualise how
Saitama feels about everything, everything to him is just a scribble. Not threating at all.
~~~img420(https://i.imgur.com/EDr2CwL.gif)~~~
[**MUSIC:**]()
One Punch Man, this show has one of the most recognisable OP, the "ONE PUNCHHHH" at the start is
enough to built so much hype for the episode. It drags you in.
The ED in the show is, well, compared to the OP not that great but quite catchy nevertheless.
~~~img420(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/ImpassionedNegativeFlicker-small.gif)~~~
[**OVERALL OPINION:**]()
One Punch Man a serious dive into the world of powerful and just how that power can corrupt ones soul
and being.
Saitama is a clear example of how everyone's dream of being "Powerful" can lead to intense depression
which one cannot leave due to the fact that NO ONE else is stronger than you keeping you on that tight
leash of despair and anxiety.
It's also a funny show.
# __One Punch Action Based Show!__ ---- __Overview__ : Hello! This is only my second review on this website, agreeable there be a few mistakes along the way of pointing my views on the show. But that isn't my excuse to tell you guys why and what amazing about this anime as a whole. Also Warning! My grammar and English are badly terrible. __Introduction__ : I'll tell you guys my point of view upon the anime and try to be clear and understandable from the standpoint of what I'm getting from the anime! I'm going to explain the greatness of the anime and not trying to be biased but to really say my views. __Description __: ___Here's the short description of the anime___ : The plot of it has a prodigious type of taste as it has full Action and Comedy combining it makes the funniest animes I've watched for a while. _I'm going to point out the great things about_; Let's start off with the animation, in amazement of 2015, this was really amazing that they Collab with different artists from the web using their short animation to input into the anime making it a whole, It really shows love towards ONE was when he created the manga himself. _Characters_ The characters are really interactable with the main character as he always tries to give the credit to everyone making sure that everyone has their part in the fight during scenes that seem near impossible for a C rank hero to help them gain their score to go up into the higher numbers etc. I didn't realize this till I watch a second time and dotting down the awesome parts about it in comparison to the parts where it's really funny. I can say for sure that they're really relatable to me and really close even if I don't have superpowers. _Action / Comedy_ The Action in the anime is really awesome as it really greatly adds great detail towards the action pack that comes into it, they utilize this by combing the comedy into the action which makes the most part remarkable achievement and stating how the story follows it seems that this can take us a long road ahead of us when we watch the anime ourselves. _Story_ I love how they are taking this funny show into something more serious if the times have come when the action is created when a hero is near defeated during scenes that are close calls. The anime comes across jaw-dropping as it can drag the people who are new or old to anime to be inspired to see there's always something new to throw something to the table as the story foresaw to take on in this season. _Conclusion_ I know there's going to being confused about what I'm actually talking about in the matter but the show itself is really awesome and I dearly recommend it if you really want action type-based comedy. Surprisingly this is the only few animes I may not be negative towards as I generally enjoy the show with no remorse. Thank you for reading my review, really! I thank you for reading and taking the effort of reading this poopy review though I want to help others in hand if they're lost in what they're watching so I'm happy to talk/review animes in any case. Please! Read my review and try to give me feedback on the matter as I want to see what type of things I need to improve on. I'll ensure to make improvements in the future. :) (_Feedback just add me on Discord_): __Roses#4073__
~~~__Review by [Naruto Flames](https://anilist.co/user/narutoflames/)__~~~ ~~~img220(https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/912Ip2nA1uL._RI_.jpg)~~~ One Punch Man... when I first saw this anime, like definitely many of my friends suggested me and I was also hyped about this anime. But when I saw this anime's 1st episode I was confused so much, I was like "who the hell is this saitama guy, and why is he so dumb and powerful?!" But as the 1st episode finished I cannot believe it but I was really enjoying that show... like then I kept watching this anime and then this anime became one of my personal favorite anime... ~~~__What is This Anime?__~~~ ~~~img220(https://variety.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/one-punch-man.jpg)~~~ So This anime is based on a Guy named [Saitama](https://anilist.co/character/73935/Saitama) who has a hobby to be a hero and he trains to become one, but he trains too much and he becomes so powerful that every monster he fight with gets defeated in just his single punch, no matter how powerful that monster is. So after all of that Saitama gets bored, because he is unable to find a worthy opponent and looses all his enthusiasm, until he unwillingly becomes mentor of a cyborg named [Genos](https://anilist.co/character/73979/Genos). And after that many stuff happens in his life. ~~~__What is good about this anime?__~~~ There are many things good about this anime, like the fights and character development. And this anime is very funny too, like I can bet you will definitely love this anime's jokes and funny moments. This anime is relatable too, like you'll definitely find someone in this anime to which your life can relate. There are also many ups and downs in this anime like you'll definitely experience many new stuff in this, and there are many more good stuff about this anime but you have to find it yourself. ~~~__What is bad about this anime?__~~~ To be honest, there are not much bad things about this anime, like at least I didn't find much negative parts. One this could be bad maybe, like in most of the fights the Villain / Monster literally yells all the plan at the hero and exposes it, like I don't know if its bad or something to be honest it just feels bit weird to me... But overall this anime doesn't contains much negative or bad things that I can tell, maybe you can watch and then tell me if you found something XD ~~~__Should you watch this anime?__~~~ well, I will definitely suggest you to watch this anime if you haven't cause this anime is so entertaining that if you watch this, you'll literally keep keep watching until the end of this anime. So I suggest you to watch this anime! ~~~__Conclusion__~~~ So the final conclusion about this series is, you'll experience different stuff like comedy, action, __Saitama's funny Dumbness XD__, and many more. I am not saying that you'll 100% get the best out of it cause many peoples have different anime taste so many people might not like this anime. But personally I love this anime, like first I thought that the main character _Saitama_ is dumb but now you can see that he is __my 2nd fav character of all time!!!__ So you can imagine how good this anime could be.... So thank you for reading this review, if you think this review was helpful for you then you can leave a like. And if you want to know more about this or you want to get some another suggestions you can check my profile [Here](https://anilist.co/user/narutoflames/). I hope you have a great day <3< /p>
What does it take to be a hero? It’s an age old question that’s been asked just about as many times as it’s been answered, by many different people and from many different perspectives. To some, being a hero means putting the needs of others before the needs of ones self, which can range all the way from the literal sacrifice of one’s life to the offering of ones’ time to help the less fortunate. To some, being a hero means standing up for what’s right and taking whatever measures are necessary to correct injustice. To a certain man of a rather ironclad constitution, being a hero is a series of four or five moments where you’re offered the opportunity to do something right, especially when doing so is difficult. To those who call themselves heroes, it’s considered a passion... A calling to altruism, an irrefutable compulsion to put the talents or abilities God gave you to good use for the betterment of humanity. To Saitama, a lesser known hero living on his own in a tiny studio apartment, being a hero is a job... One that lost it’s luster over time, and one that’s become boring and repetitive as he’s outgrown whatever challenge it might have originally presented him. He’s not getting paid for his heroism... I’m honestly not sure where he’s getting the money to live off of... He does it as a hobby. See, when he was a few years younger, he was inspired to take relentless efforts to become the strongest hero of all time, and it paid off, but to his detriment. Gone are the days when he could find excitement and purpose in fighting the forces of evil, and in their place are the days when no villain, big or small, can survive the force of a single punch from this blase bald brawler. When his exploits gain him the attention of an altruistic cyborg named Genos, who draws him into the official hero registration, will things finally start looking up for Saitama, or will he never find an enemy challenging enough to make him feel alive again? Studio Madhouse is known primarily for sticking to characters with more or less realistic proportions, with diversifying exaggerations that swing more toward caricatures then what you’d normally consider an anime aesthetic. That’s not to say that they’ve NEVER put out shows full of color-coded girlies and moe tropes... They are, like any other production company, a slave to the mangaka on any given project... But the trend is still very noticeable, as most of their work is more lifelike than cartoony. One Punch Man, on the other hand, is a jaw-dropping marriage of both aesthetics. It’s no coincidence that Saitama looks more like a real, average person before his transformation and a balloon with overly simplified facial expressions afterwords... the separation between realism and surrealism is used very specifically to mark show’s use of both tones, as the story tends to skew between one part slice of life comedy and one part supernatural waking dream. The juxtaposition can be jarring, because it’s absolutely intended to be. You may notice, in conjunction with this visual choice, that characters become more and more exaggerated and strange depending on just how deep they are in that separation. A simple citizen may look completely unremarkable... In fact, with the sole important exception of a young Peter Griffin looking boy who helped Saitama become a hero in the first place, they all look unremarkable. As you rise in the ranks of the superhero registry, you may notice a few characters who look like Yugioh cosplayers(Shout-out to anyone who spots the Meiko Tsunami clone), as well as ordinary people in day clothes. Rising further in the ranks, you’ll notice VERY anime-like designs, particularly with regard to the most powerful hero we meet being a little green-haired loli. But what’s especially interesting is the design of each and every villain you meet through the series. They don’t last long, for obvious reasons, but they pretty much all leave an impression on the viewer through their memorable designs and backstories. There is not one character in the show that feels uninspired in the least. And speaking of inspiration, what can I say about the animation itself without losing my sense of eloquence? Screw the eloquence. The animation in this show is like waking up on a dreary morning to find a bright shiny gift-basket on your table, and inside of it is nothing short of pure effort. I’ve praised shows in the past for having smooth, flowing animation quality with occasional corners cut for the sake of conserving the budget, but with One Punch Man, those corners are apparently non-existent. The animation is fast and balls-to-the-wall during action scenes, as it should be, but it never stops, even when it appears to be slowing down to portray more menial actions. There are moments involving frozen key frames, but they don’t feel like budget cuts... They’re used primarily for comic effect, with the original web comic aesthetic being used as a sight gag, or they’re otherwise used for the sake of mood, with extensive and beautifully drawn shots of destruction, environmental grit and the occasional corpse. Superhero battles are fast and intense, the gore and destruction at the end of said battles is graphic and exquisitely detailed, and speaking of detailed, every inch of background must have taken the blood, sweat and tears of the show’s art crew. Nothing less than maximum effort all around, to the point where I can’t even tell if it had a low or high budget. Arguably the best thing about this anime... And that is in no way an attempt to take down the rest of the anime, it’s just a matter of comparison... is the opening, which has to be the most exciting and adrenaline pumping opening that I’ve seen since Attack on Titan. The main lyrical content almost seems like it’s song by a full on greek choir, singing about the main character and his exploits, albeit with the passion and force that he likely had when he was just starting out and aiming to be the strongest. This takes place over a rock and roll beat that features outstanding electric guitar work and a percussion you can easily bang your head to without even realizing it. The OST itself is a perfect marriage of rock and roll with the more traditional orchestrations that you’d hear with each epic turn of an anime action series, and this is especially evident in the show’s frequently used main theme. Even so, there’s still room for diversity, as it’s perfectly able to slip into an electronic theme when the Cyborg Genos is the focus. Surprisingly, the ending theme follows absolutely none of this, turning in a more traditional female pop start tune that begins and ends with shots of Saitama’s apartment, as if to remind us that in the end, this is all just a job for him, and he does have to turn in afterwards. The English dub is still in it’s infancy at the time of this writing, and so far, it’s kind of hit or miss. In all fairness, I haven’t seen very much of it... Nobody really has... but from what I’ve seen so far, there are some positives and negatives to point out. To start with the positives, Saitama’s dub voice is pretty damn good. It’s obviously not going to touch the Japanese performance, but I would go out on a limb and say that it’s about as good as an American interpretation could reasonably be. Max Mittelman is a relative newcomer, and he’s gotta be doing something right, because out of the few roles he’s played, Doraemon is the only show that doesn’t have him listed as a major character. He was beyond outstanding in Your Lie in April, the only performance of his that I’ve seen before now, and with Saitama, he brings forth a lack of enthusiasm so deep and cutting that pretty much every time he emotes, you can tell he’s faking interest in whatever’s going on. Another positive would be the enemies we’ve seen so far, with several Bang Zoom outsiders showing up for cameos and pouring the darkest parts of their souls into playing some of the most deliciously evil villains they’ve ever had the chance to touch on. I’m not sure how Viz Media got Chris Cason and Chris Sabat to sign up for this show, but I’m glad they did, because their rough, chain-smoker voices sound like they were tailor made to play maniacal supervillains like a human embodiment of pollution and a giant enemy crab. A slightly more familiar voice can be heard in Cristina Vee, who plays the villain Mosquito Girl in episode two, an insectoid matriarch who’s thirst for blood gives her voice an almost subversively seductive edge, and Vee fits so well into the role that I almost thought she was Michelle Ruff the first time I heard her. As for the negatives, we have Zach Aguilar as Genos, and he’s pretty disappointing. Yeah, the Japanese voice had a flat and robotic tone to it, but it still held more personality than Zach’s performance does, and personality makes all the difference with characters like these. He sounds almost like me, and I have Asperger’s syndrome, so that should tell you a lot. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend the dub over the sub, but then again it’s really too early to judge the over-all product, so let’s move on for now. It should be no secret to anybody at this point that One Punch Man began as a web comic by an artist named ONE, and that it was drawn quite a bit more crudely than your average online comic. now, obviously there’s no rule stating that crudely drawn web comics can’t be awesome... Little Monster Girl is a prime example of this... But the original One Punch Man was so simple in both concept and design that you’d be forgiven for wondering why it took off as well as it did. In fact, a close look at Saitama says a lot about the shortcuts that went into it... He was probably bald so the artist wouldn’t have to draw hair as often, his suit was plain and generic so he wouldn’t have to do too much design work, etc. Even the monsters and other heroes looked more like Hellsing sight gags than proper manga characters. The concept was the kind of thing a grade school kid could come up with... I mean, it’s a superhero who destroys everything with One Punch. Before a person grows enough to develop basic story-telling insights, that’s about as complex as a narrative can get away with being. So why did it explode the way it did? Why did it get picked up for a proper manga and crowned the unanimous best anime of 2016 in less than 6 years? Well, to start, let’s examine the seemingly simplistic concept. At first glance, it’s extremely difficult for a viewer with any grasp of literary standards to get behind a hero who faces no real challenge or apparent threat. The term Mary Sue gets thrown around if a character is too OP, with a prime example being Kirito from Sword Art Online. He is the quintessential Mary Sue; He’s stronger than anyone else he meets on a fair basis, everyone has a high opinion of him, and all the ladies throw their virtual panties at him. This has drawn a serious backlash against his show, which begs the question; Is it possible to write an invincible character that people can relate to and get behind? Does a hero have to have challenges to be compelling? Can you truly stay interested if you always know what the result of every conflict is going to be? Speaking as someone who doesn’t watch alien invasion movies anymore because the humans always win, I can say with some certainty that this is an incredibly difficult thing to pull off, so let’s look at two financially successful cases that almost pulled it off. Depending on the kind of things you’re into, there are two characters you’ve probably compared Saitama to... Superman, the OG superhero who eats Goku sandwiches for lunch and Batman burgers for Dinner, and John Cena, the professional wrestling golden boy who’s foiled more pushes than the guard rail at the edge of a subway platform. They’ve both proven their staying power, even though they’ve each been the target of criticism about how bland and uninteresting they are. Personally, I’m not a fan of either, but I do understand their appeal. Superman, as it’’s been very expertly explained by the Death Battle people, is interesting because even though there’s no suspense in regard to whether or not he’s winning a fight, there’s still intrigue as to whether or not he’s doing the right thing, which is something we’ve all faced at one time or another. John Cena, another boy scout in his own right, is reviled for burying the careers of countless promising wrestlers just by beating them and bringing their relevance into question, but I just can’t hate a loyal company-minded performer who has a passion for his sport and, according to rumors, will stand in the rain for hours to sign autographs. I don’t personally like either character... I don’t love anything Superman’s name has been on, and I’ve never gotten excited during a Cena match unless I was rooting for his opponent... But I get the appeal. However, Saitama isn’t really bothered by whether what he’s doing is right or wrong, nor is he some passionate role model. He doesn’t possess the qualities that make those two characters almost interesting, so what does he have that makes him so compelling? The short answer is his outlook. Saitama cannot lose... He can’t kill anything with less than a punch, and while most heroes would be accepting of this accomplishment, Saitama is bored by it. He is constantly disappointed by every single powerful looking enemy he comes across, and how no matter what they boast, no matter how many people they killed, no matter how many heroes they defeated before he showed up, he can instantly one-shot them. Considering how hard he worked to become a hero, and how doing so saved his life from the doldrums and uncertainty of being an unemployed salaryman, he should be happy about this, but he’s not. What should have been a dream job for him has become the kind of job that most dream jobs eventually turn into... A boring, mindless slog through the same old routine with the same old results to show for it. This is appealing to most grown-ups who’ve had to leave their dreams behind and settle for something more practical, but it’s also insidiously relatable to anyone who’s ever found themselves bored by a John Cena program or a Superman video game; You hate seeing interesting villains dispatched without any real fanfare, and so does Saitama, the person doing it. For the first time with this kind of story, you want what he wants; A challenge. But even the best of character studies need the support of a good story, and true to form, One Punch Man has no shortage of enjoyable plot lines and story progression. In only the second episode, Saitama meets Genos, a heroic cyborg whom he just barely saves from literal self-destruction. In most hero stories, Genos would be our main character... He’s idealistic, self-sacrificing, dutiful, and dealing with a mysterious tragedy in his past, and he proclaims himself Saitama’s disciple so that he can become stronger under his new mentor’s tutelage. Having him so close to the central plot adds a richness of depth that, were Saitama alone, would have been sparse. We still go through the formula of Saitama wasting villains left and right, but now we get to see him meeting and battling them under constantly fresh and innovative circumstances. He also drags Saitama into the Hero Registration, which is kind of like a Superhero Tryouts sort of thing, that grades passing hero hopefuls with a grade and rank based on their physical attributes and test scores... And while this is a bit of a spoiler, Saitama bombs the test portion, leading him to be ranked class C, despite his own disciple ranking in the highest echelon of S class. Now there’s a lot that happens from there that I can’t really get into, you sort of have to experience it all for yourself, so you’ll have to trust me when I say that Saitama’s story never gets boring, nor does it ever seem to drag on. Everything builds, everything intensifies, and for someone who’s life is tragically devoid of challenging enemies, Saitama deals with challenge after challenge in terms of his responsibilities, his public reception, and the idea of what his place in the rankings means for the reputation of the Hero’s Association, and a climax that beautifully showcases the duality of his biggest conflict by showing us how the struggle for a worthwhile and satisfying challenge can affect a being of much less pure moral fiber. The series is unfortunately long, and while that does leave a lot of questions unanswered, an issue that can only be resolved with the inclusion of a second season that has yet to be announced, I’d be hard pressed to say it was my only problem with the series. There are tons of interesting character designs that make up the S class heroes, but you never see more than half of them outside of a meeting room. Also, this is yet another series that portrays gay men as over-the-top drag queens with predatory tendencies towards straight men, and that’s been REALLY getting on my nerves lately. Tiger and Bunny did something similar with Fire Emblem, and while I guess that guy had at least SOME semblance of awesomeness to his identity to make up for it... Like, he was the only hero rich enough to afford his own sponsor company, and that ain’t nothing... But seriously, Puri Puri Prisoner is introduced after he breaks out of prison, where he was serving time for literally sexually assaulting people. I know the anime medium IN GENERAL isn’t kind to LGBT folk, but that doesn’t make the resulting material any less painful. This is unfortunately a negative side effect of the show’s absurdist comedy style, which is otherwise impressively fresh and inventive. Also, there are a handful of recurring side characters that, without having anything to do with the climax, feel kind of wasted in the end, like Saitama’s ninja rival and a much beloved bicycling superhero. As I said before, a second season could fix all of this... Minus all the homophobia bullshit... Until one actually comes out, I can’t really call this show the masterpiece everyone says it is, but that’s not gonna stop me from watching it again a few more times. One Punch Man is available from Viz Media, although a stateside physical release has not been announced as of yet. It can be viewed legally at Daisuki.net and on it’s own website, Onepunchman.me, as well as on Hulu. The English dub is currently airing on Cartoon Network’s late night Adult Swim programming block, a brilliant acquisition on their part. Physical media will likely be released after the dub finishes airing, so there’ll likely be no news until then. The original web comic is still ongoing, although it’s a little difficult to find translated versions online. The follow-up manga is also ongoing, and actually is available stateside from Shonen Jump Manga, with the first seven volumes currently available and with more forthcoming. One Punch Man is, quite frankly, a miracle. It’s one of those anime that shouldn’t by all logic, exist, but it somehow does because all the planets just happened to be aligned at the right time. The fact that it’s the adaptation of an adaptation is already highly unorthodox, but the fact that it’s turned out to be a series so multi-layered that critics with their brains turned on and casual viewers with their brains turned off can enjoy it on virtually equal footing is what’s so miraculous about it. I’ve heard some people complain that it has an uneven tone, because it takes itself too seriously to be a parody yet still feels too goofy to be a satire, but I honestly just see it as a strongly written show that’s able to stand on it’s own while examining it’s characters and themes from differing levels of sincerity, possessing the confidence to poke fun of itself without losing steam or breaking pace. A second season will probably be enough to elevate it to the status that it deserves, but until then, I give One Punch Man a 9/10.
~~~[Review is for both seasons]~~~
~~~_Saitama is a super hero who has trained so hard that his hair has fallen out, and who can overcome
any enemy with one punch. However, because he is so strong, he has become bored and frustrated with
winning all his battles so easily._~~~
__The setting:__ December. I, a millennial with normal access only to streaming services, am sitting
in my parents’ living room enjoying access to both a TV four times as large as mine, and regular cable
TV. I flip to Cartoon Network’s Toonami block, which is showing _One Punch Man_. I’ve heard of it in
passing but have avoided it so far, since big punch-y fight-y shows aren’t generally my thing, but it
seems fine to have on in the background while I browse the internet.
On screen, a couple characters have clearly just beat up a cyborg gorilla, and decide to go after his
organization. _Why now?_ questions the one who looks lethal. _Because there’s a sale and I’ve got
grocery shopping tomorrow,_ replies a bald guy in a onesie. The den of Clearly Mad Scientists prepare
for the arrival of two heroes, activating entire floors of traps…all of which go to waste as one hero
just flat-out __obliterates__ the entire building without entering.
_We could’ve at least seen what the bad guys had in store for us,_ the other one muses. _That was
kinda mean._
~~~This review contains lots of spoilers for the first season of One Punch Man __Summary:__ I’m generally not a fan of the standard shounen formula, so a show like _One Punch Man_ (henceforth OPM) that is premised on parodying that formula and being more fresh and honest seems like the type of show I would enjoy in theory. However, the writing by and large shows a distinct lack of imagination about the struggles it poses for the main character, Saitama, while at the same time ignoring the potential problems that might arise due to Saitama’s personality and weaknesses. The humor, in my opinion, also generally falls flat, either feeling exactly like some of the blander jokes in standard shounens or further demonstrating the lack of imagination in the writing. The animation is excellent and the battle sequences are well thought out, but those alone aren’t enough to carry a show. This is especially true with the central premise of an overpowered main character removing most of the tension by design, although here again I think there’s missed potential to create tension in ways that would be different from your typical shounen. In short, a solid premise that could have been much better fleshed out while still keeping a distinct tone and direction compared to the author’s other work, namely _Mob Psycho 100_. img220(https://static0.cbrimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Saitama-Punching-In-One-Punch-Man-Anime.jpg?q=50&fit=crop&w=960&h=500&dpr=1.5) __Saitama’s Boredom:__ Early on, the show establishes one of the core struggles facing Saitama as a character: boredom. He yearns for an opponent that he has to go all out against in order to defeat, which is established in his dream fight against the Subterraneans. The length of the dream, the fact that the show hides the fact that it’s a dream until it ends, and Saitama’s disappointment all drive this point home. And certainly on its face that seems like a very valid point; always crushing your opponents in any competition gets boring quickly. However, the show fails to consider any number of counterpoints to this problem; there’s much more to a superhero’s life than just beating up bad guys. The show explicitly points out that Saitama is not particularly studious with his low score on the written hero exam, so anything requiring thoughtfulness or strategy could potentially provide a good challenge for Saitama. Coordination is another potential area of struggle, so tasks that involve fine motor work like knitting or crafts. Even physical sports, which generally require both control and strength, might potentially pose some difficulty for Saitama. Of course, one might object by saying that facing strong competition in your area of expertise is more fulfilling than competition in other fields, but the show doesn’t make that point because it doesn’t even consider any alternative areas of competition for Saitama. Another possible work around that the show doesn’t consider is Saitama trying to lose his powers. He certainly seems to believe that doing his special workout everyday is important for building his super strength, so having Saitama stop working out could have been an interesting way to see Saitama attempt to counter his boredom. Whether or not doing so had any impact, the exercise (or I guess in this case the lack thereof) would allow the author to explore Saitama’s character more in depth. Or maybe he could try being an agent of chaos to cure his boredom. I’m not advocating for the evil Superman trope that’s been done to death or a copy of the bored queen of evil from Danganronpa, but rather something that stays true to Saitama’s personality. Imagine Saitama starting to cause mayhem in the city, the other heroes desperately trying to stop him to no avail. Just when it seems like it might start to get really bad, Saitama abruptly stops and decides he has to go and do his laundry or something, being satisfied with the fun (or lack thereof) that he had causing chaos. None of these ideas or any similar ones are considered though. In the end, all we’re really given is that Saitama is bored because he accepts being bored. The best explanation we get is that Saitama seems to be clinging to the belief that one day a worthy opponent will find him, but even then he never tries to actively seek out a strong opponent. All of this really just makes Saitama on par with the worst generic anime MC’s in terms of likeability and personality. img220(https://thumbor.forbes.com/thumbor/fit-in/1200x0/https%3A%2F%2Fblogs-images.forbes.com%2Fstartswithabang%2Ffiles%2F2016%2F07%2Fpunch_meteor-1200x670.png) __The Meteorite Incident:__ In order to protect the city from a meteorite that would annihilate everyone, Saitama is forced to destroy the meteor and inadvertently creates a meteorite shower. The people’s lives are saved, but people’s possessions and homes suffer significant damage. The arc ends with the villain successfully convincing the public that Saitama should be blamed for the destruction to the city, and Saitama angrily countering that he doesn’t care about his reputation because being a superhero is just a hobby for him. Here the show is trying to jab at a few tropes seen in various superhero shounens: the unrealistic expectations foisted on heroes, the appalling ingratitude the public sometimes has for heroes, and the excessive focus heroes have on protecting their public reputations. The last point doesn’t really stick because it’s undoubtedly important for heroes to be trusted and liked by the public. There are far too many real life examples of the consequences of an organization tasked with protecting the public having a poor reputation to dispute this point. The other two points are more interesting, but the setup of this scene is simply too poor for them to work in this case. Like you have to choose between siding with the hero who just saved you from Armageddon or someone who that hero is treating as an adversary, and you choose to side with the adversary? I use “you” here to illustrate just how much of a stretch the setup is; even if the public didn’t know that the dude was responsible for the meteor in the first place, it’s simply too unbelievable to think that they would be angry at Saitama. I get that this is a parody and that it’s supposed to be absurd, but there’s a redline somewhere between absurd and entirely unbelievable that this setup crosses. Crossing that line kills any impact this moment could have had. Saitama lashing out at the public also hurts this scene. In Voltaire’s _Candide_ for example, the characters don’t angrily challenge Pangloss’s world view. Rather they tacitly accept or ignore what he says, as the insanity of Pangloss’s ideology is already plenty obvious to the reader. Likewise, Saitama doesn’t need to point out how absurd the crowd is being to get the point across, especially if he cares as little about his reputation as he claims. Perhaps Saitama cares more about his public standing than he claims, but that’s just speculative because the show doesn’t ever try to distinguish his actual thoughts on the matter from what he says publicly. The meteor arc is a neat idea, but the poor execution completely destroys the moment img220(https://static.comicvine.com/uploads/original/11134/111347991/6861093-big_1456219434_image.jpg) __The Sea King Incident:__ Arguably the highlight moment of the season is the end of the fight with the Sea King. All of the other heroes have been unable to beat the Sea King despite their best efforts, but then Saitama finally shows up and easily defeats the villain. The public then starts to question the value of the other heroes who weren’t going to be able to protect the public, but Saitama stops that by claiming that the other heroes weakened the Sea King, allowing him to steal all the glory. Thus, the public keeps a favorable view of the other heroes, particularly underdog Mumen Rider, while Saitama is labeled as an arrogant cheat. It certainly seems like a great moment if you don’t look too closely, and I’ll give it credit where due; it touches on the tendency for an audience to fetishize an underdog even when the ability to get results, in the case of being a superhero, is clearly more valuable. But even that point could have been much more developed. There’s no criticism of the fact that there are so many people watching the fight in the first place, engaged in idle bystanding rather than evacuating like they should be. Especially considering that treating hero battles as a spectator sport is found in many other superhero shounens, this is an obvious missed opportunity for OPM to function as an effective parody. Another weakness in this scene’s execution is that Saitama doesn’t try too hard to sell his performance. A lot of the public might still buy what he said anyways, but you would figure that a sizable minority might see through it given the half-hearted attempt at deceit. What would be the long run results of such a division in public opinion? Or if Saitama did use the necessary acting to sell his story (think Lelouch or Hachiman), would we, the audience, feel differently about Saitama as a person or about his decision? Also, does he plan on continuing to pretend that he’s arrogant and unskilled whenever he does hero work in front of the public? Probably not, and maybe the short attention span and forgetfulness of the public means that this contradiction would go unnoticed, but there’s no guarantee that it would play out that way. img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4a/c4/78/4ac478127cde10be858a4a918b618cba.jpg) The gesture also isn’t particularly costly for Saitama. Sure, he loses points in the eyes of the public, but he has plenty of opportunity to turn that around, like by saving the city from aliens at the end of the season. Even if his reputation became too tattered to repair somehow, which apparently wouldn’t bother him too much anyways, he has Genos, his very powerful cyborg boyfriend who is unlikely to be taken from him and seems willing to stick by Saitama’s side pretty much no matter what (although the exact limits of Genos’ loyalty are unclear because the author doesn’t bother testing them). Yet another unasked question: why does Saitama even decide to bail out the other heroes? Does concealing the deficiencies of the other heroes really benefit them, or does it primarily just protect Saitama’s conscience from feeling guilty about how gifted he is compared to the other heroes? Hiding the weakness of the hero establishment helps to protect order in the short run, but does little to improve the security of the city in the long run. Maybe Saitama thinks he’ll always be able to keep everyone safe, but would he really accept such responsibility in practice when being a superhero is just a hobby to him? The point here isn’t to decide whether or not what Saitama did here was right or not. Rather, it’s to say that although this scene is a cool idea, there is so much about it that’s left unexplored that, like the rest of the show, it just feels hollow and thoughtless. It certainly doesn’t help that I have little interest in the characters or world since the writing refuses to ever take them seriously in a thoughtful way. We’re supposed to look on and think, “Wow, Saitama is so strong, but he’s still such a considerate, humble guy” and leave it at that. The minimal consideration of the full range of circumstances and possible outcomes is the type of shallowness one expects of an average level superhero shounen. That, in my opinion, reflects poorly on OPM; a parody that’s too much like what it’s satirizing is just a weak entry in that genre. img220(https://i.imgur.com/Qe82JFY.png) __Saitama Being an Unnaturally Perfect Hero:__ This may seem like a bit of an odd point at first, but it’s a bit surprising just how great at being a hero Saitama is even just given the few flaws that the show touches on. For one, his abject failure at the written part of the hero licensing exam would seem to suggest that Saitama doesn’t know about some of the more nuanced parts of being a hero. Here we can create a few hypothetical scenarios of how this could reduce his effectiveness at being a hero: __Scenario 1:__ Saitama defeats a bad guy and secures them to be arrested by the police. However, because he fails to follow proper procedures, the arrest is illegal and so the criminal gets to walk free. The criminal proceeds to leave to an area outside of Saitama’s protection and causes trouble elsewhere. __Scenario 2:__ Saitama decides to patrol through an area where a set number of other heroes were assigned for a special event. The presence of a hero who wasn’t expected to be there causes a panic amongst the guests, who mistakenly believe that they’re in danger, and creates unnecessary chaos. __Scenario 3:__ Saitama encounters a couple of suspicious people, but after a quick questioning he decides to let them go. He plans to monitor them with his super hearing for a bit, but then remembers that he had something else to take care of, and so runs off, neglecting the suspicious people and failing to prevent the crime they proceed to commit. Maybe the author simply wanted to ridicule licensing tests and bureaucratic systems like hero organizations. Yet if that was the author’s intention, having Saitama get more questions right on the exam while still getting just enough wrong to make him a low rank hero would be a much clearer way to show that. Focusing on the point as more than just a passing joke would also make that excuse more believable. As it is actually written, there’s ambiguity over whether the licensing test is pointless or if it’s just that Saitama is ignorant about proper hero procedure, but the latter seems more likely to me. Another potential weakness as a hero is that Saitama is sometimes forgetful (i.e forgetting about the all important supermarket sale). Combine that with his perpetual boredom and his detached nature, and even more scenarios involving negligence, apathy, and irresponsibility open up. Delegation of superhero tasks that Saitama is better suited for would alleviate some of these problems, but not all of them, and such specialization and Saitama’s thoughts on it are never explored since the show simply treats him as an all-star hero. Certainly, the show is free to just ignore potential contradictions to his effectiveness as a hero, and some shows could get away with such simplicity. But when there’s no real substance to the show for such simplicity to streamline, it leaves us with not simply a shallow experience, but rather an entirely empty one. img220(http://i.imgur.com/ZJUMQIF.png) __Why I Find the Show’s Humor Lackluster:__ Being a parody, the humor relies mainly on poking fun at the standard beats in a battle shounen. Examples include Saitama starting as a rank C hero despite already being the most powerful, villains’ special moves that would normally turn the tide of battle having no effect, Saitama’s powers coming from an ordinary training regimen, and Saitama panicking about a supermarket sale in the middle of battle rather than about the actual fight. The humor is entirely predictable, which by itself wouldn’t necessarily be a problem. However, this being a parody of a superhero shounen, all of the jokes are drawn out in order to appropriately mimic the style the show is parodying. Drawn out pacing and predictability are not a great combination, but the humor still could have been saved if the show made any attempt to expand upon its jokes after being initially laid out. But no, generally the predictable joke is unveiled, and then the characters all react to it as if it were an unexpected twist in a normal superhero shounen story. The resulting moments are clearly ridiculous, and such moments of absurdity work well in most parodies. However, expecting jokes ridiculing the absurdity of a situation in a genre where absurdity and wackiness are not just the norm, but a huge part of its appeal, just doesn’t work. The jokes needed to either be more unpredictable, leverage abrupt changes in pace (i.e slapstick), or really just find some way to be less static. People may think that being predictable in this case is inevitable, but anyone who’s seen _The Great Pretender_ knows that a show can still make its central gimmick feel unexpected. __Conclusion:__ Perhaps you’re wondering why I’ve spent most of the review being so finely critical of all the missed opportunities, ideas not explored, and arguably trivial details about world building and characters. After all, OPM is just supposed to be a relatively light hearted action series parody about a chill, overpowered superhero who’s basically perfect. But therein lies the crux of the problem. OPM tries to create a parody by taking the standard superhero shounen template and combining it with a force completely antagonistic to that template: an overpowered hero who faces no real opposition. The end result of such a combination is a boring show, unless other elements or ideas are used to compensate for that. And as I’ve tried to make clear in this review, OPM uses a few very paper-thin ideas and jokes as its counterweight and calls it a day. Furthermore, the show fails to reconcile the image of perfection that OPM wants us to see Saitama as and the blatant weaknesses that the show attributes to Saitama. There are so many unconsidered possibilities and ideas surrounding the show’s writing, and it would be unrealistic to expect the show to explore them all without destroying its flow. But if there was just a bit more thoughtfulness in the writing, it would have gone a long way in improving the experience. Really, all we’re left with is a shounen superhero story that is uninspired, contradictory, and very boring. img220(https://c4.wallpaperflare.com/wallpaper/776/480/881/anime-one-punch-man-tatsumaki-one-punch-man-wallpaper-preview.jpg) And to clarify why I barely mentioned any of the other characters besides Saitama, it’s because, in a literal sense, they’re all basically just treated like action figures: flashy and perhaps somewhat memorable, but utterly lifeless. That’s probably by design; having basic characters built around standard superhero story tropes creates plenty of parody opportunities, but for OPM it’s just another weakness because the parody element does not deliver. Maybe some of these complaints of mine are addressed in the manga or even in the second season of the anime. However, this first impression is just so underwhelming that I have little interest in finding out.~~~
An example would be the first scene where a monster appears. The monster tells Saitama its goal and belittles him for being a hero for fun, and states its own reasoning. It powers up, and the art gets really detailed until Saitama beats it with one punch. Hereafter, the art turns very simplistic and the music stops. It serves as a great introduction to the show and its humor.
[Music](https://anilist.co/review/14985) The OSTs are fantastic and add lots of value to the fights and comic moments. Saitama's Theme [Ballad/Sad Ver.] or Seigi Shikkou are both incredible at building up to moments, fights, or inspirational moments. To completely shatter the audience’s expectations afterward, when Saitama beats his opponent with a single punch. Not the biggest fan of the OP nor ED, but they’re both quite catchy and Saitama vs Boros, while the OP was playing was amazing.
One Punch Man, para fazer essa review, resolvi reassistir as duas temporadas que estão disponíveis, para trazer um conteúdo mais completo. Descobri esse anime no inicio da minha jornada por essa cultura, e também por causa das recomendações de amigos. Obviamente gostei muito da Obra, por isso tentarei abordar a maior parte dos aspectos, ressaltando que não li o mangá, pois gosto de acompanhar os animes. __Produção e Animação__ Com certeza a produção do anime é impecável, principalmente na primeira temporada, aonde temos a maior qualidade da obra em todos os aspectos, tem bastante sequencias de cenas sakuga ( não sabia que existia isso ate um tempo atrás, quando um amigo meu me apresentou o conceito), com bastante empolgação e que desperta aquela adrenalina de assistir um bom anime de ação. Junto com isso temos a arte ou traço que se adapta ao enredo, com traço mais simples em cenas mais tranquilas e de comédia, e traço mais consistente e rebuscado em cenas de ação, mas isso também se quebra de forma incrível ao misturar o traço mais simples em cenas de ação(como nas cenas de lutas como na luta final da primeira temporada, com aquele alienígena muito loko), e o traço rebuscado em cenas de comédia( como no jokempo), o que dá uma identidade única ao anime, que com certeza vai te fazer lembrar bastante dele. __Dublagem Brasileira__ Sei que não é costume no brasil de assistir animes dublados, mas a dublagem pode trazer experiências que podem marcar a memória, além de te fazer compreender e lembrar mais da obra e seus melhores momentos. Sou um entusiasta da dublagem, apoio pois, com um trabalho bem feito, o anime pode até mesmo ganhar uma melhoria, aposto que você lembrou das cenas de dragon ball e outros animes da infância que te marcaram, e a dublagem faz toda a diferença nisso, mesmo que muitos não apoiem. Claro, uma dublagem BEM FEITA faz a diferença. Em One Punch Man temos um exemplo onde a dublagem melhora o anime, mesmo que você não goste de dublagem brasileira, a dublagem desse anime é uma grande pérola, que contribui muito para a experiência com ele. Principalmente as falas e bordões brasileiros usados no humor, algumas piadas como "dá no pé jacaré", "Porteira de Maquete", "pouca telha" e o icônico "que isso amigo? acabou de chegar e já quer sentar na janelinha?" que faz com que a comédia desse anime realmente fique marcado na mente, eu inclusive ri escrevendo isso, porque é muito engraçado. __Enredo__ Quando vamos para o enredo, temos algo ate comum, um mundo de super heróis e poderes, sem nenhuma complicação, você quer se tornar algo e você consegue, como o homem lagosta que gostava muito de lagosta ou o homem carro que gostava tanto de carros tunados, que se transformou em hibrido com um. O enredo já acompanha a historia do herói por diversão, o protagonista Saitama, que pelo nome do anime já podemos deduzir que é o one punch man, isso porque ele mata qualquer coisa, repetindo, QUALQUER COISA COM UM SOCO. isso quebra imediatamente a clássica __Jornada do Herói__, que é o que geralmente vemos em animes de super heróis, como Boku no Hero ou isekais comuns por ai, onde o protagonista passa por um processo, desafios, chamadas, aliados e inimigos, e que tem como objetivo se tornar forte e vencer suas lutas, como exemplo também temos historias como O Senhor dos Anéis. A quebra acontece quando o herói, que geralmente busca ficar mais forte, fica tão forte que ninguém sobrevive a um simples soco, tornando ele o ser mais forte de todos, e isso traz uma reflexão importante, que fica parcialmente subjetiva na historia do saitama, que é a depressão de não ter mais um objetivo, tanto que o próprio luta as vezes e busca alguém que pudesse satisfazer sua sede de luta, como no sonho que ele teve com os seres subterrâneos. Acompanhamos essa vida tranquila e pacata do nosso protagonista, ate que o cyborg Genos aparece para movimentar a vida do saitama, ele sim é um clássico herói que busca por força para lutar contra o mal, motivado pelo seu passado trágico, e que busca por todo o mundo sua vingança, e ao conhecer saitama, se torna seu "discípulo" para tentar ficar mais forte. Temos então o surgimento de vários vilões, lutas interessantes, a apresentação do sistema de classificação e da associação de heróis, além dos mais fortes heróis reconhecidos pelas pessoas, e vemos várias sequências de lutas, historias, vilões e muitos outros, como o cavalheiro sem licença, e outros heróis muito carismáticos e interessantes, ate o final de sua primeira temporada. A segunda temporada temos a apresentação de um novo centro de tramas que é o caçador de heróis Garo, que mata todos que encontra, além da associação de vilões, que traz bastante conteúdo futuro pro anime. Particularmente essa temporada é meio decepcionante, não pela historia ou dublagem, que continua seguindo interessante e cativante, mas pela perfeição da produção e animação e deu um declínio em comparação com a primeira, sem tantos sakuga como antes, traços e efeitos inferiores e o uso de CG de baixa qualidade. __Conclusão__ One Punch Man é um anime que com certeza vale a pena assistir, principalmente pela sua perfeição em animação, enredo, personagens bem produzidos e dublagem excepcional. mesmo com a decaída da segunda temporada, ainda é um anime interessante e relevante, uma boa recomendação pra quem está começando nesse mundo dos animes. esse é um dos poucos animes que vale a pena assistir várias vezes, e que não enjoa pois tem uma qualidade e identidade únicos. Recomendo Bastante.
I have been waiting to make this review. this is the first anime I watched and it's one of the best ones. one of my friends recommended it to me as he said it's one of the easiest animes to start other than death note. but I decided to watch one punch man as it was lesser episodes and I'm glad I did because it is such a good show. if you don't know about one punch man, firstly, how, secondly, you should watch it as it's one of the best shows I have ever watched. one punch man is an anime adaptation of a manga made by ONE, Yusuke Murata. so let us get to the review. the animation is so good man. madhouse did a great job adapting the manga, as I have read the manga, I know the original art style, and madhouse did a great job adapting it. every fight scene is so good, especially the Saitama vs Boros but every other one is so good but every other one is good, some of my favourites are, the beefcake brothers, crab guy, Saitama vs the aliens and deep-sea king. the whole hero association part was so good, the soundtrack is so damn good and even the opening is a good one. the show is so funny, every joke lands and the way they poke fun at battle anime tropes is also so funny. genos is such a good character and every side character along with Saitama is really good and Saitama and Saitama is an extremely good character. the ending fight with Boros was fantastic and that whole mission was so fun and so good, I loved it. one of my favourite scenes is the scene where he says how he became this powerful but no one believes him. another one of my favourite moments was when he realizes that he missed the grocery shopping sale. that scene was so funny. I am super excited for season 3 although I have no idea when it will come out. I don't really have anything else to say but I still have to write stuff so I will go into genos character. he is very weak but he is a good character and the Saitama vs genos fight is super good. this show gives you so much hype it just makes you feel good whenever that one punch man soundtrack plays, you know it's gonna be hype I just love this show but I have forgotten a lot about it so I might rewatch it and write a review again. so that's it thank you for reading this review so let us do a quick summary. the animation is fantastic and the fights are amazing, every character even the side characters are fun, the hero association part of the story is amazing. I think everyone should watch it. what did you think of this review if you liked it then I would really appreciate it if you could give it like, I will try to make more reviews like this. ok, see ya. bye. oh I forgot to mention, this will be controversial but Saitama shits on Goku
For me, One Punch Man still stands as one of the best parodies ever written. This is mainly because the series isn't a simple trope reversal and exaggeration of all character archetypes, as is often the case with parodies: on the surface, the series is absolutely an action-shonen. Everything is there, from the hero setting inspired by My Hero Academia to villains with developed backstories and clear motivations, diverse in design and capable of taking on different forms in battle. The diverse cast with different abilities, yet a clear hierarchy in terms of strength; the epic soundtrack during action scenes and deeply melancholic soundtrack during emotional moments; even the typical shonen protagonist with Genos, who endures constant defeats and then becomes stronger through power-ups. The anime plays all these tropes completely seriously, maintaining the atmosphere throughout. The only anomaly in this entire setting is Saitama. He stands counterfactually to the entire world, as if he were a character from a completely different world, one that he has completely outgrown. At the same time, he is by no means a boring or monotonous character, as the fact that he is absolutely overpowered is always the trigger for his internal conflict: like any other shonen protagonist, he is actually looking for a challenge to test his strength, and the fact that he can't find it due to his counterfactual relationship with the world causes him to emotionally numb and simply yearn for the feeling he once experienced in battles. This creates a significant gap between Saitama and the rest of the cast, but all the characters have exactly what Saitama longs for: the thrill of fighting against an opponent who truly pushes them to their limits. The dynamic between Saitama and his disciple Genos adds another layer of humor to the series. Genos, a cyborg hero seeking revenge for the destruction of his hometown, contrasts sharply with Saitama's laid-back attitude. The mentor-apprentice relationship becomes a source of comedic relief as Genos takes everything seriously, constantly striving for improvement, while Saitama remains unfazed and indifferent to the conventions of heroism. This comedic pairing enhances the overall appeal of the show by blending action with a lighthearted touch. One Punch Man also satirizes the obsession with hero rankings and fame within the superhero genre. The Hero Association, which assigns rankings to heroes based on their performance, becomes a satirical commentary on the superficial nature of heroism. Saitama's struggles to climb the ranks despite his unparalleled strength highlight the absurdity of societal expectations and the pursuit of recognition. The humor emerges from the juxtaposition between the serious, hierarchical hero system and Saitama's casual approach to heroics. The premise and humour are extremely well-executed, and since Saitama can't be everywhere at all times, the other characters still have the opportunity to be portrayed within a typical shonen setting. It's the overlapping of these two contrasting worlds that makes One Punch Man so brilliant for me. That, and the absolutely fantastic animation by Madhouse, which turns the fights into a visual spectacle. For me, it's one of the best series ever created. Just a shame that there was never a sequel...