The review has no spoilers for the story of this season, except those marked.
(This is also my first review, because it just had to be done.)
# One-Punch Man(OPM) is a very polarizing premise, either you love it or you don't. The reasons number more than one, and they are also the contributors for the fame that has been garnered by the OPM series:
Murata's handling of story by ONE -Yuusuke Murata choosing to adapt OPM because of the fondness he had for the webcomic is an amazing thing to witness. His bonding with ONE leading to production of beautifully haunting artwork was like a gift that keeps giving for the fans that were coming. Murata has delivered consistently and constantly, refining some scenes, stories, or art throughout the life of OPM as a manga while redefining how art of a manga can be seen.
The Dream-Come-True First Season - For many lovers of OPM, imagining an anime which could do justice to Murata's work looked like a fleeting dream. It was a big ask and majority of the people did not even think of it happening as a possibility. So, when the first season of the show dropped in 2015, everyone went in with high expectations, and little hope. And boy, did MADHOUSE answer. The first season of OPM is still considered one of the best anime till date. A director, paired with a rogue team of elite artists from multiple studios working on the project fuelled by availability, time, and resources. The first season of the show has left a lasting impact on fans, manga readers and anime-only watchers alike (also people who do both).
Aftermath of Season 1 - The First season ended and left almost every single enjoyer wanting more. OPM had amazing animation, fights that noone wanted to end cause they were so good and solid comedy as we met the man who trained so hard he went bald and became strong enough to neutralize everything and everybody with one punch, Saitama. The episodes reached an end, and so did the unusual team working together behind the show. What was left behind were shoes too big to be filled...the magic of season 1 was not going to be repeated. Season 2 came and people had a mixed consensus. Some people (like myself) enjoyed the show, while others held opinions different by a margin. And, then the tragedy of season 3 is what followed through, or so is what I find other people saying. I do not agree with a lot of the stuff, and for good reasons.
ART & ANIMATION
The art for the whole season is done very well for all the characters. I like the thick outlines during some of the more intense scenes. The fan favourites, Garou, Saitama, Fubuki and Tatsumaki all get their time to shine. Furthermore, some new heroes also get the spotlight on them, and their abilities.
The fights throughout this season are honestly the best part about this season because they are animated thoroughly with silky smooth combat and character movement which is easy to read. I found myself wondering the entire season, "People are not happy with these fights? What?" And while some fights do see a drop in the amount of extremity of graphics, they don't leave a bitter taste in your mouth at all.
The use of still-frames, slow-panned frames and color filters being used in excess is a problem, but a negligible one at best. It does not make the show unwatchable by any means. The inconsistency adds impact yes, with the thick lines coming in sometimes (I would have loved it had they stuck with that style for the whole season) and this hinders the enjoyment, but not by as big as one would like to think. As for the, "one frame man" comments, I disagree with them wholeheartedly. The show was animated well, not the best, but not the worst by any means.
STORY
The story is one of the weakest link of the show itself, but that is not just due to animation or anything it is just the adaptation of the manga, and I would even go as far as to say that it followed the same faithfully. (I found it similarly slow during the manga release of the chapters as well, so I was prepared for it.) The story is trying to focus on a lot of things at once. The staff has done well at balancing the story with building excitement for the upcoming fight.
OVERALL
# OPM in the third season of the series delivers a solid anime with slow pacing, solid fights, and gratifying moments spread throughout. At the end of the day, Saitama is our gag character who ends everyone with one punch. And if you really don't think you can watch the anime, the manga is always there.
SPECIAL NOTE -
The show manages to deliver despite the uphill battle against the seemingly rough deadlines and work culture, paired with exploitation of the IP by Bandai Namco yet again. This happened in S2 as well. But this time, the staff have received a lot of unjustified backlash via the community for things that none of them deserve, they did the best they could with what they had and instead of enjoying the good bits, the larger part of the community banded together on the hate express via social media.
There is only so much that can be done with time and resources, JC Staff did great at trying to fulfill the huge expectations of producers and fans alike. If you really don't enjoy the show, you can choose to stop watching. Cyberbullying artists and creators should never be the answer.
