One-Punch Man
a review by Underscore
a review by Underscore
One Punch ManAs the name implies, Saitama is so overpowered that he can defeat any opponent in one punch. He trained so hard his hair fell out, and now he’s the strongest man in the world. He’s just a hero for the fun of it, but it’s starting to lose its appeal. After all, it’s not much fun when all it takes is one punch to finish the battle. Life is boring. Then, the cyborg Genos suddenly appeared in front of his home, seeking to avenge his dead family. Awed by the sheer power of Saitama, he begs to be allowed to learn from him how to become stronger. Reluctantly Saitama agrees, but this causes both of them to register as official heroes. Genos easily reached the top class of heroes while Saitama’s in the lowest after barely passing the written exam. This new society of class rankings and power struggle give rise to all sorts of problems with new people being introduced all the time, and on top of that Saitama is still battling monsters day after day. Just as he’s starting to get accustomed to his new lifestyle a world wide threat appears that he has no choice but to face. Finally, a worthy opponent!
If the premise of defeating everyone in one punch was all this show had to offer, then yeah, it wouldn’t be very good. But One Punch Man is more than that. As a satire, it relentlessly pokes fun at every superhero story stereotype there is, exposing just how ridiculous everything really is, making a comedy out of the entire genre. But it also explores the idea of how being the most powerful being actually really sucks. With no risk and no struggle, you just can’t have any fun or thrill. There’s no need to do anything other than nonchalantly sit back and take your time. The only real struggle is the inner one. Saitama yearns for a day when he can actually be presented with a challenge and not just some boring one-hit fight. It’s not exactly the most mysterious plot, in fact, it’s mostly predictable, but just because you can guess what’s going to happen next doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy what comes next. It’s a unique idea that took the idea of being the strongest very literally and showing the reality of how dull it would be while also keeping everything laughable and lighthearted.
Saitama is one of the most unbothered and nonchalant characters there is, probably because he’s so overpowered. Genos, the cyborg, on the other hand is the textbook definition of someone who must become stronger to avenge their fallen family, nothing else matters. This makes their interactions quite amusing. Besides the main two characters, many other supporting characters appear too, and most of them are also perfect stereotypes, from the heroes, to the villains. In fact, the extent at which the characters portray popular clichés is probably the only thing taken seriously in the whole show.
As far as the style and artwork goes, there’s nothing too special about the visuals other than the backgrounds. Of course, like everything else, a lot of it is intended to poke fun at the genre, especially character designs. It’s definitely not bad, but it isn’t much more than slightly above average at best. I will say it does vary a bit, but in a good way. It can suddenly switch from an almost too simplistic style, to a highly detailed fight scene in a moment.Where this show really shines however, is its animation. Absolutely phenomenal and iconic fight scenes. Seeing the plain bald Saitama go from egg to incredible powerhouse is amazing and the scenes and angles portray the fights better than any other action anime I’ve seen. It’s exciting, it draws you in and keeps your attention. You don’t want to look away for even a second.
Much like the visuals, most of the audio doesn’t really stand out in any way, but it’s not bad either. It’s good in the same way that every other decent anime’s audio is good. However, also much like the visuals, there is one key element that stands above the rest, and that’s the music. The theme music is just, mwah \chef’s kiss. I don’t know how I would go about explaining it though, other than just saying it’s good. If you’re reading this review to decide whether or not to watch One Punch Man or not, then you’ll just have to watch it, if only for the music.
Despite exploring the idea of a boring existence, the plot is still enticing and keeps you wanting to watch more and more. I can count the number of animes I’ve rewatched on one hand, and this is one of them. Even after finishing, you still aren’t satisfied with watching it only once. Everyone who has been watching anime for even a short time at least recognizes the name One Punch Man, and it’s popularity is indicative of how well received it was. It might be overrated, but only slightly, and not without good reason.
I heavily enjoy this anime. Action and comedy are like my two favorite genres and while they usually are combined, not one show combines them to this extent. I don’t know what good things to say about this anime other than what I’ve already said, but it is definitely a favorite of mine. It combines the qualities of multiple kinds of animes to the extreme, which is the main reason, I think, it’s so good.
172.5 out of 179 users liked this review