One Punch Man Review - An Honest Opinion

In twenty words or less, One Punch Man is the Anime series we didn’t know we desperately needed. If you got that joke kudos to you, but we do feel a good One Punch Man review needs a few more details. Sorry Saitama, we’re about to get lengthy.

From Humble Beginnings the Webcomic - One Punch Man Review

For those of you who don’t know, the One Punch Man series was actually first created as a webcomic. Its mysterious creator is only known as One. He first published the series on his own website which quickly went viral. Crudely drawn, and against all common themes usually found in anime/manga One Punch Man still found an incredible fan base. And when I say crudely drawn, I mean something out of a first grades sketchbook. Example A:

But for what it was lacking in visual appeal it more than made up for in originality and humor. It broke away from the long standing cliche of what an anime hero is. We’ve seen it in every anime from Yu-Yu-Hakusho to Naruto. A main character who trains to get stronger to protect those close to him while somehow stumbling across stronger and stronger villains. Seriously, how do these villains have such poor timing? If Majin Buu had woken up 15 years earlier DBZ would have been over right then and there, but I digress. One Punch Man doesn’t do that though. The main character Saitama isn’t some Deus Ex Machina with a tragic backstory. He starts the show already being the strongest being in the universe who’s just a Hero for Fun. And it works.

One manages to portray Saitama’s self-imposed existential crisis of being “too strong” in such a humorous way I can’t remember last time I laughed so much from just watching an anime. All while keeping such a versatile cast of supporting characters and recurring villains that keep the show feeling fresh and entertaining. After all just because Saitama is already the strongest being alive doesn’t mean we don’t enjoy watching other characters become stronger and grow. It’s just nice not having the same repetitive theme play over and over again in every anime series. The world needed a break from the Goku and Naruto binge we’ve been on lately and Saitama delivers.

Artwork Worthy of the Story, a Beautiful Manga

One Punch Man webcomic’s viral success did not go unnoticed, and in 2012 it got a manga remake. Illustrator Yusuke Murata jumped on board and what emerged was a beautiful maga worthy of the story One was telling. Saitama is drawn in a way that conveys the simplicity of his character. Of course on the rare occasion Saitama has a serious moment he undergoes an incredible metamorphosis that portrays just how strong he is. This is done not only to better depict Saitama but also all the characters that make One Punch Man such a great series. Genos and the rest of the cast are of course serious about becoming stronger and it shows in their design. After all who doesn’t enjoy the “Demon Cyborg” testing out a new weapon. The artwork is so impressive in Saitama has to take a moment to appreciate just how cool it looks.

Yusuke does an excellent job in portraying the humor of the One Punch Man series without letting us forget that it’s still chock-full of intense fight scenes and brief but powerful moments of insight into the characters of heroes like Mumen-Rider.

The Final Product, a Great Anime with Some Room for Improvement

Let me just start off by saying that the final product of this long journey, the One Punch Man anime itself is everything I could have ever dreamed of. The masterfully animated fight scenes is something I could have never imagined when I first read the webcomic. That combined with a soundtrack that fits everything, from the Genos power-ups to the laidback Saitama inner dialogue, perfectly is something I honestly can’t find a single fault with.

And yet with each new episode we’re shown that the One Punch Man series can still continue to get better. Even though Saitama hasn’t changed much since his first appearance One and the rest of the illustrators and animators have shown they still have a lot of great new ideas and artwork to keep making the series better and better. Whether it be alien space invaders or rogue martial artist abandoning their humanity One Punch Man isn’t done improving and getting better and better, even if Saitama has already reached his peak. It’s this reason that I’m giving One Punch Man a 4.5/5 and anxiously await whatever they have in store next.