One Punch Man Anime Review
Superhero stories or action-packed ones are very commonly found in anime as well as in live-action movies. All anime freaks and amateur crowds love watching a great story with equal portions of intense clashes and dramatic backstory narratives. But One-Punch Man managed to garner the attention of all the viewers of anime without following the tried and tested ideas of storytelling in anime. Yes, it does not simply serve you a superhero story with epic challenges but has a contemporary twist to it.
Popular manga artist ONE created this anime with a simple yet extraordinary plot. Like most anime productions, this widely loved strip brought together by Yusuke Murata and One went through the roof with its visual representation. This show first aired in Japan during the latter half of the year 2015. And the mc’s bald look instantly became a sensational hit among fans. All the more the central conflict of the story is so relatable that every one of us can identify with Saitama’s problem.
This fine action comedy strings along the life of the main character named Saitama. In his own words, he is a hero for fun. The Vaccine-Man also finds this back story ridiculous just as anyone would have initially thought it to be. Regardless of being uninspiring as a hero’s back story, this is the backbone concept of the anime. It all starts making sense when run through the flashback story of 22-year employed Saitama from 3 years ago saving a kid from a half-human and half-crab monster. The flashback look of the main character resembles that of a typical salaried Japanese man with messy hair.
Coming back to the protagonist’s present-day life as a 25-year-old lesser-known hero the story unfolds the monotony of a hero’s life and comes to the forefront. Comparing to the other superheroes Saitama’s life becomes too repetitive for him to enjoy the job of saving people. He hilariously does the grocery shopping, struggles with the mosquito around, and behaves like an average guy despite being the master of ridiculous physical strength. Basically, this hero is bored from the lack of challenges add his ability to defeat anyone with a single punch makes it all the more annoying for him.
Unlike regular action animes, there is a lot more hilarity to the fights. Ranging from giants, cyborgs, and destructive monsters to threatening swarms of bloodthirsty mosquitoes the series has distinctive villains put up against the one-punch man. But with the immense power, the identity as a superhero that once seemed rewarding to Saitama becomes dull. This intensifies the parody of the action anime genre that ONE intended to portray. The self-aware sense of humor transcends into a unique theme overpowering the conventional hero versus villain tropes.
This popular anime series is not simply one man show but has several other memorable characters that spice up the mundane life of Saitama. Even a lot of supporting characters are distinctive and insane. The rare selection of off-beat side appearances similar in energy to Saitama what highly appreciated by the audience. The spectrum of the creators’ imagination brings forward artsy S-class depictions like the Blast, Tatsumaki, Flashy Flash, Superalloy Darkshine, and Genos. Each of these appearances was unpredictable and left the audience with splitting laughter.
One Punch Man does have a lot of fans in the outside world but he also has admirers within the story. Genos, the very loved demon Cyborg is the 15 year old who is so impressed by Saitama that he persuades him to be his master. The best thing about Genos is that he reflects the enthusiasm that Saitama lived through before getting bored with his ease of defeating enemies. Where Saitama’s character focuses on breaking down the conventions Genos plays the perfect foil to him with his self-destructive personality held down with cliches. This connection of contrasting energies adds to both the comical and tragic notes of the anime.
Most of the action sequences in One Punch Man serve as a tool to establish how immensely powerful add overpowered Saitama is in comparison to the other anime heroes. The morally conscious hero pitched in the genetic setting of emerging maniacal villains results in some stellar comic moments for the audience. The subjective humor and delivery of parody on conventional shounen anime are so convincing that they can be counted as the major reasons for the popularity of this series. The perfect punchlines somehow fill in the plot with a lot more humor than regular intense dialogues between the character. For those people who do not enjoy satires or situational humor, the series might seem hyped to them.
Moving on to the detailed fight scenes. All the fights designed and put together in the show are very detailed. Each frame of the anime One Punch Man speaks of the brilliance that it is known for. Both studio Madhouse and Murata play along well with the aesthetic of manga panels that are a signature feature of ONE’s work. The unique way in which battle sequences find their way on the screen and end up with the frustrated reaction of Saitama is really fun to watch. The experimentation with a variety of opponents and both strong and weak heroes does not let down the audience’s hopes.
The art styles and animation design of this one might seem simple but it went through a whole circle of evolution before turning out into one of the biggest blockbusters of the anime world. Saitama’s straight face with a bald look adds to the elements of subversion of expectation in this series. Madhouse with its quality of animation made One Punch Man universally appreciated. And J.C.Staff’s contribution to the second season with its animation makes the show even more dynamic. The overall raw frames of art are very well supported with the smooth and demonstrative animation that does full justice to the original manga creation.
Often some of the anime productions fail to match up with the brilliance of the manga creation they are adapted from. It follows the manga so closely that some of the frames within the anime are exactly similar to the manga panels. One punch man is one of the closest anime series adaptations of the manga and turned out well with the amazing work of Murata who provides it with an altogether new dimension. The scenes within the adaptation specifically the theme of the fight even more intense with moving visuals than in the source counterpart. Some of them are rather gruesome like the death of Crablante in the premiere episode.
Even the music and the opening themes within the show are insanely popular. The upbeat opening that represents the frustration of Saitama goes perfectly well with the aesthetic of the show. The energetic beats of the song match the quick succession of punches that the main character uses to tackle opponents. JAM Project and its powerful singers provide the required intensity to the opening theme of season one titled ‘The Hero’. Something that is not to be missed out on is the amazing voice acting that creates relatability for the humor embedded in the show.
In totality, this anime has all the elements that you need to jump-start your journey toward being an anime lover. This hero from One Punch Man who nobody knows about but dearly loves creates a place in the watchlists owing to his simplicity and action style. The artistic input of Yusuke Murata and the imagination of ONE it’s very well executed in visual production making it the most popular anime adaptation among several other generic shounen actions. Also, it is an anime free of unnecessary filler and stretched matter so, the fans can get an authentic experience with the focused quality of animation in the show.
If you are bored of watching cliché action animes we recommend you witness the twisted tale of Saitama. This is for sure in entertainers that you would end up appreciating and remembering it for a long time due to its uniqueness of story, art, and animation.
