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Year: 2015-2019
Genre: Action, Comedy
Episodes: 24
Rating: 4 out of 5
Who are some of your favorite heroes of all time? They can be from comics, cartoons, and anime. Do you like the classics like Wonder Woman, Superman, Ironman, Spiderman, and Wolverine? How about the anime ones from Goku, Naruto, Simon, Money D. Luffy, and many others? What makes a great hero? Is it their power, their will to protect all or their caring heart? All these heroes probably have some quality you like, and they probably train their asses off to be strong.
What if you are the strongest know person in the world? You can defeat ANYONE with a single punch. One punch and they are completely destroyed, killed, or knocked out. Would you still want to be a hero, or would you get bored because no matter how strong the monster or villain is, they can’t stand your single punch? An anime has introduced a hero with one of the most basic training programs to become a hero that can defeat anyone with a single punch.
Overview:
On a continent on Earth, powerful monsters and villains wreak havoc on the citizens in major cities. To combat these threats, the Hero Association employs superheroes. Superheroes are ranked based on their powers and strength. One such hero is Saitama, a hero unlike any has ever seen. Saitama hails from City Z and sees being a hero as a unique hobby. Yet, Saitama has a secret. After three years of basic training and in the process of losing his hair, he has become the world’s strongest hero without anyone even noticing. Saitama is so powerful that he can defeat any enemy he faces with a single punch. You would think this would be a blessing, but to Saitama, it has become his worse nightmare. No villain now is capable of fighting with him, no matter how strong they are. Saitama no longer finds being a hero thrilling and has become bored with it.
One day, Saitama gains the attention of a cyborg named Genos. Genos becomes enamored with Saitama’s power after watching him defeat a villain with ease. Genos requests that he become Saitama’s disciple, much to Saitama’s confusion. Genos convinces Saitama to join the Hero Association to become a certified hero. Saitama realizes that no one knows who he is and quickly agrees. After becoming a certified hero, Saitama begins a quest to show the world that he is a hero, even if no villain can survive his mighty punch.
Review:
I know most people have mixed feelings about One Punch Man. The first season was excellent, and some complained that the second season fell off. One Punch Man is an awesome anime all the way through. The story, comedic delivery, and animation of this anime were great and hilarious.
The story of One Punch Man is hilarious. You have a city that constantly gets attacked by all sorts of monsters. There is an organization where people can become heroes and ranked on a lettering system where S is the highest, then A, B, and C. When you think of most heroes, they want to protect justice and whatnot, but the main character, Saitama, is an unassociated hero who does it as a hobby. What is best about the story is that, for one, he can destroy/defeat any enemy with a single punch but how he got to his incredible strength is beyond hilarious. All he did was his daily training regimen which consisted of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, a 10 km run, eating healthy food, and not using the air conditioner or heater to reinforce his mental fortitude. Just take a second to think about that.
Season one is dedicated to setting up many of the main characters along with showing how much Saitama is clueless about things, how no one believes his strength is possible, and the amount of punishment the other heroes take until Saitama shows up and gives a single punch. It is straight-up HILARIOUS! Some of the best scenes are the one with the mosquito queen. That whole episode is funny because he tries to kill this single mosquito, and then a queen shows up. Genos has major problems until Saitama gives it a single slap, and it is all over. The final fight scene with the intergalactic warrior is also freakin really good and hilarious because the punch name is one that is unoriginal.
Now, the biggest issue people have is with season two. I can understand where people are coming from with it. Do most parts seem to lag? Yes. Does it seem to be all over the place and not as funny? Yes. It is still entertaining to watch because Saitama is a strong character where you want to see him do his thing. The major issue with season two is that there is way too much going on, and there are many side stories rather than a single story. We have Saitama doing his thing. There are threats with monsters coming out and declaring war. Finally, there is Garou, who is on a mission to kill all heroes. Like I said, there is a lot of stuff going on, and Saitama’s only main thing is to end up at a martial arts tournament. I feel like season two needs to be viewed as a launching pad for season three if it ever comes out.
One of the best highlights of this whole anime is the animation. The colors that were used and the way the animators showed Saitama’s different expressions. First, the colors were extremely crisp and pleasing to the eyes. What I liked was how the animators made sure to show how powerful Saitama was. He blew clouds apart or even mountains. The battle with that one alien dude was truly awesome to watch. What is fantastic about the animation is the expressions Saitama makes. When he looks like a doofus most of the time and when he gets serious, the whole character design changes, and it is amazing.
Regarding characters, Saitama is the one and only that should be talked about because he is a real one. Homeboy is funny because he doesn’t look like your typical hero. He is bald, seems to be unemployed, and is a gamer. He has become bored of fighting because of his strength, and no one can last past one of his punches. He is hilarious because he is the opposite of everyone else. You hear people train all their lives, and he gives one of the most basic training programs ever. I still think his best episode is with the mosquito. The other character is Genos. First, Genos is only nineteen and decides to become a cyborg. He continuously upgrades himself to reach Saitama but only fails because he really doesn’t know how strong Saitama is.
One Punch Man is an awesome anime that might stumble in season 2. It is one of those anime series that need multiple seasons to truly enjoy the full effect. Saitama is an iconic character, and many people will compare his power to other major anime characters. The comedic elements of this anime are great, and the story is quite entertaining. Have fun watching a man who defeats all with one simple punch.
