Anime Review | One Punch Man (Lights, Camera, Action!)

One Punch Man

It's a simple enough premise - in a world filled with superheroes, an everyday salary man decides to become a Hero for fun. His first battle is against a giant half man, half crab, wearing just underpants and a tie, who wants to kill a small child with a cleft chin because the child drew nipples on his chitinous chest... That age old story… The hero of the tale, Saitama, undergoes a secret training regime, which results in all of his hair falling out and the ability to finish any fight in a single blow, hence 'One Punch Man.'

Admittedly, the stories are all fairly formulaic: bad guy appears, shows he's super powerful, dramatic fight scenes occur, and then Saitama arrives and ends it all with a single punch. One Punch Man embraces the simplicity, elevating it by building great stories around this one-dimensional premise. It manages to incorporate legitimately funny moments into the action; Saitama's deadpan looks and reactions to the extreme action going on all around him are fantastic.

It's not just Saitama's character that makes for an outstanding show, either, as there's a supporting cast of heroes and villains with some amazing and original designs. Fitting perfectly with the tone of the universe, these characters manage to blend the cool with the insane and the downright silly. There are grown men in dog costumes, super Okama who get naked to fight, martial artists, and explosive samurai, all mixed in with the widest range of freaks and monsters. While the anime only covers the first 30-odd chapters and some of the best characters from the series are yet to appear, Saitama's nemesis, Speed of Sound Sonic, and his disciple Genos, in particular, are amazing to see animated. Sonic is something of an anti-hero, a ninja with super speed and a devilish grin, while Genos is a super-powered cyborg who's enhancements and abilities make for spectacularly stylish sequences, firing jets and boosters that can pop out of any part of his body, resulting in something like Dragon Ball meets Iron Man.

The battle scenes were a major selling point for the manga, with immense moments, mass amounts of destruction and super fast combat, with each of the characters utilising their special powers in inventive and marvellous ways. The word 'epic' is overused lately, but it is the one word that can capture these scenes - the choreography and action are exquisite and the final product is simply... epic. Thanks to the skill of Murata, the battles were already perfectly captured in the manga, setting a high bar for the anime to live up to. It was put in reliable hands, however, with the venerable studio, Madhouse, responsible for megahits of the past like Death Note and the recent reimagining of JUMP classic Parasyte. Megahouse has managed to live up to the task, producing an end product where the animation and art direction are of an insanely high level - a frenzy of pure joy. Megahouse has also managed to capture the unique comedy of the manga, building up the tension and the drama of serious moments before bringing it crashing down around hilarious deadpan moments.

There is one major flaw with this season: it's far too short, which is massively disappointing. It is only 12 episodes long, yet with the amount of material to pull from, there was easily enough for a full season of 24. Hopefully, it means that a second season isn't too far away, although one is yet to be announced.

9/10

Exceptional - Gold Award

Much like Gintama, One Punch Man has transcended its simple comedy roots to become something more. This is a deconstruction of the superhero genre and a superb battle anime infused with some of the best looking action seen in recent memory. Filled with fantastic characters and genuinely funny moments, this is a series to introduce to non-anime watchers and exemplifies the very best of anime, showcasing original stories that would not exist anywhere else. Epic.