One Punch Man

By: Robert Murphy

Often one of my biggest gripes with people who love over powered characters in comic books and movies is that with all that power there has got to be no challenge in fighting crime and anytime they appear to be weak or beaten down it seems like a front to make the episode go longer. It's all so boring and I finally met a superhero who agrees with that fact, Saitama. 

This bald headed superhero is simply the world's strongest hero that has ever walked the face of the Earth and rather than take pride in this fact he is extremely agitated by his ability to simply one punch any and all problems that come his way. He didn't start out this way though, no he spent most of his days before becoming a hero as your average business man who hated his humdrum lifestyle until one night he risks his life to save a child from a monster attack. From that moment on he dedicated his life to becoming stronger and protecting those in danger. Through some strange turn of events however he was able to attain ungodly levels of strength, speed and ability by simply doing 100 squats, 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups and running 10 kms ever single day but the only physical thing that changed was he lost his hair.  

This outrageous turn of events turns out to be one of the running gags for the series that places a huge comedic satire on just how easy it is for some people to gain superhuman abilities. Heroes like Superman simply needed to come to Earth and he gained powers that rival anyone who challenges him or even Goku from Dragonball Z, he somehow had a power level that made people laugh at the mere sight of it but gained abilities through friendship and simple levels of strength and body training. When people start to hear about just how Saitama gains his abilities and sees what he does the proper responses are made by any and all who are around to hear it. That is until he one punches them all into none existence but it is great to see a show take shots at the typical hero mechanic of outlandishly strong heroes.

Now before everyone starts raising their eyebrows about the plot of the show I will say that Saitama isn't the only hero or protagonist for the show because while it is fun to see him sarcastically take down gigantic creatures at every turn, it would become rather dull for a series. Saitama's abilities eventually attract the attention of a young cyborg boy Genos who becomes so impressed by his abilities that he becomes his pupil hoping to gleam the secrets to his legendary strength. While Genos offers up some incredible scenes of his own through the use of his cybernetic enhancements he often used as the wide eyed optimist who believes that his master is something greater than he is. I'm not Saitama is a bad character, far from it actually especially later on when more of his true character shines through, but when you hear Genos spout off about his masters legendary greatness and see Saitama picking his nose right next to him you begin to see why it's funny that so many people love these overpowered and overplayed characters. 

That factor also proves to be a shining moment for One Punch Man. Various dramatic sequences for the story such as epic level boss fights, especially the final battle for the series, are beautifully animated and put together. The fights are all well choreographed as well making the abilities of Genos for example truly pop but then you have scenes of low quality placed right in the middle of the action to undercut the tension with great comedic exploits. These scene often happen with Saitama because he usually thinking about something else during fights or just generally unimpressed by his opponents power that he is placed in animation scene that look drawn in by pencil. While this contrast in art design may not work for some it is used rather uniquely here for plenty of comedic moments that make you realize that this isn't a series hero anime but still has the potential for it. 

The rest of the cast as I said further deepen the story or make it as deep as it could possibly become anyways. Saitama funny enough must rejoin the corporate ranks as heroes are apparently a dime a dozen in this world and they're all employed and ranked by the Hero Association. But the show doesn't simply show off the best of the best which are the S-Ranked members of the association, there is in fact an episode devoted to one C-Ranked member in particular Mumen Rider who is basically the type of man Saitama was when he first became a hero. So while the show makes fun of those epic level heroes there is a good deal of heart hidden beneath the sarcasm as well. 

The penultimate battle for One Punch Man does show case all of the exemplary S-Ranked members however who posses tremendous powers of their own, still paling in comparison to Saitama obviously. Nevertheless they all gain some showtime to demonstrate why they're the highest ranking members of the association and it once again showcases the shows ability for excellent fight scenes while leaving some intrigue to come in a following season.

One Punch Man is undoubtedly going to be one of those breakout shows for 2015 that will lead to many followers donning a yellow jumpsuit and red boots and gloves at many anime conventions to come. Still, the story lacks a good deal of depth to it so if you're looking for a more serious anime to watch then you have come to the wrong place. If you enjoy a good laugh however and mockery of traditional hero interpretations then you will find a winner with this bald headed beauty.  

Good:

- Exceptional animation

- Funny superhero satire

- Saitama's one punch exploits never get old

- Interesting world and characters

Bad:

- A shallow story

- The low quality moments used for comedy won't be for everyone

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10