One Punch Man
Seinen anime tends to take many shapes, forms, and sizes. These can range from being utterly ridiculous to pretty solid and rational. Either way, the main point is entertainment, and as long as an anime is entertaining, most fans love it. When it comes to anime titles that are utterly ridiculous while also being absurdly entertaining, there’s one that really takes the cake!
One-Punch Man, also known as OPM for short, is an Action, Sci-Fi, Comedy, Parody, Super Power, Supernatural, and Seinen anime series. It is adapted from the One-Punch Man manga and has released two seasons at the time of this article. Also, the studio has released one OVA episode titled “One Punch Man: Road to Hero,” six special episodes for Season 1, six special episodes for Season 2, and a Summary episode in the form of “One Punch Man 2nd Season Commemorative Special.”
Both seasons of the anime have 12 episodes each. Episodes 1 and 2 of Season 1 were first previewed at a screening at the Saitama City Cultural Center (small hall) on September 6th of 2015. This is noteworthy as the main character’s name, namely the One Punch Man’s actual name, is Saitama.
Season 1 aired from October 5th, 2015, to December 21st, 2015, as a Fall 2015 anime series. The Producers included TV Tokyo, Bandai Visual, Lantis, Asatsu DK, Banpresto, Good Smile Company, Shueisha, and JR East Marketing & Communications. It was licensed by VIZ Media and brought to fans by the infamous Madhouse Studio.
The series started as a Web manga, evolved into a Manga, and is now a major TV anime series. One Punch Man is based on Yusuke Murata’s Manga remake of ONE’s original Webcomic. The anime adapts the first seven volumes of this manga. The title and genres may make it seem like an average superhero series, but in reality, One Punch Man is rated R for audiences aged 17 or older due to its sheer violence & profanity.
The story revolves around the seemingly ordinary and unimpressive protagonist Saitama. What makes him worthy of being the main focus of this series? Well, he has a unique hobby of being a Hero for fun. He chases after his childhood dream of being a hero, and for this purpose, he trained like crazy for three whole years before the start of the anime’s timeline.
His self-training was so rigorous that he lost all his hair, leaving him completely bald. But that aside, he is ridiculously strong now as a result. He is so strong that he one-hit KOs all enemies with one mere punch, making him the “One Punch Man” quite literally. He is overpowered and undefeatable from the onset, falling to no one in battle in terms of both strength and speed but a bit lacking in terms of intelligence.
Regardless, while he worries about very trivial things, he is in no way stupid. All this power has led to an unexpected problem for Saitama: he can no longer enjoy the thrills and adrenaline rushes of battle because no adversary can put up a fight that challenges him. Thus, Saitama is utterly bored, and his powers go unrecognized because they’re just ridiculous.
Saitama’s lax life takes an abrupt turn when he meets a 19-year-old Cyborg named Genos. He witnesses Saitama’s full power and becomes adamant about becoming his disciple. Upon his recommendation, the two join the Hero Association to become certified and recognized heroes in the public eye. Such heroes are coveted and respected by people for their positive contributions to society, no matter the form.
The fact that no one knows who he is nor appreciates him pushes Saitama to run right into the opportunity. After all, how others perceive him is vital to Saitama even though he does not openly admit it. Thus, the events of Season 1 start to unfold as the ever-eccentric Saitama plunges into fights against strong enemies, hoping to find some of the excitement he once felt back in the day and maybe even become popular in the process.
Season 2 aired from April 10th to July 3rd as a Spring 2019 anime. The producers were TV Tokyo, Good Smile Company, Shueisha, JR East Marketing & Communications, Bandai Namco Arts, and Bandai Spirits. It was licensed by VIZ Media and animated by Studio J.C. Staff. The story picks up where Season 1 leaves off, after the iconic final battle against Boros and his galactic army.
Victorious, Saitama returns to his mundane everyday life at Z-City. Even though the imminent threat has passed, hoards of monsters were continuously rising in number, and this was putting a lot of strain on the Hero Association and its top heroes.
Things get even messier with the arrival of a man named Garou. He commences an all-out rampage against the Hero Association as he goes on to hunt and mercilessly beat up every Hero he finds. Oblivious to all this, Saitama takes the opportunity to try his hand at martial arts. In the shadows, an earth-shattering catastrophe to be brought on by an organization of monsters is soon to commence.
The story of One Punch Man is mainly portrayed as an action-comedy. Their world is filled to the brim with monsters and heroes alike. Their clashes are something ubiquitous in day-to-day life. The story starts predictably, and Saitama’s One Punch never misses the mark. This is done in a badass, humorous way, but gets old fast.
This is where every other aspect comes into play, as the story expands with new characters and concepts. The Hero Association and their Hero ranking system, which acts as a class system for heroes, and the grounds on which they are discriminated against add more depth to the story. Hidden politics and mindsets come into play, making the story more exciting and leaving viewers thirsting for specific character encounters and reactions. The battles are all thrilling and executed with flair, each new opponent unique and, in a strange way, entertaining.
The art and animation are probably the best things about One Punch Man. Madhouse outdid themselves with this one, as the characters, backgrounds, environments, monsters, fight sequences, and abilities are amazing to watch. At the same time, it’s worth noting that this was a budget anime; not much cash went into it, but it was made fantastic via great directing, supervision, and smooth animation. The movements are so fluid, and camera angles are unique with well-paced transitions. The artwork, too, is highly detailed and showcases a lot of individuality, perfectly fitting the anime’s themes.
As for the Music and Soundtracks, One Punch Man did a superb job there too. Particularly the Opening, “THE HERO !! ~Okoreru Kobushi ni Hi wo Tsukero~” by JAM Project, will not fail to hype up the viewers and become a genuinely unique theme. It is regarded as one of the best anime openings of all time, and once it gets into the head, it will not leave. The Endings are also very well done. All the OSTs are memorable as well; they excite the action scenes perfectly and can even instill goosebumps. The Voice acting is flawless.
The characters of One Punch Man are very memorable and lovable, just not always relatable. They are all super unique and charming, each their own odd self. Watching Saitama go about his everyday life is always entertaining and, at times, relatable.
Genos is the ladies’ man, a calm and intelligent guy who often ends up as the warm-up act for enemies before they face Saitama. Regardless, he is earnest and hard-working. Sonic is a criminal who is obsessed with beating Saitama, a pretty fast Ninja. Tatsumaki is there to fill the void of female heroes in the story. She is the short, hot-tempered loli in this anime but is insanely strong.
Garou is a genius character introduced in Season 2, who thins the line between Hero and Villain. His ideas and thought patterns have considerable depth, making the story more complex.
As for how enjoyable this anime is, it’s simply ridiculously entertaining. The action is intense, amplified by excellent graphics and accompanied by thrilling soundtracks. Definitely worth a watch.
Viewers will not expect to enjoy this title as much as they will once they watch it. For fans of Action-Comedy, One Punch Man is ideal. It's not all nonsense either; there are serious events and a steady flow at play. It has elements of adventure in it as well. This title is a must-watch, but better not watch it while eating. Despite the surface impressions, One Punch Man is neither cliché nor cringy. It is guaranteed to be entertaining till the very end!
For the season three review of One Punch Man, click here: One Punch Man Season 3 – A Disastrous Fall From Glory
If you enjoyed this review, support Pinnedupink on Ko-fi. Every coffee keeps the blog independent and the anime deep dives coming. → ko-fi.com/pinnedupink
And… If you’ve made it this far, consider subscribing to the Pinned Up Ink newsletter; it’s where we go deeper, drop early takes, and keep the conversation going between posts.
