Story (8/10):
The story basically revolves around Saitama, your average, everyday hero. While he may look normal, with a bald head and a lifeless expression, every villain he faces he defeats with one punch. A typical episode formula goes as follows: a big, scary monster destroys a large portion of a city -> Saitama arrives to fight it -> the monster is unimpressed by Saitama and attempts to assert its dominance by displaying its strength -> Saitama destroys the monster in one punch. The punch line (heh) is usually when the monster hypes itself up, shows how powerful it is, only to get wrecked by a single punch. It might sound like a repetitive joke, but the delivery of it varies between episodes, keeping the humor refreshing each time.
Art (8/10):
I thought the art was pretty good for a shonen series. The villains are drawn as large, menacing and detailed as possible, while Saitama's face is drawn as simple as possible, with literally just two circles for eyes and four lines for the eyebrows, nose and mouth. This contrast greatly contributes to the punch lines in each episode. The action scenes were animated quite well, Madhouse really showing that they are no strangers to action series.
Sound (8/10):
The opening was pretty catchy for me. In particular I liked the fast beat and high volume; it really gets you hyped for the episode. The soundtrack used for the action scenes is used over and over again, but they suit the scenes quite well so I didn't find it an issue.
Character (10/10):
The characters are what made the show for me. Saitama, the titular one punch man, is a laid back, mostly expressionless guy who supposedly does his hero work as a hobby. His laid back nature is the central point in the comedy, as his allies and enemies frequently accuse him of not taking things seriously, only to be taken aback as he defeats an enemy with a single punch. His sidekick, Genos, is half robot, half human, who has a serious personality due to his family being wiped out in a monster attack. He usually acts as the straight man to Saitama, sometimes even going along with his laid back nature. As the series goes on, various other heroes are introduced, along with a ranking system similar to ones from other shonens such as Bleach. These secondary characters help to keep the series from becoming stale, which would be the case if the show only centers on Saitama and Genos all the time.
Enjoyment (10/10):
I remember how skeptical I was when a friend first told me to watch this anime. I thought to myself, how could an anime that milks the same joke every episode be any good? The humor was delivered perfectly, and I was definitely proven wrong. It's been a long time since I've had this much fun watching an anime, and I enjoyed from start to finish.
Overall (9/10):
If you haven't already, definitely give this anime a shot. It's a fun, refreshing show that makes fun of various shonen and western superhero stereotypes, and it does its job exceptionally well.
