TLDR: An amazing anime that blew my expectations to the moon and back.
Story : One Punchman's story might appear generic, but it is actually filled with depth as it manages to tackle the them of "What it means to be a hero" while seeming like a simple parody of shounen battle series.
Art: Unique and Breathtaking
Sound: WAAAAAAN PUUUUUUUUUUUNCH
Characters: Although Saitama and Genos are the main focus and receive the most development the rest of the cast is unique and memorable each contributing to overall show.
Enjoyment: GG Madhouse
Overall: 10
Full Review:
Story(8): The premise of this show seems simple at first, Saitama is a hero so strong that he takes down every opponent he faces with one punch(hence the title), and he strives to find someone who is worthy of fighting. Although this might seem shallow at first, which it would be if this was all their was to the plot, One Punch Man brilliantly executes this premise through its underlying theme of "What it means to be a hero" as well as parodying many shounen battle series along the way. All of the characters in One Punch Man have very unique and different designs, whether it be Genos's android body of Puri Puri Prisoners Muscular fabulous doublechin. Regardless of how bulky or ridiculously powerful any character might look though, they are always leagues below the simply designed generic looking character that is Saitama. This is not done to simply parody shounen battle series, but it is also done to tie back to the theme of the show. What Saitama lacks in appearance he makes up for in character. Saitama is not a hero to gain publicity and be acknowledged by others, as in shown plenty of times, with not only the speech he gives but, through his actions, ex letting other heroes take credit for the work he does(SeaKing and Meteor). The use of the Super Hero association creates a way to clearly demonstrate how other heroes are simply only in it for the fame. This is demonstrated perfectly by the top of rank 1 Amai Mask who disregards people of ranks below him and only cares about people in his rank because they effect his image. The show also gives us a subtle way of noticing the true worth of characters through Saitama. Saitama frequently and quickly forgets every hero he passes, but the first hero he remembers(to my memory) is Mumen Rider, a generic looking biker superhero in c class. This gives the audience I reminder that it is not power and fame that makes a super hero, but character. Although One Punch Man does have it's share of hilarious moments through the use of Parody and witty banter, it is how the show manages to blend it's comedy and underlying themes together that creates a great amount of depth.
Art(10): I already had high expectations for One Punch Man's animation as the show was hyped beyond belief, and Madhouse has proven they can produce quality time and time again, but even so my high expectations were easily met and even surpassed. Normally when watching a show that has a great animation there is only one to two moments throughout the entire series in which I think to myself, "Man that is some breathtaking animation", but with One Punch Man this occurs every single episode.
Infact I will prove it:
Episode 1: Saitama fighting the crab people
Episode 2: Genos's fight with the mosquito lady
Episode 3: Saitama's fight with the ultimate creation
Episode 4: Sonics fight against the bald army
Episode 5: Genos vs Saitama
Episode 6: Sonic vs Saitama(well it was sort of a battle)
Episode 7: The Meteor
Episode 8: Sonic vs Sea King
Episode 9: Mumen Rider vs Sea King
Episode 10: Saitama deflecting the spaceships bullets
Episode 11: Fight between Mezalgard and the S class heroes
Episode 12: Saitama vs Boros, aswell as Tornado redirecting missles
The best part about this shows animation is that the studio itself said that One Punch Man only has an average budget, and the amazing animation comes from it's dedicated animators.
Sound(10): Many people discredit sound and what it adds to an anime, but although a great anime does not need an amazing soundtrack, it sure does help, and One Punch Man delivers once again. One Punch Man is has a soundtrack filled with high intensity songs that will excite you for it's great action scenes, somber songs that capture the atmosphere of lonely City Z and Saitama as a character, as well as hopeful inspirational music. The Opening and Ending of this Series are great examples of this. The audience is jolted with a high intensity op that I can't help but sing along to every time its plays and is one of my personal favorite openings of all time which gets you hyped for the awesome fights and then it closes each episode with a soothing peaceful vibe to demonstrate the loneliness of city z and Saitama life. The songs are used both appropriately and effectively as I would never thought I would be tearing up in a scene starring Mumen Rider, but the soundtrack made it so. I have yet to hear a song play that I don't instantly love and if that isn't a sign of an amazing soundtrack them I don't know what is.
Character(9): For a show that has a main character who takes down almost any threat that comes his way in one punch, it would seem like the characters in this show would be very generic, but One Punch's set of characters is far from it.
Saitama: At first glance Saitama seems like a very cookie cutter character, with his key attributes being he is bored and powerful. The key thing to note about Saitama's character though, is that he is a parody of main protagonist's of shounen battle series. Shounen battle series protagonist normally only get character development through an increase in strength, Saitama in contrast is already overpowered, and because of this he grows as character through actual development. The main reason Saitama shines in my eyes is not because of his funny jokes, short attention span or his ridiculous strength, or even the great dynamic between Genos and Saitama, but it's his reason for being a hero. As I wrote about this plenty in the story section of the review, I will keep this short. Saitama's resolve as a hero is very admirable and leads to some of the most impactful scenes in the anime IMO.
Genos: Genos is a very interesting character as he is one of the few characters that breaks the standard that One Punch Man characters who look awesome and have intricate back stories...etc actually have poor character and a bad heroes. Unlike other characters though Genos has very similar resolve to Saitama, and he is used to show clearly the audience One Punch Man's theme of "What makes a hero." He is immediately thrown into s class and is constantly pampered with gifts, even though most of his fame should actually be attributed to Saitama. Having this contrast in Status also allows us to see the corruption of the system that the Super Hero Association creates. But Genos is not only there to show how awesome and unrewarded Saitama is, he is a great character by himself. As Genos is not interested in fame and the politics of the super hero association, he truly shines in his strive to be a great hero as he believes that he is undeserving off all the benefits he gets and even though he is eventually overshadowed by the feats of Saitama his growth happens through his ability to keep getting back up and trying again.
The rest of the cast of One Punch Man although not receiving as much development each are memorable, even characters that barely receive any screen time. Creating a cast so large each with their unique character designs, and making us care about even the weakest ones ex. Mumen Rider is truly an impressive feat. Special shout out to Puri Puri Prisoner and Watchdog Man.
Enjoyment: I can't think of any show in recent memory that I have enjoyed this much. OPM is easily my favorite series of 2015, and is (as I am writing this review) one of my top 3 favorite anime of all time.
GG Madhouse Well played.
Overall: 10
