Why can’t I give it less than 8? Well, One Punch Man (OPM) presents to us one of the most sublime animation and fighting scenes in recent history. When it comes to action, OPM never fails to disappoint. The OSTs, especially the ones used during battles, are also very awesome-sounding, definitely gets your adrenaline pumping when they are needed most. In terms of presentation, OPM truly delivers, hence giving it less than 8 really does seem to be a sin, as it is definitely better than your usual run-of-the-mill shows.
Then, is it enough to go beyond that? To the scores of 9s or 10s? To me, nope. Beneath the eye-candy and eargasms, there is nothing much that the story of OPM can offer. Due to the sheer overpowered-ness of Saitama, everyone else in the show is essentially reduced to a joke. Yes, the heroes Tatsumaki, Silverfang, Genos etc are strong characters to their merit, while the antagonists Deep Sea King and Boros are indeed very formidable opponents. But in front of Saitama, everything turns to comedy.
I get that Saitama being so powerful is all part of the charm, but ultimately this makes the show shallow and fights will often end in an anticlimactic way, simply because all it needed was one punch from Saitama. As a result, the plot simply revolves in a dull manner: bad guy threatens peace, Saitama finishes him off, rinse and repeat. There is hardly any suspense or anticipation, as we all know how it is going to end.
So, is OPM enjoyable? For mindless fun and superb fighting scenes, yes it is. Comedy-wise it is decent too. But is it a masterpiece? Hardly. But the show doesn’t end here, so hopefully in the future it has a lot more to offer.
