In short: Yes.
One Punch Man rocketed to the top of both MAL and IMDB and cemented itself as a solid mainstream title. Whether or not you are a fan of anime, you will find some value in this show. The simple yet elegant premise of the vastly overpowered main character, Saitama, captured our imaginations and asked the question: How can this show function? Afterall, since Saitama can defeat enemies with a single punch, what happens to the tension, the struggle for victory?
Let’s tackle that question in two parts. The first answer is that Saitama is part of a larger society of heroes, only this society does not recognize his talents. Whether it is by freak happenstance or sheer stubbornness, Saitama is unable to garner much respect among the hero elite.
The second answer is that it doesn’t matter. This is a superhero parody that (literally) doesn’t pull any punches: Saitama is so strong and so powerful that he actually gets frustrated with defeating enemies too easily. His deadpan look when a monstrous enemy attacked (The famous “Okay” face) was hilarious. Saitama is so fed up with his power that even demi-god level enemies no longer phase him. It’s moments like these that make One Punch Man great: Diffusing a catastrophic situation with nonchalance.
Okay, with all this praise, then why only a 7/10 score?
One Punch Man’s action scenes are a glorious spectacle, to be sure, but it falls short in a few categories. The first is the soundtrack. Sure, the opening is exciting and catchy, but the in-show music is a bit lackluster. Perhaps this was intentional to highlight the comedic elements, but I feel that it could have been more impactful. As is, the soundtrack didn’t really add much to the experience.
The second shortcoming is the repetitive nature of the series as a whole. Saitama kills bad guys with ease. His slightly less overpowered sidekick Genos looks on in awe. Nobody else notices or cares that Saitama just saved the city. Rinse and repeat. Now of course it isn’t quite as simple as all that, since there are a plethora of other interesting heroes who fill the gaps and provide more character and worldbuilding. However, the basic formula stays the same. This show does not have any deep themes or provide greater insight into life as a whole. It’s just a fun action comedy and nothing more. There’s nothing necessarily wrong with that, but for a show to receive top marks from me, it has to have multiple layers. One Punch Man, for better or worse, does not.
The third and final main flaw is that this show has some minor thematic identity issues. It seemed as if One Punch Man was going for a primarily comedic style, so whenever a character got teary and dramatic, it was a bit jarring and broke the immersion somewhat. Was the show a parody all along or was it just fooling us? Did OPM ironically fall into the traps of its own tropes? It’s a bit hard to say, but on a couple of occasions it could have fooled me.
The final verdict on One Punch Man is still out for debate. Is it an instant classic or will it eventually be forgotten and supplanted by other great shows? Time will tell, but despite its flaws, I’m leaning towards it becoming a new anime staple.
