I'll be completely honest and it took me a while to get started on this anime because of all the Tumblr posts that I've been bombarded with by OPM fans...I just see a bald guy with a ever-so-bored cartoon face wearing a yellow/red superhero suit with a cape. A CAPE. The ultimate cliche superhero outfit yet.
I thought it was going to be a typical comedy, silly anime of a bald dude winning fights with just one punch. But boy was I wrong.
It was a HILARIOUS, action-packed masterpiece of a bald dude winning fights by DESTROYING his opponents into a scattering bloody mess with just one punch. And I loved it.
STORY;
You have the life of your average Joe turned superhero after rigorous training to the point where he lost his hair and became bald before becoming the strongest man on earth. It can't get better than this right?
I've heard plenty of OPM haters saying how typical and predictable the plot is which makes it 'boring' for them to continue watching. I understand their point for it is comparable to other action anime which are more drama-filled but to me, those additional plot-lines will become baggage if placed into an anime like this. It is because of it's simplicity that we can enjoy the crazy-awesomely animated battle scenes and indulge in the characters' hilarity.
As a spoiler-free description of the story by my personal opinion, I feel like I have been transported back to my childhood watching Ultraman + a lil bit of Naruto with a blast of Dragonball. If you don't feel the excitement of watching superheroes defeat monsters and bad guys that you may had as a child when you watch One Punch Man, boy...you must be a plain child.
ART;
Right from the get-go, aka the first episode, I was overwhelmed with the amazing animation. I would highly recommend everyone to watch it in 1080p or you'd be missing out in all the crystal clear art that would put many other action-anime to shame.
It's clearer during battles or fights especially when we move through the scenery, following the flow of the destruction or attacks before we see the smooth movements of the characters even at a high-speed panning. I have to give credits to the animators for taking so much detail in every frame which would have been awfully exhausting but it resulted in a great animation for an action-anime and I 100% appreciate that passionate effort. Simply stunning.
SOUND;
Come on....I started this review by mentioning the OP and I am going to repeat myself with the "ONE PUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNCHHHHH!!!!!"
Man that was epic! I love it when an opening song is able to grasp the actual feel and concept of the anime so well. It just puts it out there how detailed the staff members are to put together this anime piece-by-piece from taking care of the art all the way to its soundtrack. The ED is not an exception where I feel that instead of playing with the major epicness of the OP, it mellow down to remind us that Saitama is...human. He has a quaint little apartment and he returns home after kicking ass. I like that little aspect where even the strongest superheroes have their moments of normality.
Oh and don't get me started on the actual OST for it is flawless. Then again, if an anime does not have good sound, it is almost blasphemous as bad art.
CHARACTER;
Let us all take a break and make a big applause to Murata Yusuke and ONE for creating such an epic yet, seemingly normal superhero; Saitama. This is probably the first time I find a bald anime character so damn attractive. Ehem~ Anyways... I honestly love how they created Saitama and Genos to balance each other out. The latter is introduced as the 'handsome' one who is prone to be more popular and attractive than Saitama and could have easily been the protagonist of his own story but nope: here, he is just the sidekick to the caped baldy.
I have to say it is hard to find the characters' personalities overlapping with each other meaning that they are mundane and that is not the case. Predictable, yeah but they are all far from plain. We have a bald badass with a cyborg sidekick and later we get a slice of Naruto with a Ninja who gives me the Sasuke vibes except he is more...cheerful and smiley in a creepy way. What can I say...you got to have your Ninjas one way or another.
OVERALL;
Thoroughly, I enjoyed this anime to the point where I devoured it in a single day. I've seen and heard plenty of anime fans trashing on this anime by saying it is 'trying to hard to be funny' or that it is predictable and boring but honestly, I can't see that at all. It is a wonderful series that I regretted not watching any sooner but since I've finished it, I can proudly say that I have not had such a refreshing action anime in a long time. After all the heavily-plotted anime, One Punch Man makes me feel like I have just opened my windows for the first time after being cramped in a dark dusty room; smelling the fresh air and freedom of an anime not conformed by super detailed plots and other baggage and just focusing on being badass.
You don't need tear-jerking scenes or flashbacks of hardships or huge character developments to create an epic show.
Sometimes, you just need bald superheroes and ugly monsters destroying cities with their guts splashed onto the asphalt.
Two thumbs up and a standing ovation for that!
