I just watched the last episode of One Punch Man, Part Deux (OPM2), and I have to say, I feel a bit underwhelmed and even a little cheated. The series seemed to be heading to this epic crescendo, developing a number of interesting characters and building up the suspense of an impending doom until... meh happened. Seriously. Man, what a fucking letdown.
I'm going to make this short & sweet, much like what should have happened to this season's story:
Story: 5
Art: 10
Sound: 9
Characters: 7
Enjoyment: 6
OVERALL: *6/10*
The main issue I have with OPM2 is that the entire thing seems almost like a commercial for the next season. You feel everything building up to a crucial moment, and then you realize halfway through the last episode that the moment you've been waiting for... will be in the next season of OPM! Talk about blue balls, huh? It feels somewhat similar in spirit to 'The Empire Strikes Back,' but in that classic film, there were high stakes for the main characters when the cliffhanger was dropped on the unsuspecting masses - in this case, the ending finally reaches us and it's just, like, yeah, whatevs. Great. w00t.
There are a few other flaws with this series:
1) The plot could have been crunched down to three episodes. For a 12-episode season, not much really happened. Perhaps the season was simply too short? Regardless, I would say this season is full of what one might call "empty calories."
2) While there is action throughout, you don't feel the gravity of the situation or the consequences of any character's actions, save for Saitama (which is mainly through flashbacks) and Garo (obviously). There are definitely notable events, but it doesn't seem like all that much happened. Again, empty calories.
3) The ending was far too abrupt. It reminded me of Quanzhi Fashi's second season, which concluded in a similarly-unimpressive fashion, even though both end with OP fight scenes. Of course, OPM2 looks MUCH better than QF2 and its ending is far more believable, but still...
IN SUMMATION: While OPM2 excelled in terms of production and had some solid character development, it was ultimately neutered by its underwhelming plot, lack of sufficient gravity and ho-hum ending. There is definitely enjoyment to be had from watching it, but I would suggest waiting until season 3 concludes, and then just binge-watch the entire motherfucker in one sitting - trust me, it will (probably?) feel like the show was more worth the investment... well, unless season 3 blows goats.
