Hot damn. I’m far from the first to say this but One Punch Man might be one of the best shonen anime of all time. A comedic take on the superhero genre, One Punch Man centers around Saitama, a goofy-looking “hero for fun” who can defeat virtually any enemy with one punch.
With a premise like that you might expect the show to be boring and predictable, but what keeps the series fresh is its strong design sense and eclectic cast of supporting characters.
Well-designed villains other shows would build whole arcs are lucky to last a full episode. The recurring characters are even better. There a great combination of traditional anime badasses (Genos, Silver Fang, Tornado) and weird-as-hell oddballs (Puri Puri Prisoner, Watchdog-man, an entire team based around the fact they wear tanktops) match the series’ unique combination of high-octane action and off-the-wall humor.
The show also manages to have a lot of heart. Take for instance, Mumen Rider: a man on a bicycle with no special powers who nonetheless puts his life in danger to help people whenever he can. There are a ton of great little character moments that hint at a greater emotional and dramatic depth waiting to come to the surface.
As to be expected from Madhouse, the series is downright gorgeous. In fact, it’s some of the best art I’ve ever seen in anime. The background are detailed and fully realized. The animation is fluid and dynamic. The colors pop at all the right times.
The sound design is equally excellent. The voice acting (in the Japanese dub) is top notch, and the soundtrack could stand on its own as a great workout mix. OPM is one of the few anime whose opening I’m eager to watch and listen to every time.
With the popularity of One Punch Man, a second series is basically inevitable, but to avoid the anime getting ahead of the manga we might have to wait awhile. Luckily, two OVA episodes have already been release and five more are on the way.
One Punch Man is available for streaming on Hulu and Daisuki.
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