One Last Chance: One Punch Man (Re-Review)

Hello, hello, ladies and gentlemen!  July is here and so is Sunday, and that means it’s time for some more stuff from yours truly.  While many of you would expect to see a fresh new review at the start of the month, I decided to look back on one show that I think needs another chance at reviewing.  Then again, if you remember two weeks ago, I pretty much talked about this post.  And if you haven’t read the title already, I’ll be looking at the one hit wonder itself.  So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s re-review on One Punch Man!

My last review left One Punch Man at only three episodes. Needless to say, that’s pretty insufficient.  So picking up where I left off, both Saitama, the man who can defeat bad guys and giant monsters with one punch, and his cyborg disciple Genos decide to join the famed Hero Association.  Genos is placed as an S level hero while Saitama is left at the bottom with a C level ranking.  Even so, Saitama quickly moves up to become a B level hero by season one’s end.  But it becomes pretty clear that Saitama is not popular amongst average citizens as well as other heroes; many believe that he is a fake.  Still, in his own way, Saitama is still able to get everyone through some of the most dangerous and deadly of situations with just one punch. 

One Punch Man was first ranked with my old rating system with a 3.5 out of five stars.  By my new rating standard, this would be about a seven out of ten.  However, having gone through all of season one, my new rating for this action-packed, super hero thrill ride is a perfect eight out of ten.  I have to say the story was beyond what I had expected.  Given the show is a deconstruction of the shonen genre and, in my opinion, the super hero genre, the story takes apart the key elements of each one and questions them.  The biggest of these elements is that the protagonist who has all this power is immediately respected for his abilities.  The typical shonen anime doesn’t even bother to question someone with enormous power at all; they simply respect that person.  Obviously, Saitama has to earn a little respect from everyone.  But it might take season two to make that happen.

As far as downsides go, there was nothing that really jumped out.  Granted, at an eight out of ten rating, it’s not perfect.  There certainly is a lot of angst with watching Saitama getting constantly dissed by the public and looked down on by other heroes.  But in some respects, that’s what makes it a good story.  Plus, there could’ve been less comedic elements to the series, especially with the last few episodes given the seriousness of the story arch at that point.  Still, for what it’s worth, this is the one super hero anime you’d be foolish enough not to see all the way through… and judge it with only watching three episodes (sorry)!

So to be straightforward here, this was worth going back and watching all the way through.  So much so I’m hunting for a copy of the DVD and am looking forward to the release of season 2!  Speaking of which, the entire first season is available wherever anime is sold.  You can also watch it online on Viz Media’s website (Viz Media owns the rights to the anime and the I believe the manga).  And so, that ends this week’s long overdue review.  While I haven’t said it in a while, leave requests in the comments below.  Until next time, stay tuned!  And of course, have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

-Hanime on Anime