One-Punch Man

[LumRanmaYasha]

Lo' and behold, friends. I have returned from my nearly one-month long posting hiatus where I was writing-a-still-uncompleted-list-to-be-my-1000th-post, to promote something VASTLY more worthy. For indeed, this is an ongoing manga that everyone should, NO, must experience! It succeeds where, sadly, many contemporary manga are flailing - BEING ENTERTAINING, and, uh, having simple but satisfying stories and characters.

What is One-Punch Man, you may ask? Is it about a guy who just throws one punch? Yes. It IS about a guy who just throws one punch. A super hero who just throws one punch, to be exact. That's all he does in a fight. Just. Throws. One. Punch.  And this is what happens...




Meet Saitama, the One-Punch Man. Once a normal salary man, he decided to become a superhero one day after saving a big-chinned boy from an angry crab/man with drawn-on nipples. He endured three years of an absolutely inhuman training regimen, consisting of a daily workout of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 10km running, and NO AIR CONDITIONING IN THE SUMMER. As a result of that training, the unthinkable happened. He became bald! Oh, and he also became so over-powered that now he can defeat any and all opponents that come his way with a single punch. No biggie.

But CX! How can a manga where the main character beats all his opponents in one punch be a sustainable and interesting series? Well, for one thing it is primarily a comedy-oriented manga, so the results of Saitama's fights are supposed to be humorous. But, the series is kept entertaining for multiple reasons.

Saitama, first off, is an incredibly likable and chill dude, and really is just a funny character who can range from relatable irritated to bombastically over-the-top. We learn more about Saitama as the series goes on, and see that he's not a hero for purely selfless reasons, but also for more selfish ones as well, and that helps characterize him as a well-rounded character who still does what he does for the right reasons more often then not, and no matter the situation keeps himself confident and nonchalant. The other characters in this series, while not quite as well-defined, are all either hilarious or interesting. Indeed, there really isn't an unlikeable recurring character at this point in the story, though given that there are only 4 major ones at this point (Saitama, Genos, Speed of Sound Sonic, and Silver Fang), that isn't too surprising.

The story of One-Punch Man is increasingly ridiculous and over-the-top, but in a good way. It's sort of like the japanese Axe Cop, except a little more...grounded and linear? Each arc so far builds upon the last and moves an ongoing story forward. Where it's heading I'm not sure and I can't say I care. I'm in it for the ride and, brother, am I enjoying it.

But, if there is one thing I can say about the merits of this manga, one thing that I think is incontestably true, it's that it boasts some of the greatest fight and action scenes to ever grace ANY manga. Seriously, they are jaw-droppingly well-done. I have once heard them described as so good they good pass for animation storyboards. Y'know what? Just see for yourself...







....And yes, these .gifs are made from actual pages from the manga, put together in sequence. And they're so beautifully rendered, so well-drawn and timed, that they can pass as keys for an animated series already. I was floored when I first came across these. Speechless. Even now I look at these awe-struck. These are better action scenes than most anime, much less manga, have ever put out. I can't even think of an ongoing action manga series out right now with action scenes on this well-done. In fact, I can't think of any comic or manga I've read before that can boast stuff on this caliber. Hell, it's not even that. I can't think of that many series that put such EFFORT into making their fight and action scenes sine like One-Punch Man consistently does. Even the ones not in this sequential style are bursting with energy and movement, and they are always clean, readable, and fast-moving. Seriously, this stuff just astonishes me. I mean, Eyeshield 21 also had great art, but damn. Yusuke Murata is truly the greatest artist working in the manga industry. At the very least, he 's the one who's putting the most effort into making quality work, and I really really hope to see another series as awesome as OPM from him at some point.

I have to mention though, that the OPM I'm raving about is Yusuke Murata's redraw of the series, not ONE's original. It's the same story, but ONE is not a great artist himself, so his work is really unprofessional, even for webcomics. However, ONE's sense of humor is part of what made OPM a viral hit and encouraged the re-drawn version in the first place. One-Punch Man takes a jokey concept about a over-powered superhero and turns it into a actually somewhat inspiring story of self-discovery. It's simultaneously a satire on superheroes in the same way The Venture Bros. and Axe Cop are but also a throw-back to old-school 80's shonen action manga like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Fist of the North Star. ONE's sense of humor is actually very Toriyama-esque in his tone and how he mocks convention, tropes, and expectation. ONE and Yusuke Murata's One-Punch Man, then, is a mix of great humor, parody, art that tells a simple story but does it so well that it provides for a highly satisfying, and rewarding reading experience.

Both versions of this manga are still coming out irregularly. In fact, the redraw is on it's 42nd chapter right now, while ONE's original is on it's 97th (or something). The series is even legally available to read in the U.S. through Shonen Jump Alpha! (even though it's a seinin series!) I only just got into this series recently, but like many a great series, I was hooked immediately. I think it might be one of my all time favorites, at least in the top 20. I guess this is like the manga equivalent of Space Dandy; some will love and appreciate it for what it hearkens back to and what it does new, others will be more indifferent. But, personally, if you need a good ongoing manga to keep up with, looking for something fresh, or just plain want to check out a really fun series with some of the best artwork and action scenes manga has ever been graced with, then by all means I strongly encourage you to check this series out. And hopefully, One-Punch Man will not disappoint. 

And I eagerly await the day this series becomes an anime. MAKE IT HAPPEN JAPAN.

[VLordGTZ]

One-Punch Man is getting an anime!!! 

[LumRanmaYasha]

The new greatest anime of all time, confirmed. 

This should be fucking AMAZING. There is no excuse for it not to be. It's freakin' One-Punch Man.

[gunswordfist]

I'm certainly interesting. This should look great fully animated.

[Daxdiv]

DUUUUUUUUUUUDE! That is just awesome. I can't wait to see this stuff animated.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The anime is slated to come out this fall.

[gunswordfist]

Sweet. I hope it goes to CR.

[LumRanmaYasha]

The anime is being produced by Madhouse.

So yeah, no need to worry about the animation quality.

[gunswordfist]

It's like you're talking directly to me.

[gunswordfist]

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=IiumzFockS8

[LumRanmaYasha]

Going to have to wait for a proper release of the trailer instead of a cam rip to properly judge it, but right now I'd say the production values look pretty good and Saitama's voice fits. Still, it's not enough to really get a feel of how well the action will carry across from the manga.

[gunswordfist]

Damn, I didn't think it would be that hard to see anything. I should have watched the trailer first and warned you. lol

[LumRanmaYasha]

The first promo for the anime has been officially uploaded.

Still can't get a grasp on how strong the animation quality will be from the bits shown here. I think I'll need to see how they animate Saitama punch something or something along those lines before I can make a call on it. I do hope the music choice for this PV isn't indicative of what the OST will be primarily comprised of, though.

[gunswordfist]

I could hear Saitama's voice much clearer that time. Fitting, based on what I know about the character. The art direction/character design looks decent but yeah, I'm going to have to see more animation to judge it.

[Spark Of Spirit]

I saw Hunter X Hunter in there!

But yeah, I'm game for this.