One Punch Man is a strange show; not quite parody, not quite a regular comedy, definitely not straight shonen. And as usually happens in those cases, I’ll be forming thoughts on this one in the writing, because organization is for chumps.
In that light, let’s knock out the formality early.
Weakest Episode- The Modern Ninja. I actually kinda like Speed-of-Sound Sonic, but there’s really nothing else much going on in this one. The power suit thing feels like a step down from the last couple episodes, even allowing that this is setting up for arcs that haven’t happened in the anime yet, and while Sonic is kinda fun it’s not a terribly interesting fight which is a bit of a buzzkill in a filler episode.
Rating- 8/10. It’s often uneven and there’re some quibbles to be had with stuff like the casual attitude towards collateral damage, but it’s absolutely worth recommending and watching.
Let’s get started then.
Best Episode- Unyielding Justice. The show’s thesis statement is absolutely in this episode. I’m just not entirely sure how to take it.
The speech from Mumen Rider would be amazingly sincere and heartfelt in a serious super hero show, so in this show which is about 30% parody? Spending the entire episode to this point playing it so straight and topping it off with this makes it stand out all the more. Even when you know it’s going to be followed seconds later by a crushing curbstomp.
Except that’s then immediately followed by Saitama saving him and congratulating him on a job well done. And when some asshole in the crowd (seriously, what the fuck is wrong with those fans! Er that guy! YOU WERE IN THE BUILDING AND SAW HIM TEAR A HOLE IN THE DISASTER SHELTER AND MELT A FUCKING CYBORG DOWN TO HIS FUCKING HEAD IT WAS CLEARLY FUCKING REAL) tries to disparage the other heroes and ends up getting the whole crowd behind him because of Saitama’s bad reputation, he instead leans into that reputation to deflect credit back onto them.
At one level this is another layer added to Saitama. Sure, it’d be nice to be appreciated and rewarded for his hero work, but really… he’ll deal. It’s fine. He gets funded by the Hero Association now, so all the material concerns are put to rest and he can just keep on keeping on, so does it really matter that much if he gets the respect other heroes do? Nah, more important to do the job and keep people safe.
Honestly I have to think, between this attitude, how he came by his powers, and the baldness that Saitama is meant to be a Zen figure in the most literal sense, a teacher by example for the ways of the Buddha. Unfortunately I don’t know my Buddhism nearly well enough to really follow that train of thought to its logical conclusion, but it just makes too much sense.
It’s important to remember though that Saitama doesn’t really change much from the start of the show, at least not in this season. Sure, he gets fired up once in a while, his circumstances change, but he’s more or less the same guy. We just get to learn more about him as we see him in those new circumstances. So how it affects him isn’t really as important as how he tries to influence others, since they’re the ones that react to the fact of his existence.
And really that’s the best way I can approach it from the other side. The world doesn’t know how to react to Saitama. Being part satire while also being a shonen, the universe is fundamentally cynical. The effective heroes are assholes and the heroic ones are ineffectual. Swathes of cities are so regularly attacked by monsters people just gave up living there. And of course, like our world, society is petty and cruel- a world where evil tends to triumph, and is getting more powerful all the time.
And then here comes Saitama. Sure, comedy might demand he sometimes take out buildings, but funny how few casualties there are when the giant naked Attack on Titan reference falls on a city eh? The king of the sea is beyond human science, he could easily conquer the surface world… except the heroes buy enough time for Saitama to show up and do his thing. A wild DBZ knockoff appeared! Saitama used “Actually Trying”. It’s super-effective!
Saitama existing means a world where Good will always triumph over Evil.
And the world can’t process that. How can that exist? There must be a trick. It’s a scam. He’s a nobody leeching off the real heroes who had to die trying or saved everyone for their own ends. Any possible explanation except that he’s the real deal and if they follow his example, the world will be a better place.
… dammit, I just got to the same conclusion again. Zen, man. Zen.
Closing ramble… I made a point of name-checking a few shows, and honestly I’m pretty sure everything in this show is a direct shoutout if you’re more knowledgeable about shonen than I. Those were just the ones I knew without looking. That said once we get to the end of the season with the S-Rank Heroes the whole thing feels more American comics than shonen. Very Justice League and all. The short episode and a half arcs are pretty fun and help draw more attention to the overall flow of the tone and narrative.
I kinda ignored Saitama’s ennui, but despite being where they pull the whole tag line (“Can a hero be too strong?”) initially, it feels incidental at this point. It could eventually turn into something that challenges Saitama’s understanding of himself and corrupts things, but in Season 1… yeah, it’s window dressing. Worth noting for the future, but right now not really relevant.
There’s not officially a season 2 at time of writing (although it’s coming). I eagerly anticipate it.
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