One punch man season 1

One Punch Man…One Great Anime

An anime can make the mistake of making its titular character so strong that he/she never stands opposed to anyone. This is dangerous ground to tread on because once someone becomes so unbelievably strong then the adversity they once dealt with gets left by the wayside and there is seemingly no challenge that the hero can handle. This can become disingenuous to viewers and cause them to become bored with the show. We have to face it that we as a society love to see drama. That is why reality shows like The Bachelor are so important to so many people and the very happiness and outcome of their whole week is predicated upon watching their favorite reality programs each week. Try taking that away from them and see how fast your arm gets bitten off. An anime that leads its viewers to watch a character that is too strong and faces no opposition takes all the drama out of the show and many will become disinterested. That is the sole purpose for why it took me so long to watch One Punch Man. The title of the show says it all. It’s a show about how one man, Saitama, can literally defeat all of his enemies in one punch.

One punch man gif

How is it possible to have a show, which has released twelve episodes up to this point, be successful and loved by its desired audience if they simply allow for this to happen and make their character so strong? I wasn’t a believer, but at the insistence of my brother I finally succumbed and allowed for myself to watch the pilot episode. I was blown away. The fabric of my body became persuaded by my inner emotions that were brought to life and manifested themselves on the surface in a way that was uncontrollable. I stood in awe at the depth and intensity of the fight scenes. They were drawn so flawlessly and so artistically that I found myself entangled in every single motion. The characters that were introduced, especially Saitama, were epic and well depicted and that is what ultimately made the show work for me. Sure it looked great, but hey so did Transformers 4 and we all know how they turned out. This show seemed to have substance to it.

How It All Began

The story began with Saitama having a tragic day that turned into a destined one in which he decided that he was going to be a hero. We don’t see the full transition from when he starts out as a normal human to becoming this mighty hero, but it is not needed. There is plenty there to satisfy. I binge watched the show and in two days I saw how every episode seemed to improve upon the one that came before it. More characters were introduced and they were just as fun to watch as was Saitama. The show basically centers on a fictitious Earth where there are five main cities and they are constantly under attack by monsters and evil and conspiring men. There is a hero organization that is formed to train and recruit heroes to save the people of the cities. Each hero is ranked and we watch as Saitama slowly makes his way up the ranks, even though it is obvious to anyone watching the show that there is no hero that can touch him.

Each episode you will find yourself wondering how strong Saitama really is. You will marvel at the feats that he is able to do and you will not be bored at all by it. It is an enthralling show and its humor is another fine-tuned chord that the creators of the show have strung just right to make it that much more enjoyable. I laughed a lot while watching the show and maybe more so than any other anime that I have previously watched. With the twelve episodes of season 1 ended, I find myself in grand anticipation for season 2 to make its debut. I am not sure what are all the platforms that you can view the show on, but I do know that Hulu has it. It has not been dubbed and is in the original Japanese with subtitles, which I prefer to watch.

Must-Watch for Anime Fans

Those that are familiar with the show Dragonball Z might find that the show loses much of its originality and grace when its characters get too strong. It’s just not the same as it was when the characters were not strong enough to blow up entire planets. I don’t know if One Punch Man will eventually fall under the same category. Heck it has only aired twelve episodes, but I know for one thing is that I highly recommend it to anyone that is interested in anime. You will not be disappointed.

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