When I was a kid I always imagine that I am a hero that punch villains so hard they will concede defeat then everyone celebrates, and happy ever after, right? But as life goes on (I am old ;^;) it's the reality that hits you hard that you realize it's not really possible for that and that's where this anime comes in!
(Damn, that intro sucks, I know....)
One Punch Man, the anime that will show us what it really looks like to be the strongest. This is about Saitama, a bald guy wearing a yellow suit, red boots and gloves, and a white cape, who at first looks like a normal guy but is invincible due to his immeasurable strength and he can defeat enemies with only one punch hence the title.
(This may contain spoilers and if you don't want that, you can stop here)
Let's get straight to the point here, what's great about One Punch Man is that the protagonist destroys every shounen trope in anime, examples are tragic backstory, power of friendship etc. It gives us a breath of fresh air and yes, Saitama doesn't have those, but maybe a little zero to hero but more on that later.
Saitama is kind of a zero to hero anime protagonist because 3 years ago before the time the series started, he was just an average, jobless guy who dreamt of defeating villains with one punch, and without caring about the outcome he trained every single day with the routine of 100 push ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and 10km run non-stop losing his hair in the process, and that is zero to hero but man, the result is ridiculous but it may be due to Saitama's immense strength that it also left him feeling empty inside, bored, and as what he asked himself, "In exchange for power, maybe I've lost something that's essential for a human being?".
The fights in this anime are amazing, thanks also to the animation studio who made it possible, and while it is very entertaining to see Saitama one punch enemies out of existence, I can also say that the fights of the other characters like Genos his self-proclaimed disciple, the heroes of the Hero Association, and Speed o' Sound Sonic are entertaining as well since it does tell us that there is something more ongoing in the story rather than focus only on Saitama all the time, because if Saitama is the only one, he can't really carry the story all on his own (just my opinion) since he is already the pinnacle of strength in the series and, well, he can defeat enemies with one punch and it's over.
But what stands out the most is the fight between Saitama and Boros, since he is the first enemy Saitama encountered who isn't obliterated by his signature One punch. I really like the design of Boros because he is very intimidating, has all those armor to conceal his true power giving you the final boss feel. The visuals are appealing, the soundtrack, background music during the fight really fits, and we also got to see Saitama use his very first serious attack during his final clash with Boros.
But it's not just a boss battle, it also tells us what Saitama is very consistent at when he is in a fight:
- He doesn't care about your backstory. (Don't stop when you're tired. Stop when you're done. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))
- He holds back all the time.
- He wants his enemies to fight with their full power right from the start.
Overall, I will repeat this, One Punch Man is a breath of fresh air in the shounen genre, if you want an anime that has a protagonist who is not the cliché type, has animation that is top notch, and an opening song that is such a banger that it can only be the one and only for this anime, then I highly recommend watching this now!
If you got to this point, I really appreciate you taking the time to read this, if you have any suggestions, or opinion, please do leave a comment, I am looking forward to it! _