One Punch-Man
Synopsis
After rigorously training for three years, the ordinary Saitama has gained immense strength which allows him to take out anyone and anything with just one punch. He decides to put his new skill to good use by becoming a hero. However, he quickly becomes bored with easily defeating monsters, and wants someone to give him a challenge to bring back the spark of being a hero.
Upon bearing witness to Saitama’s amazing power, Genos, a cyborg, is determined to become Saitama’s apprentice. During this time, Saitama realizes he is neither getting the recognition that he deserves nor known by the people due to him not being a part of the Hero Association. Wanting to boost his reputation, Saitama decides to have Genos register with him, in exchange for taking him in as a pupil. Together, the two begin working their way up toward becoming true heroes, hoping to find strong enemies and earn respect in the process.
Background
One Punch-Man is the manga remake of the original web comic by ONE. In 2014, the series was nominated for the 7th annual Manga Taishou Award and was ranked 7th place.
The manga is published in English by VIZ Media under the Shonen Jump imprint; digitally since February 18, 2014, and physically since September 1, 2015. The English version was nominated for the 2015 Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia. It is also published in Polish by J.P. Fantastica since December 5, 2015, in Spanish by Ivrea España since December 31, 2015, in Portuguese (Brazil) by Panini Comics since March 19, 2016, and has been published in Italian by Panini Comics under the Planet Manga imprint since April 7, 2016.
Reviews
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Onepunchman, the story of the great hero Saitama, an unemployed guy who found his career in being a superhero, after training for three years he achieved great power, sadly for him, he manages to destroy any enemy in just one punch, rending him bored and empty.
Story: Simple and direct action manga, overpowered Hero fights enemies, but he’s attitude while doing it compliments so much the comedy.
Art: Murata Yusuke, amazing artist who worked in a lot of big names before, he’s clear trace makes every page enjoyable, great detail in the images and clarity for understanding what exactly is happening in each page.
Characters: Saitama, main character and protagonist of the story,not finding thrill in battles anymore has left him bored and simple, he lacks any reaction to any enemy/monster/destroyer of worlds, with a smile and a positive attitude he looks for a goal. Genos, sidekick, serious cyborg who thinks he found a teacher in Saitama now follows in the hope of becoming as powerful as him, the characters balance each other quite well (This’s been written around chapter 18 surely others will appear later)
Enjoyment: Personally, I have had a great time reading this manga, I look up for each new character and I’m sure a lot of people do too. It’s easily inexplicable how the story feels fresh again when the characters feel almost too powerfull (Think how goku would be if he had the level at the end of DB-GT during DB)
Overall :I will recommend this to any fan of superheroes, comedy or action.
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Fantastic piece of work made by two incredible people.
Story (9) – OPM breaks the typical hero manga pattern even though it’s all about heroes. It isn’t just about saving the world while saving the girl and beating the poop-head that wants to kill everybody. No. It’s about how funny and exciting it could be to save the world as a hobby. Everything’s over the top and does’t shy away from anything. There’s not much plot, but definitely has the potential to develop one. Overall, it’s the type of story that’s just honestly entertaining and keeps you at the edge of your seat. Excellent.
Art (10) – Murata Yusuke-san was the whole reason I got into the manga. He’s a phenomenal artist in every way – color, lines, details, variety, technique, story-telling… I could keep listing them for days if I have to. His character designs are on a whole nother level; each and every character has a look that’s great on their own right. Murata also has a way of making big things even bigger, and epic things seem god-like – perfect for something like OPM.
Character (8) – Saitama is not your typical hero. He’s unmotivated and extremely strong from the start. He’s not extremely righteous but he’s admirable enough that’s he’s hero-worthy. You can look up to him, make fun of him, and identify with him at the same time even though he’s an odd character on so many levels. On the other hand, the other characters seem to fit with your typical hero-story themes: the valiant, the wicked, the haughty, the modest…etc. Seeing their interplay with Saitama is a great sight. Overall, though not very complex, the characters are undeniably interesting.
One-Punch Man is definitely something to watch out for in the future. Even though it’s only been out for a couple of years, it’s already such a powerhouse; it has great potential so I’m expecting a lot. A must read of shounen/action/hero-manga enthusiasts.
