From Hulu: Saitama only became a hero for fun, but after three years of “special” training, he finds that he can beat even the mightiest opponents with a single punch. Though he faces new enemies every day, it turns out being devastatingly powerful is actually kind of a bore. Can a hero be too strong?
What I liked:
- We’re given an emotionally deeper story line this time around, which is something that the first season only tapped the surface with.
- Humor is still an essential tool to the series, with some moments that I kept laughing about long after the episode was over.
- Quirky characters are a staple of this series, and this season brings us some new faces.
- Situations within the season get pretty serious, adding more weight to the overall plot.
What I didn’t like:
- Let’s address the elephant in the room: The animation studio and the creative team from the first season did not work on this second season, and it shows. Many fans immediately disregarded the serious because of this development, some even boycotting it all together. There are two ways to look at this:
- You can just forget about the quality of the animation and just enjoy the show as a next chapter, as it brings some really interesting depth into the series. OR
- You can hold it against the fun world that you’ve already become a part of. SURE, the animation in season 1 was EFFING AWESOME, especially with how it used different animation techniques to tell its story. And yeah, some of those techniques made it feel like we were watching an animated version of the original One Punch Man webcomic’s sketchy and spirited art. I get all of that. But then if I hadn’t seen it, I would’ve missed out on some damn good storytelling.
- The theme song for the second season is HORRIBLE. This is probably because the studio change OR it could be because anime traditionally changes their songs from season to season, which, by the way, I HATE SO MUCH. Why is it wrong to have one single theme song? It worked for Cowboy Bebop, Dragon Ball Z and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Things can’t leave iconic legacies if you keep switching them up.
Overall:
A well-told, “middle of the story” season. Many people won’t like it “just because”, and that’s fine. To each their own. But if you get a good story with some new characters plus some insight on older characters, then why not give it a fair shot? And yeah, hopefully season 3 can be a blend of the ambitiously animated first season and this deeper told second season.
Jose Zuazua is editor-in-chief of Quick Lunch Break Reviews. He has an associates degree in film production and has been published both online and in print for Los Angeles City College’s award-winning Collegian newspaper. He is also a news writer at DC Comics News. Jose is on Twitter and Instagram, and is also currently writing his first short novel.
Quick Lunch Break Reviews 