Name: ワンパンマン 1
Rating: 4.326086956521739 (115 reviews)
ISBN: 9784088707013

村田雄介

The hero 'Saitama' is strong enough to knock down any brutal monsters with only one punch. The legend of the hero begins!

ワンパンマン 1

Gavin

Note that you will only be recognised as a super hero if you are registered in the National Super Hero Registry. If you are not registered, you will always be seen as a delusional weirdo and looked down upon, regardless of how many times you save the world.


What's the name of the thing where you don't like a genre, but you do like deconstructions of it? I have it with horror (Cabin in the Woods and Tucker and Dale vs Evil!) and now, to my surprise, with shonen anime (Evangelion, Mob Psycho and this). Despite appearances OPM is a serious comment on credentialism, mob psychology, existentialism. The heroes and monsters are all ranked, but the ranking has little relation to their power. The unboundedly powerful protagonist is quite depressed because nothing in life is a challenge to him any more, no foe ever lasts.

(Disappointed by the second series of the TV show, so turned to this.)

The art is surprisingly bad (though the creator improved massively over a couple of years). Unlike most manga it looks like what it is: a five day rush job. The show plays with this by using art crudeness to represent Saitama's emotional state: when he's actually focussing he's drawn in great detail. The other 99% percent of the time he's round-faced, blank, and unshaded to represent how little effort he is giving whatever perilous situation the world is in.

Still, hilarious.

Life gets pretty boring when you can beat the snot out of any villain with just one punch. Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on! Despite his best efforts, Garo is no match for the overwhelming skill of Bang and his brother. In fact, the hero hunter is near death when the Monster Association attempts to steal him away, unleashing Centichoro in the process. Bang and company take the threat-level Dragon monster head-on before Genos boldly enters the fray!

One-Punch Man

Carol Bailey

A manga series that packs quite the punch! Nothing about Saitama passes the eyeball test when it comes to superheroes, from his lifeless expression to his bald head to his unimpressive physique. However, this average-looking guy has a not-so-average problem—he just can’t seem to find an opponent strong enough to take on! Every time a promising villain appears, he beats the snot out of ’em with one punch! Can Saitama finally find an opponent who can go toe-to-toe with him and give his life some meaning? Or is he doomed to a life of superpowered boredom?

ワンパンマン 1

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