Manga Review – One Punch Man
I will start by admitting that I began reading One Punch Man with a preconceived bias against both the character and the series, because not only did the main character remind me of a grown up version of Caillou (the creepy, bratty, monster of a child from PBS), but I feared the story would lack a true action element if the main character was undefeatable. However, I am pleased to say that One’s manga was shockingly good, and I can understand why people consider it a clear winner.
Having read all three first volumes, I will say to any naysayers, don’t give up after (or halfway through) Volume one. Volume one of the manga starts off slowly with a limited storyline and no discernible plot. In fact it’s all mindless violence and the story is choppy full of a whiny main character (adult Caillou). The artwork was great from the start, but a manga doesn’t get almost eight million hits and become a New York Times Bestseller on illustrations alone, so I gave it some time and just as I was about to give up again the manga got awesome. It was as though a switched was flipped: a real plot appeared, there was dialogue, and a serious amount of character development and thus Vol.1 ended on a high note. Thankfully, volumes two and three did not begin slowly, but continued almost seamlessly from volume one introducing new characters and story arcs with an ease that was all but missing from the first half of volume one.
This manga has two main characters and a whole slew of supporting characters and villains, and some who exist solely to move the plot along. The main characters are Saitama a.k.a. One Punch Man and his friend/disciple Genos, a pretty boy, blond cyborg who in my opinion is the most interesting character in the manga thus far. Now Saitama became a hero for fun because he was bored and his current goal is to find an opponent who can provide a real challenge to his skills.
The artwork in One Punch Man is top notch from the first panel. Yusuke Murata’s skills bring Saitama, Genos and the rest of the crew to life. His attention to detail is flawless and he alternates between soft curves and sharp edges that work in tandem to create one of the better illustrated mangas around. The artist’s style doesn’t change much throughout the series so you won’t find any chibi styled drawings here as One’s storyline doesn’t lend itself cuteness, though Murata does use more curved artwork in humourous or lighter moments.
