One-Punch Man
Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 9:43 pm
Every now and again, Adult Swim pulls out some Japanimation that doesn't suck. Astoundingly, there's another. The series revolves around a normal office dude named Saito who lives in a world where real superheroes and monsters exist. I should mention the heroes run the spectrum from "guy who can ride his bicycle really well" to "telekinetic tween demi-god" and everywhere in between.
Anyhoo, Saito decides he doesn't like his job one day and quits right as a humanoid crab-lobster goes on the rampage in his neighbourhood. In what's the first of many over-the-top deaths, he grabs him by the eye stalk and rips out his insides through his head. Things flash forward to three years later when his new superhero career begins, he having somehow trained himself so that his body is indestructible, he's impervious to harm, he can fly at super speed, and his physical strength has increased to the point where he can fell any opponent with a single punch. You'd think this might make for a fairly boring show, much in the same way being immortal ruins your RPG. Hell, no. Some genius decided not to play anything straight. The closest I can compare it to in terms of tone and atmosphere would be the Venture Brothers.
Example: last ep, a godzilla broke out of a mountain. Telekinetic tween demi-god chick shows up. As godzilla's going through the standard boilerplate anime intro, her phone rings. "I WILL DESTROY YOU AND YOUR WORLD ... What the hell is that? Is that your phone? Are you even listening to me anymore? Why would you bring your phone to this?"
"I'm on the phone, shut up."
"Not unless you have a giant meteor."
"Fine." [summons a giant meteor from fucking outer space and incinerates the godzilla]
The heroes have an official organization with mindless bureaucracy and a seemingly endless roster of the most hilariously retarded members and themes possible. Most of them are stuck-up douchebags who've seemingly grown tired with the saving the world gig. The majority of the fun in the first season is watching the dry, Rainman-like one-liners Saito uses to unintentionally piss them off. The rest comes from the absurd cast:
Watchdog Man: a hero never seen outside his dog costume
Flashy Flash: hero who carries a sword called "instakill"
Pig Man: fat hero who constantly eats
Superalloy Blackluster: stereotypical '70s blaxploitation hero
... and others. First season's 12 eps. Not bad. More than a few laughs.
Anyhoo, Saito decides he doesn't like his job one day and quits right as a humanoid crab-lobster goes on the rampage in his neighbourhood. In what's the first of many over-the-top deaths, he grabs him by the eye stalk and rips out his insides through his head. Things flash forward to three years later when his new superhero career begins, he having somehow trained himself so that his body is indestructible, he's impervious to harm, he can fly at super speed, and his physical strength has increased to the point where he can fell any opponent with a single punch. You'd think this might make for a fairly boring show, much in the same way being immortal ruins your RPG. Hell, no. Some genius decided not to play anything straight. The closest I can compare it to in terms of tone and atmosphere would be the Venture Brothers.
Example: last ep, a godzilla broke out of a mountain. Telekinetic tween demi-god chick shows up. As godzilla's going through the standard boilerplate anime intro, her phone rings. "I WILL DESTROY YOU AND YOUR WORLD ... What the hell is that? Is that your phone? Are you even listening to me anymore? Why would you bring your phone to this?"
"I'm on the phone, shut up."
"Not unless you have a giant meteor."
"Fine." [summons a giant meteor from fucking outer space and incinerates the godzilla]
The heroes have an official organization with mindless bureaucracy and a seemingly endless roster of the most hilariously retarded members and themes possible. Most of them are stuck-up douchebags who've seemingly grown tired with the saving the world gig. The majority of the fun in the first season is watching the dry, Rainman-like one-liners Saito uses to unintentionally piss them off. The rest comes from the absurd cast:
Watchdog Man: a hero never seen outside his dog costume
Flashy Flash: hero who carries a sword called "instakill"
Pig Man: fat hero who constantly eats
Superalloy Blackluster: stereotypical '70s blaxploitation hero
... and others. First season's 12 eps. Not bad. More than a few laughs.
