Monday, January 8, 2018

One Punch Man Part 2 Episodes 4-6

With the House of Evolution crushed, Saitama now has two big problems on his plate.  First, he has a new disciple in Genos…and literally nothing of value to teach him.  Second, Saitama isn’t a widely recognized hero.  At the suggestion of Genos, Saitama goes to sign up with the Hero Registry.  But it turns out there’s more to being a hero than just having the power of a God in your body.  If Saitama cant find a way to bump up his ratings, he’ll just end up more forgotten than he already is.  And when Genos is accepted into a class higher than Saitama, how will this affect the growing bond between “Master and Student”?

Terrorists threatening destruction in order to help the lower class get free food…yeah that would be boring to Saitama.  BUT Terrorist threating destruction in order to help the lower class get free food…who are also stealing Saitama’s bald headed look?  THAT is something the One Punch Man will not let stand.  It’s good to see that, contrary to any fears I had before, this show has not lost its amazing sense of humor after a brilliant opening act.  There might’ve been a pacing issue or two here and there.  Overall, if last week was about introducing us to the chill awesomeness that is Saitama, this week was about introducing us to the world he lives in.

It’s hard to tell which world takes its superherodom more seriously: One Punch Man or My Hero Academia.  Sticking with One Punch Man though, I do like the diversity of its heroes.  Many designs seem DIY mixed with a more traditional style of superhero wardrobe.  Anyone can be a hero it seems, so long as they are signed up with the Hero Registry.  This concept seems like a less brutal version of the Superhero Registration Act that was part of the Marvel Universe for a little bit.  If you aren’t signed up, you can still be a hero, you just don’t get a lot of recognition…or pay for that matter.  It’s kind of funny.  For being so detached and bored with being a hero, Saitama still wants to be known.  You’d think he would be anyway, given when he’s done and the villains he’s taken down.  By the end of this weeks set, he might wish he’d stayed off the radar but ill get to that in a bit.

While the scenes involving the higher ups at the Hero Association don’t go on for very long, they were probably my least favorite scenes so far.  Clearly theyre meant to be a parallel between the more super serious take on being a superhero as opposed to Saitama being Saitama.  Still, they didn’t seem as funny as they could be.  Now the heroes sent into battle, that was another thing, along with the villains they fought.  I got one of the best laughs of the series involving quick moving Ninja, Speed-O-Sound Sonic.  He may be bad ass with a sword but an accidental punch to the balls courtesy of Saitama was comedy gold (cudos to the technical difficulties insert card right when it happened). Golden Ball’s sling shot bullets and Spring Mustachio’s extendable also got a fun scene trying to take down Infinity Kombu, who itself was also highly entertaining.  Yet the one new character who holds the most promise didn’t do much besides float and pout.  I’m talking about Terrible Tornado, a cute ethereal powered superheroine.  A lot of characters like to boast about their powers but I wonder if she could actually be the challenge Saitama is looking for.

Speaking of the One Punch Man, Saitama’s shoulder shrugging reactions to everything around him continue to be the highlight of this show.  From just wanting to go home and not fight Speed-O-Sound Sonic, to suddenly forgetting an important food ingredient before being attacked by Infinity Kombu, we all wish we could be as chill as Saitama when it comes to this thing called life.  Not that he’s being lazy all the time.  Saitama and Genos got one awesome training match in on a scale that, I dare say, dwarfs even Dragon Ball Z.  Genos might have some sweet combat moves to him, along with some new upgrades.  But much like Carnage Kabuto in the House of Evolution, even the Cyborg had to feel a huge shred of fear when Saitama finally got serious and punched a hole through the canyon they were battling in.  It’s easy to be impressed by Saitama’s strength but im more impressed with how cool he is afterwards.  The dinner scene at the noodles shop following such a big fight was perfect: kick ass during the day, have a pot o noddles after, that is what’s best in life.  I did fear that Genos’ insertion into a high ranking hero class would dent his friendship with Saitama, and it still could given how the shady Amai Mask seems to be approaching him.  However, Genos coming to live with Saitama put those fears aside for now and I cant wait to see the comedy that comes from Master and Student living under the same roof.

Gotta say though, I love the cliffhanger ending this week.  Saitama may be good at saving the day…but the rest of the world is now gunning for him, believing he’s the ultimate threat to both humans and the monsters of City Z.  What’s more, no one knows it’s Saitama himself, they just know someone is walking around causing havoc and its enough to scare good guys and bad guys.  Could we be looking at a battle royale between Saitama and all of the Hero Registry’s best?  He may suck at written exams but we’ve seen enough of Saitama’s power to know that numbers aren’t enough to stop him.  If anything can we at least get Saitama vs. Terrible Tornado?  We’ll see what comes from this next week, see ya then.

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