One-Punch Man Volume 1 Manga Review
“One-Punch Man” is a fun manga series.
Hero stories are a dime a dozen these days, but writer/artist Yusuke Murata brings something new to the table with the much buzzed about “One-Punch Man.”
In the first volume of the ongoing manga series (which actually started out as a web comic), readers are introduced to the bald hero Saitama. He protects Earth, vanquishes super humans, monsters, and demons with a single punch, and strives to be a hero “for fun.” Despite his great strength and success at defeating his foes, however, Saitama isn’t exactly satisfied by being a hero. He finds the gig to be a bit empty and not very challenging. In other words, he’s not your typical hero.
Throughout volume 1, we see Saitama facing off against villains such as Vaccine Man, a Mosquito controller, Maruggori (a steroid beast), Subterraneans, and monsters from the House of Evolution. The most noteworthy tales, however, involve a flashback to a mopey Saitama saving a kid from Crablante and a cyborg (Genos) who fights for justice and desires to be Saitama’s sidekick.
The manga concludes with a bonus chapter titled “200 Yen” which involves a weak Saitama at age 12 in Junior high school, bullies, and a Piggy Bank monster.
“One-Punch Man” may be a bit one note and short on action (given his one punch powers), but the series delivers tons of lighthearted fun from page one. It’s refreshing to see a different sort of lead hero who is rather unfulfilled by his job despite the fact that he is so good at it. Equally appealing here is the character of Genos who will undoubtedly play more of a role in subsequent volumes. There’s certainly a lot of potential to be had here from both Saitama’s character and his dynamic with Genos (and perhaps more characters down the line?).
I couldn’t end this review without talking about Yusuke Murata’s exquisite art. From the detailed cityscapes to the creative monster designs, Murata creates a unique world in which these characters inhabit.
Overall Thoughts: Believe the hype.
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