TV Review: One-Punch Man

Hello Enthusiasts,

Today I will be reviewing the anime One-Punch Man, which hit Netflix pretty recently. Now I never got huge into anime outside of some of the more popular shows from my childhood (Pokemon, Dragon Ball Z, Yu-gi-oh, etc), so this was really my first non-dubbed anime. I mention this because, if any of you are big into anime, I may seem somewhat naive on the topic and may mention things that are pretty regular across the genre, so please bear with me on that. As always, you may find some Mild Spoilers Below. 

The story follows Saitama, a regular guy who is a hero for fun. He also happens to have enormous power, with lightning fast reflexes, incredible durability, and the strength to obliterate anything with a single punch. This came from three years of an exercise routine that included "100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, and a 10k run, EVERY. SINGLE. DAY!". Because of his incredible power, he gets an unwanted cyborg student, Genos, who worships Saitama's power and wants to learn how can improve his own, already impressive power.  He lives in a world that frequently sees destruction from monsters and disasters, and therefore has an official Hero Association that allows folks to sign up, take some tests, and possibly become a hero that gets paid with the donations of the people. Saitama works with these other heroes (though he really doesn't need to) to stop threats to the world, such as giant monsters from the sea. All the while, Saitama is really just looking for a foe that he can't kill with just one punch. I would love to go into more detail, but despite my spoiler warning, I really don't want to give the whole thing away. 

There are a whole lot of positives to this show for me. Most of the fights and action scenes are pretty grand, and you would think that would be difficult with a hero that can win with a single punch. The show does well of showing other heroes fight as well, showing their struggles with these monsters before Saitama comes onto the scene. The effects of his punches are also some of the best parts of the show, with ridiculous destruction and consequences from each hit. I particularly liked the visual from his final big fight in the series, which shows the clouds on each separating in a cone shape from his last blow. On top of the over-the-top action, the series is also pretty funny. Saitama is usually drawn with a pretty blank expression on his face, and his priorities can sometimes seem completely out of order to the others. He tends to think more about saving money and covering bills than he does of the monsters that he is fighting. However, even with all of this humor, there is a depression to Saitama, as he cannot find a challenge in life for his strength and power, being disappointed with each monster. Saitama is certainly not egotistical though, despite the power he holds. He is generally pretty humble, and at one point allows the public to believe that he is a fraud rather than allow them to think that all of the other heroes in the Hero Association are useless. Things like this in the show demonstrate that, while it does have fun with itself, it can be deeper than expected.

My only problem with this anime overall is the unexplained subplot going on in the Hero Association. It seems that many of the administration part of the Association have some big plans for our heroes, but they never really go into detail about what they’re interested in about them. It also doesn’t feel like it goes anywhere, even in the last episode, instead leaving an open end for the next season. While I can appreciate having a subplot like that arcing across more than one season, I think they could have shown me a bit more to keep me interested. Outside of the strange shadow people of the Hero Association though, I really don’t have any complaints for this series so far.

So yeah, this was a great season of a really fun anime, I can see how it built up the following that it has. While it does have that subplot that doesn’t feel complete, I feel like this show is still fantastic overall and is definitely worth a watch. If you have some time on your hands and you aren’t sure what you should be watching next on Netflix, This show gets a strong recommendation from me.

I give the first (and currently only) season of One-Punch Man a 9 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Bored Enthusiast 

Comic Book Review: Batman - Knightfall

Hello Enthusiasts,

There are some comic book story lines and moments that stand out in comic book history above the rest. The death of Superman, the death of Gwen Stacy, the death of Barry Allen, the birth of Venom (at least it wasn't another death), as well as some other stories or panels I'm sure you can think of. Today I will be reviewing a classic piece of DC history, Batman: Knightfall. As always, there are going to be some Spoilers Below for those who aren't aware of what happens in this story. 

So the story begins not with Batman, but with the pregnant mother of one of his most dangerous foes, Bane. She dies when Bane is young, and Bane is sentenced to serve the sentence that his father would have had to have served if he had lived. Bane serves this sentence in one of the worst prisons on Earth, . It's because of this upbringing, along with some amazing determination, that he became not only a physical powerhouse, but also an incredibly intelligent and tactical thinker. During his upbringing he learned of a city called Gotham, which held anything a man could want, and is ruled by an entity known as the Batman. Bane decides that his ultimate goal is not only to kill Batman, but to break him on every level. He escapes prison with the help of a super-drug called Venom and makes his way to Gotham City. Bane proceeds to release every super-criminal from Arkham Asylum, which works to wear down a Batman that is already suffering from some heath issues (an illness that normally wouldn't be too bad, similar to the flu). As Batman is fighting these villains, Bane figures out his identity as Bruce Wayne. After Batman spends far too much effort over the course of several weeks Bane travels to Wayne Manor and fights Batman. Batman doesn't do too well in the fight, which ends with Bane breaking Batman's spine.

Batman survives the encounter, but is out of commission for the rest of the comic. He has Azrael take over the mantle of Batman, with Robin (Tim Drake) to guide him. Azrael doesn't follow Batman's code to a T, coming very close to killing several thugs. He then goes against Batman's wishes in taking on Bane (with the assistance of an armored version of the Bat-suit), and manages to beat Bane head-on. All doesn't end well here, as Azrael is now out taking the law into his own hands in a way that Batman never would, with a powerful set of armor to assist him.

So, as you can probably tell from my very long synopsis of the comic, it was a very enjoyable one. It is very engaging and incredibly memorable, I didn't list half of the details from this volume either (it is quite a long one), so you do not have the whole story here. The art is some of the best that Batman has seen in my opinion, and the whole thing was wildly intense. Batman's determination to save Gotham from all of the former Arkham inmates leaps off the page at you, and you feel his struggle throughout the story. It's hard o pull the positives out of this story since there is so much to compliment on, it is a really must-read for any fan of Batman or comic books. The only downside for me is that I'll need to buy the volumes that follow this one to get the full story of Batman's recovery and his fight against the Azrael impostor.

So yeah, this is definitely a comic to pick up. If you haven't read it yet, get out there and read it. Even if you know what happens like I did, it is still incredibly engaging and entertaining. You won't regret picking this volume up, as it is now one of my favorites in my collection.

I give Batman: Knightfall a 10 out of 10.

Sincerely,

The Board Enthusiast