Synopsis
One Punch Man is a hero for fun. So when monsters come and threaten the Earth…
But there’s a problem. He’s overpowered that all it takes to defeat the enemy is one punch from him. Hence, One Punch Man.
Why is this a problem? Well, being overpowered takes away the fun in being a superhero for him. And this causes him internal turmoil. But nevertheless, he must carry on. And so we rinse-and-repeat the same pattern of a monster showing up, One Punch Man punching the monster, and the monster getting defeated.
And that, in a nutshell, was the episode.
The only deviation to that pattern was the backstory segment of how One Punch Man started as he fought a crabman, and the dream segment of fighting powerful subterranean species.
Review
You know what’s worse than having to do something you have no joy doing? Watching someone do something they have no joy doing.
Okay, fine. It might be enjoyable on a humor level, and that’s kind of the appeal One Punch Man brings. One Punch Man, the character, is essentially pulling a straight man routine amidst the absurdity of his power and of the world. And on this account, One Punch Man pulls it off decently as the absurdity levels and silliness of the show is quite clear.
The problem, though, is the dedication to repetition. Unless you find this brand of gag humor to be the funniest thing on Earth, it gets old real quick. And aside from that one bit of comedy, the episode offers nothing else. The premise itself requires that the conflict resolution do not experience any tension (since he’s overpowered), and that all battles get resolved in a very simplistic manner. Take away the comedy part, and you’d essentially watch a scene that was meant to be boring.
It’s kind of a bad thing when the most interesting parts of the episode were either unrepeatable (how he started) or not real (the dream sequence). However, not all is lost for the show. Next episode’s preview promises us a new character, and this is where the possibilities for the show lie. Given that the premise, when taken in large or multiple dosages, is bland, what would make or break this show is how well character interactions leverage or contrast this very premise.
It’s just a shame that given all the hype, One Punch Man essentially just goofed around within its premise in this episode, and nothing more.
Waifu Index
Ugh… no. Just no.