Review of Season 2 of One-Punch Man

Season 1 of One-Punch Man is one of the best cartoons ever to grace our screens. His dynamic camera work, his electrifying fights, his breathtaking action scenes and his superb animation let the fans drool after each episode. Then came the news that season 2 would change Madhouse's animation studios to J.C. Staff due to time constraints and that the team that made Season 1 had plenty of hands for other projects. The alarm bells started ringing, then the trailer dropped, with animated animation, uninspired composition, delicate facial animations and lots of black screens. After all this, does the season 2 of One-Punch Man hold? Well, the answer to this question depends largely on what you want from your anime and what you are willing to sacrifice.

One-Punch Man is defined by three things: intense and exhilarating battle scenes between heroes and fun and campy villains; a philosophy based on the search for a purpose in life and the feeling of not being reached; and jokes based on both fighting and philosophy. In season 2, just like in season 1, we get the last two. The jokes are still there, expertly delivered by the voice, especially by our protagonist Saitama – however, many of the jokes of season 1 were based on physical comedy and burlesque, but with a more mediocre animation, some is lost in season 2. And the philosophy is still there, but all of this is handled by the author of the manga, so the story, themes and great ideas will unfold effortlessly, no matter what the # Appearance of the series.

If you like One-Punch Man for its characters, relationships, gadgets, costumes, personalities and diaries, then you have nothing to fear. If you are invested in history and want to know how it can possibly rely on the ultimate blow carried by the suckers, ie the end of Season 1, you will not be disappointed in Season 2. But if you're hoping for Season 2 to deliver those same visceral combat scenes we had the chance to see on the One Punch Man debut, then the new episodes will probably leave you in shock.

The animation is slow and lazy, taking dreadful shortcuts for the fights to be done and dusted as simply as possible. Gone are the action scenes of very detailed characters, with dynamic idling and ever-changing camera work. Instead, we have lightning bolts, black clippings and machine gun punches, reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z's stretched combat scenes from over twenty years ago. For a show with "punch" in his name, not a single shot leaves a lasting impact.

Overall, the plot is well constructed, as are the main themes of the show – although they are explored with much less nuance this season. For example, there was a moment in episode 9 where the recurring theme of incompleteness and boredom is explained in a tête-à-tête with King – a new character featured in episode 1 as an accidental hero (and fake). This is very condescending, which implies that the public has not followed the situation of Saitama since the beginning. King's words, however, are wise and recall the message given by Zeus at the end of Disney's Hercules, because he understands that ultimate strength is not synonymous with true heroism. That, at least, turns an awkward moment of exposure into something a little more interesting that advances Saitama's character, but not in the most elegant way. And there are moments of tonal dissonance like this throughout the season.

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Regarding the climax of the season, the last episode of season 2 does not feel definitive. Although fans are clamoring for a second episode, Season 1 still seems like a complete story, while the Season 2 finale could have been the end of any episode, instead of closing. And, although that does not necessarily have to count, the last three episodes are almost entirely a long and arduous battle, with virtually no Saitama to see.

Once again, this is reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z, especially the infamous moment in which Frieza threatens Namek to explode in a minute and that moment kind of flows into several twenty-minute episodes. It's 2019! This kind of fast-paced narrative should not happen. Not when the season 1 of One-Punch Man constantly delivered his jokes, his fights, his beats of music, his scenario, and his growth of character.