7 Reasons ‘One Punch Man’ Is Bingeworthy Despite The Lack Of Female Representation
What do you get when you have a clueless and overpowered main character who doesn’t have a formidable opponent which causes him to constantly question his purpose in life as he lives aimlessly? You get Saitama. A normal human who became the most powerful person on the planet simply by changing his lifestyle and working out aggressively. Puts all gym and fitness advertisements to shame, isn’t it? Now, who is Saitama? He is the hero of the One Punch Man. Earlier today my weeb ass was very enthusiastic when Season 3 for OPM was announced. Now as a woman, I do enjoy anime where there are well-written female characters. However, OPM isn’t that anime. While the few female characters it does have are powerful, they don’t really matter. That is because OPM is meant to be a caricature of a traditional shounen where female characters are usually lacking. However, I do not particularly miss the lack of representation but am up for any if introduced later. And being the persuasive human I am, I want to convince you guys to watch the first 2 seasons by telling you why I enjoy the anime so much.
1. Saitama is a MOOD
This man’s mixture of being clueless and done at the same time resonates with me so much. The amount of time he chooses to simply not do things because he doesn’t want to is just me going through existence. The difference being that Saitama is the strongest person in the universe while I am just a depressed brat. And what I enjoy about his character is that he is not dumb. I feel like whenever characters like him are written, they are written as though they are dumb which is supposed to be comic relief. But Saitama is not that. He is not only looked up to by multiple very powerful characters but is the cause for many major character developments throughout the show. What makes his character relatable is the fact that despite his strength, he feels like he lacks purpose. He has all this strength and nothing to do with it. While my reasons for feeling clueless and lost aren’t the same as him, I understand where he comes from. Also, Saitama’s priorities are all over the place and he doesn’t care who you are or how powerful you are. Mood.
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2. The Humour
I am the first to admit that OPM isn’t for everyone. It’s like that audio “The girls that get it, get it and the girls that don’t, don’t.” One Punch Man is essentially a satire for all traditional shounen. Everything is exaggerated hence leaving us with a protagonist like Saitama who is the most powerful being in the universe (so far) and wins fights with one single punch. What makes this all funny is his nonchalant attitude towards killing off opponents 100 times his size. Moreover, his character design also lends to the humour. I was told by a weeb besto frendo that Saitama’s costume’s colour scheme and overall appearance are supposed to be monk-like and considering his overall demeanour, I can see why. The humour in OPM isn’t as on the nose as in other anime. You must be someone who finds humour in absurdity and the cyclical nature of the story to understand that while the conclusion of each arc is bound to be similar, it is the events and nonsensical drama that lead up to that ending that makes the show hilarious.
3. Saitama is a relatable eccentric
Despite having god-like abilities, Saitama is fundamentally a lazy slob, which contributes much to the comedy of One Punch Man. He spends his free time lounging about his apartment in a tracksuit, sipping tea, and reading manga when he’s not out rescuing the world. He occasionally picks his nose and scratches himself. Even Genos, his student and sidekick, is perplexed as to why his sensei is so absolutely incompetent in some facets of being a hero. In one particularly funny interlude, Saitama’s sincere inner monologue pauses mid-battle to express shock after realising he missed a sale at his neighbourhood grocery store. He literally drops the battle to make it for the sale with Genos. Told you guys, that his priorities are all over the place. He is as relatably eccentric as they come.
4. Commentary On Rigid Societal Norms
One of the first things I noticed and talked to my friend about after finishing season 1 of OPM was the brilliant social commentary. It is based in the fictitious Japan of One Punch Man, all of the cities are governed by the apparently all-knowing Hero Association, and they are all identified by letters of the alphabet. It follows bureaucratic ideology, just like so many other Japanese organisations. Despite being the most potent individual the gang has to offer, Saitama is positioned among its lower tiers when he joins. And to make matters worse, he frequently runs afoul of the tight devotion to protocol that is a hallmark of Japanese industry, where the rulebook must always be followed, even at the expense of effectiveness and common sense.
5. Theme of boredom from mundanity
Raise your hands if you are bored of your everyday, mundane like. Yeah, so is saitama! Saitama’s position as a strong entity on Earth comes with challenges, as one might anticipate. Several times throughout the anime, he cries out in dismay, “DAMN IT!” as a much-anticipated fight with a supervillain is finished in a matter of seconds and is ended with a single punch. Saitama lacks a sense of challenge and purpose on a daily basis, which frequently causes him to become jaded and disillusioned.
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6. The brilliant social commentary
In the middle of the first season, a powerful and terrifying Deep Sea King terrorises the city who numerous elite heroes are unable to stop. Only Saitama is able to stop him, and even then, only after the King has left a trail of devastation and a sea of bodies. After killing the monster, Saitama is rewarded with a random chubby blowhard who has his face contorted in the classic Internet troll sneer. He announces to the crowd of witnesses that Saitama arrived at the last minute and only won because the other heroes had worn out the opponent for him. A not-so-subtle satire on the internet mob mentality of today, the crowd turns on Saitama in sheeplike fashion, forcing him to flee the scene. There is another scene where everyone turns on Saitama for the amount of destruction caused despite him being the reason that the city faced minimal damage against the threat. Times like these make you feel bad for Saitama and angry at society. However, what adds to Saitama’s charm is the fact that he didn’t become a hero for money, fame or recognition but to genuinely help people and no matter how many times he is misunderstood, he takes his responsibility as a hero seriously.
7. All The Anime References
One Punch Man pays warm respect to its influences even though it can be brutal in how it parodies them at times. Otaku will have a field day crossing off the countless seminal works that the show alludes to, either directly or indirectly. Be on the lookout for references to Superman, Tekken, Kamen Rider, Case Closed, Super Dimensional Fortress Macross, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, old Chanbara movies etc. Even its abbreviated name, Wanpanman, alludes to a well-known children’s cartoon character.
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