One-Punch Man Season 2 First Impressions

“The first sequel in three and a half years… I’m feeling the hype!”

The road to the release of One-Punch Man Season 2 was a long, and toward the end chaotic, one. It’s been three and a half years since the first season aired, and, since then, we’ve been treated to an adaptation of the original artist ONE’s other prominent series, Mob Psycho 100. In fact, it’s been so long that even Mob got a sequel season before One-Punch Man did. Despite the lengthy wait, anticipation remained high, but the first trailer for Season 2 left the fandom rather disheartened as it appeared to suggest that a notable animation downgrade was in store for the series. This isn’t completely surprising when one considers the change in both studio and production staff. A shift in quality is to be expected, and, unfortunately, I can confirm the shift was a downward one. Still, it’s One-Punch Man. Both Murata Yusuke’s Shonen Jump adaptation and the first season featured a lot of spectacle, but the visuals weren’t the key factor that made One-Punch Man what it was. Judging from this first episode, the series has taken a notable step down from its days with Madhouse, but hopefully the writing will be capable of carrying it through this rough patch.

For those unfamiliar with the premise, you need to go back and check out season 1. It was one of those rare blockbuster anime titles that deserved every bit of praise it received. This first episode serves as a necessary middle chapter that needed to be told prior to the series jumping back into the story proper. Allusions are made to the oncoming disasters and the Hero Association’s attempts to prepare for them, but most of the episode is focused on exploring the story of King, the hero who is lauded as the world’s strongest man. King is a really fun character, but season 1 barely had the opportunity to do anything with him. In this episode we get to watch as Saitama and Genos encounter him, and as King looks inward and decides how he should progress. It’s a fun episode derived from a fun section of the manga, but there is a notable elephant in the room that needs to be addressed.

As I mentioned before, Madhouse is not handling the animation for One-Punch Man. Instead, production has been handed over to J.C. Staff who have done some solid work in the past. However, it has been a while since they released anything that wowed me visually, and, unfortunately, One-Punch Man’s second season hasn’t done anything to change that. There are moments in this episode that look good, but there are just as many that look outright bad. Genos is probably the worst offender, as they decided to use integrated computer animation for his cyborg components, and it does not mesh well at all. A more subtle problem is the mild shift in character modeling and animation. Everyone looks and moves in a slightly different manner when compared with the first season. There are a lot of still frames used throughout this first episode as well. These are less distracting, but do contribute to the feeling of reduced quality. All in all, the animation feels awkward and cheap.

Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:

• I found myself wishing that the episode would stop cutting back to the action. It felt frustratingly underwhelming and a bit garish to watch.
• It’s been a while since I read any of the manga, so I’m not positive how long the Garo arc is, or if it will be completed in this season.
• The quote that I included at the top was a fun in-joke, but it would have landed better had it not been for the questionable production values casting a shadow over everything.