One Punch Man – 12

Well, all I can truly say here is, Bravo Madhouse. Bravo indeed. Adaption wise this episode couldn’t have been more perfect and Saitama vs Boros was truly a animated marvel to witness.The bout itself was really a one sided wailing till the point Saitama decided enough was enough and fought back but by god did it look pretty. If all those small moments of lacking art was to save up for this then I wholeheartedly apologize for judging those moments harshly. The moon section was particular smart with the lack of sound. The manga/web comic gave the reader a clear view of Saitama’s inner monologue but here they decide to show Saitama’s thought process through visuals alone and that was a great move. Not a word was said yet you understand exactly what Saitama is thinking, a lesson many anime should take to heart. Should this be the only season of One Punch Man(I sorely hope not), Boros as the final villain is going out on a high note. After all he is essentially Saitama’s dark half, a being who became the strongest and ultimately discovered the boredom of absolute power. He and Saitama seek the same thing but approach it in two opposite manners. I find it interesting that at the end of their battle, Saitama showed more respect to Boros than he did to any other villain in the series. He even tried to let Boros believe that the battle was truly a equal playing field before he died, sadly Boros saw through it. Perhaps the cruelest irony of Boros fate is that he spent a lifetime in search for a worthy opponent and when he had found it, it turned out that he was never a worthy adversary for his goal. All the more pitiable when his existence was never even realized by the heroes of the planet, who in turn have no idea that Saitama just saved them all.

With the main conflict sorted in the episode’s first half, the remainder spends its time setting up material for potential sequels. Though the things presented have yet to be addressed in the Manga or the web comic, instead if we do get a sequel it would be focused on a certain thing brought up briefly in the series. It’s a bit sad that the S class heroes of the association didn’t get the screentime they deserved as their actions here prove that Saitama isn’t the only one carrying the show. Puri Puri Prisoner and Tsumaki got the most attention but the rest certainly do look to be immensely entertaining if given the spotlight. At this point One Punch man has earned it’s place in my anime blu-ray collection as while it isn’t an anime with a deep story, it’s is one of the animes I enjoyed the most this year. In that regard when it comes between an exploration of complex themes but with drab presentation and a anime with a simple story made up of pure fun to behold I would generally prefer the latter. While I do thirst for anime that dares to challenge tropes and conventions to present something unique, sometimes it’s important to remember just why I watch anime in the first place.