Review Summary: Jam packed with quality content, this is a must-purchase for diehard fans of the show. Everyone else should still give it a listen.
One-Punch Man came out of nowhere and changed folks’ perceptions about what it means to enjoy anime. Let me backtrack a bit. Anime can be divided into two categories: nonsense and “good stuff.” It’s a bit more complicated than that, because there is a lot of good nonsense out there and plenty of whack “good stuff.” What this division actually separates is things you’re not supposed to value as an adult and things you are. Case in point, you’re not supposed to credit shows like Bleach which have shallow writing and a stupid “my resolve is stronger than yours!” power system while you’re supposed to worship everything Hayao Miyazaki does because it’s so massive in scope, lush and “inspired.” Examples of good nonsense are FLCL and Kill La Kill, where logical coherence is cast aside in favor of entertainment value and animation gymnastics, and I’m sure we can all name at least 5 pretentious anime movies/shows that would qualify as “good stuff” despite being annoying and masturbatory.
Despite being a parody of the superhero genre, there hasn’t been a show that really blurred the line between “good nonsense” and “good stuff” like One-Punch Man. At least, not to the same degree and certainly not in a while. Or maybe there has been and I haven’t seen it. The show’s fresh concept, lightning pace, and impressive animation really had fans of the action anime genre (myself included) scratching their heads, wondering if this might be the best show they’ve ever seen. People felt like they can’t compare it to anime’s greatest masterpieces because it’s still nonsense. This is a show about a food chain of overwhelmingly powerful heroes and menacing villains destroying each other, one after the next, only to have the final boss villain effortlessly trounced by an emotionless and plain-looking guy’s left hook. Yet it manages to do everything right. Writing? Check. Plot/Character design? Check. Animation? Double-check. What more can we ask from a show like this? This is the One-Punch Man dilemma.
Funnily enough, the same exact thing applies to its soundtrack. This soundtrack is filled with so much good stuff. It is wildly electric guitar-driven, exciting, and old school. Tracks like “The Cyborg Fights” and “Battle” do a good job at making you feel a lot more combat-ready than you probably are. “Saitama’s Main Theme” encapsulates that “everyman hero” vibe that Spiderman movies have been making millions off of for the past 15 years. “Sonic’s Theme” really makes me sorrowful at the fact that people do not have background theme songs playing every time we have something cool to say. “Raise a Fist” will have you doing the same. And the commercial cut interludes do a good job at keeping your attention in one place.
I really could go all day about how cool and refreshing this soundtrack is but ultimately people will have reservations because it’s just not ambitious enough in its scope. It doesn’t have The Seatbelts’ jazzy backdrop or Final Fantasy VII’s orchestral one. It doesn’t have Yoko Kanno’s magical “touch” that seems to turn every soundtrack she works on into gold. However, it does one thing well, and that is satisfy that part of you that loves “cool” moments. Those emotionally-charged moments that have you up and clapping at the screen before you had a chance to fully absorb the situation. When you do come around to absorbing it, it’s still just as cool, though.
Recommended Tracks:
Battle
Tense
The Hero
