A longstanding argument among anime fans is between Manga and Anime. But in terms of One Punch Man, who does it better?
One-Punch Man was among the rare anime series that, until now, was a toss-up between Anime and Manga. Such a debate would probably come to a deadlock because the quality of both things is so unmatched. The conversation might still occur today, but it would focus more narrowly on the animated side of things.
And although Saitama only has two distinct seasons of animation under his black & gold belt, it is evident that Yusuke Murata’s art style, character designs, and frequent recreations of specific pages from the One-Punch Man manga served as the primary motivation for the One-Punch Man animation. The original webcomic still serves as the backbone of the series, but the Anime’s primary focus is on characters like Orochi, who were made specifically for the Jump/Murata manga.
However, both Anime and Manga succeed in different ways and have their own merits. In bridging the gap between the actual, the following points can persuade an anime viewer to try out the Manga and a manga fan to try out the other.
Things That Manga Does Better
No Dips in Quality: It is preferable to tackle the issue immediately. The Anime’s animation quality decreased significantly from season to season in season 2. And the Manga is unmatched in that regard.
ONE’s webcomic was transformed into manga gold by Yusuke Murata. One-Punch Man was transformed into a manga pet project by Murata and ONE following a stay in the hospital, as is evident in every page he created. Unfortunately, such a trait did not carry over to the Anime’s second season.
References and Easter Eggs: Finding the all One-Punch Man easter eggs & references buried throughout the Anime over the first and second seasons of Mob Psycho 100 was one of its most fun features. Additionally, even though the Mob Psycho 100 comic was available three years before the release of the One-Punch Man animation, the show has yet to include a Mob Psycho 100 easter egg. But the Manga doesn’t seem to support this.
One-Punch Man manga shows at least two support instances for ONE’s other invention, even though they aren’t entirely covert. You can see a young Saitama lying above the bed with a “Mobu Psycho 1000000” hoodie. That takes place in the Manga’s first episode’s bonus chapter. Later, Mob, Tome, & Dimple may be seen in the backdrop advertising the broadcasting of their series in the 65th chapter of the 12th manga version.
More Saitama’s Backstory: There is a surprise section in almost every edition of the Manga. Most of them are side incidents involving our characters. Still, a select handful provides a more in-depth understanding of Saitama’s past and the events that inspired him to become a superhero.
A young Saitama, beaten up and defrauded of 200 Yen, pursues some attackers and then a pig demon in the Manga’s first volume. He receives a significant beating and never gets his money back. In later chapters, we watch him go through this “training program” and his first brave acts and battles before he starts losing his hair.
Murata’s Unparalleled Skill: Given that it effectively involves animating the Manga’s pages, displaying it this way can seem like cheating, but Murata’s talent goes beyond still images. These images are from the first battle between Saitama & Speed O’ Sound Sonic in Chapter 15.
Murata’s artwork depicts the speed and distance travelled in an otherworldly manner. The fact that it outperforms the animation in this area only adds to this great. It’s not that the spirit might not have accomplished this; it would just have been a lot harder.
The Bonus Stories: As was stated previously, almost every edition of the Manga includes little tales about the everyday activities of heroes. A series of OVAs follow every season of the Anime; three of Season 2’s OVAs are now available and are surprisingly decent. However, the Manga is infinitely more significant than the other two extra story formats.
The sort of hero Saitama is is something that One-Punch Man frequently loses sight of. Sure, he can kill creatures the size of hills in one punch. However, these tales define who Saitama is. He is a compassionate, selfless hero who is a superhero for his physical prowess and because he is a genuinely admirable guy.
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Things That Anime Does Better
One-Punch Man is among the most well-known animation series of all time. The first season particularly enthralled viewers with the way Madhouse’s superb animation brought the story to life. One-Punch Man fans can’t wait for the third series and the massive amount of material that has yet to be converted into the Anime, and every moment is completely exploding with character.
The Anime is in a class of its own: The calibre of the Anime is maybe the one aspect of One-Punch Man that all audiences can praise. The mental hospital produced the first series, and the incredible level of the Anime proves that this studio fully merits all the praise.
The response against the was so strong because of this that Season 2 studio changed, but J.C. Staff performed an outstanding job with the animation. Anyway, their performance seems far from being of the same calibre as the first series, but one can only wait to see how season 3 will progress in animation.
There is almost No Filler in the Anime: One-Punch Man is unquestionably among the most targeted and engaging films that any viewer can watch. This is primarily because the Anime doesn’t have Filler, which would be a blessing for those who despise this pointless material in their Anime.
Due to needless padding that ultimately lowers the show’s quality, a few of the best animations ever produced have a good proportion of detractors. Thankfully, One-Punch Man avoided falling into this snare that most other shonen anime had.
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The Fight Scenes are Spectacular: One-Punch Man’s battles are mainly used to highlight how absurdly powerful Saitama is compared to the other Japanese heroes. There are, of course, occasional outliers, with heroes like Genos fighting their fights.
Every picture of the animation, particularly in the first season, depicts these battles in exquisite detail. Even Saitama’s dominance proves to be breathtaking, with Madhouse and J.C. Staff going above and beyond to highlight how destructive Saitama’s strength truly is. Saitama’s “battle” with Genos, in which the Caped Baldy demonstrates how enormous and devastating his power reserves genuinely are, is a standout in this sense.
The Adaptation is quite Faithful: Most anime adaptations of Manga tend to be faithful to the original, except for a few minor modifications. However, one-Punch Man’s adherence to the Manga acquires an entirely new significance.
Many panels in the animation that are precisely like the Manga, right down to the framing & movement of the meetings, will undoubtedly be recognizable to readers of the Manga. By giving the original material new life, the animators are paying homage to Murata’s incredible artwork in a beautiful way.
Mumen Rider’s character has more Development: Most readers of the Manga believe Mumen Rider to be little more than a comedy character who occasionally gets to the spotlight. But the animation also has some excellent moments that support this character’s growth.
One such situation that doesn’t appear in the Manga is the touching moment he has with Saitama inside the ramen shop. Another great moment occurs when Mumen Rider makes every effort to comfort Saitama even though he is utterly terrified. It’s a terrific approach to demonstrate Mumen Rider’s commitment to combating evil and protecting lives at the expense of his health.
Action is Step Up to the max: The bloodshed and gore in most animation translations of well-known comics tend to be toned down, particularly if the show is scheduled during prime time. One-Punch Man appears to be the exception to this rule, as some of the Anime’s violent moments are noticeably worse than those in the Manga.
For instance, the Manga depicts Mosquito Girl’s death as a massive explosion of blood, while the Anime depicts her defeat without a trace. The Anime, on the other hand, makes Saitama’s decision to be a warrior no matter what happens to him into a horrifying celebration. Crablante’s death is much bloodier in the animated films than in the Manga.
Jokes are more Impactful in the Anime: Since humour is a personal matter, many individuals will undoubtedly give the Manga’s delivery of its gags glowing reviews. There is no doubting, however, that the Anime has some fantastic, hilarious moments that are brought back to life with the ideal fusion of exaggerated voiceovers and Anime.
As a result, certain anime moments are belly-laugh-inducingly good in a way that the Manga can never be. The Anime’s humour is unique beyond anything seen in other shonen series, which is one of the main reasons One-Punch Man became a huge phenomenon.
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