The Hero And The Pretender
One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 7
The S Class heroes are finally on the move against the monsters, not that the audience or One Punch Man cares given how little screen time the catastrophe striking multiple cities is given. Instead our focus is either on the end of the tournament or on a little aside with some swordsmen that ends up revealing that by consuming monster cells humans can become monsters.
I’m certain that’s actually worth knowing given the smart monster association currently causing all the problems (even if the S Class Heroes are mostly mopping them up) but this episode doesn’t dwell on that situation and takes us back to Saitama.
Which is okay actually. The tournament doesn’t linger on the lead up but gets to the fight between Saitama and Suiryu in relatively short order. The similarities between the pair are drawn into the open as is the overwhelming difference in the conclusion the two have drawn. Both characters have suffered from being too strong and essentially facing no opposition and wanting a fun fight. Yet Suiryu looks down on heroes and others in general where Saitama is mostly hopeful of finding a challenge and doesn’t look down on those weaker than him, even if he isn’t always particularly nice to them.
The fight is lively enough and entertaining in the ongoing joke of Saitama holding onto his wig. Still, at the end of the day, there was no way he was going to get away with his impersonation. I guess I’ll find out what happens now that Saitama’s done at the tournament next episode.
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One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 8
Oh yes, the turning into monsters part was definitely an important sidenote that became the basis for this episode really. As the monster’s plan concludes, for now, some very nasty monsters turn up at the martial arts tournament determined to convince the strong contestants to eat the cells and become monsters, or to kill them. It is a simple conflict but one that is delivered fairly well in this episode of One Punch Man.
With Saitama already gone after being disqualified for having a wig (and impersonating someone else), it seems like this group of marital artists are doomed. A few try to fight and are summarily beaten down with very little in the way of fanfare. Then Suiryu steps up. Not because he wants to be a hero. But because he’s a human shaped blob of ego who clearly didn’t believe he could even be challenged and before he even takes the stage he elicits a promise from a girl that she’ll essentially be his prize after his victory.
Which kind of makes watching him struggle against the humans turned monsters satisfying.
Then all that satisfaction turns to raw horror as he takes on some brutal punishment. To his credit, he doesn’t actually try to run away until after everyone else has already gone except for the two heroes who were in the tournament who come back for him. It doesn’t do him any good, and the sounds of bones breaking are all kinds of horrific, but it does make the sight of him lying on the ground, reaching out, and crying for a hero affective. Seeing such a massive contrast from the beginning of the episode to the end just works.
However, as with all good hero stories, just when you think it is all over, in swoops the hero, cape flying all.
Sometimes Saitama just looks completely cool. Then he goes back looking like a doofus, but seriously, that entrance was awesome. Looking forward to next week.
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Karandi James
- One Punch Man Series Review
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episodes 1 + 2
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 3
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 4
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 5
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 6
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episodes 7 + 8
- One Punch Man Season 2 Episode 9
- Images from: One Punch Man Second Season. Dir. C Sakurai. J.C. Staff. 2019.
“Then all that satisfaction turns to raw horror as he takes on some brutal punishment.”
The scene was almost uncomfortably brutal. But it set up the ending…
“Then he goes back looking like a doofus, but seriously, that entrance was awesome.”
Yeah, that entrance was awesome, wasn’t it? I really like how Saitama is so calm and focused. It’s not confidence, really; it’s almost like he’s resigned to only getting to throw a single punch. Yet, every time he fights, he doesn’t act in a way I can call over confident. In fact, he usually overkills his opponent (remember the Serious Sideways Jumps?). You’d think that the OP aspect would get old, but for me at least, it hasn’t yet.
Yes, for an anime about such an overpowered character, they have managed to keep things relatively entertaining even if we know that once Saitama gets involved the fight is all but done. It would be nice to think he’s actually going to get a fight but somehow I don’t think so.