Many fans of I-Punch Homo have been awaiting a third season of the show with varying degrees of anxiety. Some are excited nigh what new episodes could bring based on Yusuke Murata'due south manga accommodation, but there are also ample reasons not to welcome a continuation with open up arms.

Case in point is JC Staff's disastrous handling of Season 2'due south blitheness, which robbed the series of its former condition as a paragon for quality animation. If they are the ones animating Flavour three, it will be a travesty. In almost no other case has a modify in studio caused a show's visual quality to drib so precipitously.

Why Flavor 2 Failed

At least part of the disappointment with Flavour 2 can be reasonably attributed to but how amazing Flavor 1 was. Madhouse animated the start 12 episodes immaculately, creating one of the most visually impressive anime ever. Saitama's fights with Carnage Kabuto and afterwards Boros were filled with life, color and energy. It was clear that the animators prioritized creating a captivating visual experience, and they poured their claret, sweat, and tears into it. Every grapheme, down to the groundwork, feels as fluid and live as they exercise in the manga, and the lighting is near always perfect. Season i's quality is and so great that it's even fun to break repeatedly and view each private frame as the piece of art that information technology is.

JC Staff took the captain and promptly dispensed with all of this in favor of a cheap and stripped-downwards production. Characters routinely look odd and stiff (their expressions and movements), and sure characters' costumes are noticeably less detailed, such as Genos. Even the colors experience muted compared to Flavour one. The area least affected past the transition is the lighting, only even information technology suffers in certain moments.

All of that could conceivably exist forgiven if JC Staff had preserved the quality of Season 2'southward fights. Fights are the well-nigh expensive and fourth dimension-consuming thing to animate, and JC Staff'due south attempt to cutting corners and costs are impossible to ignore. Gone is any sakuga, kinetic realism, or (in some cases) any animation at all. JC Staff resorted to Dragon Ball Z tactics, trading complex and unique animations for obscuring clouds of dust, close up and static shots, and repeating animation cycles. But Dragon Brawl Z was animated over a quarter-century ago, and standards have changed dramatically since. And even Dragon Ball Z at its worst looked better than 1-Punch Human being Season 2.

Fifty-fifty when attempting to retain some objectivity, it's hard to perceive the rotten fruit of JC Staff'south labor as annihilation other than unpleasant. With the previous season interim every bit a shining buoy in terms of good animation, the dissimilarity is palpable. Keeping that in listen, information technology should come every bit no surprise that fans and commentators weren't happy when Season 2 finally aired in 2019. Major anime YouTubers like Mother's Basement and Gigguk made lengthy videos trashing its animation, with some alert fans of the manga not to lookout it at all. As a issue of said critical panning and general dissatisfaction from once-loyal fans, One-Punch Man lost a expert deal of its luster, and its reputation equally an anime has been harmed maybe irreparably.

Arguably the largest victim in this mess is not the fans, only One-Punch Man's creator, ONE, along with Murata. They deserved ameliorate. Story-wise, Ane -Punch Man is nevertheless a hilarious and thrilling exploration of the superhero genre, and even across the vast shonen genre there'due south really zilch quite like it. Its decidedly parodic concept and tone besides separates it well from Shueisha's other big superhero series, My Hero Academia. And while his blackness-and-white drawings can't meridian Madhouse'south interpretation, Murata, who famously drew Shonen Leap'southward Eyeshield 21, is a masterful artist who gave One'due south characters so much life. These truths make it all the more disappointing that Flavor two volition likely overshadow their work for some hereafter.

Where We Go From Hither

JC Staff's treatment of I-Punch Man was a tragedy, but fans of the series generally seem to agree that it deserves some other flavor. It's been nearly 3 years, so in that location'southward a lot of the manga to cover, and the story and fights merely get crazier equally things go on. That said, JC Staff have proven they tin can't be trusted to continue animating the serial, and production should be returned to Madhouse or another studio with a like full-blooded. In the event that this doesn't happen, the lack of a tertiary season seems well-nigh preferable.

Fifty-fifty if a third flavour ends upward having blitheness comparable to Season ane (or at least better than Season ii), the damage is done. Any fan choosing to binge-watch the series today would be exposed to the driblet in quality between episodes 12 and 13 seconds apart, rather than waiting a couple of years, laying the differences between the studios even barer. Whether or not the manga is eventually adapted in its entirety, Season 2 volition remain an eyesore.

Unless, that is, Flavor 2 is completely reanimated. To be fair, the likelihood of this happening is negligible, as it would entail anybody involved in moving the production from Madhouse to JC Staff admitting that it was a fault, not to mention the massive amount of time and money it would take. Merely it remains the simply way to truly bring some redemption to this stain on anime history. Season ii covers some great fights and storylines, and they deserve another shot at brilliance.

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