One-Punch Man, Volume 1

December 1, 2015

Gr 7 Up-Saitama is a young hero who has reached his boredom threshold. He is so powerful that he can now defeat anyone with one punch, and he doesn't feel challenged anymore. Saitama is too strong for his own good, identifying himself as someone who is "a hero for fun," but he's no longer able to feel the emotional satisfaction earned by doing good deeds. Listless and unchallenged, the protagonist spends a lot of time fighting a wide variety of outlandish opponents who ridicule him for his bad attitude and because he's bald. The book is filled with over-the-top cartoony violence, and Murata's illustrations exude destructive energy. Readers are less likely to see blood and more likely to see something (or someone) blown to smithereens. In many ways, this story feels as though it was created inside the id of a 12-year-old boy who spent too much time playing with superhero and supervillain action figures. There isn't a lot of emotional development here, which is appropriate for a manga titled One-Punch Man. VERDICT The story is fast-paced, humorous, and entertaining in a way that looks and feels like an action movie.-Andrea Lipinski, New York Public Library

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