How The Biggest Anime In The World Destroyed Itself

Anime can be art. There’s no denying that. When you see the incredibly well-animated fights in Demon Slayer, the intricate details of Jujutsu Kaisen, and even the iconic imagery of Akira, anime can be better than any live-action Hollywood drek.

The problem is that great animation takes time. It takes vision. And in the underfunded world of Japanese animation studios, it takes a budget that isn’t always there.

The first season of One-Punch Man was a perfect storm. The detailed drawing of Yusuke Murata met the talent of director Shingo Natsume and his hand-picked team of animation heavy hitters. Fresh off the insane series Space Dandy, Natsume’s team put together a nearly perfect season of anime. The story of Saitama, the world’s most powerful hero, looked amazing, sounded great, and became an instant worldwide success.

Now One-Punch Man is a warning about what happens when a publisher doesn’t support an animation studio. From glorious, heavy-hitting battle scenes that redefined what was possible to a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation.