Summary

• The second season of One-Punch Man faced animation quality issues under the new studio, J.C. Staff, disappointing many fans.
• The third season's return to J.C. Staff triggers concern among fans, fearing history might repeat itself in the animation department.
• Despite potential animation challenges, the depth of storytelling and character development in Monster Association arc should make the third season worth watching.

Fans of One-Punch Man are likely familiar with the fact that there's some contention in the fandom in regards to the anime's second season, although they may not fully understand why unless they were part of the fandom when it originally aired. The reasons center on the series' animation quality, and the fact that issue may be returning in the third season has given many fans cause for concern.

The One-Punch Man manga, drawn by Yusuke Murata, is well known for its incredibly detailed art, which makes the prospect of adapting it for animation a daunting task. The first season of the anime was adapted by studio Madhouse, and was widely praised for its animation quality; the project seemed to be something of a labor of love, and the amount of care put into the final product really showed. A second season was announced in September 2016, but in September 2017, news arrived that the animation studio would be changing from Madhouse to J.C. Staff.

While some personnel involved in the anime stayed onboard through the change between studios, the director of the series and many other important roles were forced to change.

One-Punch Man's Season 2 Saw a Noticeable Dip in Animation Quality

One-Punch Man season 2 debuted in April 2019, but fans had some significant complaints about the series' return under a new studio. The animation, which had seen such praise during the first season, was now regarded as slow, less detailed, and less fluid than it had been. Many fans believed J.C. Staff wasn't up to the task of adapting One-Punch Man, and those feelings only grew as the season continued. By the time the season ended, there was a significant backlash against the second season, particularly in regards to action scenes, which had put the first season on the map.

ittedly, Madhouse is a much better known and more respected studio than J.C. Staff. Responsible for hit series like Death Note and Hunter X Hunter's 2011 adaptation, the studio has made its name on action-oriented shonen series, so One-Punch Man was very much in their wheelhouse. While J.C. Staff has had its share of hits as well, they largely haven't been action series. The difference was particularly exaggerated by the high quality of the manga's art, with fans often showcasing just how much less detailed the anime was than the manga.

However, there's more to One-Punch Man than just fight scenes. Even in spite of its animation failings, the second season was relatively faithful to the manga's story and characters, which were still as good as they've ever been. While it's understandable that fans might be disappointed in knowing what could've been had Madhouse taken on the second season, the season 2 that exists is still plenty enjoyable, if one is capable of looking past the fight scene animation.

What J.C. Staff's Return Means for Season 3

It was revealed in the first trailer for season 3 that J.C. Staff will be returning as the animation studio, which led to eruptions of anger and frustration among many fans, fearing the same thing would happen again. While the trailer does look better than most of season 2 did, fans are afraid that this is simply J.C. Staff's best work to show off, and if it's the best, then the season may be in dire shape. Some fans were even going so far as to proclaim that they no longer had any intention of watching the third season.

What's worth noting here, however, is that no release date for season 3 has yet been announced; it's entirely possible, if not likely, that the series is still at an early stage of animation. The scene chosen for the trailer is relatively early in the Monster Association arc being adapted in season 3, and may give an idea of how far along they are. There's still ample opportunity for the quality to be improved, particularly if there's significant fan backlash once again, although how likely that is is impossible to say.

The Monster Association arc does contain many scenes that will likely prove incredibly difficult to animate, from Tatsumaki's earth-twisting psychic attack on Psykos to the advent of the massive monster known as Evil Ocean Water. That's reason to have concern, certainly, but it feels a bit unfair to condemn the third season at such an early stage already. Technology and techniques in animation have advanced quite a bit even since 2017, and these advances may help mitigate some fan concerns... but only if they're used properly, of course.

One-Punch Man isn't About Art

Regardless of the animation quality, the Monster Association arc contains some of the best storytelling and character development in the series to date, and all of that will likely transition to the anime intact. Fans who haven't read the manga would be seriously depriving themselves by skipping out on the third season just because of the animation quality. Reading the manga instead is certainly an option, and as noted above, the manga is renowned for its high-quality artwork.

However, One-Punch Man has never really been about its artwork; it's important to that One-Punch Man started as a webcomic drawn by an absolute amateur artist, and it managed to catch on and obtain untold levels of popularity in spite of (or perhaps even because of) that fact. While seeing the series gloriously animated was breathtaking in the first season, One-Punch Man doesn't strictly need that level of animation quality to still be considered a pretty good anime. The greatness of season 1 may not come again, but that's no reason to trash the entire series.

What quality One-Punch Man's third season will have is something that only time will reveal, but its source material is some of the best the series has to offer, and that has to count for something. While it's easy to react strongly to the news of J.C. Staff returning, fans would be best advised to withhold their judgment until there's more than a minute of footage to look at. One-Punch Man season 3 is still a long way off, so a level head and a bit of patience may be a better course for fans than knee-jerk reactions.

Watch One-Punch Man Seasons 1 & 2 on Hulu