Did you think Superman was the strongest of all superheroes? You will change your mind by discovering One Punch Man . This manga, straight from Japan, conquered the world thanks to its truly invincible superhero. With his bald head, his yellow jumpsuit and his white cape, Saitama is hardly charismatic. But he spreads out all his opponents in one punch, without blinking. An astonishing but holding bias: still in progress, the One Punch Man series is one of the most popular of our time.
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An Internet buzz that has become a publishing phenomenon
Like its hero, the story of the birth of One Punch Man is original. At the start, it was an amateur work, that of ONE, a Japanese author-designer who started, in 2009, to publish his story under pseudonym ... on his blog! Initially confidential, his manga benefits from very positive word of mouth. "ONE is spotted by manga professionals but not publishers, rather artists. Yusuke Murata, one of the most popular cartoonists, comes across him and loves it. So he offers ONE to remake One Punch Man in the traditional way, one sharing the script, the other the drawing, "says Grégoire Hellot, collection director at Kurokawa editions.
"Together, they canvass publishing houses, but nobody believes in a manga about a hero who is too strong. Finally, in 2012, a free online magazine, a curiosity at the time, made the bet to launch them. explodes immediately since it sells more than a million copies per volume, "explains this specialist in Japanese culture. From there, everyone starts to wait for One Punch Man . The debut in the United States explodes sales records for a manga. In France, the manga was launched by Kurokawa in January 2016: it produced the best start of all time for a manga. An unprecedented success that has not been denied since: 2.5 million copies have been sold here, including 350,000 for volume 1 alone!
Humor, action and reflection
How to explain this sudden phenomenon? "The key to the success of One Punch Man is that it is the first mainstream work that challenges the concept of hero over time. It takes the opposite of the classic hero of pop culture, what a hero who transcends himself to overcome obstacles and become the best. And that appeals to all those who are tired of traditional superheroes, "says Grégoire Hellot. Saitama has nothing to do, everything is easy for him. But his adventures are no less exciting. "At first, many people said that One Punch Man would not last, that a hero never in danger, it works one or two volumes, no more. Well no, the proof."
One Punch Man already has 19 volumes in France (21 in Japan). And it is never tiresome. Already, there is humor. It is certainly a story of superheroes, with Dantesque fights against overpowered watches. But it's also extremely funny, thanks to the character of Saitama precisely: not charismatic for a penny, not particularly muscular, totally jaded and above all… badly drawn! All the characters are well drawn, very detailed. Everyone ... except the hero Saitama, with his round head and round eyes. "His look sticks to his character: he's a guy who has nothing to do with it. He's the strongest, but he doesn't care," explains Grégoire Hellot of Kurokawa.
But One Punch Man is not THAT funny. As the story progresses, it becomes more complex, with real challenges. "From the end of the second volume, One Punch Man becomes a critique of society on being, appearing. Is it better to be strong and walk in the shade or not have strength and tell it to yourself? ", describes Grégoire Hellot. "The author questions our relationship to society, what we bring to others and the interest they have in exploiting us or not. There is a lot of stories told in One Punch Man , with humor certainly , but the manga raises interesting points. "
You too, become invincible!
Notice to fans: the secret of Saitama's strength is 100 abs, 100 pumps, 100 squats and 10 kilometers of jogging every day for three years. Not sure that this is really enough to win all his fights in one punch but this program has made a place for itself in some sports halls, some diehard fans having decided to inflict it on themselves for real!
Saitama has the voice… of Orelsan!
Logically, the success of the manga brought One Punch Man from paper to screen with an animated series, started in 2015. An adaptation that increased the popularity of the title. "The cartoon is extraordinary. For season 1, the studio didn't have a big budget. So they recruited some animation veterans and they decided to have fun by experimenting with crazy things. fights are crazy! "enthuses Grégoire Hellot.
In France, the first season is available on Netflix. And by listening well, music lovers will quickly recognize a well-known voice in French: it's rapper Orelsan who double Saitama. "A stroke of genius from those responsible for the French version: they took the most famous bored guy in France. Orelsan does the blasé guy super well," said Grégoire Hellot. And One Punch Man to seduce a new audience in passing.
Anyone can be a superhero
Last step of the One Punch Man rocket: a first video game has just been released on PS4, Xbox One and PC, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows . We do not only embody Saitama (it would be too simple, fights won in one go!) But his own hero. Customizable from head to toe, it will then be necessary to make him the most powerful hero in the universe. We find the whole universe of One Punch Man , from colorful heroes to extravagant monsters.
This first game, very similar to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, another video game adapted from a manga released recently, is nothing extraordinary. It is about chaining fights and side quests in a very small semi-open world. Objective: gain experience to become stronger. Repetitive in the long run, One Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows will still seduce fans as he is faithful to the atmosphere and humor so particular to the manga. And the possibility of fighting, outside of adventure mode, fights between friends with the heroes of the game is very nice.