At surface value one punch man's story may seem simple if you’re a manga reader, but
once you find out about the webcomic and redraws, things can quickly escalate into insanity.
There are 3 canon stories in the OPM franchise; the webcomic is the original source by one.
The manga is the reimagined adaption of the webcomic which is seemingly going in its own
direction by murata.
Then finally the redraws which heavily alter the original chapters from the manga, also
illustrated by murata.
This video will be mainly comparing the manga to the redraws.
Yesterday, the chapter 115 redraw dropped and as someone who never cared about the redraws,
I decided to give it a chance.
And after reading the redraw an interesting question popped in my head.
Are these redraws necessary and do they actually ruin the overall story?
This isn’t just a random thought either, the redraws have been quite controversial
in the OPM community for a while now.
One side typical prefers the redraws over the original chapters because Murata removes
most of the battle shounen-esque elements in favor of OPMs traditional gag humor, while
also giving more screentime to saitama which many fans have been wishing for.
Then to the contrary, the other side of the fanbase dislikes the redraws either because
they complicate the story too much because you have to keep up with two versions of the
chapters, and it’s not clear which version is officially canon?
Or they dislike the redraws because Murata removes a lot of cool moments and some even
hate how dragged out the MA arc is and all these redraws aren’t helping.
Now personally, I barely keep up with the redraws if any at all.
Mainly because I’m not a fan the original canon being heavily altered.
It would be one thing if the original story was underwhelming, then I could understand
why Murata is so prone to redrawing chapters.
Though I have little complaints with the current arc excluding the pacing issues.
Also, It doesn’t seem like the redraws actually improve the story in my experience.
Usually, they heavily omit all the battle shounen elements out in favor of gag humor,
which I understand many OPM fans love because that is one of the main reasons OPM is so
beloved.
Though, I actually adore the exaggerated traditional shounen fights.
Muratas gorgeous art and dynamic paneling is constant eye candy.
And compared to most action series I’ve consumed, OPM easily consist of some of the
best fight choreography.
So, I’m all ways on the edge of my seat and brimming with excitement reading these
battles.
Even disregarding the fights, it seems the redraws removes a lot of important character
moments in favor of putting saitama in the spotlight.
I know a large majority of OPM readers likely enjoy the story mainly for saitama but I actually
prefer when side characters get the spotlight.
The OPM world is what's most interesting to me, not saitama himself.
So, it sucks when the heroes get their epic development scenes cut in favor of more gag
humor.
The biggest offender of this was the battle with Kid emperor vs phoenix man.
I so disappointed how the battle concluded in the redraw.
Yeah, it fits the traditional gag humor of OPM but I adored the epic and tense battle
between kid emperor and phoenix man.
That’s lowkey one of the best fights in the entire series.
Nevertheless, gag humor isn’t the only addition the redraws bring to the table.
Chapter 115 added an abundance of fascinating lore with Orochi and God.
So, it seems the redraws may be more plot focused than the original battle heavy chapters.
I’m not too confident in that statement because I didn’t read many of the redraws
but if that’s the case, then that’s a huge pro in favor of the redraws.
However, I’m still not a fan of the many pointless retcons.
It makes such a simple story unnecessarily convoluted.
Heck, I even asked my OPM readers last night what they thought of the redraws and a large
portion don’t even read them.
So, for instance let’s say the anime returns, which version do you think they’ll animate?
The redraws of course; they are what take priority on the volume release I’m assuming.
Though that adds another problem to this enigma.
What happens to the original chapters that were redrawn?
Do their events just cease to exist?
If that’s true, then that means the fans wasted their time reading a filler chapter.
This will lead to a bunch of confusion for source readers once they don’t recognize
episodes because the chapter they read is no longer canon.
Then there’s also the argument that the MA arc is being overextended past it’s welcoming.
Personally, I’m loving the MA arc so I don’t support that argument many fans have but I
still understand their fatigue for this arc, especially considering the webcomic is a couple
of arcs ahead IIRC.
Nevertheless, I’m curious to see what you guys feel about the redraws.
Do you prefer them over the original chapters, or do you dislike them and only read the original?
Let me know your thoughts in the comments.
Also, since you made it this far, consider liking if you enjoyed the video, dislike if
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