The One Punch Man Season 3 animation studio is officially JC Staff which has not only disappointed MAPPA fans but also stirred concerns and conversations about the quality of the upcoming season. One Punch Man Season 3 needs to offer a lot, given that it is returning after five long years and the second season animated by JC Staff received a lot of critical reviews as well as rage. In this article, we will be looking at the One Punch Man Season 3 animation studio and why JC Staff undertaking this project might not be a bad thing after all.
JC Staff as One Punch Man Season 3 animation studio – will it be better than Season 2?
The recent announcement that follows JC Staff taking over as the One Punch Man Season 3 animation studio is causing a lot of internet debates and discussions. While on one end we have a section of fans who are skeptical about JC Staff taking over as the official animators, another section of fans also believe that the upcoming season could indeed break that stereotype. The latter school of thought arises after the recent release of the One Punch Man Season 3 teaser trailer that showcased Saitama and Garou in an epic showdown.
- For the last few years, OPM fans have been constantly asking the same question over and over again – “Who is animating One Punch Man Season 3?“
- While this remained unanswered for the longest time, there was a point when many of us hoped that One Punch Man S3 would be announced at the MAPPA Stage.
- But after several years of guessing and hopping, we are finally at the end of the tunnel. In the recent One Punch Man Season 3 teaser trailer, Saitama and Garou’s characters and Dr. Genus’ overarching narrative voice are purely transcendental in nature. The new hero visual for Saitama is also very sharp and snazzy, making his outlook into a whole new avatar of sorts.
Up until now, only the Japanese trailer has been released for the upcoming season. While that is fairly tough to decode at the moment, we can be certain that the story will feature the Monsters Association Arc and the fight in the teaser was simply a marker of the beginning of an impeccably ferocious and bone-chilling season to come. The trailer focuses on Garou, known as the “human monster” who was taken by the infamous Monster Association, finally awakening his true potential. This is by far also one of the best arcs in the manga and JC Staff has proved with the teaser that the upcoming season is simply enough to push all the criticism to the corners.
Also Read: Top 5 JC Staff anime series that you shouldn’t miss
Why did One Punch Man Season 2 fail?
- One Punch Man Season 2 was inarguably one of the most disappointing takeovers of any anime project.
- Madhouse’s One Punch Man Season 1 was filled with immaculate details and even the fight sequences of Saitama against Carnage Kabuto or Boros were filled with life and each shot was a reflection of the hard work that was done behind the scenes to uphold the reputation of the manga and its spotless illustrations.
- But when JC Staff took over the One Punch Man Season 2, it was reduced to a cheap and worn down anime that failed to even represent the characters as lively, much less likely to put effort into the fight sequences for which the plot and the manga were critically acclaimed.
JC Staff made One Punch Man Season 2 look odd, as even the most mundane acts and shots were reduced to a pile of nothing. It was a complete heap of garbage that stood as a shame to the legacy that One Punch Man officially held. But reasons surrounding the failure of the second season were primarily attributed to the change in the crew wherein season one’s director Shingo Natsume (who was credited with the extraordinary success of the first season) was replaced by Chikara Sakurai. Moreover, The change in crew was further aided by a shortage of animators.
One Punch Man Season 2 failed because it was unable to relive to the standards set by Madhouse. While this may sound very childish and unprofessional at first, we have to remember that Madhouse has gifted us with some of the top-rated and most widely acclaimed anime shows over the past few decades. JC Staff is undoubtedly one of the forerunners in the anime industry, but this failure is much like the fall of Psycho-Pass or Seven Deadly Sins, all of which deteriorated after their respective studios desperately tried but dwindled to understand and comprehend the efforts of their predecessors.
Why the JC Staff One Punch Man Season 3 cast and crew should put your heart at ease
- On February 29, 2024, the official ONE anime Twitter account unveiled the One Punch Man Season 3 crew, returning cast, and new teaser.
- In the video, Makoto Furukawa reprises his role as Saitama, while Hikaru Midorikawa returns as the voice actor of Garou. The trailer is narrated by Dr. Genus voiced by Daisuke Namikawa.
- Chikashi Kubota will be the Character Designer alongside Ryosuke Shirakawa and Shinjiro Kuroda. The crew also debuted a hero visual of Saitama created by character designer Kuroda.
- The series composition is once again under the direction of Tomohiro Suzuki while Makoto Miyazaki is coming back as the series’ Music Composer.
While criticism surrounds the upcoming season undertaken by JC Staff, we have to understand that this crew is known for producing some of the greatest works of anime. Firstly, we have series compositor Tomohiro Suzuki, who is revered as a screenwriter in the industry and was responsible for successful franchises such as Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and One Punch Man Season 1. We also have our character designer Chikashi Kubota, who has previously worked as a key animator in projects like Suzume and Naruto: Shippuden. Moreover, Makoto Miyazaki, known for compositions in Spy x Family (2022), One Punch Man (2015), and Re: Zero, Starting Life in Another World (2016), will be taking over as the music composer.
However, it was released quite recently that Yusuke Murata, the manga illustrator who gave life to this soul-shifting series, will not be returning for the third season. The JC Staff One Punch Man Season 3 will not be graced with Murata’s guidance as the mangaka wishes to focus on his own projects undertaken by his anime studio. Given that he is one of the best illustrators in the industry and was known for bringing the One Punch Man anime to life with great relevance to the manga, it is undoubtedly a loss on our end altogether.
On an additional note, we must not forget how JC Staff has time and again delivered some of the greatest anime series including the likes of Food Wars and The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. While the former was mainly centered around food orgasms and the latter with psychic abilities of an introvert, we must understand that JC Staff could easily give life and energy to even the most mundane stories and carve meanings and memories out of them. To know more about JC Staff and their greatest projects, you must read our article titled ‘Top 5 JC Staff Anime that gives us the confidence that One Punch Man Season 3 will be great again‘.
One Punch Man Season 3 – what will the plot cover?
The One Punch Man third season will follow the life of Saitama, a hero who rose to fame and climbed the ladder just for the sake of it. He’s gone through three years of “special training,” and now he remains invincible. He is so strong that even his strongest opponents are defeated by a single blow. As a member of the Hero Association, Saitama fulfills his formal hero responsibilities with his devoted disciple Genos.
However, a child of a Hero Association official was kidnapped by monsters of the Monster Association and One Punch Man Season 3 begins with this premise. To free the hostage, the S-class heroes band together and organize an attack on the Monster Association’s lair. It was however not going to be easy, as the human monster Garou had just awakened his true abilities and was lurking in the shadows of the Monsters Association. To keep yourself updated with the upcoming season, do not forget to subscribe to our newsletter at Spiel Anime.
Conclusion
JC Staff taking over as the One Punch Man animation studio might spark a lot of polarised opinions and heated debates. However, on an entirely objective note, the trailer does prove to be exciting and it presents an image that shows not just a humongous development in animation but also the spirit of bringing a story to life through anime.