****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
In volume five of *One-Punch Man*, we are introduced to a couple of story elements. These are the incompetence of the Hero Association, which in turn leads to Saitama having to choose to purposely take it on the chin to protect the prestige of the Hero Association (in order to protect the honor of the other heroes). We also have the first arc with a real sense of danger to it.What I mean by the last is that before it was just Saitama or Saitama and Genos kicking ass, and even when Genos was in trouble, Saitama was right there. In this volume with the second half of the brief "Invasion of the Sea Folk" arc, the stakes seem more real as Genos, Mumen Rider, and others will truly *die* if someone strong enough to defeat the Sea King doesn't show up. Only Saitama and probably Tornado are strong enough to do so. He's on his way and she is not anywhere near there to show up in time.Oh, in the end, it was still a one-punch kill, as one expects, but that's not the drama. In a move that mirrors the *Superman* comics in the West, the drama comes from other elements. In this case it is if Saitama can get there in time. He does, of course, but it's still a cool story and had some serious elements in this and other ways that show the author is taking us beyond gags and into building an actual story in the universe of *OPM*.This relates to the other two points, in that Saitama is forced to publicly act in a way that turns the public against himself in order to keep the prestige of the other Heroes intact. It's largely due to the incompetence of the Hero Association that he was forced to do this and it's not fun to see. This is hard to watch, and I think Genos speaks for us all when he doesn't like this, but supports Saitama's decision.All of this, along with how Saitama reacts to his friend Genos, as well as Mumen Rider - who he knows is a good guy - getting hurt show us both the true character of Saitama and some development along those limes. Yes, he is selfish, lazy and kinda childish at times, but he honestly does care about his friend, and he doesn't like seeing folks in pain. He's also self-sacrificial in that he expects to be fired for his embarrassment to the HA he invoked on behalf of the other heroes, but did it anyway because he felt it was right. To his surprise, he is promoted. These elements of his character were already there, but I think were deepened by his time with Genos.While the broad use of comedy in the series since the beginning is cool, and stays for certain, the manga couldn't continue to captivate without some introduction of world-building, myth arcs, and such. It eventually had to grow, yet such growth would not be nearly as satisfying if it came at the expense of the humor and light-hearted parts. In this volume, the creators managed to balance out the growth of the manga's plot with the elements that made it a fun read before.One part I liked was really how cool in a moral and courageous sort of way that Mumen Rider is. He is entirely normal except for the ability to take massive punishment and heal quickly. Heh, maybe he's NOT so normal, or maybe he is and science is farther along in this fictional context? Regardless, he can't do anything else of any "super" ability. But what he does do and can do is to fight for others so they can live longer.In one of the best scenes in the entire series so far, if ever, he is fighting the Deep Sea King and he knows he is screwed. He can't possibly win and will likely die. But maybe he can keep people alive a little longer. It's all he can do, but he does it anyways. That's right. He fights (or tries to, anyway) the bad guy knowing he will lose and likely die. He does it anyway because that's who he is. He may lack powers, but he has so much heart. And you know what? He succeeds! It was his being a willing punching bag that distracted the villain from a badly-hurt Genos (whose injury was his own awesome sacrifice) and other morally-wounded heroes the Deep Sea King was going to kill, and then by the time Mumen Rider was finished, Saitama arrived.The sheer awesomeness, heartwarming moments (often the two overlapped), and growth in the story made this volume just so worth reading and one I HIGHLY Recommend.5/5 Stars.
