One Punch Man (2019)

[ワンパンマン]

Volume 21

Author: ONE
Artist: Yusuke Murata
Publisher: Jump Comics

Synopsis:
The heroes continue their push into the Monster Association's headquarters, clashing against progressively stronger monsters.

Story/Characters:
A big chunk of this volume is Flash versus Wind and Flame, which makes for a flashy action scene but doesn't actually have much value in terms of plot progression and character development. The latter part with the Child Emperor has more depth to it as we've never really seen him in the thick of it before and there's more to his actions than just cool ninja moves. Phoenix Man proves to be a more interesting antagonist than I would've expected and Gyorogyoro seems to be less intent on hiding the fact that he's the power behind the throne.

Art:
We might be thin on story and character this time around, but there's tons of gorgeous action. The ninja fight is pretty much all in the visuals. Atomic Samurai gets some nice moments at the start and there are a lot of neat gadgets the Child Emperor employs in battle.

We get the final part of the poster that started two volumes back. I'm sure Tatsumaki fans will appreciate that she gets featured on the back.

Other:
We get a four-page bonus chapter that hopefully points to a promising future developments. We'll see.

Conclusion:
If you're only here for the action, this is sure to satisfy, but if you want something more, even if it's just some gags, it comes up short. The visuals are brilliant as ever, but because I know the storytelling is capable of more, I can't quite call it a must-have. It's definitely worth a read at the very least.

Rating:
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