Very few series remain engaging from beginning to end. Most inevitably hit a lull somewhere during serialization.
For several weeks, many One-Punch Man viewers had begun questioning the show, feeling that Season Two lacked the punch and novelty of Season One.
But the moment this episode aired, the reputation flipped overnight.
Open any forum and the "boring plot" threads were gone, replaced by heated discussions dissecting every scene.
Especially the Dragon-level disgrace, Bakuzan.
Back in Rei's previous life, Murata, the redraw artist of the One-Punch Man manga, wasn't universally criticized for every deviation from the original webcomic.
In fact, during the martial-arts tournament arc, Bakuzan was an entirely original character created by Murata, and fans loved him the moment the chapter dropped.
The same applied to the Monster Association arc and Murata's original creation, the "Monster King" Orochi.
Reception for Orochi was mixed, and many readers jokingly dubbed him "Monster King Dumb-chi," yet even so, Murata's spontaneous creative additions clearly had value. The redrawn manga was a major reason One-Punch Man exploded globally in that life.
It was only much later, when he began inventing elements like Blast, that the story truly derailed.
Because of that, the One-Punch Man anime Rei produced in this Japan followed neither ONE's version nor Murata's version verbatim.
Instead, Rei cherry-picked.
He kept the fan-favorite elements and cut the universally disliked ones.
Judging by tonight's broadcast, the cultures of the two worlds were similar enough that the ripple effects aligned almost perfectly.
At the very least, this tournament arc successfully diluted the fatigue caused by Garou's slow-burn development.
Everyone knew Garou would eventually be defeated by Saitama in one punch, yet the story kept lavishing screen time on his growth. Fans had grown impatient.
'He's just going to lose in one punch anyway, what's the point of all this buildup?'
Thanks to the explosive discussion surrounding Bakuzan, One-Punch Man's ratings rose again the next day, closing at 6.71%, a new series high.
Riding this momentum, Rei announced via his creator account that One-Punch Man tankōbon volumes would soon be released.
Many fans had already watched the anime, but animation can never include every panel, side character, or bit of detail.
And manga volumes remain one of the most important merchandise revenue streams.
Adaptation cycles like this are common in otaku culture. In Rei's previous life, after 5 Centimeters Per Second became popular, it spawned novels, manga adaptations, and more.
Of course, Rei wouldn't be drawing the One-Punch Man volumes himself, he simply didn't have the time.
He planned to provide detailed storyboards and recruit top-tier manga artists to handle the artwork, turning it into a collaborative project.
If you want an IP to grow, you need a complete merchandise ecosystem.
After all, plenty of readers in Japan don't watch anime at all, they only buy manga.
Soon, it was mid-March.
One-Punch Man Season Two was approaching its finale.
After the tournament arc ended, the story returned to Garou's assault on the Hero Association. This time, his targets escalated from low-ranking heroes to S-Class.
He even challenged Genos, though at his current level, Genos still managed to suppress him.
By the end of the season, the Monster Association fully took center stage, laying the groundwork for the next phase.
Season Three would be a direct confrontation.
Hero Association versus Monster Association.
Meanwhile, Hunter × Hunter finally hit its true stride.
Nearly a year into serialization, past the Hunter Exam, the Zoldyck Estate, and Heavens Arena, the story had now entered Yorknew City.
Led by Kurapika, with Gon, Killua, and Leorio supporting him, the main cast targeted the Phantom Troupe lurking in the shadows of the mafia metropolis, poised to unleash bloodshed.
This week, the clash began.
Kurapika confronted Uvogin head-on, revealing a Nen Ability usable only against members of the Phantom Troupe. By paying a terrible price, he gained overwhelming dominance, brutally extracting information from Uvogin.
Uvogin chose death over betrayal.
Having avenged his clan yet sinking into guilt, Kurapika executed him.
At the same time, the supposedly monstrous Phantom Troupe displayed unwavering loyalty to one another.
They might slaughter without hesitation, but for their comrades and their leader, every one of them was willing to die.
The portrayal of these characters, and the unveiling of Kurapika's distorted Nen Ability, dragged countless silent readers out of the shadows.
"Damn, I thought the Nen system was garbage. Turns out it's insanely fun!"
"Kurapika's chains are ridiculously complex, in the best way!"
"After this chapter, Gon and Killua feel like beginners. Who's the real protagonist now?"
"I always thought battle manga was just bigger energy blasts. Didn't know abilities could be designed like this."
"All those categories, Specialist, Conjurer, Enhancer, Emitter, I thought Shirogane sensei was flexing. Turns out it all matters."
"Enhancers took a massive hit this week. All muscle, no brain? Gon, Uvogin… and Kurapika's line, 'You're just an Enhancer', had me dying."
"Same four from the Hunter Exam, yet Kurapika's growth is terrifying."
"I love Kurapika, but he's too gentle. Killing Uvogin, probably his first kill, left him shattered even though it was revenge."
"Why aren't the tankōbon sales exploding yet? Series way worse than Hunter average 13–14 million per volume, Hunter's only at 11!"
"It's been serialized less than a year. Fastest series in Japan to break 10 million per volume, relax."
"Hope Hunter eventually tops the charts. I was a hardcore Monogatari Comic reader until my little sister dragged me into Hunter. Now Hunter's number one in my heart, Echoes of the End is second."
"Same. I still buy Monogatari Comic weekly, but now I grab Dream Comic too. Hunter's the only series that leaves me this addicted, long chapters, insane quality, weird pull."
"Waiting every week is torture. Shirogane sensei and his cliff-hangers… sigh."