While fans are eagerly awaiting Season 3 of One-Punch Man, another passionate group has taken it upon themselves to improve upon Season 2 of the anime series. Although One-Punch Man Season 2 wasn't bad per se — at least from a story perspective — the season was criticized for its pacing, animation and graphics, and sound.
Thanks to the effort and hard work of a dedicated group of fans, some of these issues have been addressed. The group announced on social media the release of the full "Serious Sounds" project.
"This project serves as a way to re-watch Season 2 in a new light, with an emphasis on reworking the sound effects and music, both of which have a dramatic effect on how the animation feels," the description reads. "The project also features visual and pacing changes to the episodes."
The 12 enhanced episodes can actually be found on Reddit with a change-log detailing the difference. Most of the changes made had to do with SFX, but there have been some soundtrack swaps and visual edits as well.
Over on social media, the group shared a quick trailer for the Serious Sounds project.
It should be noted that this project wasn't made to criticize the work fo J.C. Staff, who took over production from Madhouse following Season 1. As the group explains, "Serious Sounds was made in dedication to the efforts of J.C. Staff who worked against an impossible deadline producing season 2."
"Thank you for your hard work, and thank you to every wonderful individual who helped me complete this project!" the statement reads. "Finally, thank you to everyone here for your kind support and comments! I'm grateful to all of you and I hope you enjoy!"
As the group acknowledges, there was a major drop off in quality from Season 1 to Season 2 of One-Punch Man, but not all of the blame can be pinned on JC Staff. The studio faced an incredibly rushed production schedule which ultimately resulted in underwhelming production value. Again, it wasn't bad, but this project is a clear example of how the season could've been better if JC Staff was given ample time. In total, the Serious Sounds project took over a year of work — over 930 hours to be exact.
One-Punch Man Season 3 is currently in production at JC Staff with no release date yet. Many expect the newest season to debut either later this year or early 2025. It's been five years since the second season aired, so hopefully we get a season that lives up to the animation and production quality of the first.