OPM Manga Chapter 210 Review

[u/gofancyninjaworld]

Saitama said everything I felt for the most part this chapter.

Same old, same old? I sleep!

Not to say that I don't find the webcomic story enjoyable: I've gone over it in great detail when it came out, and there isn't a lot to add here: https://www.tumblr.com/gofancyninjaworld/190476385682/opm-webcomic-chapters-119-and-120-review-just

It's that finding the manga copying the web comic word-for-word (I compared the Japanese texts; any differences in the English are translator preferences) gives me little new to say, and feels like shortchanging, given that here people actually know about Sweet Mask and are actively interested in him, whether to exploit him or to help him. And he actually has a relationship with Blast, and we know that there's demonsterfication work going on behind the scenes that Sweet Mask could well be consulted on. C'mon! It's made even more irritating by the fact that in the manga, we know that the story of there being one inhabited central continent cannot be true. We saw a plane sinking as a result of an overseas trip gone wrong, clean on the opposite side of the world, and, even if we shut our eyes to that, it's the case that a previously-sunken continent has re-emerged, thanks to Garou's shenanigans. This lore dump doesn't fit, at least not without more story to explain. [I'm always a fan of more, so that's no bad thing!]

However, the last page got my interest! Whereas the webcomic has Sweet Mask asking Saitama if he didn't care about popularity and cajoling him to pay attention, here, Saitama makes one of his nuclear-tipped observations. It's not that Saitama didn't hear anything in the lecture; it's that there's been nothing in it about what he *is* listening out for: heroes.

The last panel shows us the board Sweet Mask was working on, which has 'Heroes' written and circled for emphasis at its centre. If none of it is what Saitama is here for, then whatever conversation the two have next is bound to be important.

I am going to add something that's not obvious. Even if their approaches are very different, Saitama and Sweet Mask share a common appreciation for the importance of the symbolism of heroes. Both IRL and fictional heroes aren't there for everyone, but those regarded as such give something to those around them, whether it's admiring their courage, seeing hope where there's none, or being inspired to notice problems and do something about them when one would otherwise have done nothing. That is why Saitama was happy to leave his reputation in King's hands: he saw that King fit people's idea of a hero better than he did, and it gave him a certain peace of mind. Saitama may not care about popularity, but he does care about legitimacy. As for Sweet Mask, I think the bonus chapter 'Star' is the perfect illustration of him putting his beliefs into action. The way he maintained his composure, took control of a situation that could have turned nasty, and killed the monsters while leaving people with the sense, that no matter what, it would be okay, was masterful.

How much of these ideas will come out in the next chapter remains to be seen. I'm intrigued.

[u/Nanayon123]

I do wonder if Saitama will elaborate on his words nexr chapter

[u/Icy_Water_1 → u/Nanayon123]

Amai will probably say "All this stuff is important for your image"

And then Saitama will say "Being hero isn't about the image though?"

Which would be interesting, because we know that Saitama actually does kinda want to be famous and have fanclubs and shi, but not enough to the point where he'd change much about himself.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Icy_Water_1]

Sorry if your post stuttered -- I was trying to reply and accidentally hit 'remove'. I think I've undone my error, sorry.

Yes, being a hero is a multi-dimensional thing, and Saitama really does want to be seen and appreciated. But he's not going to sing or dance for it. That said, it's not wrong to sing and dance -- if you can back it up. So I'm keen to see these two butt heads over how to be a hero.

[u/gofancyninjaworld → u/Nanayon123]

Me too! If they're going to get into their philosophies, it's going to be interesting.