Episode 1 of One Punch Man Season 3 is out, and fans are not impressed with Shinpei Nagai’s vision for the series’ direction. Before the season even had a release date, it was rumored that he had previously directed a few h*ntai titles, with no experience in directing action sequences. With the unnecessary fan service in the first episode, the rumors were further solidified. And yes, the rumors are true; Shinpei Nagai has directed h*ntai earlier in his career.
Shinpei Nagai’s Days With Food Wars and H*ntai Resurface With One Punch Man
What made One Punch Man fans suspicious of Shinpei Nagai’s directorial style was Tatsumaki’s questionably tight attire in the opening theme. Fans found it uncomfortable to watch due to its unnecessarily suggestive nature, and wondered why it was animated that way.
In 2017, he was also in charge of a few episodes of Food Wars, which is a notorious ecchi anime. Thus, he does have experience with anime with a lot of suggestive scenes. However, the few h*ntai series he was involved in came out more than a decade ago.
Since then, Nagai has branched out and directed a variety of projects, mostly comedy and romance. Not to mention, he has experience with a thriller and science fiction series, all of which require him to direct action sequences. Here’s a full list of Shinpei Nagai’s directorial works before One Punch Man.
That said, it’s rather unfair that One Punch Man fans would reduce Nagai’s career to a h*ntai director. If it defined someone’s career, then the creator of Ghost in the Shell, Masamune Shirow, is also just a h*ntai mangaka. Fans need to extend the same courtesy to Nagai. Moreover, the suggestive designs are accurate to Yusuke Murata’s illustrations.
From Psycho-Pass to Aquarion Logos, One Punch Man’s Director Can Direct Action
From Shinpei Nagai’s list of works, he has experience in directing action. Psycho-Pass is an excellent series with great fight scenes. Moreover, Samurai Flamenco’s story and tone are similar to One Punch Man. So, the director has done action and parody before.
While action isn’t necessarily Nagai’s strong suit, the blame doesn’t solely lie with him. J.C.Staff’s animation team also needs to be held accountable. It’s a combination of many terrible decisions, and the issues have been prevalent since Season 2.
The movement and frames in Episode 1 of Season 3 did not deliver on the thrilling action of One Punch Man. It was mostly still frames, and although it looked better than how Blue Lock and The Beginning After the End did it, it shouldn’t be the case for a Shonen series. We sincerely hope the rest of Season 3 will be far better.
Do you believe Shinpei Nagai isn’t fit to direct One Punch Man? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
One Punch Man can currently be streamed on Crunchyroll.
