Chainsaw Man is a wild ride from start to finish.
The show is an adaptation of the award-winning manga of the same name. While many fans of the manga have expressed displeasure with the anime adaptation I for one am a fan. Denji, the main character is fun to watch and his relationship with the other main cast is a pleasure.
The anime is adapted by Mappa Studios the team behind several other hit anime shows. One of those series called Jujutsu Kaisen, is one of my favorites. It features extremely broken people fighting against curses with magic. It honestly has a similar vibe to chainsaw man however it’s a little less punk in its attitude.
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The plot of Chainsaw Man
The setting of the story is a world where Devils are born from human fears, and Devil Hunters specialize in hunting and utilizing them.
The events take place in an alternate timeline of 1997, where the Soviet Union still exists, and significant historical events such as the Holocaust, AIDS, and nuclear weapons have been erased from history.
By sacrificing something, humans can make contracts with Devils, which allows them to use their power. Devils can also become Fiends by possessing a dead human's body.
When a Devil dies on Earth, it reappears in Hell, and if it dies in Hell, it reincarnates in a new body on Earth. Denji is a young man working as a Devil Hunter to pay off his deceased father's debt to the yakuza. He is accompanied by Pochita, his canine companion and Chainsaw Devil. However, the yakuza betray Denji and kill him for a contract with the Zombie Devil.
Pochita makes a deal with Denji, merging with him as a Devil-human Hybrid, with the condition that Denji leads a simple life. He only desires basic things like bread with jam, falling in love, and being intimate with someone. By pulling a cord in his chest, Denji transforms into Chainsaw Man and avenges the yakuza's betrayal.
After the incident, Denji joins the Public Safety Division, a governmental team of Devil Hunters led by Makima. She assigns him to kill the Gun Devil and pairs him with the more experienced Devil Hunter named Aki Hayakawa. Denji trains with his partners, Power, the Blood Fiend, and the veteran Devil Hunter Kishibe, to fight various enemies who seek his power, including the yakuza, other Devils, and assassins sent by various countries.
Chainsaw Man Shopping
Chainsaw Man's visual style is highly suitable for merchandise, and they have an extensive range of products, including t-shirts, sweaters, toys, and more. I have put together an Amazon collection for Chainsaw Man items to facilitate your shopping experience. Click on the link provided, and your purchase will help me out immensely as I may earn a small commission. Thank you for your support.
The main cast of Chainsaw Man
Denji
Denji, due to severe poverty, lacks formal education and social skills, making him come off as brash and naïve. However, he has a kind heart and shows empathy towards those in danger, willing to help as much as possible.
While Denji doesn't necessarily possess the highest intelligence, he is capable of clever ideas to take down Devils.
After becoming a Public Safety Devil Hunter and fulfilling his basic needs, Denji is unsure of what he wants in life. Many of Denji's said basic needs were fueled by sexual desire, going so far as to accept dangerous missions in exchange for some form of sexual gratification.
One such case was feeling up Power in exchange for rescuing her cat, however, he later realized and lamented that the satisfaction from such intimate acts is fleeting. Denji also harbors a fear that his seeming lack of empathy and attachment after his transformation is a sign that he is losing his sense of humanity.
Makima
Denji joins the Public Safety Department headed by Makima, who plays a crucial role in recruiting him.
Makima possesses exceptional cunning, coldness, and manipulation tactics, which she uses to control Denji by making promises of a romantic and sexual relationship.
She also threatens him with extermination if he fails to obey her. Makima is ruthless and indifferent, willing to sacrifice anyone in pursuit of her goals, even those she should protect.
She has an eerie yet captivating aura around her, making it hard to discern her true intentions. As the season progresses, her powers and abilities become more apparent and undeniably impressive.
Aki Hayakawa
Aki, despite seeming rude around other Devil Hunters, was actually quite kind-hearted. He formed attachments easily and couldn't stand to see his friends hurt. Himeno described him as a "normal person" who still felt grief and hadn't become cold to emotions. Though his main motivation for killing the Gun Devil was revenge for his family, he was willing to risk his life to save others, despite his fear of death.
At first, Aki and Denji had a rough relationship. They even got into a fistfight in an alley where Denji won by ruthlessly hitting Aki in the groin.
Power
Power is a confident Fiend who enjoys showing off her strength and dominance. She aligns herself with whoever is winning and is unapologetically self-centered. She's one of my favorite characters this season due to her intriguing and captivating personality.
Who directed Chainsaw Man?
Chainsaw Man is directed by Ryu Nakayama. In doing some research about him I found that they are a long-time key animator for many Mappa properties. While they have several credits as a key animator this is their first time getting credit for an entire series of episodes instead of 1 off sections. It’s definitely intriguing that Ryu Nakayama was able to deliver such a great product without much directorial experience.
Mappa Studio Produced Chainsaw Man
Studio Mappa is pumping out hit series after hit series.
While I appreciate the incredible animation that I’ve come to expect from this studio the focus recently has been on the harsh working conditions that many animators are experiencing while working there.
The studio has been working on releasing 3 concurrent projects in 2023 alone. That kind of pacing would seem to be unsustainable if what has been reported is true. One former employee described the working conditions at Mappa as “factory-like”.
For example, it has been claimed by animator Ippei Ichii that an anime produced by Mappa for Netflix was paying ¥3,800 yen ($26.05 USD) per cut when the minimum is usually ¥15000 yen ($108.25 USD).
Mappa has denied the claims.
With the writer and actor strike in Hollywood happening right now, I’m sure that the issue of fair compensation for creative talent will not be going anywhere anytime soon and shall remain center-stage
The conditions working at Mappa remind me of the opening episode of Zom 100: Bucketlist of the Dead. The nonstop deadlines and exploitive hours don’t sound like a fantastic place to work however the quality of the product can’t be denied.
Shop for the Chainsaw Man Manga
For those interested in the manga you can purchase it from Amazon in either Kindle format or in print. Both forms help to support the creator through royalties and purchasing the manga through my link here supports me since I could earn a commission from your purchase. As always thank you.
Chainsaw Man Season One Review
I very much enjoyed watching Chainsaw Man. Many people were not fans of the visual style of the show at first but I like it immensely. The anime uses 2D animation, CGI, and rotoscoping to create a new visually interesting style.
More over the characters are fun, engaging, and a breath of fresh air in a season jammed with Isekai clones.
I like that Denji’s personality fits his environment and circumstances.
Denji is not a polite little boy.
He is a person that has spent his formative years working off his father's crippling debt doing whatever he had to in order to make his payments. He’s sold organs, taken disgusting dares, and never refused an offer that included cash at the end.
Denji inherited crippling debt from his father and he’ll do anything and everything to eliminate it. I appreciate that Denji’s burden is very relatable.
It’s a real-world problem that people can empathize with. We aren’t dealing with some ancient curse, we aren’t dealing with an inherited power, it’s economics and bad decisions that got us to where we are. As I said above this also informs and helps to build Denji’s personality in response to his circumstances.
He isn’t unrealistically optimistic like many anime protagonists. He’s vulgar, from the streets, and he’ll do anything he needs to do to get what he needs.
To be fair to Denji it’s pretty simple things. Toast with all the fixings, sexual gratification, etc. Not world-changing ambitions by any stretch of the idea
Another aspect of Denji that is endearing is his relationship with Pochita. Pochita’s character design is such a fun juxtaposition from the horrible monstrosity that he transforms into when he combines with Denji.
Love for Pochita
The relationship between Denji and Pochita is so sweet. Denji really does love this little fella. It reminds me of transient or homeless people who have a dog for companionship.
Many times these people don’t have anyone whom they can bond with other than their animal companions. While I was looking I found a really really cute plushy of Pochita here on Amazon as well.
Visceral and Gory Action Scenes
If the sight of blood makes you faint, this show may not be suitable for you.
The level of violence in this series is extreme. The combat scenes are intense and bloody, with Denji using his chainsaw arms and head to devastating effect.
The camera follows him as he unleashes chaos and destruction, with blood raining down from the sky. Interestingly, some manga readers criticized the anime adaptation for not being gory enough. While the manga may have more graphic scenes of intestines and other disturbing imagery, the shows combat scenes are still impressive and well-executed, even if they don't perfectly capture the manga's visceral style.
As I said above when Denji pulls the ripcord in his chest he transforms into a hybrid human devil.
Once that happens he becomes completely and utterly unhinged, borderline sadistic. It’s as if all the fury he’s held inside while he was working off his father's debt comes pouring out when he transforms.
You’ll see him mock foes and belittle them for not being more powerful. He also becomes single-mindedly focused on absolutely obliterating his opponent. Nothing else matters at the moment, think like 2 levels above a berserker.
Fun Powers and Interesting World-Building
One of the exciting aspects of this shonen anime is discovering the characters' unique abilities.
The show features a diverse range of powers utilized by both heroes and villains, including transformation, future vision, heightened speed, and teleportation. However, these abilities come at a hefty price - a contract with the devil. Each use of their powers extracts a grim or melancholy cost, such as the loss of organs or even a reduction in lifespan.
The premise of the show is very interesting to me.
The thought that the more something is feared the more power it is given is not a new concept but it is presented very well here. It’s a clever world-building conceit.
Magical realism might be a good way of putting it. All aspects of life are relatively the same as our world expects for this key difference being the existence of devils. It allows the series to analyze how this impacts people.
In particular, it allows the show to showcase several fears personified as devils which is exciting to see. From real-world tangible fears such as snakes and guns to esoteric fears such as control and the future, the show does a great job of making creative design decisions.
Other recommendations
Another anime worth watching is Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. It’s a nice change of pace from Chainsaw Man. The characters are interesting and it’s a different take on the Gundam franchise which is refreshing to see.
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Conclusion
Chainsaw Man is an anime absolutely worth watching and adding to your library. The series has a very loyal manga following and while those fans have not been as appreciative of the anime adaptation as maybe some would have liked it’s absolutely a series that is worth your time.
You can watch Chainsaw Man on Crunchroll.com
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