Chainsaw Man

Denji is robbed of a normal teenage life, left with nothing but his deadbeat father's overwhelming debt. His only companion is his pet, the chainsaw devil Pochita, with whom he slays devils for money that inevitably ends up in the yakuza's pockets. All Denji can do is dream of a good, simple life: one with delicious food and a beautiful girlfriend by his side. But an act of greedy betrayal by the yakuza leads to Denji's brutal, untimely death, crushing all hope of him ever achieving happiness.

Remarkably, an old contract allows Pochita to merge with the deceased Denji and bestow devil powers on him, changing him into a hybrid able to transform his body parts into chainsaws. Because Denji's new abilities pose a significant risk to society, the Public Safety Bureau's elite devil hunter Makima takes him in, letting him live as long as he obeys her command. Guided by the promise of a content life alongside an attractive woman, Denji devotes everything and fights with all his might to make his naive dreams a reality.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Power Main

Fairouz Ai Japanese

Denji Main

Toya, Kikunosuke Japanese

Makima Main

Kusunoki, Tomori Japanese

Hayakawa, Aki Main

Sakata, Shougo Japanese

Reze ing

Ueda, Reina Japanese

Higashiyama, Kobeni ing

Takahashi, Karin Japanese

Pochita ing

Izawa, Shiori Japanese

Himeno ing

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Angel Devil ing

Uchida, Maaya Japanese

Kishibe ing

Tsuda, Kenjirou Japanese

Seshimo, Keisuke Producer

Kimura, Makoto Producer

Nakai, Yuusuke Assistant Producer

Nakayama, Ryuu Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Reviews

Apr 9, 2023

TheNinthRequiem

Recommended

Chainsaw Man is not overhyped, not in the slightest. I’ll repeat it again for the people in the back. Chainsaw Man deserves the hype and is every bit as good as it’s made out to be. Maybe it doesn’t have as many universally appealing ideas as Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen. And its much more prickly exterior might serve as a barrier to entry for fans that have grown accustomed to the generic shounen-type stories that are regurgitated every season like that once-cute now-tiresome Christmas ornament that your family brings out every year. But I believe that it is exactly that prickly exterior derived from ... its damaged characters that makes this series so endearing and beloved by fans (including myself). It is the struggles, tantalizing aspirations, and challenges that the characters go through that make Chainsaw Man the emotional masterpiece it is.

*Early disclaimer, I will be touching upon a couple of character traits, noteworthy aspirations, and backstory details, but nothing that I would consider spoilers as they are either described really early in the series or are minor details that are negligible to the plot. But if you want to experience Chainsaw Man completely fresh without a preconceived perspective, just know that I am giving this a 10/10 and would recommend this to you over your Epipen if you were suffering from an allergic reaction. Even just catching the OP as you’re fading in and out of consciousness is worth it.

The characters of Chainsaw Man are extremely misunderstood, but this is precisely the reason why I believe Chainsaw Man is worth your time. Behind their infamous personalities lies compelling well-thought-out characters that are driven by personalized goals. While these aren’t always the most virtuous, once you find out why they have these goals to begin with and their pitiful outlook on life; how society has beaten each character to become who they are and what little they want, it’s heartbreaking. And none of this is more prevalent than in the titular character the Chainsaw Man himself, Denji.

Denji is not the one-track mind breast-obsessing pervert you’re told he is. After the untimely ing of his debt-ridden father, he is offloaded with an insurmountable debt that he is forced to pay off. Pushing the juvenile Denji to work odd jobs and even sell his organs to try to cover. After some unforeseen circumstances and an impressive display of his powers, he gets recruited by Makima to the public safety bureau, specifically, special division 4: an experimental unit that consists of expendable devils-hybrids and fiends. The classic, Suicide Squad fighting-fire-with-fire type of unit. It is here where he meets his coworkers and where we get to see how Denji truly views himself.

Denji has simplistic desires because he’s never had the self-confidence or understanding of what the world can offer. He is enticed into the dangerous profession of being a public safety devil hunter through the promise of basic provisions such as food and shelter. Initially, he accepts this offer because he thinks that that is all there is to life. In that sense, he is no different to a dog. He is complacent with what little he has been given and will fight tooth and nail if anyone or anything threatens to take it away from him. That easily misguided tenacity is ultimately what demonstrates his vulnerability but also his value. We see this when Makima starts teasing him with any sort of affection, he’s infatuated. He’s raring to do whatever she wants because she shows him that there is more to life than he knows. But she also engrains the idea that she’s the only one that can and will provide it to him. With this, you come to realize that the reason why he has this perverted obsession with breasts is because he has never had any truly meaningful relationships with anyone, romantically or platonically. From this, we ultimately realize that what he truly wants is not to cop a feel, but to love and be loved.

Many people in the anime community believe that Denji is dumb or stupid by nature which just isn’t the case. Due to his cruel upbringing and lack of human interaction, once he’s brought into the city, he shows himself to be both naive and gullible which people mistake for pure stupidity. He’s constantly played like a fiddle and led on by things everyone watching can easily recognize to be traps. Worst of all he’s also easily preyed on emotionally and taken advantage of by the sheer mention of an attractive female. But that’s not his fault, it’s his childhood. Shounen anime has conditioned people to have this perfect idolized main character in mind. Where characters with similar backstories as Denji, miraculously become these cunning, all-knowing, and unnaturally righteous protagonists once they switch into another environment or gain powers. It’s so unrealistic it’s obscene. Why would these characters suddenly become society's most upstanding do-gooders after they’ve been oppressed and treated like shit for their whole lives. They’re much more likely to become what Denji is, a guy that puts himself first and only looks for his own happiness. And it is that growth beyond this mindset as he begins to care for others on an emotional level that makes him such a great character. Through Denji, Fujimoto expertly tackles 2 shounen fallacies. The first being that: omnipotence does not equate to virtue or righteousness. The second being: sheer increases in power level does not equate to actual character growth.

Aki Hayakawa is the irable older brother that makes you feel ok. Aki is the complete opposite of Denji in appearance and the way he conducts himself. His uniform is neat and ironed compared to Denji’s disheveled one, his hair is tied compared to the scruffy one of Denji’s. Even in personality, Aki is relatively calm and collected compared to the easily riled Denji. Aki is realistic, he knows his limits, he knows what it takes and knows what he needs to give up to achieve what he wants. Initially in the series, his aloof and stoic demeanor clashes heavily with Denji’s because of his disdain for Devils and how animalistic Denji is at the start. This is only exacerbated by their subsequent living arrangement that forces them to constantly interact. Once we get more screen time of him through this, we come to find he does feel. In fact, he’s probably the most emotional character of the series. He wallows in his own pain and suffering because he believes that showing it is a sign of weakness, especially in front of Denji. But even worse, deep down he’s afraid if he opened up about his feelings, no one would care. As the series progresses, we see them warm up to each other. They try to fight the bromance at first, but they really can’t. They learn and grow from each other, both of them learn that the other one cares for them and they are not alone in this world. This blossoming relationship is heartwarming to watch and a definitive strong point for anyone who wants to see a well done hybrid of a mentor-mentee/sibling relationship form.

Power is the mentally deranged sister that ticks you off but you also can’t help but want to protect. Power serves as the main comedic relief of the show; she's brash, belligerent, and comes to some hilariously stupid conclusions. She also shows no mental fortitude or backbone and folds whenever something becomes too difficult. She’s introduced in the show much to the displeasure of both Denji and Aki. With her ing the household only adding even more chaos. Indirectly, serving as a catalyst for both Aki and Denji to bond over their mutual disapproval of her actions. Similarly, she also individually benefits from this relationship as in the trio, specifically with Denji. She learns from this trio how to work together and that the summation of efforts can accomplish what she individually can’t. As a side note, one of the scenes I can talk about as the anime didn’t adapt it for some reason is the Operation Super Smart . It is a very cute that any anime-only watchers should check out.

The trio of Denji, Aki, and Power in this dysfunctional household and their interactions is the driving force that makes Chainsaw Man so emotionally charged. They fight, they bicker, it feels so real and relatable. You recognize the habitual responses each of these characters have towards one another. When Power shows her lack of hygiene or says something so out of pocket that everyone shakes their head in disapproval. Or when Denji gets too revved up over something childish. You're always waiting for Aki to rear them back in line. While I appreciate these moments in and of themselves, their nuances in delivery shape the tone of many of the scenes. Especially important, these little idiosyncrasies each character has serves as horrifying indicators when you realize one of them isn’t ok. When the humor stops or when the characters have a slight shift in expression, you realize the characters are hurt and they are feeling something that they can’t muster up the courage to say. This makes it all the more poignant when something happens to them. In addition, the growth in each character also feels well drawn out and actually stays in effect later on in the show. That’s why I believe this trio of characters alone makes this show worth your time.

*I don’t want to talk about the other characters as I don’t believe I can divulge into any meaningful discussions of them without any spoilers of the anime and manga. Just know I also hold them in really high regard and that some of these other characters have some of the strongest emotional moments in the season.

The devils in the series are another strong point of Chainsaw Man that adds creative freedom. Chainsaw Man is set in a world where any kind of human fears spawn devils, they take forms and have powers resembling those fears. With the more people fearing a fear the stronger its corresponding devil becomes. However the devils aren’t as binary in good or evil as one would imagine. Humans can form contracts with these devils to gain certain powers in exchange for sacrifices that can come in many forms (quite literally the “deal with the devil”). Even further, some devils are willing to lend powers to humans to take down other devils. The devil's act as their own separate entities and function with a level of autonomy that makes each of them feel unique.

Another positive for people that are looking for a narrative-driven anime. Chainsaw Man has a story that also feels extremely logical and flows well. As each episode progresses you genuinely feel the story is progressing. There also isn't that sort of serendipity you’re used to in typical shounen where the power of friendship rules all and somehow no one on either side dies. The outcomes of each battle are unclear and vary in complexity due to the diversity of devils present. Leading to some very suspenseful showdowns. It’s also not only the fights themselves that show serious tact. The human drama and careful writing really shine in these showdowns and you can see how each of these characters unravel as the battles progress. Most of these arcs span multiple episodes and once you start, you can’t really stop thinking about what happened and speculating what could happen next until you finish that arc. This anime pushed me to pick up the manga because I couldn’t wait.

To the manga readers that were wondering whether the anime is worth a watch. I believe it’s worth a try but the anime is very faithful to the manga and you wouldn’t be missing out if you didn’t. There are some merits and faults of the anime regarding the animation and music I would consider before making your decision.

The animation in Chainsaw Man is absolutely stunning, it adds a sense of realism that really excels at showing different facial expressions. In the case of background art, Fujimoto saves himself in the manga and doesn’t go all out with the background art except for certain scenes that add to the shock-value of a but loses potential immersion. Conversely, the anime fills in everything, which is expected and it’s done rather well. Both have their own advantages and I could see arguments for both.

The OST is really one of a kind and complements the show extremely well. The visuals in the opening contain many western film references that will be appreciated by some. The actual opening released by Kenshi Yonezu fully embraces the unpredictable and erratic nature of Denji. The soundtracks composed by Kensuke Ushio also play perfectly into the fight scenes. Additionally, the eeriness of some of the other tracks in his soundtrack leaves the audience unsettled and pushes them to think if there is more to the scenes than meets eye. The 12 different ending themes was an original idea that were delightful touches to end an episode off on. The abstract visuals in the endings were also solid inclusion that referenced what happened in the episode nicely.

Overall, Chainsaw Man impresses on so many levels I think it’s safe to say it delivers on the hype it got. From its extraordinary characters to its technical brilliance, Chainsaw Man is really a cut above any recent shounen that's easily become one of my favorites. As someone who has recently read part 1 of the Chainsaw Man manga, I can definitively say this is only the beginning of something exceptional and I’m really excited to see how they animate the arcs.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by TheNinthRequiem (5)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 9, 2023

SoldierZoom

Mixed Feelings

Did it live up to the hype?

Short Answer:

No

Longer Answer:

Chainsaw Man or CSM for short is undoubtedly the biggest anime this year with over 500k people having it in their PTW before its release. With many claiming it to be one of the of the best anime this year but in reality CSM isn’t anything special, it's just another action Shonen and is no better than anything we’ve had in recent years.

... Story (spoilers for 1st episode):

CSM is about Denji a teenage boy so broke he had to sell his left nut working as a devil hunter with his pet chainsaw dog for the mafia to pay of his deceased father’s debt. Until one day his boss calls him for a job but it turns out it was a trap, shit happens and now Denji got his pet chainsaw dog for a heart and is fighting the zombie devil. And from then on, it’s your typical action Shonen.

Now as for the plot in CSM there ain’t really much to say apart from the fact that it’s average and a bit more ruthless in some areas than most shows. As for the most part, CSM is just Denji killing devils or some plain dialogue and maybe some progression towards the main antagonist the “Gun devil.”

Animation:

Generally I’d say the animation in CSM is fairly good, however I was surprised to see CGI in a project as big as this and whilst it’s not the worst I've seen it doesn’t make it any better with most of the fights just looking janky, goofier and overall, just less satisfying and it doesn’t help when the main character’s “fighting form” or “chainsaw mode” as I like to call it probably has the worst CGI. Although this does improve considerably after the 1st episode with the exceptions of episodes 8 and 9. Now outside the fights the animation is infinitely better with a much more detailed approach to the animation style than most anime. Which I think was generally well done besides a few moments when the shading looked off.

Characters (easily one of if not the worst part of this show):

Denji - Around the time of CSM’s airing I started a thread about people’s most hated protagonists and was surprised to see Denji pop up fairly frequently although it didn’t take me long to see why. Denji isn’t like most Shonen protagonists, no he’s in it for the oppai. His character pretty much consists of being either horny or stupid which can a nice change for some people who are tired of the same old protagonist, or he can just be an immature twat you’d hope dies in a ditch, but I digress. Either way I'd say altogether he’s a pretty weak main character which I'd say is made arguably clear after the first several episodes as it’s not even evident he’s the protagonist half the time.

Makima - Easily one of the blandest characters in the show, I mean all she does is tease Denji or in other words treat him like a dog, order people around or start some plain dialogue and be ominous in the most uninterestingly way possible. But maybe some people find her ominosity and dead personality interesting or maybe they just want to be stepped on, who knows.

Power – Basically the female version Denji but instead of horny is overconfident and not gonna lie there’s not much else to say as all she does is either goof off with Denji or tend to whoever got injured.

Aki - Probably a close 2nd to Makima when it comes to bland characters in this show but still the best out of these 4. Aki is probably the sanest character in this show which is nice since most of the cast lacks any intellect and is generally alright for the most part despite his rather dull personality.

Conclusion:

All in all, CSM is just your average action Shonen that got hyped like crazy with your pretty stereotypical plotline, animation that’s only good when they’re not fighting, awfully designed characters with an atmosphere so dull you might as well watch paint dry. At the end of the day this all subjective so if you like action Shonen or you're bored of the same old protagonist I'd say CSM is worth a try but if you don’t typically like Shonen or came here for the action prepare to be disappointed. If you made it this far through my rant I just want to say thanks for reading!

Additional Notes:

- Don’t tell me to read manga/it gets better or whatever as after the 3rd episode I read all of the manga and personally I don’t think it is or gets any better and so I will not watch the anime beyond this season

- Feel free to critique my review

- Also, I was never the best at English so please tell me if there are any grammatical errors

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by SoldierZoom (3)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Dec 27, 2022

Marinate1016

Not Recommended

Chainsaw man is the fulfilment of shonen, the zenith of the medium, the apex of creativity…. At least that’s what you thought I’d say, right? In reality, chainsaw man is nothing more than a cheap gimmicky shonen that plays on the horniness of teenaged males, relies on shock value and uses flashy animation to make people overlook the mediocre plot.

For the past 2.5 years now, I’ve heard nothing but incessant hype from CSM stans on twitter and Reddit about how this series is so peak and so gas etc etc., and like most of the things these kids hype up these days, this was overblown. ... It seems like all MAPPA have to do is give kids some sakuga and nice designs and people lose their minds.

The whole idea of a dude getting manipulated by women into doing their bidding simply by being promised sexual favours or a boob grab is so painfully stupid and dull that I genuinely wanted to throw my remote at the tv at points. I love fanservice in anime, but this wasn’t just that. It was something way worse. Throwing up in a dude’s mouth during a kiss, grabbing titties while on a literal shitty toilet, etc. etc. it’s like the show relies on shock value consistently to keep it going. That didn’t resonate with me at all.

Then there’s the makima simps. As I said earlier I’ve seen people hype up this series for years like it was the second coming of Christ and a massive part of that hype was the Makima dog walking memes/cosplays and just general thirsting over her character in general. Of course when we finally got to the anime and got to see her I was underwhelmed. She’s a conniving manipulative obviously evil character that has really no redeeming qualities. For the life of me I can’t see how people fell for her. Even her design is OK at best. This really extends to all the girls in this series too. It’s almost like just how Denji gets manipulated, so too were readers/viewers of this series into falling for these toxic women.

The first half of my review makes me seem like a hater.. well I am. But I still will always give credit where credit is due. There are some scenes in this show that will absolutely knock your socks off and leave your jaw on the floor with how beautifully rendered and animated they are. Some fight scenes in Chainsaw man are just exquisite works of art. We’ve come to expect this from MAPPA and it shouldn’t come as a surprise, but the production levels are top notch.

The CGI is pretty wonky at times, but for the most part I think it worked well. The 2D animation and art is obviously incredible. Voice acting castings were good with the exception of Makima who for me had a voice that didn’t really fit her. I don’t quite know how to describe it, but it just doesn’t sound right.

Chainsaw Man is one of the most popular anime in recent years and truthfully I can’t understand why. Other than the MAPPA sakuga and Fujimoto twisted fetishes, I don’t see much to speak of from the anime. The story feels like an early 2000s generic shonen rip off that relies on shock value and gore as its primary tools. I know this won’t be a popular opinion or one that receives a lot of backing, but I just don’t think this show is very good. It’s not even top 5 of this season, nonetheless the year.

Chainsaw man gets 6 out of 10.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Marinate1016 (413)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Hollywood-esque Anime

by Darkfiend47

50 Entries · 35 Restacks

must watch shooters medieval and other stuff (gore,action, ADULT AUDIENCE) GORE GALORE

by max6599

26 Entries · 33 Restacks

🎧Anime with Thai dubs🇹🇭3｜🎧อนิเมะที่มีพากย์ไทย🇹🇭๓

by Adrena

50 Entries · 3 Restacks

'Chainsaw Man' Gets Sequel Anime Movie

The Jump Super Stage Red at Jump Festa 2024 announced a sequel anime movie to the television anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto's Chainsaw Man manga on Sunday...read more

Dec 16, 2023 10:45 PM by Discuss (46 comments)

'Chainsaw Man' Announces ing Cast

The official website of the Chainsaw Man television anime announced on Friday six additional cast . The anime series adapting Tatsuki Fujimoto's action a...read more

Oct 7, 2022 6:35 AM by Discuss (22 comments)

	Poll: anime-prime - Dec 27, 2022	1,006 replies	by »» Jun 11, 5:29 AM
	Poll: anime-prime - Dec 6, 2022	584 replies	by »» Jun 10, 2:48 PM
	Poll: Shizuna - Dec 13, 2022	69 replies	by »» Jun 8, 1:27 AM
	Poll: YoshePlays - Oct 7, 2022	2,686 replies	by »» May 24, 2:06 AM
	HagePotPotato - May 10	3 replies	by »» May 11, 2:16 PM