Anime 44511 Chainsaw Man Reviews

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 passing 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 join 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 admirable 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 joining 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 panel. It is a very cute panel 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 panel 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 upcoming arcs.

Why Chainsaw Man would even have a tad of bad reputation is baffling to me: it is close to being a perfect Shounen. While there are still definitely flaws, I can say with confidence that there are no deal-breakers in the series, as long as you are an anime fan.

But before I praise Chainsaw Man into high heavens, let’s get the caveats out of the way. If you watch Chainsaw Man for eye candy, you’ll be sorely disappointed. Although the designs and cinematography are to be commended, the action animation itself sails just above decent in a post Demon Slayer world. With the exception of ... the fight just aired in episode 12 (honestly it wasn't even that impressive), much of the fights are at best slightly above average fight sequences. The subpar animation is masked with clever use of framing that makes the fights less coherent and more awkward to watch, but delivers better action and makes the 3D animation more palatable.

That in my eyes, however, is a tiny flaw and easily overlooked on the mountain of great things Chainsaw Man brings to the table. Its fights do still work even with its limited animation all thanks to its amazing tone/atmosphere that the script and cinematography has crafted. The generous use of silence and occasional awkward dialogue, counter-intuitively, works to the show’s advantage. It creates an unsettling and eerie tone that’s matched when the push comes to shove and the fights begin. Each fight is genuinely terrifying and holds incredible stakes that make them feel important, which can’t be said for much of Shounen nowadays.

To avoid getting the show from being too heavy, Chainsaw Man contrasts its dark setting with Power and Denji, two of the most apathetic and stupid characters out there. Denji especially, as our point of view character, would be unworkable as the protagonist in any other environment. His cluelessness of his surroundings and, for lack of a better phrase, devilish stoicism would render him utterly unlikable if not for the show’s setting. Instead, in Chainsaw Man, it juxtaposes the serious and borderline hopeless situations our characters are routinely put in. Sometimes it diffuses tension and creates humour, sometimes it’s vital to the plot and it would simply not proceed if not for his character. My point is that Denji is impeccably designed with the whole story in mind. He didn’t just rely on the Excalibur in the stone to become a hero, he needed to be who he is to be the one.

Part of the appeal of Denji, and to an extent Power and Makima’s character can be attributed to the fact that humour surrounding the anime and manga subculture has become very ironic, self-aware, and self-deprecating. You’ve probably seen Tik Toks of people barking to Makima cosplays or Power fondling her chest. This ties into why you need to be an anime fan to truly enjoy Chainsaw Man, because this would just be cringe otherwise. But I digress.

The cast of Chainsaw Man, while not huge, have great chemistry. Denji and Power play off each other very well, and Aki provides the much needed straight man character to contain their stupidity. Makima on the other hand, we know barely anything about other than that she’s really powerful. But the sublime delivery of Tomori Kusunoki compliments this and she is in fact the main mystery of the series. We’ve also yet to see much from Kishibe and Kobeni and that’s intentional. If Makima is the main mystery then Kishibe and Kobeni are the side ones. People that criticise any one of them lacking depth to their characters are simply missing the point.

That’s because a majority of this season of Chainsaw Man functions as an introduction to the actual story, but what it did show is immensely promising. The voice acting, pacing of the dialogue, and momentary editing and framing has created an eerie tone, but what came of it? Well, without getting into spoilers, the actual story starts in episode 8, and what happened resolves the dissonance between the tone and the actual story. The tone foreshadowed the event not specifically, but you know something is up and due. This sort of atmospheric foreshadowing is rare in Shounen, and the result is one of the most cohesive, consistent, engaging, yet subtle introductions in anime ever. The plot then progresses naturally building up to the hype confrontation in episode 12. Much of the mystery in Chainsaw Man is still left unsolved though. I haven’t read the manga so I can’t make any guarantees for the plot later, but from what I’ve heard and seen this season, I really look forward to season two.

The last thing I’d want to mention is the banger opening and endings. Kick Back is truly one of the songs of all time. And I find each and every ending gorgeously drawn, although I can’t say the same for the music, some of them are just not fitting to my taste. Some might say Chainsaw Man would be better off giving some of the ED budget to the animation, but that’s beyond the scope of this review.

In the end, those that said this show did not live up to the hype are either manga readers that had unrealistic expectations, or just antis magnifying what little flaws Chainsaw Man has to hang on to their unfounded beliefs. Or maybe it’s because I came in blind and pleasantly surprised, you be the judge.

Chainsaw Man is a PERFECT adaptation and anyone who says otherwise is frankly wrong.

For some background, I have read the manga several times and left my own review of that already, so I don't want to say much about the story, characters, and all that but rather how directors Makoto Nakazono and Ryū Nakayama alongside an incredibly talented team have adapted that story into a wholly fresh, yet incredibly faithful work of art.

I want to address what has thus far proven to be the most controversial part of this adaptation: the animation. Let me make myself perfectly clear as someone who was doubtful that the ... anime could even possibly deliver on the manga's exceptionally high standards: the animation is some of the absolute best anime has to offer. Even with shows such as Demon Slayer, Attack on Titan, or Jujutsu Kaisen that feature incredible animation, you can always find shortcuts if you know what to look for. Stuff such as character designs with little detail, comedic moments with even simpler designs and stilted movement, still shots with dynamic camera angles to hide the lack of actual motion, or using effects to make up for rather unremarkable character movement (Demon Slayer). So it feels unreal to say Chainsaw Man features animation on the same level as these shows and then some without taking any of those shortcuts.

There is RARELY a shot where something isn't moving and we're talking actual sakuga shots making up most of the series. While limited animation is still used (this is just a must for TV animation of any kind), rather than feeling like the animators had to use the sakuga shots economically, it feels like they had the room to only use limited animation where it best fits the scene. Scenes like Denji eating udon noodles, cutting down a tree, or engaging in banter with one of the side characters are still animated with the same level of care as the best fight of the season in any other anime. Animation production and consistency like this hasn't been seen since Cowboy Bebop.

And those fights are truly something to behold. Even short encounters like Aki and Denji duking it out in an alleyway or the half second duel between Denji and Power (probably one of the most stunning sequences in the anime thus far) are animated beautifully and the animators really let loose in the longer encounters.

THE CGI IS AMAZING, OKAY! I'm willing to say it like it is. The 3D animation in Chainsaw Man's fights is truly remarkable and not even just by the standards of anime CGI. I hear a lot of people try to defend the CGI by saying "well they had to use CGI" and while I somewhat agree (I don't think the talking scenes would have animation this premium if CGI didn't lighten the load just a little bit), the use of CGI in Chainsaw Man really feels to me like MAPPA knows they have an incredibly talented team of CGI animators (which they absolutely do) and that team really just wanted to show off their skills. The use of stellar 2D animation to assist the 3D then makes every fight feel like a dance in blissful harmony while each partner subtly tries to outdo and one-up the other. More so than any other anime I've ever seen, you can really feel the passion in each of Chainsaw Man's fights and get the feeling of insanely talented artists just having a blast creating each sequence while using Chainsaw Man as a framework.

The music is also delightful. I've never seen Chainsaw Man as a series that would fit a metal soundtrack, but rather something more industrial. While I do kind of wish that the anime's out would aim for just a little bit more of a grimy, gritty soundscape, Kensuke Ushio's work has always been incredible and I think everyone who's seen the Chainsaw Man anime more or less agrees on this.

Now for the unsung hero of any adaptation, the script. Writing an adaptation is incredibly difficult and basically anything and everything can go wrong. It takes an extremely talented writer to effectively adapt a comic script for TV and among those writers, Hiroshi Seko (Mob Psycho 100's first season) is at the very top. Just like with Mob, Seko rewrites and remixes the source material to give each episode a complete arc and sense of purpose. I know some people want to nitpick and whine about the removal of the Muscle Devil fight, but that fight really was nothing special and introduces nothing new in terms of world building and themes that the first Fiend fight doesn't. Episode 2 in general is such a stellar example of writing an adaptation, fitting way more manga into a single episode than I think anyone expected while never feeling rushed, bloated, or like the episode didn't end on a satisfying note.

In conclusion, I am floored by this adaptation of Chainsaw Man and I feel like anyone who genuinely appreciates the art of anime and all the steps and hard work that go into any anime would feel the same. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who want to just hate on Chainsaw Man just to hate and others who allowed their opinions and expectations of Chainsaw Man to be formed by hype and social media rather than meeting the series on its own terms and letting the series naturally show off what makes it so special, leading to disappointment. If you feel let down by Chainsaw Man's anime and don't feel it lived up to the hype, that's okay. I hope that maybe something I said here gave you more of an appreciation for this amazing anime and I'd strongly recommend the manga if you haven't read and really want to see why so many people (who actually read the manga) talk so positively about Chainsaw Man. If you're just here to hate on the popular thing because it's popular and never wanted to give the series a fair shot though, no one thinks you're cool or edgy because you fight against the popular opinion and shame people for enjoying things. It's okay to have opinions that don't follow the norm (god knows I have a shit ton), but try to form those opinions naturally on your own based on your own experiences instead of immediately showing off your hate boner just for some clout. That's all I have to say.

Chainsaw Man is the latest dark shounen manga adaptation to take the internet by storm, and for once, I get the hype. It is a grim, action-packed series that follows an orphaned street punk desperate to make ends meet. After an encounter with a devil, Denji is transformed into a human-devil hybrid with the ability to manipulate chainsaws to fight devils. He is then recruited by the Public Safety Devil Hunters, an organization that makes contracts with helpful devils to hunt devils that threaten the world. In exchange for fighting devils, he'll receive food, housing, and possibly romance with the high-ranking devil hunter who took ... him in as her so-called pet, Makima.

There are a lot of characters here, but the leading players are easy to keep track of because of their distinctive character designs, vibrant personalities, and the devil they've contracted. Denji and his first partner, Power, bounce off one another hilariously—as a devil and fiend, respectively, they have a lot in common as outcasts fueled by blood and gluttony. Denji's chemistry with Aki, his superior and constantly annoyed roommate, is also quite funny. They never seem to agree on anything but slowly develop a quite rewarding friendship. Other side relationships flesh out the cast members, so you know who you're rooting for while watching. A few of the dark-suit devil hunters were a bit forgettable, so their minimal involvement in the season felt underutilized. Kobeni, uniquely, was a tertiary comic-relief character until one scene that attempts to make her more unique.

Makima is nearly the antagonist of the season, with how she manipulates Denji from the beginning so effortlessly that everyone but him can see through her. Denji looks up to her, but she controls his inceldom and naivete to use his Chainsaw Devil. She is overpowered, which can be countered later in the series if she has a weakness. Various intriguing relationship dynamics are presented through Makima's involvement, such as codependency, manipulation, girl bossing and gaslighting, some deep, some less so.

The story has some plot contrivances, but overall it's a good vehicle for the action. Plenty of the fanservice makes sense, and it usually fits within the story. Denji being offered some kind of sexual reward for fighting and nearly dying highlights the insanity of the premise. Showing fanservice from Denji's perspective ties into his motivation, and it wouldn't be very believable without it. The pacing here is fine, a couple of thoroughly engaging episodes, then the shifts between arcs can sometimes seem jarring as the show shifts gears suddenly, and the occasional exposition-heavy scenes slow it down. Though there's a fair bit of world-building, it leaves you wanting more, but since explanations aren't the show's strong suit, it is best left for the next season.

With its intense action scenes, compelling plot twists, and, most importantly, thought-provoking themes, it's no surprise it has become such a sensation. The themes are not the deepest or most intricate, but they give you plenty to ponder; Grief, pursuits, death, and further hidden recesses of humanity. These are the most consistent themes throughout because of how expected death is in the world of Chainsaw Man. Denji struggles with grief in naturalistic ways, which goes a long way in humanizing him. The score during these melancholy scenes aids our compassion for the characters.

The music for the series is composed by Kensuke Ushio and merits praise for its unique blend of styles and ability to capture the gritty mood of the series. The opening's visual is loaded with homages to iconic scenes from classic cinema, including The Big Lebowski and one of the best horror films ever, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. The OP shows respect for the classics and a boldly modern approach to the genres. Every episode has a different ending song and visuals from various musicians and genres, including rock, metal, punk, and hip-hop. The ED visuals reflect a theme or highlight a key devil hunter from the episode. Chainsaw Man's adaptation deserves every bit of praise it's gotten for its stellar soundtrack. Visually, it is just as, if not more, praiseworthy.

The series is animated by MAPPA, the studio behind popular anime series like Attack on Titan, Yuri!!! On Ice, Jujutsu Kaisen, and more. MAPPA's animation style is unique and stands out amongst other shounen series. The fighting sequences in Chainsaw Man are incredibly detailed and fluid. The disturbing devil creatures have grotesque, deformed bodies and move at an inhuman speed only achievable with animation. The humanoid character designs are highly expressive and dynamic. Utilizing CGI models for Denji's transformation allows for more dynamic direction and gives the scenes more sense of speed. The solid lighting and shading make the CGI appear more natural. Almost every frame feels poured over by a vast committee of artists and animators, to the point that it is sometimes 'overly' polished but impressive nonetheless. The blood and gore visuals and realistic sound effects are very compelling, both enough to disgust horror fans but also over-the-top in a ridiculous way that it doesn't come off as gratuitous.

Chainsaw Man has gained much popularity since its release and will be considered one of the best manga adaptations of this generation. It boasts some of the best animation on television, intense action sequences, unpredictable twists, memorable characters, and dark subject matter, such as death, grief, and violence. Its unique take on the traditional hero/monster story sets it far apart from its peers. An absorbing blend of comedy, horror and the supernatural makes Chainsaw Man a thrilling and consistently entertaining experience.

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.

Did it live up to the hype?

Short Answer:

Absolutely

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 they are right, CSM IS SOMETHING special, it's NOT just another action Shonen and is up there from what we’ve had in recent years.

... Story:

Intriguing story three episodes in and can not wait to see more

Animation:

Overall, the animation in CSM is the most eye popping visual we've seen in the media this year, however I was surprised to see CGI in a project as big as this and whilst not terrible it doesn’t help the scene either it just made the fight look a lot goofier and overall, less satisfying which for me is a red flag which you can probably tell by taking a quick look at my profile. However, I have only seen this when he’s in his “chainsaw mode” which is first shown in the big fight at the end of episode 1.

Characters:

Denji - Recently I started a thread about people’s most BELOVED protagonists and was surprised to see Denji pop up fairly frequently although after watching these first 3 episodes I can start to see why. Denji isn’t like most Shonen protagonists, no he’s in it for the oppai. He can be funny at times like when he put every sauce he could find on a slice of toast or kicked this guy solely in the nuts although. It is EASY TO SEE that due to him growing up with him no social interactions or skills, it is understandable why he is the way he is
Makima – Probably one of the most interesting characters out of the cast so far seems she was made for those people that liked to be steeped on.

Power – She looks AMAZING, after seeing her in the anime she’s probably my MOST favorite character as her personality and voice cis flamboyant as she acts like an overconfident 4-year-old and it’s just very funny.

Conclusion:

Its good. Watch it.



At the moment I’d say it’s a 9 or 10/10 for me.

What by all rights should’ve been the anime of the year, turned out to be nothing more than just another bland adaption led by a corporate oriented studio like Mappa.

The focus of this review won’t just be anti-Mappa rhetoric, as I’m sure people are tired of all the unneeded controversy surrounding their last couple adaptations, and I myself don’t really see Mappa as some anime boogie-man and do enjoy some of their adaptations. Chainsaw Man just wasn’t one of them. I love Chainsaw Man, and this review might be viewed by some as just another unsatisfied manga reader hating on the anime, but hear ... me out.

My biggest issue with the anime is the totally uninspired and bland direction and art direction. Take one look at the volume covers and official colored version of the Chainsaw Man manga. What do you see? Vibrant, saturated colors with dynamic poses, something with clear artistic taste and passion. While in the anime, the viewer is greeted with a mute, desaturated color palette that leaves zero impression on the viewer and simply abides by Mappa’s trend of using such color palettes. Now, some might say, dull and grey colors represent the harsh and dystopian setting of the Chainsaw Man world. But ask yourself, is this creative? If you go to Pinterest and search up pictures of east-Asian streets and alleyways, something I highly recommend, you’ll find beautifully shot images of these places all with vibrant colors that do an even better job of displaying the dystopian setting. Now I’m not saying it should look like the Wano anime in One Piece, where the colors are purposefully cartoonish, just something resembling a more Cyberpunk aesthetic. And why not? The official colored manga is colored like this and it looks great and removes nothing from the story. All Mappa’s greyish colors do is make any frame from Chainsaw Man look like any other anime, with no distinguishable features besides, like, the characters. Specifically, it would’ve been mostly fine if the boring Mappa-style colors were limited to just the environment and regular scenes, but fight scenes? I think they should take notes from Toei on this, using color and dynamic lighting to amplify the visual impact of fight scenes, because, let’s be honest, Chainsaw Man’s fight scenes rely heavily on spectacle and insaneness, would greatly compliment the anime adaptation and actually make it an even better experience than the manga.

On that note, this anime, literally, and I mean this, does not add anything new to the Chainsaw Man experience. Except music, but we’ll touch on that later. In the first episode alone, during the first action scene, the viewer is greeted with an obvious CGI Denji, whose animation alot of the time just looks plain unnatural and overdone. 2D anime doesn’t usually have that much movement, and suddenly introducing a heavily dynamic 3D model into the scene really distracts. Especially when that 3D model is suffering from aliasing. The choreography during the fights is honestly pretty good, but they do take some creative liberties (which I completely support, if it’s done better than the manga), where they do their own shots and angles instead of adapting the manga 1:1. They do remove some rather iconic panels from the manga in their adaptation, and seeing how most of the anime is just a 1:1 adaptation, with some variations in angles and detail, all I can ask is why? Why remove some of the iconic spectacle if you’re going to keep everything else?

The cast. I did say my biggest problem was the direction and art direction, but the thing that annoyed me the most was the cast. Why does Makima sound like a 12 year old girl? Are they trying to make her sound cold and emotionless with a superficial element of kindness and an inviting nature? It would’ve succeeded, if Makima literally wasn’t built up as this dominating and controlling (hint hint) figure who Denji essentially treats as his master. Whenever she says something like “I don’t need a dog who says no.”, why should anyone take her seriously when she sounds like a child? When we had that rather explicit scene with her and Denji in the office, with great emphasis on Makima’s physical appeal, I just personally didn’t buy it. One of the worst things an anime can do is fail at creating convincing characters, which is what they did with Makima, who is arguably the most important character of the story besides Denji. And on the topic of Makima, why did they make her smile during the train scene and the scene at the mountain shrine? That was an unneeded change that just simply screams cheap attempts at creating a “creepy” character. “Oh wow, she’s smiling, but doing a totally nefarious thing, how original!!!”.

Now many of the cast members are perfect castings in my opinion, like Aki and Himeno. Denji is fine but I wouldn’t mind if they changed him. Now where the real spice touches my tongue is Kobeni. Kobeni’s voice acting performance, and I don’t say this lightly, is genuinely the worst performance I’ve ever heard in my life. It actually pained me to sit down and listen to them butcher Kobeni’s character like this. She’s originally built as this timid and shy girl, something like Sengoku Nadeko, but with a comedic twist, while the people at Mappa thought it would be funny to have her be the loudest most obnoxious, physically ear-damaging character I’ve ever seen on screen. The worst example of this is the scene where she goes “ehhhhh?”. Mappa probably thought this would be the funniest moment in anime history. It wasn’t. Even in her non-dramatic scenes where she’s just talking, she sounds so synthetic and fake. Obviously this is just a personal gripe, and butchering just one character isn’t the end of the world for an anime adaptation, it was just something that needed to be said.

The music is great. The opening visuals are awesome, and the endings are some of the most artistically creative and passionate things I’ve seen in any anime. Does that add to the anime experience? Somewhat. But mostly it removes from it. Why? Because when you start an episode and are greeted with something with clear artistic vision and creativity, like the opening, and immediately afterwards you go back to the bland and lifeless animation of the actual anime, it feels like a slap in the face. Mappa definitely was qualified to make Chainsaw Man, they proved that with the opening and endings, but they chose not to make it anything substantial, and instead went with a safer approach that would appeal to the most amount of people.

And here’s where we get to the meat of the story. This anime is lifeless, corporate, and feels like an adaptation made to make the studio money, and to sell more of the manga. It doesn’t feel like a passion project directed by artists, because it isn’t, it’s just another mass produced piece of media meant to appeal to the greater anime audience. I think the opening song itself is proof of this, I’m not going to go into whether or not I like the song, and openings don’t really have any relevancy when it comes to the quality of an anime, but choosing an artist who’s known for making songs for My Hero Academia is something that in my opinion paints the direction behind the anime in a bad light, as it just proves to me they’re going with the safest approach possible with this adaptation. And they are. There’s genuinely more creative vision and innovative approach in the action scenes of the Wano anime of One Piece than there is in Chainsaw Man. There’s a couple cool shots here and there, one I really liked was Denji doing the Levi Beyblade thing when fighting the zombie devil. A lot of the time though, it’s just CGI models smacking each other with their hands.

So in conclusion, this anime is definitely carried by its source material, it adds nothing new and does absolutely nothing that justifies it being worth watching after reading the manga, which honestly, just makes it a failed adaptation overall, and in some cases, like the ear-torture voice acting of some characters, it makes it a worse experience. Why is it like this? Money. A safer approach to an adaptation makes it more popular and easier to consume for most people. Chainsaw Man honestly didn’t need this, if we look at the manga sales at its peak, it could’ve easily been an amplified and crazy adaptation, something like OPM season 1, and been just as popular, but it ended up being a washed down version of Jujutsu Kaisen, in terms of adaptation quality.

What about the people who haven’t read the manga? Well, if this is your first time experiencing Chainsaw Man, the anime does a decent job at recreating the first time experience from the manga. Personally, I would still not find it as good of an experience, as the voice acting and bland color scheme and lifelessness of this adaptation would’ve been bad regardless of if I read the manga or not. I would’ve given this anime an 8/10 if I hadn’t read the manga. Because, honestly the source material is really good. The characters, the world, the fights, the political allegories and subtle but deep character arc of Denji is something I look for in any good piece of media. And honestly I mostly touched on my negative opinions of this anime during this review, which revolved around its quality as an adaptation, and not as a full piece of media.

Tldr: The anime adds nothing new to make it worth watching, it’s a lifeless and soulless adaptation that could’ve been an artistic marvel but was made to be an easy to consume piece of media, some of the voice acting is horrendous, and the music is good. As an adaptation, it’s quite bad. If you haven’t read the manga, it’s quite good, yet I still wouldn’t hold it as highly as its source material with this level of adaptation.

One of the greatest disappointments ever seen in anime. Not recommended for good plot/development connoisseurs.

Once people have seen/read a certain amount and variety of any recreational media and have lost the "teen" in their age, they tend to get more genuine and generous with the overall rating, but also that exposure gives them a more critical eye to the media in question.
With the internet becoming a widely and massively accessible platform, and globalisation going full throtle, the popularisation of anime worldwide came in like a storm, the basic principle consumption=demand=more production gave anime/manga a bigger stage to shine on and bigger audience, but that ... essentially became one of its worse demons. It meant that the hungry consumer would eat anything regardless, so the quality bar, in favour of quantity was dropped to unrecognisable levels in the last 15 years, dropped and devolved to CSM level. Not that great anime was not made in those years, however, what once was a condition has now become a bonus. The balance plane of art, music, animation and plot has so heavily tilted towards one side that a great deal of newer anime depends in large amounts on fan service, fantastic art and animation, intriguing or unique character design, and has sadly nearly obliterated the demand for quality world-building, plot/storytelling/narrative and any sort of development or reasonable characters.

CSM anime sees to all of the above, at a whole new level. It is simply badly made, a very poor execution of a series that had great potential based on the first episode, however, crashed miserably with every single one to come after. It has no direction, no purpose, no plot thus far, no narratrive and a catasrtophically failed world-building, so what the viewer is left with is a devastating bundle of anitiheroe-only cahracters, great animation with slightly botched CGI, mediocre music and a distinctive atmosphere but nothing substantial like a good plot or development to keep them all tied together.
The "plot" is so all over the place that at episode 10 out of total 12, the viewer is still to figure out where the story is going, the reason for which largely at fault is the pacing and randomness. The action scenes have no build up, are very sudden, and the viewer's angle dramatically changes too fast to follow, while the non-action scenes are painfully slow, stale, taking up a big amount of time overall the episode and a good count of them contribute nothing to the story (putting the kettle on, dressing up, brushing teeth, making breakfast, brushing and styiling hair, daily life things in great detail and length). The juxtaposition of those scenes creates a significant disbalance in the storytelling and doesn't provide anything of value. It's actually strainful and confusing how the series jumps from one to the other at random before suddenly returning to the previous. This type of animation tends to an audience that has low bar for plot but high expectations/demand for quality art, usually one that is new to anime and certainly has very little base to compare it with.
The characters are arguably some of the shallowest ever created and animated. Disregarding the sex/food/sleep/repeat-driven teenage protagonist of the series, the rest of the characters are adult, yet act and behave on the same level as the aforementioned teenager. Characters are randomely introduced and randomly disposed of, some serve absolutely no reason or puspose and bring nothing into the series. There is no depth, no development, no intelligence, no relief, no justification in any of them, down to the last one flat, unreasonable, half-baked, overdone and forgettable, some are simply cringy.
The only thing that holds the series just so it does not fall below the generous 5/10 average score is the beautiful art, however vision pleasing motion pictures are not enough to redeem a virtually non-existant plot, bad storytelling/ world-building and absolutely disagreable charachters, essentially dismanteling the very prerequisite of anime.
The whole glory of this series lies in it's gore, detailed art and animation, dark atmosphere, fan service and seemingly quircky characters, it has nothing to offer other than that to make it worthwhile, it's just that, average with potential to become even less depending on the last 2 episodes to come.

This is only my opinion, I value story more than anything in a series, animation and art style are irrelevent to how much I will enjoy it, I appreciate well-written characters, fan service is fine in medium quantities as long as it is not a plot device/center piece of the story, I believe pacing is crucial in a series. It doesn't have to be perfectly balanced to be enjoyable but if there is no plot, any recreatinal platform of choice simply becomes meaningless.

The anime has an overreliance on CGI, though it's fortunately passable, but loses some marks due to bad CG messing with immersion with sudden quality changes in how things are animated.

As far as the plot goes, it start out strong in the first two episodes, then drops off a cliff. Episode 6, for example, could be completely cut from the series without anyone except those who read the source material noticing. The anime does somewhat "redeem" itself in the final 3 episodes, although two of them are basically just a training montage. Still, it's not nearly enough to pull a season that's ... mostly garbage out of the trash bin for me.

The majority of the characters are garbage-tier, and the majority of the decent characters get killed off.

In no particular order:
Denji (the MC) is basically a hobo without ties to anything. He's an okay character, but not terribly interesting. He has no real motivation throughout the entire season other than "existing", which is just bland and disinteresting.
Aki is one of the few passable side characters of the series, but even his well-rounded "leader" personality is pretty vanilla/bland.
Power is just an annoying and largely incompetent narcissist. It's really a shame that she's so underpowered for all of her talk.
Himeno is one of the few decent side characters, giving out strong Misato (EVA) vibes. Ultimately though, we don't see enough of her.
Kobeni is the absolute worst characters of the series. She's simultaneously a whiny, useless crybaby in 90% of the series, but then randomly becomes competent when the writers need to insert a character in and can't think of anyone else to use.

Later on in the season, when they randomly decide to kill off a ton of people, the "main" characters fight two people who wipe the floor with them, utterly decimating a group of them, only for them to do a 2-episode training montage for two of the survivors. One of them proceeds to 1v1 one of the people who literally just killed an entire squad (including them) earlier on, and win without anywhere near as much difficulty as we saw literally just a few episodes ago. The other BBEG goes up against one of the weaker ones and doesn't even use the power that decimated the entire squad earlier, and is instead overpowered without a fight.

The writing of this series is garbage. The characters are almost all annoying or disinteresting, and the entire season feels like a filler season of an sub-par anime.

Dorohedoro + Hellsing Ultimate + Shounen? = Chainsaw Man.

✔️ Immoral Antiheroes
✔️ Bloodthirsty "good" guys
✔️ Stylized hyperviolence
✔️ Dark comedy
✔️ Anti-nihilism
✔️ BDSM

Once in a lifetime you'll come across an anime that truly captures the history and cultural distinctions of the modern world.
... I have to admit, I had my doubts when I first learned of the anime.
After all, Chainsaw Man? Will this anime even be good? How ignorant was I to even have these thoughts.
Little did I know I was about to indulge in what may have been one of the best weeks of my life that is "Chainsaw Man Tuesdays."

Opening: 10/10.
The opening credit entices the audience with a captivating enigma.
I was so taken aback from the next-generation animation that I almost didn't even realize the underlying symbolism in the ongoing references. It wasn't until my tenth viewing of the opening where I finally got my bearings together and was able to focus on the "grip."

Premise & protagonist: 10/10.
The premise started out strong. The underlying analogy for 21st century dystopia was enlightening to say the least.
The complexity of the story as the main protagonist, Denji, struggled with the everyday endeavors for a slice of bread.

Plot: 10/10.
There I was, gripping to my chair as the conflict of the movie began.
I was so enticed by the anime that I felt as if I was both practically and relatively apart of the movie.
This is a special kind of high, that not even the strongest of drugs can give you.
Was I part of the movie? Am I inside the movie right now? This movie will leave you questioning.
At this point in the anime, I was fully intoxicated by the avant-garde animated art style.
That's when the plot finally aggrandized and I was completely stupefied.

Enjoyment: 10/10.
You could have lived a thousand years of wisdom trying to predict the plot twist and you would never even scratch the surface of what actually transpires in this anime.
I was so bewildered that I actually had to pause the movie so that my existential crisis didn't dive too deep inside of myself.
Even pausing the movie was surreal. It's almost as if life paused with the movie.

I felt as though I had actually become a CINEMA.
Chainsaw Man literally enlightened me and ruined my life. 10/10

Chainsaw man was hyped up by the anime community and MAN I don't get it. The dude just likes touching boobs. This show is essentially the Minoru Mineta Shonen. There are times when I PRAY, I BEG to the lord, the motivation is going to evolve from sexual desire to a more intimate desire of friendship or love OR that he'll realise, sexual desire is a very shallow desire and he won't find fulfilment. He has a moment of this more complicated line of thinking but then a girl in the show will offer him the opportunity of OPPAI or a kiss and that's it ... man, all his blood goes to the brain. It's clear the creator of the Manga just wanted to draw some soft-core porn while people pretend it's deep.

Aside from main character being a man-slut the symbolism is very bluntly done and doesn't leave much up to the viewer to think about. Some of the side characters are interesting and the general background plot is interesting but when your watching all this through the eyes of OPPAI man it's massively diminished.

T.R.A.S.H

like it or not chainsaw man is one of the most hyped and waited-for animes and undoubtedly the biggest anime this year with over 500k people having it on their list before it even begins and about a million at its end in just 3 months.
I didn't read the manga but for the last 2 years, I heard that the anime is gonna change the shounen anime definition, but did it deliver what I hoped. of course not it was the biggest disappointment, and from what I saw that some of the manga readers were disappointed either from the heavy use of CGI or the ... pacing, etc.
IMO it is one of the most over-hyped and overrated and over popularity animes I've ever seen
I mean it's just another action Shonen and is no better than anything we’ve had in recent years

CSM is not the worst anime. But it is not an anime that I would recommend for someone who has self-respect.
this anime has a specific audience and fans and I am not one of those who just wanted legalized porn
I am shocked by how many fans of this trash I mean you can find much better and respectful anime
I've watched over 200 animes and I have almost never seen a kiss or touching oppai or a character(Himeno) ask a 16-year-old boy "wanna do it?"
I basically watch shounen and anime in general because it is a clean or semi-clean industry away from Netflix shows
and I am just writing this review to prevent new watchers who have self-respect "run! don't watch it"

summary
Denji is a boy whose father committed suicide after paying off debts.
Denji gets to know Buchi, a demon dog in the form of a chainsaw and helps him live in exchange for helping him live by killing demons to pay off his father's debt. They sell him his eyes for sale and one of his testicles until he pays off a small amount of debt and lives on scraps of food or garbage. One day, the gang summons him to a secret place, and then it turns out that they are giving him to another demon to kill him with pleasure. In moments, Denji turns into four pieces, completely torn on the brink of death, so that Buchi gives his heart for Denji, and the chainsaw man appears for the first time to cut and kill everyone in the place.
Denji uses these new abilities to brutally eliminate other devils, supernatural creatures born from the fears of humanity. Denji then joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters, an official organization authorized by the Japanese government whose mission is to protect civilians from devils by hunting and eliminating them.
This is just the beginning of the anime. The anime is heavily filled with gore, ecchi, and killing.

I will talk about some points about the anime
-the main character is the worst you can find in any anime and I think if he was replaced by anything else the anime would have been way better he has the most irrelevant and illogical life goal and it's not just a temporary one! no, it develops and increases more and more from touching an oppai to the worst his motivation is going to evolve from sexual desire to a more decent one and you can't convince me that this is normal under whatever circumstances he witnessed
-fan service is what this anime is and I think if the writer minimized it a little the anime would be so good but I think the writer just wanted to give us the worst things about the anime industry plus a little story I was shocked by the number of inappropriate scenes featured within the episodes. For those unused to such scenes and I think it would be acceptable only for hentai fans
-Chainsaw Man reached a new level of disgusting in episode 7 presenting the worst scene any anime could have of course, it is pointless and that reflects the writer's character and this anime fan type who were upset because it was censored
-Denji’s voice actor once proves to be a brilliant choice for the character as he has the worst VA I ever heard, his voice makes me disgusted
-side characters are annoying uninteresting and have bad personalities.
-characters VAs sound too much as if they are reading the script. This removes any immersion or depth from the series, as it sounds forced and too obvious that the VAs are acting.
-the animation is very good and there are also very good camera angles but there is heavy Cgi which was not so bad it made the scenes less satisfying and there were over-animated scenes that looked so weird and awkward that the way they move starkly different from other animes.
-the characters' design (faces) in anime was empty and emotionless and cold just like Sitama

-there is not a single remarkable ost and some scenes in the anime feature too much silence that I don't even remember ever hearing a good one, making it unsettling and even borderline boring for some watchers
-the pacing is not good because too many things happen in one chapter of the manga, making it incredibly difficult to keep track of what is going on and what aspects are vital to the story, and due to the fast pacing, some characters' deaths are glossed over. They could be alive on one panel and dead on the next.
-the opening is very good also the endings are very good but I find it pointless to have 12 different one
-imo there is not much of anime only fans that loved the anime i guess they are just manga readers' fanbase

Chainsaw Man is one of the most hyped and waited animes of the year, and let me tell you that its fans have a point. Many many people tend to bash the story for its simplicity, when this is exactly the point. And this is where CM really becomes something different. Let us start with Denji, the protagonist of our story. He is a economically broken young man, who hunts demons for a living and, above all, in order to pay the debt his father left to him (which is properly explained way later in the plot, but let's keep to these initial infos). One ... usual day, he gets ambushed by the Yakuzas who were hiring Denji, and gets killed by a huge amount of demons, including the ambush leader himself. However Pochita, a youkai dog and partner of the boy, offers him a deal to revive with the dog within him. That's when Chainsaw Man, a new version of Denji, is reborn. Found by a agency specialized in killing youkais, he is maintained under the group's leader, Makima, a mysterious and attractive agent. Then, he is obliged to follow a number of works with Hayakawa, a hunter who had his parents murdered by the mentioned monsters, and Power, a young "demonic" woman.

There has been a number of claims when the first episode released, stating that the CG was pretty bad, which has its fair and (very) understandable reasons, but believe me when I say it is not that bad, especially comparing to Berserk 2016 and Vinland Saga's first scene. By now, I'll give the benefit of doubt, and wait for the next episodes, I hope it won't keep looking like Hit and Run's animation. The soundtrack is good to me, even though it isn't anything memorable and striking. Bands like King Gnu and Eve would do better.

What is truly interesting about CSM is that it desconstructs previous shounen ideas, such as living for a bigger goal, or infinite happiness. Denji's goals are somewhat mundane and shallow, but aren't our goals and daily thoughts juast as vapid? Especially considering his age and life situation. Eating good food and grabbing breasts is his reason to live initially, but after the different becomes the usual, the story actually gets wings and turns into a different one. Fujimoto himself is the type of writer that has a lot to tell in his works, and considering the amout of symbolisms the manga shows later, it is visible that this was the defining work in his carreer. However, even this is controversial, having in mind that he has many acclaimed mangas. About me, I like his honesty and sarcasm, shown not only in his dialogues, but in the art itself. Denji's enemies through the story are initially simple, however is it really needed to show anything far-fetched (which we saw thousands of times?), CSM depicts a comeback to the usually fun storytelling, but it is conscious about it. It makes jokes all the the time about shounenistic goals. X want to become the leader of some random country, be a king or conquer the world? Well, Denji's goal is warm food and a bed. That makes us closer to him in some way. The delusion break and nihilistic ideas portraited in CSM are interesting because they are closer to the audience as few have been. Sincerely, the plot could be closed right in chapter 97, however this unfortunately isn't the case. Although I consider the ending very rushed and lacking, it would be somewhat better than continuing it (let's wait to know more about the next chapters).

I sincerely hope MAPPA won't stretch the anime like WIT did to Vinland Saga, but considering the power of money and the amout of episodes scheduled, I wouldn't be surprised. With the right team, Chainsaw Man can be something genuine in the anime industry.

Thank you for reading.

If there's one show that can be summed up in two words that reached a level of unpredecented hype, it would be Chainsaw Man. Even before its anime announcement, fans were eager to see how the franchise would translate into anime form. It's a series that showcases the magnificent talent of a creator and their devotion to entertain us. And to my delight, Chainsaw Man lives up to its absolute hype.

Tatsuki Fujimoto somewhat earned a reptuation even before the debut of Chainsaw Man. Their previous work 'Fire Punch' earned a cult following and when his new manga debuted, fans had high expectations. What fans may ... not have expected is how Chainsaw Man reached to an international level of success as a franchise. With over 20 million copies sold and a Shogakukan Manga Award, you'd best bet that Chainsaw Man isn't your normal dark supernatural action thriller. With that being said, you should expect to see the author's style of dark humor and recurring gags at work. Chainsaw Man isn't just an anime that tries to be edgy and or be violent for the sake of violence.

Going into Chainsaw Man, I was familiar with Tatsuki's work so I was not entirely caught unprepared for his new work. What did catch me somewhat off guard is the higher detailed level of violence. Even for an supernatural action series, some of the violence may throw people off. The series is no stranger to body horror, gruesome scenes, and fights that pushes the boundary of violence. Some may even call it as a work of art, as the scenes showcase of how powerful supernatural entities can be. What was the author's message? You'll soon fight out as the violence appears to be crafted to match with the series' context and themes. Let me just say that Chainsaw Man's violence is one of the few series I believe is done right. The anime explores its violent context through by showing the weakness of humanity. Yes, some people will call it repulsive and over the line. Others will celebrate it as a testament of how violence can be satisfyingly entertaining to watch when it's done right. This is one of those times.

Enough about all the talk about violence though. We should take a deeper look at the premise, storytelling, and characters of Chainsaw Man. From what the promotional material has shown us, it's a show that takes place in a world where entities known as Devils exist. Born from the emotions and fears of humans, these Devils are the personifications of humanity's vulnerabilities. It's as if the show made it look like the humans are their own worst enemies. Because in reality, fear is developed by one's inner emotions triggered by an effect. Chainsaw Man's Devils represents the consequences of those effects. My first impression based on this premise didn't feel too ectastic at first as there are familiar shows similar to this, most noticably Jujutsu Kaisen. Chainsaw Man obviously amps up the violence and made this much more darker.

From the first episode, we meet Denji. He is part of a group of Devil Hunters, individuals who are contracted to hunt down and kill other Devils. And honestly, Denji's first impressions are not exactly what I call impressive. He's branded with a childish-like personality with poor social skills and high libido. He lusts after the head of Public Safety Division 4 Makima and has no quirms about feeling other female characters' breasts when given the chance. Don't believe me? Just ask Power, another Devil Hunter who offered Denji the chance of a life time. Nontheless. this season only scratches the surface of Denji's character and as a consequence, most of his character details relies in the manga, at least for now. Getting there would take more animated episodes but Denji may give mixed impressions for audience. Thankfully, we also have Power, the childish yet highly entertaining Devil/Devil Hunterwho speaks whatever is on her mind. Power represents a balance of Devil and humanity as she displays traits from both species. One, she is childish and demanding with awkward social skills. However, she also displays a strong degree of lust for killing and battle, a trait similar to most Devils seen in the show. Compared to other characters, Power is perhaps most entertaining to watch for her personality and character chemistry with others. Still, we can't forget other colorful cast of Chainsaw Man with characters like Makina. Introduced with an aura of mysterious vibe, she displays leadership skills with a sense of authority and control. Watching her character this season doesn't do full justice to the anime but will spark an immense amount of curiousity about her ambitions in the show. This similarly applies to characters such as Aki who gets their spotlight but only on the surface for now. However, the one character that stands out above all others is Pochita, the Chainsaw Devil. He is the reason that Denji became a Devil Hunter. We don't actually see Pochita much this season but he remains one of the most important characters in the series.

You may ask yourself what draws the audience to Chainsaw Man? Is it truly because of the gratifying violence and gore? Is it for the creative story? Or perhaps its colorful cast of characters? It's a bit of complicated question because this show is not aimed towards everyone. Parents of young children would definitely raise some eyebrows after they've seen the first episode. This is more geared towards yound adults and more specifically, fans who'd appreciate a supernatural action thriller with a touch of mystery and dark humor. Still, Chainsaw Man promoted itself exceptionally well with its artwork, previews, and hype. It's no surprise that even if you're not an anime fan, you may have heard of this title on social media with our ever expanding social media age.

As one of the biggest shows to air this year, Madhouse and its staff had their hands on and carefully planned this out from day one. Their creative direction made it clear that they wanted the anime adaptation to be the best that it can be. Thankfully, our eyeballs are treated with glorious uncensored violence and gory scenes that stays faithful to the material. Can I just say that every episode felt like it wanted to surpass the previous? While this isn't always the case, the animation quality definitely lives up to its expectations. With 12 different ED theme songs and eyecatchy opening sequence of references, it feels like the anime itself is an art piece.

Chainsaw Man doesn't take rocket science level of logic to understand but it can take some time to adapt to watching yourself especially for new viewers. This is just the first part because the manga dives so much more into the character narrative and storytelling. Let me just say that from what we've seen thus far, this is just the tip of the iceberg. For all of its hype, there's no doubt Chainsaw Man will be talked for generations to come.

Before this was released, people were like omg chainsaw man. It ahs to be peak. My friends really said that it deserves a 10/10.Some even said it would be at the level of AOT S3 P2. So I had my expectations high for this. And guess what , it disappointed. It failed to amaze me in every aspect.


It is better to say the good things first so I'll start with it's good points. Now it has some uniqueness to it. So much gore in a shonen anime, that's out of what you expect. 2 or 3 episodes were good. Denji is not a trash ... mc from my perspective. Some cliiffhangers were truly unexpected.

Flaws:

Firstly, the female characters(except makima cuz I haven't read the manga) are just in one word CRINGE. From Himeno's puke kiss to Power's shitty attitude all of them managed to be so unlikable that I dont even know it was possible for characters to be so insanely unlikable.

The plot is nothing amazing and the first 5 or 6 episodes were just bs. Then it kinda kicked in but still doesn't manage to satisfy the hype. Shock value was used to simply drive our attention away from the plot that is not that good. Now it is sad that the community hyped it like it was going to be a masterpiece lol.

Chainsaw man is an action packed comedy and a mystery/horror anime with a spectrum of interesting characters and an amazing story that gets deeper as it progresses which makes it stand out above any other similar anime of the same genre.

The story is famous for its love for leaving details and foreshadowing future events by leaving subtle hints and the anime did a good job of adapting the same route which is a big plus.

The characters in this story were heavily inspired by the western movies and popular anime shows like FLCL, Pulp fiction, Fight club, Reservoir Dogs and many other Tarantino works.

The animation for ... this anime is spot on. Mappa really took time to think this trough and I`m glad they did as it incorporates a mix of 2D and 3D animation that flows perfectly together and does not leave us with terrible 3D animations like in some of their other works. The music and the voice actors are also spot on and I`m sure that anyone else who had read the manga would agree with me.

The reason this story is so lovable is because it`s wild and mysterious. Anything can happen at any time and when it does, it does not disappoint. It does well to incorporate an insane amount of references to so many popular movies and shows and because of it I like to think of it as if Quentin Tarantino decided to make a manga/anime himself.

First off the animation looks great and the fight scenes looked pretty badass. Almost everything else though.. I did not enjoy.

Denji is probably the worst mc I have ever seen in an anime. He has no charisma whatsoever. He is not an endearing character we want to protect because of his bad life until the point the story starts. For that to happen he would have to be a better person with a good heart, which clearly isn't the case here. He also isn't a very funny or inspiring character that we enjoy to see because he is amusing or makes us want to ... root for him to fulfill his dreams. And he also isn't a badass cool character every boy dreams to be. No, Denji is just a plain boring character that in most shows would be some side character because he is a little edgy and maybe gets a short spotlight for a cool fight or something.

All those attributes that would make a main character are completely absent in the Chainsaw Man. I often read that he is a very relatable character because of his realistic dreams. Which is utter rubbish! Denji's dream is to have sex with a girl he has somewhat of a crush on. I'm sorry to break this to some people, but that is a side quest. If this is your main goal in life you should think about some changes in your life. That is a fun side activity, not something your life should revolve around. But it is for this mc, which is as mundane as it can get.

This mc has no agency whatsoever, he is just dragged along by his "supporting cast". But I couldn't get into any of those side characters either, because they are either boring or just straight up horrible people, or both and I couldn't care less when any of them died, fake deaths included. In a decent show Aki would have been the protagonist and to be perfectly honest I am more or less convinced that he actually is. He still lacks a bit of emotional depth for that, but he would have definitely been the better choice, since he actually has a goal beyond touching a boob or getting a girl to kiss him. But that's the next thing about the show, almost all of the cast show very little to no emotion. Yeah I get it, "they live in a world with demons around, they had very hard lives and death is only a step away for them at all..." Aah will you shut up?! Yes, they have hard lives, but guess what, so do many others, in the real world and in anime, yet they still possess human emotions. It's like the Katana guy said, Denji has no conscience left, is he even human anymore? Who knows, if he is, he sure as hell isn't showing it.

I really tried to give this anime a chance, considering how hyped it was, hell after the trailer I was actually fired up, but things kept on dragging and just got worse over time. The last couple episodes were probably the best of the anime, which isn't saying much since I was bored out of my mind for most of the show. I cannot comprehend why this show is getting the spotlight it is getting. Not even the setting is very original, they are hunting demons, yeah.. haven't heard of that one before... Everything about this show up to this point just screams average at you. That's already including the good animation, if it wasn't for those this would be far below average.

Overall I think this show has a terrible and unoriginal story with one of the worst, if not the worst mc in anime history. The animation is great, I will give Mappa that but that can't save the boring and lackluster story as well as characters. Chainsaw Man is actually very well represented by it's mc who is a giant simping unlikeable disappointment of a main character with no agency whatsoever. 4/10

Please, trust this story. Don't give it up.

Chainsaw Man is a strange, unhinged, but ultimately refreshing narrative. The downfall of the hype of this show is that it's very easily misunderstood in the beginning (as someone who has read the manga). The slowest, most rocky part of the entire story is it's first few episodes, but what the story does to subvert these trope expectations is absolutely brilliant. Unfortunately, the CSM fanbase does a huge disservice to newcomers by saying things like "bro, Denji is so relatable he just wants boobs, genius" completely missing the point of his character. "Makima step on me!" completely ... missing the point of the character. If I was new to this show, I would think that the show is misogynistic, meandering stupidity. But it is so beautifully animated, so well adapted, that believe me, the things to come are absolutely worth the wait, and I implore anyone reading this review to give the show a chance. It's a lot more cerebral, and thought-provoking than you think! And at the end of the day, it's a lot of fun, and looks amazing visually.

Cheers.
9/10

I'm gonna keep it simple and objective. I'd rather not put external things like hype or preference in this review, so I'm going off of what the show does right.

Animation: I know this is subjective, at least with the CGI, but if you honestly think that it should be docked points for the 2 seconds of CGI that didn't look appealing to you, then you really need to be sent to Ex-Arm jail. Plus, the flawless character acting. I was honestly convinced people just skipped straight the the fight scene when there were complaints on twitter about the CGI, when the entire episodes animation ... with even the simple walking animations were movie quality. The animation is a 10/10.

OST(Including OP and ED's): It's just great. I catch myself missing dialogue during the episodes just because of the music. And don't get me started on the opening and endings. Even if you hate the show with a passion, you're still keeping up with the weekly bangers, not to mention the incredible animation that goes along with the endings. 10/10.

SFX: Brilliant. Just brilliant. It doesn't try to over exaggerate those little interactions with objects, it keeps it realistic instead of most anime where it sounds like a looney toons sound effect whenever a character gets slapped. 10/10.

Voice Acting: 10/10

Plot: I'm going to actually exclude the plot from the review, as there is only 3 episodes out, so it wouldn't be fair. However, if I were to include it, I'd give the plot a solid 7/10. Again, it's just the premise, nothing has actually happened, so judging it now would be pretty pointless.

Overall, the anime hasn't done anything negative. So far, it's just pure hype and fun every week. It's a 10/10.

I know we're only 5 episodes in (around 3-4 volumes of the manga) but there's something that really pains me about this adaptation.

That is - it doesn't risk anything unlike the manga. Despite it being criticized for being "too cinematic", at heart it's really just another shounen anime. As a film buff, believe me, the "cinematic" elements ends on the references in the opening. (I don't like the OP but that's simply a subjective opinion and has nothing to do with the actual critique of the show). I mean, the manga was far more cinematic with its panels already looking like gorgeous still from some ... forgotten early-80s horror like "Possession" or "The Thing". It took the risks of doing the unpredictable, both with the visuals and the story. In the anime, both of these lack the feeling of being special. The manga was highly stylized to look like a storyboard, the anime needed similarily stylized direction but essentialy it lacks any style except for a typical shounen Mappa approach. Bruh, just because you animate the gore and nudity, it doesn't make it a bold or unique adaptation. You're doing the bare minimum that is being faithful to the source material.

P.S. The world of the manga felt dirty, the buildings looked awful, as if they were about to collapse in the nearest future and it made the vision of the dying world even more powerful. While in the anime, the city looks typically modern and clean... it lacks the ponderosity.

I'll watch it, obviously, I love the story. The execution might be less than great but I'm curious if it will improve over time or all hope is gone.