Chainsaw Man is the next anime you won’t shut up about
Praised and well-beloved by the anime community, Tatsuki Fujimoto‘s Chainsaw Man just got its anime adaptation. However, what the community didn’t expect is how good it would be and how it easily became the contender for 2022’s Anime of the Year. But, what exactly makes it different that led to its sudden surge in popularity?
Chainsaw Man is the next anime you won’t shut up about
The Horniest Protagonist Alive
Yes, you’ve read that right. The anime has the most down-bad anime protagonist. Denji is a teenage boy making a living out of killing devils to pay his late father’s debts to the Yakuza. With the help of the Chainsaw Devil (a dog named Pochita), Denji scraps to living, with dreams of being someday rich and -you guessed it- being with girls.
Pochita sacrificed his life to enter a pact with Denji after they were killed by the Zombie Devil. In exchange for giving Denji the powers of a devil, he must strive to live for his dreams. This grants him the ability to transform into a monster with chainsaws for arms and a head.
This got the attention of Makima, an Public Safety Devil Hunter, who gladly took him under her wing. Astounded that a woman has taken a liking to him, Denji gladly a Devil Hunter in hopes of impressing the officer. What follows is an action-packed journey motivated by two things: living in luxury, and copping a feel.
Beautiful brutality
Chainsaw Man makes cutting Devils and flying guts look so especially good. Animated by MAPPA which also did the 4th season of Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen, Chainsaw Man is complex from frame to frame. MAPPA gave the viewers a display of their animating prowess, from the fight scenes down to the minute details. They used a technique called “rotoscoping” that fluidly combines 3D and 2D animation, which was so convincing that fans cannot distinguish between the two. For doing something so horrific as drilling a chainsaw inside someone, it sure looks beautiful!
Endearing Characters
Denji is not the only colorful character in the series. Possessed by the Blood Devil, Power is an energetic and vain woman with crackhead energy. Being a woman in the group, she often uses Denji’s goal of touching breasts to her favor. She is also unusually fond of her cat Meowy, which is rarely seen in a devil.
Finally, we have Hayakawa, which serves as the two’s leash and prevents them from going out of control. Straight-laced and focused, Hayakawa is your usual Mr. Cool Guy with a rather powerful skillset. Hayakawa, Denji, and Power serve as the series’ power trio thus far, and their random interactions are simply hilarious to see. But when a Devil comes, the comedic dynamic becomes a murderous one, as they are competent characters with a fight in them.
All in all, fans watch Chainsaw Man for a variety of reasons. Maybe they relate heavily to Denji’s goals, maybe they are in it for the almost film-quality animation. Whatever it is, I can say only one thing: all of it is correct. There are only a few anime that can balance gore and comedy, and a story that as convoluted as it might seem simply works.
You won’t stop talking about Chainsaw Man once you start to watch Episode one -that I can guarantee. Want to read more articles like this? Read here!
