On December 27, 2022, the first season of the anime 'Chainsaw Man' ended. The adaptation of the manga of the same name was eagerly awaited around the world, including in Russia. We tell you what the debut season turned out to be like and why the titl...

The manga Chainsaw Man began serialization in early December 2018 in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine published by Shueisha. Chapters continued to be released until December 2020, after which there was a nearly two-year hiatus, and the work returned in July 2022 with its second part on the pages of the online magazine Shonen Jump+. In 2019, the publisher began collecting Tatsuki Fujimoto's creation into tankōbon volumes, whose circulation today exceeds twenty million copies. Undoubtedly, this is a lot, and the title is considered very commercially successful, but for comparison: 'One Piece' has a circulation exceeding half a billion copies (though it has also been running for over 20 years longer).

The manga has not been without prestigious awards in the anime sphere either. In 2021, it won the Japanese Shogakukan Manga Award in the 'Shonen' category, and for two consecutive years, it received the American Harvey Award for 'Best Manga'. Of course, an adaptation was only a matter of time. And ultimately, the studio responsible for it was MAPPA, which gave viewers Attack on Titan, Terror in Resonance, and Dororo.

What's the Story?

'Chainsaw Man' starts off quite typically for an anime. We are introduced to the main character, Denji. He is an orphan burdened with debts to the yakuza, which he inherited from his father who committed suicide. The guy tries everything to pay it off. He works as a lumberjack, hunts demons, and even sells his organs, but the debt amount never seems to decrease. Denji's main life companion and friend is the dog-like Chainsaw Devil named Pochita. It is Pochita who helps the guy hunt other demons and cut down trees.

The demon and the guy live together, whether in a shack or a closet, sharing the last breadcrumbs and various scraps, until even such an existence is decided to be ended by the yakuza boss, who betrays Denji and Pochita to be torn apart by the Zombie Devil. The guy is dismembered and thrown into a trash can, but Pochita comes to the rescue. He sacrifices himself and replaces Denji's heart, granting him his abilities. So now, by pulling the starter cord sticking out of his chest, Denji transforms into Chainsaw Man.

Denji vs. Evil Dead and Other Demons, But Not Against Eating and Having Fun

The anime and manga 'Chainsaw Man' are usually attributed to the shonen genre (it was published in a magazine with that name and won an award in that category), but it's still not quite that. Yes, there are tropes very typical for this genre, like: 'a trio of heroes with supernatural powers', 'an incredibly strong and terrifying antagonist that only the main character can defeat, and even then only if he overcomes himself and gives his maximum potential', or 'the power of friendship/love, with which the character defeats the enemy/avenges them while being on the verge of death'. But otherwise, the series either mocks shonen or breaks its patterns.

Take, for example, Denji's motivation. He doesn't fight for high ideals; he has no unattainable goal, because all the hero wants is a jam sandwich. That's at first, but then, after finally tasting the coveted treat, his motivation changes to something serious. Now the guy needs to touch a breast. Oh, what he wouldn't do for that: he'll slice up everyone in sight with his chainsaws (including himself), and drink the blood of the Bat Devil. But after fulfilling this desire... That's where things get adult, because now he needs to lose his virginity. True, it will be very difficult, because he needs to kill the strongest demon in the world.

With such goals, the main character lives throughout the entire first season. Sleeping well, eating deliciously, and washing in the bath—that's Denji's salary. There is no talk of the power of friendship or self-sacrifice for great goals at all.

As for the other characters, Chainsaw Man's partners are a girl possessed by the Blood Devil with horns named Power, and the constantly smoking and thoughtful Aki. This magnificent trio is managed by the beautiful and mysterious Makima, who clearly knows more than she tells the heroes. But the main thing is that there is no strong bond, let alone friendship, between the characters. They are ready to betray and dispose of each other at any moment. They don't care about anyone except themselves. Does this resemble a shonen like 'Demon Slayer'? Definitely not. This kind of anime and manga has a slightly different name—it's seinen.

Roman Kovalev

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Abrir material

Seinen is intended for a more adult audience (mainly guys aged 18 and over). It may contain erotica, excessive violence, and sharp satire. Examples include One Punch Man and Parasyte: The Maxim. Actually, 'Chainsaw Man' fits perfectly into this line. It has very bloody fights, adult humor, sharp satire of shonen tropes, and, of course, a touch of erotica. The only things adding cuteness to all the absurdity in the anime are Power's cat named Meowy and that same Pochita, who appears only in flashbacks after the first episode.

Honestly, in terms of humor, level of craziness, and degree of absurdity, 'Chainsaw Man' reminds me of Sam Raimi's 'Evil Dead' franchise, especially the series 'Ash vs Evil Dead'. There, too, a selfish and lustful main character with a chainsaw instead of a hand chops up everyone around and cracks stupid jokes. Only the demons are not as diverse, but otherwise, the similarity is enormous.

I'll Get the Rusty Chainsaw and Off We Go

Over the twelve episodes of the first season, we got a little acquainted with the world of demons. In this universe, they embody human fears. And the stronger the fear of something, the stronger the demon itself. Hence the main antagonist, who hasn't even appeared on screen yet but is spoken of with trepidation by everyone—the Gun Devil. We also saw the Eternity Devil, the Snake Devil, the Fox Devil, and even the Tomato Devil (surprising that anyone is afraid of tomatoes).

What's funny is that demons sincerely hate humans, but they can make contracts with them. Government-employed hunters actively use such services in exchange for something vital. No one believes in friendship between a demon and a human, but Denji and Pochita prove otherwise. How else to explain that the Chainsaw Devil shared all hardships with a human for years and ultimately gave his life for him? This is hardly a mutually beneficial contract.

Overall, the plot of the anime is simply captivating and amazing. Twelve episodes can be watched without a break. You want to devour episode after episode, rather than wait a week for the continuation. At any moment, a completely calm and steady narrative can suddenly switch to an action fight and end with a harsh cliffhanger, and the wait is so agonizing. But 'Chainsaw Man' is extremely interesting not only plot-wise but also in terms of lore. You want to know what other demons exist, what they can do, and whether people can get along and coexist with them in peace. An irresistible desire arises to dive headfirst into this world.

The characters are also excellently written here. Each has their own demons (including inner ones), their own interesting life stories, and their own personalities. For example, the main character is very dumb, but he never studied either. Denji is unkempt and gluttonous, but the reason is that the guy was practically homeless and always hungry. And what homeless person takes care of themselves? He is lustful and carefree, but don't forget that this is a teenager going through puberty who hasn't lived in a social society, so no one taught him the rules of etiquette. That's why, against the background of Aki, he seems like a stupid child who needs constant supervision.

Stepping away from praise, I want to say that the creation of studio MAPPA has one small downside—the 3D animation, which sometimes stands out from the overall picture. You're looking at the screen, everything is smooth, great, and beautiful, and then 'hop' you see how the general background blatantly stands out, as if a location in a game hasn't fully loaded. Sometimes it's quite jarring, but fortunately, it doesn't get worse from the lack of it.

Otherwise, 'Chainsaw Man' is an excellent project with a cool plot, magnificent music, and worthwhile characters. Just the idea of having new endings in each episode is something else. Twelve completely different in style and art final sequences are complemented by a magnificent cinephile opening, packed with references to various films: from Tarantino's 'Reservoir Dogs' and 'Pulp Fiction' to 'The Texas Chain Saw Massacre' and 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!' (probably because of this film, the Tomato Devil appeared).

What's the Verdict?

It can be safely said that 'Chainsaw Man' lived up to fans' expectations and turned out to be one of the brightest anime projects of 2022. Officially, studio MAPPA has not yet renewed the series for a second season, but it's almost obvious that it will happen. Firstly, the open ending and clearly unfinished arcs, including the one with the main antagonist, the Gun Devil. Secondly, the source material has over a hundred manga chapters, and currently, just under forty have been adapted, so a continuation is practically mandatory. We will eagerly await the second season and keep our fingers crossed for Denji to lose his virginity. Ahem, sorry, to defeat the demon and save many human lives. Yes, that's it.