Chainsaw Man is a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto and published by Viz Media. It was announced that MAPPA (Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen) was adapting the award-winning manga into an anime and I don’t think the world is ready for just how good it will be.
Chainsaw Man is a story that is bonkers, emotionally driven, and violent and its anime adaptation will further solidify it as an instant hit. Following the story of Denji, a poor and down-on-his-luck teenager as he deals with a life of poverty inherited by his dead father. His skills at hunting Devils, (monsters from Hell) makes him valuable to the Public Safety Division, a governmental Devil Hunter group. Led by Makima, Denji explores a better life but at what cost?
Here are 3 Reasons to be Excited about the Chainsaw Man anime:
1. Evil, Feral Women
I am completely and utterly in love with the unabashed writing style of Fujimoto. It’s astonishing how well the balance between high-octane action and deep emotional characterization is. In between all of this comes 2 characters that I’m not only obsessed with but I think many others will be too.
Power, a Blood Fiend, is just about as greedy of a character as one could get. Characterized by her red horns when she’s in Fiend mode, Power embodies someone who looks like they’re constantly up to no good. She’s relentless in her yearning to be in control of other people. She disregards the well-being of others (Denji) if it means being able to ensure the well-being of her cat. With lines like “Grovel human” and “Bow before me human”, I am excited to abide when the anime arrives.
Makima, leader of the Public Safety Division, is a character whose morality is questionable at best and presumably evil at worst. Immediately, she gives off Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss vibes. She’s intense, manipulative, uncaring, and a weirdo. Frequently the main person who causes and inflicts emotional pain to many of our characters, Makima is someone I hate to love and love to hate. She’s kinda vile and I love it.
2. Pochita
Viewers will meet Pochita immediately and it will be so difficult to not adore him. He is Denji’s dog, one of the only good things in Denji’s poverty-stricken life. Nothing is more wholesome than a man and his dog, a tale as old as time. People say that would die for their dog all the time but Denji takes it to a whole other level. Pochita is a Chainsaw Man devil-of-a- dog and aids Denji on his devil hunting trips to help him pay off his dead dad’s debt to the Yakuza. Things inevitably go wrong for Denji (get used to it) and Pochita offers to merge his soul and heart with Denji. Now combined with the power of love and friendship, Chainsaw Man begins. Would you show your dog your dreams if it meant he could turn you into a chainsaw? I think I would do it for less than that.
3. Emotional Pain
I wish I could say that Chainsaw Man will make you happy, even though it certainly will because that happiness sits in between panels of pain and hurt. Beneath the carnage, the fast-paced fights, and the devil hunting, the emotional stakes of Chainsaw Man are high and personal. Fujimoto has crafted a group of loveable characters who all desperately need a hug and a better life. It hurts to see them suffer in any capacity and you wish nothing but good things for them. However, that is not the case. MAPPA bringing these characters to life will absolutely be stunning and beautiful and my heart will not be able to handle it. This is a good thing. So few works can capture the visceral aspects of emotion quite like MAPPA does (Jujutsu Kaisen) and bring that talent to a story bursting at the seams with so much emotional weight. I’m ready to be wrecked. I’m ready to see Fujimoto’s exercise in will, desire, control, found family (sometimes a family is lots of people smoking cigarettes together and crying), and love will translate on screen the brilliance of Chainsaw man.
There’s a myriad of reasons to be excited about the Chainsaw Man anime. From unique monster designs to MAPPA’s signature animation and direction, it will be a new favorite for many.
Chainsaw Man is expected to be released in October 2022. Here is the most recent trailer!
All images owned by VIZ Media and Shueisha.
