Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man isn't what it seems. If you haven't read the original series and only watched this season you might be thinking, ''It just follows all the other tropes in anime'' but soon enough it completely flips it on your head. For example Denji might just seem like a horny teenage boy who wants to cop a feel but that is completely incorrect. Denji isn't just a horny boy, he is confused, his whole life he hasn't had any proper human connection and has only been able to imagine what a normal life is, so when he gets that opportunity to eat good grub and even possibly get a girlfriend, he shoots for it. But nothing is what it seems for him. Denji doesn't understand humans, he doesn't understand himself. He lives life to fast as if it's his last day on Earth. The irony of him wanting to escape his past life just to be a pet for another person. I'd explain a lot more on why it is amazing but I can't without spoiling it. Oh and he can turn into a Chainsaw.

So this guy takes on his father's debt, which is enormous, and is so desperate he even trades one of his eyes for a small relief of his debt. He's at his wit's end, and he makes a pact with a special and most likely underrated demon pet to save his own skin. He gains massive powers, but at what cost?

It's a story we've all heard before. The show uses techniques to lure us in, such as mixing bizarre with common demonology, to give us a character on which the main character depends, portraying a dynamic of friendship, and dependency, that relies on the bond of loyalty and cuteness. A cute "chainsaw creature"? I mean c'mon, it's new and engaging, but almost too much of a stress for attention.

Regardless, so far, it's a fun, violent watch. Suspend disbelief, because before the REAL absurdity starts, the audience is expected to believe that the main HUMAN character has sharpened teeth, and a demon chainsaw-dog as a pet, which will become the focus device of the plot.

It's kinda hammed up, and predictable so far, but well worth a watch. To this reviewer, it's nothing TOO new, and yet, I find myself wishing more than the first episode was available.

Edit: 2nd episode in, and it's not getting much better, but it's not getting any worse. We're introduced to a couple new characters, one of which is absolutely bonkers and has potential to go from interesting to fascinating REAL fast. The mannerisms of the characters are still odd, but, this is a show about a dude merging with an adorable chainsaw-demon, sooooooooo, yeah.

Edit: 3rd episode in. I find it fascinating that the main character's primary motivation is boobies. As a guy who went through puberty, I can relate. But also as a guy who loves kitties, this episode had me on edge the whole time. Gotta say, it's getting even better.

Further edit: 9 episodes in. There have been MANY surprises, both fun, horrifying, and shocking. The latest episode had several such moments. I LOVE the reveal of how powerful even a character with an incipiently minor and inferior role could be (see 17 and a half minutes into the 9th episode). I was like, "oh SH@#!!!!" Lots of crazy moments lately, my love for the show continues to grow.

This show is both pretty incredible, and incredibly pretty - not only is MAPPA's workforce of animators full of some of the best in the industry, but the cinematography, music, voice acting, and use colour and storyboard off the charts, making it one of the best looking shows of the year.

The story itself is amazing, although that's to be expected from a work written by Tatsuki Fujimoto - the characters are all highly enjoyable to watch interact and grow, the worldbuilding is always interesting, the comedy is hilarious, the horror aspects are unsettling, the pacing helps to make the show entertaining constantly, the action is intense and bombastically over-the-top in the best way possible, and overall the show is a treat. If there's any show this month that you need to look out for, it's Chainsaw Man.

The first episode of Chainsaw Man was an excellent pilot for the introduction of this long-awaited series, MAPPA did an excellent job (as always) and I am eager to see where the story will lead. Very good storytelling, character design and voice acting, and impeccably handled animation. World and characters equally interesting. At the moment it still feels quite derivative, but certainly as the story develops the anime will have the possibility of portraying its real strength and uniqueness. In any case, a really intriguing start for an anime already destined to become a new classic in the next few years.

Chainsaw is one of my all time favorite mangas and seeing it get a anime made me feel free. The way they composed the episode like a movie is nothing ever done before in anime history. It was daring and it payed off. I've seen some complaints about the cgi and I would agree that in some scenes it did look off. Especially the scenes when he stands still in devil form. Other than that the cgi is the best anime cgi I have ever seen, it made the character feel real and life like. I also love the dark atmosphere the episode brought out and THE GORE there's not many anime where you can see gore in such high quality and detail. I can't wait for more chainsaw and I'm hoping it succeeds in the future.