Chainsaw Man is a Japanese manga that was released in 2018, written by Tatsuki Fujimoto and published by Shueisha. The award-winning manga has more than 16 million copies in circulation and has become one of the most popular mangas in recent years. The licensing was purchased by the popular anime streaming service Crunchyroll, and the first episode of the long-awaited anime series has now been released. The series is directed by Ryuu Nakayama (The Rising of the Shield Hero) and written for the screen by Hiroshi Seko (Attack on Titan). Kikunosuke Toya stars as the main character, Denji in the Japanese version, while Ryan Colt Levy (My Hero Academia) voices him in the English-dubbed version.
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The original story of Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a down-on-his-luck man who absorbs an insurmountable pile of debt to the Yakuza when his father dies. Accompanied by his chainsaw devil/canine-like companion, Pochita, Denji becomes a devil hunter, takes on less-than-appealing jobs, and even sells parts of his body to pay off the debt. As he starts to make a dent in his money owed, the Yakuza decides to betray Denji, murdering him. In a deal with his devil-friend Pochita, Denji is resurrected and combined with Pochita as a half-human, half-devil killing machine with chainsaws attached to his head and arms, hellbent on revenge.
Establishing Denji and Pochita in ‘Dog & Chainsaw’
Crunchyroll
The premiere episode of the anime does a wonderful job of introducing both Denji and Pochita as characters that both love and need one another. The introductory episode focuses a lot on a lighter Denji, before he amassed a mountain of debt, and then a hardened and tired Denji, who has not only had to sell pieces of himself to stay alive but puts himself in danger at every turn, by hunting the evil devils of the world. It’s clear that Denji and Pochita have a symbiotic relationship, as the two only rely on one another for companionship. Denji almost comes off like a Pokemon-esque protagonist, confiding in his lovable animal friend, though in this story, his conversations with Pochita are filled with dreams of semi-mundane normal life stuff, like a stable job or a regular relationship. Pochita’s snuggling and happy barking in agreement are enough to balance out the understandably morose direction of Denji’s current path.
The episode jumps back and forth between Denji’s early days of meeting Pochita, and his experienced devil-hunting days, which have clearly taken a toll on both his mind and body. It doesn’t seem to matter how many devils he slays or jobs he completes; the Yakuza continue to make it more and more difficult for Denji to climb out from underneath them… that is until they decide to murder him. The first two acts of the episode are all about character-building and don’t go into the flashy, gory action-fest that readers of the manga or viewers of the trailer may have been expecting. However, the episode’s third act is an entirely different story, as it brings Chainsaw Man’s title character origin to fruition.
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A Gory, Good Time
Crunchyroll
The final act of the episode shows the Yakuza’s betrayal of Denji, as they turn to zombie devils and impale both him and Pochita with their swords. Pochita makes a deal with Denji, and the two come back to life as one, a chainsaw devil ready for some good ol’ fashioned gory revenge. Any worriers that the anime wouldn’t be as gory or as brutal as the manga can rest easy, because Denji rips and roars through a hoard of zombie devils in bloodthirsty fashion. Limbs fly, torsos soar, and the screams of Denji’s enemies ring loud as he dispatches what seems like hundreds of flesh-eating devils. As Chainsaw Man puts the finishing touches on his boss fight, an exhausted Denji is found by the mysterious Makima (Tomori Kusunoki), who offers him a quick death, or a chance to live under her watch. Denji chooses wisely and decides we get to see him live to saw another day.
The entire episode’s technical aspects were wonderful, but the final act in particular had absolutely stunning animation, and a glorious soundtrack to accompany it. Bravo to both the composer, Kensuke Ushio, who also shines in A Silent Voice: The Movie and Devilman: Crybaby, and the animation director, Kazutaka Sugiyama, known for his work on Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation. If the first episode, along with the trailer, are any indication of what the rest of the series has to offer in both of these departments, fans of the manga and darker anime, in general, are in for a real treat.
Episode one of Chainsaw Man is now available to stream on the Crunchyroll app, and episode two will premiere on Tuesday, October 18th, 2022.
You can view the original article HERE.
