chainsaw man: a standout among this generation of shonen

spoilers are tagged !

right off the bat, chainsaw man establishes itself as something mildly off beat. denji, the protagonist, grows throughout these 97 chapters from a one-dimensional gag character to a vessel for illustrating the battle between humanity and devils. in a way, denji's growth mirrors that of the story. the difference in complexity between the characters and plot in the beginning and end is shocking, and the series does these transitions smoothly.

villains:

Spoiler, click to view

makima as the control devil was a fantastic twist. right off the bat, she's a character where a lot of detail surrounding her is left unknown, immediately grabbing the reader's curiosity. chainsaw man features a cast of attractive, powerful young women and while at first makima may blend in as another one of these characters, it becomes clear that there is something else going on with her. the reveal of her identity as a devil, and then the ultimate villain of part one, is nicely drawn out, answering questions while still keeping the reader baited for more. aside from makima the gun devil, bomb devil, threat of a world war etc. all serve as unique and interesting villains.

tone: chainsaw man has a sense of humor to it that stays throughout the entire series. while including a myriad of graphic scenes and some much more serious introspection and philosophy, the characters bicker and tease one another in a way that adds a significant level of enjoyment to the manga. fujimoto masterfully balances humor and violence in a way that shows despite some of the darker subject material, at its core, csm does not take itself too seriously and recognizes its outlandish features.

writing: here's where i, personally, choose to justify the high score i have chosen to give chainsaw man. immediately after finishing the series, i paused to think, and then looked at some of the closing chapters. in the end, we see actions from the very first part of the story being mirrored

Spoiler, click to view

(ex: reze's finger in denji's mouth --> nayuta's finger in denji's mouth)

but the context and implication behind them are wildly different because of what we have just seen the characters go through.

characters: the increase in depth of all the characters, while still keeping the same humorous tone is so neatly done. denji starts out with his prime motivator being "to cop a feel", claiming he doesn't care how he spends his days and simply is trying to feel some boobs. he doesn't care about what he is asked to do, and follows makima's wishes with ease. however, in the closing chapters of the story when

Spoiler, click to view

he, broken after having to kill aki, asks makima to literally become a dog for her, so as not to have make decisions again, it is heartbreaking. watching denji have to deal with the traumatic effects of battle that we now realize makima is putting him through for her own evil agenda is infuriating. his lack of will is no longer part of his simple-minded joke trait, but a result of forcibly having his closest friends taken away from him. watching these friendships grow over ten volumes and then witnessing them extinguish causes great pain, making you realize how much these characters have expanded over time.

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all in all, i think chainsaw man is an incredibly unique premise. there is a lot to be said for any series coming out nowadays that feels as completely new as this one. chainsaw man is definitely worth the read, full of twists and brilliant character growth that only further impresses the reader upon reflection.