Amendment 1: This review has been updated as of (part 1's) final chapter. I'll keep most of the original content, with a few additions.

Amendment 2: This review only covers the Public Safety (Chapters 1 - 97) part of the Manga.

Get ready for some insanity, then depression!

Chainsaw Man is a...unique experience to say the least. I haven't read or watched anything that could easily be compared to this crazy ass series. I've heard of the author's previous work, Fire Punch, which people generally say is similar to Chainsaw Man in that it's crazy and that no characters are safe. I just know that I was not prepared for the shitshow/masterpiece that is Chainsaw Man.

Story - 9

Just to summarize, the main character become a devil-man (human with devil powers), and ends up being contracted to hunt down other devils. It starts off pretty meh, main character has an overly dark and depressing backstory that feels shoehorned in just to set up the plot, but it could have used more of the humor seen throughout the series.

The series aims for a Ryu Ga Gotoku kind of tone in the story. There's some ridiculous humor at times, intermixed with some depressing and gut-wrenching drama.

Once you slog through the first couple chapters, the story really picks up and becomes interesting.

Edit as of Chapter 97: Wow, this ended up being way better then I expected in the antagonist department. For those that haven't read Chainsawman, let's just say the reveal of the main antagonist is fucking awesome.

Spoiler, click to view

It's both surprising and not surprising that Makima is the big bad. She's always been a creeper, but for her to be both the villain and a giant simp for the Chainsawman is hilariously amazing. Makima is easily one of the best villains in a manga I've read. The way her story has been resolved is weird, but poetic. She was content to be eaten by Chainsawman, but Denji turned that against her, eating her (as Denji) instead. Also, her dream to have a family or to be an equal is truly tragic, and shows that even the most complex of villains can have a simple, yet satisfying goal.

I will say, the final arc's pacing felt really odd, but nothing terrible. If anything, it's better than the end of Tokyo Ghoul:re and Beastars, so it has that going for it.

Aside from that, this really is a series that seems like it has a lack of focus, but everything connects by the final arc flawlessly. One of the first scenes directly connects with the ending, and it actually felt planned, not just thrown in. I don't think I've read a series that has set up and followed through as well as Chainsawman has. If something seems irrelevant, it's probably not, even extremely minor moments early on.

Visuals - 8.5

The Good: The author clearly has skill with art, especially when it comes to drawing monsters and non-humans. Any fight scene that involve Denji tends to look amazing. Whenever he's in his chainsaw form, he looks fantastic. Even the minor characters that aren't human look fantastic. However...
The Bad: ~~Most~~ Some of the human characters look pretty crap at times. Not to say that they never look good, but I feel like if this wasn't a weekly manga, the non-Denji-Chainsaw Man art would be much better. Earlier on, Denji in his human form or my boy Aki, as shown above, look like they've taken a few hits of acid sometimes.

The art definitely improves over the course of the manga, and the "bad" art almost lends itself to the series in a way that's hard to explain. Makima especially is drawn in a way where she looks unnerving most of the time despite generally having a basic design (eyes aside).

It's clear Fujimoto's extremely skilled, but he doesn't seem to have the time to make every panel look as good as Denji looks in Chainsaw form.

It ain't Berserk, but the art is really good now. Some characters can still have derpy faces, but it's overall better.

Characters - 10

This is where the series really shines, and in some pretty unexpected ways.

Lets start with the main character, Denji. He has an ultra dark backstory that leads to him becoming the Chainsaw Man. Despite his woes, he only has one goal: he wants to grab himself some titties. I've never followed a serious series where the main character's ultimate goal is so simple, it's kind of amazing. He's not some idealistic, good person, he's kind of an ass and selfish. That's what makes him so fun to follow though, he just gives zero fucks, unless boobs are involved, then he's game.

Spoiler, click to view

Fujimoto the crazy bastard, he made a simple and good character like Denji amazing. Damn Denji has become one of my favorite protagonists in a manga. His development from uncaring to caring was masterfully executed. Also, his resolution with Makima, Nayuta and Pochita show how far he's come as a character. Truly amazing.

As for the side characters, some are compelling, such as Aki and Himeno, and others are incredibly interesting, like Makima. Not able to say much more on them without dipping into spoilers. I do like how most of the characters are not good people, they're all generally asshats in some way, with very few exceptions. Then again, morally good characters probably wouldn't be suited to this series and devil hunting, so it makes sense.

People love series like Attack on Titan or The Walking Dead because they say that no one is safe in those series, anyone can die at any time. Chainsaw Man clearly ploughs these series in this aspect. This series is ruthless, many characters that are developed and (seem) important are killed off without hesitation. With so few chapters, I still got attached to these characters and they left an impact when they were killed off. Very few series do this, and even fewer pull this off well- Chainsaw Man succeeds at this ruthlessness.

Spoiler, click to view

Adding to this, they fucking kill two of the three main characters, both within a chapter of each other. RIP Aki and Power, you two were the real MVPs. At least Power might be able to come back in Part 2

Enjoyment - 10

This series is amazing. Something that starts out as a seemingly raunchy dark comedy slowly progresses into one of the best dramas I've read in a while. It's got likeable characters and some great humor.

I'd love to see this animated, I think it would work even better as an anime. Cmon MAPPA, you doin us proud with Jujutsu Kaisen, keep it up and make the Chainsawman anime glorious!

Originally in my review, I thought the author was stumbling and having issues. As it progressed though, I realized he knew what he was doing the entire time (or it sure seemed like it). The author found his groove and I feel like an ass for doubting him. The madlad has done things I could never dream of, and this series has become an instant classic for me. I personally give it a 100, but for objectivity, I'll knock off a few points for the final arc's pacing and some of the art being meh.

I highly recommend this series for people who like wacky, but deep and depressing stories.~~~~~~