Chainsaw Man
a review by Underscore
a review by Underscore
Chainsaw ManSummary
To pay off his late father’s debt to the yakuza, Denji becomes a demon hunter for hire with his pet chainsaw dog, Pochi. After finally paying off his debt, he’s backstabbed by the mafia and left to die in a dumpster. He makes a promise to his beloved dog that he will enjoy life to the fullest, and because of this, is revived with the ability to turn into a chainsaw man. He then teams up with the official demon hunting organization and faces bigger and bigger foes with his newfound power, ultimately to be able to beat the world’s most feared demon, the gun demon. His motivation? It’s not fame or out of love for humanity. No, if he manages to defeat the gun demon he can touch his boss’s boobs.
Plot (8.5/10)
At first it seems like the average shonen manga, where the protagonist has become the strongest guy around and defeat the big bad boss. But the plot is more than that. A new twist on an old concept, Denji is able to transform into a demon to defeat demons. However, his motivation isn’t to make the world a better place, but rather to get frisky with his hot new boss. This whole thing leads to a lot of hilarious scenes, and separates this manga and the main character from the other basic ‘good-guys vs. bad-guys’ dynamic. Without getting into spoilers, a common theme seems to be betrayal, and there’s lots of unexpected plot twists. Overall, the story is well written, but further and further into the manga becomes harder to keep up with, and is often a bit confusing at times, causing the reader to stop and ask themselves what’s going on. Another aspect that could be considered either good or bad is the virtually non-existent plot armor. Characters are killed off with seemingly zero hesitation. Some of them are written out too soon for you to get attached, to which almost cheapens the effect, while at the same time, longstanding characters you thought were safe suddenly get killed off out of the blue.
Characters (9.1/10)
The main character is a lovable idiot, whose struggles you can’t help but sympathise with. The other characters surrounding him are fan-favorites, arguably more popular with the audience than himself, and their interactions are not only comedic, but wholesome at times, as well as gut wrenching when he experiences loss. You find yourself empathising with the protagonist, when he deals with the enemy characters, and with all the twists and turns in the story, the reader is easily caught up in the emotions and reactions of the main character as he faces the highs and lows of his journey. As for the main antagonists, their side of the story isn’t just brushed over, and you discover their reasons for conflicting with the protagonist. The main villian is one of the best I've seen. Seeing both sides of the story adds an appreciative depth to their interactions and conflicts. Despite many characters appearing for only a short time, it’s easy to quickly develop emotional attachment, which helps to make it feel as if they aren't just some extras thrown in for some extra drama, and adds to the enjoyment of the overall manga.
Visuals (9.2/10)
It’s clear to see the artist is very talented. The artwork is absolutely astounding, especially when you consider that this was a weekly manga. The artist did an amazing job of portraying all the action in the fight scenes, and it’s so easy to get caught up in the artwork, especially since the shading accurately portrayed the texture and position of the objects throughout the entire series. There is obvious skill and amazing character design in the drawings of all the non-human characters, and the human ones are well drawn too. A great deal of effort went into the commonly overlooked backgrounds and it paid off, adding to the environment and atmosphere of the scenes.
Bingeable/Hype (8.9/10)
Chainsaw Man is one of the all time favorites in the community, with nothing but praise for the creator. The combination of the unique and captivating story, as well as the brilliant art and character design keep the reader on the edge of their seat eagerly wanting more. Despite being nearly a hundred chapters long, it’s good enough that one could easily consume the entire manga in a single day.
Enjoyment (9.3/10)
This manga is at the top off my list for a reason. The story is captivating and full of twists, comedy, and moments full of all kinds of emotion. The characters are amazingly written and easy to get attached to. The artwork is practically unprecedented. It checks all the boxes. A huge fan of the action genre, I found myself completely enthralled by this manga. I wanted to make sure the first manga I read was a good one, and the combination of positive feedback and it’s relatively short length led me to choose this one, and boy did I choose good.
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