T5W#353-Top 5 Thoughts on the Chainsaw Man Trailer

The trailer for Chainsaw Man dropped over the weekend and while I have zero clue what its about, the more I’ve watched it, the more intrigued I’ve become.  It isn’t very long but there’s a lot to unpack.  Several images of peaceful good times followed by a barrage of constant carnage, for a second I thought this might’ve been a movie and not a TV Series but nope, it’s the latter.  This trailer has garnered a lot of buzz and has quickly become one of the most anticipated Anime of 2022.  No official release date has been announced but my guess is theyre gonna try and get this out either by late Summer or early Fall (and if it’s Fall jeez it’s gonna be the best Season for Anime in a long time).  So, for today’s Top 5 Wednesday, I’m sharing my Top 5 Thoughts on the Chainsaw Man Trailer.  There could def be a First Impression Friday article on this one for sure (might even be a special depending on when it drops cause right now FIF will be ending its current season at the end of July, more on that another time).

 
#5-Studio MAPPA

Studio MAPPA was on everyones radar big time in 2016 with the mega successful Yuri on Ice but it’s their projects from the last couple of years that have made it a mega star in the Anime community.  In 2020, MAPPA took over the reigns of Attack on Titan for its Final Season (still ongoing) and right afterwards, it dropped Jujutsu Kaisen on us…and that might be THE hottest Anime of moment right now (we’ll come back to that).  Considering the scale and crazy visuals on display, I can see why Chainsaw Man was handed over to these guys and it kind of looks like JJK on steroids.

 

#4-Jujutsu Kaisen meets Berserk?

While the trailer opens with some rather peaceful and happier moments with friends having fun at home, at the beach and in some more intimate settings, things really pick up when a giant wolf head bursts through the top of a building followed by a lone swordsman drawing his blade.  Is he ontop of it, is he going to fight it?  I don’t know but frak what a hook.  Everything else that follows looks to be quite violent and crazy with lots of Demon hands trying to nab characters and a ton of blood being spilled.  So yeah, it looks like stuff in the vein of Jujutsu Kaisen with the brutality of Berserk, nice.
 

#3-A Callback to 90s Excess Anime

I couldn’t watch the Chainsaw Man Trailer and not think back to those Sunday afternoons when that Anime VHS Collection commercial would play, offering stuff that “Wasn’t for Kids” in the vein of Akira, Demon City Shinjuku and Record of Lodoss War.  Back then, the 90s era of Anime was all about extreme violence, tons of sex and nudity and over the top carnage, the likes of which were popularized by Ninja Scroll, X and definitely Akira.  Chainsaw Man looks like a return to that particular heyday as it looks like there’s going to be one insane action sequence after another with plenty of promise of blood, gore and some steamy sexual situations not suitable for younger audiences.
 

#2-What a Time to Be a Shonen Fan

The last five years have seen a huge boom in Shonen Anime adaptations and milestones for previous ones.  One Piece hit 1000 episodes.  Boruto is continuing the strong legacy of Naruto.  My Hero Academia is crushing the US market and Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen are two of the biggest Anime on the planet thanks to mega successful TV Seasons and Worldwide Box Office dominating movies.  Without a doubt, we’re living in a new Golden Age of Shonen Anime not seen since the days of the “Big Three” aka One Piece, Naruto and Bleach.  All that said, it’s no wonder everyone hyped for Chainsaw Man to drop as it seems another epic piece of Shonen Anime History is about to be written.
 
 
#1-He Literally is a Chainsaw Man

There’s no lie in the title.  The trailer ends with someone who is practically made of Chainsaws slaying Demons left, right and center.  Chainsaws for hands, a CHAINSAW FACE!!!!!???? What the heck is this wonderful craziness?  One thing is certain: if this is being animated by the same studio behind Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan, then the action is going to be otherworldly.  Who knows, those two were probably test runs for the kind of insane visually graphic action Chainsaw Man can deliver.  This could be a big one folks…and you’re definitely gonna get a Man made of Chainsaws.