Friday, November 18, 2022

FIF#172-Chainsaw Man

In a world where Devils roam free, Denji makes a living as one who hunts the Devils.  Through a twist of fate, Denji makes a deal with a Devil to inherit its power and become an unstoppable monster: the Chainsaw Man.  His skill and carnage garner the attention of the Public Safety Devil Hunters, who offer Denji a chance to join their ranks…or die by their hand.  Guiding him through his new life is Makima, a beautiful and seductive agent of the PSDH who could be the best thing that’s ever happened to Denji.  Together, they tackle the underworld of Devils and God help anyone or anything that might get in their way.
 
Hoooboy they weren’t kidding about this one.  Ever since it’s announcement earlier this year, Chainsaw Man as been one of the most hotly anticipated Anime of 2022.  It’s also coming on the heels of some major hits for the Shonen Genre of Anime like Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen and its fellow 2022 mega hit brethren, Spy X Family.  With that much hype behind it, there’s no way Chainsaw Man could ever live up to it right, right?  Well, I’ve been curious since I saw the first trailer and holy crap did the premiere not disappoint.  The Shonen Victory Train might’ve just bulldozed through another stop and unlike Jujutsu Kaisen, the one has me, I’ll just say that (though I’m not opposed to giving JJK another show especially since I really liked the Jujutsu Kaisen 0 Movie).
 
My initial thoughts on the visual style of Chainsaw Man brought back memories of seeing TV Ads for ultra violent Anime like Akira and Ninja Scroll on Saturday mornings and its still a good comparison.  From the grimy backgrounds of Denji’s shack to the locals where he wanders and does his Devil Hunting, nothing is pristine and brightly colored and I feel that’s on purpose.  This is one of the more darker Shonen Manga getting adapted, far from the Naruto-esque vibes of JJK or the wacky hijinks of Spy X Family.  That said, those aforementioned ultra violent Anime from the late 80s to mid 90s were beloved for a reason beyond their edgy and adult oriented look.  The promise of maximum carnage is on full display in Chainsaw Man’s first episode.  The second Denji transforms into the titular Devil Hunter, it is on and it has to be one of the most uniquely choreographed action sequences I’ve seen in Anime this year.  It has the camera work of Demon Slayer mixed with the bloody mayhem of a 90s adult OVA.  After all, it’s a guy with Chainsaws on both of his arms and on his face, if you cant get creative, you’re doing something very wrong.
 
I was caught off guard by the appearance of a tiny little puppy dog with a chainsaw nose.  Given what becomes of little Pochita, I wonder how much we’ll see of him in the rest of the Anime.  Still, the tale of Denji’s friendship with the little Devil was surprisingly sweet considering I hadn’t seen this in any of the trailers that were filled with epic Demon fights and steamy NC17 sex scenes.  It makes Denji’s transformation into Chainsaw Man all the more tragic.  The only friend he has ever had in his life (presumably) gives their own life so that Denji can live his dream and get some much needed payback against the Yakuza that wronged him and his family.  As sad as that is, Denji doesn’t look like he’ll be alone for long as one of the two heavily anticipated contenders for Waifu of 2022, Makima, makes an appearance at the end to comfort Denji after his Chainsaw Man debut.  Not a bad way to be properly welcomed into the Public Safety Devil Hunters.
 
If it’s not clear already, the first episode of Chainsaw Man is F’ing amazing and lives up to a near year long amount of hype.  The animation is dark but fitting for the environments.  The violence is 90s OVA levels of excessive but in a fun way.  And the story has a good and surprising amount of emotion and heart for a show I expected to be nothing but edgy violence and sex (and it could still go that route).  Either way, this is a show to keep an eye out for and an immediate strong contender for Anime of the Year…which is saying something given the competition its got in 2022.

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