The highly anticipated anime “Chainsaw Man” finally premiered on October 12th, 2022, and it is as good as you imagined! The anime debuted with a gory, violent, and somewhat wholesome episode delivering some humorous yet touching scenes. The show’s first episode seemed quite promising, which bodes well for the rest of the series. All hell breaks loose as soon as the eponymous Chainsaw Man arrives, and the show delivers one of the bloodiest and most epic fight scenes to be animated in a long time.
The anime is produced by the highly acclaimed MAPPA studio, renowned for its excellent animation. Chainsaw Man follows the story of a young adolescent boy—Denji(Kikunosuke Toya, who is encumbered with debt left to him by his departed father. In order to pay off his father’s debt, Denji is forced to survive by taking odd jobs and even selling some of his organs. His only companion is the incredibly adorable demon dog–Pochita, who has a chainsaw for a mouth. A flashback shows the fateful encounter between the two which happened at Denji’s father’s funeral. The two formed an agreement then, assenting to help each other out, spending all their endless days hunting and killing demons together in order to make money.
Apart from Pochita being the cutest demon you have ever laid eyes on, Chainsaw Man is quite dark, and not because of the demons or the goriness, but because of its showcasing of the dreary reality of the lower working class. Our young protagonist, despite his cheerful charm, never flinches at the sight of devils, not because he’s used to them, but because he has seen horrors much worse.
Chainsaw Man is not like your typical anime; while it includes some bombastic battles, it adds its own cynical twists to them. In theory, Denji is quite an average shonen protagonist with a hunger to reach his goals, but the difference comes between the goals and the reason for aiming for such heights. Alas, what is a young boy that was brutally killed and then saved by the sacrifice of his only companion supposed to do if not laugh as he slays his enemies with the chainsaws coming out of his body?
The animation, done brilliantly by MAPPA, perfectly captures the bleak nature of the story with muted colors, dark surroundings, and a cloudy atmosphere. All character designs remain loyal to the original manga style, voiced by well-reputed actors.
The story is yet to introduce many characters, or events that will be essential to the plot’s development, but the ones introduced so far have established a strong foundation for the show’s growth. The show till now with all the characters leaves you with an appetite for more, giving a glimpse at Denji’s many adventures to come.
The anime had a solid start, with an effective uniqueness, though it will soon become bland if not expanded into other dimensions. It is yet to be decided if Chainsaw Man will leave the same impact on its viewers as the manga did; however, the opening act was certainly propitious.
Chainsaw Man delivered a well-rounded premier episode centered around one of the most fascinating shonen protagonists we have seen in recent years. With its faithful adaptation of the manga, the anime certainly lived up to the hype.