Review of Chainsaw Man
It's been on hold for quite some time. So much so, I just started from the beginning. This show has a lot of supporters, some of which think this is a 10/10 and the others, well, they aren't delusional. It certainly has some great qualities but, I believe carries an average on here it doesn't deserve (currently 8.5). The animation is definitely above average but certainly not a 10/10. It has really good character designs, and the sword based (chainsaw based) characters in combat are animated very well. The devils themselves, particularly in the earlier episodes are quite boring. There are around 6 properfight sequences, which is pretty descent for the number of episodes (from memory anyway). From these 5 I would say 4 were a missed opportunity. Again though, it's not terrible hy any means, I just don't see how this show can be a 10/10 when we all know the animation isn't alone. There is also a few moments where it shifts to a 3D perspective. The first two of these are done really well, the moment on train towards the end though, not so much. It makes it feel like it's a completely different animation style to the rest of the show. 7/10.
Story is again underwhelming. Our main protagonist are tolerable, Denji in particular has his moments of insufferability. Interestingly through, he has moments of being a badass so it's a tough one. I'm not sure if I like him or not. The pacing of the story told is however very good. There is no element of the story where it seems rushed. The best moments in the story really start from when the life sentence convicts are released from prison. I say this because the episode number fails me. This is the moment for me the story picked up and had some great emotional moments, exciting moments and really kept you glued to it until you see the outcomes. As I said above, the pacing was great, but until the section I mentioned in my earlier point, it was doing a great job of pacing a boring storyline. Still, I'd give this a confident 7/10 in the story department.
The worst part is the music. I say worst, it's. It terrible, just the weakest part of this show. It's all a little unexciting. No moment stood out to me, and as a musician who enjoys and actively looks out for, music that adds to the dynamic of the show and carries the emotions, this show didn't really have anything to write home about. So I'm giving the music a 5/10 as a respectable average that I believe is rather fair.
All of the above brings us to an average of 6/10 as I round down. I would still recommend this show. Most people don't have my objectivity and just watch to enjoy, which despite being a 6/10, I took still enjoyed. It does however, have a lot of weaknesses that it really shouldn't and certainly could be better.