Review of Chainsaw Man

Personally, it took a while to really get into this anime for many of the reasons cited in other "mixed" or "negative reviews". I really started to enjoy the series around episode 9, primarily due to the interesting mechanics around devils and their contracts, as well as the awesome devil designs and their unique traits. The characters are relatively stale and the plot isn't exactly revolutionary, but I think the world building makes up for it. As stated, the devil contracts are one of the coolest things about this anime. The fact that there are so many varieties of devils and different powers that they canbestow upon their contracted humans is very interesting, not to mention the other types of powers they can give humans like hearts and fiends. I think it's a great plot point that some characters keep their contracts secret so you only get to see their insane power, while you're left guessing at what devil they contracted, it adds a bit of mystery and puzzle-solving to the anime.

The animation of the devils (and the anime as a whole) is also a plus. The devils are grotesque and creepy, while also being unique from each other, and their powers often depend on what "type" of devil they are. A lot like jujutsu kaisen where how much humans fear an entity makes the devil stronger or weaker. You can tell a lot of work was put into the animation (even though it is a blend of CGI) the fight scenes and normal scenes still blend together very well. It is reminiscent of dorohedoro, which is another great anime produced by MAPPA.

As mentioned, the characters themselves aren't the most interesting or ground-breaking in comparison to other animes, and there are definitely some "fan-service shounen" elements like how much Denji likes boobs or how women throw themselves at him, which can lead to some more than cringey moments for adults watching. But, I think the other redeemable parts of this anime make up for these moments, and overall it is a fun and entertaining watch.