Review of Chainsaw Man

Chainsaw Man is a juxtaposition between its wild situations and profound moments. At first glance, it's a visually-arresting series that proudly presents this messed up, demon-infested world Denji lives in. Jumping between demon battles and Denji's horny mind, Chainsaw Man may come off as a chaotic mess of glorified violence with characters who aren't as easily likeable as other shounen series--at times they may come off as mean-spirited, annoying, or one-note. It could be argued that there is no meaning to the violence and chaos that occurred to the characters. That being said, I disagree. Hidden within the anime violence is subtle direction that maynot be as explicit as other stories, but nevertheless could be felt if you know where to look. To me, Chainsaw Man is a story that encourages the viewer to read between the lines--to analyze what has been said and the actions that accompany those words. I remembered how awesome it was when I spotted the subtle development of certain characters and relationships based off what was shown on screen. Characters rarely point out anything that the viewer could spot on their own; the change just happen and it still makes sense. In addition, the season's discussions about human relationships and how our connections shape us was meaningful and I look forward to the continuation of the series. This is what I like about Chainsaw Man. Its spectacle is contrasted with nuance. If I think about, most of the season 1's runtime focuses on conversations between characters and how these characters' perspectives of each other change overtime.

Of course, in terms of story, season one is incomplete which might be a factor to why the characters may came off as mean-spirited or one-note since their character arcs weren't fully addressed yet. Nevertheless, I think this season is a good start for the Chainsaw Man anime.

The production is incredible. The animation is so well done, that it's almost film-quality. The soundtrack is a banger. The OP never fails to hype me up, and all the EDs were creative and bangers in their own right. The voice acting is also great. I definitely hope that the new VAs who debut in the series would go big in the future because they did great!

Overall, I really recommend the series. It's an awesome adaptation to a well-written manga, so I encourage you to give it a shot.