Review of Chainsaw Man

Depending on how you look at it, this show can be unique and yet another shounen trope. Let's start with what makes it unique/good and then will also write the downsides. So things that make it unique/good is that: 1. Realistic MC: We don't have a MC who has big goals/dreams but rather has very modest, realistic and appropriate goals for 16 y old dude, like eating/comfort/girls, we're used to having MC's that are young and yet very altruistic/have huge dreams... 2. Realistic Progression of MC: On top of that he doesn't suddenly change and become "hero", rather he barely progresses despite getting power ups, that's anotherplus for this anime as it's unrealistic for character to become some kind of hero overnight, especially as teenager. In fact he got manipulated 3 times by different girls, with same trick and in short time span... guess what, that's pretty realistic for horny 16y old school drop out...

3. Normal life: We also see characters living normal day to day life, while all the fighting they do is just a job to support their life, just like in JJK. Maybe I haven't seen enough anime but in most shows, fighting the characters do is the central part of their life but here normal life is more fleshed out. Also the job they do is just... job, and characters look at it just like that, again same as it is in JJK.

4. Shock Value is there too, it comes in random times and can be hilarious tbh. Shock value is more sexual or gross but can also be fighting related. Again, it's realistic in some sense like some things in life happen out of blue... it doesn't have to have "build up".

5. Pace: Even though plot is ambiguous and directionless, things happen and they happen quickly and in between them we get normal life of characters and some weird/funny scenes... it works out imo.

However there are some downsides:
1. World building is very underdeveloped and plot has no direction at all. We don't know what's the end goal, why are things happening or anything of that sort. Rather we're in fog and fog very slowly clears up but not enough to know what's the "deal". For some this can be good for others it can be downside... if it's down well it can be big upside but here it's little too ambiguous

2. Fights/Power structure: Well... they are very well done animation and ost wise but power system, who's gonna win and all that is super blurry also this is one of those anime where dying is very vague, you don't know whether character can die from mortal wound... it's not clear cut basically, there's to power structure, it's just mostly pure action.

Overall though, it's entertaining to watch.