Review of Chainsaw Man

tl;dr 10/10 It isn't overhyped, Tatsuki Fujimoto's Magnum Opus got the best adaption treatment ever. However, I'd still encourage everyone to read the manga. Anime of the Year 2022 Artistic and Entraining: 2/2 Artistically this is peak cinema right here with the Opening and every single Ending Song being an absolute banger, coupled with a stellar sound track. The amazing attention to details, down to design of the eyes, along with an incredibly creative use of 3D to make this adaption come to life. Chainsaw Man is very fun to watch, it's the one anime where the MC can go "Its Chainsaw'in time" and proceeds to Chainsaweverywhere unironically. With a simplistic focus on the MC (Denji) crawling up Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, his simplistic and often childish approach to things makes it fun and endearing. Characters like Power and the stoic Aki Hayakawa breathe life into the antics of the trio which makes for incredibly satisfying viewing.

Recommended: 2/2
I would happily recommend this to everyone, it is in my opinion the Best Shonen you can enjoy along with a masterfully craft plotline that spans from the very first episode with layers on layers of plot points that will reveal themselves. This first season sets up everything about Chainsaw Man with impeccable accuracy and artistic merit. Along with absolutely amazing OPs and EDs that would make it enjoyable for everyone

Narrative Consistency: 2/2
You will be hard pressed to find yourself confused about the current complication in the plot, and the chosen direction towards it. No "Everyone is in danger, so let's go shopping" BS. From the start it is established that Denji lived life clawing for another day to live, and now he has a life he can enjoy. For him the natural consequence is to maintain his new life while at the same time indulge in new experiences. Simplistic goals that neatly align with Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. With his base needs of Food, Clothes and Shelter fulfilled, Denji climbs to the tier of Social Needs where he wants to feel the touch of a Significant Other. A Primal desire that manifests in his absurd drive to not die. At the same time, Aki's motivations to find the Gun Devil are always in play as whenever you see him it is either resting or working on a mission where he is looking for Gun Devil parts to progress towards finding him. With a not too long flashback that establishes his motivations for hunting the Gun Devil to back it up. The 2 episodes that establish Power, the sequence with the Eternity Devil (with the amazing Perpetual Motion Machine antic) which sets up Kobeni and Himeno who would later play important roles in the story. Simply put, nothing is ever out of place in Chainsaw Man. Even the Yakuza guy from the past is relevant up to the final episode of this season. Furthermore, this anime rewards the more keen observers who pay attention to the smaller details, I will refrain from stating them to keep it spoiler free.

Emotional Highs: 2/2
Moments that bring about an emotional reaction, be it happy sad laughter disgust or anger. Minimum of 3 such events equals 2 points.
Chainsaw Man had plenty. Here are some out of context descriptions that only people who have seen will understand:
Easy Revenge,
Perpetual Motion Machine,
Puke,
The Future Rules,
Nut Shots,
Beast shouldn't trust a Hunter

Bias: 2/2 (They are listed below the next 3 Paras)
Devils embody fear and are powered by it, they feed on blood to get stronger and the Gun Devil is special. Fiends are a mix of humans and devils. Devil Hunters make contracts with Devils to use their power for price. Denji is a Chainsaw Devil, Power is a Blood Devil. Chainsaw Man has a definite and well constructed system that is always in place and the limitations are thoroughly abided by, which is what makes some moments hit hard (Ghost Devil). This ironclad Magic system is something I enjoy.

With the overarching theme being Maslows Hierarchy of Needs, there is also the question of Dreams/Ambitions and how they measure up to reality. Aki is out to seek revenge, Denji wants to live his life to the fullest, Power is enjoying herself. The more subtle idealogue is something the Number 1 Devil Hunter touches on, the idea of having a screw loose to be a Devil Hunter. This is reflected through Himeno as well. Even the idea of Humanity and the Duality of being a Devil and a Human is explored, with the final episode having a brief exchange between Denji and the Katana Devil regarding the matter. I love idealogue, the exploration of deep themes, and Chainsaw Man has enough of it. Major credits into weaving it into the narrative without having an exposition dump thrown on us.

There is a Soviet Threat, the Americans are also involved, World Agencies vying for powers of Devils for their own personal gains. The use of Yakuza, and as we will see later in the series: The presence of International Devil Hunters. Chainsaw Man uses an acute understanding of History and Political issues to imbed itself very well with what our world would be like. Giving us enough to accept a suspension of disbelief of a Hypothetical World where Devils would exist in the form they do in Chainsaw Man, as well as the natural response of Human Society to adapt to such threats. Historical references are something I greatly enjoy, be it Lore unique to the setting or Real World Examples being adapted or respected.

My biases:
1) Magic Systems: Can be literal like FMAB's Law of Equivalent Exchange, or even something irrelevant to Magic but having a proper System that obeys a ruleset thus being defined by its limitations. The narrative making interesting situations and resolving them through the use of Systems without breaking the rules, if there are exceptions there are few and a really good explanation for them is given, Philosopher Stone in FMAB is an example of this. Other Magic Systems that aren't magic are: Science in Dr Stone, Sports Rules as well as Human Biology in Haikyuu and Time Travel/World Line operations of Steins;Gate,

2) Idealogue: Deep themes being explored, Idea of Justice, Idea of Heroism, Moral Relativism, Law of the Jungle, Spirit of Teamwork VS Individual Strength, The Idea of God and equivalent constructs, The Crisis of Meaning, The Nature of Conflict etc. Even something as simple as the Daily struggles of the Mundane, any idea explored with proper depth is greatly appreciated. My favorite is the Idea of a King: "What makes a good King?". So anything that explore deep ideas is something I like. Examples include Steins;Gate with the Idea of Causality and Parallel Universes, FMAB with the Theme of Humanity and what it means to be Human, Dr Stone with the question of Anarcho Primitivism VS Progressive Modernism

3) History: Be it actual Human History, or Lore of a Fantasy World or whatever setting the media is discussing. Having a world that is living and breathing independent of the main character and their story, is greatly appreciated and something I love. A good example of actual History being used would be Saga of Tanya the Evil/ Youjo Senki which makes use of WW1 theme and builds on it with the twist of Magic, whereas Fantasy Worlds best described by Re Zero, Mushoku Tensei and OVERLORD are examples for the other.

Conclusion: 10/10
Chainsaw Man manga is already in the Top 5 of my favorite Manga of All Time (Vinland Saga, Vagabond, Berserk being the Top 3) and seeing an adaption, that I was admittedly sleeping on, into Anime totally blew me away. Unlike the debacle that is Berserk's anime adaption, Chainsaw Man absolutely delivered. It was fun and entertaining to watch the fights I only saw on Manga Panels unfold in Colored animation. Coupled with absolute Bangers for an Opening and every Ending being unique. With an absolutely solid Narrative Consistency that already existed in the manga taking advantage of Anime as Medium and utilizing it's strengths in story telling to give a truly amazing anime experience all with multiple incredibly satisfying Emotional Highs. Chainsaw Man has definitely earned a solid 10/10 on my list, it sits alongside Giants like Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, Steins;Gate, Haikyuu and Dr Stone. It also has the honor of being one of only 5 shows among a list of near 100s to have the honor of sitting on the 10/10 ranking.
I thoroughly recommend anyone who has bothered to read my review thus far to go and watch it, even more so to go and read it. Tatsuki Fujimoto is a once in a generation talent in the Animanga industry and his works should be greatly appreciated.