The most anticipated anime this season, “Chainsaw Man” written by Tatsuki Fujimoto and animated by MAPPA, showcases the life of Denji and how he survives. Denji was an orphan who has worked his entire life to repay his fathers debt. Upon his father’s death he meets a dying devil named Pochita. Demons are physical embodiments of fears, so the stronger fear humanity has of something, the stronger the devil is. Devils also feed on the blood and fear of humans, but some are friendly and feed by other ways, such as through contracts, so some devil hunters get power through contracts with devils. 

Since Denji saved Pochita, the dog shaped chainsaw devil, he made a contract with him. To pay off his fathers debts, Denji took on a lot of jobs, including devil hunting using Pochita as chainsaw. One day Denji gets fatally injured while devil hunting, but Pochita offers up his body to become Denji’s heart to save him. This begins the life of the first devil-human hybrid: Chainsaw Man. 

With his new abilities he gets forced into a government agency to hunt devils, all to fulfill his dream of having good food, a place to stay, clothes to wear, and a girlfriend. All things he has never had before. But his main goal is Makima, his superior at the devil hunting agency that he will do anything for.

Backstory over, review begins. I would say this a great show thus it quickly became one of the top rated animes this season after its first episode on Oct. 12. The animation so far has been really good, which has been one of the most enjoyable aspects. The fighting scenes stay true to the manga, but also improves it fluidly. 

Personally, what I like is that the story and characters are all so unique and surreal but at the same time feels realistic. There’s a lot of talk on suffering and death, and keeps the reader aware about real life dangers too, especially with the initial main goal as hunting the gun devil, a menace that has caused millions of deaths. This show also creates a lot of memorable quotes that make you rethink your morals, such as one from Makima, “Take for example… Death. War. Hunger. There are many things in this world that humanity would be happier without. With Chainsaw Man’s power, I’ll blot them all out”

But despite the dark and depressing themes, a humorous and light tone can always be found, which makes the show much more balanced and enjoyable, and not just popular due to shock factor and hype. Especially later on you can see how far manipulation and horror can go, but still creates a lot of memeable moments.

Ultimately, “Chainsaw Man” is incredibly well-written. The characters and voice actors fill their roles perfectly, and each character has interesting personal motivations. The plot has amazing twists, and has convinced me to read the manga, and I can say the adaptation did it justice. The only thing I find disappointing is that many characters introduced eventually die, especially when you least expect it. If you enjoy “Chainsaw Man,” be sure to give Tatsuki’s other manga such as “Goodbye, Eri” a try as well.

On this blog, members of the Carmel High School chapter of the Quill and Scroll International Honorary Society for High School Journalists (and the occasional guest writer) produce curations of all facets of popular culture, from TV shows to music to novels to technology. We hope our readers always leave with something new to muse over. Click here to read more from MUSE.