Chainsaw Man: Episode 1 Review

If you have ever assumed that this anime was a series of a boy and his chainsaw dog, you’d be completely mistaken. This first episode is a shocker to many, including myself – not solely because of its stunning animation (we’ll get to that later) done by the glorious animation studio MAPPA, but because this episode immediately hooks you with a tragic backstory and tons of gory action. This season of anime is catastrophically competitive, as worldwide-known shows such as Spy x Family Part 2, Boku No Hero Academia Season 6, and Bleach: Sennen Kessen-hen are all up on the seasonal airing list. Yet, Chainsaw Man’s first ever season managed to climb up to having the most fans compared to the other trio of Fall 2022, according to MyAnimeList.

Firstly, we’re introduced to an ordinary main character named Denji. He’s living in poverty and is seen to be living without any friends and without parents in a monotonous view. Though, despite his generic upbringing (not athletic, and not extraordinarily attractive), he is a protagonist that stands out. He’s relatable, which makes viewers connect with him, and his deepest desires are simple: such as paying off debt and having a girlfriend who’d play video games with him. Sounds pretty much like a typical male protagonist, right? Again, you’d be wrong.

Denji works as a devil hunter to pay off his father’s debt– it does not pay very well, but he does this frequently enough to be fairly acknowledged by his boss. He’s always accompanied by his adorable yet deadly Chainsaw Dog (He has a chainsaw as his horn!), Pochita, who helps him throughout the job. This job leads him to a shady warehouse where his ‘boss’ would talk to him. Soon enough, he gets beaten and continuously stabbed by the Zombie Devil (his ‘boss’). In this anime, devils are common and seen as menaces, though there is a police-like agency, the Devil Hunters (a more legal, looked-up to company than Denji’s previous job), who actively hunt life-threatening devils. In this episode, Denji manages to get a new job, offered by a mysterious woman, Makima, where he ‘can get whatever he wants’ if he works for her.

As you’d expect, this scene is animated in such a gory manner that maroon splatters would fill up the entire screen. Although beautifully animated, if you do not condone violence or like blood, this isn’t for you; as this anime will definitely include gore every other episode.

If you are familiar with the Anime studio MAPPA, you’d notice that Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack On Titan Season 4 also contain gore and blood. It’s almost as if MAPPA was trained just to make it blend well within its beauties. Coincidentally, Chainsaw Man’s creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto, is known for his storytelling in a rather grotesque, mysterious, eerie and often times, gory manner. It’s almost as if Chainsaw Man and MAPPA were bound to be together.

The pilot of this anime remains truly compelling. We’re only briefly introduced to the supporting characters and Denji’s development in the future does seem promising – it’s perfect. It doesn’t reveal origins about anyone/anything other than Denji’s. It’s enough to drag you into its absurd and auspicious joyride.

If you’d like to watch this episode and many more coming in the future, you should head over to the streaming services Crunchyroll or Hulu to stream Chainsaw Man.