Anime beautifully adapts hit manga “Chainsaw Man”

From the title alone, someone can assume what “Chainsaw Man” is about. Probably a man. Maybe some chainsaws too. Thinking this isn’t necessarily wrong, but what is left out in this observation is all that comes with this story. The manga “Chainsaw Man” is a deep and meaningful story about love, friendship, betrayal, and revenge—complete with beautiful art and symbolism by manga artist Tatsuki Fujimoto. It has now been adapted into a visually stunning anime series by production company Mappa, and has an insane audience rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars on Google.

“Chainsaw Man,” begins with a 16-year-old boy named Denji and his pet: a chainsaw dog. Yes, that’s right: a chainsaw dog named Pochita. Denji is in massive debt to the mafia and barely gets by as a Devil hunter. Devils are creatures created out of human fear, and anything that is feared can have a devil along with it. Later in the story, there are such things as a Doll Devil, A War Devil and even an Angel Devil. Denji is betrayed by his boss and left to die, but his chainsaw dog (who turns out to be the Chainsaw Devil) sacrifices itself to give Denji new life and new chainsaw powers, creating the titular Chainsaw Man. Denji is introduced to his teammates, rambunctious Power and way too serious Aki, who are difficult to get along with. They soon are thrown into all kinds of fights and encounters, which are extremely well-paced and occur at perfect moments throughout the show.

The first season of “Chainsaw Man” is filled with foreshadowing and genuinely creepy moments, but almost outnumbering those moments are the funny family-like dynamic that grows between Aki, Power, and Denji. The little scenes of them interacting like a family are heartwarming. Power hates vegetables, so Denji and Aki often try to force her to eat them. This always seems to end with a room being trashed and Power crying. The fights are amazing and filled with memorable lines and unique ways to battle with the abilities present in the series. The characters’ new and existing abilities always seem like they are introduced at the perfect time, with bigger characters having slow reveals of their abilities and smaller ones using them for short times, but in impactful ways.

The first season of the anime just finished airing, with 12 episodes and a strong climactic ending fight. The season looked breathtaking, with a mixture of 3D-modeled characters and 4K animation. Both the dub and sub versions have strong voice acting and are thrilling to hear. “Chainsaw Man” was arguably the best anime of 2022, and the world is on the edge of their seats waiting for season two. Until then, the manga is currently publishing new chapters and expanding the story every week. Let’s just say, it only gets better.