Featured Review: Chainsaw Man Volume 1

 

Story and Art By: Tatsuki Fujimoto

 

To say Chainsaw Man has been a sleeper hit from Shonen Jump would be disrespectful. Having reached over 3 million copies sold this summer, it is an undeniable success. That puts it nowhere near Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, or even Dr. Stone. But Chainsaw Man is having a bit of a moment as it draws to a close in a week’s time. Rumors of an anime adaptation become more solid every passing day and the interest in the manga has swelled as more and more praise is heaped upon the series. Because of that, I have been waiting for an empty Featured Review slot to check it out. So, how is it?

Full Spoilers for the first volume of Chainsaw Man. You’ve been warned.

Good. It’s really good. The volume ends in the middle of a story so it is not quite cohesive, but it succeeds in almost every other aspect. The standout feature is certainly Fujimoto’s art. Seamlessly transitioning from lowkey comedy to horror to shonen action, it is expressive, terrifying, and awesome at a moment’s notice. Page layouts easily draw the eye from panel to panel with minimal effort.

The character designs are simple, yet distinctive. Makima is literally just a woman in a suit. Aki and Denji are just guys in suits (Unless Denji is using his chainsaw powers). Because they all wear the same uniform in different ways, it not only gives them unique looks and silhouettes but also conveys their various idiosyncrasies. Also, some of the characters have weird designs in their eyes and I have no clue what that is about, but it looks cool.

The demon designs are easily the highlight of the exceptional art. Each is completely novel. The specificness and literalness of each is demon makes them memorable. For example, this volume features a Bat Devil. It is a giant Man-Bat looking demon, as one would expect. In a prior chapter, a Sea Cucumber Devil makes a brief appearance. It looks like the most horrific sea cucumber of all time. Of course, I would be remiss to ignore Pochita, a dog with a chainsaw blade sticking out its face. It is brilliant work.

As for the characters themselves, they seem cool. Makima is a somewhat mysterious woman running an unorthodox team of devil hunters. She is clearly manipulating the group, although to what end is unclear in this volume. Power is demon that just wants her cat back and that is completely understandable. Also, she has impulse control issues when she smells the blood of other demons. Aki has an unbelievably large stick up his ass. And he is crushing on Makima. That is about all there is to him thus far. He is being positioned as the rival character so it is likely he will be more fleshed out soon.

Then there’s Denji, our protagonist. He SUCKS. Following the third chapter, he has one goal: touch some boobs. That’s it. What began as a character living in a shack being abused by the Yakuza dreaming of being able to afford jam for his bread and maybe flirting with a girl quickly devolved into being driven solely by a want to touch some boobs. And maybe do “that other stuff”. It is to the point he only agrees to help Power rescue her cat from a demon because she agrees to let him touch her chest if he does.

 Sure, Denji can pull the ripcord on his chest and turn into a chainsaw devil and that is cool as hell. But I do not want him to succeed. I want him to get murdered by the Bat Devil and for the series going forward to focus on the wider ensemble. Obviously, that will not happen because Denji is the titular Chainsaw Man. Therefore, the only hope is that he grows and changes over the remaining chapters.

Chainsaw Man Volume 1 is a gorgeous book with interesting characters and a great deal of potential. It is not hard to see why it has been showered with praise and fans are sad to see it ending so soon. And yet, I cannot give a wholehearted recommendation due to the protagonist being among the most unlikeable I have encountered in some time. If that does not bother you, check it out. You will probably fall in love with a new story.

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