Review: Chainsaw Man Anime

*Spoiler-free, but mentions fights and characters that appear later on.*

Based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s explosively popular manga, the Chainsaw Man anime has been feverishly anticipated and enthusiastically received. MAPPA studios, continuing their steady stream of high-quality anime releases this year, was tasked with adapting the manga. MAPPA has been responsible for Jujutsu Kaisen and Dorohedoro in the past and garnered a reputation for exceptionally attractive shows. Hence, the news of their involvement, followed by the gorgeous trailers over the summer, ripped the cord to a massive wave of hype. People were ready to either be blown away or see manga fans’ hopes dashed. 

I was a part of the excitement, of course, considering I started reading Chainsaw Man when there were only 10 chapters out and was leeching off of my friend’s Shonen Jump subscription. Seeing this manga that I fell in love with go from an obscure, oddly charming title to the most anticipated anime adaptation in a long, long time, had me elated but wary. Having too high of expectations is bound to lead to disappointment, which is why I was careful to avoid doing so. And while I wasn’t disappointed, I do think the anime does a poor job justifying the hype it generated. 

I’d like to preface this by saying that straying from the manga doesn’t necessarily make the anime flawed---the Chainsaw Man anime is actually quite the faithful adaptation so far. In fact, a lot of the scenes are shot for shot with the manga. The only major differences are the pacing and art of the anime. The Chainsaw Man manga is notorious for its erratic pacing to the point of being an inside joke amongst fans, but the anime seems to benefit the story in this case, as it slows down events as they unfold. It does this without dragging out scenes and gives sufficient screentime to interactions between characters---something which was a small issue for the manga as some minor characters ended up being completely forgotten by the later arcs. Fast and nonsensical pacing fits the manga as everything about it is unhinged, down to Fujimoto’s gritty art style, however, with the complete style shift that takes place in the anime, a slower approach feels more appropriate. 

Style is probably the largest shift for the anime, as it delivers a completely different atmosphere. The rough-around-the-edges and almost amateur grunge of the manga are replaced with a cinematic and artsy vibe, fake film grain and all. And this is where the majority of my complaints stem from. Tatsuki Fujimoto’s sketchy panels are what drew most people to the manga and gave it its charm, and I think the anime loses a lot of the appeal of Chainsaw Man without it. The cinematic direction of the anime is more akin to Fujimoto’s more recent works, like his one-shot, “Goodbye, Eri”. The progression in his art as seen in “Goodbye, Eri” does not invade the griminess of Chainsaw Man’s recent chapters. Denji is such a lovable and endearing protagonist because his flaws make him relatable---he’s selfish, awkward, and sometimes an outright bad person. Likewise, Fujimoto’s thoughtfully messy linework emphasizes the graphic violence befitting of a manga named “Chainsaw Man”.

I would be less discontented if it weren’t for the fact that MAPPA studios, as previously mentioned, adapted Dorohedoro, a manga very similar to Chainsaw Man in its grittiness. However, Dorohedoro’s anime adaptation is an explosion of grime and gore, where the stylization is consistent with the manga even with its use of 3D animation. Chainsaw Man just ends up looking like another Jujutsu Kaisen instead, right down to the soundtrack. And Jujutsu Kaisen looks great, the cinematic and clean animation works for it. But Chainsaw Man is not Jujutsu Kaisen and does not need to resemble it when MAPPA has the ability to make something stylized and unique.

As a standalone factor, the art style holds its own and has a unique appeal, however, the quality of the art itself varies greatly from episode to episode and scene to scene. Characters’ models look off occasionally, like in episode 8, for example. Himeno and Denji have breakfast; the majority of the scene consists of the two characters sitting there and talking, yet the characters don’t quite look like themselves. The 3D backgrounds tend to look out of place against the 2D characters in many of the scenes; the sweeping shots the anime is so fond of tend to put a spotlight on this. I did have the same criticism with Denji’s 3D model, but the clunkiness works for him as a kid who just recently grew chainsaws out of his arms, in hindsight. The worst offender was the third episode featuring the Bat Devil, where the entire episode felt half-baked, which is not only a poor start for the show but also disappointing for me as someone who was invested in Power’s storyline. As nitpicky as these points may seem, they’re a small sample of the recurring quality issues that make the anime, to me, feel rushed. 

Thankfully, the animation and fight scenes have a spike in quality as the show progresses. The entire Katana Man sequence is fantastic---everything from the animation to the sound design immaculately captures the manga’s excitement, tragedy, spectacle, all of it. Aki’s movements when fighting had weight to them. Every stab and subsequent yank was tangible. The fight choreography continued its boasting throughout Kobeni’s standoff with the Snake Devil and later with Aki facing the Ghost Devil, both of which outshine any of Denji’s fights so far. The movements are interesting and fluid, but burdensome when appropriate, the visuals are detailed and clean. That kind of attention to detail and quality is what the manga deserves and what justifies the passion preceding the anime.

Reception for the Chainsaw Man anime appears to be overwhelmingly positive, with an 85% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.8/10 on MyAnimeList. I’d say these scores are deserved, as it’s a fun anime regardless of how strongly it holds up as an adaptation. For manga fans, it may leave something to be desired, though that doesn’t take away from the entertainment value. It’s easy to nitpick technicalities when a piece of media is so near and dear to one’s heart, and it happens every season with readers complaining about the latest adaptation in one way or another. The most important thing is that Chainsaw Man can reach wider audiences much more easily now, and deservedly so. Seeing new people get excited over these characters and fights I’ve been gushing about for the past couple of years is a joy on its own. And with the last episode airing on the 27th, the wait is on for the next season, which will hopefully give people some time to read the manga.