Everyone has some guilty pleasure. There are titles with a lot of flaws and other annoying elements, but it’s hard to break away from. In my case, such a problematic position is Chainsaw Man , where there were always motifs lighting up a red lamp for me. The first three volumes were full of really silly, selfish and boorish characters (led by the protagonist) who are hard to sympathize with. The manga was also pouring out the unfortunate fanservice , though at the same time – to my surprise – it was guided with gusto; if physical contact has already taken place, it is by mutual consent. And yet Tatsuki Fujimoto’s comic was read very well for me. Start of Chainsaw Manhe was able to attract attention with his unpretentiousness and uncompromising nature.
Tokio Chainsawman Massacre
In the first three volumes, the reader met Denji, an amateur demon hunter who dies in a trap set by his principal. And who died, this one is dead? Not if Pochita comes to the rescue – like a dog, but still a chainsaw demon. By bonding with her pet, Denji comes to life and becomes a powerful creature capable of ejecting its serrated blades from its head and shoulders. The boy is hired to the fourth section of professional demon hunters, where he meets other equally twisted characters.
Volumes 4-6 cover the ending to the story called Katana Man arc and the whole Bomb Girl arc. And while the final fight with the gunman is quite standard, the second story is remembered for a longer time. It is dominated by … romantic themes. Denji meets Reze, an “ordinary” teenage girl, it seems that she is by chance. Getting to know someone detached from the conflict between humanity and demons gives Denji a whole new perspective and even leads to the consideration of whether Makima should be the one he sighs for. Sweet and cute? At one point, the protagonist utters the following words: “All women I know have tried to kill me at least once” – and this is also the case of Reze, because she turns out to be a bomb demon. Its goal is to win Denji’s heart, but in a … literal sense.
Louder than a bomb demon
In each subsequent volume of Chainsaw Man , the conflict escalates more and more. The battle between the saw demon and the bomb demon overshadows all previous skirmishes with its scale. The climate is thus thickening, and although some of the heroes still do not sin with intelligence, sadness is felt more and more in the manga. Fujimoto created a truly merciless duel in which dozens of trained hunters and even more civilians die. It is surprising that there are new recruits in the presented world, because the survival rate in the special services is rather counted in months, not years.
And although I mention that there is more seriousness here, it does not mean that Fujimoto gave up on his crazy ideas. The final of the duel with Reze is a real masterpiece, after which you can see that mangaka likes sublime cinema under the sign of Shark . In volumes 4-6 you can also get to know other demon members of the fourth special unit, which is very positive, because Fujimoto has a talent for creating extraordinary characters.
Baubles panties
The plot of Reze’s panties is intriguing. Demonica loses her clothes at some point and appears only in her dynamite apron (sic!). Even one of the characters complements her nakedness, and a few pages later, during the same fight, Reze dashes back in her pants. Where did they come from? There is no explanation in the manga. Has a panty demon appeared somewhere between the frames and helped a colleague? Or maybe Reze jumped to the store in the meantime because she was cold? One can only guess.
Controlled chaos
I really like this Fujimoto style where dynamics is more important than precision. And that doesn’t mean the mangaka doesn’t have a technical background – what’s not. Elements such as buildings and cars are always made to perfection. However, when he comes to draw characters or fight scenes, he consciously abandons realism in favor of expression. Usually , manga shows movement through dozens of lines drawn like a ruler. In Chainsaw man , everything is more vibrating, made by hand. This controlled carelessness is brilliant and surprisingly fresh.
Bomberwoman
After the first three volumes of Chainsaw Man , I was shocked (Fujimoto’s uncompromising ideas and great dynamics of action scenes) and confused (because a lot of manga elements were problematic). Views 4-6 did not change this approach, I would still read better without fanservice, but at the same time … it’s all written so nicely that I look forward to the next parts.
