Is Chainsaw Man the No. 1 Anime on Crunchy Roll?

Lately, animes on Crunchyroll have been my go-to source of entertainment.

I just took a Crunchyroll subscription for this and have been binging some top Anime. Among the ones I just finished is an anime called ‘Chainsaw Man‘.

Chainsaw Man manga launched in early 2018, and the Anime was released end of 2022.

I just finished the first season of the anime and quickly jumped on my Shonen Jum app to read the corresponding Manga, and I am not disappointed by this masterpiece.

Plot

The story is set in Japan and follows the main character(MC) Denji who lives in a world where devils exist. Devils are powerful personification of people’s fear and insecurities, the more one is scared the stronger they get. Denji is an orphan who is left with a huge debt to the Yakuza by his father and is forced to life of servitude as a lowly devil hunter along with his pet devil Pochito. But due to certain events, he gets fused with him to become the devil known as Chainsaw Man.

What Denji becomes is an anomaly in Devil Hunting, and he is eventually recruited by the Public Safety Devil Hunters, a government agency that fights devils to keep the city of Japan safe.

This journey introduces us to many characters like Makima, Power, Aki Hayakawa and Kishibe, along with a host of devils with unique powers. The main baddie of the show is the Gun Devil.

The Devils in this world are essentially strengthened by negative feelings like fear and hate, the most powerful devil introduced so far is Gun Devil. Gun Devil originated in the USA(obviously) and has been responsible for many deaths including some close ones for some of our main characters.

What makes this show stand out is that it is not an underdog story with an MC with a great purpose. Denji is a simple guy with basic needs from a lifetime of deprivation even a decent meal is something he can go all out for.

This commentary helps us understand that for many selfishness is something they are forced into, for some stooping down to any level is not an issue since the world they come from will eat them alive if they do not bend to other’s whims, or be selfish.

The story is full of adult jokes and humour which may not be something everyone likes, but Denji as a character is a desperate person and from his perspective his behaviour makes sense.

Most characters exploit his naivety for their benefit.

Characters

Denji– Denji is the MC of the show and is the ‘Chainsaw Man’. We are introduced to Denji as a low-life struggling to repay the debt he owes to Yakuza, but killing Devils for them. or other petty things. He si betrayed by the Yakuza which triggers the event of this show.

Pochito – Pochito is Denji’s pet devil who is the only thing that Denji truly cares about. He is a chainsaw devil who merged with Denji.

Power – She is a Fiend and partner of Denji once he joins the Devil Hunter association, she is a devil who has taken over a human corpse to survive, is wonky and does not care about others.

Makima – She is the protective figure to Denji and is a mystery in season 1, she is shown to be super powerful, but neither the extent nor source of her power is revealed in the first season of the anime.

Aki Hayakawa – Aki is a human partner of Denji, and an important character so far. His purpose in the Devil Hunter association is to kill the Gun Devil, the show’s main antagonist.

Kishibe – Introduced in the later half of the show he is the main teacher to Denji & Power who trains them to be the best.

Samurai Sodo & Akari Swatari – They are the main antagonists in the first season and the first true competition to the Denji and Devil Hunter association in the show. Their introduction is well executed with a huge OMG factor and casualties.

On this journey, there are amazing and mysterious characters like Himeno, Kobeni, and Arai who all play a part in Denji’s journey.

Animation

The show is very well animated with slick action scenes and characters transformed amazingly from the pages of Manga. The devils are very well designed and the fight scenes are well choreographed. The craziness of Denji as Chainsaw Man, and Power are amazingly captured, and the fast-paced action is worth the watch.

Outside of action the regular flashbacks which introduce us to the motives of both hunters and devils are also very well executed.

Future

The first season covers the Publis Safety saga up to the Katana Man arc from the manga.

Next season is expected to be the conclusion of the Public Safety saga and things are only going to get crazier from here on.

Verdict

Overall, this is one of the best Anime on Crunchyroll and is easy to get into. I have been watching Juijutsu Kaisen in parallel which did not hook me in as much as the Chainsaw Man anime did.

I have yet to read the Manga so not sure where this story goes, but from what I have seen so far I am looking forward to seeing this story and the mysteries unfold.

So far from what I have seen, The Chainsaw Man is a must-watch and an easy 9/10.

People who do not like crude jokes might not like it as much in the initial episodes, since Denji’s big goal is not high stakes but basic, but as the story progresses the story gets better and better.

So watch the show as soon as you can, and if you have already watched it, let me know your views on the show.

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Till next time.

Goodbye.