The long-awaited anime adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man is finally here. Does it live up to the hype? Here’s what stood out to us in our impressions of the first episode following its premiere at NYCC.
Chainsaw Man, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s supernatural horror action manga, won the hearts of fans and critics alike for its over-the-top action, macabre humor, and subtle balance between goofiness and heart-wrenching sobriety. And since the manga concluded its first part in Shonen Jump in December 2020, fans have been clamoring for an anime adaptation. Now, more than a year after studio MAPPA announced that Jujutsu Kaisen episode director Ryū Nakayama would helm the series, the first episode of Chainsaw Man has been unleashed upon the world out of the 2022 New York Comic Con — and it’s as glorious of a feel-bad good time as fans had hoped.
Fujimoto’s manga takes place in an alternate version of 1997 where humanity is plagued by a race of monsters known as Devils. Devils are born from human fears, manifesting into the world much in the same way as curses in Jujutsu Kaisen are born from a concentration of negative thoughts and emotions. There are all types of Devils in the world, from Devils born out of a fear of tomatoes (which is a real fear, by the way, look up “Lycopersicoaphobia”) to Devils born from a fear of zombies (likewise, it’s called “Kinemortophobia”). To combat these threats, humans employ Devil Hunters, individuals who either form “contracts” with Devils in order to attain supernatural abilities or specially trained warriors who employ conventional weapons against Devils.
Denji, the protagonist of the series, is one such Devil Hunter, but differs from others in a few crucial ways: He’s not licensed, he’s being exploited by the yakuza on the threat of death, and he’s perpetually flat broke, having sold several of his nonessential organs in a desperate attempt to claw his way out of the chasm of debt he finds himself in.
