Chainsaw Man Part 1 Re-Review (Spoiler Free)

Well, here I am. I keep my word. Though this isn’t a complete withdrawal from my previous review of Chainsaw Man, I did find myself reading every available chapter, so clearly, there is something there. And to my surprise, this is only part one! The second part will premiere on July 13th.

My decision to continue reading this series is time and desensitization. If I wasn’t writing this blog, I wouldn’t have continued reading this Manga. Because typically, as I mentioned before, gore and antagonistic characters are not my things. But with time, I looked past the blood and guts and found something worth reading.

Brief Synopsis:

After his father commits suicide, Denji is left with an enormous debt. So, with the help of his devil Pochita, Denji kills Devils to pay back the Yakuza. Unfortunately, in a turn of events, the Yakuza double-cross Denji and kill him and Pochita. But this isn’t the end. Pochita sacrifices his heart to revive Denji. Making him a half Devil, Chainsaw Man.

Immediately, he is seized by the mysterious Makima, Offering (more like forcing) Deji to join and work within the Devil Hunter Program. Where his Devil powers will be utilized to kill dangerous Devils in Japan.

The heart of the series is the relationships Denji develops with his roommates Aki and Power. Denji’s only motivation is to “have three square meals a day and a place to sleep”. But it becomes clear as the series continues that this isn’t the case. Through meeting various characters, I think it begins to click with Denji that there is more to life than the life essentials.

The series often states that the less sane you are, the more likely “Devil Hunters” will survive. And with that, I began to understand Denji a bit more and felt sorry for him.

For someone like Denji, who has never processed his feelings of loss, horrible upbringing, and the difficulties of being a Devil Hunter, relinquishing his agency is the easiest option for him. Because any other motivation other than hunger, lust, or anger is too complicated. I find that profoundly sad.

Part 2 is slated to be released soon. I hope to see Denji regain his agency. His story is not over, so anything is possible, which will be interesting to read.

So in conclusion….I enjoyed my time with Chainsaw Man. It took time, but I got there.