Title: Chainsaw man
Author:
Tatsuki Fujimoto
Ranking:
5/5
Literary
level: Beginners
Let me first preface that this is an
extremely bloody manga with mature content and explicit themes. Secondly, I
will delve into spoiler territory in order to convey my feelings for the
review.
Now, let’s
begin the review.
Chainsaw man is a Shōnen
(young boys) Jump+ manga series first published in December of 2018, written
and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The manga centers around a young man named
Denji in desperate need of money in a world full of devils to hunt. After
selling several body parts and still not able to pay-off his debt, his loan
shark tricks him into confronting a dangerous devil that inevitably kills him.
His trusty devil, Pochita, who he took care of after nearly dying, now must
merge with Denji in order to save him. This leads to them becoming one, even
more, dangerous entity: a chainsaw man-devil. From then on, Denji is recruited
as a Devil Hunter with the goal of eliminating the most dangerous devil: The
Gun devil, who has caused millions of deaths in a single strike.
The fact that this character is a goalless
protagonist shows a different form of storytelling, giving the antagonist the
upper hand of his destiny. The concept that the more you fear something the
stronger it gets is shown in a masterful way in the manga, as the examples of
swords, guns, death itself being top devils and amassing more power through
their actions of killing humans. Themes such as deception, failure, youthful
ignorance, and, for the typical lewd fashion of Japan, hormonal teenage
fantasies, already adding to the gruesome, gory, and graphic details of a manga
with purpose. There is no real ending to this manga, which has left a few
readers unsettled, but the author has clarified that it is not a true ending
and that a second part to it is in the works. Tatsuki’s writing style is much
different than the conventional mangaka (those who write manga), like his other
work Fire Punch. Would I recommend this manga? No, due to its crude humor and,
at times, unnecessary childish antics. It is not an everyman’s manga, but
neither should it be treated as an atypical manga since it follows the general Shōnen
troupes. All in all, an enjoyable manga with loveable characters and an
intriguing plot that is easily followable. (Don’t get attached to characters,
you will regret it)