Chainsaw Man – The Next Anime of The Year

Chainsaw Man is getting an anime adaptation! Who’s excited?

Have you watched an anime, and thought to yourself,

I wish I was the villain in this anime. I would really love to kick the Main Character’s butt and throw them off a cliff.

everyone after watching generic Isekais, probably.

That’s how I felt when I watched Black Clover for the first time.

But it’s 2022 now! And we’ve gotten a bunch of great anime throughout 2021. Although there was a moment where anime studios got a real hard-on for the Isekai genre ever since the Chad of Isekais made its mark. Anime like Jujutsu Kaisen, Tokyo Revengers and Blue Period are some of the few anime to be a total game changer. We’re getting more variety instead of the same old thing. Japanese anime is finally stepping up to the plate, responding to the recent rise of the manhwa scene.

Chainsaw Man trailer announcement have seen huge increase in hype for the show. The Youtube trailer itself has racked up around 13 million views so far in the time of writing this article. If you’ve not seen it yet, check it out for yourself below.

There is also a second trailer released in December last year. But it isn’t as much as exciting as the first trailer. But it wouldn’t feel complete if you don’t watch it. Check it below:

What is Chainsaw Man?

The world is filled with demons, manifestations of human’s fear. The more fear humans have, the stronger the Devil becomes. The fear of death will make the Demon of Death one of the strongest characters in the Chainsaw Man universe. These strongest Devils are the Primal Fears. Humans and devils can also form a contract to use their powers and become Devil Hunters. Devils originate from Hell, and any Devils killed go back to hell. And the cycle of violence continues.

All right, we’re getting to the juicy part. Chainsaw Man is about a boy, Denji who works as a Devil Hunter to pay his dead dad’s debt to yakuza. He works as a devil hunter for the Yakuza, and lives in poverty with his dog creature, Pochita. Pochita turns into a handy chainsaw that becomes Denji’s tool to exterminate these minor Devils. However, the yakuza betrayed him to complete a contract they’ve made with the Zombie Devil.

As Denji is about to die, Pochita makes a contract with him. Turns out, Pochita isn’t a weird looking dog-creature. He’s a devil, and he makes a contract to merge his life with the dying Denji. And thus, the Chainsaw Man is born. Becoming a devil hunter himself, he devotes his life to killing Devils. He was promised anything that he wanted by Makima, the head of Public Safety Division 4. Provided that Denji kills the Gun Devil, humanity’s biggest threat to ever have existed.

Anime Annoucement

In December 2020, Chainsaw Man was announced that it’ll get an anime adaptation, and MAPPA will be the to spearhead the development of the anime.

Chainsaw Man Anime Release Date

There is no concrete release date from official sources. However, MAPPA has confirmed that the Chainsaw Man anime adaptation will be released in the summer of 2022. While it isn’t much of a concrete release date, seasonal releases is pretty accurate in the anime world. So, expect Chainsaw Man to be out this summer!

Why You Should Be Excited

Chainsaw Man is not your typical shōnen where the main character gets thrust into the role a the savior. We don’t see the usual character tropes that is typical of the main character. A loud-mouth optimistic dumb-dumb or an emo kid who is one eyeliner away from starting an emo band. Denji isn’t like your typical shōnen main character. He isn’t in the game of killing demons. What he really wants in life is to have a normal life. A normal life that had taken away from him since his childhood. He hasn’t had a girlfriend since he was living in poverty.

When Makima offers him anything he wanted in the world when he’s done with his work, Denji mind goes wild with imagination. Maybe he wants a bunch of delicious food. Or perhaps the warmth from a woman like Makima. And let’s just say most of their interactions are usually sexual in some way. But, of course, we will learn later why it is so. Anyway, Denji agrees to become her pet, so to speak. Despite his infatuation towards Makima, he tries to live for himself. And perhaps for a select few that he deemed precious to him. A small family of misfits.

Don’t get too attached to any of the characters. I can promise you that only heartbreak is waiting for you. Game of Thrones rules. Denji’s journey is far from a painless one. Expect a lot of gory fight scenes. There’s no martial art strikes and parry. It’s a battle royale of survival for the Devils and Devil Hunters. Use any upper hand that you have.

Although the description has been quite morbid, with devils and chainsaws, Chainsaw Man is actually funny at times. While the trailer emphasized with the horror portion of the manga, I’m pretty sure the comedy aspect of the manga to come through in the anime. Well, at least that’s what I’m hoping and believe MAPPA will deliver the true essence of an adaptation.

Legendary Studio, MAPPA Takes the Helm

If you haven’t heard at this point, MAPPA, a Japanese animation studio is developing the anime adaptation. MAPPA is known for their great hits in recent years. They’re the same studio that brought us Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack On Titan The Final Season, Dorohedoro, to name a few. If you’re familiar with any of the animes mentioned above, then you can be sure that Chainsaw Man will be an absolute beast of an anime. Chainsaw Man will be a bloodbath of an anime, so it’s only natural to pass it to the studio that has an excellent track record. I can’t imagine if we’re have to endure another slideshow anime, just like One Punch Man Season 2.

Other Reading Materials

If you enjoy how Chainsaw Man is written, as well as the art style, check out Fire Punch. While you wait for the Chainsaw Man anime release, I recommend you go in blind into Fire Punch. It’s a great sad journey that will definitely tug your heartstrings.

See you guys again for a Chainsaw Man anime review this summer!