What is Chainsaw Man?
For those that don’t know, Chainsaw Man is an upcoming action anime based on the manga series of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series takes place in a world where humans are terrorised by devils related to certain things or ideas, such as a tomato devil or curse devil. Denji is a young, homeless boy who has made friends with Pochita, the small chainsaw devil. Initially, Denji is employed by Yakuza to pay off his dead father’s debts. However, when he’s double-crossed and left for dead, Pochita offers Denji his heart to bring him back to life as Chainsaw Man. After getting revenge on the Yakuza, Denji is found by Makima, leader of the government’s Devil Hunters. She offers him a choice – join her ranks or get killed. The Chainsaw Man manga was first published in 2018, with Part 1 concluding just before the anime was announced in 2020 after 97 Chapters. Chainsaw Man Part 2 started in July 2022.
Is Chainsaw Man Overhyped?
Chainsaw Man has become one of the most heavily-promoted anime of the last year, and there’s a big risk now that it will become overhyped. Chainsaw Man’s first teaser trailer was released in June last year. The 1-minute clip has been viewed 14.5 million times, making it comfortably the most popular video on the MAPPA YouTube channel. For comparison, the second most popular video on the channel is Chainsaw Man’s second teaser trailer with only 5 million views, while Jujutsu Kaisen’s first trailer, ranked 4th, has amassed only 3.2 million. Chainsaw Man’s early teaser promotion made sense – after all, this anime is very much studio MAPPA’s darling, with a lot of time and money put into its creation. However, that hype train has now been overtaken by a whole host of other media outlets. Crunchyroll announced that they were streaming Chainsaw Man in May this year, much earlier than usual for their acquisitions. Again for comparison, Crunchyroll confirmed it was streaming Jujutsu Kaisen just two months before it was scheduled to air. Crunchyroll’s rights acquisition has led to a new wave of promotions and teasers. Recently, fans were left disappointed after a much-hyped Chainsaw Man panel at Anime Expo didn’t deliver any meaningful new information for fans. There is a real risk that the consistent teasing and promotion for Chainsaw Man – which, at the time of writing doesn’t even have a confirmed release date – not only oversells the anime but also gives people the wrong expectations around the series as a whole. Chainsaw Man, at its heart, is a rebellious series. It could be said that it is the flagbearer of a new generation of not-so-serious shounen manga, including titles such as Dandadan and Sakamoto Days. Chainsaw Man is not supposed to be the next Attack on Titan or Jujutsu Kaisen, both excellent but notably more serious action blockbusters. Part of Chainsaw Man’s appeal is its comedic and wacky elements, but new fans wouldn’t know that looking at the posters and visuals released so far. A good visualisation of this is the Anime News Network forum for the initial announcement in 2020. Before all the hype, you can see that the discussion is around how this will be an interesting and unique watch, with little expectation of it being a world-beating series as it feels today.
Why is Chainsaw Man So Popular?
While Chainsaw Man is almost certainly being overhyped, you can understand why people are so excited. As mentioned above, many long-term manga fans see Chainsaw Man as a series that breaks the mould of what an action-shounen should be. It is written like a passion project, with incredibly fast pacing, a ruthless story and characters that cannot be trusted. Because it was slightly erratic, the series took a while to develop the fanbase we see today. The series was first published in 2018 but didn’t win any awards until 2021. Compare that to Spy x Family, which was winning awards within the first year of its publication. Much of Chainsaw Man’s success has come from later in the series, once the plot starts to get bigger and darker. Once the series reaches that point, few creators can compete with Fujimoto and how he balances quirky stories with deeply personal tragedy. Tatsuki Fujimoto got his first break with Fire Punch, an incredibly violent story with dark themes. Chainsaw Man is seen as his more mainstream follow-up with a more palatable plot, but that penchant for ruthless tragedy is still apparent.
Is Chainsaw Man Being Overrated Ahead of the Anime?
Fujimoto’s stories touch a nerve, perhaps more than he intended. In an interview with BFMTV (in French), he talks about not showing his face for fear of his life and preferring to write short stories over sprawling manga like Chainsaw Man. These are important things to understand for anyone preparing to see Chainsaw Man for the first time. This won’t be the ‘next big thing’ like Attack on Titan, Demon Slayer or Jujutsu Kaisen; it was never intended to be that from the start. Many people won’t get along with this series due to skewed expectations. However, if you have the stomach for gore and tragedy and try not to take it too seriously, Chainsaw Man is one hell of a ride to enjoy.
