No this is not Chainsaw Man | Image courtesy of Tenor.com

The Chainsaw Man anime is set to release sometime this year and has much anticipation surrounding it. This is of course tied to the excellent manga that has built significant hype as we edge close to the launch.

However, is this hype warranted, is the Chainsaw Man manga good enough to instill this much hype?

Well, let's take a look by discussing the Chainsaw Man manga. Of course I won't spoil anything, as I am sure many reading will want to save the surprises for the anime, and will mostly just be discussing the manga from a 'no spoiler' vantage point.

The Plot

Wonderful rendition of Chainsaw Man I found on Tenor.com | Image courtesy of Tenor.com

The world of Chainsaw Man is much like our own with a few historic differences and the prevalence of 'demons' throughout the world. The appearance of demons has prompted Governments all over establish their own demon slaying corps. Demon slaying is largely portrayed as a depressing duty that is undertaken by those that have become apathetic to the world around them and largely futile as demons can revive after being defeated.

The primary plot revolves around Denji and his ability to transform into 'Chainsaw Man' through his unification with the devil Pochinta. The crux of the story revolves around Denji assimilating into the Public Safety Division, a branch of the Japanese Government dedicated to culling demons, by building connections with various other characters with the Gun Devil serving as the primary protagonist of the show.

The plot contains various other revelations about the character of Pochinta, the Public Safety Division, and other characters, in this sense you could consider the show to have a subtheme of 'mystery' but that 'mystery' is largely subliminal in it's portrayal. Other themes that may intrigue you is Fujimoto's focus on both dark humor and dark fantasy.

In terms of the latter, Chainsaw Man has a particular focus on delivering an almost grimdark reality with the world of Chainsaw Man being exceptionally depressing. The author seems to relish in this environment as his dark humor plays on the saddened reality that allows one to 'connect' with some of the characters. This form of storytelling compliments the character of Denji as his isolation, and poverty, can easily transition from a point of motivation to a joke.

As the show progresses. Ecchi is heavily prevalent in the plot but largely becomes irrelevant as the manga progresses, but, what I think truly gained this series such massive attention is Tatsuki Fujimoto's character development and overall focus on character relations. Realistically, in the realm of seinen, Chainsaw Man has much in common with it's seinen compatriot Tokyo Ghoul in terms of -

Characters

Power one of the many characters in the franchise | Image courtesy of Tenor.com

The main cast of Chainsaw Man (other than Denji) is Power, Makima, and Aki Hayakawa. These characters are varied enough for you to differentiate between them, build relationships with them, and mostly vouch for them. Aki largely plays the role of a straight-man as he is tasked to care for Power (a devil) and Denji (a hybrid). The contrasting demeanor of each character plays a vital role as the show continues all of which add emotional weight to the twists and turns that occur in the show.

Often a times I would find myself vouching for a particular character or feel rather saddened when one of the characters has an emotional breakdown. There really isn't much more I can say on these characters without spoiling them but I really need to emphasize that while the characters may seem - somewhat - annoying in the beginning as the show progresses they will really grow on you.
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Should we be concerned?

A snippet of the trailer to really get you excited | Image courtesy of Tenor.com

No, we shouldn't. The likelihood of MAPPA ruining this franchise is unlikely. The plot, the characters, and the world, of Chainsaw Man is solid on it's own. The main concern from my part is the animation, however, since MAPPA is a veteran in the animation field, I don't think this is of as much concern. The hype surrounding it, while beneficial for the mangaka and the animation studio, could be a detriment for the anime, primarily because the plot in the early few stages is not really as gripping it is in later parts.

So, to conclude, you should 100% watch Chainsaw Man.