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katharine_opal's reviews
492 reviews
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1: Dog and Chainsaw by Tatsuki Fujimoto
3.0
I'm only reading this because everybody and their mother on TikTok keep recommending it to me. I've already been spoiled to hell and back for this series, so I think that slightly affects how I view this first volume. I already know some of the pivotal moments, plot twists, and what happens to some characters later on in the series. Knowing this motivates me to read on, even if the first volume is just okay. I'm mostly curious about how the plot progressed that way. The main protagonist is Denji, who is basically an average horny teenage boy, who lived a pretty terrible life. After an incident, he becomes Chainsaw Man, even though he's never called that in this volume. Denji as a character isn't really... likable? Honestly, he's mostly someone you would feel bad for, seeing his previous living circumstances. The most interesting thing is the world-building and the whole concept of the devils. Devils are creatures born of human fear. The more people fear [Thing] the strong that devil becomes. That is a very interesting concept! There is an entire agency that is tasked with keeping the threat of devils under control, which is where we meet more of the cast. So far, no one is very likable. Makima is honestly scary in a subtle way. Her physical mannerisms make it seem like she's just a gentle professional woman, but what she says makes her terrifying. At least to me. I'm unsure how I feel about Makima, but that dichotomy makes me interested in how she develops over the series. (Yes, I know some spoilers about Makima from TikTok spoiling me to death, but I want to see how she goes from point A to point B.) All I know from this volume is she is insanely manipulative and doesn't seem to care about other people's personhood. Power is honestly aggravating in this volume. I know she's supposed to come off as funny (the clips I've seen of the anime are her being pretty funny) but it comes off as grating in this first volume. Also, the balance is comedy and gore is both interesting and bewildering. Honestly, I think the whiplash between goofy comedy to some absolutely insane horrific scenes is part of why it's popular. Usually, it's one of the other, not both. It's blended fairly well though. The comedy is always used to alleviate the horror of the carnage you see only a few pages back. I'm still going to read on, even though I'm pretty meh on this first volume.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 2 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
3.0
So we get a little bit more intrigue with the Makima talking about a certain powerful devil and learning Aki's backstory. Introduces some more characters, though they are all also not very likable. Except for Kobeni, the poor girl just wants her paycheck. I know Denji's character type is "dumb and horny teenage boy" but it's honestly kind of annoying now, not endearing. Like, the whole obsession with boobs thing he has going on is getting grating. I think it's meant to be funny, but it just comes off as annoying "boy humor". I'm honestly far more interested in Makima and Aki, than I am in Denji and Power. Something about Makima makes me curious about what the hell is going on with her. What are her motives? Why did she become a devil hunter herself? I hope the manga expounds on that at some point. I do wonder a bit about how Power got to be how she is currently, but that's a far more mild curiosity than the one I have for Makima. I just don't care about Denji, which is worrying seeing as he is the main character.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 4 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
4.0
The plot definitely picks up in this volume, and I am so glad about it. Also, hilariously, this volume has little focus on Denji, and it's been the best volume so far. More and more intrigue is being built around Makima and it just makes me want to know even more. Also, Makima has so much of what I call "subtle insanity", and I find her fascinating as a character. The mystery of her makes me keep reading. There's also more characterization being built for Aki and makes me want to read more about him as well. Love the slight personality change (reveal??) with Kobeni too. Denji and Power get a new mentor, who is pretty crazy. Honestly, the whole thing about Denji and Power training is a tired cliche, but thankfully only lasts for about a chapter. I STILL find Denji boring as a character, and it's the fourth volume. There was VERY brief moment where I thought maybe Denji would get some depth to him as a character but nope! There's also the introduction of a bunch of new characters, human and devil alike. Also, I think I've been desensitized to the gore at this point. There's so much of it in every volume, it goes from being horrific to just the same old, same old.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 5: Minor by Tatsuki Fujimoto
3.0
Wow, the volume is aptly named, seeing there are SEVERAL scenes where I said "Ma'am that is a MINOR!". We're back to focusing on Denji, and it makes me sigh. Again, he's strung along because of his infatuation with boobs and naked girls. Like...it's really tiring. Denji being so simple-minded is also tiring. The new character seemed like an annoying trope that was getting shoved in, until the small twist in the final chapter. I half expected something like that to happen, so it wasn't a huge surprise. It was kind of nice that it wasn't the cliche I half thought it was at the start. Denji is so easily manipulated, it becomes aggravating. But still, I keep reading because of the goddamned mystery that is Makima.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 6: Boom Boom Boom by Tatsuki Fujimoto
4.0
Oooh, this volume was actually pretty excellent! I really like the character and fighting style of Reze, and her design is pretty cool too. (Also, wow now I know who the character is that I saw a bunch of people on TikTok cosplay as!) The only downside is that this volume was pretty much all action and had little plot. Which is fine, the action was good enough that I can overlook the lack of plot. The end kind of annoyed me though. (Spoiler for the last chapter of the volume!!)
Spoiler
I'm getting kind of sick of this series pattern. They do this thing where they introduce a cool new character, that character has a big fight scene with Denji or one of the other main characters, and then that character gets killed off. Like...it's starting to get formulaic, which means it's slowly becoming boring. Also, fight scenes keep getting abruptly ended, and it's off-putting. The thing with Makima appearing from a cluster of rats was f*cking wild though. It just adds to the mystery of Makima, and again she's honestly why I keep reading. There was also a moment where I thought Denji was going to actually use his single brain cell but...no. Not a brain cell in sight. Most of what Denji does doesn't make me laugh, like I think it's supposed to, it just makes me sigh and go "Ah, goddammit, really?" The comedic parts are very comedic, a lot honestly make me roll my eyes. Again, a victim of "dumb boy humor".
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 7 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
4.0
Finally, we get some tasty intrigue and chilling suspense! After the Chainsaw Devil is revealed to the world, Denji is now being hunted by multiple assassins from all of the global power countries. Which leads to some amazing fight scenes with those assassins. They've briefly mentioned other countries that also have devils and agencies, but this volume expands on that way more. Each assassin character is actually fairly fascinating in their own way. I'm glad they built up each of them just enough to get you curious about them. Except for (spoilers!!) Also, the opening scene of the volume finally made me say "Wait, what going on with Denji?". I'm finally curious about Denji as a character! A miracle! Also, the mystery of Makima was sitting at about 50 percent so far and is now dialed up to about 85. I still want to know what the deal is with her!
Spoiler
the old dude who is...Santa??? Why is the guy called Santa? Cause he's German and old? His devil makes people into dolls, I guess that's vaguely Santa? But my god seeing Makima say "Santa is in Japan" threw me off so badly.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 8 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
4.0
Do I understand what the hell (pun not intended) just happened? No. Did I think it was fucking sick from an aesthetic sense? Hell yeah! The strongest point of this entire series is the author's sense of aesthetic and design choices. I honestly think if the designs weren't this good, the series wouldn't be as popular. The entire series' overarching plot line, which is slowly being revealed, is "Who is Makima?". Which is the question I've had since volume one, so it's nice to see that the series really is slowly moving in that direction. The volume was pretty much all fight scenes with very little plot. But those crumbs of the plot have some insane implications, and the fight scenes were excellent. Excited to get the answers this volume makes you ask in the future. This volume also really wanted to hammer home "The movements and motivations of an idiot are hard to predict because you can't tell what someone is thinking when they literally don't think, they just act". Which is Denji's entire personality. That boy doesn't have a single brain cell, he merely does what he thinks Makima wants. Live like a dog indeed.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 9 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
5.0
What. The. Fuck. My biggest question has been answered, but now I want to know her motivations. Also, you give some of that nice found family trope, and then you do THAT to me. The big battle was god damn bone-chilling. I've already been spoiled for some of it, but not for who the combatants were, so I was startled to see who was involved. Also, can I just say, having one of the strongest devils be "The Gun Devil" hits differently as an American reader. Finally, screw you for those last few chapters. I didn't cry, but god my heart sank right to the floor. This volume feels like it's a huge turning point for the series, so I'm itching to start the next volume immediately.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 10 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
5.0
God damn. When I said that volume nine was a turning point, I was proved completely right with volume ten. The tone has COMPLETELY changed, and now I'm fully interested in what is happening with the plot and the world. The rest is going to be hidden under spoilers since I'm talking about exact details!!
Spoiler
I had already been slightly spoiled, but Makima asking "Do you know what the Nazis did to the Jewish?" and Kishibe didn't even know what a Nazi is sent a chill down my back. How much of the world has been changed by this point?! The fact that the Chainsaw Devil can make things disappear from reality is an insane revelation. It means not just the world is in question, but reality itself. Also, even though Makima has said what her goal is, I don't believe her at all. If what she said ends up being the truth, I will honestly be shocked. Also, what the fuck is the Chainsaw Devil?! How the hell is a devil that embodies the fear of chainsaws THAT powerful? Sure, chainsaws are scary, but I doubt that many people are scared of them. I'm also finally interested in Denji as a character. The reveal that Denji's dumb horny teenager personality has actually just been his way of disassociating through all of his traumatic life was a shock. His entire "Don't know, don't care!" thing was in reality him ignoring any negative emotion so he doesn't have to feel bad. He even lets himself become Makima's dog, just so he doesn't have to make decisions, because those clearly lead to him feeling negative. He's basically just shutting off his entire brain. God DAMN, it's nice to see that Denji is not in fact a stereotypical Shonen character, but Jesus christ. Also, wow, my first impression of Makima being a master manipulator was correct. From the first volume, in the first scene, my gut reaction was "Oh, this woman is a huge manipulator. She doesn't give two shits about anyone but her own motives." This series is so good, I cannot wait to see the end when it comes.
Chainsaw Man, Vol. 11 by Tatsuki Fujimoto
4.0
Aw, this volume really staggered from the excellence of volumes nine and ten. The author is really bad at plot transitions and this volume suffers for it. The combat was still excellent as always, but the way it changed from the first fight to the second was really awkward. The author has a really terrible habit of suddenly ending a scene out of nowhere and also has a bad habit of just abruptly starting the next with little to no context. It honestly left me going "Wait, how the hell did we get from point A to point B?!" Major spoilers!! The way the volume ended made me feel like it was supposed to be the final volume. Apparently, it's only the end of "part one". It makes me nervous because series that drag on way past when they should have ended always end poorly.