Anime

Chainsaw Man: A Deep Dive Into Season One’s Reputation

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Chainsaw Man’s first season was one of the most anticipated arrivals on the anime scene in 2022 and with good reason. Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga had become so successful in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump since its debut that the bloody story was able to sell copies to such an extent that it was almost unbelievable that a television series wasn’t helping to promote it. However, all is not well in the world of the Devil Hunters as there appear to be some Japanese fans who found the MAPPA production unable to live up to its source material.

The first season consisted of twelve episodes, giving new viewers a look into the tragic life of Denji, a young man who finds himself inheriting the debt of his father and having an unexpected encounter with an adorable canine who just so happens to be the Chainsaw Devil. Betrayed by the Yakuza, Denji found himself merging with his beloved pooch, becoming the Chainsaw Man and working toward his meager dreams by joining a band of government-approved devil hunters. With the first season ending with a battle between Denji and the Katana Devil, a second season has yet to be confirmed by Studio MAPPA, but it only seems to be a matter of time before the announcement is made considering the popularity of the anime arrival.

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Chainsaw Complaints

One Reddit User put together an in-depth background on how some fans of the original manga felt that Chainsaw Man’s anime adaptation wasn’t able to live up to its source material, adding that the “calm atmosphere”, “coffee scenes”, and “live-action” feel of the series felt like an antithesis to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original work:

MAPPA has committed in the past that the studio will seek to adapt all of creator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s works, and it will take quite some time to finish the first part of Chainsaw Man’s manga, with part two continuing to release new chapters at a steady clip. As wild as season one was, the rest of the bloody manga is going to take things up a notch not simply when it comes to the world-shattering violence, but also with betrayals and character moments aplenty. It will be interesting to see how some of said moments will be handled in the future of the anime adaptation.

Do you think Chainsaw Man’s first season was unable to live up to its source material? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Chainsaw Devil.