Chainsaw Man: MAPPA CEO Addresses the Pressure the Series’ Popularity Brings

Chainsaw Man has yet to receive an anime adaptation, which makes it all the more surprising that it has become one of the most popular Shonen series. With this fall set to release the anime adaptation of Denji’s story from Studio MAPPA, a number of creative minds behind the series arrived at this year’s Anime Expo. Our own Megan Peters was able to chat with MAPPA CEO Manabu Otsuka, scriptwriter Hiroshi Seko, and producer Makoto Kimura to discuss the pressure of adapting such a popular series.

The manga from Tatsuki Fujimoto first arrived in 2018, with the first chapter of the bloody tale wrapping its story and the second beginning earlier this summer. While Chainsaw Man isn’t currently popular enough to overtake the likes of some of the major movers and shakers of Shonen Jump, including the likes of One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and My Hero Academia, things might change when the MAPPA television series arrives this fall.

Manabu Otsuka was the creator to dive into the high level that Chainsaw Man’s popularity had when it came to creating the anime series from Studio MAPPA:

“Honestly, it didn’t really effect anything. We have worked on titles like Attack on Titan for instance and Jujutsu Kaisen that are big. Honestly, all series are popular in sense. It doesn’t bother any of us that titles are very popular when we are adapting them. I think everybody is just working towards creating something good for the fans.”  

The second part of Chainsaw Man has taken some big risks with the series’ return, pushing Denji out of the driver’s seat and instead focusing on the new War Devil, Asa Mikata. With the terrifying new devil having an ax to grind with the Chainsaw Devil for reasons that have yet to be revealed, the War Devil has somehow been able to amplify the amount of blood and gore that the series was already known for. While producing plenty of violence like the former hero of the series, Asa is far different from the character that first introduced us to the series. 

Do you think the upcoming anime adaptation will be able to hit the same heights as its manga? 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.