Forum - View topicChainsaw Man (TV) (w/ index).
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ACｘS
 Posts: 951 |
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8:
I did not see that coming. This episode hit me hard; I was just starting to like Himeno. |
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Blood-
 Bargain Hunter Posts: 24024 |
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Wow. That was one of the best directed episodes of anime I have seen in quite a while. All the stuff in Himeno's apartment was fantastic. All kinds of different angles, switching from close ups to long shots. It kind of jangled on the nerves to a certain extent, which of course was the intent. And then how the train hit was handled. Brilliant. It's official, this show has passed JJK in my esteem.
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ACｘS
Posts: 951 |
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For the record, I don't read the manga but the director has done a stellar job at capturing every nuance of the original source. In a strange way, everything that makes people claim the manga is awesome, the anime is showcasing it at every second, from the fluid animation to the camera angles and multiple perspectives.
You don't see directors being very specific with camera angles especially; the vision has to come from somewhere, either from the source or his own ingenuity. |
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11406 Location: Frisco, TX |
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[Reserved for ep. 8]
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2938 |
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#9
The series really knows how to surprise its uninitiated viewers. Just as it looks like the Public Security's best are getting slaughtered, the tables are completely turned because some among their number aren't mere humans who are easily killed. If anything, the big surprise is that Denji mostly takes a back seat this week. Even Himeno's last gasp intervention helped to buy time at best, which was brutally exploited by Makima to maximum efficiency. Most of the episode is showing how the one-sided slaughter of last week is mostly avenged, with the two powerful assailants surprisingly kept alive. Given the series penchant for disposing of personages it doesn't deem important moving forward, viewers might well see that pair again and Denji might get his revenge match in the future. Since the focus is all on Makima this week, let's see what we can tell from her abilities. 1. She's not a normal human, since last week took great pains in illustrating how many bullets she took in the train. Yet here she was up and about, bloodstained clothes and all, and dispatched her assailants in a gruesome fashion. 2. She needs to trade human lives to activate her abilities. Limited homing ability as she requires the target's name, also she needed holy ground and elevation as another prerequisite. Her powers are so strong yet no one knows what they are precisely because her authority allows her to keep them confidential. 3. She requested 30 death-row prisoners, yet only 10 of them were led out to the shrine. There were 3 buses in total and all of the ferried prisoners were given a last meal. What happened to the other 20? The other big surprise is Kobeni. When Himeno said "she has the moves but not the mental strength" I bet everyone remembered the latter after the previous encounter with the Eternity Demon. Turns out Himeno was spot on, one of two(?) humans in the Divisions who survived the attempted assassinations. Not only that, she's more than capable of defending herself if her assailants are humans (or at least have humanoid form and don't appear monstrous to give her a panic attack). Too bad she wants to resign, although her resignation notice won't be sent to Himeno but to Makima instead. So where does the series go from here? Denji is probably fine provided they put him back together again like Humpty Dumpty, while Akiyama needs urgent medical treatment and he's too important to just kill off like this for the plot. Power has disappeared, but she'll probably be back. The mysterious assailants appear to be linked with the Gun Devil, whom Denji is hunting in exchange for a first time with Makima. Plenty of questions, but is there enough airtime to answer at least some of them? |
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ACｘS
Posts: 951 |
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9:
Makima is the Gojo of CSM. Such a badass. (P.S. This is a minor observation, but I find it strange that the show used the 0 (or maybe the 100) series to depict the bullet train... which are the first/second-generation train types. What year is this show set in?) |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2938 |
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According to https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/チェンソーマン, a parallel universe where the Soviet Union didn't collapse. So the year (1997) won't correspond with what viewers will remember about that time period. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11406 Location: Frisco, TX |
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[Reserved for ep. 9]
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2938 |
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#10
Anyone who has read other fare from Shounen Jump or the other franchises featuring ludicrously strong mentors will recognise Kishibe for who he is: the catalyst to improve Power and Denji to be better than they currently are for the challenges ahead. Kishibe's unique selling point is that he's perpetually inebriated despite his undoubted skills and strength, so Power and Denji need to up their game if they want to reduce the number of kills they're going to suffer moving forward. Akiyama has lost his regular contracted devil while the second one will claim him in two years time. Since he can't use the sword without dying instantly, he needs another contract. Not sure what price he needs to pay since he's no different from a prisoner on Death Row, but he's determined to get revenge whatever the cost so it's going to be interesting to see what happens next week. Regarding Akiyama's "Partner", it's interesting to note Devils in this franchise don't stress about exclusivity; they will happily make contracts with multiple partners provided the price is right. Not sure what happens if two of their partners decide to fight each other, although given the circumstances for the Future Devil's existing contracts that's extremely unlikely. As far as humans are concerned, Akiyama probably isn't the only one who has contracts with multiple devils, one had his lifespan while the other took chunks of his flesh. Provided the price is paid, humans appear to be capable of multiple contracts as well until they are killed or the contracted devils claim them completely. |
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ACｘS
Posts: 951 |
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10:
That part when Aki realizes that Himeno is gone and he only has two years left to live? That was one of the best serious scenes I've ever seen in an anime. Fr. I know that MAPPA has done amazing things, especially with the production values. But that scene is not just about production values. That was something special that ordinary anime shows don't do. That was different. Another thing I must give to CSM now is the impending sense of doom that we're getting now. From the start, this show departs from the usual high-tempo shounen-style action series and goes for the unconventional, slow-burn "mood" route. Couple that with the fact that they're dealing with something as serious as the Gun Devil, we now have to acknowledge that all bets are off any anything goes now. This is where I get to see CSM at its finest, even if we only have two episodes left for this season. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11406 Location: Frisco, TX |
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[Reserved for ep. 10]
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2938 |
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#11
We've had all kinds of Devils and Fiends in this series, but the Future Devil is a certified oddball in this myriad of oddballs. Because the concept is more abstract than most, the creator has carte blanche to craft whatever personality he sees fit into this specimen. As such, Akiyama has lucked out as he has to pay a comparatively small price for acquiring the ability of limited precognition, which has a corresponding effect on his combat skills. It still appears to be insufficient against serious foes, but I'm not ruling out something intervening to keep him alive to the end of this adaptation. That conversation between Kishibe and Makima is a telling one. Kishibe flat out said Makima is only spared his wrath and assassination attempts as long as she's on the side of humanity. Why would he say that to someone who was human like him to begin with? So Makima is strong not because of her contract, but because she's either Devil or Fiend herself. We already know she needs names to execute her powers, but it appears she doesn't need elevation or Shinto shrines to do the deed. Having the elevation and shrine does magnify the scope of her powers though; this time all the victims simply died from what appears to be cerebral hemorrhages. As for this week's action sequences, zombies were always going to be cannon fodder since Denji alone in episode 1 could finish them off when he's transformed. A good excuse then to introduce the surviving Fiends from the decimated Sections and what they are capable of in combat. The biggest oxymoron being the Angel Devil, but he seems harmless enough so long as others keep their distance. Sawatari's Snake has the ability to consume and assimilate the powers of defeated Devils as its familiars, so Akiyama has to deal with the emotional shock of fighting his former partner's Devil. I don't think it would have made too much of a difference; his combat style is a bad matchup while the narrow corridor means he has no room to evade attacks. Denji would do fine since he specialises in grinding up single enemies. It's more likely Denji and Power will have to take on the Yakuza underboss while Akiyama holds out against Sawatari on his own. |
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Tony K.
Subscriber Moderator Posts: 11406 Location: Frisco, TX |
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[Reserved for ep. 11]
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2938 |
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#12
This series is getting two consecutive quarters, so this episode is a good place to finish one arc to set up what's to come. Interesting how the battle between Hayakawa and the Ghost turned on a memory about Himeno. Not sure how the Ghost saw that memory, but it had enough attachment to its previous owner to honour the promise made and allow Hayakawa to turn the tables. Kobeni was probably left in reserve to deal with Shiratani after her defenses were removed, since she'd probably panic taking on monstrosities but is perfectly capable of dealing with humans. As for the Chainsaw vs. Katana showdown, Denji learnt enough from his training to pull off a surprise of his own. The sequence is well animated in its own right, although it's contrived that Power goes off on her own just to make sure the pair of them get to face each other without interference. I'm not sure I agree with the post-battle scene featuring the bound Katana. He's misguided in his own way with regards to his grandfather and doesn't understand what Denji went through. Roping in Hayakawa to help him deal with the loss is unsurprising, but not something which everyone would celebrate. It's typical Denji, so another reason why I don't have as much empathy for the ensemble cast compared to Jujutsu Kaisen. Last scene is a teaser for the next story arc. I wonder who the person in the black hair is and what relationships she has with Denji since she hasn't been formally introduced yet. |
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ACｘS
Posts: 951 |
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Final:
To be honest, I have nothing much to add to the final episode because, well, it ended the way I thought it would end, and how it should end. Maybe the conclusion felt a bit rushed—Hayakawa and Denji's fights ended on a whimper more than a bang—but other than that, there's nothing particularly revealing about it anyway. -- If anything, wrapping up my thoughts on what is perhaps arguably the most hyped anime in a very long time is the very thing I wanted to do for a longgggg time. First things first: this is MAPPA's proudest work yet. Production values are top notch, and among the best I've ever seen in anime. MAPPA wanted to make a statement that it's one of the best studios in the industry and they made their presence felt resoundingly. The productions values honestly aren't what surprised me. It's the ambience. The "mood". It's a far cry from Jujutsu Kaisen (JJK) where it's more fired-up, high-octane action. CSM is more of a slow burn: slower and more mellow pace but definitely in a purposeful way. This approach works wonders for CSM's more dramatic moments and pensive scenes, such as flashbacks and times where the show zooms on a single character. For more frivolous moments, such as the main trio's hijinks, I felt it was more mixed. If there were any moments when I should have laughed, I surely have missed it. JJK's approach was a better for light-hearted moments. Wayyy better. The characters are the biggest problem for me right now. The trio of Denji, Power and Hayakawa looks a little similar to--, ah screw it, they're spitting images of Yuji, Nobara and Megumi from JJK. They are. From the looks to the personalities. Copypastas. In fact, bluntly speaking, CSM's version feel like a lazier version because I haven't seen much character development in them as I did for JJK's. Hayakawa is getting more character development toward the end thankfully, unfortunately due to Himeno's departure, but I can't say much for Denji and Power (their backgrounds were explored, but I'm talking character development here). Another issue: the way the show splits up the story into episodes. Several episodes end at cliffhangers (rightfully) but other end at not-the-best moments (awkward), but more importantly, when the next episode comes, the cliffhangers have the most anticlimactic endings. I don't think the narrative itself is the problem; it's the timing of how the story is divided into episodes. It's definitely a direction issue, if I can add. I know that this is just 12 episodes right now, so there's plenty more where the show comes from. Right now, I'm giving it a 7.5. Not even sure if I want to let it fall to 7 or 8. Definitely a bit overrated based on the hype it got prior to its debut. But I have a feeling that CSM is gonna get better from now on, because from the onset, I could already feel that the show is pulling its punches. Everyone who has read the original source is claiming that the best is yet to come, and although I can't echo that, I already felt that from the anime alone. MAPPA wants to produce another banger, and they're going to save it for the next season(s). I'm going to wait for them. |
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