Chainsaw Man

Episode 12

Even though such backlash seems to come part and parcel with the very concept of “existing” these days, I was nevertheless disheartened to see the news going around about the thousands of disgruntled fans who are demanding a “redo” of Chainsaw Man. The issues, apparently, come down to their perception that director Ryū Nakayama and the crew at MAPPA fundamentally “misunderstand” the themes, tone, intent, etc., of Tatsuki Fujimoto's original work—what with the anime's emphasis on cinematic style and grounded direction. While I can fully understand folks not vibing with MAPPA's specific artistic choices, especially if what they wanted in an anime adaption was nothing more than a literal 1:1 translation of Fujimoto's panels with added motion and sound effects, to claim that this season of Chainsaw Man doesn't get what the story is all about?

I mean…have any of these guys seen this show? It gets Chainsaw Man so fucking hard that the characters, emotions, themes, and imagery of the manga will be seared into the brains of anyone that so much as gets a passing glance of a single episode on a TV that they're only half paying attention to while they're folding the laundry. Sure, some of the methodology of the show is inherently different from what Fujimoto accomplished with his static artwork, but I'd argue that both versions of CSM are aiming for the same targets, in the end, and they both keep hitting bullseyes again and again.

Take this finale, for example. So far as adapting the climactic chaos of the Katana Man Arc is concerned, I don't know how you could expect it to be done better. The opening scene, where Aki confronts his grief over Himeno's death and can fearlessly dispose of the Ghost Devil, is a perfect conclusion to both of those characters' current stories. The haunting flashback at the top of the episode continues to take Himeno's relatively minor amount of screen time and exponentially magnifies her impact on the overall show. It is exactly what we need to understand the small but significant changes that Aki goes through as a character in this episode. The show doesn't need to spell out how or why that symbolic cigarette ended up in the Ghost Devil's hands. Most of the inner conflict that Aki goes through after receiving it is done entirely through subtext and audience interpretation. Yet still, when Aki ends the season by joyously joining in on Denji's nut-bashing contest and then treating his roommates to an after-battle feast, you one hundred percent feel how far the man has come in just this small handful of episodes.

Speaking of The Grand Dick-Kickening, the actual showdown between Denji and Samurai Sword is everything a fan could want it to be. It's a bit on the short side, sure, but it never once lacks punch or momentum, with Denji and Samurai Sword flying from rooftops and onto trains with beautifully bloody clarity. The entire battle seems to have been rendered in CG, too, and I cannot praise enough the compositing and blending work that MAPPA has done to ensure that the switch in mediums is as natural and effective as possible. The beat where Samurai Sword is sliced in half, and Deni reveals his newfound ability to turn his legs into chainsaws along with his arms, would have been the stand-up-and-cheer moment of the finale…if it weren't for the aforementioned conclusion that sees Aki and Denji happily pulverizing the human Samurai Sword's nards into a soft paste while Aki wonders if Himeno can hear their requiem for her up in Heaven.

I'm sorry, but I simply do not believe that a zanier animation style or Day-glo color palette would improve any of this in a meaningful way, especially if it means sacrificing the grand scale of the action or the devastating power of the more intimate moments that fall in between all of the spectacle. The final shot of this episode (before the spooky and vague teasers for next season, at least) sees Aki quietly smoking that first and last gift from Himeno on his balcony while his friends happily snooze their full bellies away in the next room. It is an incredibly powerful callback and counterpoint to the Episode 4 sequence where we saw what Aki's normal routine was like before he started to let these weird little idiots into his life, and if you were to look me in the eye and tell me that this isn't the perfect end to an incredible goddamned season of television, then I'll have to be the bearer of bad news and tell you that you're completely wrong, and win absolutely no prizes.

Really, the single worst thing about this finale is that it does, in fact, end and leaves us with an indeterminate amount of time to discover what the hell is behind that door Denji is dreaming about or who the unknown girl is that gets introduced in the after-credits stinger. Will we only wait a year or so for a follow-up season? Or is this going to be one of those things where it takes a year or two to get a single movie out and then another year or two on top of that for a second season proper? Either way, the wait will be agonizing, but then again, that means I'll have that much more time to rewatch every eye-poppingly gorgeous minute of Chainsaw Man Season One. You'll never find me complaining about that.

Rating:

Spare Scraps

• Power's Playlist The final ending theme of the season is Eve's “Fight Song,” and it's terrific. However, I will admit that I was a bit distracted by the adorable and hilarious montage of Aki, Denji, and Power getting ready for their little party. Though this could end up changing as time goes on, my Top 3 EDs of the Season ended up being:

#1. Episode 7 ED (“Chu, Tayose” by ano)

#2.Episode 9 ED (“Deep Down” by Aimer)

#3.Episode 5 ED (“In the Back Room” by syudou)

• Kids Say the Denji-est Things! It's only fitting that our boy Denji wins the award that bears his name for the final episode of the season since my favorite line of the week goes to him whining about Samurai Sword's flashy slice-and-dice attack: “Look…can we ban that move? Seriously?” It reminds me too much of the kinds of playground arguments my pals and I would have as kids when we were playing Dragon Ball Z at recess, and one of us (*cough*Kevin*cough*) would go a little too crazy with the Spirit Bombs.

• Another shout-out has to go to Kobeni for once again stealing the show with how much she is willing to suffer untold trauma and misery at a job she hates because, you know, bonuses are coming up soon. We respect the hustle, Kobeni.

Chainsaw Man is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on Twitter, his blog, and his podcast.