Disclaimer: This review covers Season 1 (12 episodes) of the 2022 anime "Chainsaw Man.""Chainsaw Man"... one of the most hyped anime of recent memory. Based on the hit gonzo manga that published just a few years prior. By acclaimed and relatively new studio MAPPA, who also simultaneously worked on another hit Shonen anime "Jujutsu Kaisen." Yeah, "Chainsaw Man" was on my list to watch for some time. My odd habbit of waiting for the physical media version didn't help... unlike a bunch of other shows, this didn't get an American Bluray until 2025?! Well, it was licensed for streaming by Crunchyroll, and for Bluray by Viz Media, so OK, the delay makes sense. Also didn't help that it received a collector's-edition-only version in most of North America, which has a nice lenticular cover along three sides, but I'd have much rather paid half-price for the more appropriate "steelbook" edition. That was an American Walmart exclusive, at a time when it was literally quite dangerous for non-Americans to even visit the country. As the world seems to crumble apart, this is the last thing worth complaining about, but anyway..."Chainsaw" sets an odd tone right off the bat. Denji is a teenager down on his luck, barely getting by living in a tiny shack. He owes a massive debt passed down to his father, and whatever low and demeaning jobs, even as far as selling his own organs, he barely seems to cut it down for his mob boss. The one job that pays well is killing devils - in this alternate world, large monstrous devils based on objects or concepts haunt the human world, and it's dangerous to get near one, let alone try to kill it. To help, Denji managed to befreind a small dog-like chainsaw devil he calls Pochita, and wields him like a chainsaw to cut through larger devils. That's his life, worked to the bone, barely able to afford a slice of bread to share with his pet. Denji's a simple man with simple dreams - he longs for a warm bed, basic food, maybe a cute girl to fondle... The dream doesn't last long. Denji eventually gets set up by a Zombie Devil with a zombie hoard, who in revenge kills him, chopping up his body and throwing them in a dumpster. Seemingly dead, Pochita does what few devils have ever been rumored to do, and makes a contract with Denji, resurrecting him with Pochita's heart in place of his own. Newly combined as a demi-devil, Denji has the full powers of a Chainsaw Devil, spouting chainsaws from his head and arms, making short work of the zombies that had just killed him. This brings Denji to the attention of the Public Safety Division, a group of professional devil hunters, mostly human, aside from a few experimental cases like Denji. Makima, one of the leaders, takes a particular interest in Denji, assigning him to her squad. Denji doesn't mind the new job at all, given it comes with room and board, both at a much higher standard than he was used to (but at a normal standard for most viewers). And Makima's kinda cute, maybe Denji can sneak a kiss from her if he does a good job! Of course, as a devil, he'll be killed on the spot for trying to escape, so he doesn't have much of a choice.Backing up to that first episode... about the animation. Episode 1 relies a lot on CGI to render Denji's chainsaw form. And it makes sense that it should, and for television standards, the animation still looks fine. But it also feels rushed, perhaps, not remotely like the persistent praise I'd seen online. That changes quickly enough, and by Episode 3, the show comes into its own to set a new standard in quality, which I'll get to later. But it does make me wonder what happened during production for Episode 1...And for the tone... whoo, it's grim. Increasingly parallel to modern life, but grim. When was the last time you saw a main character selling their organs for cash just to survive? And also, the show is weirdly funny. Denji is described by another character as having "a broken moral compass," who despite the occasional heroic effort, mostly just fullfills his role for the sole purpose of getting in Makima's pants. Or copping a feel of whatever cute devil hunter he's working with that day. He's still loyal and would never do these things without permission, but when he's in the middle of a life-threatening battle, with innocent civilians at risk, and screams that he'll win the fight "because a girl promised I could touch her breasts if I do!"... I suppose that's one way to lighten the mood. This also presents Denji as a bit of a puzzle - is he really this simple and one-dimensional? The anime briefly stops to ask if being resurrected with devil powers had something to do with his new personality, so it's somewhat self-aware. Oh, and one of his working partners is "Power," a fellow fiend / blood-devil, who's just as bad an influence as Denji, and they tend to cause havoc when they enter a room together, much to the annoyance of the stoic hunters on the team (and much to the viewer's amusement). 
The story sets itself with a proven archtype, of a character thrust into a professional government organization or society of hunters, complete in a snazzy uniform (I was also partial to white shirts and skinny black-ties). It reminds me a lot of "Fullmetal Alchemist," or a little of "Bleach." And like "Fullmetal," effort is put into expanding the character suite with co-workers, before utilizing them for a dramatic punch. And boy, does "Chainsaw" like to punch you in the gut. The dark tone and visceral violence in the first episode already hints that it's not safe to assume anyone is safe from getting killed off (heck, the main character was technically killed in the first episode). But when it happens, it's directed effectively for shock and emotional weight. It happens quickly perhaps, before the audience gets a chance to really enjoy the characters... a lot happens in a first season with only 12 episodes, where I'd expect other shows to need at least 24 to do the same... but it still works. In part because most of the characters (aside from Denji and Power) are written with a human depth, with relationships and emotions that feel real, moreso than I usually see in an anime, certainly one with such an over-the-top premise. Those rapid developments set things up to an interesting place by the end of this first season. It's not clear exactly what will happen next, or whether the remaining characters will survive for much longer. And Makima herself is an enigma, seemingly beautiful and kind and effortlessly cool, but also with hints that she knows more than she lets on. To what ends is she working towards? If the emotional weight doesn't hook you, or if you're not a fan of Denji and Power's inmature antics, the crumbs of grander plot here are still enough to make you keep watching. I ended up binging the whole season within 24 hours, and am eager for whatever comes next. Visually, "Chainsaw Man" looks (mostly) great. Most episodes get at least one major action scene to exercise the screen's real estate. Despite a healthy reliance on 3D CGI for action scenes, especially for modeling Denji's chainsaw head, there are also a fair number of shots that rely more on pure 2D animation, or at least a more seemless hybrid. These action scenes are kinetic and frantic, tearing apart buildings and roads as if every brick had weight to them. But surprisingly, the more mundane conversational moments, like characters walking towards a building, or getting into a car, or talking across a table, impressed me just as much, thanks to a great attention to detail in motion. And especially since these scenes didn't rely as much on CGI, they almost felt more beautiful to me. Character designs are more of a mixed bag though - I love the iconic suit and tie outfits, but giving Denji sharp teeth and a derp-y face in his human form never felt right against the rest of the show. Again, an example of conflicting tones not quite working well together at all levels. The monster designs look great though.I watched the show with the English dub, which was largely great, thanks to the wide range of emotion and delivery required, allowing opportunity for the actors to show off plenty. Music is pretty strong. A special mention to the end credits: every end credits has a different animation and different song, roughly 12 in total. The songs are all great, performed by a who's-who of anime-theme-song talent from the past two decades, several of whom you'll recognize if you've watched any other shows. And the animations are like abstract one-minute shorts, as if they gave free reign to apprentice animators to do as they pleased. I haven't seen this much attention to the credits since "Bakemonogatari," and this overtakes it - it's worth watching the show to watch the end credits alone. "Chainsaw Man" is an anime of extremes. It showcases dark dystopia, horrific bloody violence, sweet romance, dramatic sacrifice, and bizarre screwball comedy, sometimes all in the span of a minute. Those tones don't always blend well. But it's entertaining. It's cool. It's awesome.