Adapted from a manga of the same name by Tatsuki Fujimoto, anime series comes courtesy of Studio MAPPA who anime fans will recognize as the animation house behind later seasons and the recent smash hit . Carrying gory action, deep characters, and a more thoughtful tone, . With a pedigree like that, anime adaptation has a lot to live up to.
tells the story of a young man named Denji who is crushed under a mountain of debt inherited from his dead father. Taking jobs killing minor devils for the Yakuza and selling pieces off his own body like one of his eyes, Denji ekes out a meager existence with his Chainsaw Devil Pochita.
When watching , it's difficult not to pick up on a disconnect between its bombastic title/hero and its actual tone. While the titular Chainsaw Man is a protagonist cast in the mold of hungry loudmouths like Naruto and Luffy,
If there is one flaw that's apparent in this first episode, it is (as many anime fans feared) the use of CGI for some action scenes. It is hardly egregious, and isn't even bad really, but is still worth pointing out. Other than that one blemish though, first episode feels like a paradigm shift for the world of shonen action anime. With its combination of introspection and thrilling fights, it is the kind of thoughtful action series that will likely appeal to younger fans as much as older ones. This is without a doubt one of . If there's one anime premier to watch in 2022, it's .