Correction - at 5:56 an image of the character Togata is shown on screen right, this meant to be Sulya. Sulya matches the powerful women loves movies thing fujimoto does, where as Togata is a beautiful boy whose really good at killing people. Thank you to Linus for pointing this out. I guess while im at it, I really encourage you to check out fire punch if you haven't, its very much its own thing and really different to anything else ive ever read, its also a perfect companion piece to chainsaw man. Anyway, i love you, thanks for watching.
How on earth do you create such meaningful and compelling ideas in this sort of format? I would love to get into doing video essays of a similar style and you are a massive inspiration for that goal, although when I set my pen to paper nothing comes out. I experience somewhat of an observers paradox, where I find myself so focused on scouring a piece of text for content to write about that I lose any possible footing I have on what themes to actually write about. Any help would be much appreciated and man, I seriously love your videos. I was introduced to them through your video on Garfield and ever since it's been like my comprehensive crack.
Going through the effort of making a pinned comment correcting such an insignificant mistake for a single image in an over hour long video. This is why we love you. You genuinely care for the content you create and don't just blurt things out for maximum profit in the shortest amount of time. You are a treasure in a sea full of shallow cash grabbers, and people appreciate that, I wish I could do more to support you but thanks to unemoyeed for over 2 years thanks to the world situation I can't, but I hold you in the same respect as Robin Wlliams Patrick Stewart, and Johnny Depp, you are a man of passion the "creator" industry needs more of. There are few people I hold in such high respect, but you are ABSOLUTELY in that slim margin, if society had more people like you, it would be a better place. Thank you for giving me hope in a world that has otherwise seemed so dim, people like you are why I refuse to give up and why I aspire and to inspire people in just a fraction as you have. We CAN make a difference, it just never happens as quickly as we'd like, you've done more for people than you can imagine
The thing that struck me about Makima's dogs is that huskies are really difficult dogs to own. They're willful, stubborn, high-energy, destructive and loud. Makima owns SEVEN of them, and they all act like perfectly trained lapdogs, quiet and obedient in her immaculate apartment. At first I thought it was Fujimoto not understanding huskies, but then quickly realized it was an incredible piece of foreshadowing.
Fujimoto is so good that he managed to make an alphabetical list of names into something that made me get up and start walking around the room to process it all.
What I also love about the manga is the fact that loss and death is instant. No drawn out death speeches, it just ends, they just die and their story is over. But the best part in my opinion is when the gun devil arrives. Tatsuki wrote out every single person the gun killed in the manga, and in one of the texts is Aki Hayakawa. Joseph Stalin said ˋThe death of one man, is a tragedy. The death of a thousand is a statistic‘
It took me a hot moment to realize that two of my favorite characters died because it was just so quick. No fanfare, not even a lingering shot on their bodies. They're just gone. This manga absolutely wrecked me
I'm super excited to seee how they will adapt that in the anime. Just imagine something like 5+ straight minutes of the gun devil destroying everything while the narrator keeps saying the name of each victim...
What I find the most fascinating about Denji is the fact that he is the literal embodiment of those motivational speeches that talk about "setting tiny obtainable goals, instead of large out-of-reach ones". Denji is more relatable than most shounen protags these days because his goals are relatable without hiding them behind some grand idea or motivation: He wants to eat good food every day. He wants to sleep in a comfortable bed. He wants to feel the embrace of a woman who he feels intimate with. It's simple. it's relatable. It's Denji.
When I started watching the anime adaptation with my friends having yet to read the original comic, several episodes in, I blurted out, "Denji is the weirdest kind of moe, I swear." I stand by that. He is a good lad and fills me with a strong protective instinct, which is funny because there are times when he is literally made of chainsaws and only emotionally in need of protection. Mostly from Makima. :P
It's a bit wild that Ichigo gets panned for having very human, relatable goals while Denji is put on a pedestal for the same thing, but ayyyy For the record, I love both series and generally consider CSM the better of the two.
@@varsoonhks3211 I think the reason for that is that both characters also have different starting points in their respective stories. Ichigo is already pretty well-off for a dude in a blue- collar family. He has the basic needs in life that allow him to pursue greater things; whereas Denji has to work from a deficit, and most Gen Z'ers and millennials can relate to that despite having objectively more than what Denji has collectively.
@Varsoon HKS Bleach fans on their way to be fcking annoying again Ichigo is a Jesus of 3 old shonen protags, "I will protect my friends" He never had a real anger in bad way, every his emotions showed as Hichigo, he never betrayed someone, he never wanted a s e x, he never wanted a normal life, he never wanted to squeeze some boobies, he always save people because he "must do this", not because he want it, he has nothing different from luffy and Naruto and Natsu And for the last one, he choose a goddamn Inoue when he had so much chemistry with Rukia, Kubo can't write a good story When Ichigo cries, I don't care, because he is not like me, he is fckin perfect ideal I cried like a bitch when Denji cried in snowball fight, because he didn't have anything in his life, because he lost his small dreams, he lost his will to live
1:12:49 The best summarisation of this is when Denji opens up to Kobeni how he's going to keep wandering through life without real goal and never finding the true happiness that he's sought. Kobeni just responds with "But that's just normal, right? Only dreams have nothing bad happen in them." Being able to find hope, connections and tenderness through the hopelessness, grief and mundanity of life. That's Chainsaw Man.
yeah I agree! I was surprised he didn't mention that, the talk with kobeni really emphasizes the message of the story as well as denjis arc perfectly...
Kobeni is the perfect character to say that. Shes a mess, trying to find whatever dignity she can in this crazy Devil filled world, and despite appearances she does kinda succeed. Even in that scene with Denji, both of them on the run from Makima, her first thought is relief that she can now finally go full No Contact with her abusive family. She does take the good and the bad and it shows.
I interpreted the huskies very differently. I saw their happiness as genuine. The "punchline" of the horror, to me, is that huskies are notoriously independent and difficult to train, and I saw them as an example of how powerful the Control Devil is.
In the context of chapters 80 and 81, it's actually both. While Makima still cares for her six huskies, and can easily control em due to being the embodiment of control, she also uses them to manipulate Denji, which is characteristic of her. Let me explain: After Makima succeeded in breaking Denji's psyche following the Gun Devil arc (RIP Aki), she needed to completely shatter him. She brought him to her home, took care of him, and began to play with her dogs. The reason she did this was to "warm" Denji up before she killed Power. Her playing with the dogs was meant to show Denji how happy he could be if he devoted his life to Makima as one of her dogs. He desperately wanted to be among those being pampered by her and wanted to be just as happy as them. He also didn't want to think for himself any longer and wanted to remain as ignorant as Quanxi because life was overwhelming for him. This is completely understandable since he was at one of his lowest moments and didn't know Makima's true identity. After all, she was the one who had given him everything, so he completely trusted her. Denji was vulnerable, and the moment he thought about giving away his autonomy to her, Makima won. He made his wish to become one of her dogs, believing that being a dog equated to happiness. Makima made him happy one last time by making him wish to become one of her dogs before she brought Power to her home and then... "Bang!" Denji's mental state was completely obliterated. The contract between Denji and Pochita finally terminated, and she succeeded in achieve the first stage of her goal. But, again, while Makima did use the dogs as a tool to break Denji's psyche, I still believe she cares for dogs. She doesn't see them as equals, obviously, but she probably enjoys how they make her feel when they show affection towards her and when she has power over them.
Seriously, to see a lot of people brush off Chainsaw Man as a boob anime and Denji as a simp is really missing the point. The series goes out of its way to be anti-simp and tell a message about true human bonds. Spoilers for the ending of Chainsaw Man, Denji wins only by betting that Makima never truly loved him and I think that's genius.
People don’t understand that the majority of good storytelling requires character development . Like serious changes . Chainsaw man is one of the all time greats
I've wanted this video so badly. I wanted to see someone just as insanely in love with this manga and its anime adaptation as myself. I'm so glad I'm not alone. Thank you, Eyepatch Wolf. Your videos themselves are just as inspiring as the topics you cover.
YO! I used to watch your content a lot when I was younger, and to see you fall in love with Chainsaw Man separately from me is amazing. I might have to check out your new stuff some time.
DUDE YOU TOO??! I binged your ghost trick playthrough like 15 times as a kid, along with Catherine holy shit my respect for you has never been higher bro.
I think the most emblematic moment of the message of Chainsaw man, is in the final confrontation between Denji and Makima at the cementery. Before fighting Denji simply asks: "In your perfect world will there still be a place for shitty movies?" Makima answers with: "Probably no" "I'll have to kill you then" affirms Denji. This little exchange acknowledges that the reason why that moment at the cinema with Makima stuck with Denji was because of all the previous dissapointing movies culminated in a last one that actually made them feel something. Without all the coal, diamonds wouldnt shine as brightly.
I was in an extremely toxic and abusive relationship during the serialization of Chainsaw Man. This series helped me realize what I was trapped in. I was one of Makima's dogs. This series will forever be one of the most important pieces of literature in my life because of that.
I had a similar story, but I started reading chainsaw man right after getting out of the toxic relationship. Chainsaw Man helped me realize just how bad it was and kept me from trying to get back into that toxicity.
One thing that is wild about the main character as a little horndog is the way it turns things around in something dark and wholesome. From every female character he gets close to, he’s never exploiting, forcing, or peeping or anything. It’s not afraid of saying, “being attracted to people or wanting intimacy is fine actually”, and CONSENT is huge. Even MHA, One Piece, Dandadan, none of them have that emphasis on consent instead of leering at its characters compared to Chainsaw Man. There is authentic love developed here.
@@user-kc2uo3el1w Denji spends the entire time being horny as fuck and reducing women to their tits and ass. He never grows in this aspect and, at the most pivotal moment of the story, all he says is that he wants to have sex. Thats it. No heroes journey, no actual motivation. Dog water character.
You know...I really do feel bad for those who just know the anime...they just don't know the LANDMINE that they are running towards. It's going to be "The Red Wedding" all over again.
There's something hugely raw and personal about the way Fujimoto draws. I genuinely prefer the manga over the anime because of that. The idea of Fujimoto being self-conscious about his art is mind-blowing to me.
It’s honestly just refreshing to see a manga not have one of the 3 styles that 90% of all manga use. And I’m always impressed with how Fujimoto draws clothes. Like something about his art feels raw.
@@JamienautMark2 ehh to be fair, that's how it used to be. I remember old day...how to draw manga magazines with these awful artist drawings, atleast for me. Flat and big eyes etc. Still ok but not idicitive to a new artist. I think of fuji's art the same way i do jjk, in that it's rough but it works with the story. He may not like it and wants to draw like berserk but berserk author didnt even think his art was good enough lol. I like the subtle stuff he may not notice like the folds in cloths or the way he draws expressions, vs the sketchy art and line work that's not perfect... Raw as you said. But i will say this, i get why people hate it so much. smaller audiences have a strong voice these days and popular media is not supposed to be weird like this...or counter culture. We as a culture hate any tabbo stuff so denji focused on that is bad...for many. I will say I never see a detailed critic of why the series is bad, besides overhyped, 11 eps and nothing happed, it's nasty, too gory, too stupid, too shonen, not as good as people said, etc. I think people can call out stuff but are too focused on the popularity. CM is not perfect, some media is, for some. Overall it' fun and that's all we need. bark.
Many artist feel self conscious about their art. In fact, the better the creative the more they feel like a failure. Many making video games for example think their game is trash, god of war ragnorak, a GOTY winner in many sites, the creators thought it was gonna fail gameplay wise. Many artist show their work and get nervous and you'd be shocked cause its so detailed and good. Berserk artist thought his work wouldnt live up to hype and he's considered one of the most liked artist. He thought he needed so much more. I think CM does what it should. I will say, My hero's author gets overlooked cause people hate his story for being simple or complex IDK if its sunday or monday people flip flop. He is a great artist and constantly changes. I'd argue he's on berserk levels but people wont hear that cause he's shonen. lol.
@@JamienautMark2 "the 3 styles 90% of mangas use" is, i feel, a myth. that, or the 90% is merely the 90% everyone sees on shnen jump... in fact, i'm not sure how the hell fujimoto ended up being an artist for shonen ump: his triat, his stories, his themes and visuals spell seinen in every brush stroke, and his artstyle is, while still not being THAT unique, easilly recongizable among the many along other artists who, however, aren't shone n artists, to mention the ones i named in another comment: haruko ichikawa, Abe youichi, akihito tsukushi, and i can add a few more: kamome shirahama, nagabe...
I think he's a brilliant artist, and I also prefer the manga. The show is good, but the art in the manga is really good. Never thought he'd be self-conscious about his art. He should be proud. But I like him even more after hearing that.
I think my favourite scene in Chainsaw Man is when Denji and Power get in bed together. Adopting a stance that seems utterly sexual in nature, Denji thinks to himself... "weird. I don't feel anything from this." even though his goal is to have a girlfriend and all that stuff, the series portrays Makima's appeal to it as toxic and manipulative, while Power and Denji form a beautiful friendship which saves the day in the end. True love from a true bond.
Chainsaw man is definitely in the "read it AND watch it" category. Read it for those beautiful compositions and panels (the Darkness Devil introduction is one of the coldest scenes in modern manga, no contest. That shit gave me goosebumps) and then watch it for the sense of pure chaos and despair brought to life in a very, very good way. Granted, the anime does miss some beats that simply can't be fully replicated from the manga, but I do think it does a good job of conveying the bullshit chaos and tone of its world.
That devil used like every single horrific eldritch power ever. Making someone cough up blood? Check. Random praying people? Check. Random small animal? Check. And more. Reminds me of Code Geass and the screaming skulls, dead-looking people slowly walking towards somewhere, and other disturbing imagery used to represent whatever supernatural power that is behind Geass and C.C.'s immortality.
The scene with the dogs really is one of the most horrifying pieces of sequential art I've ever read, which given that I really like experimental horror comics is impressive. Also, you didn't touch on it here, but the closing sequence of Part One with Nayuta and Denji's dream of Pochita really puts Makima's goals and why she was the kind of person that she was into perspective in a really heartbreaking way. That she had ultimately always wanted to find someone who she could have a truly equal interpersonal relationship with but was essentially raised to be incapable of seeing *anyone* as her equal and so based her obsession with Pochita on her conception of him as her opposite and something that she could master is both horrific and unbearably sad, which makes the ultimate resolution all the more devastating and, honestly, beautiful. Never expected "cannibalism" and "becoming a teen dad" would both be components to a heartwarming resolution to *anything* but, well, here we are. Thank you, Fujimoto.
Only one man could write a girl being kidnapped by a weird old dude, taken out of country, and sent to live with an uneducated teenage cannibal as a wholesome ending
@@fenris5932 Also the girl is literally Conquest, the First Horseman of the Apocalypse. And somehow all of this makes narrative, thematic and emotional sense, which it really shouldn't.
Honestly, Denji to me, epitomises the generation gap in a very particular way: instead of long term dreams that might evolve into goals, he has short term goals and any dreams usually just stay as dreams. Unless you're already born into wealth or get some very lucky breaks, that's pretty much your lot and the surrounding horrors of the modern world pretty much reinforce that mentality.
I also love his breakthrough character moment after talking with Kobeni during their hiding. His new dream of having many girlfriends and having lots of sex is equal parts "shallow" on the surface, while actually being "deep" for his character arc. Denji finally realized that he isn't content with "just enough", he wants MUCH MORE.
I was rejected by a woman I loved. I confessed my feelings, and was let down. What she said afterwards sick’s with me,” that must have taken a lot of courage.” Rejecting me yes, but validating my feelings at the same time. I shared my passions with her. Things I never share with anyone. We are still the best of friends.
it was good, but it didn't feel as raw. the shading and the way he's biting his lip like he almost doesn't want to even cry to himself doesn't get expressed the same way unfortunately. still hit though.
@@vagabond2797 I think the biggest thing for me was that his brows weren't furrowing in the anime, huge difference when you compare the two. In the anime he looks like he's dazed crying instead.
One of the most moving moments in manga was, after Akis attack on appartment Power was standing outside, looking on destroyed building, saying just "my home". Shit man this is too much for me.
Like Denji in the aftermath, I felt numb after reading that Chapter and wondered what else could make this worse... ...AND BEHOLD, FUJIMOTO DID IT AGAIN AS QUICK AS ADDING SALT TO THE WOUND.
Tatsuki Fujimoto is a film lover. All the panels feel like storyboards. The faces are just feel so real. Really excited to see what he has in store for the future
@@hellothere-dw3sf I really like all the other art, but the human art is so ungodly midtier. It’s not bad, but most characters are clearly defined by their hair and other features, not their face. Which isn’t a critique because that’s most manga/anime, But I think giving such high praise to an artist for basic emotive faves is a special kind of stupid. Now, the other art is fucking insane. I unfortunately did not personally care for a lot of the characters, so my enjoyment was limited. Still a decent story though.
@@e_knees8816 I kinda get what you mean his drawings are really crude, but Fujimoto's talent of providing information though faces like a character going from one expression to another or just lingering on one is unparalleled
After watching episode 12 of the anime, i believe the "Greatest anime filler" award should be given to the scene of Aki smoking the "Easy revenge" cigarette
Agreed in that it was brutally melancholic. HOWEVER. I felt there was an undertone of determination that the animators hoped to share with the audience; a direct product of the reality of limited time that Aki and Himeno shared together. They emphasized those times enough in flashbacks to really lead the audience to a revenge plot (or at least an honorable coincidental satisfaction of mutual interests in vengeance shared with a lost partner (platonic or otherwise)).
Aki's morning routine is one of my absolute favorite scenes from the anime so far. It's so beautiful and quiet, and it makes my heart ache as a manga reader, knowing what all is coming.
i hate how they added that in the anime it’s just a bunch of filler that wasn’t needed…same thing with himeno when they show her taking denji to her hous like bro we did not need that scene it just makes me think the animators are stalling
@@shotzcapalot If you did both than you'd actually know why these extra scenes are significant and only make the story better, else you dont have a single bone of media literacy in you
The crazy thing is, part 1 is basically just Denji's introduction arc. We've learned who he Is and how he was mad into who he is and next were gonna see what the hell he decides to do
I also love how the strength of a devil informs us of how the world of Chainsaw Man differs from our own, like the fact that the War Devil is so weak that it needs to contract with an emotionally vulnerable, dying girl in order to even have a corporeal form. Meanwhile, the Tomato Devil is fucking terrifying. (Probably Power’s fault, but still.) It informs the reader that, in a world plagued by devils, humans don’t have the time or desire to fight each other. Such a cool detail.
Isn’t it because pochita killed the war devil? That would erase it from humanity but it’s inevitable so it’s coming back. It’s not that people were choosing not to fight the concept was just gone. you could see that it was coming back because the battle for the gun devil pieces was for power which would lead to a war
For clarity, Yoru states explicitly that she was nearly devoured wholesale by the Chainsaw Devil (which may not in itself actually literally be the Chainsaw Devil), which has reduced her power significantly in the world of the story to the point that any major global armed conflict after WWI has functionally been erased. While what you suggest is probably a factor, this is right in the text.
The only thing I would have added was Kobeni's impact on the story first as a window to the only truly human character from the start but also Denji's wake up call in late game as to how he's not and has never been normal as she's the only normal character in the manga.
Yeah when they were rescued right Something about how Denji was complaining that All I ever wanted was just a normal life why instead my life sucks and I'm in this mess Why Kobeni was like thanks God I have an excuse to not get back to my normal life and denji tf you mean you want a normal life Normal life always sucked for everyone Denji was mind-blown
@@tpsam wasnt kobenis point in that scene that denji never wanted a "normal life" what he strived after was far more than just living his day to day, he just never sat down to truly realize that.
For me Chainsaw Man is a story about how brutally unfair life can be. It’s a story about dreams and how they can never truly be achieved, but the mere idea of having those dreams is what keeps us moving forward. It’s a story about how nobody can ever truly get what they want, and about accepting that as a part of life and learning to cherish the things and the people around you. It’s easily my favorite manga of all time and I thank Super Eyepach Wolf for making this video.
I definitely think it's a story about people who, in chase for their own idea of "happiness", lose sight of what's really important to them. Aki wanted revenge but realized that he has so much more to live for when it was too late. Denji pursued his idea of "normalcy" and unbeknownst to himself found that there was a lot more to it than he thought. Even Makima is the same. It's a common theme throughout the entire manga. Man i love it so much.
51:50 I think a solution for the curse devil breaking the fourth wall with its finger could be if they did something like using a REAL prosthetic finger to flick the nail instead. The scene really needed some kind of “something is really weird about this” to hit better, and the jarring effect of a “real” finger would do just that
I was thinking the same. Just a big gnarly SpongeBob-esque human (but still done up in monster make-up with a false nail) finger cutting into the animation would have made a similar affect to the off panel imagery in the manga..
@@DJJablonsky Oh I like that, kind of like those moments when Satella has threatened Subaru. But with the pacing of combat of course, rather than a creeping dread.
I can't wait to check back into this channel in three years when John is talking about how a date to an aquarium is actually a representation of the lies we tell ourselves to save us from coming to terms with our own innate flaws and how "I want to see the penguins," is a rallying cry for anyone who seeks a connection on their terms.
I finally get why the Darkness Devil is introduced with astronauts. They sailed into the deepest, most vast darkness of all. Of course they would herald Darkness's arrival.
@xaviercopeland2789 honestly? I dunno if I'd even say less. More than friends but not lovers is how I'd describe it. Regardless, the bed scene just throws a wrench in being able to comfortably put that relationship in any easily defined box
@@fenris5932 I saw a short a few days ago with some guy saying "stop shipping them, they're like siblings." But the thing most have been saying is just that they're perfect for each other. It could stay platonic or turn into something more, and either's okay... especially as dude didn't go for some lofty "virtue signalling" and said "Denji loves Makima!" Pretty sure the dumbass didn't read the manga, as so many obnoxious anime-only freaks do, but I got that Denji and Power are quite literally learning what it's like to be human. Eyepatch is correct in attributing this struggle to Aki as well, but Aki has a frame of reference and actually had a loving family to kind of inform his decision-making; Denji and Power did not. They're lost, and for all intents and purposes, Tabula Rasa. So for them to be so similar and grow so close, no one should mind if down the road they wound up becoming intimate in a way that's not familial or platonic. These are things that happen in real life, and so I don't think it would be weird, despite so many seeing them like siblings _now._ They aren't related, and I can see them making a great couple. But anyway, I think the big takeaway here that Eyepatch got the _surface_ of is that we don't often see such intimacy develop physically in anime and manga, unless the story is specifically romantic in nature. A majority of what we see is either non-physical or sexless, familial *or* romantic. Physical contact like hugs are rare between siblings or parents and children unless played for comedy, such as overbearing character doesn't respect personal space (Karin and Koyomi Araragi from the Monogatari series and Nagatoro-senpai teasing her "herbivore male" boy-toy), or the child is _very_ young (Kana hugging and cuddling Kobayashi in Dragon Maid). As for adolescents, really the only times you see hugs or kisses are punks flaunting public displays of affection, like a gyaru and her delinquent boyfriend... otherwise, romantic mains in non-romance manga/anime seem almost afraid to touch, with hand holding being a huge deal, like in the realm of "manic pixie dream girls" of various sorts. So to even see Power being so physical with Denji and him being very cool about it is both endearing for their characters in the story, and refreshing as characters in manga, familial or otherwise.
I actually love it when the fights are secondary and a result of the story rather than a cause. An underlining of the characters characteristics rather than what makes them interesting It feels like the priorities lie in story and characters, and that the creator has something to say
I remember the exact feelings I had while watching Aki come to love Power and Denji as a family. And the absolute devastation when he died was unfathomable. I also think it's important to note how Denji's conceptualization of sex as this ultimate goal is a reflection of how sex and romance oriented our general society is. What Denji wanted wasn't just a boob grab, but rather he wanted the emotional bond and intimacy of human connection. He just didn't have the ability to process those feelings, so it ended up being translated to "I wanna touch some titties". Which is a fantastic way of exploring both human relationships on multiple levels as well as laying bare how bullshit it is so much of media treats sex like some god tier prize. Also the panel of Makima saying "do you remember what the nazis did to the jews" is the best bit of unintentional dark humor. I read that while I couldn't feel half my face at the dentist and it was just. A while experience.
@@sof3432 L y'all are doing that thing every low tier grad student does for media literacy which is attributing the core themes as being deeper extrapolations then what the story is portraying them as It's correct to say that Denji characterization thru these themes is show to us that sex isn't everything but it's wrong to say this story makes any attempt to actually provide some prescriptive meaning behind them i.e why we should make these changes That's my core gripe with how people analyze this show. People project their prescriptions onto it and call it masterpiece when the source material doesn't actually prescribe anything. The story is hella fun but it's shallow when it doesn't attempt to say anything on the matter it portrays
fire punch deserves its own video imo. It gets called "nihilistic" so often that i think the other themes are completely forgotten. It touches upon narratives in media and how they influence the actions of real people, an addiction allegory, just world fallacy (this thing is bad therefore it must be worth doing because bad things must always have justification etc). There's a lot more going on than "nothing matters lol"
I mean, it's understandable. Fire Punch has nihilism in every fucking corner, but the characters and specially Agni never settle for that... Even when they should
yeah, i don't think fire punch is ultimately nihilistic, on the contrary it shows that if you go at it long enough, "something" will happen. it might not be what you wished for or "happy/good" per se, but at least it will be interesting.
I was watching the latest csm episode with my mom yesterday, and two of my younger brothers were being absolutely insufferable (as per usual). Like shouting, ripping at each other's clothes, being overall menaces. And then came that scene with Denji and Power fighting over the apple in front of poor Aki. And like, I always loved their sibling-like relationship, but that just felt so perfect. I know exactly how Aki must feel about these two
Fujimoto's low self confidence with art hits so uncomfortably close to home. I started drawing and just generally discovering who I am and want to be as a person fairly late, to my taste at least. I'm 20. I started drawing when I was 16. My entire life until now, I've felt like a placeholder. A blank slate. A mirror, just copying others as much as I could. I started drawing because I was Inspired by some fanart of breath of the wild, it depicted link resting next to a guardian he had just defeated after a long and tense battle. I've always wanted to draw my own comic. To write a story. To create something worthwhile. To put the scenes I fantasized about 24/7 on paper and share them with the world. It's been four years, and I still can't create anything even remotely comic-worthy. My perspectives and proportions are still off, I still can't draw a full body confidently, and my art style still feels uninspired and boring. Every year that goes by makes me more anxious. Will I ever be good enough? Will I ever finish even a single page and be happy with it? Almost all my friends are artists, and every single one of them is more talented, skilled, and creative than me. I love them so much. My friends are everything to me. But yet, there's this ugly feeling of jealousy inside me. I wish I was like them. I wish I could go back in time and make my younger self start drawing and discovering themself earlier. maybe then I'd be drawing something worthwhile by now. Something that earns me the title of an artist. I'm so close to just giving up. I failed art college, I'm nowhere near as good as my friends, and everything seems hopeless. I feel like a failure. I AM a failure. four fucking years, and I'm still not good enough. I've started feeling like I never will be. I am so crushingly inferior to everyone around me. Those answers Fujimoto gave in those interviews seem like reflections of myself. "I won't be able to draw what I want with mediocre drawings.", "When I see a good artist, it makes me think that they must be cheating somehow. Like they got to redo their life or something.", "I didn't improve from doing oil painting... I really should have done life drawings, I regret that I didn't do any." I GIVE UP. and yet, he made all of this. I've only read fire punch and chainsaw man, but both have had huge impacts on me. I reread them more than anything else. They mean so much to me. I won't go into detail why, I don't think there's anything that hasn't already been said by all the wonderful people in this comment section. The person who made FIRE PUNCH and CHAINSAW MAN, this person I look up to so much, the person who has achieved everything I want to achieve, etc... also feels inferior. He also has regrets. And yet, he managed to move past that and create these masterworks. He's drawn these incredibly touching, tender, absurd, dynamic, iconic and WORTHWHILE panels. He created all of this despite feeling inferior. He might have gotten close, but he never fully gave up. I'm close to doing it, but maybe I shouldn't give up either. You may be close to doing it, but you shouldn't give up either. If you give up, you just might deprive the world of the wonderful things you'll create in the future. We'll get there. All of us. Believe in yourselves.
You're 20, and you started drawing at 16. You are already ahead of most aspiring artists as long as you keep up the effort consistently. I also dream of creating a story with art because I delude myself into thinking that the hollow life I live now can be used someday to draw inspiration from and create a story that could resonate with losers like me and inspire them to start feeling less shitty about themselves. Yet I don't even know if I can reach the end of the character arc that I envision for a meaningful story irl. I'm 21, friendless, and studying in university rn but I have absolutely no direction in life. I think I gave up drawing in high school because I was afraid that for all the effort I put in it might amount to nothing, and I have no friends to share this hobby with. I still can't draw consistently today and yet I can't bring myself to stop coming back to it.
Draw to have fun and enrich yourself before you draw to be 'good' and to 'get something published'. I know it's easier said than done but this transformed my entire attitude towards drawing and made drawing actually make me feel good instead of feel bad about myself, and lowered the jealousy I felt towards other artists. It made me want to draw more often than any 'draw every day' advice and made me improve more than any diligent figure studies ever did. I just draw what I want to draw.
This hits home, in so many ways, I am 21, I would have been dreaming since I was 15/16. I am a mirror made of mental illnesses I barely understand, with no one I can really call a friend, no hobbies I am strongly interested in, little to no motivation in anything I can pursue. I am only now starting to make progress I feel is noteworthy and thats still only the first steps towards my first step. I do not understand myself. I have ideas for what I may enjoy but no reason to pursue those interests, no goals to achieve, unable to just *play* I really struggle. I have been writing for years now, mostly world building and character, I find I am good at design, struggle with the comedy part of writing, as well as characters and dialogue scenes. But the world I am building is becoming more and more something I am excited about, the idea of making a book that expresses everything I want is the endgoal behind my probable maldaptive daydreams, creating a table top game out of the world I make so I can share it with people, but that isnt really the reason I do it, instead its more of a way to cope with everything, the main character inspired by my mental illnesses, the world an amalgamation of ideas and aesthetics I like, morphing to the ideologies I have, making writing a story near impossible but also not even the point, every idea is deconstructed, the fantasy trope of heroes on a quest instead viewed as traumatised and beligerent soldiers fighting monsters and being otherwise shunned by most people who dont know the hell they go through, fodder being as valuable as the people fighting them makin any death valuable, and every death meaningless and I started writing to write combat which has made everything even more confusing Learning more about myself doesnt help, always 2 steps forwards 3 steps back, I learn more about my mental state, and how my story was illuding to it without knowing, and the world changes with my perspective creating new nausiating gaps in any story or rules I make. I am more overwhelmed and confused and irritated the more I learn, I learn I have bpd and understand my moods and mental states but cant control them any better, I find out I am ace but am also unable to properly grapple with that concept anymore so I dont know what I want. There is a reason I just from this video really like and connect with Denji as a character. It will be a long windy frustrating road to get to a point where I feel in control of myself even somewhat, and I am doing all I can to keep moving forward, unsure what I even want as I just take another step blindly vague goals to guide me along, wanting to find community, and myself, everything filtering through a fractured lens as I try to find ways to achieve either of those in a world that feels more hostile then any I have written People say I am good at writing, but I dont feel like I really *write* anything, just shape things and move on to the next thing. I am not willing to give up, instead I am struggling to start. I cant express what I want with words, I can only try describe the scenes I dream of before they fade. Drawing suffers a similar issue with a higher barier to entry and more time, I can type a lot of words very quickly and not remember much of anything and it takes ten minutes, but to draw I have to sit and struggle and whatever I make wont feel good until I look at it a few weeks later with a fresh perspective, and like what I made, or at least see that I am doing better then I did the last time I drew something. Which is a bitch to keep motivated. I never considered making manga, the original pipedream was learn to draw stills and then make animatics.. but a manga feels like a much better goal, more freedom with what I want to achieve, and I can always make them more animated digitally if I still want to try my hand with that. I find the artist behind this so inspiring, and relate to a lot of the feelings, as well as just the things he made being so similar to what I tried to make or wanted to explore. And it is motivating. I hope I make something that people like, a world people can explore and immerse themselves in as much as me. but I want to just... be a person first and that seems like the hardest part sometimes. I think I am going to actively stop playing games for a while, and only have youtube playing if I am working on something, so I have to sit and struggle and relearn to just *play* again, which I have been doing slowly. I am pretty tired writing this, should have been in bed an hour ago, but again, this comment really hit for me, I'd love to talk to you more, it sounds like we have plenty in common I hope you stick with drawing, and are proud of the things you make.
Okay, hear me out: you could've translated the supernatural finger existing outside the panel by having it be a real life finger with make up and everything superimposed over the shot. Not only would it have maintained that uncanny energy behind the original composition of the manga, but would suggest something beyond the realm of the art laid out before us. That's really where mixed-media's greatest strength lies, and why even something like Courage the Cowardly Dog can be so damn haunting at times (or at least when we were kids it was). If a real life finger would've been too much, then maybe claymation or something along those lines.
I was personally thinking that they could animate the fight in 4:3 ratio so that there are black bars on both sides, when Aki does his pin attack and a finger pops out from the side of the black bar and flicks the end of the sword to recreate that 4th wall break. I think this could also be combined with your idea where instead of an animated finger, it could be a real life finger that pops out from the black bars and flicks.
@@fakerhex A ghost finger going above black bars would have definitely been cool to see. They do that in commercials and in Life of Pi during the flying fish scene where the fish flew above the bars to make it look like it was 3D. On the other hand they probably didn't want to block the animation with bars or the action scene was too fast pace and it would've been jarring.
I think the people who adapted the bocchi anime should have worked on chainsawman It's truly such a creative adaptation that overshadows the heavy hitters of the season.
The revenge of the blood devil sprouting out of Denji's lifeless corpse and raining blood weapons into Makima, then hopelessly running away with Denji into a dumpster just blew me away. Returning life and hope to those you love after the primal hatred and disgust and anger of seeing you and everything you love destroyed, ending in a tender embrace... It's just poetic in a way I didn't think possible.
The demons of the story are whole characters unto themselves, with inner lives and wishes, who live the same day-to-day monotony of life punctuated by moments of incredible emotion and terror. You see the most horrible things in the universe unleashed in an all-to-human way. When we see power's devil form it is like seeing into that abject horror and finding the raging, blood-soaked humanity inside of it.
That dumpster scene was the first thing I saw of Chainsaw Man out of context. And it still blew me away in context. It might be my favorite thing I’ve seen in years.
The idea that Power of all people was able to give Denji the strength to push on is quite heartwarming, especially because she was one of Denji's best friends
@@ledzeppelinfan1001I'm also sorry that your parents don't love you and you don't have friends or hobby to enjoy so wasting time hating on meaningless comments is the best you can do to kill your pathetic time
There has never been a video that truly felt like it was made specifically for ME and me alone at the exact right time than Super Eyepatch Wolf releasing a Chainsaw Man hour-long video essay on December 15th, 2022.
- (mostly) Anime focused channel - Over 1 Million subscribers - Only 365 days in a year - Anime fans likely know what chainsaw man is if he posted it on any day it’d be someone’s bitrhsay
@@otherlego No I'm not quite sure you understand, Super Eyepatch Wolf came to my house and made this video actually just for me, sorry for any confusion.
I love Chainsaw Man. Rarely has an anime/manga left such an impact on me that I become an instant fan, read the entire source material and dethrone some of my top favorite pieces of media within a short amount of time. I’m not an outwardly emotional person, but Chainsaw Man has me feel things that every other manga has failed to.
So bored of seeing people hate on the show just because it's popular. The top MAL reviews are negative and they've only seen 3 episodes. This story is a masterpiece and Fujimoto deserves his roses.
To me, the most impressive thing about Fujimoto's lack of training is that his CSM has the best panel and page layouts I've ever seen. Lots of it his his film love, lots of it is being an outsider and not learning the conventions that prevent others from doing the innovative things he does with his pages. There's a page in early Chainsaw Man where it starts raining, and the sound effect for the sound of the rain turns to a panel break. It's beautiful. I think about it all the time. I heckin love Chainsaw Man. Fujimoto's the best mangaka I've ever read. Look Back, Goodbye Eri, Chainsaw Man, all incredible works of art that the world is better for.
The end of Chainsaw Man really really reminds me of the song "People II: Still Peoplin'" the end of the song--which is a mostly acoustic number up until this point finishes with the lines "You're and irreplaceable human soul / with you own understanding of what it means to suffer" and then, as if realizing the absolute tragedy of that statement, the singer takes a deep breath, and sings "And thats a huge Bummer!!!" Ending in a wild scream, the whole band kicking in, pulling the tempo up into this hard rock riff, as if their acceptance of how SHIT things can be fuels their anger and rage and violent fighting spirit for just long enough for the song to... abruptly end. It feels very much like a dead explosion mother moment-- we don't have any words to say about what is happening, no way to confront it, so we blow the fuck up. We make the opportunities to laugh and cry and make dumb stupid decisions because being human is finding the ways to keep going in spite of and because of every single thing you've been through and there's no word in the English language to be able to convey that very human feeling.
reading this comment made me go and search for this song, as I'd never even HEARD of Andrew Jackson Jihad before. I want to thank you, so much. From the bottom of my still-healing heart
I cannot physically express how much I love Chainsaw Man from the characters to the story and the pain I felt after finishing the first part to the excitement of starting the second it’s hard to explain why I like chainsaw man but it’s just amazing nothing I’ve ever read before
You should check out the original Watchmen comic by Alan More. That was probably the closest thing to reading CSM in terms of intensity as I was reading it (the TV show they made is a total abomination compared to the source material). Another manga I thought kind of came close as I was reading it was Yofukashi no Uta, although it's not finished yet.
@@takanara7 The watchmen comic sound a lot like a webnovel I read years ago that was and still is a reference in English webnovels called "Worm" by parahumans
@@Kamattsu ty i forgot Abt it I've read it in 2013 and my memory just remembered para humans. I added it just so google would point him to the correct link. Ty nerd.
Chainsaw Man’s art style reminds me of those 90s and early 2000s punk rock art. (Demons, bodily disfigurement, blood, guts, gross out humor, stuff like that). Fujimoto is a damn genius who knows exactly the type of audience he wants to appeal to.
It also has more parallels in seinen manga, particularly horror and drama comics, than it does in other shounen. Like, his work is stylised for sure, but it's stylised in a different way from a lot of its peers.
i definitely agree, i have gotten those vibes as well. The Artstyle reminds me of alot of classic 90s and 2000s and even Mid 2000's art when it comes to Action horror media but also slasher horror media in very interesting ways. Fujimoto is brilliant when it comes to making Content for the specific audience. This is why i love several other series that have a distinctive style that helps it stand out on its own but also goes for a specific audience. It gives the Series alot of Character and Identity.
@@ConvincingPeople Correct, i definitely agree. I have always loved series that combine different forms of genres to tell their stories and worlds effectively in different creative ways. Chainsaw Man as a series combines different genres and makes them work very complimenting each other, such using horror, drama, action etc. I do love my different type of shounen manga/comics that are classic but also uniquely different and are stylized in their own way.
his horrifying realization that the goal of touching boobs isn’t a very good goal is so funny, definitely won me over, I am now a fan of chainsaw guy person man
Maybe you didn't interpret it the way I did, but I felt it was pretty clear that Denji's lecherous attitude in the early chapters came from not only being completely touch/affection starved but also thinking that the secret to overcoming that was to get sexual consent from a girl. Think about it, he's a teenage boy with basically no one in his life and no matter where you're from we're constantly being bombarded with idea that the coolest guy is the one all the girls want to throw their bodies at. Denji doesn't want to touch girls because he's some shameless creep, he wants to do it because he thinks it'll give him validation. I think it's absolutely fair to say Chainsaw Man is on a different standard from the typical ecchi trope. Denji doesn't grope anyone or spy on them without consent nor is he some obvious self insert harem wish fulfillment, and when he does finally get a girl naked with him it's not in any sexual context at all, and is a deeply humanizing moment for both characters. No media is above criticism but I really think it's not giving Fujimoto credit to assume he's just writing another booby fanservice moment.
Exactly, this is never brought up enough. Denji is leagues ahead of the common ecchi protagonist. He's a fully fleshed out character with compelling and relatable motivations and desires, and he NEVER acted like a creep. He was eager to get female attention, but he never forces himself on anyone. That's really important. He's also still a kid, naive and with zero relationship experience, which gets taken advantage of in a believable way. His storyline is very well thought out, not like the standard fanservice stuff at all.
exactly!! and it just makes Makima assaulting and manipulating his naive feelings even more disgusting and heartbreaking :( he wanted to trust her and believe they cared for each other so bad
Goodbye, Eri blew my goddamn mind. I must’ve sat in dead silence for nearly ten minutes after I read it, processing how something so short could fundamentally shift my understanding of how storytelling even works. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever read.
@@Luffy-su1ho Yeah! Viz makes a Shonen Jump app with a monthly subscription (the best $2/month I've ever spent). Also available in bookstores in the States in like June 2023, I think.
Makes me want to rewatch some of Satoshi Kon's movies for a fresh perspective. When I watched it as a teen I just didn't fully appreciate them since I always thought a film must always stick to some consistent logic to be good. Goodbye Eri really hammers that message that you can absolutely do anything with a story. In the end what matters is what the artist wants to tell and what feelings it evoked within you. Even documentaries that are seemingly "real" are also susceptible to the creator's own bias from what they want/doesn't want to show.
The shots in the anime really feel like proper cinema. If there's one thing I've noticed it's that, the shot compositions jump out at me like no other anime I can remember, especially when people are just talking or with establishing shots. Yeah, the reflection of Fujimoto's love of film isn't just the references in the OP.
I actually liked the quick fights of the manga quite a lot. It was one of the things that made the show lean more into horror than say Jujutsu Kaisen. Not that I'm complaining about the fights in the anime by any stretch of the imagination.
But sadly, so many people didn't like that direction, especially the japanese audience & hardcore anime fans....they want CSM become like their regular anime in terms of direction, they can't handle something new
@@Soybean13 it's just like what Katana Man said in ep 8, that if you eat the same fast food, you won't have a good palate to know what good food tastes like.
Fujimoto's writing of female characters is fucking unmatched in shonen. Himeno is alive for precisely TEN chapters before dying tragically and unceremoniously, and yet she gets a full character arc and more complexity to her character than Uraraka has gotten in the past 100 chapters of MHA.
That’s why she’s legit my favourite character. I don’t defend the 🤮 kiss, nor what she almost did to Denji after it, but she’s a character who has this more complex personality.
im a woman who has a lot of close male friends and i also loveeeeee love love power and denjis platonic intimacy. theres so many perfect elements to chainsaw man but that one might be my favorite
the author of this anime has a list of one shots mainly focused on deep bonds and emotion. Chainsaw Man is a new take on a genre for him compared to his other works. Ihope every reader understands about chainsawman though, its not an action shounen, its a melo drama.
“Misogyny” not these liberal male feminist white knight simp buzz words smh. He brainwashed by the liberal media or pushing an agenda. Like misogyny is such a huge problem he just mentioned family values being destroyed which is a product of the liberal feminist agenda.
The part where Denji asked Pochita to run away with his body put a year to my eye. Then how pochita essentially said "no. I'll give MYSELF as your heart and live your life to the fullest" that broke me man.
I think what's great is the contrast between Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man in terms of their central theme. FP is about losing humanity, Agni is stripped of who he is until theres nothing more to take away while Denji builds on himself constantly, even now in part 2 he still gains humanity. Its a really interesting shift in perspective for Fujimoto
You know what could have been a cool way to get around the cursed finger problem? They used a real finger. A real human finger flicking the blade to show this isn’t just apart of the show, this is something or someone impacting the character from the outside. Admittedly, I don’t know how they could have done that, but it’s just a cool though
or maybe to stay loyal to the original, let's use a realistic version of this devil's finger, like a real finger after decorated to look like the devil's and put straight into the anime
or just give the finger unnecessary amount of extra frames compared to others(but then again, the whole scene had tons of frames depicting aki's movement already so the disparity might not be obvious unless they sacrificed some frames for the Aki's animation) or maybe just literally cut into manga frames, like give black bars around the screen during that specific fight (just giving black bars in top and bottom of the screen would have sufficed too) where the finger moves across the black bars. i definitely think they definitely could have come up with something instead of totally letting it go and not trying anything at all
Chainsawman is legitimately helping me get over my own major traumas I found myself relating kinda directly to denji. I was sexually abused as a child, isolated, locked in rooms for entire days, and then when I went to middle school I was subjected to all the things that others portray as normal but felt completely alien and nonsensical to me My dream growing up was just to have as much fun as I could before one of my suicide attempts ended up being successful. I ate everything I could, I got high off of every single thing I could get my hands on, I practically threw myself at anyone who gave me love and affection and/or sex without questions. Now I'm 22. I never died, my dreams achieved and were as hollow as they were shallow. I'm lonely, never getting close enough to anyone to have meaningful friendships, and my experiences have made me strange and broken enough that forming those friendships is very difficult. But after I finished chainsawman, I felt like I suddenly had this grand understanding of life. That even for someone as fucked and weird as me, there are people out there who I could relate to, that I can be true friends with. I don't think I could've come to that conclusion without seeing Denji accomplish all those things I thought impossible. I started therapy, I've been sober from everything but my anxiety meds for a year, I've reached out to people and they chatted back, I've started to recognize my own emotions and relate them to others. It's still hard, but every time I think it's impossible I remember Denjis dumb ass accomplishing a happy found family and get inspired again. And, with how depressing chainsawman gets, it helped me to realize that even if I do accomplish my dreams and have to watch them fall apart, it'll still be worth it for the memories and for shaping who I am today. Also, something like this coming from a profile like mine is probably weird, I made it when I was 13 and haven't updated it since lmao
It’s good you’re doing better. The one that made me feel that was Berserk back when I read it some years ago. If you’re ever hungry for more inspirational stories, Berserk is about Guts learning finding meaning in his life, realizing the meaning he found wasn’t that important, and changing to be a better person because of it.
Im I oh I don't know I have same shitty story, not worse like you man... Im sorry I, just... Oh I just want to say Thank you for Fujimoto sensei He write this story for us For fcked up and crazy freaks like me Normies already hate Chainsawman, and thats why Im too emotional with all this hate Because it matters for ME Berserk and Jojo saved my life Jojo showed me that life its fcking amazing and bizzare When Berserk teached me not to give up even if your enemy is God and Destiny himself And Chainsawman... This is... This is me This is all shit I love combined Thank you Japan and all crazy people You saved my life
When I got to the point in my manga reading about the bit with the opening door and Power with the cake and went through with what happened after, I remember staring at that page for what seemed to be forever. I flipped the pages back and forth just to make sure, I kept staring at that particular page anyway. When Fujimoto delivers, he delivers with the impact of a billion planets colliding with each other. Such an overwhelming feeling.
I love the merch! It’s really really stylish! …but as soon as you said “it’s not a comic or an anime…it’s a Merch line”, I immediately thought of that Bojack Horseman joke, where “the movie is now a bimonthly subscription box of curated snacks.”
One thing in Chainsaw Man that went much deeper than I thought is it’s themes of motherly love. From the beginning Makima is portrayed as having almost a motherly role towards Denji (Fujimoto has said her name is a play on “Mama” with the chainsaw cutting “ki”, meaning wood). Chainsaws were also first invented for C-sections for mothers giving birth, and Denji finishes off Makima with a Chainsaw. The Angel devil also refers to Hell as a “womb”, and the last thing that the devils of the fourth division heard while in Hell is the revving of a Chainsaw…
'ki' doesn't actually mean 'wood', that's just a meme. The actual katakana character キ comes from 機 which means 'mechanism' (Just like how English letters are ultimately derived form Egyptian hieroglyphs - the original meaning of the character has nothing to do with simplified phonetic one). Fujimoto said he just picked a random syllable to go in the middle.
Another parallel I like with the city mouse and country mouse is at the end of the bomb arc. Makima ambushes Reze in the alley and evokes the fable. She goes on about how she used to live in a farm...and loved to snuff the life out of the mice who went after the crops. She cruelly deconstruct the story before killing Reze, as if saying there was no way for someone like her to ever earn a peaceful life. Such an intimidating villain
My personal take-away from chainsaw man was that the story us about a boy who wanted the simple things in life. He didnt need flashy clothes or exprnsive meals, he just wanted enough to go to bed with a full belly and stay warm through the winter and maybe a few things like a partner and friends as wrll. But this boy is surrounded by others who want so much more. Money, power, fame, revenge, all these complex things. And they continuosly mock him for wanting such simple things. Claiming he dosnt take things sereiously or is just a joke or weak. But whats so wrong about wanting the most basic things in life and being happy with that? Sure, as the story progress the boy realizes he wants more, but not out of greed, because he knows he deserves to be happy and he dosnt have to settle for the bare minimum, its okay to want nicer things as long as your not berating others for what they want and stepping on anyone to get it. Life isnt a competition to see who has the prettiest shiniest horde. Life is about appreciating the things you get and the things you have, and the things that will enter and leave your life faster than you can blink
The thing I like the most about Makima is how the story makes her very sympathetic without ever forgetting or condoning the terrible things she did, or giving her a pass because “she meant good”. There’s a ton of subtext in the things Makima says and does, in the ways she interacts with the other characters that shows that her motive, knowledge and sense of self are way more shaky than she lets on…or than she’s aware of. Even the way she describes her plan and motive strongly implies that behind the seemingly noble goal there’s a much more selfish one that she herself might not have fully realized.
There's this subtextual layer to Makima's behaviour that only really becomes completely apparent at the end of Part One which is just incredibly sad. You see hints of it earlier, the most striking being the scene in the empty movie theatre, but it's like, there's this yearning for an equal and real human connection to another person that she's too deeply screwed up to pursue in a remotely healthy way, and I don't think she's even entirely cognisant of a lot of it. Which, y'know, isn't untrue of actual people who behave in manipulative or abusive ways, so it rings true in a particularly haunting (and often scary) way.
“Would you like her? No matter what?” “Of course, duh!” “Even if she had a shitty personality?” This conversation between Denji and Himeno tells you everything that’s going to happen and it’s such a nothing piece of idle chit chat between two new friends. Such a great author.
@@ConvincingPeople This is one of the things that to me, ends up making Makima one of the most interesting characters I ever read. I loved that last speech where it becomes apparent that behind this grand universe encompasing plan, the thing she is searching the most is just human contact, but she is not aware of it herself. The sadest part being that Denji, the only one listening to the speech also did not picking up on it, so at the end, this fundamental truth about herself ends up remaining a secret to everyone but the reader. At the end, every other character had this realization through the suffering and failure Makima exposed them too, but she herself, being perfect and always achieving what she wanted, never arrived at this fundamental human truth. It hits so hard man.
@@at5203 I think Denji understood, even if, because doesn't think of himself as "smart," he would probably never give himself that kind of credit. There's a reason he asks her about bad movies. That's not something someone without emotional intelligence would have asked her in that position, at least to me. But it is that final conversation with Pochita that puts it all together, for both Denji and the reader.
I have an interesting relationship with this manga. since I am aromantic and asexual I can't really relate to Denji's attractions and his feelings a lot of the time early on. I understood why people liked it but it just wasn't really grabbing me that much. then the movie date happened and I teared up. Denji's struggle, worrying that he was less human because he didn't have the same feelings as everyone else was the most I related to a character in some time and from that point forward, this has been one of my favorite stories I have ever read.
SPOILERS FOR PART 1 OF CHAINSAW MAN My personal favorite exchange in Chainsaw Man is the short conversation that Denji has with Makima right before the final battle in the cemetery. Denji: “In this ultra-awesome perfect world you’re gonna make, will there still be crappy movies?” Makima: “Personally… I believe the world would be better if bad movies ceased to exist.” Denji: “Hmmm… guess I gotta kill you after all then.” It’s a seemingly ridiculous conversation on the surface, but underneath, it perfectly embodies the core themes of story. We can only truly appreciate good movies when we’ve seen the bad, and we can only understand the weight of the best moments in our lives when we understand the worst.
The Aki morning scene and others like it are exactly why Fujimoto, the manga and the anime are just sublime. They know the importance of "blank space" and how much can be packed in to "nothingness". Giving it time to breathe. They said themselves in their 17-21 manga collection that their editor at the time told them they "draw 31 pages for what could be said in 16", meaning they're wasting space. So they drew a 31 page one shot lmao.
The fact you started this video with Euphoria, the same track you used to hype up chainsaw man in your state of shonen video, gave me legit goosebumps. Both that song and chainsaw man have been living in my head for years now and you're entirely to blame for introducing me to both pieces of amazing media. Thanks funny internet man!
I'm fully convinced chainsaw man part 1 was a horror in disguise. The former half of it was only about the control and manipulation of denji and his entire world crumbling. Makima picked denji up so she could kick him down and force him under her heel as a means to an end. Edit: mistakes
Something I experienced personally while reading the manga, near the end of book 9 (keeping it vague for anime watchers) when Denji is told not to open the door, all of the panels have this anxious energy to it, almost in denial of the fact something could be wrong, mirroring Denji himself. And when he walked up to the door and put his hand on the door knob, I honestly just sat there, knowing once I turned the page nothing would ever be the same again. And that certainly was the case. I not much into horror personally, but series like this and JJK have honestly opened my eyes to a lot of amazing, deep story telling you can't really have with a lot of other shows. A true master piece, indeed.
A real Masterpice does not make you crin-e all the time. This Anime does. Its average at best, but i guess the subjective Opinion of 'literally quality-starved 2022-People cant really tell?
@@nameless_1 Haha, Yeah, 'my opinion is wrong', sure. Its not like the s-ual s-it in Chainsaw Man has annoyed or annoyed+ trillions of people. Sure, DISMISSAL is not crin-e at all.
@@loturzelrestaurant ,,Trillions of people" yeah yeah and my Grandma has laser eyes. I don't get why people just watch videos about stuff they don't like and annoy the people who like it in the comment section
7:46 He actually graduated with a degree in Western Painting, so he did have formal training in art. Just not in manga. He started drawing manga in high school on his own. I think he said in an interview though he didn’t consider it super helpful for drawing manga. But you can really see the influence if you look at the way he does color illustrations, especially the more subtly colored ones.
Dude so you probably wont read this but: first I’m 53, and old x’er lol so yes, admittedly I can and often am late to the party, thus I only recently discovered your channel…I can not exspress how lucky I feel having done so! Your journey sounds as if it has been long and arduous and filled with emotions, and your essays seem to be a deeply personal and true reflection this journey;in each work of yours you consistently and amazingly convey this in such an articulate, intelligent and genuinely sincere very real way! You are the first million plus creator that I’ve encountered that truly deserves each and every one of your subs, myself included having proudly added to your numbers. Truly, your work is top shelf; watching your progression in the last decade(almost) to present you are obviously entering into an artistic phase that will allow you to make monumental creative strides you haven’t even thought of yet; not just as a writer or an animator or “content creator” but as an artist! The type of story telling you have been doing with your merch speaks volumes to me about who I think you are as an artist. You have achieved so much at this point while being mindful of your ‘empty horizons’ and your honesty, self awareness, about your journey is astounding at your age imo. I am so impressed with your signature sincerity and creative skills you as a storyteller, I have watched your public evolution and want you to know that all of your hard work is noticed, appreciated. I want to thank you for staying true to yourself artistically and let you know that I have so much respect for you and your work! From an old artist to a young artist I’ll say this: you entering into (what I feel ) will be the most productive and profound period of your career; no longer can you be hampered by your skill set (you have mastered those) your work is affecting, artfully and flawlessly crafted, powerful, introspective, and feels genuinely real. Well done! You deserve all of your current success; hard earned and achieved with grace and gratitude. This is a very long winded way of telling you how grateful I am to have discovered your work now, as you hit your creative and artistic stride, and I am looking so forward to your future work; excited for your next video and future projects. You are not a content creator imo, you truly are an artist, deserving of the title, the admiration , the subs, the attention, gratitude and most of al, the respect of your audience for being the ‘real thing’ doing what you love and having been so successful while remaining true to yourself and your audience. I appreciate your past work but I look forward to your future work the most and thanking you for allowing us, your audience, to be witnesses as you continue on your journey.
Another note about the manga medium doing something wholly unique and impossible to replicate in animation--Goodbye Eri was published digitally and, when read in vertical format on a phone or other device, the 1/4 page wide panel structure quickly becomes reminiscent of a film reel.
Fujimoto’s style is so unique I’ll never forget just browsing new manga and coming across Fire Punch. The deep tragedy mixed with bizarre meta 4th wall breaking was one of the first instances where my high school shounen addicted mind was like whoa, finally a story taking it to the next level! That ending kinda meh but I’m glad Fuji learned from it and made Chainsaw Man. Finishing that series was something special.
I would go as far as to say he's definitely one of a kind. There's many mangaka who write how they want and it works big time but with Fujimoto it's the same but different. He has a lot of dark humor but he naturally knows how to not let it get away from him and his love for film really shines through. His short works/one shots are insane. The man knows how to compose scenes and plots.
I'll preface this by saying Chainsaw Man is my first manga and one of my first animes i've viewed. i'm not an emotional person, not in the slightest, i don't cry at tear-jerker movies, i don't know if i've ever had a youtube video, book, or piece of media affect me emotionally. This video made me start crying a couple times for both happy and sad reasons. chainsaw man is such a great story and i feel like this video perfectly encapsulates it and clearly explains WHY i feel so strongly about this story about a guy with a chainsaw on his face. What a way to spend my birthday, realizing this masterpiece and my place here in this horrible, great world.
Holy shit that merch idea is actually really brilliant. Plus the sustainability and ethical nature you’re going about it is highly commendable. I don’t usually buy UA-camr merch, but shit man you sold me. Proud of you Eyepatch, been watching you for years and years and it’s so nice to see you thrive
1:06:45 This moment, right here, is the kinda shit I would never expect from a video essay. The way this one moment is edited and read puts the fear of God in me, and it's something I could only find here. Well freaking done, Super Eyepatch Wolf.
I love every interview I’ve ever read with Fujimoto because he just says shit like “If I don’t get better than them in 4 years, I’ll kill them.” He’s just… himself. Like all the time. Unapologetically. And boy is he an… interesting guy.
Well, I’ve never seen any form of Chainsaw Man media, but this video still broke me. I knew in the very last section of the video that I should have stopped, avoided spoilers and watched/read it for myself, but I didn’t. I was too drawn in. The whole time I genuinely felt sick, like genuinely going to throw up. I could see what was happening, it had already played out in my mind and I was still watching. And then it happened. And I think I actually had a panic attack, straight up. Slight spasms, hyperventilating, dissociating. Just… Jesus Christ. But now I need to watch it, I *need* to read it. If just this summary and analysis could do this, I can only imagine how powerful the actual media will be. Super Eyepatch Wolf, this is a beautiful video, and I can only say that you have succeeded with it in every way possible. Thank you.
Im the eldest brother of two and i can confirm: Denji's relationship with Power is very much fraternal, they're two aimless weirdos who are at eachother's throats as much as they're there for eachother and their silent platonic affection for one another is almost never outwardly mentioned but constantly felt
@@garlicmayonnaise8615 I find it really insane that people praise the subtleties of the drawings in chainsaw man (with reason) but then when it comes to the relationship between power and denji they're like "it's 100% platonic" when there's literally a scene where denji basically gives a hickey to power. It's been argued that denji sees it platonically but power may have started developing something more down the line without really understanding it herself and i think i agree with that
@@hypstersaurus6828 I agree but I also think they might BOTH have romantic feelings they just don't really get it because they're both inexperienced with interpersonal and intimate relationships. The biggest evidence I've seen from people that they are platonic is Denji stating he has no sexual feelings towards her while bathing her (which he finds strange) but like no fucking shit he doesn't, the only reason he's bathing with her is bc she is incapable of doing it on her own due to the trauma she has from the Darkness Devil, Denji clearly cares about her more than probably anyone else in his life and I think he understands on a subconcious level that he doesn't want to hurt her by taking advantage of her in such a vulnerable state.
@@Dell-ol6hb honestly love your interpretation, i had thought about it a bit also, but your interpretation is really beautiful. it's stated directly in the manga that makina made them live together so denji could have a "brat little sister" which i find really weird considering the author's fetishes 💀 and its also clear that there was romance between the two, just in the way they are constantly framed when taking care of each other in the later chapters
power is like if you took a feral raccoon out of a skip and gave it two of those mechanical grabby-hand toys, a knife, and the understanding of how both of those things can work together in order to wreak untold havoc
I think it’s interesting that you say that Chainsaw Man says what it intended to say by the Makima door chapter. *Spoilers* But I think Chainsaw Man’s thesis chapters are Chapter 92-93 with Denji, Kobeni and Kishibe’s conversation. The whole story Denji is controlled by others and it’s at this moment he recognizes that. He learned from Quanxi that ignorance is bliss but he realizes that him not thinking for himself has led him to where he is now, at his lowest point. When Kobeni tells him that what he’s just described sounds like a “normal” life, Denji is confused. All he’s wanted is a normal life and now Kobeni is here telling him that a normal life is full of being controlled and being hurt. When Denji sees how much everyone loves Chainsaw Man on the TV he realizes that he doesn’t want a normal life. He wants more than that, he wants everything, he wants to be CHAINSAW MAN. It’s in these chapters where Denji comes to self actualization, he wants more than just the bare necessities and wants to BE something. The ending with Nayuta also shows how much Denji has grown, as he’s now becoming what Aki was for him, a big brother. Denji desires unconditional love, and that’s what he wanted from Makima but instead received from Pochita, Power and Aki. Now it’s Denji’s turn to give Nayuta that unconditional love
It's also, in a twisted way, what Makima always wanted but was incapable of understanding how she could obtain it. She conceptualised Pochita as her only true equal, but he could only be that if he were her opposite, and because of the kind of person she was-it is implied because of how she was raised, apparently as a weapon by the Japanese government-her whole understanding of what "an equal relationship" is was totally jacked, so she had to control him. As Nayuta, the Control/Conquest Devil finally has a chance to have that, to be loved unconditionally and treated not as a superior but as an equal. And that's really beautiful! It made me tear up! I love this series so much…
I think what I love most about Chainsaw Man is how earnest and sincere everyone goes about what they want in the face of a world that might as well be Hell. I think of that day Himeno sacrificed herself, Aki did the very same. From that day on Aki is already dead, motivated purely by revenge. But through Denji and Power, he rediscovered that kind of love in a way, even in the face of tragedy looming. And even as he goes, he extends that love to someone else. I think a lot about that one shot of Angel standing alone, staring at the sunset. Him and Aki have both experienced tragedy, both are cursed, both are living dead men. The difference being that Angel never got to rediscover his love, being forced to destroy it by Makima. What I think is so beautiful about Aki and Angel is that they’re two people past their expiration date, waiting for oblivion, giving each other one last chance at connection before it all goes dark. Aki is definitely the most important character to me. Denji is impossible not to root for. He’s a poor, mentally sick, abused kid with no sense of what he truly needs. But early on, the way he embraces his lunacy, wearing his sickness on his sleeve, is so earnest and charismatic and lovable. But I find my heart sinking early on whenever he becomes introspective. A part of him knows how wrong and unhealthy this all is but he’s never been taught his worth. So be chases intimacy without understanding it. I can relate to that a lot. Especially when I was his age. I have a genuine love for Denji as a character and as a person, a figure of immense tragedy, a sadistic lunatic, a sick, unhinged freak, and a good kid ❤ One last thing. Makima. I don’t have much to say about her except that I find her fascinating. She exists as a being of pure evil, understanding human behaviour down to the last chemical imbalance, yet fascinated by the idea of family. She seeks that, in her master plan, family in the chainsaw man. But in all of her evil, the lives that she ruins, the souls she damns, clawing desperately behind the scenes at the idea of love, she fails. She fails to abandon the inherent evil that would cloud that love, even if she did get it. If by some miracle, chainsaw man would love her. Or eat her. Makima, by definition, is a being doomed to apathy but trying desperately to escape it. She’s a doomed soul, dragging everyone down with her.
Chainsaw man is manga...but it's art style are more like a movie(or graphic novel). Author do not use dramatic angle, focused on character's feeling and emotion more than battle and fight scenes, unique cuts and fascinating arts. This things make Chainsaw man so unique and I really really love it.
spoilers for csm ending the ending of part 1 of chainsaw man where denji finally kills makima is one of my favorite endings ever. he doesn't kill her out of malice or hatred or revenge. he comes to understand that makima never loved him, or even saw him as a human. and he accepts that for what it is and uses it to his own advantage to defeat her, finally moving on. proving to her that she's wrong, and ignorance is not bliss.
@@communist754 It's why my favorite part of the entire story is right before their final fight, when Denji asks her, "In this ultra-awesome perfect world you're gonna make, will there still be crappy movies?" And she says that in her world she thinks it would be better if they didn't exist, that was when Denji decided to kill her. For as all knowing as Makima was, she never acknowledged the little joys in life, just like she never acknowledged Denji.
I’ve never felt as much genuine fear reading a manga as I have while reading the darkness devil introduction. I can’t wait to see that (and every single thing else) animated.
People were already very confused with Katana man, Ghost and Snake, so I can't imagine how their reactions to Darkness will be. It's making me giddy just thinking about it.
Correction - at 5:56 an image of the character Togata is shown on screen right, this meant to be Sulya.
Sulya matches the powerful women loves movies thing fujimoto does, where as Togata is a beautiful boy whose really good at killing people.
Thank you to Linus for pointing this out.
I guess while im at it, I really encourage you to check out fire punch if you haven't, its very much its own thing and really different to anything else ive ever read, its also a perfect companion piece to chainsaw man.
Anyway, i love you, thanks for watching.
How on earth do you create such meaningful and compelling ideas in this sort of format? I would love to get into doing video essays of a similar style and you are a massive inspiration for that goal, although when I set my pen to paper nothing comes out. I experience somewhat of an observers paradox, where I find myself so focused on scouring a piece of text for content to write about that I lose any possible footing I have on what themes to actually write about.
Any help would be much appreciated and man, I seriously love your videos. I was introduced to them through your video on Garfield and ever since it's been like my comprehensive crack.
Going through the effort of making a pinned comment correcting such an insignificant mistake for a single image in an over hour long video. This is why we love you. You genuinely care for the content you create and don't just blurt things out for maximum profit in the shortest amount of time. You are a treasure in a sea full of shallow cash grabbers, and people appreciate that, I wish I could do more to support you but thanks to unemoyeed for over 2 years thanks to the world situation I can't, but I hold you in the same respect as Robin Wlliams Patrick Stewart, and Johnny Depp, you are a man of passion the "creator" industry needs more of. There are few people I hold in such high respect, but you are ABSOLUTELY in that slim margin, if society had more people like you, it would be a better place. Thank you for giving me hope in a world that has otherwise seemed so dim, people like you are why I refuse to give up and why I aspire and to inspire people in just a fraction as you have. We CAN make a difference, it just never happens as quickly as we'd like, you've done more for people than you can imagine
How about learn that shonen is a demographic and that’s it?
@@codym5352 I love Johnny guilty gear
Thank you so much for this correction. Seeing Togata be grouped in with women upset me
The thing that struck me about Makima's dogs is that huskies are really difficult dogs to own. They're willful, stubborn, high-energy, destructive and loud. Makima owns SEVEN of them, and they all act like perfectly trained lapdogs, quiet and obedient in her immaculate apartment.
At first I thought it was Fujimoto not understanding huskies, but then quickly realized it was an incredible piece of foreshadowing.
And now Denji has to look after all of them 😂😂😂
@@shmork5418 no wonder he’s selling himself as a chair
As someone who lived with a huskie who destroyed my backyard, Makima's patience is intimidating.
I'd make a joke about letting loose the dogs of war, but she's Conquest, not War. :P
@@ConvincingPeople War and Famine would like a word.
Fujimoto is so good that he managed to make an alphabetical list of names into something that made me get up and start walking around the room to process it all.
And to really top it off, that’s a list of people _who live in his hometown._
I REALLY hope the anime does it justice, like cut to black and then 15 seconds of silence and names just pouring down the screen
@@FlutterSwag that sounds fire man i love this anime!!
@@Michael-ft9mg did you read the manga though?
...do you know what this is in reference to?
@@Virjunior01 what's it a reference to? And how far will I have to read into the manga to understand it? The concept sounds awesome
What I also love about the manga is the fact that loss and death is instant. No drawn out death speeches, it just ends, they just die and their story is over. But the best part in my opinion is when the gun devil arrives. Tatsuki wrote out every single person the gun killed in the manga, and in one of the texts is Aki Hayakawa. Joseph Stalin said ˋThe death of one man, is a tragedy. The death of a thousand is a statistic‘
It took me a hot moment to realize that two of my favorite characters died because it was just so quick. No fanfare, not even a lingering shot on their bodies. They're just gone. This manga absolutely wrecked me
I'm super excited to seee how they will adapt that in the anime. Just imagine something like 5+ straight minutes of the gun devil destroying everything while the narrator keeps saying the name of each victim...
DID HE ACTUALLY? I NEED TO CHECK THE MANGA RN
himeno has entered the chat
Wait what Aki is in there? oh shit
Power wants power, Aki wants to puff and Denji wants girls. They are the powerpuff girls.
You're a genius
But do you know what purple aki wants?
@@LunarLocust he wants to nonce on kids in his trackie
Underrated genius comment
🤯
What I find the most fascinating about Denji is the fact that he is the literal embodiment of those motivational speeches that talk about "setting tiny obtainable goals, instead of large out-of-reach ones". Denji is more relatable than most shounen protags these days because his goals are relatable without hiding them behind some grand idea or motivation:
He wants to eat good food every day.
He wants to sleep in a comfortable bed.
He wants to feel the embrace of a woman who he feels intimate with.
It's simple. it's relatable.
It's Denji.
When I started watching the anime adaptation with my friends having yet to read the original comic, several episodes in, I blurted out, "Denji is the weirdest kind of moe, I swear." I stand by that. He is a good lad and fills me with a strong protective instinct, which is funny because there are times when he is literally made of chainsaws and only emotionally in need of protection. Mostly from Makima. :P
He just like me fr
It's a bit wild that Ichigo gets panned for having very human, relatable goals while Denji is put on a pedestal for the same thing, but ayyyy
For the record, I love both series and generally consider CSM the better of the two.
@@varsoonhks3211 I think the reason for that is that both characters also have different starting points in their respective stories. Ichigo is already pretty well-off for a dude in a blue- collar family. He has the basic needs in life that allow him to pursue greater things; whereas Denji has to work from a deficit, and most Gen Z'ers and millennials can relate to that despite having objectively more than what Denji has collectively.
@Varsoon HKS Bleach fans on their way to be fcking annoying again
Ichigo is a Jesus of 3 old shonen protags, "I will protect my friends"
He never had a real anger in bad way, every his emotions showed as Hichigo,
he never betrayed someone,
he never wanted a s e x,
he never wanted a normal life,
he never wanted to squeeze some boobies,
he always save people because he "must do this", not because he want it, he has nothing different from luffy and Naruto and Natsu
And for the last one, he choose a goddamn Inoue when he had so much chemistry with Rukia,
Kubo can't write a good story
When Ichigo cries, I don't care, because he is not like me, he is fckin perfect ideal
I cried like a bitch when Denji cried in snowball fight, because he didn't have anything in his life, because he lost his small dreams, he lost his will to live
"Power is the worst...and I love her" is such a true sentiment honestly.
She's the best worst ever
1:12:49
The best summarisation of this is when Denji opens up to Kobeni how he's going to keep wandering through life without real goal and never finding the true happiness that he's sought. Kobeni just responds with "But that's just normal, right? Only dreams have nothing bad happen in them."
Being able to find hope, connections and tenderness through the hopelessness, grief and mundanity of life. That's Chainsaw Man.
I agree with this description
yeah I agree! I was surprised he didn't mention that, the talk with kobeni really emphasizes the message of the story as well as denjis arc perfectly...
Kobeni is the perfect character to say that. Shes a mess, trying to find whatever dignity she can in this crazy Devil filled world, and despite appearances she does kinda succeed. Even in that scene with Denji, both of them on the run from Makima, her first thought is relief that she can now finally go full No Contact with her abusive family. She does take the good and the bad and it shows.
This is my favorite frame of manga
There is a full colored pages from Shueisha
Its really beautiful
I interpreted the huskies very differently. I saw their happiness as genuine. The "punchline" of the horror, to me, is that huskies are notoriously independent and difficult to train, and I saw them as an example of how powerful the Control Devil is.
In the context of chapters 80 and 81, it's actually both. While Makima still cares for her six huskies, and can easily control em due to being the embodiment of control, she also uses them to manipulate Denji, which is characteristic of her. Let me explain:
After Makima succeeded in breaking Denji's psyche following the Gun Devil arc (RIP Aki), she needed to completely shatter him. She brought him to her home, took care of him, and began to play with her dogs. The reason she did this was to "warm" Denji up before she killed Power. Her playing with the dogs was meant to show Denji how happy he could be if he devoted his life to Makima as one of her dogs. He desperately wanted to be among those being pampered by her and wanted to be just as happy as them. He also didn't want to think for himself any longer and wanted to remain as ignorant as Quanxi because life was overwhelming for him. This is completely understandable since he was at one of his lowest moments and didn't know Makima's true identity. After all, she was the one who had given him everything, so he completely trusted her.
Denji was vulnerable, and the moment he thought about giving away his autonomy to her, Makima won. He made his wish to become one of her dogs, believing that being a dog equated to happiness.
Makima made him happy one last time by making him wish to become one of her dogs before she brought Power to her home and then... "Bang!" Denji's mental state was completely obliterated. The contract between Denji and Pochita finally terminated, and she succeeded in achieve the first stage of her goal.
But, again, while Makima did use the dogs as a tool to break Denji's psyche, I still believe she cares for dogs. She doesn't see them as equals, obviously, but she probably enjoys how they make her feel when they show affection towards her and when she has power over them.
"Power was inspired by Cartman!"
.... It ALL makes sense now
IKR?!
Chainsaw man being the one true “wait this boob anime is actually really deep” is the most accurate description of the manga ever
Seriously, to see a lot of people brush off Chainsaw Man as a boob anime and Denji as a simp is really missing the point. The series goes out of its way to be anti-simp and tell a message about true human bonds. Spoilers for the ending of Chainsaw Man, Denji wins only by betting that Makima never truly loved him and I think that's genius.
@@chrismic8087 human bonds my ass
People don’t understand that the majority of good storytelling requires character development . Like serious changes . Chainsaw man is one of the all time greats
you could even say this for kill la kill lmao
I put it down after the first 10 chapters but then sat down and read it and it's in my top 5 now
I've wanted this video so badly. I wanted to see someone just as insanely in love with this manga and its anime adaptation as myself.
I'm so glad I'm not alone. Thank you, Eyepatch Wolf. Your videos themselves are just as inspiring as the topics you cover.
Same. Was such a joy to see this video pop up
damn 2nd comment
one of my favorite Let's Players also loving one of my favorite mangas confirmed? my day has been made
YO! I used to watch your content a lot when I was younger, and to see you fall in love with Chainsaw Man separately from me is amazing. I might have to check out your new stuff some time.
DUDE YOU TOO??! I binged your ghost trick playthrough like 15 times as a kid, along with Catherine holy shit my respect for you has never been higher bro.
I think the most emblematic moment of the message of Chainsaw man, is in the final confrontation between Denji and Makima at the cementery.
Before fighting Denji simply asks:
"In your perfect world will there still be a place for shitty movies?"
Makima answers with: "Probably no"
"I'll have to kill you then" affirms Denji.
This little exchange acknowledges that the reason why that moment at the cinema with Makima stuck with Denji was because of all the previous dissapointing movies culminated in a last one that actually made them feel something.
Without all the coal, diamonds wouldnt shine as brightly.
An incredibly mature outlook from a 16 year old.
@Co another mature outlook was when he realised that power is more then boobs.
Wait I just realized this whole comment is wrong because the one who asked that wasn’t even Denji. It was Pochita.
nah the most epic moment was when chainsaw man says "I am not in danger Makima I am the Chainsaw MAN!" and then dangers all over the back of Makima
Uh wrong, the most epic moment was when Denji says “It’s ChainsawManing Time!” and ChainsawMans all over the place
I was in an extremely toxic and abusive relationship during the serialization of Chainsaw Man. This series helped me realize what I was trapped in. I was one of Makima's dogs. This series will forever be one of the most important pieces of literature in my life because of that.
I had a similar story, but I started reading chainsaw man right after getting out of the toxic relationship. Chainsaw Man helped me realize just how bad it was and kept me from trying to get back into that toxicity.
Espero que estes en una mejor situacion en este momento Felipe, mis mejores deseos. 👍
you could have also listened to the people inm your life pointing this out to you before that, but hey, whatever works for you in the end
@@512TheWolf512 could also just not have made this comment, but hey, we gotta be a little asshole-ish sometimes
@@512TheWolf512 You don't know this person or what their life is like. Your advice and opinions mean nothing.
That one line, "She's the cat". Perfectly timed and perfectly executed! I got literal chills when you delivered that line
especially with the choice of image.
That panel with Denji and Aki sitting together in silence while Power sleeps is so powerful.
Him realizing has a family that he wants to protect but can't
One thing that is wild about the main character as a little horndog is the way it turns things around in something dark and wholesome. From every female character he gets close to, he’s never exploiting, forcing, or peeping or anything. It’s not afraid of saying, “being attracted to people or wanting intimacy is fine actually”, and CONSENT is huge. Even MHA, One Piece, Dandadan, none of them have that emphasis on consent instead of leering at its characters compared to Chainsaw Man. There is authentic love developed here.
Lmao no.
@@ledzeppelinfan1001 lmao yes
@@yoman7873 Lmao, no.
@@ledzeppelinfan1001 please explain, coz I feel like your right and I want to hear arguments on that point
@@user-kc2uo3el1w Denji spends the entire time being horny as fuck and reducing women to their tits and ass. He never grows in this aspect and, at the most pivotal moment of the story, all he says is that he wants to have sex. Thats it. No heroes journey, no actual motivation. Dog water character.
Chainsaw Man is the remaining slice of pizza you thought someone ate before you
Nah its the last frozen meal tucked in ur fridge after 3 days of eating nothing but peanut butter sandwiches
You know...I really do feel bad for those who just know the anime...they just don't know the LANDMINE that they are running towards. It's going to be "The Red Wedding" all over again.
@@solbenjib7580 Brooo, How do you knooow my lifeeee😭😭. Man I hate college life
slice*
@@forzaacmilan36 You get to be basically a NEET for four to five years. That doesn't sound bad.
There's something hugely raw and personal about the way Fujimoto draws. I genuinely prefer the manga over the anime because of that. The idea of Fujimoto being self-conscious about his art is mind-blowing to me.
It’s honestly just refreshing to see a manga not have one of the 3 styles that 90% of all manga use. And I’m always impressed with how Fujimoto draws clothes. Like something about his art feels raw.
@@JamienautMark2 ehh to be fair, that's how it used to be. I remember old day...how to draw manga magazines with these awful artist drawings, atleast for me. Flat and big eyes etc. Still ok but not idicitive to a new artist. I think of fuji's art the same way i do jjk, in that it's rough but it works with the story. He may not like it and wants to draw like berserk but berserk author didnt even think his art was good enough lol. I like the subtle stuff he may not notice like the folds in cloths or the way he draws expressions, vs the sketchy art and line work that's not perfect...
Raw as you said.
But i will say this, i get why people hate it so much. smaller audiences have a strong voice these days and popular media is not supposed to be weird like this...or counter culture. We as a culture hate any tabbo stuff so denji focused on that is bad...for many.
I will say I never see a detailed critic of why the series is bad, besides overhyped, 11 eps and nothing happed, it's nasty, too gory, too stupid, too shonen, not as good as people said, etc.
I think people can call out stuff but are too focused on the popularity. CM is not perfect, some media is, for some. Overall it' fun and that's all we need. bark.
Many artist feel self conscious about their art. In fact, the better the creative the more they feel like a failure. Many making video games for example think their game is trash, god of war ragnorak, a GOTY winner in many sites, the creators thought it was gonna fail gameplay wise. Many artist show their work and get nervous and you'd be shocked cause its so detailed and good. Berserk artist thought his work wouldnt live up to hype and he's considered one of the most liked artist. He thought he needed so much more. I think CM does what it should. I will say, My hero's author gets overlooked cause people hate his story for being simple or complex IDK if its sunday or monday people flip flop. He is a great artist and constantly changes. I'd argue he's on berserk levels but people wont hear that cause he's shonen. lol.
@@JamienautMark2 "the 3 styles 90% of mangas use" is, i feel, a myth.
that, or the 90% is merely the 90% everyone sees on shnen jump... in fact, i'm not sure how the hell fujimoto ended up being an artist for shonen ump: his triat, his stories, his themes and visuals spell seinen in every brush stroke, and his artstyle is, while still not being THAT unique, easilly recongizable among the many along other artists who, however, aren't shone n artists, to mention the ones i named in another comment: haruko ichikawa, Abe youichi, akihito tsukushi, and i can add a few more: kamome shirahama, nagabe...
I think he's a brilliant artist, and I also prefer the manga. The show is good, but the art in the manga is really good. Never thought he'd be self-conscious about his art. He should be proud. But I like him even more after hearing that.
I think my favourite scene in Chainsaw Man is when Denji and Power get in bed together. Adopting a stance that seems utterly sexual in nature, Denji thinks to himself... "weird. I don't feel anything from this." even though his goal is to have a girlfriend and all that stuff, the series portrays Makima's appeal to it as toxic and manipulative, while Power and Denji form a beautiful friendship which saves the day in the end. True love from a true bond.
Actually I'm pretty this was even when they were both at the bathtub
Chainsaw man is definitely in the "read it AND watch it" category. Read it for those beautiful compositions and panels (the Darkness Devil introduction is one of the coldest scenes in modern manga, no contest. That shit gave me goosebumps) and then watch it for the sense of pure chaos and despair brought to life in a very, very good way. Granted, the anime does miss some beats that simply can't be fully replicated from the manga, but I do think it does a good job of conveying the bullshit chaos and tone of its world.
I'm glad someone besides me finds "dead astronaut in spacesuit" imagery as haunting as it SO CLEARLY IS.
@@Alucard-A-La-Carte bro that image had no business going so hard, cold, and unsettling.
Yes ofc😊
That devil used like every single horrific eldritch power ever. Making someone cough up blood? Check. Random praying people? Check. Random small animal? Check. And more. Reminds me of Code Geass and the screaming skulls, dead-looking people slowly walking towards somewhere, and other disturbing imagery used to represent whatever supernatural power that is behind Geass and C.C.'s immortality.
The scene with the dogs really is one of the most horrifying pieces of sequential art I've ever read, which given that I really like experimental horror comics is impressive. Also, you didn't touch on it here, but the closing sequence of Part One with Nayuta and Denji's dream of Pochita really puts Makima's goals and why she was the kind of person that she was into perspective in a really heartbreaking way. That she had ultimately always wanted to find someone who she could have a truly equal interpersonal relationship with but was essentially raised to be incapable of seeing *anyone* as her equal and so based her obsession with Pochita on her conception of him as her opposite and something that she could master is both horrific and unbearably sad, which makes the ultimate resolution all the more devastating and, honestly, beautiful. Never expected "cannibalism" and "becoming a teen dad" would both be components to a heartwarming resolution to *anything* but, well, here we are. Thank you, Fujimoto.
Only one man could write a girl being kidnapped by a weird old dude, taken out of country, and sent to live with an uneducated teenage cannibal as a wholesome ending
@@fenris5932 Also the girl is literally Conquest, the First Horseman of the Apocalypse. And somehow all of this makes narrative, thematic and emotional sense, which it really shouldn't.
@@fenris5932 oh yeah, I forgor.
Where the fck did Kishibe picked up Nayuta?
@kzaanimefan4836 China, presumably from a government facility that were hoping to turn her into Makima 2.0
@@InternetAddict069 China he said i think
Honestly, Denji to me, epitomises the generation gap in a very particular way: instead of long term dreams that might evolve into goals, he has short term goals and any dreams usually just stay as dreams. Unless you're already born into wealth or get some very lucky breaks, that's pretty much your lot and the surrounding horrors of the modern world pretty much reinforce that mentality.
I also love his breakthrough character moment after talking with Kobeni during their hiding.
His new dream of having many girlfriends and having lots of sex is equal parts "shallow" on the surface, while actually being "deep" for his character arc.
Denji finally realized that he isn't content with "just enough", he wants MUCH MORE.
Epitomizes*
I got you, bro 👊🏾
@@Virjunior01 cheers, dude.
I mean, it IS how the real world functions. "Working" your way up only works If you have good luck with a lot of factors you cant Control.
@@RodriTheMighty lol
I was rejected by a woman I loved. I confessed my feelings, and was let down. What she said afterwards sick’s with me,” that must have taken a lot of courage.” Rejecting me yes, but validating my feelings at the same time. I shared my passions with her. Things I never share with anyone. We are still the best of friends.
legend
damn
This is maturity. Thank you for your story.
I was rejected by a woman I loved. What she said afterwards sticks with me: "bang"
@@bug688Did you get shot into space?
“Makima isn’t the mouse, she’s the cat” is one of the most chilling lines ever. Every time I hear it a chill runs down my spine
The Aki crying with the cigarette scene was actually done really well in the anime I think
I’m kinda sad his face wasn’t as gut-wrenched if you know what I mean. I wanted an ugly crying face, haha
yeah i agree
it was good, but it didn't feel as raw. the shading and the way he's biting his lip like he almost doesn't want to even cry to himself doesn't get expressed the same way unfortunately. still hit though.
@@vagabond2797 I think the biggest thing for me was that his brows weren't furrowing in the anime, huge difference when you compare the two. In the anime he looks like he's dazed crying instead.
subtle but powerful
One of the most moving moments in manga was, after Akis attack on appartment Power was standing outside, looking on destroyed building, saying just "my home". Shit man this is too much for me.
Like Denji in the aftermath, I felt numb after reading that Chapter and wondered what else could make this worse...
...AND BEHOLD, FUJIMOTO DID IT AGAIN AS QUICK AS ADDING SALT TO THE WOUND.
Tatsuki Fujimoto is a film lover. All the panels feel like storyboards. The faces are just feel so real. Really excited to see what he has in store for the future
The anime makes every face look like fluoride stares
What? I remember Every face looking the exact same. The human art is hot trash.
Edit: trash is overkill. Average is more accurate to my opinions.
@@e_knees8816 i'm sorry about your blindness, best of wishes to you
@@hellothere-dw3sf I really like all the other art, but the human art is so ungodly midtier. It’s not bad, but most characters are clearly defined by their hair and other features, not their face. Which isn’t a critique because that’s most manga/anime, But I think giving such high praise to an artist for basic emotive faves is a special kind of stupid. Now, the other art is fucking insane. I unfortunately did not personally care for a lot of the characters, so my enjoyment was limited. Still a decent story though.
@@e_knees8816 I kinda get what you mean his drawings are really crude, but Fujimoto's talent of providing information though faces like a character going from one expression to another or just lingering on one is unparalleled
After watching episode 12 of the anime, i believe the "Greatest anime filler" award should be given to the scene of Aki smoking the "Easy revenge" cigarette
Agreed in that it was brutally melancholic. HOWEVER. I felt there was an undertone of determination that the animators hoped to share with the audience; a direct product of the reality of limited time that Aki and Himeno shared together. They emphasized those times enough in flashbacks to really lead the audience to a revenge plot (or at least an honorable coincidental satisfaction of mutual interests in vengeance shared with a lost partner (platonic or otherwise)).
Easily. What an incredible moment and definitely the one my mind is drawn to every time I think about the strengths of the anime's production.
Aki's morning routine is one of my absolute favorite scenes from the anime so far. It's so beautiful and quiet, and it makes my heart ache as a manga reader, knowing what all is coming.
i hate how they added that in the anime it’s just a bunch of filler that wasn’t needed…same thing with himeno when they show her taking denji to her hous like bro we did not need that scene it just makes me think the animators are stalling
rat
@@shotzcapalot You have no idea what youre talking about dawg, just watch the show
@@lancelot717 i did watch the show..the manga is superior
@@shotzcapalot If you did both than you'd actually know why these extra scenes are significant and only make the story better, else you dont have a single bone of media literacy in you
The crazy thing is, part 1 is basically just Denji's introduction arc. We've learned who he Is and how he was mad into who he is and next were gonna see what the hell he decides to do
Much like the golden age arc in Berserk. Let’s hope part 2 is as good as the conviction arc.
Yo you can read manga
Chainsaw Saga
@@jonahj9519 or like the War Arc from Vinland Saga
I also love how the strength of a devil informs us of how the world of Chainsaw Man differs from our own, like the fact that the War Devil is so weak that it needs to contract with an emotionally vulnerable, dying girl in order to even have a corporeal form. Meanwhile, the Tomato Devil is fucking terrifying. (Probably Power’s fault, but still.) It informs the reader that, in a world plagued by devils, humans don’t have the time or desire to fight each other. Such a cool detail.
Also that chainsaw consumed the concept of nazis
Isn’t it because pochita killed the war devil? That would erase it from humanity but it’s inevitable so it’s coming back. It’s not that people were choosing not to fight the concept was just gone. you could see that it was coming back because the battle for the gun devil pieces was for power which would lead to a war
For clarity, Yoru states explicitly that she was nearly devoured wholesale by the Chainsaw Devil (which may not in itself actually literally be the Chainsaw Devil), which has reduced her power significantly in the world of the story to the point that any major global armed conflict after WWI has functionally been erased. While what you suggest is probably a factor, this is right in the text.
The only thing I would have added was Kobeni's impact on the story first as a window to the only truly human character from the start but also Denji's wake up call in late game as to how he's not and has never been normal as she's the only normal character in the manga.
Yeah when they were rescued right
Something about how
Denji was complaining that
All I ever wanted was just a normal life why instead my life sucks and I'm in this mess
Why Kobeni was like thanks God I have an excuse to not get back to my normal life and denji tf you mean you want a normal life
Normal life always sucked for everyone
Denji was mind-blown
@@tpsam wasnt kobenis point in that scene that denji never wanted a "normal life" what he strived after was far more than just living his day to day, he just never sat down to truly realize that.
For me Chainsaw Man is a story about how brutally unfair life can be. It’s a story about dreams and how they can never truly be achieved, but the mere idea of having those dreams is what keeps us moving forward. It’s a story about how nobody can ever truly get what they want, and about accepting that as a part of life and learning to cherish the things and the people around you. It’s easily my favorite manga of all time and I thank Super Eyepach Wolf for making this video.
I definitely think it's a story about people who, in chase for their own idea of "happiness", lose sight of what's really important to them.
Aki wanted revenge but realized that he has so much more to live for when it was too late.
Denji pursued his idea of "normalcy" and unbeknownst to himself found that there was a lot more to it than he thought.
Even Makima is the same.
It's a common theme throughout the entire manga. Man i love it so much.
51:50 I think a solution for the curse devil breaking the fourth wall with its finger could be if they did something like using a REAL prosthetic finger to flick the nail instead. The scene really needed some kind of “something is really weird about this” to hit better, and the jarring effect of a “real” finger would do just that
I was thinking the same. Just a big gnarly SpongeBob-esque human (but still done up in monster make-up with a false nail) finger cutting into the animation would have made a similar affect to the off panel imagery in the manga..
@@JoseRS1186 I think most people would have just seen it as corny as hell, tbh. It doesn't matter all that much.
I was thinking that they could have kinda paused it while curse flicked the nail
That would actually be so sick.
@@DJJablonsky Oh I like that, kind of like those moments when Satella has threatened Subaru. But with the pacing of combat of course, rather than a creeping dread.
I can't wait to check back into this channel in three years when John is talking about how a date to an aquarium is actually a representation of the lies we tell ourselves to save us from coming to terms with our own innate flaws and how "I want to see the penguins," is a rallying cry for anyone who seeks a connection on their terms.
Asa and Denji are some of the most realistic characters Ive ever seen I love them sm
@@dylanwins9839 THAT PANEL WAS SO CUUUUTEEEE
Femcel Arc is so peak
I finally get why the Darkness Devil is introduced with astronauts. They sailed into the deepest, most vast darkness of all. Of course they would herald Darkness's arrival.
I absolutely appreciate the focus of the friendship between Denji and Power, so wholesome ❤️
I absolutely LOVED their relationship. Hit me like a ton of bricks, ngl.
They are definitely more than friends but less than lovers.
@@xaviercopeland2789 yap. it's a complicated mix
@xaviercopeland2789 honestly? I dunno if I'd even say less. More than friends but not lovers is how I'd describe it. Regardless, the bed scene just throws a wrench in being able to comfortably put that relationship in any easily defined box
@@fenris5932 I saw a short a few days ago with some guy saying "stop shipping them, they're like siblings." But the thing most have been saying is just that they're perfect for each other. It could stay platonic or turn into something more, and either's okay... especially as dude didn't go for some lofty "virtue signalling" and said "Denji loves Makima!"
Pretty sure the dumbass didn't read the manga, as so many obnoxious anime-only freaks do, but I got that Denji and Power are quite literally learning what it's like to be human. Eyepatch is correct in attributing this struggle to Aki as well, but Aki has a frame of reference and actually had a loving family to kind of inform his decision-making; Denji and Power did not. They're lost, and for all intents and purposes, Tabula Rasa.
So for them to be so similar and grow so close, no one should mind if down the road they wound up becoming intimate in a way that's not familial or platonic.
These are things that happen in real life, and so I don't think it would be weird, despite so many seeing them like siblings _now._ They aren't related, and I can see them making a great couple.
But anyway, I think the big takeaway here that Eyepatch got the _surface_ of is that we don't often see such intimacy develop physically in anime and manga, unless the story is specifically romantic in nature. A majority of what we see is either non-physical or sexless, familial *or* romantic. Physical contact like hugs are rare between siblings or parents and children unless played for comedy, such as overbearing character doesn't respect personal space (Karin and Koyomi Araragi from the Monogatari series and Nagatoro-senpai teasing her "herbivore male" boy-toy), or the child is _very_ young (Kana hugging and cuddling Kobayashi in Dragon Maid). As for adolescents, really the only times you see hugs or kisses are punks flaunting public displays of affection, like a gyaru and her delinquent boyfriend... otherwise, romantic mains in non-romance manga/anime seem almost afraid to touch, with hand holding being a huge deal, like in the realm of "manic pixie dream girls" of various sorts.
So to even see Power being so physical with Denji and him being very cool about it is both endearing for their characters in the story, and refreshing as characters in manga, familial or otherwise.
I actually love it when the fights are secondary and a result of the story rather than a cause. An underlining of the characters characteristics rather than what makes them interesting
It feels like the priorities lie in story and characters, and that the creator has something to say
I remember the exact feelings I had while watching Aki come to love Power and Denji as a family. And the absolute devastation when he died was unfathomable. I also think it's important to note how Denji's conceptualization of sex as this ultimate goal is a reflection of how sex and romance oriented our general society is. What Denji wanted wasn't just a boob grab, but rather he wanted the emotional bond and intimacy of human connection. He just didn't have the ability to process those feelings, so it ended up being translated to "I wanna touch some titties". Which is a fantastic way of exploring both human relationships on multiple levels as well as laying bare how bullshit it is so much of media treats sex like some god tier prize.
Also the panel of Makima saying "do you remember what the nazis did to the jews" is the best bit of unintentional dark humor. I read that while I couldn't feel half my face at the dentist and it was just. A while experience.
Bro it's not that deep holy shit
@@Mattsag100 It literally is. Even if it wasn't, what's wrong with a little extra analysis?
@@Mattsag100 it quite literally is. you must have some ass media literacy lmao
@@sof3432 L y'all are doing that thing every low tier grad student does for media literacy which is attributing the core themes as being deeper extrapolations then what the story is portraying them as
It's correct to say that Denji characterization thru these themes is show to us that sex isn't everything but it's wrong to say this story makes any attempt to actually provide some prescriptive meaning behind them i.e why we should make these changes
That's my core gripe with how people analyze this show. People project their prescriptions onto it and call it masterpiece when the source material doesn't actually prescribe anything. The story is hella fun but it's shallow when it doesn't attempt to say anything on the matter it portrays
@@Mattsag100 so subverting expectations isn't the story commentating on something?
I watched the entire Chainsaw Man anime and when he said "Power is inspired by Eric Cartman" I died cause it fits so well
fire punch deserves its own video imo. It gets called "nihilistic" so often that i think the other themes are completely forgotten. It touches upon narratives in media and how they influence the actions of real people, an addiction allegory, just world fallacy (this thing is bad therefore it must be worth doing because bad things must always have justification etc). There's a lot more going on than "nothing matters lol"
Totally agree with this. Fire punch was really touching in a lot of ways.
I mean, it's understandable. Fire Punch has nihilism in every fucking corner, but the characters and specially Agni never settle for that... Even when they should
also has one of the best trans characters in manga
yeah, i don't think fire punch is ultimately nihilistic, on the contrary it shows that if you go at it long enough, "something" will happen. it might not be what you wished for or "happy/good" per se, but at least it will be interesting.
I have good news for you, there is a fire punch video
“…Denji sees Aki as just another authority figure…” meanwhile in the background Denji is just stomping on Aki’s balls over and over and over again
To be fair he just chainsawed his previous authority figure into little bits, this is showing some restraint
I was watching the latest csm episode with my mom yesterday, and two of my younger brothers were being absolutely insufferable (as per usual). Like shouting, ripping at each other's clothes, being overall menaces. And then came that scene with Denji and Power fighting over the apple in front of poor Aki. And like, I always loved their sibling-like relationship, but that just felt so perfect. I know exactly how Aki must feel about these two
It makes me wish I had another sibling, so my sister would have someone else to constantly fight with
Dope
Fujimoto's low self confidence with art hits so uncomfortably close to home. I started drawing and just generally discovering who I am and want to be as a person fairly late, to my taste at least. I'm 20. I started drawing when I was 16. My entire life until now, I've felt like a placeholder. A blank slate. A mirror, just copying others as much as I could. I started drawing because I was Inspired by some fanart of breath of the wild, it depicted link resting next to a guardian he had just defeated after a long and tense battle. I've always wanted to draw my own comic. To write a story. To create something worthwhile. To put the scenes I fantasized about 24/7 on paper and share them with the world. It's been four years, and I still can't create anything even remotely comic-worthy. My perspectives and proportions are still off, I still can't draw a full body confidently, and my art style still feels uninspired and boring. Every year that goes by makes me more anxious. Will I ever be good enough? Will I ever finish even a single page and be happy with it?
Almost all my friends are artists, and every single one of them is more talented, skilled, and creative than me. I love them so much. My friends are everything to me. But yet, there's this ugly feeling of jealousy inside me. I wish I was like them. I wish I could go back in time and make my younger self start drawing and discovering themself earlier. maybe then I'd be drawing something worthwhile by now. Something that earns me the title of an artist.
I'm so close to just giving up. I failed art college, I'm nowhere near as good as my friends, and everything seems hopeless. I feel like a failure. I AM a failure. four fucking years, and I'm still not good enough. I've started feeling like I never will be. I am so crushingly inferior to everyone around me.
Those answers Fujimoto gave in those interviews seem like reflections of myself.
"I won't be able to draw what I want with mediocre drawings.", "When I see a good artist, it makes me think that they must be cheating somehow. Like they got to redo their life or something.", "I didn't improve from doing oil painting... I really should have done life drawings, I regret that I didn't do any."
I GIVE UP.
and yet, he made all of this. I've only read fire punch and chainsaw man, but both have had huge impacts on me. I reread them more than anything else. They mean so much to me. I won't go into detail why, I don't think there's anything that hasn't already been said by all the wonderful people in this comment section.
The person who made FIRE PUNCH and CHAINSAW MAN, this person I look up to so much, the person who has achieved everything I want to achieve, etc... also feels inferior. He also has regrets. And yet, he managed to move past that and create these masterworks. He's drawn these incredibly touching, tender, absurd, dynamic, iconic and WORTHWHILE panels.
He created all of this despite feeling inferior. He might have gotten close, but he never fully gave up.
I'm close to doing it, but maybe I shouldn't give up either.
You may be close to doing it, but you shouldn't give up either.
If you give up, you just might deprive the world of the wonderful things you'll create in the future.
We'll get there. All of us. Believe in yourselves.
You're 20, and you started drawing at 16. You are already ahead of most aspiring artists as long as you keep up the effort consistently. I also dream of creating a story with art because I delude myself into thinking that the hollow life I live now can be used someday to draw inspiration from and create a story that could resonate with losers like me and inspire them to start feeling less shitty about themselves. Yet I don't even know if I can reach the end of the character arc that I envision for a meaningful story irl. I'm 21, friendless, and studying in university rn but I have absolutely no direction in life. I think I gave up drawing in high school because I was afraid that for all the effort I put in it might amount to nothing, and I have no friends to share this hobby with. I still can't draw consistently today and yet I can't bring myself to stop coming back to it.
Draw to have fun and enrich yourself before you draw to be 'good' and to 'get something published'. I know it's easier said than done but this transformed my entire attitude towards drawing and made drawing actually make me feel good instead of feel bad about myself, and lowered the jealousy I felt towards other artists. It made me want to draw more often than any 'draw every day' advice and made me improve more than any diligent figure studies ever did. I just draw what I want to draw.
I'm glad I can read so I can read all these peoples experiences with art. I hope we can all have our dream comics made into reality
This hits home, in so many ways, I am 21, I would have been dreaming since I was 15/16. I am a mirror made of mental illnesses I barely understand, with no one I can really call a friend, no hobbies I am strongly interested in, little to no motivation in anything I can pursue. I am only now starting to make progress I feel is noteworthy and thats still only the first steps towards my first step.
I do not understand myself. I have ideas for what I may enjoy but no reason to pursue those interests, no goals to achieve, unable to just *play* I really struggle.
I have been writing for years now, mostly world building and character, I find I am good at design, struggle with the comedy part of writing, as well as characters and dialogue scenes. But the world I am building is becoming more and more something I am excited about, the idea of making a book that expresses everything I want is the endgoal behind my probable maldaptive daydreams, creating a table top game out of the world I make so I can share it with people, but that isnt really the reason I do it, instead its more of a way to cope with everything, the main character inspired by my mental illnesses, the world an amalgamation of ideas and aesthetics I like, morphing to the ideologies I have, making writing a story near impossible but also not even the point, every idea is deconstructed, the fantasy trope of heroes on a quest instead viewed as traumatised and beligerent soldiers fighting monsters and being otherwise shunned by most people who dont know the hell they go through, fodder being as valuable as the people fighting them makin any death valuable, and every death meaningless and I started writing to write combat which has made everything even more confusing
Learning more about myself doesnt help, always 2 steps forwards 3 steps back, I learn more about my mental state, and how my story was illuding to it without knowing, and the world changes with my perspective creating new nausiating gaps in any story or rules I make. I am more overwhelmed and confused and irritated the more I learn, I learn I have bpd and understand my moods and mental states but cant control them any better, I find out I am ace but am also unable to properly grapple with that concept anymore so I dont know what I want. There is a reason I just from this video really like and connect with Denji as a character. It will be a long windy frustrating road to get to a point where I feel in control of myself even somewhat, and I am doing all I can to keep moving forward, unsure what I even want as I just take another step blindly
vague goals to guide me along, wanting to find community, and myself, everything filtering through a fractured lens as I try to find ways to achieve either of those in a world that feels more hostile then any I have written
People say I am good at writing, but I dont feel like I really *write* anything, just shape things and move on to the next thing. I am not willing to give up, instead I am struggling to start. I cant express what I want with words, I can only try describe the scenes I dream of before they fade. Drawing suffers a similar issue with a higher barier to entry and more time, I can type a lot of words very quickly and not remember much of anything and it takes ten minutes, but to draw I have to sit and struggle and whatever I make wont feel good until I look at it a few weeks later with a fresh perspective, and like what I made, or at least see that I am doing better then I did the last time I drew something. Which is a bitch to keep motivated. I never considered making manga, the original pipedream was learn to draw stills and then make animatics.. but a manga feels like a much better goal, more freedom with what I want to achieve, and I can always make them more animated digitally if I still want to try my hand with that.
I find the artist behind this so inspiring, and relate to a lot of the feelings, as well as just the things he made being so similar to what I tried to make or wanted to explore. And it is motivating.
I hope I make something that people like, a world people can explore and immerse themselves in as much as me. but I want to just... be a person first and that seems like the hardest part sometimes. I think I am going to actively stop playing games for a while, and only have youtube playing if I am working on something, so I have to sit and struggle and relearn to just *play* again, which I have been doing slowly.
I am pretty tired writing this, should have been in bed an hour ago, but again, this comment really hit for me, I'd love to talk to you more, it sounds like we have plenty in common
I hope you stick with drawing, and are proud of the things you make.
I BELIEVE IN YOU!
Okay, hear me out: you could've translated the supernatural finger existing outside the panel by having it be a real life finger with make up and everything superimposed over the shot.
Not only would it have maintained that uncanny energy behind the original composition of the manga, but would suggest something beyond the realm of the art laid out before us. That's really where mixed-media's greatest strength lies, and why even something like Courage the Cowardly Dog can be so damn haunting at times (or at least when we were kids it was).
If a real life finger would've been too much, then maybe claymation or something along those lines.
that would've been so cool to see... wow.. welp, I guess it's too late now but maybe one day someone will recreate it in that image
I was personally thinking that they could animate the fight in 4:3 ratio so that there are black bars on both sides, when Aki does his pin attack and a finger pops out from the side of the black bar and flicks the end of the sword to recreate that 4th wall break. I think this could also be combined with your idea where instead of an animated finger, it could be a real life finger that pops out from the black bars and flicks.
@@fakerhex A ghost finger going above black bars would have definitely been cool to see. They do that in commercials and in Life of Pi during the flying fish scene where the fish flew above the bars to make it look like it was 3D. On the other hand they probably didn't want to block the animation with bars or the action scene was too fast pace and it would've been jarring.
I defo think the "real" finger cld have worked. Or maybe use a completely different animation style
I think the people who adapted the bocchi anime should have worked on chainsawman
It's truly such a creative adaptation that overshadows the heavy hitters of the season.
I like how CSM became one of the most popular “battle shonen” in recent years. But most appealing part about this series is beautiful human drama
The revenge of the blood devil sprouting out of Denji's lifeless corpse and raining blood weapons into Makima, then hopelessly running away with Denji into a dumpster just blew me away. Returning life and hope to those you love after the primal hatred and disgust and anger of seeing you and everything you love destroyed, ending in a tender embrace... It's just poetic in a way I didn't think possible.
The demons of the story are whole characters unto themselves, with inner lives and wishes, who live the same day-to-day monotony of life punctuated by moments of incredible emotion and terror. You see the most horrible things in the universe unleashed in an all-to-human way. When we see power's devil form it is like seeing into that abject horror and finding the raging, blood-soaked humanity inside of it.
That dumpster scene was the first thing I saw of Chainsaw Man out of context. And it still blew me away in context. It might be my favorite thing I’ve seen in years.
The idea that Power of all people was able to give Denji the strength to push on is quite heartwarming, especially because she was one of Denji's best friends
Denji’s ascent up maslow’s hierarchy of needs is the peak of character development.
Its not. Its not even that deep.
@@ledzeppelinfan1001 yeah yeah whatever chainsaw man hater
@@anonymous-wu9md Its not hating when its the truth lmao
@@ledzeppelinfan1001I'm also sorry that your parents don't love you and you don't have friends or hobby to enjoy so wasting time hating on meaningless comments is the best you can do to kill your pathetic time
@@tpsamI'm so sorry you think pointing out flaws of an overhyped story is a sign of poor parenting and loneliness, you dense cinderblock.
There has never been a video that truly felt like it was made specifically for ME and me alone at the exact right time than Super Eyepatch Wolf releasing a Chainsaw Man hour-long video essay on December 15th, 2022.
- (mostly) Anime focused channel
- Over 1 Million subscribers
- Only 365 days in a year
- Anime fans likely know what chainsaw man is
if he posted it on any day it’d be someone’s bitrhsay
@@otherlego No I'm not quite sure you understand, Super Eyepatch Wolf came to my house and made this video actually just for me, sorry for any confusion.
It's my birthday too 😊
I love Chainsaw Man. Rarely has an anime/manga left such an impact on me that I become an instant fan, read the entire source material and dethrone some of my top favorite pieces of media within a short amount of time. I’m not an outwardly emotional person, but Chainsaw Man has me feel things that every other manga has failed to.
What’s your pfp?
@@bogusbintid8490 pic I took inside of CP2077
YES! FINALLY! Over an hour of a smart man talking about the glory of chainsaw man. This is what i prayed for! YESSSSS!!
UR SO RITHTTT
no one cares about garbage
Am thinking that to, all day i seen on Instagram and UA-cam calling the first 10 episode mid...
Why can't people not just enjoy hard work
So bored of seeing people hate on the show just because it's popular. The top MAL reviews are negative and they've only seen 3 episodes. This story is a masterpiece and Fujimoto deserves his roses.
To me, the most impressive thing about Fujimoto's lack of training is that his CSM has the best panel and page layouts I've ever seen. Lots of it his his film love, lots of it is being an outsider and not learning the conventions that prevent others from doing the innovative things he does with his pages. There's a page in early Chainsaw Man where it starts raining, and the sound effect for the sound of the rain turns to a panel break. It's beautiful. I think about it all the time. I heckin love Chainsaw Man. Fujimoto's the best mangaka I've ever read. Look Back, Goodbye Eri, Chainsaw Man, all incredible works of art that the world is better for.
The end of Chainsaw Man really really reminds me of the song "People II: Still Peoplin'" the end of the song--which is a mostly acoustic number up until this point finishes with the lines "You're and irreplaceable human soul / with you own understanding of what it means to suffer" and then, as if realizing the absolute tragedy of that statement, the singer takes a deep breath, and sings "And thats a huge Bummer!!!" Ending in a wild scream, the whole band kicking in, pulling the tempo up into this hard rock riff, as if their acceptance of how SHIT things can be fuels their anger and rage and violent fighting spirit for just long enough for the song to... abruptly end.
It feels very much like a dead explosion mother moment-- we don't have any words to say about what is happening, no way to confront it, so we blow the fuck up. We make the opportunities to laugh and cry and make dumb stupid decisions because being human is finding the ways to keep going in spite of and because of every single thing you've been through and there's no word in the English language to be able to convey that very human feeling.
I'd never thought I'd see someone els who also loves ajj
What a crossover.
@@bluerat5146 fuckin love ajj
reading this comment made me go and search for this song, as I'd never even HEARD of Andrew Jackson Jihad before.
I want to thank you, so much. From the bottom of my still-healing heart
German might have a word for it 🤣
I cannot physically express how much I love Chainsaw Man from the characters to the story and the pain I felt after finishing the first part to the excitement of starting the second it’s hard to explain why I like chainsaw man but it’s just amazing nothing I’ve ever read before
You should check out the original Watchmen comic by Alan More. That was probably the closest thing to reading CSM in terms of intensity as I was reading it (the TV show they made is a total abomination compared to the source material). Another manga I thought kind of came close as I was reading it was Yofukashi no Uta, although it's not finished yet.
@@takanara7 The watchmen comic sound a lot like a webnovel I read years ago that was and still is a reference in English webnovels called "Worm" by parahumans
@@MrBen580 Parahumans is just the series name, now that we also have Ward; the author actually goes by Wildbow.
@@Kamattsu ty i forgot Abt it I've read it in 2013 and my memory just remembered para humans. I added it just so google would point him to the correct link. Ty nerd.
Chainsaw Man’s art style reminds me of those 90s and early 2000s punk rock art. (Demons, bodily disfigurement, blood, guts, gross out humor, stuff like that).
Fujimoto is a damn genius who knows exactly the type of audience he wants to appeal to.
It also has more parallels in seinen manga, particularly horror and drama comics, than it does in other shounen. Like, his work is stylised for sure, but it's stylised in a different way from a lot of its peers.
i definitely agree, i have gotten those vibes as well. The Artstyle reminds me of alot of classic 90s and 2000s and even Mid 2000's art when it comes to Action horror media but also slasher horror media in very interesting ways.
Fujimoto is brilliant when it comes to making Content for the specific audience. This is why i love several other series that have a distinctive style that helps it stand out on its own but also goes for a specific audience. It gives the Series alot of Character and Identity.
@@ConvincingPeople Correct, i definitely agree. I have always loved series that combine different forms of genres to tell their stories and worlds effectively in different creative ways. Chainsaw Man as a series combines different genres and makes them work very complimenting each other, such using horror, drama, action etc. I do love my different type of shounen manga/comics that are classic but also uniquely different and are stylized in their own way.
Because it's one person with genuine passion who has a consistent vision of what his work has to be
It reminds me of Hunter x Hunter’s artstyle.
his horrifying realization that the goal of touching boobs isn’t a very good goal is so funny, definitely won me over, I am now a fan of chainsaw guy person man
Maybe you didn't interpret it the way I did, but I felt it was pretty clear that Denji's lecherous attitude in the early chapters came from not only being completely touch/affection starved but also thinking that the secret to overcoming that was to get sexual consent from a girl. Think about it, he's a teenage boy with basically no one in his life and no matter where you're from we're constantly being bombarded with idea that the coolest guy is the one all the girls want to throw their bodies at. Denji doesn't want to touch girls because he's some shameless creep, he wants to do it because he thinks it'll give him validation. I think it's absolutely fair to say Chainsaw Man is on a different standard from the typical ecchi trope. Denji doesn't grope anyone or spy on them without consent nor is he some obvious self insert harem wish fulfillment, and when he does finally get a girl naked with him it's not in any sexual context at all, and is a deeply humanizing moment for both characters. No media is above criticism but I really think it's not giving Fujimoto credit to assume he's just writing another booby fanservice moment.
Exactly, this is never brought up enough. Denji is leagues ahead of the common ecchi protagonist. He's a fully fleshed out character with compelling and relatable motivations and desires, and he NEVER acted like a creep. He was eager to get female attention, but he never forces himself on anyone. That's really important. He's also still a kid, naive and with zero relationship experience, which gets taken advantage of in a believable way. His storyline is very well thought out, not like the standard fanservice stuff at all.
Not digging at you at all, but I feel like if you don't understand this, you missed 90% of the story.
very big W|
yeah no
exactly!! and it just makes Makima assaulting and manipulating his naive feelings even more disgusting and heartbreaking :( he wanted to trust her and believe they cared for each other so bad
Goodbye, Eri blew my goddamn mind. I must’ve sat in dead silence for nearly ten minutes after I read it, processing how something so short could fundamentally shift my understanding of how storytelling even works. It’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever read.
Where did you get it? Viz?
@@Luffy-su1ho Yeah! Viz makes a Shonen Jump app with a monthly subscription (the best $2/month I've ever spent). Also available in bookstores in the States in like June 2023, I think.
@@RealLukeWilson Unfortunately, the Shonen Jump app is region locked for me, so I have to settles for Manga plus instead
@@Luffy-su1ho Dang, that sucks! I guess there are scanlation sites, but I know those are way less than ideal.
Makes me want to rewatch some of Satoshi Kon's movies for a fresh perspective.
When I watched it as a teen I just didn't fully appreciate them since I always thought a film must always stick to some consistent logic to be good.
Goodbye Eri really hammers that message that you can absolutely do anything with a story. In the end what matters is what the artist wants to tell and what feelings it evoked within you.
Even documentaries that are seemingly "real" are also susceptible to the creator's own bias from what they want/doesn't want to show.
The shots in the anime really feel like proper cinema. If there's one thing I've noticed it's that, the shot compositions jump out at me like no other anime I can remember, especially when people are just talking or with establishing shots. Yeah, the reflection of Fujimoto's love of film isn't just the references in the OP.
I actually liked the quick fights of the manga quite a lot. It was one of the things that made the show lean more into horror than say Jujutsu Kaisen. Not that I'm complaining about the fights in the anime by any stretch of the imagination.
But sadly, so many people didn't like that direction, especially the japanese audience & hardcore anime fans....they want CSM become like their regular anime in terms of direction, they can't handle something new
@@Soybean13 Most of their brains doesn't even improve anymore. So they just want entertainment and easy explanations.
Yeah, I think it really adds to the sense of atmosphere. You don’t see many anime that let the camera linger like that
@@Soybean13 it's just like what Katana Man said in ep 8, that if you eat the same fast food, you won't have a good palate to know what good food tastes like.
Fujimoto's writing of female characters is fucking unmatched in shonen. Himeno is alive for precisely TEN chapters before dying tragically and unceremoniously, and yet she gets a full character arc and more complexity to her character than Uraraka has gotten in the past 100 chapters of MHA.
😢
That’s why she’s legit my favourite character. I don’t defend the 🤮 kiss, nor what she almost did to Denji after it, but she’s a character who has this more complex personality.
im a woman who has a lot of close male friends and i also loveeeeee love love power and denjis platonic intimacy. theres so many perfect elements to chainsaw man but that one might be my favorite
They are so siblings like it's endearing, hope when power come back in another form the connection is still there
platonic male female friendship needs more representation man
the author of this anime has a list of one shots mainly focused on deep bonds and emotion. Chainsaw Man is a new take on a genre for him compared to his other works. Ihope every reader understands about chainsawman though, its not an action shounen, its a melo drama.
“Misogyny” not these liberal male feminist white knight simp buzz words smh. He brainwashed by the liberal media or pushing an agenda. Like misogyny is such a huge problem he just mentioned family values being destroyed which is a product of the liberal feminist agenda.
Stay away from this one boys 😂😂😂
The part where Denji asked Pochita to run away with his body put a year to my eye. Then how pochita essentially said "no.
I'll give MYSELF as your heart and live your life to the fullest" that broke me man.
Put a year to your eye? That’s kinda sounds like reverse Angel Devil
@@Stryfe52 the devil devil
I think what's great is the contrast between Fire Punch and Chainsaw Man in terms of their central theme. FP is about losing humanity, Agni is stripped of who he is until theres nothing more to take away while Denji builds on himself constantly, even now in part 2 he still gains humanity. Its a really interesting shift in perspective for Fujimoto
You know what could have been a cool way to get around the cursed finger problem? They used a real finger. A real human finger flicking the blade to show this isn’t just apart of the show, this is something or someone impacting the character from the outside. Admittedly, I don’t know how they could have done that, but it’s just a cool though
That would have been trippy as fuck
or maybe to stay loyal to the original, let's use a realistic version of this devil's finger, like a real finger after decorated to look like the devil's and put straight into the anime
or just give the finger unnecessary amount of extra frames compared to others(but then again, the whole scene had tons of frames depicting aki's movement already so the disparity might not be obvious unless they sacrificed some frames for the Aki's animation)
or maybe just literally cut into manga frames, like give black bars around the screen during that specific fight (just giving black bars in top and bottom of the screen would have sufficed too) where the finger moves across the black bars.
i definitely think they definitely could have come up with something instead of totally letting it go and not trying anything at all
This would actually be an awesome way to do the Hell Devil later on
Chainsawman is legitimately helping me get over my own major traumas
I found myself relating kinda directly to denji. I was sexually abused as a child, isolated, locked in rooms for entire days, and then when I went to middle school I was subjected to all the things that others portray as normal but felt completely alien and nonsensical to me
My dream growing up was just to have as much fun as I could before one of my suicide attempts ended up being successful. I ate everything I could, I got high off of every single thing I could get my hands on, I practically threw myself at anyone who gave me love and affection and/or sex without questions.
Now I'm 22. I never died, my dreams achieved and were as hollow as they were shallow. I'm lonely, never getting close enough to anyone to have meaningful friendships, and my experiences have made me strange and broken enough that forming those friendships is very difficult.
But after I finished chainsawman, I felt like I suddenly had this grand understanding of life. That even for someone as fucked and weird as me, there are people out there who I could relate to, that I can be true friends with. I don't think I could've come to that conclusion without seeing Denji accomplish all those things I thought impossible. I started therapy, I've been sober from everything but my anxiety meds for a year, I've reached out to people and they chatted back, I've started to recognize my own emotions and relate them to others. It's still hard, but every time I think it's impossible I remember Denjis dumb ass accomplishing a happy found family and get inspired again. And, with how depressing chainsawman gets, it helped me to realize that even if I do accomplish my dreams and have to watch them fall apart, it'll still be worth it for the memories and for shaping who I am today.
Also, something like this coming from a profile like mine is probably weird, I made it when I was 13 and haven't updated it since lmao
Glad you're doing better.
Stay strong.
You're doing great, man. I hope you manage to fulfill some of your newfound deeper desires, no matter how short or long lived.
Thank you for telling how Chainsaw Man ⛓️🪚♂️ helped you in your life. Hope more good things come at your way.
It’s good you’re doing better. The one that made me feel that was Berserk back when I read it some years ago. If you’re ever hungry for more inspirational stories, Berserk is about Guts learning finding meaning in his life, realizing the meaning he found wasn’t that important, and changing to be a better person because of it.
Im
I oh
I don't know
I have same shitty story, not worse like you man... Im sorry
I, just... Oh
I just want to say Thank you for Fujimoto sensei
He write this story for us
For fcked up and crazy freaks like me
Normies already hate Chainsawman, and thats why Im too emotional with all this hate
Because it matters for ME
Berserk and Jojo saved my life
Jojo showed me that life its fcking amazing and bizzare
When Berserk teached me not to give up even if your enemy is God and Destiny himself
And Chainsawman... This is... This is me
This is all shit I love combined
Thank you Japan and all crazy people
You saved my life
When I got to the point in my manga reading about the bit with the opening door and Power with the cake and went through with what happened after, I remember staring at that page for what seemed to be forever. I flipped the pages back and forth just to make sure, I kept staring at that particular page anyway.
When Fujimoto delivers, he delivers with the impact of a billion planets colliding with each other. Such an overwhelming feeling.
I love the merch! It’s really really stylish!
…but as soon as you said “it’s not a comic or an anime…it’s a Merch line”, I immediately thought of that Bojack Horseman joke, where “the movie is now a bimonthly subscription box of curated snacks.”
Part of this video is just “John coping with the fact that he’s down bad and he cannot fix her” and I love that for him
One thing in Chainsaw Man that went much deeper than I thought is it’s themes of motherly love. From the beginning Makima is portrayed as having almost a motherly role towards Denji (Fujimoto has said her name is a play on “Mama” with the chainsaw cutting “ki”, meaning wood). Chainsaws were also first invented for C-sections for mothers giving birth, and Denji finishes off Makima with a Chainsaw. The Angel devil also refers to Hell as a “womb”, and the last thing that the devils of the fourth division heard while in Hell is the revving of a Chainsaw…
I love when elements of a stories themes and world building all connect into this web of meanings.
Pochita is the main character which means even denji isnt safe ... thats if fujimoto is brave enough
@@solbenjib7580 denji the mc not pochita and i don't want hear it i need official info not headcannon and this comes from a manga reader
'ki' doesn't actually mean 'wood', that's just a meme. The actual katakana character キ comes from 機 which means 'mechanism' (Just like how English letters are ultimately derived form Egyptian hieroglyphs - the original meaning of the character has nothing to do with simplified phonetic one). Fujimoto said he just picked a random syllable to go in the middle.
@@takanara7 it can also be an otomonopeia(sp) thing, like kikikiki to represent the chain clicking as it moves
Can't believe you didn't mention denjis incredible voice acting. Denjis laugh is on par with light.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this is first VA role? What an amazing opportunity for him, and he's doing great.
@@definitelynotanAIchatbot I've heard that too idk if it's true. If it is hopefully he has a long career ahead of him.
@@definitelynotanAIchatbot this is actually his second VA role, his first role was a smaller one
I really love Kikunosuke Toya's voice acting.
I may get shit for this one but the dub for the anime is absolutely amazing and is superior to the sub. May even be better than Bebop's dub.
Another parallel I like with the city mouse and country mouse is at the end of the bomb arc.
Makima ambushes Reze in the alley and evokes the fable. She goes on about how she used to live in a farm...and loved to snuff the life out of the mice who went after the crops.
She cruelly deconstruct the story before killing Reze, as if saying there was no way for someone like her to ever earn a peaceful life.
Such an intimidating villain
Right like country cats exist too lol
My personal take-away from chainsaw man was that the story us about a boy who wanted the simple things in life. He didnt need flashy clothes or exprnsive meals, he just wanted enough to go to bed with a full belly and stay warm through the winter and maybe a few things like a partner and friends as wrll. But this boy is surrounded by others who want so much more. Money, power, fame, revenge, all these complex things. And they continuosly mock him for wanting such simple things. Claiming he dosnt take things sereiously or is just a joke or weak. But whats so wrong about wanting the most basic things in life and being happy with that? Sure, as the story progress the boy realizes he wants more, but not out of greed, because he knows he deserves to be happy and he dosnt have to settle for the bare minimum, its okay to want nicer things as long as your not berating others for what they want and stepping on anyone to get it.
Life isnt a competition to see who has the prettiest shiniest horde. Life is about appreciating the things you get and the things you have, and the things that will enter and leave your life faster than you can blink
The thing I like the most about Makima is how the story makes her very sympathetic without ever forgetting or condoning the terrible things she did, or giving her a pass because “she meant good”.
There’s a ton of subtext in the things Makima says and does, in the ways she interacts with the other characters that shows that her motive, knowledge and sense of self are way more shaky than she lets on…or than she’s aware of. Even the way she describes her plan and motive strongly implies that behind the seemingly noble goal there’s a much more selfish one that she herself might not have fully realized.
Just wanted to mention how much I like the fact that you mention a character's level of self-awareness in your comment ^_^
There's this subtextual layer to Makima's behaviour that only really becomes completely apparent at the end of Part One which is just incredibly sad. You see hints of it earlier, the most striking being the scene in the empty movie theatre, but it's like, there's this yearning for an equal and real human connection to another person that she's too deeply screwed up to pursue in a remotely healthy way, and I don't think she's even entirely cognisant of a lot of it. Which, y'know, isn't untrue of actual people who behave in manipulative or abusive ways, so it rings true in a particularly haunting (and often scary) way.
“Would you like her? No matter what?”
“Of course, duh!”
“Even if she had a shitty personality?”
This conversation between Denji and Himeno tells you everything that’s going to happen and it’s such a nothing piece of idle chit chat between two new friends. Such a great author.
@@ConvincingPeople This is one of the things that to me, ends up making Makima one of the most interesting characters I ever read. I loved that last speech where it becomes apparent that behind this grand universe encompasing plan, the thing she is searching the most is just human contact, but she is not aware of it herself. The sadest part being that Denji, the only one listening to the speech also did not picking up on it, so at the end, this fundamental truth about herself ends up remaining a secret to everyone but the reader.
At the end, every other character had this realization through the suffering and failure Makima exposed them too, but she herself, being perfect and always achieving what she wanted, never arrived at this fundamental human truth.
It hits so hard man.
@@at5203 I think Denji understood, even if, because doesn't think of himself as "smart," he would probably never give himself that kind of credit. There's a reason he asks her about bad movies. That's not something someone without emotional intelligence would have asked her in that position, at least to me. But it is that final conversation with Pochita that puts it all together, for both Denji and the reader.
I have an interesting relationship with this manga. since I am aromantic and asexual I can't really relate to Denji's attractions and his feelings a lot of the time early on. I understood why people liked it but it just wasn't really grabbing me that much. then the movie date happened and I teared up. Denji's struggle, worrying that he was less human because he didn't have the same feelings as everyone else was the most I related to a character in some time and from that point forward, this has been one of my favorite stories I have ever read.
beatiful point. i relate too
The irony is I suddenly shed a tear reading this comment.
SPOILERS FOR PART 1 OF CHAINSAW MAN
My personal favorite exchange in Chainsaw Man is the short conversation that Denji has with Makima right before the final battle in the cemetery.
Denji: “In this ultra-awesome perfect world you’re gonna make, will there still be crappy movies?”
Makima: “Personally… I believe the world would be better if bad movies ceased to exist.”
Denji: “Hmmm… guess I gotta kill you after all then.”
It’s a seemingly ridiculous conversation on the surface, but underneath, it perfectly embodies the core themes of story. We can only truly appreciate good movies when we’ve seen the bad, and we can only understand the weight of the best moments in our lives when we understand the worst.
True. How can any of us live in a world where everything is perfect without seeing the mistakes.
The Aki morning scene and others like it are exactly why Fujimoto, the manga and the anime are just sublime. They know the importance of "blank space" and how much can be packed in to "nothingness". Giving it time to breathe. They said themselves in their 17-21 manga collection that their editor at the time told them they "draw 31 pages for what could be said in 16", meaning they're wasting space. So they drew a 31 page one shot lmao.
I’m halfway through this video and I’ve cried three times just remembering the story and the way it’s impacted me. Help.
Update: just finished, cried 3 more times
Grow up lol, this shit is 6 outta ten at best. 6 and a half is pushing it.
Hang in there 😞✊
@@sillyaurora Then I am totally gonna cry 😭 from this
I've ugly cried thru the whole video because I'm healing rn and realizing stuff about my life.
No wonder all the edits made with Chainsaw man look so perfect, the manga is formatted in the most cinematic way possible.
Yes… If only people stopped destroying the editing with sped up songs that sound ridiculous.
The fact you started this video with Euphoria, the same track you used to hype up chainsaw man in your state of shonen video, gave me legit goosebumps. Both that song and chainsaw man have been living in my head for years now and you're entirely to blame for introducing me to both pieces of amazing media. Thanks funny internet man!
I'm fully convinced chainsaw man part 1 was a horror in disguise. The former half of it was only about the control and manipulation of denji and his entire world crumbling. Makima picked denji up so she could kick him down and force him under her heel as a means to an end.
Edit: mistakes
It wasnt lmao
@@ledzeppelinfan1001 woops I meant just around the middle + hell arc
It has horror elements but I don't think itit's horror in general
@@artimation4710 it has serious undertones, that's what convinced me
Something I experienced personally while reading the manga, near the end of book 9 (keeping it vague for anime watchers) when Denji is told not to open the door, all of the panels have this anxious energy to it, almost in denial of the fact something could be wrong, mirroring Denji himself. And when he walked up to the door and put his hand on the door knob, I honestly just sat there, knowing once I turned the page nothing would ever be the same again. And that certainly was the case.
I not much into horror personally, but series like this and JJK have honestly opened my eyes to a lot of amazing, deep story telling you can't really have with a lot of other shows.
A true master piece, indeed.
Himeno: "Don't die."
also Himeno: "Start smoking."
A real Masterpice does not make you crin-e all the time. This Anime does. Its average at best, but i guess the subjective Opinion
of 'literally quality-starved 2022-People cant really tell?
@Loturzel Restaurant while I enjoy cynicism I don't really care what you think about CM fans
@@loturzelrestaurant This is completely unrelated to the comment, plus your opinion is wrong
@@nameless_1 Haha, Yeah, 'my opinion is wrong', sure.
Its not like the s-ual s-it in Chainsaw Man has annoyed or annoyed+ trillions of people.
Sure, DISMISSAL is not crin-e at all.
@@loturzelrestaurant ,,Trillions of people" yeah yeah and my Grandma has laser eyes. I don't get why people just watch videos about stuff they don't like and annoy the people who like it in the comment section
7:46 He actually graduated with a degree in Western Painting, so he did have formal training in art. Just not in manga. He started drawing manga in high school on his own. I think he said in an interview though he didn’t consider it super helpful for drawing manga. But you can really see the influence if you look at the way he does color illustrations, especially the more subtly colored ones.
Dude so you probably wont read this but: first I’m 53, and old x’er lol so yes, admittedly I can and often am late to the party, thus I only recently discovered your channel…I can not exspress how lucky I feel having done so! Your journey sounds as if it has been long and arduous and filled with emotions, and your essays seem to be a deeply personal and true reflection this journey;in each work of yours you consistently and amazingly convey this in such an articulate, intelligent and genuinely sincere very real way! You are the first million plus creator that I’ve encountered that truly deserves each and every one of your subs, myself included having proudly added to your numbers. Truly, your work is top shelf; watching your progression in the last decade(almost) to present you are obviously entering into an artistic phase that will allow you to make monumental creative strides you haven’t even thought of yet; not just as a writer or an animator or “content creator” but as an artist! The type of story telling you have been doing with your merch speaks volumes to me about who I think you are as an artist. You have achieved so much at this point while being mindful of your ‘empty horizons’ and your honesty, self awareness, about your journey is astounding at your age imo. I am so impressed with your signature sincerity and creative skills you as a storyteller, I have watched your public evolution and want you to know that all of your hard work is noticed, appreciated. I want to thank you for staying true to yourself artistically and let you know that I have so much respect for you and your work! From an old artist to a young artist I’ll say this: you entering into (what I feel ) will be the most productive and profound period of your career; no longer can you be hampered by your skill set (you have mastered those) your work is affecting, artfully and flawlessly crafted, powerful, introspective, and feels genuinely real. Well done! You deserve all of your current success; hard earned and achieved with grace and gratitude. This is a very long winded way of telling you how grateful I am to have discovered your work now, as you hit your creative and artistic stride, and I am looking so forward to your future work; excited for your next video and future projects. You are not a content creator imo, you truly are an artist, deserving of the title, the admiration , the subs, the attention, gratitude and most of al, the respect of your audience for being the ‘real thing’ doing what you love and having been so successful while remaining true to yourself and your audience. I appreciate your past work but I look forward to your future work the most and thanking you for allowing us, your audience, to be witnesses as you continue on your journey.
Another note about the manga medium doing something wholly unique and impossible to replicate in animation--Goodbye Eri was published digitally and, when read in vertical format on a phone or other device, the 1/4 page wide panel structure quickly becomes reminiscent of a film reel.
Eyepatch Wolf's content always seems to transcend the medium of just a guy reviewing something, it's almost art in its self.
Oh it is
It's just his voice. Man owes his fortune to his wonderful voice tone😂
Almost an art? 😅
Friend you’ve got to pay attention, his videos are very intentionally artistic. Nothing accidental or almost about it
Fujimoto’s style is so unique I’ll never forget just browsing new manga and coming across Fire Punch. The deep tragedy mixed with bizarre meta 4th wall breaking was one of the first instances where my high school shounen addicted mind was like whoa, finally a story taking it to the next level! That ending kinda meh but I’m glad Fuji learned from it and made Chainsaw Man. Finishing that series was something special.
I really, truly believe that Fujimoto is the New God of Manga. Every single thing he makes is truly special, I haven't seen that since Tezuka.
How you found it ? I want to look up other mangas
and it looks like he hasn't lost his touch with how good part 2 is so far
I would go as far as to say he's definitely one of a kind. There's many mangaka who write how they want and it works big time but with Fujimoto it's the same but different. He has a lot of dark humor but he naturally knows how to not let it get away from him and his love for film really shines through. His short works/one shots are insane. The man knows how to compose scenes and plots.
I'll preface this by saying Chainsaw Man is my first manga and one of my first animes i've viewed.
i'm not an emotional person, not in the slightest, i don't cry at tear-jerker movies, i don't know if i've ever had a youtube video, book, or piece of media affect me emotionally. This video made me start crying a couple times for both happy and sad reasons. chainsaw man is such a great story and i feel like this video perfectly encapsulates it and clearly explains WHY i feel so strongly about this story about a guy with a chainsaw on his face. What a way to spend my birthday, realizing this masterpiece and my place here in this horrible, great world.
Wow
Holy shit that merch idea is actually really brilliant. Plus the sustainability and ethical nature you’re going about it is highly commendable. I don’t usually buy UA-camr merch, but shit man you sold me. Proud of you Eyepatch, been watching you for years and years and it’s so nice to see you thrive
1:06:45 This moment, right here, is the kinda shit I would never expect from a video essay. The way this one moment is edited and read puts the fear of God in me, and it's something I could only find here. Well freaking done, Super Eyepatch Wolf.
oh wow, i guess you're right. That point stood out to me as well.
I love every interview I’ve ever read with Fujimoto because he just says shit like “If I don’t get better than them in 4 years, I’ll kill them.” He’s just… himself. Like all the time. Unapologetically. And boy is he an… interesting guy.
Well, I’ve never seen any form of Chainsaw Man media, but this video still broke me. I knew in the very last section of the video that I should have stopped, avoided spoilers and watched/read it for myself, but I didn’t. I was too drawn in.
The whole time I genuinely felt sick, like genuinely going to throw up. I could see what was happening, it had already played out in my mind and I was still watching. And then it happened. And I think I actually had a panic attack, straight up. Slight spasms, hyperventilating, dissociating. Just… Jesus Christ.
But now I need to watch it, I *need* to read it. If just this summary and analysis could do this, I can only imagine how powerful the actual media will be. Super Eyepatch Wolf, this is a beautiful video, and I can only say that you have succeeded with it in every way possible. Thank you.
Im the eldest brother of two and i can confirm: Denji's relationship with Power is very much fraternal, they're two aimless weirdos who are at eachother's throats as much as they're there for eachother and their silent platonic affection for one another is almost never outwardly mentioned but constantly felt
I'm gonna keep it a buck fifty, my guy, Fujimoto's kinda weird when it comes to sisters
@@garlicmayonnaise8615 I find it really insane that people praise the subtleties of the drawings in chainsaw man (with reason) but then when it comes to the relationship between power and denji they're like "it's 100% platonic" when there's literally a scene where denji basically gives a hickey to power.
It's been argued that denji sees it platonically but power may have started developing something more down the line without really understanding it herself and i think i agree with that
@@hypstersaurus6828 I agree but I also think they might BOTH have romantic feelings they just don't really get it because they're both inexperienced with interpersonal and intimate relationships. The biggest evidence I've seen from people that they are platonic is Denji stating he has no sexual feelings towards her while bathing her (which he finds strange) but like no fucking shit he doesn't, the only reason he's bathing with her is bc she is incapable of doing it on her own due to the trauma she has from the Darkness Devil, Denji clearly cares about her more than probably anyone else in his life and I think he understands on a subconcious level that he doesn't want to hurt her by taking advantage of her in such a vulnerable state.
@@Dell-ol6hb honestly love your interpretation, i had thought about it a bit also, but your interpretation is really beautiful.
it's stated directly in the manga that makina made them live together so denji could have a "brat little sister" which i find really weird considering the author's fetishes 💀 and its also clear that there was romance between the two, just in the way they are constantly framed when taking care of each other in the later chapters
@@hypstersaurus6828didn't Power literally kiss Denji on the lips when they made the deal to find the new Blood Devil at the end of the manga?
power is like if you took a feral raccoon out of a skip and gave it two of those mechanical grabby-hand toys, a knife, and the understanding of how both of those things can work together in order to wreak untold havoc
I think it’s interesting that you say that Chainsaw Man says what it intended to say by the Makima door chapter. *Spoilers* But I think Chainsaw Man’s thesis chapters are Chapter 92-93 with Denji, Kobeni and Kishibe’s conversation. The whole story Denji is controlled by others and it’s at this moment he recognizes that. He learned from Quanxi that ignorance is bliss but he realizes that him not thinking for himself has led him to where he is now, at his lowest point. When Kobeni tells him that what he’s just described sounds like a “normal” life, Denji is confused. All he’s wanted is a normal life and now Kobeni is here telling him that a normal life is full of being controlled and being hurt. When Denji sees how much everyone loves Chainsaw Man on the TV he realizes that he doesn’t want a normal life. He wants more than that, he wants everything, he wants to be CHAINSAW MAN. It’s in these chapters where Denji comes to self actualization, he wants more than just the bare necessities and wants to BE something. The ending with Nayuta also shows how much Denji has grown, as he’s now becoming what Aki was for him, a big brother. Denji desires unconditional love, and that’s what he wanted from Makima but instead received from Pochita, Power and Aki. Now it’s Denji’s turn to give Nayuta that unconditional love
Wonderfully put, honestly think you nailed it on its head.
It's also, in a twisted way, what Makima always wanted but was incapable of understanding how she could obtain it. She conceptualised Pochita as her only true equal, but he could only be that if he were her opposite, and because of the kind of person she was-it is implied because of how she was raised, apparently as a weapon by the Japanese government-her whole understanding of what "an equal relationship" is was totally jacked, so she had to control him. As Nayuta, the Control/Conquest Devil finally has a chance to have that, to be loved unconditionally and treated not as a superior but as an equal. And that's really beautiful! It made me tear up! I love this series so much…
I think what I love most about Chainsaw Man is how earnest and sincere everyone goes about what they want in the face of a world that might as well be Hell. I think of that day Himeno sacrificed herself, Aki did the very same. From that day on Aki is already dead, motivated purely by revenge. But through Denji and Power, he rediscovered that kind of love in a way, even in the face of tragedy looming. And even as he goes, he extends that love to someone else. I think a lot about that one shot of Angel standing alone, staring at the sunset. Him and Aki have both experienced tragedy, both are cursed, both are living dead men. The difference being that Angel never got to rediscover his love, being forced to destroy it by Makima. What I think is so beautiful about Aki and Angel is that they’re two people past their expiration date, waiting for oblivion, giving each other one last chance at connection before it all goes dark. Aki is definitely the most important character to me.
Denji is impossible not to root for. He’s a poor, mentally sick, abused kid with no sense of what he truly needs. But early on, the way he embraces his lunacy, wearing his sickness on his sleeve, is so earnest and charismatic and lovable. But I find my heart sinking early on whenever he becomes introspective. A part of him knows how wrong and unhealthy this all is but he’s never been taught his worth. So be chases intimacy without understanding it. I can relate to that a lot. Especially when I was his age. I have a genuine love for Denji as a character and as a person, a figure of immense tragedy, a sadistic lunatic, a sick, unhinged freak, and a good kid ❤
One last thing. Makima. I don’t have much to say about her except that I find her fascinating. She exists as a being of pure evil, understanding human behaviour down to the last chemical imbalance, yet fascinated by the idea of family. She seeks that, in her master plan, family in the chainsaw man. But in all of her evil, the lives that she ruins, the souls she damns, clawing desperately behind the scenes at the idea of love, she fails. She fails to abandon the inherent evil that would cloud that love, even if she did get it. If by some miracle, chainsaw man would love her. Or eat her.
Makima, by definition, is a being doomed to apathy but trying desperately to escape it. She’s a doomed soul, dragging everyone down with her.
Chainsaw man is manga...but it's art style are more like a movie(or graphic novel). Author do not use dramatic angle, focused on character's feeling and emotion more than battle and fight scenes, unique cuts and fascinating arts. This things make Chainsaw man so unique and I really really love it.
spoilers for csm ending
the ending of part 1 of chainsaw man where denji finally kills makima is one of my favorite endings ever. he doesn't kill her out of malice or hatred or revenge. he comes to understand that makima never loved him, or even saw him as a human. and he accepts that for what it is and uses it to his own advantage to defeat her, finally moving on. proving to her that she's wrong, and ignorance is not bliss.
Put a spoiler tag please. I dont think i can sleep knowing that an anime only watcher got spoiled (especially when it's csm) plez!
@@communist754 It's why my favorite part of the entire story is right before their final fight, when Denji asks her, "In this ultra-awesome perfect world you're gonna make, will there still be crappy movies?" And she says that in her world she thinks it would be better if they didn't exist, that was when Denji decided to kill her. For as all knowing as Makima was, she never acknowledged the little joys in life, just like she never acknowledged Denji.
Damn, I just thought the fight and panels were badass
I read the manga in just 2 days and WOWWWW!!! Was a 10/10 to me! This ending was so epic even being so simple, Makima is just SCARING asf
I’ve never felt as much genuine fear reading a manga as I have while reading the darkness devil introduction. I can’t wait to see that (and every single thing else) animated.
That scene is going to traumatize some people when it gets made lol
People were already very confused with Katana man, Ghost and Snake, so I can't imagine how their reactions to Darkness will be. It's making me giddy just thinking about it.
there's this really good fan made video about this moment ua-cam.com/video/9mpier3ziqE/v-deo.html literally gave me chills
the Darkness Devil scene was basically Fujimoto going "so I heard you all enjoyed the Eclipse scene from Berserk" :)