Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1: Dog and Chainsaw

I'm only reading this because everybody and their mother on TikTok keep recommending it to me. I've already been spoiled to hell and back for this series, so I think that slightly affects how I view this first volume. I already know some of the pivotal moments, plot twists, and what happens to some characters later on in the series. Knowing this motivates me to read on, even if the first volume is just okay. I'm mostly curious about how the plot progressed that way. The main protagonist is Denji, who is basically an average horny teenage boy, who lived a pretty terrible life. After an incident, he becomes Chainsaw Man, even though he's never called that in this volume. Denji as a character isn't really... likable? Honestly, he's mostly show more someone you would feel bad for, seeing his previous living circumstances. The most interesting thing is the world-building and the whole concept of the devils. Devils are creatures born of human fear. The more people fear [Thing] the strong that devil becomes. That is a very interesting concept! There is an entire agency that is tasked with keeping the threat of devils under control, which is where we meet more of the cast. So far, no one is very likable. Makima is honestly scary in a subtle way. Her physical mannerisms make it seem like she's just a gentle professional woman, but what she says makes her terrifying. At least to me. I'm unsure how I feel about Makima, but that dichotomy makes me interested in how she develops over the series. (Yes, I know some spoilers about Makima from TikTok spoiling me to death, but I want to see how she goes from point A to point B.) All I know from this volume is she is insanely manipulative and doesn't seem to care about other people's personhood. Power is honestly aggravating in this volume. I know she's supposed to come off as funny (the clips I've seen of the anime are her being pretty funny) but it comes off as grating in this first volume. Also, the balance is comedy and gore is both interesting and bewildering. Honestly, I think the whiplash between goofy comedy to some absolutely insane horrific scenes is part of why it's popular. Usually, it's one of the other, not both. It's blended fairly well though. The comedy is always used to alleviate the horror of the carnage you see only a few pages back. I'm still going to read on, even though I'm pretty meh on this first volume. show less

What a wild ride. Denji is a boy from the street who has had little love, affection, or even human contact. His father dies and leaves him with a 700,000 yen debt. The only way for him to survive is to pay off this debt and live on pieces of bread. In his world Devils exist. Most are deadly, but some are cute, including the “dog” he comes to love. This devil dog becomes his heart which allows Denji to transform into the ultimate killing machine Chainsaw man. This helps him pay off his debt and rise in society. This book is so freaking good! Towards the middle Denji becomes obsessed with boobs, but with his upbringing it is understandable. THere is a full cast of characters, some you love like the Fiend, and some you hate like his show more “savior”. This was such a great read. Can not wait to pick up book 2. show less

Chainsaw Man appears to exist in a world where humans and demons coexist somewhat. Because of Denji’s debt, he kills devils along with his pet devil dog, Pochita to bring in some income. The Yakuza take their share, leaving little for Denji. In an unfortunate set of circumstances, Denji is forced to join Pochita’s “spirits” to become Chainsaw Man. He works with Makima and a government-based organization as soon as they discover him to keep all demons and devils under control.

This book can be cringe-worthy, especially when Denji realizes his only wish is to touch some boobs. He’s your typical lovesick, dopey boy who doesn’t seem to understand reality or have any serious thoughts. It is important to recognize Denji’s show more upbringing in order to understand his behavior. Because of his lack of a loving parent and being treated like a pet by the Yukuza, he desires a comfortable life and a woman. Is there any part of it you find annoying? Yes, of course. Does it sometimes detract from what I can describe as world complexity? Yes, I do. Part of me understands what Fujimoto was trying to accomplish with his character, however. Denji’s lack of manners, social cues, and giving into his most basic carnal urges illustrate the environment in which he grew up. However, for me, this takes away from the world-building and complexity of his story. Fujimoto simplifies the world and its characters. This is a flaw in the series. .

For those who enjoy a gory, baffling manga with lots of action and humor, Chainsaw Man is for you. The first volume is enjoyable, yet pacing and characterization need improvement. The characters are quirky, and it filled the story with wild twists and turns. Chainsaw Man is sure to please anyone looking for a thrilling manga. show less

So awful that it's kind of good. I want to give it 2 stars for objective merit and 4 stars for the reading experience.

The negative reviews are right, the writing is juvenile, the plot spotty, and the characters shallow. Somehow that combines into a gonzo manga that works. 10 pages in I wondered what people were on when they gave this 5 stars. By the mid-point I understood.

I don't love it, but it is entertaining and not what I was expecting. I'll read volume 2.

Take your basic monster hunter premise and insert a very dim protagonist who can magically protrude chainsaws from his arm and face and whose major dreams are pretty simple: food, shelter, and oh yeah, "I wanna touch some boobs . . . "

Leading directly to "Chapter 5: A Way to Touch Some Boobs," with the complaint, "I'd do anything to touch some boobs though," and the offer, "What if I said I'd let you touch my chest . . . if . . . " And eventually we get to, "Gimme back my boobs!"

Yup.

Despite that B.S., there is an intriguing monster-hunting boss named Makima, some other jokes that are equally stupid but sort of funny, and an exciting cliffhanger. I may give this another try to see if they can move past their little fetish.

When Denji was a kid, his father committed suicide, leaving behind an enormous debt, which yakuza then expected Denji to pay back. On his own, Denji probably would have died. However, he happened upon a wounded devil that looked like a little dog with a chainsaw sprouting out of its face. He offered it his blood in exchange for a contract, and that's how Denji's friendship with Pochita began.

Even with Pochita's help, however, Denji occasionally had to resort to selling his own body parts in order to make the payments yakuza demanded from him. And eventually even that wasn't enough - the yakuza attempted to make their own contract with a devil and became zombies as a result, reducing both Denji and Pochita to pieces tossed into a show more dumpster. With the last of his strength, Pochita made another contract with Denji, becoming his heart in exchange for getting to hear more of Denji's dreams.

The first person to encounter the newly changed Denji is Makima, a public safety devil hunter. She agrees to add him to a public safety devil hunting squad, but only if he never quits. If he does, she'll kill him. Denji is just happy that someone is finally being slightly nice to him. It helps that that someone is a pretty woman.

I don't know if I like this or not, but it certainly is readable. I felt sympathy for Denji, who had it so rough throughout his entire life that his greatest dream, at one point, was to eat a slice of bread with jam on it. But dang was that kid easy to manipulate. All Makima had to do was promise him food and say that she likes him for him to basically agree to be her dog and do whatever she asked. She didn't even always have to follow through - at one point she made him leave a meal behind in order to hunt a devil, telling him that she didn't want her own noodles to get soggy.

This volume also introduces another couple characters, Aki Hayakawa and Power. Aki instantly hates Denji, which is awkward, since they end up living together. Power is something known as a fiend, a devil that's taken over a human's corpse. This is apparently different from Denji's situation, because you can see the effects on the person's head - Power has horns. For Denji, the most appealing thing about Power is the possibility that she might let him touch her boobs (his next wish, now that he's had bread with jam and been hugged by Makima).

I don't currently regret buying a few volumes of this - I do want to continue on - although I suspect it'll be a series I'll feel okay about offloading later on. I was worried about the level of gore, and yes, it's a lot, but it's also not drawn in a particularly detailed and/or realistic way. So far it's at a level I can handle.

Here's hoping we get to see more of Pochita, even if only in flashbacks. I liked the relationship between him and Denji, and I wonder how he got to the point where he was willing to consider a human a friend.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

A great start. Denji and Pochita are likable, and the ladies here are ruthless and powerful. The cast of characters seem interesting.

I thought I would take a stab at the first volume since this is getting an adaption, but all the goriness (I wince when turning the pages) has me grieved. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but it’s charming.