Chainsaw Man is a highly anticipated anime that launched on October 11th on Crunchyroll. The anime is an adaption of the following manga written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

The story follows a kid named Denji who turns into a chainsaw and hunts devils. As cool as it sounds, that is all it offers at least within the first episode anyway.

Denji is just like any stereotypical anime protagonist. You have the tragic backstory, unlikely powers, and just about everything going wrong is going wrong. Typical plot but Chainsaw Man still tries to draw us in.

Denji still tries to be a great character that many young adults can relate to in some ways. He’s down on his luck, doesn’t have the best living condition, and is trying to pay off his debts.

Above anything, all he wants is two things: good food and a girlfriend.

With the introduction of the character, Pochita, Denji’s sidekick and devil-dog, we are given a heartwarming story in the first episode of a teenager just wanting to get out of his bad situation- even though there is a little chainsaw protruding out of its face.

Upon Chainsaw Man’s epic transformation, which is very much the highlight of this episode, we are met with a lovely display of pure violence. Gore and guts alike splatter the inside of a warehouse as Chainsaw Man debuts his incredible power, giving the audience a taste of what’s in store for the rest of the season. 

Throughout the episode, the effort put in by animators and visual effect artists alike is obvious. Beautiful colors make slower, more emotional scenes. The blend of 2D hand drawings along with 3D models creates a movie esc- type feel which is clearly what the aim of this animation was going for from things like camera angles. 

In terms of excitement, the animation provides nothing too jaw-dropping, but if you like the bloodshed and gore of the first episode then you should stick around for the rest of the show.