Chensō Man, チェンソーマン

Genre: Action, Comedy Horror, Dark Fantasy

Written By: Tatsuki Fujimoto

Publisher: Shueisha/Viz Media

Volumes: 11

So, I’m changing how I review manga now and decided to do it volume by volume. This way, it’s easier for you all to read, for me to type, and looks cleaner overall. This week we are getting into one of the most hyped series out right now, Chainsaw Man. We’re only a little under a month away before we get the animated tv series but before that happens, I wanted to review the manga so far!

Summary

Our story starts with Denji, a very poor human boy, having to pay off his deceased father’s debts by hunting “Devils”. These Devils are born from human fear and tend to be not only dangerous but malevolent as well. He’s also got a pet devil dog named Pochita who is like a mix between a dog and a chainsaw. These two work together until one day the Yakuza member who’s paying off his father’s debt, decides to betray him and tries to get him killed by another devil. Escaping within an inch of his life, he hides with Pochita and realizes he’s about to lose his life.

While unconscious, Pochita speaks to Denji for the first time and tells him that he’s loved hearing him talk about his dreams and would love to see him achieve them. This then prompts Pochita to give Denji his heart so he can show him his dreams. Denji wakes up, and discovers he has a string coming from his chest now, and once he pulls it?

After his battle with the zombie devil, he’s approached by Makima, a Public Safety Devil Hunter. She propositions Denji to work for her or be killed. It doesn’t take much to persuade him as she offers to buy him food. He goes on to meet Aki Hayakawa, a member of Makima’s squad (Division 4) who tells him if he’s not serious about his work, he should quit. This is after he beats him up and once he learns his only motivation is to try and get with Makima, he renders him hopeless. But does that stop Denji??

Through a series of events, Denji proves himself useful then we get to meet yet another member of his squad. She’s actually a Fiend, which is like a Devil but apparently worse. Her name is Power and she’s confident with 0 brain cells, so I love her! Initially, she and Denji do not get along but towards the end of the volume that changes.

Characters

We were introduced to a few characters but these are the major players.

Denji

This boy is down bad like my god. He’s not complicated and knows what he wants out of life; food, boobs, and a girlfriend. He finds solace with a devil pet, Pochita, and the two become an unstoppable team. Due to him taking Pochita’s heart, he can transform into a Chainsaw Devil making him a hybrid.

Pochita

The cutest chainsaw dog you’ve ever seen, Pochita was Denji’s companion. There are actually some cool revelations that will come to light in the future regarding him. For now, he has merged with Denji in order to be the next Chainsaw devil.

Makima

~~Evil incarnate~~ head of the Public Safety Division 4 and takes Denji in as her “pet”. She’s very intelligent, cunning, and manipulative. Using Denji’s quest for a relationship, she gets him to basically do his bidding. The streets tell me we need to watch out for this woman.

Aki Hayakawa

Public Safety Devil Hunter and member of Division 4, Aki is stoic, mature, and hates devils. His entire family was killed by one and this causes him to clash a lot with Denji and Power. However, he’s pretty gentle when he’s by himself.

Power

Ms. Girllboss herself, Power is the Blood Fiend and another member of Division 4. Her signature red horns, long hair, and razor-sharp teeth definitely make her stand out in her human form. She’s very childish, greedy, and selfish. The only person she seems to care about more than her is Meowy, a cat she happened to meet when she was in her Fiend form. She and Denji have some funny and interesting interactions and I can’t wait to see more from them.

Highlights

The concept of devils and fiends.
So far lots of gore and colorful characters

Conclusion

I don’t think this manga should be taken seriously at all. What I mean by that is it’s definitely true to its comedy horror tag. There are a lot of ridiculous situations and statements being made all throughout the chapters. However, Denji is definitely your average shonen protagonist. He starts off with no powers or abilities and is definitely below the poverty line, but he gradually climbs up that heroic ladder. I think what I’m looking forward to the most is seeing his growth.

This volume was more of an introductory one but there are still a lot of questions and mysteries to be solved. My anticipation for the next few chapters is through the roof so this volume did what it needed to do. I’m rating this volume

🍙🍙🍙🍙

If you want to purchase this volume, you can click the link below!