Well, one thing about the series being stuck in a time loop on an empty hotel floor – it gives us plenty of time to get to know the remaining cast members. I can’t say either of them made a positive impression, but to a degree at least it was by design. There’s always a bit of uncertainty about how we’re supposed to take characters like Kobeni (Takahashi Karin) and Arai (Yashiro Taku), though. Comic relief? Sympathetic? Just generally reprehensible? Even when the answer seems obvious you just never know where a mangaka’s headed (look no further than Shigatsu wa Kimo no Uso for proof of that).
This business about being trapped outside of space and time is an old chestnut to be sure, but it’s pretty clear that Fujimoto isn’t about reinvention so much as riffing on his many influences. There’s something elemental to this fear – every door and window leads back on itself, the elevators aren’t running. Hell, it seems like they even got unlucky and landed a floor with no vending corner. We can all understand the low-key terror of that on a visceral level, which is why Kobeni and Arai falling to pieces isn’t completely damning at first. Though that becomes moot pretty quickly.
This is the doing of that little devil Power killed – but apparently not. It’s actually the Eternity Devil (Saitou Kozue), and the 8th floor is apparently its stomach. That explains why the elevators aren’t running and why Aki can’t summon his foxy friend – though for the record, not why the power and water still work. It comes to Aki Squad with an offer – feed it Denji, and it’ll let the rest of them go. It also says that what we’re seeing it not its main body so it can’t be killed, as Himeno’s experiment with her ghost devil seems to verify.
I’ll cut to the chase: I hate Arai and Kobeni and I hope the Eternity Devil lives long enough to eat them in the hopes it will shut them up. Aki and Himeno are fine – and they refuse the Eternity Devil’s contract offer (though on the grounds that they won’t make a contract to help a devil). I kind of got the vibe immediately that Himeno would sell out eventually, and she did – to protect Aki. But Aki holds out to the end, and in rather dramatic fashion too. Apparently he has a contract with his katana (or whatever devil inhabits it) that would give him enough power to get them out of this mess, but every time he uses it he loses years off his life. And Himeno is happy enough to sacrifice Denji to prevent that.
It’s not a shock that Chainsaw Man is not exactly filled with nice people, but it is rather striking what an awful group this is. Makima we can charitably call an enigma, though what she did with Denji last week was pretty transparent. Himeno, okay, she’s prioritizing loyalty to her partner (who I’m assuming she’s in love with) over morality or ethics. But the other two… It’s bad enough that Kobeni wigs out immediately and then happily tries to kill Denji at the first approach from the E.D. – she’s also incredibly annoying about it. And Arai – who takes to bed at the first sign of trouble and joins the chorus calling for Denji’s sacrifice immediately, though he lacks the balls to actually try and kill him as Kobeni did – is just as bad, only slightly less theatrical about it.
There may come a time when CSM tries to convince me of these two’s true worth, but it’s dug a pretty deep hole for itself if it does. They certainly seem completely unfit for this job based on their behavior under pressure, but I guess in the mythology – somewhat more realistically than most – demon hunters are not superhuman elites but mainly losers who can’t function in normal society or support themselves any other way. It’s a literal dead-end job, and with folks like this in the ranks that’s not surprising. Aki comes off looking the best of anyone so far – he may be on a vengeance quest but he’s got some principles and he’s willing to put it all on the line for them. Guys like that don’t usually survive long in stories like this one…
Samu’s Impressions:
Bottle episode! No action, just endless corridors, hotel rooms, flashbacks, and the growing sense of dread. Although it’s entirely a result of the material its adapting it is curious that while others like Bleach, Mob Psycho III, and My Hero Academia are currently covering bombastic moments to get audiences raring we have Chainsaw Man once again taking its foot off the pedal and letting the characters just be. This allows further characterisation of the larger crew, in particular Kobeni this week, a fan favourite in many ways: an unhinged panic attack in human flesh. She (like Arai) seems like a total normie amongst the company of weirdos, but there’s a hint to her own unfortunate circumstances that seems to bring all these unlucky demon hunters together. For her it comes in the form of her being the rejected sibling with no prospects but to earn money for her gifted younger brother.
By this point in the manga I was fully invested in Denji but not so much with Aki or Himeno, but the past couple episodes have done the most with their materials and this adaptation has highlighted the tangible sense of camaraderie between them; Himeno seems to have been the one to help lift Aki out of the most depressive moments in his life after losing his family, meanwhile Aki is a familiar comfort to Himeno that exposes cracks in her strong outer facade. The notion that he could sacrifice any of his life in this upcoming fight by using his sword or perhaps be in danger of losing it altogether rattles her in a way that cuts straight to the heart of her own issues – issues that everyone in this band of misfits seems to possess and is pushing through with each new mission.
Poor Denji goes from instantly falling asleep in the comfort of a real bed (likely a foreign concept to him even now) to being pushed/attacked by Kobeni, Arai, and Power (for the fun of it) as the sacrifice to appease the Eternity Devil’s contract. Aki ends up as his protection in a way that while a quick development from only a few episodes ago manages to feel genuine, both in how their unlikely relationship is coming together by their proximity to one another and how Aki also seems to want to keep someone as potentially strong as Denji around to help him take vengeance on the Gun Devil who took everything from him. But he’s not the only one with eyes on the Chainsaw Devil as even the Eternity Devil seems just as keen to have him as his own.
Ariel Venzano
November 17, 2022 at 5:38 amThanks for the review! (sure those two were annoying 😐 )
Joshua
November 17, 2022 at 7:53 amI’m sure Samu is aware of this as a manga reader, but …… just be patient.
Nadavu
November 18, 2022 at 12:55 amHi Joshua, I’m sure you had the purest of intentions, but for someone who hasn’t read the manga your comment just spoiled some of my fun watching the anime. Sure, it isn’t a huge plot reveal, but I would have much preferred to find this out by watching events unfold than being told. I’m likely not the only person who, after reading your comment, wished they hadn’t.
If it isn’t too much to ask, I would very much appreciate it if you could refrain from making similar reveals in the future, or throw some ad-hoc spoiler warning at the top. Thanks.
Joshua
November 18, 2022 at 3:12 amApologies for that. I thought I could speak directly to Enzo about his concerns regarding these characters albeit trying not to go into spoilers. But I guess even those hints were too spoiler-y for some? I still thought this episode was great.
Guardian Enzo
November 18, 2022 at 7:41 amIt happens, don’t sweat it too much. As a rule, any suggestions or confirmations about what’s coming should be avoided. Unfortunately the definition of what feels like a spoiler can feel very different to someone who knows the source material and someone who doesn’t, which is why it’s better to err on the side of over-caution.
Guardian Enzo
November 18, 2022 at 7:39 amI edited that, been super busy this week, sorry.
Nadavu
November 18, 2022 at 1:35 pmI have some sympathy for Kobeni — not to the point where I’m willing to overlook her attempted murder of Denji, but I can understand how being put in an impending mortal danger can bring out the worst in someone. To the extent that she brought it on herself by choosing demon hunting over sex working, well, I can’t fault her for that either. And while trying to knife Denji is pretty unexcusable, Power was somehow redeemed for trying to feed him to the bat demon, so I can only assume that will eventually happen.
Himeno I find more culpable, since hers is a more cynical and calculated decision to prariotize Aki’s longetivity over Denji’s life. She’s in charge and therefore should be cynical and calculated to an extent — it’s just that she reaches the wrong conclusions, based on personal bias.
Then there’s Aki, who reaches the right decision based on a similarly wrong calculated personal bias. Nevermind the knifing, bit I wonder if he would use the sword to save someone or a whole group of someones if it didn’t play into his long-term machonations.
Finally there’s Denji himself (well, there’s also Arai, but he’s all talk and no action, which makes him neutral in my book). His act of self sacrifice comes about after he realizes the alternative is to either starve to death or be done in by the others. I’m sure he’s moved by Aki playing meat-shield for him, but in practical terms that only goes to ensure he won’t be using the sword to bust them out. So Denji’s leap into the jaws of oblivion isn’t so much heroic as it is his only chance of saving himself (and everyone else, on a side note)
I’m glad the stars aligned to give us a kick-ass BnH season alongside Chainsaw Man, as their stark differences highlight what each does best (reminds me of when Baby Steps aired together with Ping Pong: The Animation). There are no heros in CM thus far, only deeply flawed, overpowered people, an that makes up for some great dynamics.
Guardian Enzo
November 18, 2022 at 3:40 pmI’ll buy that. I guess one could say everyone is a product of their circumstances, which makes sense and is fine, though sometimes writers use it as a bit of a crutch and a get out of jail free card.
I think Aki is the most sympathetic character so far, and while it’s certainly possible everything he does is in service to his long-term machinations, absent any proof he has no underlying decency guiding him I choose to believe he does.
sonicsenryaku
November 21, 2022 at 4:29 amAfter watching ep 5 and 6, I realize more and more how much this story takes inspiration from FLCL. I used to think the connection was on a microscopic level; but no, it’s also on a macroscopic level as well. To explain any further would be a spoiler but I feel so dumb for not making the obvious connections much sooner.
On a side note, eternity as a concept to be feared is an interesting one right? On one hand, things like wanting to be with loved ones for eternity, wanting to live forever, or just being happy forever, are what we would consider the positive side of the eternity coin. On the other hand, you might think about feelings of pain or the seemingly endless universe or an abyss and think to yourself: “that would scary to feel this pain forever,” or “being lost in an endless space would be frightening”. From those perspectives, the fear of eternity isn’t as pure and absolute as other fears. At least with something like gun violence, there’s no two ways about it: whether it’s for protection or committed by some bout of insanity, the violence is scary and unnerving nevertheless. Would explain why a gun devil would be so strong as opposed to something abstract and broadly applicable as eternity. Fujimoto has truly created an intriguing “power system” with the idea of linking a devil’s strength to the fear of the concept. It stimulates interesting discussions as to what’s the root behind our ideas of fear and the how/why it spreads. Reminds me of Satoshi Kon’s Paranoia agent (one of my favorite anime ever) in that way
Guardian Enzo
November 21, 2022 at 8:31 amEven not having read this one, just watching is enough to convince me CSM is hugely influenced by FLCL (join the club, Fuji). Not only FLCL but that as much as anything.