Where I am with Chainsaw Man at this point, that was a pretty clean episode for me.  Not too serious, not too thoughtful, unabashedly violent and loopy.  I know there are depths to CSM that it hasn’t explored yet, but so far it clicks best for me when it’s unpretentious and unfiltered.  What we’re getting here in terms of production isn’t an individualistic work of art like Mob Psycho 100 or even Bocchi or DiY (as much as those last two bore me narratively).  But it is a pretty impressive representation of anime as product rather than art  – what can be done through the assembly line process when it prioritizes quality.

As you would expect, neither Power or Nyaako (apologies for last week’s misspelling) are dead and digested.  Rather, when Denji cuts open the Bat Devil they’re safe and relatively sound inside, though Power is too weak to move.  In fact most of the episode takes place in the tangle of the Bat Devil’s intestines.  Denji thinks he’s finally going to get his grope in – though even with consent doing it while Power is in that condition is pretty dodgy – but he gets more boobage than he bargained for when the Leech Devil (Tachibana Uko) shows up.  Batty was her beau, it seems, and even though she finds Denji adorable she’s pissed off and ready for revenge.

Leechy (who has a grin just like Audrey II) starts off the festivities by lopping off the hand that was just about to fondle its first breast.  Everyone keeps ragging on poor Denji’s dream for being lame, but I’m kind of in his camp on this one – at least it’s honest and unpretentious.  And he’s dedicated to it –  that or completely lacking in sense (or both).  He and the Leech Devil have quite the battle, both verbal and physical.  It’s certainly the most impressive extended action cut of the series so far – nicely choreographed with the CG integrated better than in any other big set piece yet.

Denji puts up a pretty good fight considering the condition he’s in – horny and low on blood, the latter of which inhibits the size of his chainsaw.  But it’s not going to end well, seemingly, until Aki shows up.  We meet his demon for the first time, Kon (Kaida Yuko, always a pleasure and not in all that much lately).  Kon makes very quick work off the Leech Devil indeed, and the next thing Denji knows he’s waking up in a hospital room with Aki carving apples at his bedside.  The services of a devil like Kon don’t come cheap, as Aki makes it clear to Denji – a literal pound of flesh as part of their contract.

Aki is a bit of a cipher so far, mostly playing the role of straight man and hiding his true feelings (apart from being in love with Makima) pretty well.  He doesn’t have to cover for Denji here – as he says, if the truth about what Power tried to do to him and the fact that Denji covered for her came out, they’d both be expendable. But he does, for reasons that are not entirely clear.  There are practical reasons why he might want powerful entities like Denji and Power in his squad, and theoretically he might simply feel enough empathy for Denji that he doesn’t wish to see him disposed of.  But he’s still playing his cards pretty close to the vest.

Aki’s “reward” for his good deed is having Power dumped on him along with Denji, so he can be a “leash” on both of them.  Aki isn’t about to say no to Makima, but Power is an even worse roommate than Denji.  At least she hasn’t forgotten her deal –  she offers Denji three squeezes, one each for saving Nyaako, killing the Bat Devil, and covering for her with Aki.  I really hoped we weren’t going in the direction of Denji being perpetually cock-teased, with some catastrophe occurring every time he nears the promised land.  But I’m not sure whether the ending here implied otherwise or not – when it comes to Denji getting some gratification, I’m in the “pics or it didn’t happen” camp.

Samu’s Impressions

Now that’s Chainsaw Man.

After feeling slightly lukewarm about last week this was just what I needed: an episode every bit of what I’d expect from a worthy adaptation of Chainsaw Man; it certainly helps that this is also around the part in the source material where I started to care more for the characters and the world.

This is the first time where all the core elements of Chainsaw Man’s appeal have come together to create a full course meal where each of the previous episodes might have fumbled a starter or dessert along the way. This time you’ve got it all: intense fight choreography to match that of the manga’s original impact; Denji being the uncompromising nutcase of a main character that he is; the main trio beginning to come together as misfit group with their mishmash of personalities; and the stupidly smooth-like-butter animation we’re treated to throughout.

On one hand nothing quite captures the spirit of Chainsaw Man like a deranged Denji hacking away at a giant multi-breasted leech monster, but it’s the downtime that’s just as important here, knowing when to speed up or slow down to elicit the exact reactions of adrenaline or ease when we’re supposed to. In fact, it’s the sombre second half focusing on Aki that hit me more than all the beautiful carnage that came before it; whether it be catching his ticks when preparing to approach Makima despite seeming so put together or being made to live through his morning ritual and appreciate his housework duties in great detail. That whole routine was a palate cleanser after what’s been built up the past two episodes – a necessary breather that’s almost akin to when a showman leaves the stage after giving one hell of a performance to an adoring audience, only to drop the act and become their authentic self behind the curtain that others don’t ever get to see. There’s something refreshing about seeing more of these characters living their lives outside of the demands of the spectacle we expect of them that makes them more feel more human, especially when as much care is put into crafting that side of their life as the more showy obvious moments.

Power might not fall in this sombre category, but she isn’t really meant to either. She’s over the top to the point that Denji seems like the straight man in comparison (seeming him and Aki having the same reactions to her various antics is very amusing). What she did give us was a reminder of another of Chainsaw Man’s key characteristics to cap off an episode that nailed every other one: horniness. While it’s funny and silly it’s also showing us the beginnings of respect and care that these two have for each other with this Bat Devil debacle behind them – at the end of the day one of them just wants to fondle some boobs and the other happens to have a pair.