Anime: Chainsaw Man

Score: 8/10

CONTENT WARNING: Blood/Gore, Mass Violence, Fear/Terror

(Feel free to skip to the end to see my main points!)

Reading Time: 22 Minutes

Choosing to write my first review for my blog about one of the biggest anime of our generation while not talking about it in a totally positive light is very on-brand for me. Look, I don’t hate Chainsaw Man, I don’t even dislike it (See: Score). I actually enjoyed the show and the manga, which I’m going to cover later. Yes, manga readers, that’s right. I have read the manga. You have nowhere left to hide. Gonna start with the anime content first before getting to the manga.

In general, I try to keep my reviews pretty spoiler-free but for the anime section, I’m going to be spoiling most of what happens in order to engage with it more in-depth since not much happens in Season 1 anyways. Personally, spoilers don’t ruin most pieces of media for me and I think it actually is a really good way to engage with media. I was spoiled on Persona 5 before I played it and that didn’t affect my enjoyment of it at all as you can tell by the site logo. But, beware of the Manga section though since those are bigger spoilers.

I went into Chainsaw Man pretty blind (I watched the anime first then read the manga). I knew the general premise, some of the characters, and that it was going to be gory, very gory, at least for a mainstream anime. I really need to preface this with how much hype was being put into Chainsaw Man. I don’t think I’ve seen an anime with this much hype before its release. People were telling me it was their favorite piece of media of all time and one of the greatest stories ever. I generally don’t like getting caught up in the hype of media as big cultural moments but it’s fun to at least participate in them by watching from the sidelines. But without further ado, let’s get into the anime.

ANIME

Setup:

I just assumed the first episode was going to be the kind to come out the gate swinging but I was pretty happy to find out that no, episode 1 is where we are gonna take our time. Don’t get me wrong the show still puts it into high gear for an action scene but there seems to be a very intentional and thought-out setup for Denji as a character. Denji is written to be stupendously pitiable, like the saddest puppy in the rain you’ve ever seen. He even has a little puppy that you think is going to be a major plot point but no never mind that. I do think that one of Denji’s main appeals is how pathetic he is so that anyone can freely self insert themself into his position and feelings. It’s like wow, any of us are better off than Denji who is missing an eye, his left ball, and his dog (kinda). 

A lot of these really depressing and woeful feelings are expounded on by the music super well. Kensuke Ushio, the composer behind Chainsaw Man and other anime like Ping Pong, A Silent Voice, and Devilman Crybaby, hits the audience with some melancholic bangers from the first episode that fit with the rainy aesthetic of episode 1. Seriously, Ushio has consistently produced some of the best anime OSTs with strong foundations of powerful emotions and poignant leitmotifs. The idea of doors and dreams as the defining details of the music is actually really sick but we will get to those later. But just, any time you see this guy’s name written down as the composer, at least give the music your attention. 

The action at the end of episode 1 is quite messy and unimportant, it feels like it goes on for just a tad too long and this happens a couple times throughout the show. However, the first episode comes to a close with a very important action, a hug.

The desire for physical affection is quite prevalent throughout the show, overly important I would argue, but I like when shows set this up at the end of the first episode because it really just defines the story really well. Honestly, after the first episode, I was incredibly impressed with the show. I’ve seen some phenomenal first episodes such as with Link Click or To Your Eternity but Chainsaw Man can stick with the best of them. Unfortunately, this is where Chainsaw Man doesn’t use its foundation to its fullest extent.

Pacing: (this is a spoiler reminder I’m about to get crazy with it)

Chainsaw Man’s plot generally runs at full speed the whole time. Most points where the show could stop to take a breath and focus on character moments or world-building are short-lived or ignored. It’s like BOOM this is the 4th division BOOM this is Power’s character BOOM devil fight BOOM okay next devil. At first, I didn’t really think about it because I don’t mind shows getting their hands dirty before explaining things, but then I read the manga and realized that the pacing never really slows down. This isn’t necessarily a problem for the plot as the plot is pretty solid overall even if it lacks the depth or breadth of other stories. For me, it really hurts in the character moments and the effectiveness of the world-building, and by extension, the effectiveness of the action.

But before we get to anything else, can we talk about Himeno? There are only a handful of characters in other pieces of media that I have seen that are done dirtier than Himeno. Someone who is presented as a seemingly staple character with an incredibly strong emotional attachment to Aki is killed off by EPISODE 8. How, how do you let this happen?! Let me be clear, I wasn’t heartbroken or even really bothered by it but moreso confused by how Fujimoto thought this was fine writing. Like I absolutely did not care when Himeno died, she was set up to die. I was just shocked she died so early. And killed by a mostly whatever character. Himeno had a really solid foundation that was directed quite cleanly, her stuff was maybe some of the most well-directed parts of the show. And then she just dies for very little purpose?

I’m sure one could argue that well ya know, that’s life and sometimes we don’t get the emotional payoff we want. But, I think it’s less about these characters dying and more about their writing ending. Fujimoto’s writing is pretty solid, it has ups and downs tho to be quite frank. I will get into his characters more specifically later but my main issue with how he handles death is I don’t think he realizes that when a character dies, that’s a moment that should say something. Or at the very least, don’t make a habit of saying nothing in these moments. It really just feels like Fujimoto understands how to conceptualize characters but not execute them. More on this later but I just had to say something about Himeno.

It feels like most characters and ideas in Chainsaw Man are never fully developed before they are killed or dropped. Fujimoto really needed more time for these things to breathe instead of just moving forward for the sake of the plot and the reader’s short attention span. It’s weird to say, but I think this is one of Chainsaw Man’s greatest appeals. In terms of actions and emotional themes being present in the show, there is always something to look at and feel. There are no lulls in the show or in the manga. There is a certainty from the audience that by the next episode or chapter of Chainsaw Man, the problem will continue to escalate or a resolution will be found. It feels very linear in that regard and makes the show SUPER predictable, but it’s fast, familiar, and functional. Which again, is part of the appeal. I don’t think audiences want a plot that is too slow, too surprising, or too unfamiliar to them. They want something that feels a bit edgy but still human and fun. Chainsaw Man’s story feels authentic, I can at least say that. But it doesn’t feel important, or deep. That kinda story requires time or masterful execution. Chainsaw Man doesn’t have that but that’s fine, that just means it’s solid but nothing special. The audience doesn’t ever have to work too hard to get what’s happening. Clear good and evil lines are drawn in each arc even if characters switch around during said arcs. And you know an arc is over when the bad person dies. Chainsaw Man is very consumable because of that. If the action was a bit more meaningful I wouldn’t mind it but for the most part, the action in both the anime and manga is pretty unimpressive.

As I mentioned, while there are both action and emotional themes present throughout the show they never really interact with each other in many meaningful ways. Most of Denji’s battling involves him just thinking about something important to him and having the determination to fight even harder than ever before! Fights are always pretty hard to gauge in terms of raw power. A devil’s power supposedly is based on how much people fear them but besides the really obvious ones, it’s hard to tell why a certain devil is strong or not. This isn’t really important for your average action show, I’m just letting you know this show doesn’t make fights intricate like with Hunter x Hunter or emotionally vivid like with Avatar The Last Airbender. The action happens because that’s the way the world of Chainsaw Man works and you can either like it or leave it. 

Aesthetic

The anime looks alright, I enjoy the muted color palette that is contrasted with red (usually blood). I get really tired of looking at orange and blue cinematic color palettes so this was pretty refreshing. The themes go along swimmingly with the gray rainy look so that’s cool. As for the actual animation, yes there are issues with the CGI in the fight scenes not looking amazing but I would argue that the fight scenes in Chainsaw Man are pretty boring anyways, so it’s not a big deal. The fight scenes are as gory as you want with a dynamic enough camera and that’s all I really need. Would it be better if the CGI was cleaner or it was hand drawn? Yes, of course. I’m just saying that complaining about the look of the CGI isn’t a very worthwhile endeavor cause let’s face it, the action is pretty whatever and expected.

At least the character designs are pretty neat. Sure the public safety uniform itself is kinda boring as a costume but the character designs beyond that are nice. Makima is an insane type of bait but we will get to her later. And honestly, the actual design of Denji’s Chainsaw Man is pretty sick. Definitely great for cover art that’s for sure. It’s aggressively edgy but not too over the top and has a clear outline to it. Unfortunately, the overall look of the show doesn’t stand out beyond some nice character designs. It’s exactly what you would imagine when someone says “gory anime with monsters/devils.” The look is what you expect but nothing more.

And hey, at least the opening is an absolute fucking banger. Best OP this season and getting individualized EDs for each episode was nice but I wonder what the actual production cost of that was because some of the EDs have better animation than the actual show. Like ED9, Deep Down by Aimer, lives in my head rent-free both for the animation and the song. It’s just a shame that it didn’t feel as emotionally impactful because of Himeno’s lack of build-up but that was that and this is this so don’t worry about it.

Themes:

Chainsaw Man has a lot more personal themes with Denji that I want to save for later, but for now let’s focus on a theme I just keep running into with anime, terror. Whether it was Lycoris Recoil in Summer 2022, way back when I watched Mawaru Penguindrum, or even in From The New World, I just run into shows that focus on terror and terrorism a lot. For the most part, Chainsaw Man doesn’t bring too much new to the table except when it came to the Gun Devil. The Gun Devil is a really weird artifact to look at. It is aggressively posed as a weird concoction of a 9/11 scenario mixed with your typical World War 2 influences that are seen in every violent anime.

While the other shows I mentioned are much more focused on specifically Japanese domestic terrorism related to the 1995 Sarin Gas Attacks or World War 2, Chainsaw Man looks at it from an international approach that slightly leans into specifically American and Japanese forms of terror. America is juxtaposed as a bit of the wild west with gun control while Japan is known for its incredibly strict control. I’m sure Fujimoto looked at some American stories of random gun violence for inspiration of the execution of the Special Divisions. It emphasizes the idea that anyone at any time can have a gun and can just kill you. This is then contrasted with the heavy control Public Safety has in these incidents and how the government will somehow protect the peace of Japan by any means neccessary. It’s an intricate balance that I wished was explored more but unfortunately, the plot has places to go so we have to skip over all of that.

I’m also going to completely ignore the devils eaten by Chainsaw Man including World War 2, nuclear weapons, and AIDS for some reason. This is a really dumb detail that I’m sure is problematic but I can’t be arsed to really figure out and explain why that is. It’s not THAT big of an issue as it’s not a major plot point and probably could be justified, but just fucking why does it exist. I’m sure it will be answered in Part 2 for better or for worse.

Also, Makima is just fucking weird. By Episode 2 I was like, oh wow she is a terrible manipulative *human being. And, instead of having daddy issues like every show in the world, we have mommy issues and a desire for affection from a motherly figure! This isn’t a bad thing, I just wanted to point it out since most media tends to be about family problems even if you don’t see them at first. But to me, the mommy issues were incredibly obvious, just look at how Makima is built, absolute Mommy-bait.

Characters:

Denji is a really weird social phenomenon. He’s both overwhelmingly simple/potentially problematic and a great reflection on the nature of drive, desires, and dreams. I’m gonna start with the positive stuff first because I’ve been a bit too harsh on the show thus far.

Denji is almost written like an isekai main character, almost. But, there is enough care and attention put into his interiority and ideals that he’s more than just a pitiable self-insert. I think it does go a bit too far by trying to make him seem super pathetic. Not that it’s a problem, it’s just a bit obnoxious on occasion. Like yeah his first kiss was literally vomit and his dad offed himself and now he has a huge loan to pay off. Like… I get it. It really doesn’t matter I just felt it was kinda heavy-handed at times. At least he has conflicts and inner turmoil, which generally keeps the show going.

The part that makes Denji interesting is his insane amount of simplicity. Having a male character very blatantly motivated by sex, food, and a good time is a pretty bold choice but the show finds a way to balance it quite well. Most of Denji’s actions are done with little to no thinking which is why I think a lot of people enjoy him because, in all honesty, people make a lot of decisions without thinking. But it’s not like Denji is completely hollow, the story is VERY focused on his interiority and how the chaos of his life changes who he is. One of the most fascinating things about Chainsaw Man is how Fujimoto balances Denji as both a thoughtless and thoughtful person. It makes him feel a lot more real. Since we all have moments of being both. Denji spends time learning to be thoughtful, I know a rarity among men. This is probably why people love him so much is that he’s so incompetent yet is putting in the effort to get better.

But let’s face it, Denji is very naive and impressionable, he’s practically a child, like how many men are emotionally only children. I don’t think Fujimoto is fully criticizing that, he is probably somewhat, but rather just exposing what one sacrifices when they are emotionally stunted and showing the framework of how that comes about. I don’t think Denji was ever capable of being emotionally intelligent considering how he needed to survive and his overall upbringing. There are certain concepts of masculinity I could explore here but I’ll refrain from doing so. Just know that Denji is given more of a pass for being emotionally stunted because he’s a guy who can fight and he’s trying, that doesn’t mean it’s still not problematic though. My biggest issue with Chainsaw Man is how Denji grows as a person is usually reliant on the sacrifices of other people but more on that later.

Ugh, I REALLY don’t want to say Chainsaw Man is a coming-of-age story, but it is. It’s a very high-octane coming-of-age story but a coming-of-age story nonetheless. It still finds time for the important sweet moments that coming-of-age stories need which is nice though. That being said I personally couldn’t care for Denji and his personal growth, just not my cup of tea. I did enjoy his exploration of the concepts of dreams and desires, that the things which motivate us to do bigger and better things can often be quite simple. Also, there is a certain amount of existentialism I like to see in my shows and Chainsaw Man hits the spot just right. Not too in your face but always present. There are also particular themes of male emotionlessness present throughout the show. Even if they aren’t the most well-executed or deepest themes, I appreciate that Denji meditates on them even if only for a moment.

The “door” is something later explored in the Manga which REALLY is about suppressed emotions and anger but c’mon, this is just Naruto and Kurama. Been there, done that. Very simple stuff, you see it all the time. Overall, I think what Fujimoto is doing with Denji as a character is valuable, but I also find it somewhat problematic.

Denji is the ONLY character that matters in Chainsaw Man Part 1. And what I mean by that is that Denji is the only person the audience needs to care about. and understand. Everyone else just serves as plot, especially the women. I’m not going to do a feminist reading of Chainsaw Man since I’m not the right person for the job, but every single woman sacrificing themselves for the sake of Denji’s emotional development feels… wrong. Again,you can come up with some weird defense to look at it or say that it’s reflective of the reality of how men often do this, but I don’t think Chainsaw Man is really doing any of that. It really just feels like Fujimoto wrote these characters for the sole purpose of serving Denji’s development. And don’t get me wrong, I think it’s fine for a story to do that with certain characters, you just have to be really good at it and also develop your characters in some other ways as well. In the case of Chainsaw Man, it feels like the only way for any character development to occur is through death. Which again, makes the story very predictable and kinda stale. The pacing is what prevents it from feeling too stale by introducing new things all the time. But the moment you take a step back and reflect, Chainsaw Man feels very ordinary. It’s a show overly focused on its main character and only uses side characters for the purpose of plot or main character development. I can name a dozen of other shows that have this same issue but Chainsaw Man is at least better than most of those but Fujimoto’s writing leaves me unimpressed. It’s like he’s incapable of doing anything challenging or unique and can only do what’s already been tested and done before.

MANGA

(Big Spoilers, you can skip this section this is just to indulge manga readers)

I’ve read through the entire manga up to this point (Chapter 115) and I still haven’t felt anything for any of the side characters. And that’s really because the plot hasn’t given time for that. Like Reze happened and I was like, okay cool someone else with a harsh life and maybe we get to see a reflection of that wi- and oh wow now she’s gone. I was definitely a bit sad about how Aki died, considering he was the most developed character by far and affected Denji quite a bit. Also, I should mention it’s no coincidence the only other side character developed is a guy tho LOL. Aki’s death felt a lot more unimpactful considering that it just jumps straight into the Makima stuff right after. Really wished Fujimoto stewed it for more time and emotional moments around each character’s interiority instead of only focusing on Denji for one moment then boop next arc but oh well. And, every single baddie that comes at the Special Division just doesn’t leave a strong enough impression. They are in and then they are out, usually with a single fight to their name and not much of a message given. I’m fine with villains and antagonists not being interesting but when the side characters aren’t either I’m just so strained for meaning like give me SOMETHING. And I think most people knew that Makima was gonna be a devil or something like that, I don’t think it’s supposed to be shocking but it’s set up like it should be? It felt like an absolute wet fart in comparison to the stuff with Aki. Like I honestly couldn’t care less about what happened since at this point, we know Denji is gonna win and the only way that’s gonna happen is he has to figure out a way to kill Makima. The “closure” for Part 1 felt incredibly bland to me since again, Makima is only a character to serve Denji. It really lacked a lot of tension for me and just made Part 1 feel really unimpressive overall.

I’m currently holding out judgment on Part 2 since I actually have really high hopes for it thus far. Asa is a much more interesting character than Denji, at least for me. And, it’s just been nice seeing the world of Chainsaw Man through another lens. Don’t get it twisted though, I don’t think Part 2 has been incredible or anything, just better than Part 1. I think a lot of things are being intricately set up and now it’s all about execution, which has consistently been Fujimoto’s biggest issue. I’m optimistic about it but not excited.

Why Do You Like Chainsaw Man? (Skip to here!)

After all of this pointless reviewing and listing of my opinions, or maybe you skipped them, you are probably wondering why I even pose the question: “Why do you like Chainsaw Man?” And it’s as I mentioned, it’s because Chainsaw Man is one of the biggest anime releases I have ever seen, at least in the West. And, while I enjoyed the show for what it was, I think most of the reasons why people liked Chainsaw Man are not very related to the actual narrative of the show.

You probably like Chainsaw Man, it’s hard to not like it. Whether it’s the peer pressure, simple narrative, or amazing music, the show is very difficult to not enjoy at some level. How valuable or deep that feeling goes is what I want to look at. Is this just a cool and fun thing or something more, something that would justify such a massive amount of hype and deserving of universal praise?

One of my biggest interests is understanding the nature of media as cultural artifacts and cultural moments. A prime example of this would be Avenger’s Endgame, no one really cares about the story, characters, or even performances. But, you have to watch it in order to be in the know, to participate in the cultural moment, and to give your opinion on social media. It’s a whole capitalism thing. And while Chainsaw Man is a much more refined work than Endgame, it still boils down to people wanting to join in on the hype of something rather than examining the work for its narrative, identity, or whatever.

As I mentioned, Chainsaw Man is very consumable. You only have to really care about Denji, the action is mostly just spectacles to look at, and the battle lines and morals are clearly drawn. Chainsaw Man is EXTREMELY simple. That’s what makes it so easy for people to connect to. And sure there is an artistry to mastering simplicity and the expected, but I don’t think Chainsaw Man has gone as far as mastering it. I’ve been positive about how the show does do that well but it’s not like it does it perfectly. And at the end of the day, I just don’t like the idea that life is something so simple that it becomes predictable!

The pieces of media that I hold most dear to me don’t necessarily have the biggest twists and turns but they are undeniably complex and force you to question many things. These stories require me to do more than just enjoy them or relate to them but demand a certain amount of effort to fully comprehend and internalize. Like, yes I absolutely still enjoy them and relate to them but it’s about more than that. I’ve always thought media is a lot more about learning and communicating ideas than it is about simply relating to them. There is no reason a great story can’t do both, to me Chainsaw Man isn’t one of those great stories.

The main appeals of Chainsaw Man are as follows. 

That’s not to say that these are bad things to have, but rather just very familiar things that aren’t revolutionary. I do have a video related to spectacle on my YouTube if you want to check that out. However, I don’t think Chainsaw Man is only spectacle, it’s authentic for what it is. It’s just that what it is happens to be incredibly simplistic and familiar.

• Denji is blatantly who he is, someone that people can relate to and someone doing their best despite their incompetence.
• The show has the spectacle of action, death is the main way to advance the plot.
• There is insane hype around the show.
• The story is simple, and the characters and ideas are easy to process.
• Sex and Gore are normalized and openly discussed.

Chainsaw Man is just aggressively straightforward. You either like it for what it is or you don’t. You can’t further examine the show for much emotional depth, narrative detail, or wide world-building. You just get on the ride and enjoy the fun. That isn’t a bad thing to me but I don’t really get how that becomes one of the biggest anime releases of all time. I mean, I do because I’m not an idiot, I’m a pessimistic overthinker. I am fully aware that audiences want this kind of stuff. It’s just upsetting to see it get repeated over and over again.

But also like why do people think Chainsaw Man openly discussing sex or sexual stuff is inherently interesting THE ONLY REASON WHY SEX ISN’T MORE OPENLY DISCUSSED IS BECAUSE OF RATING SYSTEMS CONTROLLING WHAT IS SEEN AS ACCEPTABLE. THINGS RATED AS INAPPROPRIATE WILL NOT BE MARKETED FOR AND ARE PUNISHED BY THE CAPITALIST SYSTEM MADE BY THE RULING CLASS THAT CAN CONTROL WHO TELLS WHAT KIND OF STORIES. FUJIMOTO TOOK A BASIC ASS RISK AND DOESN’T EVEN EXPLORE THE TOPICS OF SEX THAT MUCH ITS JUST PRESENT AS A FORM OF APPEAL AND BAIT ESPECIALLY WITH MAKIMA. YOU NEED TO PAY MORE ATTENTION YOU DUMB FU-

Woah, sorry about that. I tend to get carried away with this stuff.

I just want to make it clear that I think some people see something taboo being openly discussed and think that piece of media is inherently deep. And no, that’s just a societal thing is all. Chainsaw Man barely scratches the surface of any important topics related to sex since it doesn’t want to get fully pushed out of the mainstream and just only relies on sex as a form of appeal. But yeah, back to the main topic of spectacle and cultural moments blah blah stuff.

This exact same thing happened with Attack on Titan, a show that has a really good setup but fucks the execution in crucial moments and stays pretty surface-level throughout. The writing was never phenomenal and it wasn’t a deep story, but it still hits all the appeals I mentioned for Chainsaw Man. Now don’t get me wrong, Denji seems WAY more interesting than Eren ever was and Asa could be a really great character, it’s just that I’ve seen this story before, even if some of the details are changed.

Fujimoto doesn’t seem like the kind of writer who can execute a full story without relying on certain gimmicks and familiar narrative beats. While the core of Chainsaw Man is absolutely human with strong emotional themes, the framework of the show leaves a lot to be desired. Death is the only way for Denji to feel anything, violence is pointless beyond killing characters to progress the narrative, and Denji is the only character that really matters. I’m unsure if Fujimoto has it in him to make Chainsaw Man truly great.

It’s not wrong to like these types of shows, but it does come with consequences. The main one being they are a bit of a waste of time. Sure, the value of Chainsaw Man as a cultural moment is an undeniable form of social connection, I’m just questioning how meaningful or important that connection is.

The most disturbing part about all of this to me is how any human being could watch/read Chainsaw Man and be impressed in the slightest. A show that dabbles in but never fully explores sex, violence, and male insecurity apparently is something people will proudly proclaim as “peak fiction.” Which is just really sad to see how low people’s standards are. Like I’ve said, I like Chainsaw Man, I just am REALLY uncomfortable with how much hype is surrounding something so 8/10. It makes me worry for society and what people think is “good storytelling.” Like really? Is this all you need to get you going? Some somewhat interesting but familiar imagery, an overly relatable main character, and sexual/violent stuff that isn’t just plain horrible? That’s all you need to say it’s peak? That’s not what a great story is to me.

I use stories and media to help people understand me, as examples of emotional ideas too complex to express through words or even videos. March Comes in Like a Lion comes to mind with how it expresses Rei’s feelings of failure and loneliness in a way that is much more complex than words could ever show. They need a certain mood presented with lighting, the timing of the animation, and music.

Chainsaw Man does none of that for me, so I see it as a bit of a waste of time. I like collecting pieces of media in the library of my emotional spectrum, as examples to express and understand very specific feelings that are impossible to communicate otherwise. Chainsaw Man just isn’t a part of that collection, which hurts me to say.

I have very high standards and always want to be blown out of the water at least a little, so don’t take this as me thinking the show is terrible. I’m just a grumpy writer who is bothered by the extreme disconnect between the actual content of stories and the public reception of them. I need to find incredible stories in order to navigate the world so that maybe I can use them to help people understand me. Settling for decent stories with lots of hype leaves me LO:ST. I can’t just like something for being familiar yet new. I really hope that Chainsaw Man becomes a memorable story, I honestly do. But, as someone who has studied stories for a while now and feels pretty accurate with their guesses, I just don’t see it happening. The level of writing, the types of narrative beats, and just the overall execution of Chainsaw Man doesn’t impress me.

Chainsaw Man has been a fun ride so far and I plan to keep following along whenever my interest picks back up and there is new stuff to look at, but that’s about it. At the very least, I hope this review and these ideas make you question why you like Chainsaw Man. As I mentioned, you probably like Chainsaw Man! I do too! I just don’t like it as much as everyone else says they do. Chainsaw Man feels incredibly forgettable and replaceable, it’s just the current big thing right now. I’m sure the people participating enjoy their time following along, but I’m always just searching for the next big life-changing story. It’s the difference between people who consume art and media and people who live for art and media.

For me, I need these stories in order to function as a person, and I wish more people could see the world the same as I do. I know that won’t happen, I’m not an idiot lol. But, if you’ve taken the time to get to this point of the review, maybe you will at least consider my perspective over time.

You won’t have to do it alone and I’ll give you all the time you need. I want you to be comfortable and do what works for you. I’ll do most of the work, giving you all the examples and ideas you need. All I ask is that you occasionally give me your time and attention when I give you something worthwhile to look at.

I’ll do my best to be worthy of your time.

– Jared/Zeph