Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Chainsaw Man’ on Hulu, A Gory Tale of a Boy With a Chainsaw for a Head

Ever since the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto debuted, Chainsaw Man has been a beloved serial release, with a hotly-anticipated anime adaptation. Fans have been waiting for what seems like an eternity to see the story come to the small screen. From Studio MAPPA, responsible for hits like Jujutsu Kaisen and Attack on Titan, Chainsaw Man is undoubtedly one of the biggest shows of the season, and luckily its first episode is an impressive showing.

CHAINSAW MAN: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

Opening Shot: A person’s silhouette appears, opening a door. The camera switches to a young man, sleeping in what looks like a dilapidated shack. He gets up to leave, clad in an eyepatch and jacket, listing off things he’s done to earn some quick cash. This is Denji (Kikunosuke Toya), the boy who will eventually become Chainsaw Man.

The Gist: A young man named Denji is more than a little down on his luck. After his father died and left him with a mountain of crushing debt, he’s been forced to sell body parts and take on odd jobs to make ends meet. All of his funds go to the yakuza, leaving Denji little to live on. Luckily, with his pal, a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita (Shiori Izawa), he soon realizes he can make a little extra cash fighting devils.

Unfortunately, Denji soon realizes that the yakuza who have been treating him badly, forcing him to work all hours of the day and live in terrible poverty, are tired of dealing with him. Left for dead after a terrifying demon encounter that neither he or Pochita can handle, the tiny dog-like devil shows him the meaning of true friendship, which leads to the birth of Chainsaw Man. It’s exactly what it sounds like. Thanks to Pochita, Denji transforms into a devil with a chainsaw for a head and two attached to his arms. It’s quite a sight.

What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Chainsaw Man has a dark and depressing lilt to just about every scene, which will immediately bring shows like Dorohedoro or Psycho-Pass to mind. Luckily, it doesn’t stay down in the dumps for too long before giving Denji a brighter future, at least for the foreseeable future.

Our Take: Everyone loves an underdog story, and watching Denji come up after living in squalor because of a debt he wasn’t responsible for feels good. There’s something totally cathartic about watching him take revenge on those who wronged him, but he has a human quality about him as well when you realize he has simple goals in life: eating jelly on bread with Pochita, “scoring” with a woman, and living a nice life.

The ray of hope that shines on Denji near the end of the first episode is quite welcome with that in mind, and it feels like Denji will finally find his people – and a life he’s been missing out on. Our world isn’t faring that much better overall, but at least we don’t have demons running around, so it feels good to see Denji given a power that helps him fight against those who would take advantage of him.

Of course, that opens up a wealth of questions as well. Will Denji be able to handle his newfound power in a way that doesn’t overtake him and his humanity? What does it mean to be half-human, half-demon? And what’s going on with Makima and the rest of her agency? The first episode sets up a satisfying payoff that still leaves tons of questions, and it’s going to be a delight for those who haven’t read the manga to see it all come to fruition.

Sex and Skin: None at this moment, but there’s a gratuitous amount of gore that will only become more intense as the series goes on.

Parting Shot: After asking rescuer Makima what kind of breakfast she sees him having with her if he decides to go with her and live as a human instead of being killed as a demon, Denji comments on how “awesome” that sounds as the camera pulls out. He’s caused a ton of carnage, and what’s left of the demons who attacked him earlier when he transformed into Chainsaw Man are strewn about the warehouse.

Sleeper Star: Tomoro Kusunoki only has a few lines as Makima, a Public Safety Hunter who discovers Denji’s transformation into Chainsaw Man when she comes to defeat the high-powered demon preying on Denji and others. But she shines with a strange, clinical quality that belies future questions and behaviors we’ll see from Makima down the line. Her voice is quite chilling while remaining demure and arresting.

Most Pilot-y Line: “Here’s the deal,” Pochita tells a dying Denji. “I’ll give you my heart, and in exchange, I want you to show me your dream.” The chainsaw demon dog is loyal to a fault, and we learn the extent of how much these two care for each other. It’s going to set the stage for Denji’s status as Chainsaw Man, and is the reason Denji can even wield the powers he can, all summed up into one moving scene.

Our Call: STREAM IT. Chainsaw Man is equal parts heartfelt, chaotic, and violent. Somehow, it makes everything work without feeling hamfisted or full of gore in lieu of storytelling. With excellent voice actors and animation care of MAPPA, it’s everything fans have been expecting out of an anime adaptation of the manga, and more. Denji is a hero anyone can root for, and now that he’s taken his revenge on those who have treated him like a subhuman, it’s going to be exciting to see how things change for him going forward. Of course, no one will mess with you when your body is literally comprised of chainsaws.

Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over a decade for publications like G4, Popular Science, Playboy, Variety, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, GameSpot, and more. When she’s not writing or gaming, she’s collecting retro consoles and tech. Follow her on Twitter: @MolotovCupcake.