Chainsaw Man (Episode 1) – Dog & Chainsaw
Denji’s deadbeat father left him with a massive debt to the Yakuza. It’s so big, he’s pretty much given up on life. That was until he met a chainsaw devil called Pochita. Now, he’s slaying devils to pay off the debt.
Chainsaw Man (Episode 1) – Dog & Chainsaw
What happened?
Denji’s debt was so big he couldn’t imagine ever paying it off. He’d already sold his kidney, an eye, and a testicle, but it barely made a dent in it. His only hope was to slay devils and hand the bodies over to the Yakuza. Of course, there would be various fees to account for so when all was said and done, Denji and Pochita barely had enough to live. Denji first met Pochita after he’d buried his father. Pochita was injured so Denji offered him some blood if he would help him.
One night, the Yakuza boss showed up at Denji’s shed and told him he had a job that needed doing. He drove him to an abandoned factory and began to tell him how much he hated Denji. Then, someone drove a sword through him and Pochita. He soon discovered that the Yakuza had sought more power and made a contract with a devil. However, it was the zombie devil who turned everyone into zombies and it hated devil hunters.
The zombies hacked up Denji and Pochita and threw them into a dumpster. However, Denji once told Pochita that if he ever died, Pochita should take his body and keep living. Pochita had other ideas. He offered Denji his heart if he would show him his dreams. Denji was reborn as something not quite human and not quite devil. With Pochita’s abilities, he attacked killing the zombie devil and all the zombies. He was finally free. Then, an agent from the Public Safety Bureau arrived and made Denji an offer he couldn’t refuse. Not if he wanted to live, anyhow.
What did you think?
At the time I watched this episode, I was already two volumes into the manga so I knew what I was getting myself into. However, I still can’t get over just how dark this series is. Denji was basically owned by the Yakuza from a young age. He sold body parts just to keep up with the repayments of his father’s debt. Then, it looked like he was going to die young anyway when we see him coughing up blood in a manner similar to how his mother died. This first episode spirals lower and lower, darker and darker.
However, there is one shining light and that is Denji’s bond with Pochita. That saved him in so many ways and I love the moment Pochita became his heart and transferred his powers to Denji, all so that he can see Denji achieve his dreams. Of course, thanks to his bleak life to this point, his dreams are fairly trivial when compared with someone that didn’t spend their childhood working for a violent criminal organisation. The episode ended with Denji going from one organisation to another. I still can’t bring myself to trust Makima. She basically enslaved him with bread and jam. It was a great start and sets us up to move on fairly quickly.
Episode Highlights
Other posts in the series
Manga
- Volume 1 – Dog and Chainsaw
- Volume 2 – Chainsaw vs. Bat
- Volume 3 – Taste of a Kiss!
- Volume 4 – The Gun is Mightier
- Volume 5 – Minor
- Volume 6 – Boom Boom Boom
- Volume 7 – In a Dream
- Volume 8 – Super Mess
- Volume 9 – Bath
- Volume 10 – A Dog’s Feelings
- Volume 11 – Go Get ’em, Chainsaw Man
- Volume 12 – Bird and War
- Volume 13 – Spoiler
- Volume 14 – I Wanna See Penguins!
| English Title | Chainsaw Man |
| Japanese Title | Chainsaw Man |
| Medium | Manga |
| Volumes | Ongoing |
| Author | Tatsuki Fujimoto |
| Artist | Tatsuki Fujimoto |
| Genres | Action, Devils, Horror, Supernatural |
| Demographic | Shounen |
Anime
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Dog & Chainsaw
- Episode 2 – Arrival in Tokyo
- Episode 3 – Meowy’s Whereabouts
- Episode 4 – Rescue
- Episode 5 – Gun Devil
- Episode 6 – Kill Denji
- Episode 7 – The Taste of a Kiss
- Episode 8 – Gunfire
- Episode 9 – From Kyoto
- Episode 10 – Bruised & Battered
- Episode 11 – Mission Start
- Episode 12 – Katana vs. Chainsaw
| English Title | Chainsaw Man |
| Japanese Title | Chainsaw Man |
| Medium | Anime |
| Released | Fall 2022 |
| Episodes | 12 |
| Animation Studios | MAPPA |
| Genres | Action, Devils, Horror, Supernatural |
| Demographic | Shounen |
You might also like…
