Chainsaw Man Chapter 110, A Ring in the Night Review: A Part One Callback.

When reading Chapter 110 of Chainsaw Man “A Ring in the Night” it was funny to see that one of my theories about what would happen in this chapter was correct.
This confirmation occurred within the first couple of pages of “A Ring in the Night”, when Yoru finally confronts Denji.
As I predicted in my review for Chapter 109, Denji is too distracted by Yoru being half naked to take her creating a Yuko Leg Sword seriously.
Then, Denji is distracted further when the bully girl he saved emerges from under Yuko’s guts.
Denji’s immediately prioritizes the girl, probably hoping to convince her to be his girlfriend by revealing himself as Chainsaw Man.
One thing that did confuse me about this moment was how Fujimoto seems to imply that the girl actually does not know Denji’s identity.
I thought that she saw him transform in the previous chapter but, looking back, the girl did close her eyes in fear before Denji shows up and the next time we see her with them open is when Denji has already transformed.
So Denji’s identity is probably safe for now.
As for Denji himself, he is typically too distracted by trying to reveal his identity to the traumatised girl to notice Yoru about to attack him.
It is up to Yoshida to save him, as he drags him away using the power of the Octopus Devil.
This frustrates Yoru, who yells at Chainsaw Man to show himself.
It is also quite darkly humorous to think about what the bully girl is probably thinking in this moment.
She just watched her friends get killed by a Devil, was nearly killed by that same Devil, was saved by Chainsaw Man, and now the girl she bullied is standing in front of her, half-naked with a leg sword, screaming about obliterating Chainsaw Man.
I would be questioning reality.
While this is happening, Denji is dragged into a classroom where Yoshida is waiting to remind him that he said he would stop him by force if he had to.
The last we see of Denji this chapter is him crying out in despair, “But that was such a natural reveal!”
It is a great comedic moment that immediately turns dark as Fujimoto details the public’s reaction to Yuko’s attack.
It is revealed that four students died, meaning two of the bullies and probably the student Devil Hunter who got impaled.
I am not sure who the final one is, though.
What is especially surprisingly, however, is the reveal that Yuko actually somehow survived and escaped.
I was so sure that Denji had killed her last chapter.
This reveal flows into the final scene, beginning with Asa having a nightmare, once again focusing around her guilt for killing Bucky, as she runs through an alleyway full of dead chickens.
After waking up from the nightmare, Asa goes get some water, only to be interrupted by a knock at her door from Yuko.
Asa goes to open it but, in what feels like a callback to Pochita telling Denji not to open the door in Part One, Yuko also yells at Asa not to open the door, explaining that she has become a Devil and does not want to eat Asa.
Asa opens the door anyway and we see that the horns of the Justice Devil have grown into Yuko’s face, as the chapter comes to an end.
Yuko’s appearance in this final scene honestly reminds me a lot of a Fiend.
However, the Fiends from Part One were all Devils who had taken over a dead body.
Yuko is still very much alive and seems to be in control of her body.
Maybe this has to do with some unique quality of the Justice Devil, like how Yuko said she only “recieved” from the Devil earlier, instead of exchanging something in a contract.
I am curious about what Yuko’s role will be in the future of this story.
In a prior review, I said that Yuko was probably too far gone, after killing so many people.
I am intrigued to see if Fujimoto will attempt to redeem Yuko or have her double down on her actions.
“A Ring in the Night” was a good chapter of ChainsawMan, with quite a few interesting reveals and funny moments.
Hopefully, the next chapter will go into detail about what exactly is going on with Yuko and maybe also the identity of the Devil who resurrected her in Chapter 108.

Chainsaw Man Episode Four, Rescue Review: Meet the Gang.

Just like Episode Three of Chainsaw Man ended with an incredibly animated action scene, Episode Four, “Rescue”, begins with an incredibly animated action scene.
Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, the episode begins with an anime original scene of Power grossly killing and consuming various animals before coming across Meowy, leading into the Bat Devil taking them hostage.
We see how desperate Power was to save Meowy, running so fast that she trips up, as she reflects on how wanting to save Meowy is foolish.
This ties back into her relationship with Denji in the present as, after her and Meowy are rescued by him, she questions why he would save them, only for Denji to point at her breasts and then do a fondling motion with his hand.
Much like how Power concluded running to save Meowy was a “foolish reason”, she also concludes Denji saving them to cop a feel is also a “foolish reason.”
Nevertheless, she agrees to honour her part of the deal, to which Denji celebrates, only to have his hand cut off by the Leech Devil mid-cheer.
The Leech Devil was the girlfriend of the Bat Devil and is wanting to kill Power and Meowy in revenge but is willing to let Denji go since she considers him cute.
Determined to cop his feel, Denji refuses.
The big fight of the episode then begins, and it is just as excellently animated as Denji’s fight with the Bat Devil in the previous episode.
It is also well adapted from the manga, with various new moments to the fight, like Denji hiding under the Bat Devil’s guts to launch a surprise attack.
In the end, though, the result is the same, with Denji being impaled with the Leech Devil’s tongue, ending their “dream battle.”
Thankfully, Aki shows up as uses his contract with the Fox Devil to save Denji.
“Kon” he says, forming a fox symbol with his hand, causing the Fox Devil to appear from nowhere and bite the Leech Devil’s head off.
It is in the aftermath of this fight where we get a brief look at the gang of Division Four.
We of course have Aki, then the eye patched Himeno (Mariya Ise), and new recruits Kobeni (Karin Takahashi) and Arai (Taku Yashiro).
Their introduction is brief, we do not even hear the recruit’s names, but the introduction shot of them does highlight their future importance.
On a side note, I will also say that I do really like Karin Takahashi as Kobeni so far.
I know she only said one word but she displayed it so timidly that it really sounded like Kobeni to me.
In any case, Aki then takes over the battle scene, helping an injured Denji to his feet and sending Meowy off to a veternarian for a checkup.
Later on, Denji awakens in the hostpital with his arm reattached.
Aki arrives with an apple for Denji and provides us with another lore dump, explaining that Devil Hunters make contracts with devils in order to fight them.
Aki is contracted with the Fox Devil, which eats a bit of his skin in exchange for him using its power.
As for Aki himself, he is still conflicted by Denji, shown by him holding off on giving Denji the apple pieces when he attempts to cover for Power, despite Denji reaching out for them.
But then Aki remembers all of the conflicting reports he heard about Denji from his fight with the Bat Devil.
Among those were the woman he yelled at to run if she did not want to get eaten, and the man who Denji injured by throwing his car at the Bat Devil with him in it.
Along with these, is the father and daughter who Denji saved.
Like I said in my Episode Three review, these two are actually from Chapter Two of the manga, where Denji saved the girl from the Muscle Devil.
This was cut from the anime but the father and daughter characters were kept and moved to the Bat Devil fight for Denji to save.
This was a good way to remove the Muscle Devil scene, yet retain its impact because the father and daughter still come to talk to Aki about Denji helping them.
In the end, Aki decides to work with Denji if he follows his every order, to which Denji does agree.
Aki then leaves Denji’s room and has Power freed, much to Himeno’s concern.
Following this, we get an anime original scene of Aki reporting to Makima.
Before he knocks on her door, however; he stops and then checks himself in the window, showing his crush on her.
While speaking with Makima, Aki also curiously mentions something about both the Bat and Leech Devils having “no traces of Gun flesh.”
After he finishs his report, Makima is rightly suspicious of how convenient Denji and Power’s side of the story is.
Aki covers for them by chalking it down to them being “unbelievably stupid”, which, to be fair to him, is not exactly wrong.
Makima also calls out how flexible Aki is being with the rules, correctly deducing Denji’s influence, to which Aki denies.
The anime original scenes continue, with the next one being Aki’s morning routine which, again, is extremely well animated.
Mappa really is going above and beyond with this adaptation, putting so much effort into the smallest of details.
Aki and Denji’s simple morning is quickly interrupted by the chaotic arrival of Power, whom Makima has assigned to live with them.
Aki protests until Makima compliments him, to which he ascends.
He probably quickly regrets this, though, because what follows is a comedic segment, of Power refusing to eat vegetables, refusing to flush the toilet, and refusing to bathe, things which are even too much for Denji to suffer through.
However, although Aki is suffering under the chaos his new roomate is causing, things are looking up for Denji because Power corners him in the bathroom to follow through on their deal, allowing him to touch her breasts three times.
Once for saving Meowy, a second time for killing the Bat Devil, and a third for lying about her to Aki.
This causes Denji to internally declare her an angel, bringing a comedic end to the episode.
This is followed by the ED “Jouzai” by TOOBEE; another fun ED with a lot of fun visuals of Power.
“Rescue” is another great episode of Chainsaw Man.
Like Episode Three it has an incredibly animated fight scene, the quality of which also extends to the quieter moments.

Manga Spoilers Section:
“Rescue” had a lot of great hints towards the future of the story, most of them concerning Makima.
First, there is her interest in Denji influencing Aki, which is shown in the anime original scene.
This is a great addition because it subtly hints at her trying to create a family unit between them, just so she can rip it away from Denji to make Chainsaw Man hers.
Her having complete control over Aki is also foreshadowed by him immediately agreeing to house Power when Makima compliments him.
It is a funny moment now but it will become much more sinister when Makima is revealed to be the Control Devil.
The anime original scene also gives us an earlier mention of the Gun Devil, which will add to the reveal of what it is in the next episode, along with Aki’s backstory, which I am excited to see.

Chainsaw Man Episode Three, Meowy’s Whereabouts Review: All to Cop a Feel.

The first two episodes of Chainsaw Man started off Mappa’s adaptation excellently but, in my opinion, it is Episodes Three and Four where the quality really gets into high gear.
Directed by Hinori Tanaka, Episode Three, “Meowy’s Whereabouts”, prepares us for the excellent quality of animation we are going to see right from the get-go.
“Meowy’s Whereabouts” begins simply, picking up in the aftermath of Power destroying the Sea Cucumber Devil.
Makima is disappointed in Power for killing the devil since it was already being taken care, and in Denji for not controlling Power.
Makima then questions if Power is cut out to be a Devil Hunter.
This scares Power, who attempts to place the blame all on Denji, causing an argument, which comes to an end when Makima calmly asks them to quiet down.
Despite the calmness of this request Power is again terrified into submission, as she timidly agrees to work with Denji.
Although this opening scene is a simple one, animation wise, I was still amazed by simple details like Makima resting her face in her hand.
Even little details like her fingernails were much more detailed than in other anime, preparing us for the fantastic animation that is to come when Denji eventually faces off against the Bat Devil in the back half of the episode.
“Meowy’s Whereabouts” then goes about setting that fight up with its next scene, as Denji and Power are hanging around some vending machines.
A cat approaches Power and she uses this as an opportunity to talk about her own cat Meowy, who was kidnapped by a devil.
Denji seems uninterested, focusing on his goal of touching boobs.
This results in a good laugh when Power manipulates Denji into helping, saying she would let him touch hers if he saves Meowy, causing Denji to act outraged that the devil stole the cat and vowing to save it.
Yet, he is completley unaware that Power has just lured him into a trap.
Although, so is the audience, at that point.
Following the intro, Denji and Power head off to save Meowy, with Denji attempting to relate to Power by talking about Pochita, saying he is sad he cannot pet him because he lives in his heart.
However, much like Denji dismissed Meowy before Power made her offer, Power too dismisses Pochita, believing Denji is just saying that as a way to get through his grief.
It is interesting how despite having a similar love for their pets, Power and Denji still do not get along at this stage and dismiss each other’s feelings, something that will be resolved as the episode progresses.
Before that can happen, however; the scene cuts to Makima being interviewed by her bosses about her squad, to which she describes Denji as “interesting”, while she and her bosses use plenty of dog metaphors for him again.
On the drive back, Aki questions Makima about finding Denji “interesting”, and it is here that we get one of the first big lore dumps of the series, as Makima describes how devils work.
She states that every devil is born with a name and how much that name is feared determines how strong the devil is.
So, for example, a coffee devil would be rather weak but a car devil would be pretty strong since there is a common fear of being run over.
Therefore, a Chainsaw Devil would have to be powerful as well, which is the implication Makima gives for why she finds Denji so interesting.
Aki still insists on Denji being unhelpful and what happens next initially proves him to be right.
As Denji and Power approach the abandoned house where Meowy is being held hostage, Denji wonders why Power is approaching with him because she said the devil would kill Meowy if she got close.
This causes Power’s entire story to fall apart and, once Denji realizes he has been lured into a trap, he lunges forward, only to be too slow as Power whacks him over the head with a hammer made from her blood.
She then drags the injured Denji inside the house where the Bat Devil is waiting for her.
The Bat Devil’s arm was cut off by a Devil Hunter so he uses Denji’s blood to revive himself, only to be disgusted by the taste.
Therefore, he decides to punish Power.
By this point, one could be forgiven for thinking that Power had lied to Denji about Meowy but it is revealed she was telling the truth as the Bat Devil has taken Meowy hostage.
His punishment for Power is for her to watch as he swallows Meowy hole, while she looks on in horror.
We then get a flashback to show how the bond between the two formed.
After the Blood Devil became the Fiend known as Power, she killed and ate everything she came across.
This was until Meowy found her, after Power had killed a bear.
However, Meowy was skin and bones so Power began to feed them in the hopes of fattening them up so she could eat them.
What she did not count on, however, was becoming attatched to Meowy.
It was after she had this realization that the Bat Devil took Meowy hostage, ordering Power to find him a human to eat to save her cat.
Power ran off to do so, only to be eventually captured by Makima off screen.
With the flashback done, the scene changes to present day, where we finally get the first moment of conciliation between Power and Denji, as Power states that she now finally understands how Denji felt when he said that he could no longer pet Pochita.
The Bat Devil’s punishment for Power continues, as he eats her next.
He probably should have chewed, however, because seeing Power and Meowy trapped in the Bat Devil’s stomach makes Denji rush to save them by catching a ride on the Bat Devil.
“Gimme my tits back!” He humorously shouts, calling back to his deal with Power.
But Denji’s reasons for trying to save Power does not fully conform with this dream as he also wants to save her because he has finally come to sympathise with her, just like she did him.
As Denji pulls the rip cord on his chest to unleash his chainsaw powers, he recalls a time when he lost Pochita and became scared that he had eaten by a devil, only to find him when he came back home.
He and Pochita then slept beside each other and Denji remembers how relieved he felt, before wondering how scared Power must have been sleeping while knowing the Bat Devil had Meowy.
This thought concluded, Denji begins his rescue attempt for Power and Meowy in spectacular and gory fashion, as the chainsaw rips through his own head as he transforms.
He then cuts off the Bat Devil’s arm again, causing the two of them to fall from the sky, crashing into a building, nearly hitting a woman.
Denji urges the woman to flee before she gets eaten.
A gloriously animated fight then follows between Denji and the Bat Devil, during which Denji also saves a father and daughter, both of whom should look familar to manga readers.
This is because they are the father and daughter from Chapter Two who were cut from the anime.
However, even though Denji does save them, he could care less about other people, as he throws a car at the Bat Devil with a man still inside.
The man barely manages to get out in time, thankfully.
Afterwards, the Bat Devil seems to be put an end to the fight, defeating Denji with a sonic sound wave, which has great sound design, by the way.
The Bat Devil is then about to begin feasting on humans once more, only for Denji to emerge from the rumble of a building, angrily declaring how mad he is about not being about to cop a feel yet.
It is quite hilarious to hear Denji’s voice actor, Kikunosuke Toya, scream so passionately about this.
The Bat Devil is also stunned by this because it causes him to drop the person he was about to eat.
The question is if he dropped the man out of fear for Denji or because he was stumped by how stupid Denji is.
My money is on both.
Denji then easily kills the Bat Devil in bloody fashion, ripping him open, as blood rains down on him in a killer shot that brings an end to the episode.
We then get our third ED “Hawatari 2-oku Centi” by Maximum the Hormone, which is my favourite so far, with its visuals and foreshadowing for the future.
The entire fight between Denji and the Bat Devil this episode was absolutley excellent, with incredible animation throughout.
I am extremely glad that it was Mappa who was chosen to animate Chainsaw Man because of how great of a job they have been doing and I cannot wait to see more.

Manga Spoilers Section:
One thing I enjoyed about how “Meowy’s Whereabouts” adapted the manga was how well it translated Power’s fear of Makima.
From the animation of her reaction, to Fairouz Ai’s voice performance; all of this does a great job at foreshadowing how Makima is bad news.
Another nice detail was the inclusion of the father and daughter from Chapter Two, who are saved by Denji from the Bat Devil here, instead of the Muscle Devil.
This meant that they could be used for an Episode Four scene, where Aki flashes back to them talking about how Denji saved them.
I will talk about that scene in the review for that episode, which I will be releasing alongside this one.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 109, The Easy Way to Stop Bullying Review: They Finally Meet.

Going into Chapter 109 of Chainsaw Man, “The Easy Way to Stop Bullying”, I was excited to see what Fujimoto would do with the new devil (either Death or Famine) he introduced last chapter.
It was for this reason that I was slightly disappointed to see that this devil had mysteriously vanished.
That said, what we got in this chapter was still quite good, and it is not as if Fujimoto is dropping this character he literally just introduced.
I just need to be a bit more paitient for him to reveal more about the new character.
“The Easy Way to Stop Bullying” begins with the now resurrected and overpowered Yuko destroying the school in the hopes to put an end to bullying once and for all.
Nobody tell Yuko that bullying can also take place outside of school.
Yuko’s attack is temporarily halted by the recently arrived Devil Hunters who were definitley not prepared for a devil this strong, as Yuko easily kills them, declaring them bullies.
She is clearly way too far gone, at this point.
That being said, Yuko still does have some sympathetic qualities, as she becomes concerned when she sees Asa unconcious on the floor.
Despite her sense of justice being entirely warped, some human part of Yuko cares for her friend.
Unfortunately, this results in violence as she finally finds the last of Asa’s bullies and prepares to kill her.
A good thing that Chainsaw Man is here to save the day because Denji emerges and puts on his heroic act, before finally revealing himself as Chainsaw Man and saving the girl.
Predictably, Yuko is not prepared at all to fight him, even though she recently had a power-up.
Yuko does have one ace up her sleeve, however: her mind reading ability.
But, Denji being Denji, he is not thinking about the fight at all.
No, instead he is thinking about how to naturally expose his secret identity.
Honestly, I’m not sure if this is unintentional genius on Denji’s part or just his stupidity saving him again.
Either way, it’s incredibly funny.
As for Denji himself, though, I do want to briefly touch upon his physical appearance.
There has been a theory flying around about him being depressed and I buy this theory more with every chapter I see him.
In Part Two, Fujimoto has drawn Denji to look rather tired, with bags under his eyes.
He is probably under a lot of pressure, caring for Nayuta, Meowy and Makima’s dogs.
This could be why he is so desperate to expose himself as Chainsaw Man so he can get a girlfriend, as it’s just to make himself feel better about his life.
Quite sympathetic if this is the case.
After Denji concludes his fight with Yuko, Asa wakes up, only to look up and see Chainsaw Man.
Yoru then takes over and we finally get our first confrontation between the two, which has been hyped up right from the beginning of Part Two.
The chapter then ends with the two staring each other down as Denji stands over Yuko’s body… head?
Whatever.
As for the cliffhanger, it would not surprise me if it had some kind of comedic follow up.
Yoru is half naked after all and Denji being Denji I would not be surprised if he became distracted during their confrontation because of this.
Also, Yuko is almost definitley dead now so Asa is clearly not going to be happy about that.
One thing that also interests me just as much as the first confrontation between Denji and Yoru is the fate of the girl Yuko almost killed.
As far as we know, she is still alive and she definitley saw Denji transform, unlike Asa who was unconcious.
So, either this girl is going to die to preserve Denji’s identity, exposes him, or she will stay quiet about it.
If she lives, I wonder if this will make her a recurring character?
There are quite a few ways this could all be followed up on in Chapter 110 and I am interested to see what Fujimoto goes with.
“The Easy Way to Stop Bullying” is another good Chainsaw Man chapter, which ends on an exciting cliffhanger for next week.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 108, Something Important to Asa Review: Death or Famine?

Tatsuki Fujimoto is, without a dobut, the most unpredictable writer whose work I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
Almost every single time I think I know where one of his stories is going, he turns it in a completley different direction.
This unpredictable style continues in Chapter 108 of Chainsaw Man, “Something Important to Asa”, which ends with a character introduction I never saw coming.
The chapter begins by picking up from the cliffhanger of Chapter 107, where Yuko screamed at Asa that she must absolutley not do what she is planning.
Going into Chapter 108, I thought Asa’s plan might be something that involves endangering her life, which would upset Yuko, since she wants to protect her.
Instead, we got something much more humorous.
Asa’s actual plan is to turn her school uniform into a weapon, which she does, turning it into a sword, and leaving her only in her bra and underwear.
It turns out that Yuko was so horrified because she just wanted to protect her friend’s modesty.
Now looking like a Kill la Kill character with her uniform weapon, Asa threatens to slice Yuko up if she does not stop her rampage.
However, Yuko uses the justification that if she kills Asa’s bullies then this will scare other bullies into stopping their torment across Japan, making her “a symbol of justice… like Chainsaw Man.”
This once again shows the negative impact of Denji’s actions, since Yuko was unintentionally influenced by him to start this attack.
Asa is taken aback by this expanation for a moment, which does make me wonder if this will be another reason for her to hate Chainsaw Man after this fight is over.
Could she end up blaming him for his unintentional role in inspiring Yuko?
Following this, we do get a curious moment where Yoru questions Yuko about what she got in exchange for the Justice Devil’s power.
Yuko responds, “There was no ‘give.’ I only recieved.”
This is interesting because pretty much all devils recieve something from their human hosts when they lend them their power.
So, is the Justice Devil unique, or is this a new trend emerging among the devils?
We do not have to ponder on this for long, though, because Yuko attempts to go and kill Asa’s last bully, only for Asa to lunge at her with her uniform sword, which Yuko easily deflects.
Yoru calls her weak and Yuko tells Asa that any attack on her pointless.
Yet, as Yuko says this very line, we see a slight split in her neck.
The very next page is a full spread of Yuko being sliced to pieces in some kind of delayed attack from Asa’s sword.
Now covered in the blood of her friend, Asa is horrified, while Yoru is impressed by the strength of her weapon.
Asa explains that it is because the uniform she used as a weapon was something her mother gave her before she died, making “Something Important to Asa” a pretty fitting title.
This also seems to indicate that when Asa creates a weapon using the War Devil’s power, it will be much more powerful that Yoru.
Asa is still horrified by the carnage, which causes her to remember Bucky’s death and the guilt she experienced from that, only for her mental state to worsen when Yuko dies in front of her from her injuries.
And then we get the surprise character introduction of the chapter.
A random girl leaning against a doorway suddenly asks Asa if she wants to save Yuko because she can do it.
Asa nervously replies yes and the strange girl seems to slump, as if being taken over.
Then, when she next looks down on Asa, we see her eyes are the same spirals as Yoru and Makima.
“Anything for my little sister,” the girl says.
While this is happening, the Devil Hunters finally arrive to deal with Yuko, only for her to crash right out of the building, fully revived and way, way bigger, bringing an end to the chapter.
So, who is the random girl who just revived Yuko?
Well, it is pretty obvious that she is one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, just like Makima and Yoru.
We know this because she has the same eyes as the two and also calls Asa “sister,” although she is likely refurring to Yoru here.
The girl slumping over briefly before approaching Asa also seems to indicate that this horseman is sharing the body of a student, just like Yoru is sharing Asa’s body.
So, now that we know the girl is a horseman, the question is which one?
Makima was Conquest and Yoru is War, so that leaves Death and Famine.
To me, Death seems like the most obvious Horseman because she did just literally revive Yuko from the dead.
However, I do not want to entirely discount Famine because other readers have pointed out that her earrings are the “scales of balance”, something related to Famine apparently.
Although, I do not know how Famine could revive Yuko, so Death seems much more likely to me.
Either way, I am highly intrigued to see what this horseman’s role in the story is and what they are doing at Asa’s school.
Did they come here searching for Yoru or Chainsaw Man?
Did Yoru know about them beforehand, or did she just learn they were here?
There are so many possibilities with the introduction of this latest horseman, making me even more excited for the next chapter.
Overall, “Something Important to Asa” is another fantastic Chainsaw Man chapter, which once again showcases Fujimoto’s unpredictable style as a writer through his sudden introduction of one of the four horsemen.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 107, School Attack Review: Hello and Goodbye Devil Hunter Club.

Chainsaw Man has been on a roll recently, with Mappa releasing a new episode every week and Tatsuki Fujimoto now releasing a chapter every week.
Well, this week we got Chapter 107, “School Attack”, which continues the fight between Yoru and Yuko, AKA the Justice Devil.
If the school shooter allegory was not clear last chapter then the title “School Attack” definitley clears that up.
Fujimoto does not seem to be putting any problematic messages into this storyline, though, so it is working out.
The chapter begins with Yoru and Yuko fighting, which goes poorly for Yoru at first, as the Justice Devil easily knocks her into a classroom before fleeing to kill Asa’s bullies.
I will say, I did find some of this action to be a bit difficult to follow, although maybe that was just me.
After reading the chapter a few times, however, I did eventually manage to figure out what had happened.
Seeing the Justice Devil passing, the teacher presses an alarm, which sends a schoolwide warning about the devil attack.
This is another good case of worldbuilding, which shows just how widespread devil attacks are in this world, considering that the school has a built in warning system for it.
The class with Asa’s bullies begin evacuating, wondering if it is a drill, only for Yuko to pop around the corner and respond, “this is not a drill.”
Her response is actually pretty funny in a morbid sort of way.
Yuko then begins to systematically take out the girls who bullied Asa.
Yoru attempts to fight her, using Asa’s pencils as weapons but this is not enough.
However, Yoru unexpectedly receives backup in the form of the school Devil Hunters Club, consisting of a brawler named Seigi Akoku, the crossbow weilding Furio, and an unnamed girl with a sword, who looks quite similar to the whip devil girl Makima controlled in the final arc of Part One.
It will be interesting to see if this is the same girl or if it is just a case of characters looking similar, just like how Yuko looks similar to Kusakabe yet apparently has no relation to him.
What will be more interesting, though, is seeing if any of the Devil Hunters actually survive their fight with Yuko because, as soon as they gang up on her, Yuko sees them as bullies so begins to attack them at full strength.
Seigi loses an eye, Furio is impaled, and the unnamed girl is knocked out a window.
So long as Seigi and the unnamed girl remained unharmed next chapter, I would say there is a good chance of them becoming important characters later.
As for Furio, I would be very surprised if he survived this, considering he just got impaled.
One intriguing thing to note is that when Yuko is attacked by the Devil Hunter Club, she uses the word “again.”
I wonder if this was a mistranslation or if the Justice Devil has some kind of history with the Devil Hunter Club?
In any case, after mortally wounding the school Devil Hunters, Yuko warns Yoru to keep out of the fight, reading her mind to point out every single plan and trap she has.
Yoru then decides to go for her last resort, the “leave it all to Asa” plan.
She then allows Asa to take back control.
Yuko is glad to see Asa but, after reading her mind, is apparently horrified by Asa’s plan, saying that she absolutley cannot do that, bringing an end to the chapter.
As for what Asa’s plan is, I have no idea at this point.
What will be interesting, though, is to see if Denji or Yoshida get involved in this fight later.
I have seen speculation that Denji will kill Yuko, making Asa hate him, causing her to fully side with Yoru in her quest to kill Chainsaw Man.
Whether this happens or not, I once again am not hopeful for Yuko’s fate.
She seems too far gone at this point so her death is likely.
As for the school Devil Hunters, their fates are less certain.
Chapter 107, “School Attack” is yet another good chapter of Chainsaw Man.
With Fujimoto now releasing chapters week to week, we can now look forward to receiving a chapter alongside an episode every week on the same day.

Chainsaw Man Episode Two, Arrival in Tokyo Review: Always go for the Nuts.

After the fantastic first episode of Chainsaw Man‘s anime adaptation, Mappa continue to impress with Episode Two, “Arrival in Tokyo”, directed by Tōko Yatabe.
Picking up right after Denji agrees to work for Makima after she offers him food, the episode begins with a close-up of Makima’s eye, highlightly how unusual her eyes are.
The animaton of this close-up is incredible, from the reflection of the passing countryside in Makima’s eye, to even the way she blinks.
This quality of animation is continued throughout the episode, with every little moment being so well animated.
Inside the car, Makima and Denji have a conversation, where Makima continues to compare him to a dog, saying she only wants to hear “yes” or “woof” from him because she does not need a dog who says “no”, threatening to have him “put down” if he is not useful.
This naturally freaks Denji out, or at least it does until Makima offers to pay for his food and gives him her jacket.
No one has been nice to Denji before, so this small kindness from Makima causes him to fall in love with her instantly, seemingly forgetting how she literally just threatened his life.
That is the tragic thing about Denji: He will accept being worked like a dog for the smallest of rewards because his harsh life has caused him to value those small things that most of us take for granted.
After the OP, we see Denji and Makima getting their food, where Denji explains to Makima how Pochita became his heart and Makima says there is no precedent for his condition, so it does not have a name.
Denji looks dejected about this, until Makima says she believes him because she has a strong sense of smell, allowing her to sniff out that he is part human and part devil.
This is, of course, a huge relief to Denji but he then passes out because of his exhaustion and, when he wakes up, Makima feeds him, increasing Denji’s affection for her to the point that he asks if there is a guy she likes.
Makima replies “I’m into the ‘Denji’ Type”, pretty much sealing the deal on Denji’s feelings for her.
However, what anime only viewers may not know about this scene is that there is actually a big cut from the manga.
In Chapter Two, right before Denji and Makima order food, an injured man runs up to them shouting that his daughter has been kidnapped by a devil.
Makima threatens Denji into going to rescue the girl but he finds her playing with it instead.
The girl claims that her father beats her so the devil saved her and, now scared of Makima, Denji offers to run away with the girl and the devil.
Unfortunately for him, this is a trap because the devil is the Muscle Devil and has taken control of the girl’s body.
The Muscle Devil attempts to kill Denji and the girl but Denji transforms into his devil form and kills it, returning the girl to her thankful father.
While it was unfortunate to see this moment from the manga get the axe, it is not too important in the grand scheme of the story.
Also, I think they manage to construct the opening scene of the episode just fine without it.
Making Makima threaten Denji in the beginning, instead of when she sends him to kill the Muscle Devil, does add to the theme of Denji accepting being treated like a dog, when he decides he loves Makima after she treats him well a moment later.
With this scene done, the episode cuts to Makima leading Denji through the city to the Devil Hunters’ Tokyo headquarters.
It is there that Denji is given a change of clothes and, more importantly, meets his new colleague and another fan favourite character, Aki Hayakawa (Shogo Sakata).
Denji is upset that Aki will be his colleague rather than Makima, causing Aki to drag him away, passing a painting of what I have been told is an illustration by Gustave Dore of Dante’s Divine Comedy.
In order to reassure Denji, Makima tells him they can only work togethor if he does a good job, doing up his tie.
However, it will be hard for Denji to do a good job if Aki succeeds in getting him to quit the Devil Hunters, which is exactly what he tries to do, leading Denji into an alley and then beating him up.
Aki berates Denji for only joining the Devil Hunters to get close to Makima, believing only those with strong convictions can survive as a Devil Hunter, chucking a cigarette at him and then spitting on him.
Aki underestimates Denji, however, because he attacks him from behind, kicking Aki right in the family jewels and then continues to kick saying whenever he fights, “It’s nuts or nothing!”
Denji then further proves how much Aki underestimates him because he explains he does have strong convictions in regards to living a good life, stating, “if I get to keep up this kind of life? I don’t care if it kills me.”
Aki then proves how he did not entirely have good intentions by attempting to convince him to leave the Devil Hunters, since he takes offence to Denji believing he could get with Makima, showing off his jealousy.
Aki prepares to fight Denji, yet he apparently was not listening when Denji says he fights “nuts or nothing” as he leaves said nuts undefended, leading to Denji kicking them in again.
Denji then takes Aki back to Makima, humorously claiming that the nut devil attacked his testicles.
Despite Denji and Aki clearly not getting along, Makima puts Denji in his squad.
Aki is reluctant but Makima insists, explaining Denji’s situation and that he will be disposed of as a devil if he tries to leave.
Denji asks what this means and Makima replies, “it means we’re working togethor until you die.”
Personally, I was sad to see the translation from the manga I have was not used, which is, “it means we’ll be working togethor until death do us part.”
The marriage proposal elements to that line always seemed like a good way for Makima to lure Denji in more, so I am not the biggest fan of this new translation.
Although, it is just one line so it is not too big of a deal.
Anyway, after Denji and Aki are partnered togethor, Aki takes Denji to live in his apartment.
On the way there, Denji questions if Makima is a good person, yet still wants to hug her.
Upon hearing this, Aki gives a cry of shock, which seemed much more exagerated in the anime and was thus way funnier.
Even funnier still is how Aki’s life takes a turn for the worse with Denji as a roomate.
Denji makes a mess by making a mess of a sandwich, sings loudly in the bath, and uses up all of the toilet paper.
Aki’s frustration only grows when he and Denji are sent to kill a Fiend, a devil which has taken over a dead body.
To see what Denji is capable of in his devil form, Aki orders him to transform and then kill the devil, only for Denji to simply kill it in his human form.
This angers Aki and he accuses Denji of not taking things seriously, revealing his entire family was killed by a devil right in front of his eyes.
He follows this up by questioning if Denji wants to make friends with devils and Denji responds yes because he does not have friends.
This appears to strike a cord with Aki, causing him to leave Denji alone with the dead Fiend… and a bunch of porno mags to steal.
The real reason Denji did not transform into his chainsaw form is that he did not want to get blood on the porn.
Remembering his deal with Pochita to live his dreams, Denji replies that he is living his dream but he feels something is missing.
This leads to Denji deciding what his next big, massively important goal in life is, and that is to touch boobs.
Yes, I am serious.
It is kind of funny to compare Denji to other shounen protaganists.
Some want to save the world, while others want revenge.
Hell, even Aki fits the latter type of character, yet he is not the protaganist; Denji is, and Denji just wants to touch some boobs.
So strong is this new conviction he has that it leads to him shouting about boobs in Makima’s prescence.
Again, this was an instance where I found the manga translation to be better.
In the manga, Denji shouts “melons” at Makima, rather than boobs, causing her to question, “fruit?”
This is a lot funnier than the anime version, which just has Makima repeating back what Denji says, rather than the humorous misunderstanding in the manga.
There was not much time to dwell on this small issue, however, because we then get our introduction to yet another fan favourite character, the Fiend, Power (Fairouz Ai).
Fun fact for anyone who does not know: Power’s personality is actually based off Eric Cartman from South Park.
No, I am not kidding.
Everything about Power’s introduction is great in the anime.
The animation is excellent, Fairouz Ai’s performance is also great, and the marching band-like soundtrack suits Power’s character perfectly.
Denji is at first reluctant to work with a Fiend, until he gets a look at Power’s chest and instantly decides he’s okay with it.
The two are then sent out on their first patrol, which does not go well because they cannot find any devils.
Power claims this is because she was a devil all others feared before she became a Fiend, showing off her arrogance.
Denji believes her, however, and speculates that Aki set them up togethor to fail, imagining Aki pulling a funny face at him that is 100% a face Aki would never pull.
His inner turmoil is quickly interrupted, though, when Power smells bloods and runs off in a mad dash to attack and kill the Sea Cucumber Devil.
This is another moment I think was funnier in the manga but not due to the translation this time.
No, I think it was funnier in the manga because the focus was on the civilian Devil Hunter in the phone booth trying and failing to tell his colleague about the Sea Cucumber Devil, only to be interrupted by Power obliterating it.
In the anime, the scene passes by very quickly with not much focus on the humor of Power interrupting the man.
Still, the animation of this moment is once again great and Fairouz Ai does a fantastic job delivering Power’s maniacal laughter, which brings an end to the episode.
Overall, “Arrival in Tokyo” is another great Chainsaw Man episode.
I did have some issues with the translations and certain moments not being as funny as in the manga but, that aside, this is still an enjoyable episode with fantastic animation, music and voice acting.

Manga Spoiler Section:
Upon my second read through of Chainsaw Man, it was quite enjoyable to see how Tatsuki Fujimoto had put foreshadowing for how the manga would end in the opening chapters.
“Arrival in Tokyo” did a good job of adapting this foreshadowing, with Makima telling Denji that she has a good sense of smell, hinting at how she will eventually be defeated by him.
There is also a good amount of symbolism for Makima with the Divine Comedy painting seen when Aki drags Denji away.
The painting appears to show a demon attacking or chasing a man, probably hinting at Makima torturing Denji by taking everything he loves away, all with the end goal of relasing Pochita as Chainsaw Man.
Throughout the episode there are also nice little nods to other characters’ future actions.
One of these is small moment at the end of the episode, when Power looks at a cat she and Denji pass, foreshadowing how rescuing her cat is currently her priority, which we will see next episode.
“Arrival in Tokyo” had a lot of great character foreshadowing, which I am sure will make it an interesting rewatch for anime only viewers, once the adaptation of Part One of the manga is complete.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 106, Bonfire Review: War vs Justice.

Coinciding with the first episode of the Chainsaw Man anime, Tatsuki Fujimoto released Chapter 106, “Bonfire.”
It is a much shorter chapter than the prior ones in Part Two but that does not make it any less significant, building up to a fight between Yoru and the Justice Devil at Asa’s school.
“Bonfire” begins by detailing the fallout between Asa and Yoru, following Yuko revealing that she made a deal with the Justice Devil and now plans to kill all of Asa’s bullies.
Asa wants to talk Yuko out of it but Yuko attacking the school plays right into Yoru’s plan to draw out Chainsaw Man, so she takes over Asa’s body to make sure the attack happens.
So much for them seemingly coming to an agreement in Chapter 101.
Yoru’s other reasons for taking over Asa’s body is to silence Yuko about her, and also that killing a Devil will get her and Asa into the Devil Hunting club, thus getting them closer to Chainsaw Man, or so they think.
Either way, Asa has no say in the matter, as Yoru plans to stay in control until Yuko is dead.
Speaking of Yuko, we then see her burning the body of her neighbour in her backyard, promising to kill all of Asa’s bullies.
Her wording, “I’ll kill all the bad guys for you, just like Chainsaw Man” appears to be Fujimoto showcasing some of the negative effects of Denji’s actions, such as Yuko sees herself as like him by murdering those bullying Asa.
The next day, Yuko journeys to school, only to be confronted in the hallway by Yoru with a sword.
Using the Justice Devil’s power to read her mind, Yuko realizes it is Yoru she is talking to and that Chainsaw Man goes to their school.
As she reflects on her disappointment about this, we get a curious panel, where the speech bubbles are shown behind a window, partially blocked but not to the point that we cannot read what is being said.
Perhaps this is Fujimoto showing how the sound of their conversation is muffled elsewhere.
Or maybe they are being observed?
Perhaps by Yoshida?
In any case, Yuko asks Yoru to step aside, saying they can fight after she kills the bullies but Yoru refuses, knowing Yuko will run after this to escape the Devil Hunters.
Yuko then tells Yoru that she cannot beat her because she can read her mind.
Although this does raise the question of how Yoru managed to defeat the Justice Devil back when it controlled the Class President in Chapter 98, it does lead to a smart moment from Yoru, where she uses Asa as a hostage, saying if Yuko kills her then she will be killing Asa as well.
This angers Yuko, causing her to say that she likes Asa but hates Yoru, before transforming into the Justice Devil, bringing this short chapter to a close, with the cliffhanger teasing the rematch between the War and the Justice Devil.
One thing that is interesting to note about the Justice Devil, though, is that its design has changed.
Back in my review for Chapter 98, I criticized its design, stating that its form did not seem to resemble the fear it was based off, like all the other devils.
Well, this issue I had is fixed with this chapter, as the Justice Devil now has a form that kind of looks like a monstrous version of Lady Justice, to me.
I do wonder why the Justice Devil changed forms between its hosts?
I have heard a theory that it is because Yuko has a keener sense of justice than the Class President, so maybe that is it?
Either way, the fight between Yoru and Yuko should be interesting.
It could lead to Yoshida stepping in or even Denji revealing himself as Chainsaw Man.
As for Yoru and Asa, they actually have an advantage against the Justice Devil.
Because Asa considers Yuko a friend, this means Yoru can transform her into a weapon, although I am sure Asa will try to stop this.
Yuko is probably going to end up biting the dust, though.
If this does happen, it sure will sure have been an unexpected way for her to go.
When Yuko was first introduced, we all thought that when she died it would be in a way to motivate Asa, not as an antagonist.
It just goes to show how inventive Fujimoto is as a writer.
All in all, “Bonfire” is another good Chainsaw Man chapter.
It is a short one but this has an upside because it means we will be getting Chapter 107 next week, rather than two weeks for now.
I am intrigued to see how the fight between Yoru and Yuko will play out.

Chainsaw Man Episode One, Dog & Chainsaw Review: Simple Dreams in a Horrifying World.

After well over a year of anticipation and hype, Mappa just released its first episode of the Chainsaw Man adaptation, “Dog & Chainsaw”, directed by Ryū Nakayama.
If anyone had any doubts about whether this anime would live up to expectations, I am certain that this episode blew any skepticism clear out of the water.
“Dog & Chainsaw” is a phenominal beginning for the anime, delivering excellently on all fronts, including animation, voice acting and soundtrack.
The episode begins with an anime original scene of our main character Denji (Kikunosuke Toya) having a nightmare about approaching a strange door in an alleyway.
As a manga reader, I know what this dream means but I will leave that for the spoiler section below, just in case any anime only viewers happen to stumble across this review.
After waking up, Denji goes Devil hunting with his own pet Devil, Pochita (Shiori Izawa), an orange, dog-like creature with a chainsaw attatched to its head.
Denji lives in a world where Devils representing human fears plague humanity.
Unfortunately, Denji is dirt poor because his father killed himself after becoming indebted to the Yakuza.
Now, Denji has to pay off all of his father’s debt or be murdered, which lead to him selling one of his eyes, kidney, and even one of his testicles.
What gets him the most profit, however, is Devil hunting, as we see him prepare to use Pochita to take out the Tomato Devil,, before the episode cuts to the opening “Kick Back” by Kenshi Yozenu.
This opening is a lot of fun, with a great song and visuals which I will discuss the meaning of in the manga spoiler section.
After the opening, we see the aftermath of Denji and Pochita’s fight with the Tomato Devil, handing the corpse off to the Yakuza Boss who kindly gives Denji his payment… before ripping him off by taking most of his hard earned money for petty things like a “finder’s fee.”
On top of this, another Yakuza member mistreats Denji further, by offering him money if he eats a cigarette to which, desperate for money as he is, Denji accepts.
He does prove his intelligence, however, by not swallowing the cigarette so he can spit it out when the Yakuza leave.
Returning to the shed in the forest he calls home, we see how much worse Denji’s life is since, because of the Yakuza’s extortion, he can only afford to buy a single piece of bread for him and Pochia to eat.
This harsh life has caused Denji to view simple dreams, like going out on a date with a girl, to be akin to life changing ones; a key component of his character, which will be explored in later episodes.
None of this exploration would have happened without Pochita, however, as we see how he saved Denji’s life in a flashback.
After Denji’s father died, the Yakuza boss demanded money from him to be ready the next day, threatening to cut him up and sell his organs if he fails.
It was at this hopeless moment when Denji met Pochita and accepted his death by a Devil, only to see that Pochita was injured.
Remembering his own father’s suicide, Denji decides to save Pochita by offering his blood, making a contract with the little Devil and starting his Devil hunting career.
Following this flashback, Denji reminisces more on his simple dreams, before coughing up blood, leading to him remembering being told that his mother died from a heart condition, which caused her to cough up blood.
So, on top of the crushing poverty and extortion by the Yakuza, Denji then realizes he probably does not have long to live, meaning the simple dreams he lives for can never be achieved.
The poor guy just can not catch a break.
This is proven when the Yakuza boss takes him to kill another Devil, only for it to be a trap.
The Yakuza boss and his underlings stupidly made a contract with the Zombie Devil to obtain a Devil’s power like Denji did.
All this did was turn them all into the undead, now completley under the control of the Zombie Devil, who wants to kill Denji and Pochita for being Devil Hunters.
What follows is the brutal murder of the two, as they are struck from behind, chased down, stabbed to death, cut into pieces and thrown into a dumpster.
Kikunosuke Toya gives an excellent performance during this scene, with his agonised screams adding to the horror.
And so Denji’s short and cruel life ends cruely, or, at least, it would have if it were not for Pochita again.
Revived by Denji’s blood, he makes a contract with Denji, “I’ll give you my heart. And in exchange, I want you to show me your dreams.”
Now revived, Denji emerges from the dumpster, the only remaining remnant of Pochita being a cord now attatched to his chest.
Upon noticing his revival, the Zombie Devil orders his zombie slaves to eat Denji, and they tackle him to the ground as he pulls the cord.
The sound of the groaning undead is slowly overtaken by the sound of a revving chainsaw.
With a gory slash, Denji emerges from beneath the hoard, his face now that of a monstrous chainsaw, along with his hands.
The gore galore promised by the trailer then comences, as Denji quickly cuts the screaming Zombie Devil apart in bloody and spectacularly animated fashion.
Denji’s chainsaws are clearly CGI but they are the good kind, mixing well with the 2D animation.
After the Zombie Devil has been brutally despatched, Denji moves onto the zombified Yakuza, including his former boss, killing them all and washing his debt away in a river of blood.
Some time later, the government Devil Hunters arrive, lead by a woman named Makima (Tomori Kusunoki).
They find Denji inside the warehouse, surrounded by the dead zombies.
In a daze, Denji asks Makima to hug him, clearly remembering his old dream, and Makima accepts this requet, causing Denji to return to his human form.
Makima then gives him two options.
Either, A, he can be killed by her as a devil, or B, Makima can keep him as a human, offering to feed him.
This prompts Denji to ask what he will have for breakfast and Makima replies simple things like, “bread with butter and jam, salad, coffee, and then maybe something for desert.”
Well, as we know, simple dreams like breakfast are big ones for Denji, so Makima is really offering to fulfill one of his dearest wishes, leading to him accepting the offer, as the episode comes to an end.
Throughout this scene, the soundtrack by Keunsuke Ushio presents a melancholic feeling that represents the hope Denji is feeling in this moment really well.
I just knew that the composer for anime like A Silent Voice would do a great job with the soundtrack for Chainsaw Man.
I look forward to hearing the rest of his work, just as I look forward to seeing the rest of th3 ending songw we get.
Mappa took an interesting approach to the Chainsaw Man’s episode endings, as each one will have a different song, with Episode One’s being “Chainsaw Blood” by Vaundy, which is another banger, just like the opening.
All of the music, from the opening and ending song, to Ushio’s soundtrack, are amazing.
Along with this, the animation of the episode is great throughout, with plenty of little details throughout, like the veins in some character’s eyes.
Finally, there is the voice acting, which is so far also really good.
Watching the trailer, I was admittedly surprised to hear Tomori Kusunkoki’s soft voice as Makima but I think it works perfectly after this episode by making the character perfectly alluring.
“Dog & Chainsaw” is an all around fantastic first episode for the Chainsaw Man adaptation.
Studio Mappa is clearly dedicated to giving the manga the best adaptation that it can and I cannot wait to see the rest of my new favourite manga be adapted in anime form.

Manga Spoiler Section:
The first thing I will talk about concerning manga spoilers is the anime original scene of Denji having a nightmare about the door.
This early foreshadowing will work wonders, setting up the reveal that Denji killed his own father, which will come later in the story.
Placing the dream right at the beginning puts the mystery of the door firmly in the audience’s mind from the start, which is a good thing.
Now, for my thoughts on the opening’s foreshadowing.
For starters, one of my favourite moments from it was the moment with the entire gang sitting in a movie theatre.
It felt like it was hinting at Chapter 39, where Denji and Makima go to the movies.
Not only that but this moment in the opening also hints at what the character dynamics will be like in the future of the anime.
We see Makima feeding Denji popcorn, hinting at her control over him, Power stealing Kobeni’s seat, and Aki being the only one of the group to be focusing on the movie.
The opening having a moment in the theatre is also perfect for Chainsaw Man, considering how much of a movie fan Tatsuki Fujimoto is.
This fact can be seen throughout the opening, with various other moments refrencing popular films, with shots resembling those found in Pulp Fiction, The Big Lebowski, and many other films, being present.
After the movie theater moment in the opening, we then get various little hints to Makima’s hold over Denji, some subtle and others not.
Probably the most unsubtle of all is Makima having Denji on a dog leash.
More subtle is the moment when Makima feeds Denji a snail, which, I am told, looks to be infected by a parasite which controls its brain, further hinting at her attempting to manipulate Denji.
Other cool little teasers in the opening show glimpses of the Future Devil, Ghost Devil and Katanna Man, along with hints at Aki and Power’s pasts.
The opening then ends by showing the family dynamic that will emerge between Denji, Power and Aki, with Denji and Power goofing around dancing, while Aki watches.
This opening was great and its hints towards future events from the manga were fun to catch.
As for the original anime only scene, I wonder if there will be any more throughout the anime?
It will be interesting to see what gets added across Chainsaw Man‘s adaptation.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 105, Red Hot Review: I Should Have Expected the Unexpected.

While reading Chapter 105 of Chainsaw Man, “Red Hot”, there was a single word I kept shouting in the last half.
“WHAT!?”
Honestly, I should never have gone into this chapter expecting something simple.
Every time I do, Fujimoto brings out some completley crazy twist, which leaves me stumped.
“Red Hot” begins in the aftermath of Denji revealing to Asa that he is Chainsaw Man.
In my review of the previous chapter, I speculated that Asa might have been acting like she did not believe Denji when she actually did.
Turns out that this theory was wrong but, on the other hand, Yoru believes Denji’s claim entirely.
Asa shuts this down, however, saying Denji is not Chainsaw Man because it would stupid of him to reveal his identity.
Little does Asa know that Denji actually is stupid enough to do that.
Yoru’s main take away from this, though, is Asa calling her stupid, causing her to shout out that she isn’t.
It is once again quite funny to see the War Devil throwing a temper tantrum like a child.
However, this is the point where I have to talk about my one issue with the chapter, which is a small continuity error.
When Yoru first appears in this scene, shouting at Asa that Denji just admitted he was Chainsaw Man, she has no scar on her face, which is her defining feature.
Her scar is present in other panels but here it is strangely missing.
I wonder if this will be fixed later, in the volume release perhaps?
Even if it is not, though, this is not a huge issue.
After school, Yoru wants to continue hunting devils so Asa can get into the devil club to continue their hunt for Chainsaw Man.
Asa wants to go see Yuko instead and distracts Yoru, by telling her to think of a plan to draw a devil to school so they can force Chainsaw Man to reveal himself.
Yoru begins to think while Asa wonders if she can tame the War Devil, both completley unaware that the chance to lure a devil to the school is about to fall right into their laps in the most shocking way imaginable.
Asa goes to see Yuko, who is recuperating at home.
Yuko calls her Chainsaw Woman for saving her, which may also be a potential hint from Fujimoto about more scenes between Denji and Asa in the future.
The two sit togethor but an awkward silence quickly follows.
Yuko resolves this by suggesting they share secrets so Asa shares an embarrassing story about how she peed herself in class and acted like it was sweat.
Asa admitting this embarrassing secret results in the endearing moment of Yuko laughing so hard, she keeps accidentally hurting her broken leg.
However, this wholesome moment quickly turns disturbing when it becomes Yuko’s turn to tell Asa her secret.
Out of absolutley nowhere, Yuko admits to Asa that she murdered her neighbour because of his gambling habit.
This resulted in my first audible “What?!” of the chapter, as I tried to figure out if Yuko was joking or not.
A series of panels then follow of Asa awkwardly playing off Yuko’s confession as a joke, before it slowly dawna on her that she is serious, and we get a full page spread of the two sitting togethor in a grim silence, a door placed between them, resembling the one hiding Denji’s secret in the first part of Chainsaw Man.
After a disturbingly cheery encounter with another of Yuko’s neighbours, Asa questions Yuko further, asking if she was really serious about murdering someone, to which Yuko offers to show Asa the body.
An awkward refusal from Asa follows but this does not ruin Yuko’s demeanour, with her declaring that they are “besties”, now that they have both shared their secrets.
Yuko consoles Asa by telling her that she will not tell anyone that she peed her pants… or that she knows Yoru is possessing her and killed her teacher and the class president.
Cue my second “What?!” as I am left shocked, wondering how the hell Yuko knows about that.
Asa too questions this, resulting in my third audible “What?!” when Yuko admits to making a contract with the Justice Devil and can now read people’s mind to see if their “crimes” deserve punishment.
She made this contract so she can protect Asa from her bullies, telling her, “Don’t come to school tomorrow”, ending the chapter.
Well, not only has this chapter unexpectedly revealed that Yuko is a complete psycho in contract with the Justice Devil, but it has also revealed that she is planning to attack the school, killing all of Asa’s bullies.
This implication makes it difficult to not immediately think of the mind numbing amount of tragedies in America, with school shootings happening there so often.
I hope Fujimoto portrays this right, if it is what he is going for.
As for what this means for Yuko’s character, it will be interesting to see if she was always this crazy or if her contract with the Justice Devil warped her somehow?
Maybe the price for the contract was her sanity?
If not, it certainly paints a darker picture of her statement in Chapter 104, where she said, “Even if my actions turn out to be a mistake, if my heart is in the right place, that’s all that matters to me!”
Then there is Asa and Yoru’s situation.
They did not even need to find a way to lure a devil to the school because now Yuko is going to bring the Justice Devil there herself.
This should undoubtedly lead to a confrontation with Chainsaw Man but I wonder how Asa will deal with everything?
She has the power to turn Yuko into a weapon with Yoru’s power, which could stop a large amount of bloodshed, but will she have the strength to do so?
This could be a defining moment for Asa’s character, along with leading to her learning that Denji really is Chainsaw Man, which I am sure Yoru will rub in her face.
Overall, “Red Hot” is another great Chainsaw Man chapter.
I started reading, expecting a simple, plot building chapter and finished it with my mind blown at the story’s latest twists.