Choujin X, Chapters 1-40.2 Review: I Regret Dropping This Manga.

Tokyo Ghoul is one of my favourite mangas, so when I learned that Sui Ishida was writing a new one, Choujin X, I was very excited.
I was so excited for it that I made sure to review the first chapter once it released, and did the same for many of the subsequent chapters.
These reviews can still be found on my blog.
However, while I did find Choujin X to be good, I slowly began to lose interest in it, for a reason that I have never been able to put my finger on, to the point that I dropped it some time after Chapter 21.
I did not revisit it until recently, when I saw that the second part of Chapter 40 had released.
I decided to re-read the entire manga from the beginning, all the way through the chapters I had not yet read, and up to the most recent chapter.
After finishing Chapter 40.2, all I could think was that I was a fool for dropping this manga in the first place.

*Choujin X* is completley unique from other stories with super-powered characters.

The manga finally connected with me in a way which it had not on my first read and I am so glad that it did.
The story follows Tokio Kurohara, a teenage boy with seemingly no direction in life, who constantly lives under the shadow of his best friend, the confident and accomplished Azuma Higashi.
When the two are attacked by a Choujin, a person with super-human abilities, they are left with no choice but to attempt to become Choujins themselves.
This works for Tokio, who becomes a Beast Choujin resembling a vulture, while it seemingly does not work for Azuma.

Tokio becomes a Beastial Choujin in the first chapter, similar to how Kaneki became a ghoul in the first chapter of *Tokyo Ghoul.*

And so Tokio is forced into the world of Choujin, where he slowly begins to emerge from under Azuma’s shadow, alongside Ely Otta, a short teenage girl who gains her own powers after being attacked on a plane by the Choujin known as Chandra Hume.
The thing that makes Choujin X so distinct is how it fits into the super-hero genre.
This is certainly no My Hero Academia, as the powers many of these characters have fit in more with eldritch monsters, as is most apparent with the character of Sora.

Many of the *Choujin* in this series feel downright Lovecraftian.

Abilities like Raise and Chaos States make the Choujin entirely unique compared to super-powered characters from other stories.
The characters of Choujin X are also pretty great, especially Tokio, with his arc of learning what his own dream is and trying to achieve that.
It is this quality that makes Chapter 35 my favourite of the series so far, with the conversation between Tokio and his dad being a highlight, along with how the chapter itself ties into Tokio, Ely and Azuma’s growth as characters.

The conversation between Tokio and his father is one of my favourite moments of the manga.

The rest of the cast is also pretty great, with standout heroes, villains, and characters who may be somewhat both.
There is also a lot of mystery in this series, most notably the identity of the titular Choujin X.
I am highly intrigued to see the answer to these many mysteries, some of which I already have my own theories about.
As for my criticisms of the manga, I do have a few, such as that there are a few times where characters recap everything that has happened in the story, which does feel a bit unnecessary.
Also, of all the chapters, I would definitely say that Chapter Two is the weakest.
Re-reading that chapter really reinforced how much of a mess it was.
I probably had more difficulty trying to figure out what was happening during Chapter Two’s action on my second read than I did on my first.

Thankfully, Ishida greatly improves on the action in the rest of the story, and I am looking forward to the rest of it, especially with the horrifying events of Chapter 40.2 seeming to lead into an epic and probably tragic fight.
Overall, Choujin X is another great manga from Sui Ishida, which I regret falling behind on.
If you dropped it, like I did, then I would highly recommend re-reading the series all the way up to the newest chapter.
Hopefully, it will finally connect with you the same way it did for me.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 137, Chu Chu Lovely Mini Mini Mura Mura Review: What is Going on?

I honestly don’t even know where to begin with this review.
I know I have said that Tatsuki Fujimoto is an unpredictable writer but seriously I don’t even know what’s happening any more and I still somehow enjoy it.
Chapter 137 of Chainsaw Man, “Chu Chu Lovely Mini Mini Mura Mura” picks up right from where the previous chapter left off, with the creepy girl grabbing Denji’s crotch without his consent.
The girl offers to have sex with Denji if he licks the dead Devil in the theatre.
After she said this, I felt there was a 50/50 chance of Denji refusing and Denji accepting.
We know from what Denji has said in Part Two that he wants to actually think for himself and not be manipulated.
However, well…. this is Denji we’re talking about and the guy does want to have sex pretty badly.
This is why I was extremely proud to see Denji immediately call the girl out as sketchy, rightly calling her offer out as way too convenient.
He goes on to say that he is matured and that he will no longe mindlessly obey someone, so the girl should go and have some respect for herself aaaannnndddd it’s all in his head.
Yep, turns out that Denji standing up for himself was just his imagination, since he pretty much immediately starts licking the Devil’s head for sex while the girl laughs at him.
He even sucks the Devil’s head like a popsicle when she asks him to, which was just sadly pathetic to look at.
It was honestly disappointing to see Denji revert to this, although this is not a criticism because Denji has developed enough to know he shouldn’t be mindlessly obeying this creepy girl, even if he still does.
Afterwards, the girl takes Denji to a karaoke place, which Fujimoto literally names after himself.
The girl says that she has a friend who works there so they will turn a blind eye to her and Denji having sex in one of the rooms.
Denji is eager to get started but before that the girl wants to sing a song.
She starts the karaoke machine and starts singing what looks like a whole lot of nonsense.
Imagine my surprise when I look it up afterwards and found out this was actually a song, which the chapter is named after, “Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nururu Rero Rero” by Maximum the Hormone.
Listening to the song, I also cannot help but thing that it is perfect for the absolutely Fujimoto typical insanity that happens next.
While the girl is singing the song, a man with a baseball bat enters and attempts to kill Denji.
Denji beats him but then another man enters, and then another, and then another.
Men are literally lining up outside the door to enter and attempt to beat Denji to death with baseball bats.
Denji eventually exits the room and beats up all of his attackers, actually looking pretty pleased with himself.
Although, this may just be some sort of self-depricating smile because here is yet another woman trying to kill him, as the creepy girl emerges from the room, baseball bat in hand, looking ready to fight him too as she declares that this looks funner than singing a second verse.
So, as expected, the girl making an advance on Denji was a trap.
I do wonder if the people Denji beat up were hired to do so or if the girl was controlling them, and is a Devil.
Also, if the girl was sent by Yoshida, does this mean this assassination attempt was set up by him?
Maybe Yoshida thought Denji might try to be Chainsaw Man again so tried to have him killed?
But if Yoshida is behind this then it is rather weird that he chose such a poor assassination method.
I mean, Denji has killed multiple powerful Devils at this point so a bunch of guys with baseball bats would obviously not succeed in killing him.
No matter what the meaning behind the attack on Denji was, Chapter 137 of Chainsaw Man was another completley insane chapter.
I had no idea what was even happening when I first read it.
We will have to wait two weeks so the next chapter can give us context.
But, knowing Fujimoto, I would not be surprised if we got more insanity, not that I would be complaining about that.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 136, Normal Life Review: Excuse Me, What?

You know, I keep going into Chainsaw Man chapters expecting normal, predictable stuff to happen, and every time Fujimoto surprises me with the outright bizarre stuff he comes up with.
I should have learned my lesson after Chapter 105 but I clearly did not because I still ended Chapter 136 “Normal Life” wondering what the hell I had just read.
The chapter centers around Denji’s “normal life” after he quits being Chainsaw Man.
He is back at school, looking depressed as ever, while still wearing his Chainsaw Man t-shirt.
Another student notices this and informs Denji of the rumor that Chainsaw Man is actually taking credit for Asa’s Devil kills, and tells him that he should stop wearing the shirt of a “victimizer.”
If that was not bad enough, another student who loves Chainsaw Man overhears this and, believing Denji agrees with the other student, attacks him.
The chapter then cuts to the aftermath of the fight where Denji is admonished for beating up the student who attacked him, as the teacher automatically assumes Denji started the fight since he doesn’t have parents.
It’s sad but realistic considering how some schools treat those who defend themselves as bad as the actual bullies.
Denji is too depressed to protest his innocence and leaves the room, only to be met by Yoshida, who invites him out to a movie.
They are the only ones at the theatre, since a Devil showed up but it was killed quickly and Yoshida uses this to point out how Chainsaw Man isn’t actually needed, probably depressing Denji further.
It is then that Yoshida reveals he used this movie invite to set Denji up with a girl he knows.
Yoshida probably did this to further convince Denji to live a normal life, since one of the reasons Denji wanted people to know he was Chainsaw Man was so he could get a girlfriend.
Before Yoshida leaves, Denji asks him if this is what a normal life is supposed to be like, and Yoshida replies that it is, leaving Denji all alone in the theater in what is a pretty depressing panel.
The girl then approaches and sits next to Denji, who is not really into the idea of going on a date, given how depressed he is.
He is about to tell the girl he wants to be left alone, when he starts shrieking loudly.
At first, I thought he had got a look at the girl’s face and maybe recognized her but nope, if only.
Instead, what has actually happened is the girl has suddenly grabbed his wiener.
We then get a look at this girl’s face and, yep, she looks incredibly creepy.
The chapter then ends on Denji still in shock that the girl has grabbed his weiner, and once again I can confidently say that I did not expect the chapter to end this way.
The final scene with this creepy, sexual harassment girl felt so bizarre to read.
But that’s what I like about Fujimoto’s writing.
He is always pulling some weird plot development out of a hat that makes you wonder just what the hell you are reading.
He did it with Fire Punch and he is doing it now with Chainsaw Man.
Already, there are multiple theories about who the sexual harassment girl is.
The Death Devil is a popular one but I doubt that since she does not have the spiral eyes of Makima, Yoru or Fami.
Another theory is the Octopus Devil Yoshida is contracted with and I find this much more likely, since it could be a way for Yoshida to keep an eye on Denji and make sure that he is living a normal life.
Or the girl could just be a random pervert, who knows?
As for how Denji will react to her next chapter, well, that is anyone’s guess.
He did tell Asa he wanted to have sex but this mysterious girl’s actions feel a lot like Makima’s sexual manipulation so I don’t know if Denji will fall for it again.
Then again, this is Denji we’re talking about so he very well might.
Either way, given that every woman in Denji’s life tries to kill him, I expect this girl to be no different.
Although, if there’s something I should have learned about Fujimoto at this point, it is to expect the unexpected when reading his works.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 135, Sentimental Drive Review: A Suspicious Alliance.

In the previous chapter of Chainsaw Man, the Imposter made his debut to the world.
Now, in the recent Chapter 135 “Sentimental Drive”, we finally see Asa’s reaction to the news.
Like many predicted, Asa sees through the ruse immediately.
She knows the real Chainsaw Man is self-serving after their meeting during the Falling Devil fight so immediately recognizes the Imposter as a fraud.
Yoru, however, is more focused on Asa now having a crush on Chainsaw Man after he saved her.
Despite this, Yoru remains in good spirits because she knows that war is coming due to the issues caused by the Falling Devil’s appearance, and war will make her stronger.
Asa suggests that if Yoru gets her strength back then she will not have to kill Chainsaw Man but Yoru is insistent, urging Asa to forget about him.
Instead, this makes Asa think about him more, resulting in Yoru breaking the fourth wall by screaming, “No flashbacks!”
This, in turn, leads to the funniest moment of the chapter with Asa’s mind coming up with a literal poem to describe her time with Chainsaw Man, titled “Sentimental Drive.”
Before Yoru can be tortured with more of Asa’s poetry, Fami arrives as if from nowhere.
Asa and Yoru demand to know how she got there, only for Fami to continuously ask if she can eat their bread.
I still find it hilarious that the Famine Devil is constantly thinking about food.
Once she has her food, Fami produces a plan to Asa and Yoru.
If Asa joins the Chainsaw Man Church, then she can fight the Devils for him, allowing Denji to live a normal life.
This will bring the Black Chainsaw Man (Pochita) out, and Yoru can then kill him, since he is the one her grudge is truly against.
Yoru and Asa do agree to this plan but I find their newfound alliance with Family extremely suspcious, considering that Fami used the Falling Devil to try and get Yoru under ger control, not that either of them know that.
Also, Fami wants to make sure the world stays safe so she can keeping eating human food, right?
Well, the world needs Chainsaw Man to keep it safe and removing Pochita from the equation would remove Denji’s power to do so.
Although, it’s also pretty clear that the plan will not end well because if Asa and Yoru do draw Pochita out there is no way Denji is going to allow him to be killed.
Not to mention Denji seems pretty mad at the end of the chapter when he sees Asa on the TV, striking a heroic pose over a Devil she killed, while news commentators speculate that she is actually responsible for Chainsaw Man’s Devil kills.
Will this be enough to push Denji over the edge and make him transform again?
I guess we will find out tommorrow when the next chapter releases.
One thing I am certain of though is that this will lead to another confrontation between him and Asa, whether that is next chapter or later.
This could be a pretty humorous interaction, since Asa does not remember her date with Denji because Nayuta erased her memories.
One final interesting detail about Chapter 135 that I want to mention is that Fami seemingly confirms that she and Yoru, just like Makima, have no interest in faces.
In Part One of Chainsaw Man, this directly lead to Makima’s defeat so I wonder if Fami saying this is foreshadowing a potential downfall of her or Yoru for the same reason?
Overall, Chapter 135, “Sentimental Drive” is another solid Chainsaw Man chapter, which seems to be building to another tense yet comedic meeting between Asa and Denji.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 132 and 133 Review: Offers and Demands.

Chapters 132 and 133 of Chainsaw Man are ones in which characters make tempting offers and frightening demands, yet are turned down both times.
Chapter 132, “Protection”, begins with Nayuta at school, which made me initially think that we were going to get a Nayuta school arc.
We see what Nayuta’s relationship with her classmates is like and it seems that she is pulling a Makima, controlling them so that they give her food.
Nayuta’s school arc is cut signficantly short, however, because just as it begins, soldiers storm the cafateria and point their guns directly at Nayuta.
The chapter then cuts to an unconcious Asa in the hostpital, who is surrounded by chaos, as injured, dead and dying people are still being brought in after the Falling Devil’s attack.
We get a few brief panels showing that Asa is still suffering from her dreams about running through an alleyway filled with dead chickens, and then she awakens, only to be told by the person sitting next to her that their grandkid (about Asa’s age) was crushed by debris.
Asa’s dream represents the guilt she suffers from, due to her parents’, cat’s and Bucky’s deaths, and the news of so many dead is sure to add to that crushing guilt, considering that she was the Falling Devil’s primary target.
We can see this guilt hit Asa, as she thinks about how Chainsaw Man saved her again, only for the focus of the scene to transition to a TV in the hostpital where Haruka is appearing on a variety show to advertise a Chainsaw Man Church, which hopes to prevent the Prophecy of Nostradamus.
Haruka is laughed at, however, and he complains about this to Fami backstage.
Fami seems to have put him up to this but she is not alone, as a mysterious figure places a hand on Haruka’s shoulder, telling him that he should continue to act as the Chainsaw Man Church’s face so he can “walk to a world without evil.”
This statement makes me believe the mysterious figure is the Justice Devil.
Whoever they are, I think they are a different person from the Imposter Chainsaw Man because this mysterious person is aligned with Fami, who wanted Asa to be eaten so she could control Yoru, which the Imposter stopped from happening.
It will be interesting to see just who this figure in shadow is and if the Imposter Chainsaw Man and the Justice Devil really are seperate.
Once this ominous scene ends, the chapter then cuts to its final scene, where we see that Yoshida has captured Denji for his “protection.”
He explains that Nayuta and their dogs are also captured and this causes Denji to make a truly desperate offer… to tongue Yoshida’s butthole for a week.
Oh, Denji, how far you’ve come.
In Chapter 107 you said you would never let a dude sit on you and now you do this.
In all seriousness, Yoshida does dismiss Denji’s humorous offer, and tells him that Nayuta and the dogs will not be harmed.
Denji tells him to go to hell, bringing an end to the chapter.
“Protection” is a solid chapter, which has some humorous Denji moments, while also setting up something interesting with the new Chainsaw Man Church.
As for Chapter 133, “Protest”, it is a brief continuation from Denji and Yoshida’s confrontation at the end of “Protection.”
The chapter begins by showing that Yoshida has taken Denji to an anti-Chainsaw Man rally, where a fight is taking place with pro-Chainsaw Man counter-protestors.
Yoshida explains that the Chainsaw Man Church has been growing, as it now has over 20,000 members, most of them teenagers.
However, politicians know these teens will soon become voters so are giving them support, causing the Church to grow even stronger.
Yoshida even predicts that this “Chainsaw Mania” could grow into a larger conflict.
A conflcit, huh?
That sounds like something the War Devil would like.
Aside from it feeling nice that people are fighting for him, Denji does not really care about any of this, only wanting to know what he has to do to get Nayuta and the dogs back.
Yoshida demands that Denji never transform into Chainsaw Man again or he will have Nayuta killed.
I find it hard to believe this threat is serious, though, because I can’t imagine Kishibe being okay with Nayuta dying at this point.
After all, Kishibe gave Nayuta to Denji so he could raise her, why would he want Nayuta dead, unless something maybe changed?
As for Denji, he refuses to stop being Chainsaw Man, despite the threat to Nayuta’s life because he wants both a normal life and to be Chainsaw Man.
Frustrated, Yoshida says he has to choose between the two but Denji outright refuses again, saying he can have both.
This kind of felt like another Spider-Man reference to me.
A common theme in Spider-Man is Peter Parker (and Miles Miles in the most recent Spider-Verse film) having to choose between saving two important things but, in the end, finding a way to choose both.
Now Denji is facing the same dilemma, yet still choosing both.
This results in Yoshida threatening Nayuta again as his composure breaks for the first time, to which Denji orders the protestors to kill him, which of course does not work because the crowd is too busy fighting to hear him and also has no idea that he’s Chainsaw Man.
Speaking of, I do wonder how this “Church” would react if they learned their saviour Chainsaw Man was just a selfish horny teenager.
The reaction could be quite hilarious.
Yoshida and Denji’s argument is then interrupted by Nayuta and the dogs’ arrival, which was supposed to happen later, ruining Yoshida’s plan.
Still frustrated, Yoshida again explains to Denji that Public Saftey will kill Nayuta if he does not stop being Chainsaw Man, probably hoping that Nayuta overhearing this will make her demand that Denji comply with his demands.
If Yoshida was hoping for this to happen, his hopes are immediately dashed because the opposite happens, with Nayuta saying Denji should tell Yoshida to “eff of!”
Denji and Nayuta then leave, to which Yoshida asks himself, “Did he not understand me?”
Oh, no, Yoshida, he did.
Denji just wants both.
Overall, Chapter 133 “Protest” is another good chapter that may be building up to a dangerous move by Public Saftey, if Yoshida’s threat on Nayuta’s life was serious.
Again, I think it may be a bluff at this point but that could change.
What I am more interested in is why Yoshida suddenly wants Denji to stop being Chainsaw Man.
Originally, he just wanted Denji to keep his identity a secret but, after the Falling Devil’s attack, this has extended to him wanting Chainsaw Man to disappear altogethor.
It makes me wonder why Yoshida is so intent on this, especially to lose his usually strong composure?
My guess is that it probably has something to do with a part of the Prophecy of Nostradamus we don’t know about yet.
Or maybe Yoshida knows about the Imposter Chainsaw Man and wants Denji to be replaced by him.
All in all, these were two good building block chapters which set up Asa’s growing guilt, the Chainsaw Man Church, and a conflict between Yoshida and Denji.
Where these storylines go will be interesting to see play out.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 130 and 131 Review: A Feast for the Eyes.

A week ago when Chapter 130 of Chainsaw Man “Kill Building” released, I intended to do a review of it.
However, the chapter was so short that I decided it would be best to review it with Chapter 131, “Taste of Crap.”
Just because “Kill Building” is the shortest chapter of Part Two so far does not make it a bad chapter, though, far from it.
In fact, the reason it goes by so quickly is because most of the pages are glorious full page spreads of Asa and Denji escaping from the Falling Devil and the diner Devil.
Tatsuki Fujimoto’s artwork for these pages is a feast for the eyes, worthy of the Falling Devil’s palate.
In between these full page spreads, we see Denji and Asa continuing to argue about their situation, with Denji humorously assuming that he’s the one who weaponized their stolen motorbike, instead of Asa.
He and Asa also disagree about whether they can trust the imposter Chainsaw Man but they are attacked again by the diner Devil before they can decide what to do.
The diner Devil seems terrified at the thought of being killed by the Falling Devil if it does not eat Asa, for it covers its face with its hands in apparent horror before transporting itself directly to Asa and Denji to eat them.
The two are able to evade it, until the Falling Devil throws a building at them, which they easily crash through, only to be met with the open mouth of the diner Devil, bringing an end to the chapter.
Overall, “Kill Building” is a short chapter but still a great one.
It might not have much in terms of content but the action is fun with a lot of incredible full page spreads by Fujimoto.
The ending of “Kill Building” leads right into Chapter 131 “Taste of Crap” where Asa and Denji are about to be swallowed whole by the Devil.
Given that their stolen bike now has a chainsaw on it, I suspected that Denji would easily be able to carve his way out.
Instead, they are caught in between the Devil’s teeth, and the Falling Devil then flicks Asa and Denji into the Devil’s stomach, seemingly to their deaths.
The Falling Devil then asks for her diner’s opinion on the dish she served it but the diner proves a harsh critic because it vomits Denji and Asa out.
The Falling Devil’s reaction to this is pretty hysterical, as she angrily stammers that she made it with love, before obliterating the diner.
Dejected, the Falling Devil then apologises for failing to feed Asa to her diner.
In a surprise twist, it is revealed that it was Fami who was ordering around the Falling Devil, as she tells her to “return.”
The Falling Devil’s body then falls apart in a burst of flames, leaving only a steaming minature version, which Fami picks up, before asking someone how they managed to get the diner to throw Denji and Asa up.
In the second surprise twist of the chapter, it is revealed that Fami is talking to Nayuta, who used her control powers to make Asa and Denji taste like crap, making the diner vomit them out.
Nayuta is also revealed to know who Fami is, as she refers to her as “sister” when she asks Fami why she tried to kill Denji and Asa.
Fami explains that she was merely trying to starve Yoru in the Devil’s stomach, which would make Yoru her pawn since Fami is able to control those who are starving.
The reason Fami wants to control Yoru is because she may be the only one who can stop the age of Devils prophesied by Nostradamus, which makes sense because in one of his prophecies he said that Mars would reign supreme, and Mars was the Roman God of War, meaning Yoru.
Fami’s motive for wanting to stop this Age of Devils is funnily enough because she does not want pizza or chinese food to vanish.
It’s pretty ironic that the Famine Devil’s motive revolves around food, and it reminds me a lot of Fujimoto’s other antagonists with simple motives, like in Fire Punch where the Ice Witch’s motive was to watch the next Star Wars movie.
Back to the chapter, Nayuta does not seem too bothered by the end of the world until Fami says that would also mean the end of pizza.
Fami then offers the horrified Nayuta a chance to work togethor, only for Nayuta to still refuse.
Why?
Because she has school.
Cue a perfectly timed cut to Nayuta in school, desperately trying to beat the other students in answering the teacher’s question.
This was a funny ending, which made me wonder if we will be getting a Nayuta school arc next.
As for Fami, one question I have about her is how she was able to order around the Falling Devil?
The Falling Devil is a Primal Fear, after all, so she should be stronger than Fami.
Although, considering that the Falling Devil considers herself a chef, maybe she is aligned with Fami in not wanting the world to end so human food can continue to exist.
There is also the matter of the imposter Chainsaw Man.
He tried to save Asa and Denji from being eaten but we now know that was part of Fami’s plan to get Yoru under her control to stop the apocalypse.
So does this mean that the imposter Chainsaw Man wants the apocalypse to happen?
Time will tell.
Chapter 131 “Taste of Crap” is the best of the two chapters.
It ends the Falling Devil Arc well, providing insight into Fami’s motivations while also potentially building into a Nayuta school arc as well.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 129, Save Me, Chainsaw Man Review. A Long Awaited Team Up.

Ever since the Falling Devil showed up, I have been waiting for Denji and Asa to team up to survive.
Well, Chapter 129, “Save Me, Chainsaw Man” finally delivered this.
Picking up from the previous chapter’s cliffhanger, Denji and Asa are still staring at the imposter Chainsaw Man, when they are struck from behind by the slug-like Devil, knocking them out of hell, while the imposter disappears.
Asa gets up, only to see that Denji has been mortally wounded again.
Yoru then appears and tells Asa to take the oppurtunity to kill Chainsaw Man so Yoru can give her body back.
Asa, however, has no intention of doing so and Yoru knows this just by reading her thoughts.
Frustrated, Yoru tries to convince Asa to kill Chainsaw Man, saying that she always does the opposite of what Yoru tells her and that she is crossing the line by saving Chainsaw Man.
It is a line Asa is willing to cross, as she explains that Chainsaw Man has saved her twice now.
Most importantly, though, Asa states that, “If a piece of trash like him is allowed to keep living then maybe it’s okay for me to live too!”
This shows that, despite Denji’s comedic mishandling of his talk with her, he has gotten through to Asa in some way.
Now wanting to live, Asa cuts her palm with a rock and uses the blood to revive Denji, begging him to save her.
Denji revives and leaps away from the attacking Devil with Asa in his arms but they are relentlessly pursued.
Realizing they can’t get away on foot, Asa points to a motorcycle and tells Denji to steal it.
Living up to his reputation, however, Denji refuses to because a woman is riding it so Asa tells him to steal a man’s instead.
Denji does so, kicking the man off the bike, as he and Asa take off.
It is then that we get the first big team up between Asa and Denji, which I have been wanting to see for a while.
As the two take off on the motorcycle, one of the slug-like Devil’s clawed appendages lunges at them.
Asa then yells out “Super Chainsaw Man Motorcycle!” using the War Devil’s power to transform the motorcycle into a weapon, working with Denji to cut right through the Devil, as the man behind them screams that they stole his bike.
With that, Chapter 129 of Chainsaw Man comes to an end.
“Save Me, Chainsaw Man” is a solid chapter, delivering on the team up between Denji and Asa that I and many others had wanted to see for so long.
There are still lingering questions about the imposter Chainsaw Man but it seems that Fujimoto is going to hold the answers to those questions close to his chest for a while.
As for me, I’m just excited to see Denji and Asa continuing to work togethor in the following chapters.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 127 and 128 Review: Humor and Intrigue.

The struggle against the Falling Devil continues in Chainsaw Man Chapters 127, “Save the Asa”, and 128, “Main Dish”, with Tatsuki Fujimoto delivering plenty of great humor and intrigue, as usual.
Starting with Chapter 127, I quite liked its title, “Save the Asa.”
It serves as the perfect parallel to Chapter 102, “Save the Cat,” especially when we consider what happens.
The chapter begins strong, with what appears to be a POV panel from the Falling Devil’s perspective, as she uses her power to shoot Asa out of the apartment building she was sheltering in.
Barely holding onto a dislodged section of the apartment building, Asa is then confronted by the Falling Devil, who promises her a peaceful fall if she closes her eyes, a clear lie considering all those others who fell were eaten alive by Devils.
Still, Asa is so effected by the trauma brought on by the Falling Devil that not even Yoru shouting at her can bring Asa back.
The trauma of remembering Yuko, Cambron and the evil orphanage lady is too much for Asa, and she closes her eyes, accepting her fall.
As she falls up to her fate, Asa does have one regret, that she never did something with someone but before we learn what that something is the probable someone shows up, as Denji jumps up to Asa in his Chainsaw Man form and grabs a hold of her.
Denji is shocked to learn that Asa wants to fall and, upon realizing that Asa’s trauma is causing her to ascend quicker, tries to make her feel happy by telling her to think about dogs, ice cream, and cats.
The cats suggestion was clearly not a good one, however, sincce Asa’s trauma is directly related to cats.
Denji then tries to convince Asa life is worth living, even if it has bad moments.
His words show just how similar he and Asa are.
Both have had happiness in their lives but it always seems to be cruelly taken away from them.
Denji, however, says he is willing to continue to eat the crap burger of life because he has something he is looking forward to.
Asa is clearly being won over by Denji’s compelling speech so she asks him what he is fighting for.
I was expecting Denji to give some kind of emotional answer, like Nayuta.
I was not expecting (but honestly should have been expecting) Denji to say that he wants to have sex.
And so the chapter ends with this moving moment transforming into one of hilarity as Asa screams out a disgusted “Ew!”
This then leads into Chapter 128, “Main Dish” where all of Denji’s work to calm Asa down have failed because she is now disgusted with him.
Denji tries to explain to Asa how sex is great, only for this to confuse Asa because, as she screams at Denji, “No woman in existence would want to have sex with a guy with a chainsaw sticking out of his head!”
Denji being Denji, this accusation that he will never have sex causes him to hilariously fall into despair, causing him and Asa to fall up into hell.
Denji wakes up on a Devil food dish with an unconcious Asa and attempts to make a break for it, quickly escaping from the slug-like devil, only to be confronted by the Falling Devil at one of the escape doors.
The Falling Devil again shows some leniency by offering to let Denji go but he refuses to leave Asa… or leave her ass, at least.
The Falling Devil calls Denji a pervert but any incoming attack from her is prevented when she is suddenly attacked from behind by none other than the imposter Chainsaw Man who has finally made his reapperance.
For me, the imposter showing up does confirm his identity to be the one who revived Denji in Chapter 126.
As for who the imposter is, in my opinion, the main suspects are again Haruka Iseumi, Seigi Akoku and the Kobeni clone.
Haruka was shown to be following Denji and Asa earlier, Seigi seems to have a similar posture and size to the imposter, and the Kobeni clone looked to have similar shoes to the one who saved Denji.
Whoever the imposter is, they advise that the Falling Devil will kill any invited Devil who does not partake in her meal by dawn, supposedly meaning that Denji only has to survive until then to succeed in saving himself and Asa.
So it looks like Asa and Denji will now have to work togethor if they want to live to see the next day, which should be exciting to see play out.
Chapters 127 and 128 are great additions to the Chainsaw Man story.
They offer great humor, with the Denji wanting sex joke in Chapter 127, and great intrigue, with the imposter Chainsaw Man finally making his return in Chapter 128.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 126, Food Fight Review: A Mysterious Saviour.

There was a theory going around after Chapter 125 of Chainsaw Man that it was not Denji fighting the Falling Devil but the imposter Chainsaw Man.
The supposed evidence for this theory was that Denji’s laugh sounded different but I found this incredibly unlikely.
Sure enough, the opening pages of Chapter 126, “Food Fight”, shoots down the theory quickly.
The chapter begins with the Falling Devil fighting Denji off temporarily, before telling him that there is no need for them to fight because all she needs to do is drop Asa Mitaka into hell and then she will leave.
This causes Denji to fight even harder, all to protect his “ex-potential girlfriend” as he humorously calls her, confirming his identity as Denji and not the imposter.
Annoyed by Denji’s actions, the Falling Devil unleashes her trauma power upon him, causing Denji to remember the deaths of Aki and Power; the trauma of their deaths making him fall up into the air.
It was good to see Aki and Power again, even if it is just in a brief flashback of their deaths.
The Falling Devil attempts to go after Asa again, only for Denji to drop down from the sky and attack her, having used his chainsaws to cut through his brain, cutting off the Falling Devil’s trauma attack.
Denji then begins to eat the Falling Devil, deliriously shouting that he wants to eat corndogs from france, while continuing to shred his own brain.
This leads to the Falling Devil shouting, “I am not a corn dog!” while Denji is eating her, in an almost full-page spread.
I said it once and I will say it again: Tatsuki Fujimoto is the most insane author I have ever read.
Only a warped mind like his could come up with something as ludicrous as a Devil complaining about being eaten like a corn dog, and make it work.
Further proving Fujimoto’s creatively dark mind, the Falling Devil then allows Denji to eat her, only to burst out of his stomach, ripping Denji in half and allowing her to continue her hunt for Asa.
It is then that a mysterious figure approaches Denji and slices their hand, giving him enough blood to regenerate and continue the fight.
This mysterious saviour then says, “Chainsaw Man… I still need you to fight.”
There has been a lot of speculation about who this unseen person is, with many thinking that it is Yoshida.
However, much like the theory about the imposter being the one to fight the Falling Devil, I find this theory to be unlikely.
Yoshida is already a shady character so hiding his face does nothing.
If this was truly Yoshida then I think Fujimoto would just show his face to add to the mystery of what his intentions are.
Therefore, I think this has to be another character but who?
Well, it makes sense for this person to be from the school, since that is where Part Two is focused.
This rules out any girl character from the school because the mysterious figure is wearing pants and the girls at the school all wear skirts.
So there are three unaccounted for male characters, who are all part of the Devil Hunter Club.
There is Haruka Iseumi, Seigi Akoku and the Kobeni clone.
Of these three, I find Haruka and the Kobeni clone to be the most likely candidates.
Haruka has been shown to be following Denji and Asa recently, and the Kobeni clone looks to have shoes of a similar colour to the mystery person in previous chapters.
Maybe whoever Denji’s saviour is could also be the Chainsaw Man imposter?
We will have to wait and see.
In any case, right after the scene where Denji is revived, we get the final page of Chapter 126, where the Falling Devil finds Asa still stuck on the roof.
Asa and Yoru will definitley need to trust each other if they are to have any hope of surviving the Falling Devil but Denji showing up might just give them an edge.
I am excited to potentially see the War Devil and Chainsaw Man forced to team up.
It could also lead to Asa and Yoru learning that Denji really is Chainsaw Man.
The possibilites are endless and, even then, I am sure Fujimoto will find a way to deliver things we never expected, as he always does.

Chainsaw Man Chapter 125, Apple Thief Review: A Polite Primal Fear.

Way back in the International Assassins Arc of Chainsaw Man Part One, we met the Darkness Devil.
This terrifying entity was the first Primal Fear Tatsuki Fujimoto introduced us to; a Devil so powerful and created from a fear so primal that the Devil itself had never experienced death.
There was no reasoning with the Darkness Devil.
If it wanted you dead then you were probably dead, which is why it is so weird to read Chapter 125, “Apple Thief”, and see the Falling Devil being so unusually polite.
Well, as polite as a Devil can be, anyway, as the chapter starts with her brutally gathering ten eyes and four ears for her dish, after which, she goes to a supermarket like any average shopper would.
We then see her engaging in an oddly respectful talk with a staff member, who she has made fall up to the ceiling.
The Falling Devil asks the worker if she has a variety of apple that goes well with human flesh, a question which honestly got a chuckle out of me because how does the Falling Devil expect this woman to know that.
As for the worker, she is too terrified to respond, until the Falling Devil assures her that she has no intention of killing her unless attacked.
After leaving the shop, the Falling Devil remembers she forgot an ingredient, again, just like any regular shopper, only the ingredient she forgot is a human head.
Displaying more bizarre yet disturbing politeness, she asks if anyone is willing to spare a head.
It is then that a group of unwilling volunteers arrive, as a group of Devil Hunters take on the Falling Devil with sniper rifles.
They reduce her to a pile of limbs and guts but, being a Primal Fear, this is naturally not enough to kill the Falling Devil, who says she would rather avoid meaningless slaughter, before asking for a head again.
She only kills the attacking Devil Hunters and destroys much of the surrounding area when they attack her again but she seems to do this fairly reluctantly since she sighs beforehand.
Again, it is quite bizarre to see this powerful Devil act polite while killing and mutilating people left and right.
It is also quite interesting how the Falling Devil seems reluctant to hurt anyone outside of her goal to serve up some people as food for the Devils, including Asa and Yoru.
Speaking of those two, with the head now in her hands, all the Falling Devil needs to do is make Asa fall and then her dish will be complete.
Before she can do so, however, Denji finally shows up, ripping through the Falling Devil and accusing her of stealing apples… you know, as opposed to all of the murder and mutilation she just committed.
Denji has his priorities straight, although that is nothing new for him.
Another thing that is not new for Denji is being sliced up into pieces while he fights.
Good thing he’s basically immortal.
Unfortunately, so is the Falling Devil, as she seems completley unfazed by Denji ripping her apart, as she complains this is the first time that she has been on the menu, which is the end of the chapter.
I wonder if this is Fujimoto foreshadowing that Chainsaw Man will eat the Falling Devil, thereby erasing the fear of falling from humanity?
Although, if this does happen then it could have a lot of unintended consequences, since I would argue that a fear of falling actually helps out humans a great deal.
As for Denji finally showing up to fight the Falling Devil, there is a theory going around that this is actually not Denji but the Chainsaw Man imposter who killed Yuko.
While this is possible, I doubt this is the imposter because we saw Nayuta convince Denji to go fight a few chapters ago.
Most likely, Denji will have to team up with Asa and Yoru to defeat the Falling Devil and then whatever Primal Fear comes next.
All in all, “Apple Thief” was quite a short Chainsaw Man chapter but one with interesting characterization for the Falling Devil.
It also ended on a great cliffhanger, which has me excited for Denji and the Falling Devil’s fight going forward.