Denji and the Quest to touch boobs grass
I’m probably sounding like a broken record saying over and over how gorgeous and godlike Mappa’s animation is, but anyone who has watched Jujutsu Kaisen 0 or any of the previous episodes already knows that this animation studio is the ceiling when it comes to modern animation. I also don’t want to sound like a broken record talking about the way Mappa frames things as once again, this particular instance of Chainsaw man is supposed to be funny, but it instead comes off like an artsy fartsy Netflix original. In this instance though, unlike episode 2, I don’t find this a bad thing.
In my mind when I went into this episode, I wanted it to showcase what the chapter showcased for me. Power is big dumb just like Denji and she isn’t human like Denji is, but she is slowly learning human emotions and the comedy of it is that she’s learning humanity from Denji, probably one of the worst victims and examples of humanity there is. The episode though frames it differently. How she’s learning humanity feels less comedic and sadder. It’s no longer funny that she got what she deserved for tricking Denji, it’s sad her nature made her lose the first thing she learned to care about.
Unfortunately, because of this, Denji’s character development takes a dent. Denji’s quest to touch a girl’s boobs is framed surprisingly fickle compared to the manga, where it was his driving force for helping Power to begin with. The lesson he learns at the end of the arc helps to inform his character going forward. Without that, Denji’s development seems to be put on the back burner. In which case, I’m interested to see how this all works out for Denji later on.
Makima and the government
On the flip side, I think Makima reporting in was done extremely well. As I said in an earlier review the show does a good idea of making you feel uneasy about Makima. She’s both the exposition to this world and Denji’s first good Samaritan. Yet there is absolutely something poking at the surface. The shots they use when focusing on Makima and Aki are also absolutely brilliant. The lingering close-ups and the lengthy pauses. For a show that is unquestionably shonen and meant to focus more on its visceral action, Chainsaw Man is making some truly inspirational cinematic choices.
Denji Versus the Bat Devil
If Demon Slayer hadn’t also happened this year, I’d say this was the best anime fight of 2022. The animation was worthy of a movie and it’s so sad about what happened with Helena Taylor and Bayonetta, that now if professionals such as these animators who made this episode ask for a pay raise, they’ll be in question. The brutality, the color, and the movement of the characters all come together to make a spectacle that honestly feels like you’re pirating a multimillion-dollar production.
New ending
As we learned previously, Chainsaw man is scheduled to have 6 different endings This week, instead of Chainsaw Blood by Vaundy, we were met with a more visceral ending that in my opinion, showcased what Chainsaw man was more than anything else. Chainsaw Man episode 3 gets a 9/10 this week, for delivering everything from action to an exciting and blood-pumping OST
