Chainsaw Man, Vol. 1: Dog And Chainsaw

I was anticipating this (paperback) release here in Spain for a long time now, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me rephrase that: it reached my expectations and hype.

Having read the first volume of “Fire Punch”, it's kinda hard to tell both works were written by the same author (considering that both were developed sequentially), as both are drastically different works that evoke different themes and characters; The art is sleeker and has its own personality in comparison with other manga, but also manages to evoke some inspirations from other well-known works. Also, the action panels are BRUTAL in the great sense of the world. If the fights go up from here, then I'm officially sold in that aspect.

Now, I love the main character. The trend I've been subjected in regards to new manga is that it takes me a while to care/relate/root for the main character until later in the story (a.k.a in later volumes) such as with “Jujutsu Kaisen”. So, when the protagonist is able to have this much of an impact on the reader not even halfway done in the volume, then you know it's something special; Denji is such a “simple” character conceptually, but I believe that's what makes him so fantastic.

When we meet him, we see that his dream is to have a life and enjoy many things we take for granted: have toast with marmalade for breakfast, bathe every day, ask a girl out on a date, sleep on a bed, etc. Then, we realized his reality, and how he continuously sold parts of his body just to pay the debt of his father and how he's struck by his mother's heart disease. It's at the point of inflection of the story that we find ourselves completely rooting for him, and want him to keep living his dream.

Of course, he more or less obtains his “dream”, but then we have a small yet significant development: he allows himself to aspire for more, even if small, things. Leaving the significance of his character behind, he's a fun character. He is. Like, the things he says, does, or his reasons for doing something are so unexpected that you find yourself thinking if he's actually serious. Spoiler Alert: He definitely is.

Also, when he gets serious and is ready to fight, not only does he have style but also evokes hype and expectations, which are definitely fulfilled until the end of this one. I pretty much have praised the main character and art all the way through this review, but let me conclude that if you have heard good things about this, a friend recommended it to you, or you're just curious, go read it.

It's that great. Thank me later.

Merged review:

I was anticipating this (paperback) release here in Spain for a long time now, and I wasn't disappointed. Let me rephrase that: it reached my expectations and hype.

Having read the first volume of “Fire Punch”, it's kinda hard to tell both works were written by the same author (considering that both were developed sequentially), as both are drastically different works that evoke different themes and characters; The art is sleeker and has its own personality in comparison with other manga, but also manages to evoke some inspirations from other well-known works. Also, the action panels are BRUTAL in the great sense of the world. If the fights go up from here, then I'm officially sold in that aspect.

Now, I love the main character. The trend I've been subjected in regards to new manga is that it takes me a while to care/relate/root for the main character until later in the story (a.k.a in later volumes) such as with “Jujutsu Kaisen”. So, when the protagonist is able to have this much of an impact on the reader not even halfway done in the volume, then you know it's something special; Denji is such a “simple” character conceptually, but I believe that's what makes him so fantastic.

When we meet him, we see that his dream is to have a life and enjoy many things we take for granted: have toast with marmalade for breakfast, bathe every day, ask a girl out on a date, sleep on a bed, etc. Then, we realized his reality, and how he continuously sold parts of his body just to pay the debt of his father and how he's struck by his mother's heart disease. It's at the point of inflection of the story that we find ourselves completely rooting for him, and want him to keep living his dream.

Of course, he more or less obtains his “dream”, but then we have a small yet significant development: he allows himself to aspire for more, even if small, things. Leaving the significance of his character behind, he's a fun character. He is. Like, the things he says, does, or his reasons for doing something are so unexpected that you find yourself thinking if he's actually serious. Spoiler Alert: He definitely is.

Also, when he gets serious and is ready to fight, not only does he have style but also evokes hype and expectations, which are definitely fulfilled until the end of this one. I pretty much have praised the main character and art all the way through this review, but let me conclude that if you have heard good things about this, a friend recommended it to you, or you're just curious, go read it.

It's that great. Thank me later.