On the positive side, the layouts are incredible, the manga flows so well. On the negative side, from a writing standpoint most of the characters and the world feel a little flat. I'm sure some aspects of the relationships between the devils existence being dependent on humanities fears will be explored in greater detail as the manga progresses, but during "Public Safety" the devils felt relatively removed from society, despite the audience being told the astronomical casualty rates from devil attacks. The new arc has already begun addressing this concern, by using a new character as the main POV, and I really appreciate that. I also appreciate that Denji, despite being the usually goofy idiot that Shonen Jump almost exclusively green lights as main characters, does have direct character growth. In 98 chapters his wants and goals shift due to his experiences, and though they're still childish, they're evolving with his experiences. Since I'm also currently trying to read One Piece comparing Denji and Luffy and both series supporting casts feels somewhat relevant, as they're both battle Shonen protagonist with over powered abilities that neither fully understand, are incredibly food motivated and are both complete and utter idiots. But whereas Luffy has yet to have an ounce of character growth in 300 chapters, Denji grows significantly. However, the same cannot be said for the rest of the Chainsaw man cast, as the majority of the characters are introduced and usually die within a span of twenty chapters, and as a result I can only remember Aki and Power's names, who both grow (especially Aki), but their overall relevance to the plot still drops out relatively quickly. And in comparing this to One Piece, where supporting characters get full arcs to introduce themselves and their backstories, the cast of Chainsaw Man just start to feel like props, in a cold and dark impersonal world.
Will I keep reading Chainsaw Man? Probably, but I don't think I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting for new chapters week to week.
*An amendment to this review*
Its been a few months since I read Chainsaw Man, and wrote this review, and in the interim I haven't felt the need to go back and read the new chapters, but I have read both Naruto and Bleach in their entirety for the first time during this time span. I also watched both Demon Slayer and Jujitsu Kaisen (I don't care if I've spelled that wrong).
Oh boy, did I treat Chainsaw Man too harshly. Compared to a huge chunk of Shonen Jump's output, Chainsaw Man is a revelation. I'm still not in love with it, but compared to the general mundanity of Demon Slayer, and the level of blandness in Jujitsu Kaisen that could've only been achieved by allowing AI to write it, it stands head and shoulders above its contemporaries. And because of this I'm bumping the score up to a solid 7/10. Its good, not life changing, and it'll probably wholly leave my mind within a year or two, but at least its not as bland (Bleach, Jujitsu Kaisen) or scattershot (Naruto) as the other pieces of corporate run drivel that are published in Shonen Jump. (Yes I know Chainsaw Man has been moved to JUMP+, I don't give a shit)
