Source: Crunchyroll
Overall: 7.1/10
Story 7.1/10
A kid’s father commits suicide while he’s still in debt to the Yakuza. The Yakuza places the dead father’s debt on his kid. The kid uses a chainsaw devil to slay other devils, so he can pay off his father’s debt to the Yakuza.
This episode is the origin story for Chainsaw Man. And the plot seems pretty straightforward so far. Although, at this point, the audience doesn't know why the Yakuza needs a kid to kill devils or why they can't just do it themselves if killing devils is so lucrative. Perhaps those things will be revealed as the series moves forward.
Character 7.0/10
The main character, Denji, is likable. But he’s a little naive. Pochita, his chainsaw devil, seems nice enough. Then again, so far, there’s no one to compare them to except the Yakuza who force a kid to work off his father’s debt. That's not a high bar to get over.
Animation 7.3/10
The animation is sharp and clean. But it has a very gritty, violent feel to it, which makes sense. It has to support tons of action and gore. The art style seems somewhat similar to Bleach. But the action and blood works are reminiscent of High School of the Dead.
Final Thoughts
It's a good opening salvo for the popular series. It has a promising setup for the rest of the season. Chainsaw Man showcases gore. This viewer predicts there will be more.