MANGA REVIEW | "Chainsaw Man" - Volume Twelve
It’s the warmhearted story that’s sweeping the nation. When a girl finds herself being an outcast at her high school, it takes the least-likely hero to bring her into the fold: a talking headless Chicken Devil named Bucky. With a little pep talk and some 80s-styled best friend montages, these two unlikely friends find a way to be the cluck of the town. All this happens in the Golden Globe Award-winni—
PSYCH!!!! CHAINSAW MAN’S BACK, MOTHERFUCKERS!!!!!!
Yes, it’s been a long time since we’ve seen the best good boy Denji mow down more devils than Ash Williams during Happy Hour. However, it’s not until the end of the twelfth and current volume when he finally makes his grand return. Until then, author Tatsuki Fujimoto puts his focus on a new (maybe) protagonist: Asa Mitaka. And it all starts with the previously-mentioned Chicken Devil.
Poor Asa isolates herself from her classmates, and just when she thinks she can finally enter their fold, she kills the Chicken Devil Bucky in an unfortunate accident. Coaxed into visiting Bucky’s grave, Asa discovers that her class president has made a deal with the Justice Devil, resulting in her untimely death. But a pact with the War Devil brings Asa back to life, and also gives her a new thirst for violence. And before you can say “Oderus Urungus”, the body count begins!
While I did have my problems with Chainsaw Man’s first part, the one thing that kept shining through was its art. Every page that’s filled with carnage is showcased with such gore-geous detail, as every vein, appendage, and mashed-up creature was drawn with such care and precision. What Lloyd Kaufman brings to his movies, Fujimoto brings to his comics. It’s absolutely disgusting, and yet it’s also beautiful! And that doesn’t change at all in this new story arc, with Asa’s fight against the Justice Devil bringing a chockfull of delicious violence!
So why the focus on Asa? Well it turns out that Denji is playing incognito at her school, and the War Devil wants to kill him for killing all the other devils. At first, Asa wants no part in this plan, until she realizes that she’s got no choice in the matter. Her high school just so happens to have a Devil Hunter’s club, which is where Denji might be hiding. Asa doesn’t find her there, but she does find a new friend, in the form of Yuko.
And in the first time in a long time, Asa feels like she’s made a true friend. The two seek out devils to hunt, with Yuko having no clue what Asa’s true intentions are. Despite the constant yammering from the War Devil, Asa doesn’t yield to its demands. She wants to keep Yuko alive, as she’s seen as a precious part of her once-wasteful life. This kindness winds up getting eaten by a devil, until Chainsaw Man finally arrives to show why he’s a true badass.
This fight between Denji and the unnamed devil demonstrates both the comedic and bloody style of Chainsaw Man perfectly. Our hero cuts his way through the monstrosity, only for it to give Denji an ultimate: save a future-filled high schooler, or a car filled with old people. The choice is easy for Denji, one that’d make Power smile…wherever the fuck her soul went. (Is there a nice part of Hell? Or is that just Purgatory?)
However, it turns out that being incognito doesn’t suit well for Denji. After all, if no one knows that he’s Chainsaw Man, how else would he get all of the bitches! Alas, there’s a new government operation that’s keeping Denji from revealing the truth. Thankfully, as Denji has proven over and over again, even if he doesn’t have the necessary tools to get the job done, he still uses what he’s got to accomplish what he’s set out to do.
Chainsaw Man is back, and it’s still a violent, funny tour-de-force. Volume Twelve allows our hero to have his cake and eat it, while also sharing a few slices with a new up-and-comer. Asa’s fate is in Denji’s hands, and one doesn’t know whether she’ll live a good life or die as a devil. But it’s gonna be fun to find out, that’s for certain!
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
