MANGA REVIEW | "Chainsaw Man" - Volume Thirteen
Poor sweet innocent Denji. All he wants is for the world to know that he’s Chainsaw Man. After all, it’s the only way that he can find himself a girlfriend. What’s a sad lonely boy to do? Well, as the thirteenth volume of Chainsaw Man shows, you gotta do your reveal properly.
But first, we gotta bring the focus back to Asa. She and War Devil are still looking for Chainsaw Man, but now that he’s rescued them, Asa is sort of conflicted on their goal. Sure, War Devil still wants to kill him, but her reason seems too vague. But thankfully, after their recent run-in, Asa’s made a nice friend named Yuko, who wants to hunt devils in the name of her deceased parents.
Yuko and Asa bond over the sort of things all girls do. You know, the usual cute stuff like boys, secrets, and murder. Okay, the last one maybe not as usual, but for the world of Chainsaw Man, that feels average. It’s in this bonding where Yuko reveals that she’s made a pact with the Justice Devil, and gives Asa a warning: “Don’t come to school tomorrow.”
And there, the trademark action of Chainsaw Man begins. Yuko transforms into Justice Devil, and starts slaughtering the students who bullied Asa. Even though she’s ridding a problem of hers, Asa can’t just stand by and let people die. At first, War Devil takes over and attempts to deal with Justice Devil. However, with Justice Devil’s special powers, she can’t exactly get a hit in. It’s when she reverts to Asa where the real shocker begins: the bullied girl is strong. Real strong!
However, a little guilt trickles into Asa’s heart after the fight, resulting in Justice Devil returning with a mighty vengeance. That’s when Chainsaw Man arrives, fighting as cool and slick as he can. He’s about to reveal his true identity, only for Hirofumi to cockblock him. Our poor hero is naturally frustrated, and who can blame him?
Since its return, Chainsaw Man has had Denji doing everything he can to reveal himself. Hell, in this volume, he actually lets it “slip” that he’s Chainsaw Man to Asa of all things! And her response is…only natural, as who would believe a fanatic. But even though he’s done all he can to keep his identity secret, Hirofumi is looking out for Denji. I mean, he’s swore to be his wingman, so one hopes that he’ll find someone for Chainsaw Man to love and bond with.
But could it be Asa? All signs point that such a scenario could happen. She’s seeing different signs of Denji the more he keeps popping up. Picking up trash, helping homeless folks, selling used cigarettes for ¥1500 a pack…okay, that last one’s kinda shitty, but the dude can’t survive just making ¥10 being a human chair for ten minutes. So perhaps Asa could find it in her heart to date Denji, or she can use him for her own War Devil needs.
The dumb fun and mayhem of Chainsaw Man has returned, as Tatsuki Fujimoto continues to troll his readers with heart and debauchery. Volume Thirteen does a great job setting up the next arc, leaving reading hanging for what could be an interesting turn of events. It’s certain that Denji and Asa will bond in some fashion, but whether it’s for love or demonic reasons remains to be seen. For now, let’s just look forward to what could be the most awkward date in not just Chainsaw Man’s history, but the history of Shonen Jump. (Then again, it’s got a City Hunter-sized hurdle to jump if it aims to accomplish that!)
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
