MANGA REVIEW | "Chainsaw Man" - Volume Sixteen
In the immortal worlds of Krusty the Klown, "What the hell was that?!"
No, seriously! What exactly has Chainsaw Man turned into?! Tatsuki Fujimoto’s series began as a nod to schlockbusters like The Toxic Avenger and Dead Alive. And now, we’ve got evil cults and existential crises, without even a sight of our beloved hero! For the latter, at least there’s a reason for that: Denji is just done.
The man who turns into Chainsaw Man wants a normal life. He’s got Nayuta, Meowy, his dogs, and a semi-healthy school life. In a just world, Denji would be left alone, with Asa picking up the slack once left for Chainsaw Man to handle. This is pretty much what happens, but with a slight problem: the Chainsaw Man cult is now using her as the poster child for the anti-hero’s actions. Needless to say, Denji doesn’t like that one bit.
So now, it’s the cult attempting to bring the real Chainsaw Man back into the fold. Yes, they have their phony version to tide over the people, but we all know bootlegs are never on the same level as the real thing. Denji doesn’t want any part of it, but someone knows how to at least make him curious. A dark movie theater, a little handsy foreplay, and even a private show in a karaoke parlor.
It’s in the karaoke room where Chainsaw Man feels like itself again. New girl Fumiko performs a Maximum the Hormone song, all the while men with baseball bats attempt to kill Denji. The situation is the classic bonkers we’ve come to love & expect from Fujimoto’s series, as Denji puts up the fight we know he can dish out. (Props to Viz translator Amanda Haley for making a surprisingly good English version of "Chū Chū Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nururu Rero Rero"!)
But as soon as this is over, we get back to the weird stuff. The Chainsaw Man cult clearly has no idea what their idol’s motives are. Denji’s visit to the church allows our good boy to see for himself just how batshit insane everyone is. He thankfully doesn’t buy into their mumbo-jumbo, as what the church plans to do reaches truly diabolical levels. There’s carnage, decapitations, and plenty of screams for the innocent.
Yet still, Chainsaw Man doesn’t rise to the occasion. Has Denji grown numb to the violence of the world? I wouldn’t blame him if that were the case. All of his friends are dead, and the ones who want to be his friend are either too insane or too boring to be around. When you’ve experienced this, who wouldn’t just want to resort to a peaceful life with their dogs, cat, and reincarnation of his first love?
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
