Chainsaw Man Season 1
Episode 1 Recap And Review
Episode 1 of Chainsaw Man begins with Denji waking up to discover a nearby alleyway and opening a mysterious door.
On the way to work, Denji talks about the money he made cutting wood and selling parts of his body and organs. Even after selling everything, he still has no cash. Pochita senses something nearby and Denji thinks it’s another demon.
Here we learn that aside from his usual woodwork, Denji is also a demon hunter. Denji admits that devil hunting pays the best and prepares to kill the incoming Tomato Devil using Pochita as a chain. It kills him! An old man comes and greets Denji. He plans to pay Denji 400,000 yen, which is more than Denji expected. After paying his bills and other debts, Denji earns 1,800 ye
We see the old man talking to his driver about Denji as Denji walks around on his short paycheck. The old man confirms that Denji’s father is working to pay off his debt to them. According to the old man, Denji obeys orders well, unlike other demon hunters who don’t give them demon corpses. To test his theory, the driver offers Denji 100 yen while he eats his cigarette, which Denji accep
At his house, Denji tells Pochita what it would be like to put jam on his bread, which reflects how miserable their lives are right now. Denji reveals that he wants to live a worldly life, but due to his father’s debt, such a thing can never happen. He feels that he will die before paying and will never find a lover. Denji remembers standing in front of his father’s grave as a chi
The old man passes by, informing Denji that he hanged himself to avoid paying his father’s first monthly payment. He tells Denji that the debt is already on him and that if he doesn’t pay by the next day, he will cut him to pieces and sell his parts. After the man leaves, Denji is ambushed by Pochita, since we can assume that’s how they met. Although Denji is surprised by Pochita’s appearance, he is not afraid of death and is for Pochita to end his li
He notices Pochita’s flesh wounds and introduces himself to Pochita. Because devils can heal themselves by drinking blood. After Pochita bites him, Denji states that Pochita must return the favor and help him clear his debt. Denji uses Pochita’s chaining ability to kill the demon. He brings the corpse to the old man and asks him to hire him as a devil hun
Currently, Denji is having trouble sleeping because he is hungry. He repeats that he wants to live a better life that includes jam and bread and close relationships. He said he would dream when he had the energy to sleep. Denji coughs up blood and is startled by the blood on his hand. He remembers hearing that his mother had died of a heart condition that coughed up blood. The old man arrives at Denji’s house and informs him that there are more demons for him and Pochita to ki
The old man takes Denji to an abandoned factory, but Denji is skeptical of the situation. The old man stops and tells Denji that he is happy that he is loyal as a dog and works for a small price. Suddenly, a man stabs Denji and Pochita in the back with a sword. The old man explains that they double-crossed him and made a new deal with the devil. Satan gave them a chance to gain demonic power in exchange for dead demon hunter
The Zombie Devil says that when the yakuza start turning into zombies, he thinks these people are dumb for trying to get a taste of his power. He reiterates how much he despises demon hunters and how his new minions plan to get him out of there. Denji takes Pochita in his arms and tries to run, but the zombies knock him to the ground and chop him to piec
Denji and Pochita fall into the dumpster and it appears that Denji is dead. Blood drips from Denji’s forehead and reaches Pochita’s mouth, waking him up. Pochita remembers a moment when Denji was chopping wood. While eating bread, Denji tells him that the time may come when he will die fighting a devil, and that he will regret leaving Pochita alone, hungry, or at the mercy of another devi
Denji remembers hearing from someone that some demons can possess corpses and asks Pochita if she can do it. If he can, Denji wants Pochita to take over his body so he can live a normal life and die a natural death. After remembering Denji’s suggestion, Pochita joins Denji and heals him while reattaching his body parts.
Pochita speaks and tells Denji that she loves hearing him talk about his dreams. Pochita signs a new contract with Denji. In exchange for Pochita’s heart, she asks Denji to show her her wishes. Denji wakes up and comes out of the dump. Looking at his body, he realizes that all his wounds are gone and Pochita’s tail has come out of his chest.
As the zombies rush towards him, Denji asks if he and the yakuza have anything in common. As they are all dissatisfied with their lives and want more, Denji states that he doesn’t blame them. But if they’re willing to stand in the way of their chance at happiness, he won’t regret killing them. When Denji pulls the rope from his chest, the zombies jump on him.
Seconds later, Denji emerged from the zombie dog, revealing himself to be a head-chained warrior with chainsaw-like arm blades. When the Zombie Demon Denji begins to attack, he is startled by what he sees. He wonders if Pochita has taken over his body. Denji kills many enemies on his way and hits the Zombie Devil hard. Zombie Devil pushes Denji back and starts throwing his men at him.
Denji slashes every zombie he throws at him and manages to land on the Zombie Devil’s body, slicing him in half. Denji looks at the rest of the zombies and notes how funny it is that they turned into devils and hired him as a devil hunter. He tears them all apart, announcing that he will finally be debt free. In the morning, a group of people drive in front of an abandoned factory.
The group consists of one woman followed by two men. They enter the building and see the bodies of all the demons Denji killed. The woman approaches Denji and reveals that he emits a strange odor that is neither human nor demonic. She assumes she is responsible for the crimes because Denji asks her to hug him and she does. When he hugs her, Denji returns to normal as she claims she doesn’t own him.
He tells Denji that he has come to kill the Zombie Devil because he is a devil hunter working for Public Safety. The two options Denji offers are to die by his hands or keep him human. She promises to be well fed and cared for as she lists what to expect for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The scene ends with Denji lying on the woman’s lap, confused by her suggestions as he finds the whole thing fascinating and awesome.
Episode Review
The first episode of the Chainsaw Man series is finally here. Ever since its official trailer was released a few months ago, fans have been waiting for its anime adaptation to come out. While the first episode of the series did a phenomenal job establishing the character, predicament, and abilities of our protagonist, there are a few issues with this episode.
I have mixed feelings about the animation and visuals of this episode. This episode was at its best when the scenes weren’t too action-centric. I adore the little details, from the character walk animations to the water dripping from the leaves.
Unfortunately, once Denji goes through his Chainsaw Man transformation and starts killing the Zombie Devil and his men, the animation and visuals take a turn for the worse. While some of the zombies look decent, the actions of some Denji and others look jarring and disgusting. From Denji’s slow attacks to his limp runs, I felt like I was watching a stop-motion fight scene. Chainsaw Man’s CGI design also didn’t do much for me.
I am also interested in the origin of demons in this world. I was disappointed that it didn’t give us a short and sweet explanation, even though it could have been touched on in later episodes.
Those issues aside, this episode was certainly fun, and I’m excited to learn more about Chainsaw Man’s world and the other characters. Denji’s character feels semi-relatable to people who have had bad life circumstances or failures in the past. Pochita is a lovable character who drew me in as soon as she appeared on screen.
We hope that the upcoming episodes will deliver that adrenaline-pumping atmosphere that we have come to expect from the first episode.