Chainsaw Man Chapter 3: Arrival in Tokyo

Howdy y'all - third edition of the ThriceHorror Read Along is here for Chapter 3 of Chainsaw Man. We recommend starting at the beginning if you haven't read the whole series yet.

If you want to follow along, feel free to pick up the volumes on Amazon, online or your vendor of choice. If you've got any comments or feedback, or want to potentially get your commentary featured on a future edition we can always be reached over at thricehorror at gmail dot com.

The Recap

With soggy udon in his stomach, Denji has slain the muscle demon, rescued the little girl and is now making his way to Tokyo's Devil Hunter Headquarters. Makima starts off by explaining that there are more then a thousand devil hunters across Tokyo, with the best work benefits package. Makima sounds like a lifer, so maybe a teensy bit biased towards working for the Devil Hunters. Though at this point I still know nothing about her story, so there might be a good reason for her to speak so highly of the organization.

Denji is still lost in his own mind. When Makima said she liked guys like him, that put Denji into a tailspin. But now he's on the clock, and it's time to look the part.

Makima introduces us to Aki Haya-kawa, who tells Denji that he's in a different league then her, and they will be working elsewhere on patrol with the promise that if he does well, Makima and Denji will get to work together again soon. We then get some great shots of the city, seeing people crowded up downtown district area.

Making their way through the crowd, Denji pelts Aki with questions about Makima's personal life. Aki isn't having it and we get this full page spread to the face.

Aki and Denji brawl, and Aki lights a cigarette and says he should quit. If Denji shows up for work the next day, he'll get another beating. From the conversation it sounds like Aki has seen people come and go, and when they have shallow reasons for joining the force, they end up dead. So it's in fact a kindness that Aki kicked his ass into the dumpster. A good message but delivered oh so poorly.

Aki guesses correctly that Denji only became a devil hunter because he's interested in Makima, and then feels correct in his conviction to give Denji a thrashing. Is every other character in this series an asshole? I guess so, because Aki then tosses his cigarette onto Denji's chest and spits the flame out.

At this point I was so angry for Denji that these next two panels had me rolling.

I'm as dead as Aki's hope for creating a future generation.

At this point I was screaming. The swift justice was too much for me to contain. Denji's righteous fury lead him to destroying Aki's ability to reproduce, sharing that this was the first time he was ever treated like a person and got a proper meal. A dream come true for him and despite becoming a devil hunter for a shallow reason, he'll put his life on the line to continue his lifestyle. They go back and forth for awhile, but Aki eventually collapses and we get this goldmine of a moment.

Makima eventually laughs it off and asks if the two of them could get along, with a resounding no from each of them. She then completely ignores this and officially forms their partnership, with Denji joining Aki's team. There is an understandable up rest to this suggestion, but Makima clarifies that Denji is special (which he loves to hear) and as a part human and part devil, he'll be a good asset. Unless he disobeys, which he will then be promptly executed. Denji is shocked to hear this, and Makima confirms this work relationship will be until death do them part.

We then spot Denji and Makima on the route home, and Denji wants to feel better about liking her. Aki says she is a good person and that he owes her his life.

That's good to hear. Denji is a simple man, with simple pleasures.

The Review

This issue was particularly hilarious. While I find myself currently disliking a lot of characters, Denji is just too downtrodden not to root for, even when he is just obsessed with the smaller things. The introduction to more characters was nice, and the world is getting larger. We don't know a lot about the headquarters so far, but I'm curious to see the rest of Aki's squad and if Denji doesn't end up killing him at some point. Their relationship has all the makings of an unbreakable friendship, which is where I suspect it will go but we'll see on future issues of the Read Along!

What do you think of the story so far? We can always be reached over at thricehorror at gmail dot com and would love to hear from you!

Thanks to our sponsor (and now my amazing wife) Cute Anime Store! As a small present, she recently got me this amazing Pochita keychain. It's surprisingly durable - I would have suspected the chainsaw to be prone to falling off but it's a great material and will do well amongst our keys. Grab one for yourself today!

The Wrap Up

There hasn't been a ton of action since our last edition, but I did see this interesting YouTube video by Bonsai Pop covering the animation studio behind Chainsaw Man. He covers how the industry works behind the scenes with ownerships, and how anime's typically explode in popularity. Give it a watch!

Until next time! - Matt & Nicole, ThriceHorror