Chainsaw Man has quickly become one of my favorite mangas. Which is a bit of a surprise since I rarely find the horror genre to be particularly interesting. However, Chainsaw Man is not your typical horror manga. Tatsuki Fujimoto has added bits and pieces from other genres to make Chainsaw Man a horror manga that has aspects of fighting manga as well as a teenage boy coming of age manga, too. Of course, the foundation for Chainsaw Man has been strong character work with plenty of small character-driven moments that make this manga such an enjoyable read.
At any rate, Chainsaw Man Chapter 75 should be a huge chapter. We are getting deeper into the Gun Devil story arc and there is the new wrinkle that Makima is not at all what she seems. I am confident that Fujimoto has another exciting chapter in store for us with Chapter 75. Let’s hit this review!
Words: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Art: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Story Rating: 10 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Cast: Makima: Makima is a high ranking devil hunter who runs Special Division 4 of Public Safety. Both Makima’s personality and powers are mysterious. Makima’s powers are immense, but their source is unknown. Makima shrouds her goals from even her co-workers at Public Safety.
Angel Devil: Angel is a devil who is unique in that he is not hostile to humans. Angel works for Special Division 4 of Public Safety. Angel can steal people’s life spans in order to make weapons.
Aki Hayakawa: Aki is a devil hunter who works under the direction of Makima at Special Division 4. Aki has a contract with the Curse Devil and the Future Devil. Aki is in charge of both Denji and Power.
Synopsis: We begin with Angel remembering about how Makima found him and how she made him kill his adopted family and the woman he loved. Makima realizes that Angel now remembers everything. Angel uses his powers to create a sword and attacks Makima. Makima says “Down.” and Angel falls to the ground.
Angel asks Makima to tell him what she is and what she is planning. Makima tells Angel to say he will give him all of himself. Angel says he gives Makima all of him.
Makima says that Japan is full of spies. That the operation to take out the Gun Devil has been exposed.
We zip over to the White House with the President on the telephone. The President says that they have to kill Makima now. That the other nations have already given up. That fearing and strengthening Makima is the story of humanity. The President says that the Land of the Free weighs on his shoulders. That he has to make a stand against Makima no matter how futile it may turn out to be.
The President says that he will give the Gun Devil one year of the lives of each American. In exchange, the President wants the Gun Devil to kill Makima aka the Control Devil. (Whaaaat?!?! Holy crap! We finally get the reveal of who Makima truly is and its the Control Devil!)
We cut back to Makima who is flanked by Aki and Angel. Makima has her hand out and says, “Come.”
We hop over to a Church in the city of Nihako on the shores of Japan. We see a choir inside singing. We see giant bullet bandoliers-like legs walking across the ocean toward the church. Suddenly, bullets fly into the church and kill all of the choir members. We then finally get a massive two page spread shot of the Gun Devil. (Damn! Another massive reveal. What a great design.) We see the names of all the Gun Devil’s victims listed on the page. End of Chapter 75.
The Good: Good lord, Tatsuki Fujimoto brought the heat with Chainsaw Man Chapter 75! My jaw is literally on the floor after reading this chapter. Chainsaw Man Chapter 75 is the culmination of everything Fujimoto has been leading to since Chapter 1. There have been two major mysteries running through the core of Chainsaw Man: The Gun Devil and the mystery behind Makima. Fujimoto pulls off a surprising double reveal by delivering on both of these mysteries. And doing so in such an incredibly dramatic fashion that punches the reader square in the chest.
Let’s first examine the reveal dealing with Makima. Damn, this was just pitch-perfect. Fujimoto has done an excellent job threading the needle throughout Chainsaw Man when dealing with Makima’s character. There have been moments where Fujimoto makes the reader feel that Makima is a good person. Then there are moments where Fujimoto hints at something dark and alarming about Makima’s character. Up until now, the reader has been conflicted and torn on how to view Makima’s character.
Fujimoto has done a superlative job at hinting at Makima’s powers. At no point has Fujimoto clearly revealed the source of Makima’s powers. The reader was unsure if Makima had some inherent natural born powers or if she gained abilities due to a contract with one or more devils. Well, the stunning reveal is that Makima is a devil herself.
Makima being revealed to be the Control Devil is absolutely perfect. Since the very first moment that Makima made her appearance in Chainsaw Man, Fujimoto conveyed to the reader that she was a controlling person. The controlling nature of Makima only continued to grow as the manga progressed.
Makima’s controlling nature initially seemed just an extension of a strong leader with a commanding personality who engenders loyalty from her subordinates. However, as Chainsaw Man progressed, Makima’s controlling nature became more of toxic femininity. Think of the overly stern and controlling matriarch who engages in extreme manipulation. The strict nanny. Pretty much Granny Goodness from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World. As the manga has progressed the reader has become warier of Makima and her true nature.
This culminated in the horrific scene from Chapter 74 where Makima has Angel slaughter his adopted family and his one true love. Fujimoto stuns then reader as they witness a scene where a previously heroic character in Makima pulls off a thoroughly despicable and evil act of mass murder. Chapter 75 builds off of this as Fujimoto has the reader get over their shock from the prior chapter and arrive at a form of acceptance concerning Makima’s true nature. What was a seemingly stunning heel turn by Makima in Chapter 74 made much more sense with what we learn in Chapter 75.
Having Makima revealed to be the Control Devil is the organic evolution of this story. It makes sense that a devil would be in charge of a special division of Public Safety that employs a unique group of devils to serve as devil hunters. And Makima’s prior actions all make more sense in light of the fact that she is the Control Devil.
At any rate, the reader has been patiently waiting for 74 chapters to learn the true nature of Makima. Fujimoto delivers Makima’s reveal with perfection. I love the concept of Makima as the Control Devil. I am so excited to see where Fujimoto goes from here. Does Makima become a full-on villain? Does Makima become redeemed and show that her evil actions were for a greater good? Perhaps Makima simply stays a gray character. At any rate, it is going to be exciting to see where Fujimoto goes from here.
The other main mystery that has been at the core of Chainsaw Man since the beginning has been the mysterious Gun Devil. Fujimoto has been building up to the grand moment where we finally meet the Gun Devil. And, to be sure, Fujimoto does not disappoint. The much-anticipated appearance of the Gun Devil was every bit as powerful and chilling as it could be.
The Gun Devil has been hyped so much that it would not have been a surprise if his first appearance was a bit underwhelming. Often, when writers hype an appearance for a long period of time the actual debut can be quite anti-climactic. That is the danger that a writer creates when they hype something for such a long period of time.
Well, Fujimoto did not fall into that trap. The Gun Devil’s appearance absolutely lived up to the hype. And then some. The ominous appearance of the massive bandolier-styled legs followed by the brutal murder of everyone inside of the church was a shocking introduction.
Then Fujimoto followed this up with two double-page splash shots of the Gun Devil. There is no narration and no dialogue. Just the names of the Gun Devil’s victims listed in alphabetical order. This was a brilliant decision by Fujimoto that made the Gun Devil’s introduction such a bone-chilling one for the reader. Fujimoto’s decision to unveil the Gun Devil in this manner successfully conveyed the power and evilness of the Gun Devil in a manner far superior to any amount of narration or dialogue.
I also liked Fujimoto’s decision to make the President of the United States be the person who entered into a contract with the Gun Devil. Fujimoto’s handling of this entire moment encapsulates a common Japanese view of America. America is the land of the free and the last of the nation’s to give up to Makima. America is also the only nation willing to go to war. This plays with common perceptions of America as freedom-loving and ready to fight. Of course, having the President make a contract with the Gun Devil is also a nod to America’s well-known obsession with guns. What other devil would the President of the United States make a contract with? It all works perfectly together.
With the ending to Chapter 75, Fujimoto leaves the reader in a lurch. The reader is unsure who they are supposed to root for. Does the reader cheer for the President and the Gun Devil in standing up for freedom against the tyranny of Makima? Does the reader cheer for Makima who is trying to take down a cold-blooded devil in the Gun Devil who indiscriminately kills men, women, and children? This type of moral quandary is what makes Chainsaw Man such a complex and engaging read. Fujimoto truly demands the reader’s effort and attention in trying to absorb and digest the story.
Overall, the construction of Chainsaw Man Chapter 75 is superlative. Fujimoto understands how to properly pace and plot a story. Each scene is impeccably delivered at the right moment and in the right manner. The story continues to build in an organic fashion with strong internal logic.
Fujimoto also delivers tons of fantastic artwork. I continue to enjoy how Fujimoto is able to employ panels with no dialogue or narration and allow his strong artwork to carry the moment. It is highly effective given the quality of his artwork.
Of course, my favorite part of the art in Chainsaw Man Chapter 75 is the Gun Devil’s design. It is absolutely amazing. Again, Fujimoto has been hyping the Gun Devil’s appearance for a long time. To be sure, the Gun Devil’s badass design most definitely did not disappoint. The Gun Devil is easily my favorite character design that we have gotten so far on this manga.
The Bad: I have no complaints of this chapter.
Overall: Chainsaw Man continues to be an absolute gem. Chapter 75 is a massive chapter that delivers huge reveals that Fujimoto has been leading to ever since the start of this manga. If you have not been reading Chainsaw Man then you absolutely need to hop aboard this manga.
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