Chainsaw Man is my favorite manga at the moment. This manga just keeps getting more and more intense. Tatsuki Fujimoto continues to balance kick-ass action with impressive character work all set in a fascinating world. I am confident that Chainsaw Man Chapter 78 is going to be another quality read. Let’s hit this review!
Words: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Art: Tatsuki Fujimoto
Story Rating: 9 Night Girls out of 10
Art Rating: 8 Night Girls out of 10
Overall Rating: 8.5 Night Girls out of 10
Cast:Denji: Denji is the Chainsaw Man! Denji was near death when his faithful chainsaw devil dog, Pochita, merged with him and made Denji something unique. Not Devil and not human. Denji is a member of Special Division 4 at Public Safety.
Power: Power is a fiend who is a member of Special Division 4 at Public Safety. Power is selfish and childish. But, she has become bonded to Denji.
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 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 Aki as a young boy outside in the snow. He points to Power and says that she is on Denj’s team. Young Aki makes a snowball and throws it at Denji and Power. We cut to our reality and see Aki as the Gun Fiend firing his right arm gun at Denji (in his Chainsaw Man form) and Power.
The Gun Fiend looks at two bystanders. We cut to young Aki looking at the bystanders and asking if the bystanders want to play with them. We shift back to our reality and see the Gun Fiend pointing his right arm gun at the two bystanders. Chainsaw Man yells for Aki to stop.
The Gun Fiend shoots the bystanders. Chainsaw Man then attacks Gun Fiend. We cut to young Aki getting hit by a snowball from Denji. Young Aki throws a snowball at Denji and misses. We shift back to reality and see the Gun Fiend shooting at Denji and missing and blasting down a bunch of nearby buildings.
Gun Fiend then sees a female bystander. The Gun Fiend raises his gun is about to shoot her when Chainsaw Man jumps in the way and blocks the bullets. We shift to young Aki throwing a snowball at the woman. We hop back to reality and see that the Gun Fiend has shot and killed the woman. We cut to young Aki throwing more snowballs. We slide back to reality and see that the Gun Fiend has killed several more bystanders.
Chainsaw Man then attacks Gun Fiend. The two battle back and forth. Chainsaw Man yells for Aki to snap out of it.
We cut back to young Aki laughing and throwing snowballs at Denji. Young Aki says that he has never had such fun before. Young Aki says that his parents always pay attention to his brother Taiyo and never pay attention to him. Young Aki says that his life has finally gotten kind of fun. Young Aki throws a snowball at Denji and hits him in the chest. Young Aki looks at Denji lying on the snow.
We zip back to reality and see the Gun Fiend standing there looking at Chainsaw Man who is bloody and shot up and lying on the ground. End of chapter.
The Good: Chainsaw Man Chapter 78 is another intense read. Fujimoto continues to keep his foot on the accelerator as Chapter 78 delivers non-stop action. But, what is so surprising is that Fujimoto is delivering non-stop action in a manner that I have not seen before. To be clear, Chapter 78 is all fighting. Period. However, the fighting is delivered in such an artistic and sublime manner. Chapter 78 is certainly no shallow or brainless fight fest.
Chainsaw Man Chapter 78 is an elegant story. There is so much beauty in this action. I have not read a chapter all about fighting that is this graceful. Fujimoto wonderfully contrasts the childish innocent vibe of a snowball fight with the brutally violent vibe of the real-world carnage that the Gun Fiend is dealing out on the town and the bystanders. This dual nature of Chapter 78 makes it such a stylish read that completely captivates the reader’s attention.
In Aki’s mind, he is playing outside in a snowball fight with Denji and Power. All the other innocent bystanders are seen as other kids in the snowball fight. When Aki throws snowballs and his people in reality it is the Gun Fiend firing bullets and killing people. In this dream state, Aki is finally happy and having fun. This is a sharp contrast to how Aki is always presented in this manga. Aki is the epitome of being stoic and a bit uptight.
This is such a creative way to show what Aki’s mind is doing while being possessed by the Gun Devil. Normally, being possessed by a devil would mean the person is either robbed of any mental thought and activity or is an unwilling witness to everything the devil is making them do. However, Fujimoto takes a far more unique and fascinating path by having Aki pacified by the devil by giving Aki a world where he can finally have fun. The snowball fight is an innocent game that makes Aki happy that nicely contrasts with the violent actions in the real world. This illusion keeps Aki a willing host for the Gun Devil. This allows Aki to carry out such horrific actions in his role as the Gun Fiend.
Fujimoto infuses Chainsaw Man Chapter 73 with so much emotion. Denji’s feelings of dread and helplessness are palpable as he fails to prevent the Gun Fiend from slaughtering innocent people. It flows out of every single panel. The Gun Fiend’s mindless determination to cut down everything in his path is chilling. Once again, Fujimoto is a master at setting the mood for a scene and then building powerful emotions in the reader.
The overall pacing and plotting in Chapter 78 was well done. Fujimoto continues to build up the Gun Fiend as an unstoppable foe. The Gun Fiend is shaping up to be Denji’s biggest challenge to date. Chapter 78 also moves at a lively pace, but never feels rushed. There is a pleasant flow to the story.
Fujimoto continues to deliver plenty of amazing artwork. It is amazing how Fujimoto can do more with less. Fujimoto can pare back on the amount of dialogue knowing that his art alone can capably carry the story. The incredible confidence that Fujimoto has in his art allows him to rely on the excellent facial expressions and well-composed panels to still deliver a deep and gripping chapter.
Of course, it does not hurt that Fujimoto can whip up some kick-ass action scenes, too! All the action in Chapter 78 has an incredibly dynamic quality to it. The action shots are impressive and quite dramatic. The sheer scale of the damage caused by the Gun Fiend is well conveyed to the reader.
The Bad: I have no complaints of this chapter.
Overall: Chainsaw Man Chapter 78 is another fantastic read. Fujimoto is consistently delivering a beautifully constructed manga that offers the reader a deeply immersive experience. Chainsaw Man is a manga that can equally provide incredible action as well as an intelligent story.
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