5 Ways The Chainsaw Man Anime Adaptation Exceeded Our Expectations

Last year, Chainsaw Man took the anime world by storm. Now that the dust has settled and recency bias has faded, can we still proclaim it as one of the best series of 2022? Yes, we can. So, what makes this anime work so well?

1. Unusually Dark Mood

The anime received a lot of praise for its dark, mature mood. The realistic take on the manga isn’t as popular among the Japanese fans of the source material, but the international audiences have found it refreshing and even boundary-pushing – it's not often that we get a Shonen with such a nihilistic tone. The gritty, almost bleak atmosphere of the series, with dirty orange, red, and black colors dominating the screen, may remind the viewer of the classic anime of the 90s.

2. Unique Cinematic Style

The Chainsaw Man mangaka, Tatsuki Fujimoto, makes no secret of the fact that he’s a huge fan of Western movies. The wide angle shots and other visual gags used by the director Ryu Nakayama throughout the series clearly have the same inspiration source, paying homage to The Texas Chain Saw Massacre and Tarantino movies.

3. Well Done Action

The series doesn’t underdeliver in the action department either. The action scenes in Chainsaw Man feature well choreographed fights and appropriate use of CGI – not too much, not too little. The pacing and tension of the original have also remained intact.

4. Surprising Lack of Censorship

For those who’ve only read the manga but are on the fence about watching the anime: don’t worry, the gore is still there, the blood is still there, and the violent and mature scenes from the source material have not been tampered with that much.

5. 12 Whole New Ending Songs

This is simply the icing on the glorious cake that is Chainsaw Man; it further demonstrates that the creators are genuinely invested in making a quality work of art and not a half-baked cash grab. Each episode ends with a new song written and performed by some of Japan’s most prominent musicians such as Vaundy and Maximum The Hormone.

Studio MAPPA have truly outdone themselves with Season 1, and we cannot wait to see what the next season has in stock for us.