Chainsaw Man Episode 4 shows us two sides to the series while making us want more of these wacky characters.
Chainsaw Man has been one of the most hyped-up anime in recent years, and it’s finally arrived on Crunchyroll, with episode 4 now here.
The plot is described as Crunchyroll as: “Denji is a teenage boy living with a Chainsaw Devil named Pochita. Due to the debt his father left behind, he has been living a rock-bottom life while repaying his debt by harvesting devil corpses with Pochita. One day, Denji is betrayed and killed. As his consciousness fades, he makes a contract with Pochita and gets revived as ‘Chainsaw Man’– a man with a devil’s heart.”
This episode shows that it’s able to be bombastic, while also partaking in the well-needed peaceful quiet. But first, spoiler warning for Chainsaw Man ahead…
Chainsaw Man shows a lot of power in Episode 4
Episode 4 starts off with more backstory for Power. As we predicted in the last episode, Power was initially unlikeable, but it was clear that the show was setting her up for some development. And while we don’t get a massive amount of that, the mere love she has for her cat is enough to make her instantly more endearing.
The episode’s first half also partakes in a battle between Chainsaw Man and the Leech Demon. The fight is an awe to watch – even if the Leech Demon is grotesque to look at – and it starts to imply how rabid Denji can become, to much intrigue.
The fight also shows how powerful Aki Hayakawa is, which gives some weight to his serious personality.
Episode 4 likes to bask in the quiet and the bombast
Chainsaw Man is raunchy and big, however it never hesitates to focus on the quiet moments.
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Here we get a full few minutes of watching Aki Hayakawa’s routine on a day off. The animation focuses on him making coffee, managing to be just as riveting as the previous battle, and it’s as if the animators are showing us that they can have restraint. They are able to pull us away from the action so that we don’t become numb to it.
Although, this quiet is hilariously brought to an end by Power showing up and moving in with him and Denji. The sequence that follows is also hilarious… well, depending on who you ask.
You would think that a boob joke would be a one-off gag, but not with Chainsaw Man, where we see Denji and Power discuss Denji’s ultimate dream to fondle a girl’s chest. Now, by this point you begin to understand that this will be a main factor of the show, at least for a while, and whether you like it or not will ultimately come down to personal taste. Some may find it hilarious that the show is taking Denji’s dream of fondling boobs so seriously, whereas others may be tired of the joke and averse to the blatant fan service.
This is arguably the main issue for the series so far. Other issues may include that we still have a lot of characters that remain stoic and mysterious, namely Makima, but it’s hard to really fault the series for this. We’re just getting started, so we have plenty of time to learn about and love these characters. And there will no doubt be a ton of epic action in between.
Chainsaw Man Episode 5 premieres on Crunchyroll on November 8.
Want more Chainsaw Man reviews? Check out our other episodic reviews below
Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Episode 3 | Episode 4 | Episode 5 | Episode 6 | Episode 7 | Episode 8 | Episode 9 | Episode 10 | Episode 11 | Episode 12