#it's also why i love makima. she's such a great character

[saccharineomens]

A small Chainsaw Man Analysis

They're referencing this post:

(Sorry i can't respond to your ask directly, tumblr kept crashing)

LMAO ok Anon you win but I can’t promise this will be very articulate or coherent

Ok so when I first heard about Chainsaw Man I heard it was The Manga Of All Time and the anime has been Majorly Hyped and Everyone Loves It so I was curious. Then I went and watched the anime and I was like ‘huh ok I mean. It’s good but it’s not like mindblowing.’

Then I read the manga all the way to the end of part 1 and I understood.

So the world of Chainsaw Man is set in a Fucking Bleak reality. Like, overwhelmingly so. The fact that devils exist and can murder humans on a whim and it’s basically treated as an unavoidable inconvenience because how the hell can you stop them, really, when they’re functionally immortal? The best you can do is kill them, send them to Hell, and hope they don’t die there and revive back on Earth. The protagonist is a 16 year old orphan who sold parts of his body to pay off a “noodle incident” debt inherited from his father, and then the kid was murdered by the yakuza he owed money to because they decided they liked devils, actually, and didn’t want him around killing them. In CHAPTER ONE. Why would anyone enjoy reading about a story set in a world like this?

Because of Aki, and Power, and the family Denji created with them. It takes a while for the ball to get rolling in the story, because they’re strangers at the beginning, but any manga reader is gonna know what I mean when I talk about how they love each other. Denji comes across as a sex-obsessed, horny teen, but that’s just because he craves emotional intimacy and sex is the only way he thinks he could get it. The truth is that his shower/bath with Power was the exact kind of vulnerability and intimacy he was craving, and it WASN’T sexy. The narrative didn’t treat it as sexy. Denji even notes that it wasn’t sexy, to his surprise, but it was nice to be able to be vulnerable with another person. Then there’s Aki, who imprinted on Denji and Power so hard he straight-up was considering quitting being a devil hunter so he could just live a normal life with his new family. He was willing to abandon his obsession with the gun devil, something that he’d been driving his will to live for years, for them. It was Himeno’s death and the letter he read that made him realize that the life of a country mouse might not be so bad, if it’s with the people he loves. (I know that’s a loaded sentence out of context but manga readers know what I mean when I bring up the country mouse, right)

I bring all of this up to show how even in a grim, dark, depressing world like Chainsaw Man, there is hope; and that hope comes in the form of love. Love in a general, not romantic, sense. Love of having toast and jam for breakfast, love of a movie, love of a family.

Now, to Makima.

Makima is Really Fucking Goddamn Powerful. She is literally reality breaking, almost as much as Chainsawman. (For the purposes of this essay, I’m referring to Pochita/Chainsawman and Denji as separate entities.) Makima is able to control anyone so long as she feels she has power over them, and she has a contract with the fucking Prime Minister. That’s a terrifying power. She’s literally the manifestation of the fear of being controlled.

And that’s a lonely existence.

Pochita/Chainsawman says it himself. When you’re so powerful, you struggle to make connections with people. Either they worship you and put you on a pedestal, or they fear you. You can’t get close to anyone, no matter how hard you try. The only way Pochita was able to do so was because Denji had no idea who Chainsawman was.

Makima doesn’t show this emotional weakness of hers, because it directly opposes her powers. If people saw her as needing connections with other people, they wouldn’t respect/fear her, and she would literally become weaker as a result. (The same way that as Chainsawman becomes more beloved by the general populace as a Hero, he becomes weaker.) But there’s a point where we, the audience, get to see this side of her. In her date with Denji.

Quick recap (of one of the best chapters in the whole manga, thematically): Denji and Makima go on a date at a movie theater. They sit and watch like six movies in a row over the course of the day. The first five are packed with people and are funny/entertaining, but not very deep. Neither Denji nor Makima are very impressed with these. Then…I’ll just post the comic here.

The final movie they see is more of an indie arthouse film. Most importantly, it shares an intimate, vulnerable moment between two people who hug. Denji cries because he sees this thing he craves, as I’ve elaborated on. Then he looks over and sees that Makima is also crying. We already know why, as Pochita said: she is unable to get close to anyone, due to the nature of her powers and the nature of her being a devil. Because of this, Makima craves connections with other people.

Makima straight up tells the audience why she’s doing the things she’s doing. If she has control over Chainsawman, she can have him eat other devils and create a world where those fears never existed. She truly, honestly believes this would make a happier life for humans. But the problem with that mentality is that in a world without bad things, in a world without fear…there’s no good things, either. How do you tell how “good” a good thing is, if you have nothing to compare it against? How can you tell that one in five movies is “good”, if you don’t experience the other four?

Why would anyone enjoy reading about a story set in a world like this? Because despite all of the horrible things that happens, love exists. It shows up over and over and over again. Love exists. It was there. It mattered. It was worth fighting for.

That brings me to the conversation between Makima and Denji I love so much, and why the end of Part 1 works so well.

Makima thinks that a world without bad movies fear would be better. She thinks that in this world, she could be loved. She thinks that in this world, humans could be happy forever because they never suffer hardship.

And Denji knows for a fact that that's wrong, because without bad movies, the good movies don't stand out. You can't say that jam and toast is a great breakfast if all you've ever eaten is jam and toast for breakfast.

And that's why Makima is tragic (because she's never experienced the love that Denji has, and never experienced the hardships he has), and that's why Makima is wrong.

And all of this, the whole conflict of the story, is summed up in three lines between Denji and Makima in a graveyard. It's perfect.

[head-shoulders-knees-pain]

Day 19: Angel Devil x Gn!Reader - Phone Sex

fandom: Chainsaw Man

word count: 500+

cw: 18+, dom reader, sub character, phone sex, comfort minimal hurt(?), mutual masturbation, accidental exhibitionism

tag: @ficsforgaza

When I first joined Public Safety, if you had told me that I would be dating a devil, I probably would’ve laughed in your face and asked to have whatever you were having cause that’s crazy.

After years on the job and getting put into Tokyo Special Division 4, I guess I’m crazy because it happened. I’m also crazy lucky because I got the best devil there is, Angel.

I open the door to my apartment and sigh, honestly just thinking of them puts a smile on my face.

It was a struggle to get here, they still don’t want to touch but they’ve lowered their walls enough to call them mine.

It’s a shame we were put on different missions today, hopefully I can convince Makima to let me do like Power and Denji do with Aki and let him stay at my place…hehe maybe a little too soon to be moving in together but at least he’d get out more that way.

The buzz from my phone pulls me away from my thoughts, as well as a groan when I see Makima’s name. Great, hopefully nothing's wrong and she just needed to check something.

I answer the call with a polite tone, “Ms. Makima, I wasn’t expecting to hear from you. Is everything alright ma’am?”

“Actually, a situation has come up and I need your assistance.” Fuck, what else should I have expected?

I move back to the front door, going to put on my shoes before I’m caught off, “Stay where you are. I just need you to stay on the line.”

That doesn’t make anything more clear for me, “Ma’am? What does that-”

“The Angel Devil was hit with another devil’s powers today during their mission and is in quarantine.” What!?

“Ma’am!” “No. Nobody can come into contact with the devil until they calm down.” “But-” “The power they were hit with is non-lethal to them but is causing them distress. We believe you can help by talking to them through it.”

I take a deep breath to calm myself, “So Angel isn’t hurt? Just…what kind of devil were they chasing?”

“They were hunting a devil known as the Lust Devil, and we believe their attack had an almost aphrodisiac effect on the Angel Devil but we cannot be confident that it won’t cause them to harm others so we are monitoring the situation as it passes through them.”

“So…you want me to calm them down? How can I do that through the phone?”

“I am aware the two of you are closer than most should be with devils, but if you can get a handle on the situation then I will overlook this oversight-” well now I can’t refuse, not that I was anyways- “From what we’ve observed, normally the effect wares off once the individual reaches sexual climax, however, it appears that the Angel Devil is unable to.”

Hand up to my ear, room silent, and I’m not completely sure I still heard her right.

After a moment of silence, she pipes back up on the phone. “Are you still there?”

“Uh- yeah no sorry I’m still here just…didn’t expect that-like at all.” I walk over to the couch and flop down on it.

“Ah, well if you’re a virgin then I can simply-“

I jolt up in my seat, cutting her off, “Whether or not I’m a virgin means nothing, I’m helping him. You just caught me off guard Makima.” “So you believe you can-“ “yes please stop talking and just- just let me talk to him.”

The line goes silent and I slump back into the couch again. I listen to her heels clack on the floor, low muttering in the background, before I hear a hard click that cuts to panting.

“Angel?” I softly call out.

A gasp is heard over the line before some quiet cries are made.

“Oh my little dove, what’s wrong?”

I hear more sniffles, until “It hurts, they say I have to fix it but I c-can’t.”

His sobs break my heart, “Oh love, I’m so sorry this happened. I’d be there if I could-“

“No!” He screams before groaning, “Don’t wanna hurt you..”

“I know, that’s why I’m gonna help you from here, okay?”

I hear movement from his end but I can’t tell from what, “Baby if you’re nodding I can’t see it, you’re gonna have to talk to me too.”

“Okay…I don’t want to do it alone though. Can you make it better?”

He sounds like he’s almost whining, how could I refuse such a request?

I swallow before responding, “Sure, I’ll do it too. Pretend you’re doing it to me if that helps, or that it’s my hands doing it to you, okay?”

“Hmh, what first?”

“Well normally I’d warm up to it but you need to finish if we want to stop the pain, so can you strip for me?”

He murmurs out something a mix of yeah and okay before I hear more movement on his end, I quickly slip off my pants and underwear too.

“Nhh-now what?”

“Breathe for me dove, tell me what I’m working with.”

I hear him breathing heavy as he answers, “I’m hard, so hard it hurts. Reddish and wet at the tip but that’s it.”

“You’re doing so good already, following my directions. Now spit into your hand.”

After I hear it on his end, I repeat the action in my side. “Now, bring your hand to the top of your dick and slowly cover your length with spit and precum.”

I lean my head against the couch as my hand touches myself, other hand holding the phone up to my ear.

As I breathe into the phone, I hear his breath hitching before slightly turning into whimpers.

“It’s okay baby, how’s it feeling?”

“Hot, but- aah -good.”

Fuck. “Fuck, that’s it. Wrap your hand fully and pump up and down. You’re doing so good, my love.”

His whimpers turn into moans and I start to feel the weight come off my shoulders more so I stroke myself faster.

“Good boy, keep going. Up and down, you can switch hands if you’re getting tired.”

His moans get louder before turning into whines, “I-it’s not enough.”

“You can do it, just keep stroking. Don’t stop.”

I stroke faster and moan louder, “Shit- Angel, listen to my voice, can you hear how good you’re making me feel? You’re doing that.”

The speaker echoes his cries, “Please~ I wanna cum, how can I cum?”

“Reach your other hand down and twist the two while pumping. Keep picking up speed until I say you can cum.”

I can hear the difference when he does, unbashful beautiful moans.

I start to pant as I feel myself growing close, luckily he’s doesn’t sound too far away either.

His cries are a mix of moans, begging for more, calling out my name, or pleas to cum.

“Angel, cum.” I demand.

His scream of my name pushes me over as I spill into my hand.

I lay back on the couch, catching my breath as I listen to him breathing too.

“Angel? Do you feel any better?”

A hard click cuts in, “The Angel devil passed out, but seems to have recovered from the attack. Thank you for your efforts, I’ll see you in the office tomorrow.” Makima then cuts the line.

[deathbxnny]

Hi there! After reading your post about little sister Qiqi request, i wonder how she would be like in CSM So can i request platonic hcs of CSM characters (Denji, Aki, Power, and Makima) x Qiqi like reader.

Context on the reader:

So the reader is the Jiangshi Devil who became a fiend by taking over a 10-12 year old corpse. They are Makima’s assistant and both of them have a relationship that Qiqi and Baizhu have. They aren’t the most liked but they arent the most hated either due to they’re forgetful nature, sure they have their journal to keep track of stuff but it’s a bit annoying. They’re also part of the Tokyo Special Division 4 so that Makima can keep an eye on the team

Also on an unrelated note, what are your thoughts on Jing Yuan’s and Cyno’s VA, Alejandro Saab. I just recently found out he used to voiced a character from my childhood’ so there’s that. I hope your doing well Bxnny, have great day/night!

- Flower Anon 🌸

-----♡

A/N: Hello Flower Anon! I love the idea, so thank you for the request! Also I don't know much about that VA, as I only grew up with German/Arabic television/media when I was younger. But from the short clips I've seen of him as a streamer, he looks really cool and funny!<33

Content: Platonic relationships, child devil fiend reader, fluff, kinda unserious in some parts, sfw

Reader has no set pronouns!

((Not fully proofread))

-----♡

》Makima

Makima always keeps an eye on you at all times. Mainly because you're always at her side anyways, but also to make sure you don't get yourself in unnecessary trouble. You have a tendency to forget things and she tried helping you with the journal she gave you. But unfortunately, you also sometimes forget that you even have it.

For the most part, your job just included following Makima around and attempting to write down things she told you to. Sometimes, you were also send to secretly spy on people in the division for her, which didn't work out well for obvious reasons.

Makima takes good care of you, all things considered, and doesn't usually send you on any dangerous missions. She ofcourse doesn't care that you're a devil either. She begins to see you as a little sibling eventually, as she always craved the feeling of a family. She might even spoil you, if you've done particularly well lately. She just adores you really.

-----♡

》Aki Hayakawa

Aki well... he didn't know what to think of you at first. You were quiet and very forgetful, so you were pretty much harmless. But you were also a devil. A fiend at that. He also had to remind himself constantly that you aren't actually just a harmless child too, which didn't help him form an opinion on you either.

So, in the end, he really just accepts that you simply... exist in the division. He knows you're quite important to Makima and therefore treats you with the necessary respect, but he keeps his distance otherwise. Or well, tries to, as you get lost so often, that he usually has to be the one to find you again. And eventually, that makes him sympathise with you more, as he does feel sorry for you in an odd way.

In the end, he really does feel himself attached to you, as much as he denies it. You're just a kid in his head and it makes him want to protect and help you out. He also gets you some candy or "cocogoat milk" sometimes... whatever that is.

-----♡

》Power

Power saw your existence as a challenge, as were quite important to Makima, and constantly asked you to fight her. However, she was left baffled, when you'd just blankly stared at her and asked her who she was. She told you that 5 minutes ago... but she'll gladly just remind you again.

For some reason, you eventually remind her of a cat. She doesn't really know why, but she finds herself patting your head with a determined look and declaring that you won't ever get lost in her divine presence. In other words, you two will just get lost together.

She slacks off of work with you and drags you along, as you never really protest anyways. She later on gets scolded by Aki for 2 hours and then passive-aggressively told to never do that again by Makima. You seem to find Power fun however, as she isn't very serious and doesn't expect anything from you... though she can get tiring fast.

-----♡

》Denji

Probably the most chillest person for you to be around. He doesn't mind your forgetfulness and has no expectations of you either. The fact that you're a devil doesn't bother him either. He just sees you as a kid he sometimes has to take care of on Makima's request. With that said, he takes his babysitting job very seriously. Perhaps a little too seriously.

Absolutely nothing is hurting or touching you in his presence and he takes you out for a quick snack run often. He'll try out weird combinations of food with you or take plenty of walks around the city, until he finds something fun to do. And doing something fun with Denji around is pretty easy.

Denji and you become great friends, something that shows through you actually remembering things about him. He becomes one of your favourite devil hunters in the division too, which secretly annoys a certain woman...

-----♡

A/N: I hope this was coherent and okay! Thank you again for the request!<33

[deltastra]

Going to be giving my thoughts on chapter 113 of Chainsaw Man

SPOILERS AHEAD!

Okay, as someone who hates deviating from a set schedule, I found this super funny.

But what’s more interesting is that Denji genuinely wants to enjoy his time here with her. I know that isn’t saying much but I’m so happy to see Denji doing normal teenager things. And when he said yes to going out on a date with Asa, it’s just so that he can experience an actual date because a girl finally asked him out.

But I will admit, I really want to see Nayuta and Denji’s home life now but that’ll wait as Asa is technically our MC (We did see Nayuta’s head when Denji was sleeping in the previous chapter I believe…).

POOR DENJI :(

Let the boy see his penguins!!! Another thing I like is that he’s more willing to stand up for himself and his opinions in Part 2! (Yes the majority of my reactions to this Part is just going to be me enjoying Denji’s progression as a character! >:3

Another interesting thing is that Asa seems to have trouble realising when her tone sounds rude. This dynamic is turning out to be more interesting than I initially thought and not from a romance perspective.

This is by far my favourite scene and solidifies my thinking on what Denji is like now.

He will not be controlled. He will not have another Makima in his life again.

It was hinted when he was eating cake with Yoshida. He tried to control Denji by taking away his cutlery, but Denji retaliated by eating with his bare hands. It was the “Denji” way of showing his new way of going through life.

But this scene is great too. I think he would’ve waited for her to finish but that “You don’t need to think about a thing” gave him red flags and for good reason. I’m sorry but I’m just so proud of Denji here. Go see those penguins king!

Poor Asa tho, she rehearsed so hard for this haha.

SOOO FOUR HORSEMEN OF THE APOCALYPSE?? Lets go!!!

Fami seems nice though, why is she helping Asa? Surely it’s not JUST because she’s her sister right?

But what’s more intriguing is that Yoru doesn’t want Asa to trust her. Do all the horsemen of the apocalypse hate each other?

I love how Denji’s first reaction is “Ah damn, Eternity devil is back again urghhh”

But wow, Fami’s ability is so unique. I wondered how they’d show “Famine” as an ability but even tho this is kind of like Eternity Devil’s ability, I suppose the difference is that you’ll eventually wither away from starvation.

Also wow Denji looks like a regular teenager in this shot. I’m so happy for him ;-;

_________

Overall, a great chapter! We get more insight on what Denji’s character is will be like for part 2, more insight Asa’s personality and mentality (which I think is that she is afraid to admit when she’s wrong? I need to look into that more, I’m not sure), and finally, Famine Devil confirmation.

And although it was brief, Yoru’s reaction to Fami gives me the feeling that the apocalypse sisters do not get along. I cant wait to see Death Devil but I’m sure they’re still in hell. I mean, Death is feared by so many people and animals, I’d be surprised if the devil isn’t the strongest in Hell…

[iridescentscarecrow]

self indulgent semi critical stream of consciousness thoughts on p2 & csm's writing style --

re: the comedy point: i do say this a lot but fujimoto uses the same tension for both comedy & horror -- the punchline of a Joke disrupts just as a rupture of tension -> horror occurs. & this is why i appreciate the writing last chapter, personally. the crassness/hilarity to it almost contributes to how i'm reading it. he hates his body/the body becomes a point of comedic objection. this kind of relies on being able to see how this meshing of telling & character overlap: which i find q. compelling re: how sexual trauma works, the way it kind of deprecates, lessens your sense of self. it's a story very lived in & deeply Felt wrt how all its characters are written (the butt of the joke refuses to simply Be that, if it makes sense. kobeni's distress in the family burger chs is hilarious but its also a haunting, empathetic, portrait of corporate/family violence; comedy further built on the hollowness of what the CSM being there/going through This Motion means.)

this for sure won't work for every reader, tbh, & i understand this because it's a fine line to tread between portraying this effectively & it just coming off as insensitive. i'm personally very interested in genres & working within genres|how horror/comedy/character presentations conflict, intersect so i'm enjoying it... but it's true that p2 often feels hollower of a story than p1 & this isn't Bad, per se: i think what fjmt is trying to say is a lot more ambitious, a lot more immersed in technique - that it often takes away from some of the contemplative rawness (which does, by contrast, feature in some of p2's more widely loved chapters) that fills p1. p2's ruptures of tension are more at the forefront, a lot of the frame behind it is *so* based on minimal technical nuance that it doesn't really nestle onto you in the same way, if that makes sense? i'm mostly positive about plot elements on main but i've been eyeing the asa erasure with skepticism for a while. it's really a much weaker story without her, no matter what thematic point that i think is being made here. i mean, perhaps because when you deplete the asa to the story you're left with denji - who is mostly *passive*, doesn't produce narrative (unlike asa/makima) which writes the story for you. denji's brilliance is in spurts, contrasted/set against other character's selves - often in refutation of them - in a desperate kind of <proof of life>, of having been imbued with thus written experience, of this being so deeply felt - & this is what gets to fans too, i feel. his life as visible through <written> form/against, caught within structure & other's wants. this is also why i think those nayuta chapters (as an extension of mkm) were so great because of what it did for nayuta & denji. you see him through her eyes, & then you see *him.* i think the issue with asa is that a large amt of her character also has like a (similar to denji) self hate, a repression which makes itself known very well when we're inside her head but atp rn we can't see that at all, because she's modelled herself (& i think this is rlly cool narratively) around the idea of the CSM she's meant to work as an extension of. & this self modelling paired w. being Out of her head makes her feel (to me) awfully flat. & this is upsetting, because i really like asa!

but at some levels i appreciate the ambition to p2's greater story that i can forgive individual characters being diluted in the fray. but this isn't true for everyone | shouldn't even be because csm is a story *felt* through its characters, within its absurdity... the reason most people like it is because aspects of it resonate with them. & this kind of jarr is pretty much fjmt's biggest writing issue - it's what i've personally criticised / seen others criticise w. p1 (power's character's writing towards the end) & it's why i see people rightfully criticise p2.

this is already a very self indulgent thread so i'm also going to bring up *why* i like characters such as reze, makima, togata: their character presentation compels enough to really intertwine with the flesh of them in ways that are... kind of hard to ignore to fully receive the story. if that makes sense: their surface is so much condensed trope.. in fact, this is true of even aki who i think i'd argue is the best written character in p1 functioning outside the (makima-denji) centre w. the revenge trope.

anyway: it's kind of also because of these reasons that i feel that p2 will just *work* better when read as a whole,, because of the frame fjmt has himself set up it becomes a little difficult to resonate w. it in individual moment, chapter to chapter, because atp you have to either be (a) incredibly aware of this larger structure which is... difficult to do for a weekly release at least to sustain a good amt of immersion or (b) recognise the narrative that emanates from trauma reltd. mechanism & since this is more personal: it's harder to find yourself here & it becomes.. disconnected, frustrating moment after moment where it becomes not just a <character work> but a <one character work>. & i find this hits in these instances w. people who empathise w. denji as do i! but i find little discussion of this as Implication rippling into story structure (although fjmt's story is built on/into his main character as it was in p1)... it's Hard without a writing force like mkm to make denji cohere into a largely invisible narrative.

honestly could talk more about this for ages:: even wrt. my issues with like... a large amount of the back half of Fire Punch which don't come from a place of thematic incoherency at all. i legit feel fujimoto needs a frame for his story to work <within instance> & i see him trying to bring in katana etc. here (& other male characters) in order to deploy what he's saying but their framings don't.. linger enough to really grip into you as Story imo. the single family callback into p1 makima shook me far more.

wishful thought but i think asa's head would be interesting to get into because we *have* yuko there as meaningful setup in order to really direction... i loved the yuko dialogue use in 165 but her ghost feels. Almost too subtle rn, imo. this is just like,,, a small portion of my thoughts regarding p2 & its criticisms rn;; bear in mind, i really like/hold bias towards the themes p2 is playing with [concurrs a lot w. my interests] but i also really enjoy going on & on about storytelling technique LMAO. i'm looking forward to seeing how this arc concludes.

[kobeniliker]

HI HELLO HOLY HECK THE. NEW CHAINSAW MAN CHAPTER!!! (122)

I wrote a lot of stuff (long post) and there are major spoilers for the new chapters! The actual analysis/commentary/screaming abt the new chapter is under the cutoff.

Aside from the confirmation of Yoshida knowing more things that he probably shouldn’t, there’s a LOT of other stuff to go through. I am increasingly surprised by the biblical symbolism in csm! here's where my years of being forced to attend catholic school and bible study can really shine, lmao.

Let’s start with this:

Nostradamus was a real dude! (Wikipedia page for more info)

He lived in France around the 16th century, and he did write predictions of future events.

The prediction referenced in the new chapter IS one of his predictions, but it is not the full prediction!!!

The full prophecy is this:

“ The year one thousand nine ninety-nine seven month

From the sky shall come a great King of terror,

[Shall be] revived the great King of Angoulmois.

Before and after, Mars [shall] reign as chance will have it.

(Century X, No. 72) “

I don’t know about the fourth line, but the last line. “Mars shall reign”. Mars in Roman mythology is associated with war, literally being the god of war, and Mars generally has a connection to war in western culture. 

And Asa Mitaka just so happens to meet/be the host of the War Devil. 

It’s unclear exactly why Yoru wants to revive nuclear weapons devil. Likely because their revival would make Yoru more powerful, but Yoru seems very childish and immature, so I think it’s also possible that she and Nuclear Weapons were possibly friends? Since devils do seem to tolerate/desire relationships, as seen with Angel Devil and his village, and Quanxi’s fiend girlfriends. A lot of fiends seem to want and seek out relationships with others, platonic/familial/romantic, whatever (Power, Violence, Beam). There are also some that don’t, as in they just do not care (Prinzi) or are only interested in murder and crime (Also Power and Beam, but only before their character arcs). There are also those that want relationships but cannot have them, as seen with Makima and Pochita. Interesting! Could be a reach on my part, but there is definitely something odd about the timing of the prophecy and Yoru deciding to come to Earth and reveal herself to Asa.

Yoru does not seem like a very capable ruler, which is also somewhat weird if this prophecy is to be fulfilled. She will rule “before and after”, but while right now is presumably ‘before’, Yoru has basically been stuck to a depressed high school girl. Yoru does have power and we have seen her fight before, she seems to love fighting. But in this chapter she runs away.

Not very leader-like in my opinion! However. She also literally has a giant ruler sword at the moment. 

I mean. Technically I guess you could say she is ruling?? The whole prophecy is really weird, and could have a lot of meaning in the context of chainsaw man. But I’m going to move on from that for now!

Yoshida Hirofumi, my beloved! Knowing things he shouldn’t and being in places he has no business being! He knew about Famine Devil, but it also seems that Fami didn’t really keep her identity a secret anyways. He knows she’s a powerful horseman devil, and he’s taking her out to eat at a cafe, once again paying for everything she orders. 

How does he have so much money? How did he know she was the Famine Devil? It’s possible he is just a weird dude. Love that for him! 

But how did he know about the prophecy? About the experiment with the prisoners and the Future Devil? He seems to be working with public safety now, but why tell Denji he has a private organization? In any case, the prophecy seems to have some merit, and Fami does know some things about it. He asked, and Fami told him. He did threaten her, but why would a powerful horseman devil be afraid of some highschooler with an octopus devil contract? 

We can’t see her face, but we know she isn’t lying. We know because Asa is there at the apartments, and there is a powerful devil that just appeared there, so powerful that Yoru refused to fight it.

As for this devil, we know it is a primal fear, but not its name. Did the chainsaw devil eat her and her name is forgotten? Or is it just a purposeful omission? In any case, I think there are a few likely possibilities for the name this devil has.

This devil is presumably the first of the “The other seven” who will die this week. In the bible, there are a lot of apocalyptic sevens! We have:

The 7 bowls

The 7 seals

The 7 trumpets

I don’t think it’s the trumpets or bowls, but a case can be made for the seals. The breaking of one seal causes the appearance of the next. Interestingly, the first four seals represent the four horsemen. The first seal releases the horseman of conquest. (Sound familiar?)

Next is war, then famine, then death. This could be the death devil? She does have the power to make people kill themselves, so it would make sense and explain why Yoru was afraid of her. It could also be sacrifice or apocalypse, but personally I think Death makes the most sense.

The fifth and sixth seals cause various people to die and natural disasters. The seventh seal triggers silence, in preparation for the sounding of the 7 trumpets. In summary, the first three trumpets cause bad stuff to fall to earth and poison 1/3rd of all seawater and freshwater, as well as burning up 1/3rd of trees and all green grass. The fourth trumpet causes complete darkness, by getting rid of the sun, moon, and stars. 

The next three trumpets are also known as the three woes.

The fifth trumpet causes a star to fall and opens a bottomless pit with a key it has been given, which releases these weird bug lion monsters instructed to torment (but not kill) all who do not follow God.

The sixth trumpet causes four angels to descend, leading a large battalion of soldiers whose lion-snake-horse steeds carry plagues that kill 1/3rd of humanity.

The seventh trumpet causes loud voices in the heavens to praise God.

I think the “King of Terror” the prophecy refers to will be Chainsaw Man, or maybe just Pochita/The Chainsaw Devil in his full form. I also think that his presence will somehow result in the devils being released from Hell, and Chainsaw Man becomes God or something. I do not know! It certainly seems ominous though!

This is all I can piece together for now, a lot of this stuff could be wrong, but the parallels are certainly interesting! 

My thoughts in summary:

The prophecy mentioned is real and will happen (in chainsaw man)

Yoru/The War devil will gain a lot of power

Alternatively she will become some sort of leader, or maybe her role will have something to do with literal rulers…?

Yoshida is WEIRD!!!!!!!!! (nothing new there)

Fami gave him the information he wanted despite having (seemingly) no reason to do so other than being threatened by Yoshida

Fami didn’t even TRY to mess with Yoshida, but she was perfectly fine manipulating Asa and Yoru/The War Devil

The devil in the apartments is (probably) the Death Devil

Apocalypse time!

[racecarcat]

You know, I just finished rereading Part 1 of CSM after about a weak and ohh myyy godddd… how is this level writing achievable. I strive to write something this great and dooming every thing day. Anyway, here is some thoughts about part 1 I had after rereading.

SPOILERS ⚠️ ABOUT THE ENTIRETY OF PART 1 OF CSM (CHAP 1–97)

• I originally didn’t understand the hype about Reze when first read the manga, like I loved her design and personality, but I came to appreciate her a lot more this time around. Especially after realizing that once the fight with Denji/Reze that Reze actually does try to go to the cafe—idk why I interpreted the first time around as she just trying to escape Japan.

• Denji… really does talk like a teenager no matter how depressed he is. I feel like I don’t feel like I see I don’t see that so very often. Especially during his monologue(?) while cooking and eating Makima.

• Being famous KILLS Denji. I’m sure there’s some symbolism im not in the intelligence level to understand.

• Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE in Public Safety has always been doomed. Aki was doomed to die the worst fate, Denji was doomed to have all his happiness taken away, Makima was doomed to be a Public Safety dog, Angel was never meant to find solace in others without them dead—I CANT STAND IT.

• I hate Makima, don’t get me wrong. But seeing the scene of Pochita explaining how violently lonely and isolated Makima was because of how she was raised and how her version of love was sick and cruel because she didn’t know how else to tell people was just so… fjdjxjdjf

• Hirofumi Yoshida is a lot sillier than I remember. He has this stupid little :) I think is cute.

• Cosmo is such a fun character. Her whole “Halloween” thing is something I wish I understood more but I will take what I can get.

• I finally understood Quanxi’s whole arc when she shows up to the point she dies.

I’m sure there’s more but I read chapter 97 at 5:30 AM this morning. Anyway, if you were to ask me if I like Part 1 or 2 better, I would definitely say Part 1.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to reread part 2 so this may change but just… Part 1 has such a charm to it.

(Also Power comeback when)

[npdjotaro]

⚢　　︵　　dumb rant

Why is the csm fandom so annoying when it comes to Makima it honestly pisses me off so much 😭

I love Makima as a character because she's really well written, the part she plays in the anime fits her perfectly, I love how she really had a lasting impact on others and continues to impact other people to this day, I like her design even though it isn't really special and I overall just think she's a great character. But whenever I express these opinion people assume that I support her actions or sometimes even LIKE (???) what she did

I understand why people assume that considering how a majority of Makima fans are degenerates, that in fact, do not love her for her writing like I do. But instead, they are creeps that want to be her 'victim', don't understand her character, and purely like her for her looks. I hate being forced into a group with these people because I am NOTT like that. I simply enjoy Makima for how well she's written, but it's almost impossible for me to express these opinions online without being thrown tomatoes and knives at.

I hate both Makima haters and lovers, I do understand Makima haters more. I mean it's logical to hate a character like her, I simply like her because she's interesting and I have a special interest on her. But Makima haters can also be so insufferable sometimes to me, whenever I express my opinion i expect there to be a polite exchange. I make it super obvious I do not support her actions nor would I ever try to defend her actions considering I'm a victim of grooming myself but even when I am expressing these things these people still find a way to hate on me??? I once literally lost 6 friends for stating I love Makima's writing 😭😭

But I find Makima lovers more annoying, it's almost impossible to find someone that enjoy Makima for how she's written and not for her looks. It's annoying having to talk with degenerate creepy weirdo incels that can't comprehend Makimas writing purely because they were too focused on her looks the entire time. But it's also annoying to have to constantly argue with other people over if it's acceptable for me to like her or to buy merchandise of her.

tldr I just wish people would leave me alone when it comes to my special interest on Makima and me buying merch of her 😭 I like her writing, not her actions. I do not support her actions 😟 nd pls don't rope me into a group with creeps that only like Makima for her looks, I'm nawt like that.....

[yurucamp]

why do u like santa claus so much? she's great of course, im just curious bc she seems to be your fave csm character, which is nice! my fave is makima tho <3

it's a good question, isn't it? i don't know whether i'd pick santa or makima as my favorite csm character- i love them both, and admittedly we don't know enough about santa for me to fully appreciate her as a character.

i like the contrast between her unassuming, gentle manner and brutality. she's very manipulative (as is makima) but in a crueler manner. i like her design (contrast between eyes and hair, piercing stare, cute moles) and i also feel like i can capture her in my art style better than makima, who i can't do justice...

[immaterial-pearl]

WHY you SHOULD read (or watch) Chainsaw Man. A quick guide.

Section 1: What is Chainsaw Man.

Well it's a manga (and an anime) about a guy who can grow a chainsaw from his head. It's an insanely stupid premise. After becoming the Chainsaw Man, Denji, the main character, joins a devil hunting organisation.

Section 2: Chainsaw Man's perspective on love.

Beyond it's basic premise, it's about Denji, a homeless teenager with dead parents, forming close bonds with others for the first time in his life (not counting his dog/demon). His initial goal is to pursue erotic and romantic love (which he sees as essentially, the same thing and the most important face of love). In the beggining he mostly interacts with three other characters:

Makima, his new boss, an adult woman Denji finds attractive. She believes Denji to be crucially useful to her, and so uses Denji's attraction to manipulate him;

Aki, another devil hunter, a guy in his early 20's that Denji moves in with. He finds Denji to be annoying, but tries to keep him alive and becomes a sort of older brother to him;

Power, a devil in the body of a human, who's loud and inconsiderate. She and Denji get partnered at work and have to do patrols together. Eventually she moves in with Aki as well.

Section 3: simple character premises.

Denji- on the surface, a horny teenager, on a deeper level, an incredibly lonely person, on an even deeper level, also a horny teenager.

Makima- girl war criminal, mastermind with... really unexpected and interestingly written motivations (not telling u more lol those are spoilers for end of part 1 of the manga).

Aki- born to be a brooding, cool character, forced to be a single father of two.

Power- i never watched south park but the author literally said shes based on cartman. From what I know that does track. Shes gross and horrible I love her.

Section 4: female characters.

Ever got angry the female characters always have to be more toned down and less gross than the male ones? Well here every single female characters is just as evil, over the top, insane and gross as the male characters. The author is also really down bad for a girl who threw him off of his bike when he was in uni, take this as you will.

Section 5: anime or manga.

The anime only has one season so far, it's weirdly paced and the animation is (in my opinion) pretty boring compared to the manga's art style. It is however very accurate and barerly makes any changes.

The manga is on it's part 2 now (the first part is about Denji, Power, Aki and Makima and goes on for 11 volumes, the second part is about Denji and a new character, Asa). It's art style is great, it's very well written and in my opinion better than the anime.

Section 6: trigger warnings.

I'm not going to go into detail but some major trigger warnings are:

blood, gore, violence;

manipulation;

hostile work enviroment;

sexual abuse (specifically sexual abuse towards an underage character);

death;

chainsaws.

[serendictment]

August Books

1. Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer

. . . 3/10. One of those points is purely for the insight on Rosalie and Jasper's backstories and the other two points is Alice Cullen. I detest the Twilight series so very much and the only thing keeping me going is Alice. I hate how Jacob was turned into. . . Whoever he is now. He's not the same Jacob from the first/second books. I didn't really like him then either, but did he have to be turned into such a creep? Bella was insufferable as always, as was Edward. Stan Alice, I love her and also we're the same height (4'10) and we love that.

2. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

2/10. Again, it's apart of Twilight. Also, why does my mother have everything Twilight related? Anyways, I felt this was unneeded and I wish we were given a book like this from Riley's point of view. I feel as if it would've been more interesting than a character who only said her name and then a few sentences (maybe a paragraph or two?) about how she didn't know stuff and then was killed. I think seeing Victoria's manipulation being done to Riley would've been much more interesting to read. However, this is not me saying "Oh please Mrs. Meyer, write more!" She very much so does not need to do that.

Note for books 3., 4., and 5.; I read them at the same time. It was a strange week of reading.

3. Chainsaw Man Buddy Stories by Tatsuki Fujimoto and Sakaku Hishikawa

7.5/10. Love me some chainsaw man. I miss Angel and Kobeni though, so I couldn't give it an 8. Other than that, it was well written and I tend to take issue with short stories branching off from mangas because a lot of the ones I read in the past seem to get the characters wrong in the. . . word-ification of them, but I have no such complaint here on that. Power was still Power-ing and Aki was the same exhausted single mother Hayakawa that he's always been.

4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

9.7/10. I loved it from start to finish. Some bits were even relatable (don't worry, none of the. . . bad(? questionable?) bits). I liked experiencing the slow mental decline and then the very end were Esther seems to be doing better. It was a bit saddening to find out that Plath died not even a month after this book was published, but I do hope that whatever afterlife there may or may not be, that Sylvia Plath is proud of what she's done and how far this novel has come.

5. Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer

2/10. 2 points are for Jasper and Alice. I hated every minute of this. I honestly wish I had something nice to say other than "It had Alice Cullen and Jasper Hale" but alas, I can not. Okay the wedding seemed cute but other than that it was like your typical white teenage boy. No redeeming qualities. Carlisle and Esme were great as always, but I have mommy/daddy issues so sorry<3

6. Chainsaw Man Volumes 10 and 11

9/10, still upset about Angel's death (even though I read it months ago), bur at least Kobeni is alive and well (. . . As well as she can be). Also, Makima was great. Do I think she was a good person? No. Do I love her as a villain? Absolutely. However, I'll never forgive her (or Fujimoto) for Angel. Rip.

7. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman

7/10. Rather slow paced, but a good solid plot. Unfortunately, I did clock Bogdin (or whatever his name was) as Tony's murderer. . . pretty much as soon as the murder happened, so reading the truth at the end didn't do much. Also, I assumed that Penny would've have something to do with one of the murders, considering you don't normally have a character like her and her husband, John, without them having some secret in their pasts. Overall pretty good though.

8. Death Note Volumes 11-12

8.5/10. Glad Light finally got what was coming to him. I hated that man. Misa deserved so much better (coughMEcough). Rip Matt and Mello though. Also, I don't care what other people think, I like Near more than L. Do I think Near was smarter than L? I'm not sure, however I do believe he used his resources much better than L did. Also to anyone who may be like "Oh, well, Mello was smarter than Near-" shush. I loved both of them, but I'm autistic so Near takes forst place for me. If Near has one fan, it is me. If he has no fans, I am dead.

9. Death Note Volume 13: How to Read

5/10. These sorts of books don't tend to interest me, however some content was good so it felt wrong to rate it anything under 5. That being said, I also couldn't rate it anything above 5 because. . . I don't know.

10. Death Note Short Stories

6/10. Near<3 I was happy. Overall entertaining, but ultimately nothing special in my opinion.

11. Death Note: Another Note The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases

7/10. The Death Note fan in me is tired of Death Note. I still enjoyed it, it was well written, the "L's a dom" part killed me. I think if I read it a few months ago it would've been rated higher, but alas.

12. Scott Pilgrim Comics (1-6)

6.5/10. Kim Pine, my love<3 snd wallace<3 really I have no commentary. It was Scott Pilgrim, that says it all. Love the art style though.

13. Blue Period Volumes 1-5

9/10. I started watching the anime while in school and it inspired me in a way I haven't been in a long time. Watching just one episode gave me the motivation to actually try with art again, and I think I'll always be grateful for it. I bought the first 5 manga and after reading them I've fallen in love again. Unfortunately, at the time of writing this, I'm about to go off to college as an English major, but who knows, maybe English will be miserable to me and I'll switch to art. Either way, this manga has helped me a lot. I also see a lot of myself in many of the characters, Yotasuke in particular. It could be that I'm autistic, however I relate to his whole "art is all I have" thing. Although I'm what many would label a "jack of all trades," I only have one thing that I'm really passionate about and that I consider "mine." It was nice seeing someone else like that and it not being shown in a (purely) negative way. Plus, if he can make friends then that means I have a chance at it too, which makes me feel better about moving away for college.

14. Bungou Stray Dogs Volumes 8-13

6/10. Didn't hate them, but my original love for them is steadily declining. I'm also just trying to get through all of my manga at this point. . . I crave a novel so bad but still have to get through Ouran High School Host Club. Huuh.

Update: I never got to OHSHC since I went off to college and didn't want to bring manga with. Ouran will be "books I read whenever I visit on weekend" books.

15. I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

9/10. Do I need to even explain myself? Minus one point because at some points it was lowkey triggering for my. . . 3D, we'll say (don't worry, I'm okay and nothing happened), but it was so well written and just raw. Jennette is a talented writer in my opinion and I'm so sorry for everything she's gone through. She's much stronger than I am.

16. Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

7/10. Love me some Dostoyevsky. Anyways, I didn't hate it but I didn't exactly love it. Rating it under a 7 though makes me feel disloyal to my boy. Also, I finished this is in like 5 days. College is pretty easy right now (I say as literally an hour ago (around 5pm on August 31st) I was freaking out because I didn't know how to use the Canvas app).

[easy-revenge]

Do you think Aki liked Himeno romantically or that he would have liked her in that way if Makima hadn't put him under her control?

i got another ask almost identical to this so im answering for both here.

there are a lot of ways to interpret this. I'll speak on what I think based on canon and what i also headcanon about them.

its difficult for me to analyse aki's romantic feelings for both himeno and angel. I've kind of been going around it. i always get somewhere and then im like: he doesn't have free will, though. he's not in control of his feelings at all. and boom, everything is debunked.

however, based on canon, i think there was some kind of attraction. im not sure if it was strictly romantic, or sexual. i think there was a strong connection between them. strong enough for a seemingly cold and collected guy like aki to feel comfortable with physical proximity and even platonic intimacy.

its safe to assume that aki knew about himeno's feelings for him. or rather, he had the info for it. ive gotten the impression that he turned a blind eye to it, not rly intentionally but not subconsciously either.

it could be bc of makima, or bc of his own hesitance. himeno is his friend and his mentor and she's flirty with everyone so maybe she doesn't mean it. that kind of thing. maybe he didn't know how he felt, didn't really know how to interpret the type of love he felt. maybe he didn't do anything bc he was dying soon.

there's always the possibility of him not being interested ofc. it just doesn't feel right to me. we've seen aki around ppl he considers friends. the energy between him and himeno is charged in a way that betrays...something...on his part as well.

personally i headcanon that he did like her. again, maybe romantically is a strong word for it. i think he understands the dependency she has on him and i feel like aki gets fulfillment from being needed. having someone to protect. that builds a bond.

i think there's attraction on his part too. i cant rly explain it beyond like getting the vibe from their scenes together. i think there is enough attraction for them to have slept together a couple times, which aki doesn't feel great about bc himeno is in love with him and he thinks he is in love with makima.

if makima didn't exist, do i think they'd be together? i dont know. i literally cannot tell or decide whether aki could be properly in love with himeno, even if he was in complete control of his mind, or if their closeness came from a place of need for something to make them whole and not healthy romantic attraction.

this is all over the place im sorry lmao but it think this mess is representative of aki's mind in a way.

he's stuck up on revenge. he doesn't know himself. makes a point of it. he performs as this character he's created to make his goal possible and he's not even good at it.

he feels this inexplicable pull towards makima and somehow fits it comfortably into his life. he's probably not meant to rly pursue her, the crush is probably supposed to work as motivation and drive.

we cant really expect this man to have the capacity to break down a bond between two very broken ppl. that's why i think I'll never be able to answer basic questions like these without going on for paragraphs and paragraphs.

i cant see it ever being that simple for them, sadly.

[robotlesbianjavert]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

oh it's been forever since i got a top characters ask - this has probably changed a lot since i last considered a definitive top ten. and actually this has tormented me a lot. had to kill a lot of darlings. oof. not actually definitive this could probably change a lot.

10) it's a really good thing i never got into Supernatural when the fandom was in its heyday i think there would be something wrong with me if i did. anyways november 5th unlatched something in me and i do think that Castiel is real and alive and gay out there in the universe in a way that precious few characters can lay claim to. everyone please respect him.

9) Battleborn is a dead game and a dead fandom which i grieve all the time, not least because it meant one of the greatest yuris of all time was lost from knowledge. anyways i love Galilea for largely gay reasons - tall woman in armor sword and shield, intense relationship of deep friendship and betrayal with Ambra, being a knight templar cursed by eldritch powers. i miss her. we truly lost something great. being so trapped between duty and love that it rips you apart for the rest of your existence. insane.

8) when Locus from Red vs Blue was first introduced like i kneeeeewwww they were gonna do something with him and also he had a sexy voice (tragically the voice actor turned out to be a dick.) and my knowing paid off. i love it when a character tries to abdicate their autonomy in order to escape their crimes but ultimately can't it's soooooo juicy.

7) Beast Wars has so many insanely good characters who are all my favourites and it is so so so hard to ever choose among them. but Blackarachnia claws her way to the top. funny enough it's a point where i think the show failed with her character that pushed her to the top - a large part of her characterization is trying to win and protect her autonomy/individuality, and "proving grounds" is such a triumphant climax of that. but she's also stuck in a toy commercial and needed a new design to sell so "crossing the rubicon" had to happen. it's something about how she had to be literally knocked out for the writers to make that upgrade happen that's both infuriating, but also speaks to how strong she is as a character.

6) Denji & Power from Chainsaw Man, do not separate them. i'm actually incapable of separating them. i have a lot of beloved characters from csm - makima, aki, kobeni, asa, yuko, it's probably easier to name the ones i don't like - but denji and power as both individual characters and as a relationship in the story is so important to me. denji was a character i actively didn't think i would love as much until the narrative gut punched me so hard with the full breadth of his story and development. power i always knew i would love, and it paid off i was so pleased with her and chapter 90 was pure euphoria for me. i need to see them together again so much.

5) Eleanor from The Haunting of Hill House, SPECIFICALLY the novel not the tv show, the tv show is nothing to me. she's anxiety incarnate she's trying too hard she's a uhaul lesbian she's a jealous paranoid waif of a woman but this house loves and accepts and wants her so she'll let it have her. there are a lot of parts of eleanor that are painfully familiar and no one will ever understand her like me. certainly not mike flanagan.

4) Community is one of my favourite tv shows, and in a similar way to beast wars there's so many characters that i love love love. but Shirley is actually a very easy choice. a choice with a lot of hang-ups as shirley is easily the most mistreated and least developed of the main long-term cast and every day i imagine myself shaking dan harmon violently saying hey if you were so proud of have half a room of female writers maybe you should have a) kept going with that and b) make less of them right. there's so much ground that could have been covered with her anger issues and past alcoholism, her crossed paths with jeff as kids, finding herself outside of being a wife and a mother, and they just struggled to really do right by her. but also she's so cute the way she says "i'm so sorryyyyy" in competitive ecology. kills me all the time.

3) i have written 18 spinaraki fics with more in my wips and i think it's fair to say that Spinner from Boku no Hero Academia is an all time forever favourite character for me, just barely edging out over shigaraki. obviously spinner is a gay little evil henchman so that clinches it. but also it's just like - seeing him go from a nothing character that could have easily have been written out, to being given his own plotline and character arc about trying to find meaning and purpose and ultimately finding it in caring SO HARD about one weird guy. and he's so moe. i believe in him.

2) jose from cybersix but i can't talk about it.

anyways i'm actually really at killing my darlings so really quick a couple of runner ups based on long-term history vs faves with a recency bias.

Runner-Ups Based on Intense & Passionate History

mr lahey from trailer park boys; enrico from stravaganza; bulk & skull from power rangers; jason voorhees from friday the 13th; redcloak from order of the stick; gob from arrested development; soundwave from transformers (franchise-wide); harvey dent from batman: the animated series; hardison & sophie from leverage; rabbit from winnie the pooh; cobra commander from gi joe; hyde from jekyll and hyde; griffin from the invisible man; bosola from duchess of malfi; masquerade & gus from bakugan; claptrap from borderlands; hook-handed man from a series of unfortunate events; kaiba from yu-gi-oh; rorschach & laurie from watchmen; stephanie and reverend putty from moral orel; demidevimon & impmon from digimon; quickstrike, inferno, dinobot, and rattrap from beast wars; chang & abed from community; cybersix from cybersix; shigaraki and honestly all of the lov & mla in bnha; six & makoto from bnha: vigilantes.

Runner Ups Based on Recency Bias

jessica from cannibal farm; mimi from psycho goreman; oj from nope; barbara howard from abbott elementary; evelyn & joy from eeaao; kinsey from the strangers: prey at night; misty, taissa, and shauna from yellowjackets; eva from monster; akagi from kimeno jihen; dimple from mp100; uma from disney's descendant (a movie series i have not watched. but i like her sooo much.)

okay with all that off my chest, my most number one favourite character of all time ever.

1 ) Meowth from Pokemon he's my best friend.

[madraleen]

Chainsaw Man - Tatsuki Fujimoto   Ch. 98-132: A Disappointed Commentary and Overall Impressions.

LISTEN. If you’re as sensitive about your faves as I am, don’t read this. I’m bummed with Part 2 and it shows. (But, hey, I’m looking forward to reading more?)

-This Asa has had more introspection in twenty pages than Denji has had in his entire lifetime (this is a neutral comment).

-Did she accidentally squash Chicken Devil omg

-Holy shit, this escalated. Mr Tanaka, really now?

-I kinda like Yoru. And Yoru alone.

-Your goal is to defeat Chainsaw Man and mine is to actually see him... I don’t care about Asa that much.

-Oh Denji, u in Asa’s manga too?

-I like Denji, give me more Denji, omg, this is my nightmare scenario of endless chapters focused on characters you’re not interested in, I’ve feared this for a while.

-Where is everyone? Why has everyone left Denji alone? Like, in life.

-I don’t like that Denji is a side-character!

-Pls, Nayuta, save the story :’(

-At anyone who might be reading this and is enjoying the story: I am very, very happy that you do, I’m jealous. I am so disappointed though. I’m disappointed that Denji is not the MC, yes, but also, Asa is not compelling to me, there’s no side-characters with spark and just life, the setting is underwhelming - a school after Public Safety, I don’t see any interesting dynamics right now. Basically, what compelled me in the first arc just isn’t here. I see people saying to wait, that things will peak and twist and turn, and, well, yes, of course they might, but that doesn’t make up for the things that haven’t worked for me so far. But yes, please reframe those things, please, make me eat my words and shock me into adoring the arc! I beg! I beg to be wrong!

-There’s a lot of bread crumbs for the future, I won’t deny that. Yoshida’s random organization, Nayuta herself, the prophecy, the contract with Power of course, but... give us something concrete :’(.

-In a weird way though, it has me wanting to read on and on and then some, just to see Denji and see where on earth this is going.

-Why drown it, bitch. Why drown the cat, bitch.

-”Solitude and companionship... I’m afraid of both!” I mean, same.

-The Falling Devil ala chef, great, I like that.

-And you would care if the Devil’s a thief... why exactly, Denji boy?

-Yes, bb, yes, bring up Denji’s trauma, bring up Power and Aki, finally. God, I miss them. But yay, finally, quality time with Denji!

-Chainsaw be like “I wanna have sex!” and Asa be like “yeah, nvm, just let me fall.”

-They are ON A PLATE, nice. See, I’m lots more ameliorable when Denji is around and denji-ing.

-Actually content now that Denji’s been around for a few chapters in a row, lmao.

-Looking forward to seeing who “fake Chainsaw” is. An actual other Chainsaw? Denji from the future? Who knows.

-War Devil might win in the prophesy and prevent the Age of Devils, got it. Yoru, you’re up.

-And now Nayuta has the spotlight, phew, I can breathe again. And more Denji! We’re ending the binge-read on a positive note.

Overall Impressions: Part 1: Love and adoration, fun, ridiculousness, excitement, pain and heartbreak, shock and respect. Sometimes the plot gets convoluted. Denji, Aki and Power are one of my favorite gangs. I love all the side-characters, I love Denji, I love the character development, I love to hate Makima, I love the panel composition. Part 2: I’m bummed and curious. Not enough Denji, but I’m delighted when Denji and Nayuta appear. For the moment weak side-characters. Lots of hints for potentially exciting things to come. Lacks the visual oomph of Part 1 because of lackluster setting. I don’t vibe with Asa.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

dennis is one of my fav mcs ever ur so real for that BUT

please PLEASE explain the makima & kishibe appeal to me bc. i am not seeing it

i would eat makima too if i was like dennis but cook her in the most disrespectful way possible like. make a pancake and flip it into the trashcan or something idk

like i get her writing is great but … THATS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE ME NOT DESPISE HER

PHSHHFHSJ…… OK…… LOOK………..

ok so for kishibe i wont lie im just into dilfs. hes literally my Dad. i just think hes silly and funny and very sad. 

AND MAKIMA…. look i absolutely do not blame u . i get why ppl hate her i rly do. i just really really love. toxic mothers in media. (see also: kenjaku jjk…..) idk man shes just so INTERESTING to me like……

just. how she cant love other ppl bc her existence as the control devil puts her above everyone else….. shes so so isolated and uncaring but she also has this. interest? in living beings and warm things n good movies…. and she cant smoke bc it makes her cough a bunch…… and she cried from a movie scene of a mother hugging her son….. i just feel like makima has these tiny tiny moments that humanize her so much but shes also just. so blatantly inhuman. like she really is just a Devil masquerading as a human n that concept makes me insane

and god….. i know u didnt sign up for a ted talk but. the fact that her true dream was something like a family…… or a connection….,. JUST like aki and dennis n everyone else. but shes the one character who Does Not Find It bc!! she cant!!! she doesnt have the grounds for companionship bc her existence is meant to be completely alone at the top!!!!

her story isnt Tragic bc makima is awful and we’re not meant to be like ”noo makima :(” but her character is just soooo ironic and sad to me……. not a single person understood her until the very end and she never gave anyone the chance to.

makima is just. Yeah. i just think shes so interesting n i adore her and i think i could fix her <3 not rly but. yknow. im a lil obsessed.

[hxhhasmysoul]

Thoughts on ChainsawMan?

People tend to compare that to Jujutsu Kaisen.

I actually wrote down my thoughts about CSM, after I read it. And they stand because after the hard reset of the story and of Denji with the end of part 1 (is that what's it's called in the fandom? idk) I just went "really?" and stopped reading.

So I won't repeat what I said there I will just write a bit about what I think about people comparing CSM and JJK. And about how I don't really find them very similar at all.

I think the comparing started with Fujimoto himself? Idk if people compared them before he said it. And generally I wish he hadn't said that and that people didn't compare the two. There's a lot of this attitude "I like this thing more so it must be better in every way and the other thing needs to be shit, and I'm intellectually superior for liking it" coming form the CSM fandom. Idk if JJK fans are also such dipshits, but it took me a lot of blocking not to see posts from CSM fans who showed love for their fav by coming into the juju tags and shitting on it while saying nothing about why they think CSM is good. It reeks of high school mentality that many fail to shake until their 30s or even later.

The problem with comparing these two is that any similarities are extremely superficial. Fujimoto and Gege have completely different attitudes towards their characters, storytelling, world building, themes. They are clearly trying to achieve very different things with their stories and that's okay.

As I say in that post I linked above, I don't think CSM is bad but there's just nothing in it that matches my subjective tastes. JJK isn't perfect but the great things about it really hit the sweet spots for me.

(highlighting this so hopefully the CSM fans leave me the fuck alone)

CSM and JJK spoilers ahead, if you're an anime only. Also my opinion of CSM is based on part 1 and like a few chapters of part 2 that I read before I completely lost interest in it. I don't see myself picking it again, though.

_________________

Characters:

Fujimoto's gag character is Denji. Gege's are Toudou and Takaba. It is a valid writing choice to make your main character into a joke but not one I like. So like the moment I realised Denji's budding sexuality is a joke not a theme CSM really lost in my eyes. And since Fujimoto had (has?) just one joke for Denji to be the butt of over and over again it just got boring.

After the first two chapters I was ready to love Denji, to adopt him. Like 25 chapters in I was completely cold on him because it became clear that Fujimoto isn't going to do anything with him. If you compare that to Yuuji who's consistently getting juicy character development - it's easy for me to care about him, and when he gets traumatised, I get traumatised with him and now we have this bond where I mentally adopted him.

Aki is less meh then Megumi but in the end he's there just to die meaninglessly because Denji gets reset. I prefer Nobara to Power but I still think Power is okay, but in the end she's there just to die meaninglessly because Denji gets reset.

Makima barely wins at being more interesting with Sukuna. And that's mostly because Gege is very against developing Sukuna. Compared with Kenjaku or even Mahito? She's so dull, her plot is simplistic, and her manipulation is kinda one note.

Storytelling:

My blog's name references HxH. Part of why I obsess over HxH is the idea of characters having very different and separate goals. Story lines that run concurrently and kinda bump into each other, feed into each other and then separate. I hate the contemporary hot take that everything in writing has to be meat, has to further the plot.

CSM part 1 is very focused around the Control Devil's ploy to control the Chainsaw Devil using the Gun Devil as a ruse and other factions trying to interfere with that. There's really only this one plot line going on, there are some character arcs on the side, there are some factions nuances but they really just all prop up the main one.

JJK isn't HxH in this respect but the way in which characters have their own goals that don't necessarily further the plot is still really well done. And there isn't even one main plot. Kenjaku is the driver of it all and they have their huge scheme but Sukuna has his own plans, Gojou had his own power play with the elders and was trying to put that in motion. Other characters have/had their own schemes or goals too. People love to complain that the Zenin arc has nothing to do with the plot. I guess. It has everything to do with the themes though. I'm so sad that when Gege decided to speed run juju they cut Nobara, because her story had all the hallmarks of being about the themes but also her powers would really lend themselves to the main villain fights.

Shock Value vs Anticlimax:

HxH uses anticlimax very efficiently making the story feel fresher and much more interesting than for instance stories that rely on plot twists and reveals. The way most HxH arcs end is unexpected and kinda anticlimactic but extremely satisfying. There's build up and it gets resolved in a very fun way but not the most obvious one.

I don't remember CSM using anticlimax at all, but I have read it once and only part 1 and didn't watch the anime. So maybe it does but not in a way that was memorable to me. But it uses shock value and twists and reveals a lot, and mostly relies on killing off characters. Which for me resulted in not even trying to remember their names or faces and sometimes skipping through their dialogue if the exchanges got boring.

Gege isn't Togashi but the HxH and YYH influences are visible. Gege can suddenly kill off a character and doesn't stray away from graphic violence and body horror for shock. But the killing off isn't constant. It makes sense to get invested in the characters. Anyone can die but it's not a given, it's a threat not a promise. And the anticlimactic moments are meaningful and satisfying - sometimes in a cruel way. Yuuji's breakdown in the detention centre; then his death soon after; Junpei's death; the end of the exchange event; the whole fucking Shibuya arc which gives the reader no catharsis just drags them deeper into despair with every little moment that doesn't result in a clear win - it's excruciating; the conversation between Yuuji and Higuruma.

There's shock value in JJK too, as is in HxH. It's just used more like spice, it's not all there is to the flavour.

World building:

I just like complex magic systems where the results of the fights are not a given and fights can go interesting ways with how the characters utilise their powers in creative ways. In CSM it's just Chainsaw Devil hack and slash, Chainsaw Devil win, Denji is anemic - and for me that's very whatever.

Themes:

I've read some meta and saw some video essays about CSM and some people actually talked about the themes. I don't really remember much of it... I think it was mostly about the found family thing and life being kinda hopeless so carving these little moments for oneself? There might be more I just never was invested enough and the stuff i read/heard didn't fully convince me. Like I felt, yeah there might be some of it but it all felt like kinda gliding on the surface.

The themes in JJK match my interests far better. Oppressive systems and how hard they are to overcome even if you try. Bodily autonomy. Anti traditionalism and anti patriarchy. Deconstruction of the narrative of the hyper individualism of "the strongest" ideology and the idea of meritocracy. Reconciling guilt and your own values.