#nothing else will be chainsaw man part 1. and then appreciating different stories for their own merits vs just as something simar

[theriverbeyond]

irt to dunmeshi people definitely overhype the tone change, it's my favorite manga but i don't rly get how the action ramping up as the stakes get higher makes it super dark lol. it's a fantasy/action story. later on in the series it rly starts cashing in on how carefully the characters and their relationship to the world is set up and there are some extremely compelling narratives abt consumption and lifespan and obligations to others i think tlt fans would enjoy (i know i do) but some fans rly set it up as a horror romance when it is 1000000% not that. i think tamsyn muir and ryoko kui have similar strengths w how well they enmesh really carefully made characters into their world. sorry for the long message lol but these r like my two fixations rn.

i appreciate this ty anon!

The tone change was probably the most overhyped, but Im also reading the manga and every page that doesnt have Falin (after she chimeras) im like. WHERE is my girl. i miss her where is the dungeon meshi that exists on my tumblr dash where she is there all the time...... i know why she is not there in the begining (obviously) but she comes back and then is gone again....

I definitely think it wasn't really a tone change at all, but like you said truly just an action/adventure amp up, wherein the fun and silly tone is expertly *maintained* despite the increase in action and stakes. Gurren Lagann is my favorite anime of all time and it pulls off a [ABI DONT LOOK‼️] really signifigant tonal shift that massively reframes the story for the better. (also, highly recomend this anime to anyone into TLT. it hits the same parts of my brain!!)

I'm interested to see how the characters develop over the series and I definitely really see the thematic parallels to TLT that make it appeal to my dash specifically! I do think I need to really seperate the two stories though, because as much as dungeon meshi has a venn diagram overlap with TLT in terms of themes and events I think thus far the way it approaches and handles them are... just not the same, in a way where if I am constantly thinking of them in parallel i am setting myself up to be disappointed 😔

anyway no worries about rambling i appreciate your thoughts!!!

[firequeenkitty]

I really really really love and appreciate Chainsaw Man. Not just because the story is great, the art is top tier, and it can go from hilarious to thrilling at the drop of a hat and not come off as silly or insincere but because of the feelings put behind every character and their arc.

The way it sometimes puts feelings into words that I can't seem to find myself. Especially as someone that went through a lot of trauma growing up and has had a lot of struggles with anxiety and depression due to it.

Sometimes I found myself reading manga and watching anime and feeling a bit empty inside. I'd look at Sailor Moon, Bleach, Cardcaptor Sakura, Hero Academia and think damn I don't just want to be nobody doing nothing with my life. I want to be someone. I want to make a difference. And I know that these shows have made differences in other people's lives but they just wound up making me feel worse and worse about myself. Because I was doing nothing. I wasn't following any dreams. I wasn't pushing myself.

Then I discovered Chainsaw Man. I started it sometime last year and wound up finishing part 1 in three days. At first it felt really good and light. "Haha Denji doesn't have any lofty aspirations. My man just wants to touch some titties". But it became so much more than that. And even now into part 2 it continues to do so for me.

His dreams never really changed from chapter 1. At the core he really just wants to live a happy peaceful life. He wants someone to love him. He wants to eat good food. And that was refreshing for me to see. He wasn't some normal dude that was thrust into the extraordinary. He was a kid who suffered and wanted to just be happy.

It's okay to just want to be happy. To want to live a calm peaceful life with your pets, your found family, whoever.

Then to be honest part 2 hit me even harder. I look at Asa and see myself. I've always felt isolated due to my suffering. Sometimes my rigidity makes it hard for me to get along with others. There's so many times she's said and thought things that really reflected feelings of isolation, sadness, loneliness, and especially the fear of being alone while having the contradictory fear of opening yourself to others.

I really hope for a happy ending between her and Denji whether romantically or platonically. And it's not about needing someone else to save you. It's about having the support to see light and hope beyond the crappy circumstances of life. Even if it's just cats, dogs, ice cream, or sex.