Manga Review: Chainsaw Man Chapter 122

Mangaka: Tatsuki Fujimoto

Publisher: VIZ

Chainsaw Man continues to defy expectations every other week in its second saga, which is certainly saying something. Since the Katana Man arc, readers have known that the series is unpredictable. All these years later, readers still can’t predict what will come next, and every chapter has at least one surprise.

Fujimoto has taken a step back during this saga of Chainsaw Man, focusing on the relationship of Denji and Asa. While things have been slow since Asa took over the role of the protagonist, it has been anything but dull. Fujimoto has a knack for making mundane moments feel special. Every conversation is matched with a panel layout that makes readers hear the conversation. Pauses for drama and comedy always hit just right, making this a delight to read. It scratches the slice-of-life itch surprisingly well, while also providing the doom and gloom and action that one expects from Chainsaw Man.

Speaking of doom and gloom, there is a lot of it here. A conversation between Hirofumi and Famine goes in an interesting direction as readers get a history lesson. Fujimoto has been building up toward a particularly scary devil, adding tension and a sense of dread as the conversation progresses. It doesn’t take long for things to cut back to Asa and War as they take in the horrific scene from the last chapter’s cliffhanger.

There isn’t any character development in this issue, and instead, it serves as a compelling bridge to what is next. It’s just about everything that readers expect in Chainsaw Man. A funny opening, an ominous warning, some poor civilians dying in an awful way, then a horrific devil appearance. We have seen everything here before, yet it’s still so compelling, and Fujimoto’s art plays a significant role in that.

Facial expressions during conversations can tell stories without words. The movement feels kinetic. The devil designs somehow always get more profane. The final page does look a bit off, as a character runs away, but everything else otherwise flows nicely in this chapter.

Chainsaw Man continues to be a delight every other week, and that isn’t different here. Of course, the cliffhanger makes the wait until the next chapter unbearable, but Fujimoto has already shown that it will be worth the wait. It always is.