Chainsaw Man – Episode 5

Plot:

Denji has received his reward for rescuing Power and Meowy, but was it really worth it?

Disappointed, Denji seems troubled by what the result of his goals brought to him, as he begins questioning if anything is really worth the effort. However, Makima soon reassures him that some goals really are worth the wait, if your heart is truly in it. Offering Denji a chance at something more than just a feel of a females body, Makima sets Denji and the group of Devil Hunters, headed by Aki, on a mission to hunt down the most powerful devil they have faced yet; the Gun-Devil. The gang soon find themselves caught in a trap of illusions, but what can they do to get out of it?

Between all of that, we witness the backstory of one of the characters, who as a young child, witnessed the death of their entire family, along with the destruction of their childhood home, that initially set them on the path to becoming a Devil Hunter. It seems this Gun-Devil means more to some of the characters than was originally discussed.

Story:

This episode held less action and more story than most episodes, but it certainly wasn’t dull. Makima showed more of her manipulative and flirty side, using her power over Denji both as a superior but also using his own emotions towards her against him to make him comply with whatever she demands. We all knew this was going to happen whether you’ve read the manga or not. I haven’t read this far into the manga just yet so I don’t know if it’s actually apart of the story or just added in for the anime, but it’s definitely an interesting scene in the sense that it shows us some of the characteristics that are only shown behind closed doors as it were. Giving us knowledge known only to two of the characters which makes it interesting to see how Denji keeps a secret from the rest of the group about why he’s determined to defeat the Gun-Devil.

The flash-backs we see in this episode really add depth to at least one of the characters, as we begin to understand some of their disdain for devils, which would help explain their attitude in previous episodes as well, making the viewer empathise with them more than previous episodes.

Characters:

In this episode we get to see more of the Devil-Hunting group that we met in the previous episode. The group consists of our introductory trio, Denji, Aki and Power, but also the new faces of Himeno who seems to be on level with Hayakawa as well as being close to him, Public Safety agent Arai who seems confident but strict, basically a man who seems like he prefers to do things by the book and will do anything he can to impress his superiors, and finally we have Kobeni, a young woman who constantly seems nervous, but may no doubt hide some hidden natural talent.

Overall:

This episode added more depth to some of the characters and set the tone for the seriousness of situations the group will be going up against in the coming episodes, but it doesn’t shy away from it’s usual humour, mostly focusing on acts of intimacy being used as motivation, but also there are the jokes surrounding the two devils of the group, Power and Denji, who act like a pair of troublesome kids, who get given gum as a bribe for being good and following orders as well as showing respect to Hayakawa. The fun doesn’t really stop in this show and that’s why I love it, so if it continues at this quality, it will be an incredible show all-round.

Chainsaw Man is available to watch exclusively on Crunchyroll here in the UK. New episodes every Tuesday!