The Most Unique Series Shonen Jump Has To Offer

Oh boy, where do I begin. Let's start off by saying that Chainsaw Man is by far, my favorite Shonen Jump manga of all time, and a contender for my personal favorite manga of all time. It hits all the spots when it comes to an interesting concept, fun characters, exciting plot, great pacing, gruesome art, you name it. Now, let's stop fanboying and let me explain in more detail.

-- MINOR SPOILERS INCLUDED --
Chainsaw Man sets place in a world inhabited by devils that come from and are empowered by people that fear their concept. Our young main character, Denji, along with his partner in crime Pochita who is the Chainsaw Devil, are tasked with hunting devils in order to clear his late father's large debt. After a series of unfortunate events, Pochita fuses with Denji in order to become the half-devil half-human, Chainsaw Man, and is hired by the mysterious Makima in order to hunt devils in exchange for the opportunity to live a decent life in the Devil Hunter association.

PLOT
Chainsaw Man is unique in the sense that it's a more character-driven story rather than a grand main goal that our main character announces and sets off to accomplish. However, there are continuous plot points set up in every arc, and the recurring plot theme can be considered as Denji having to fight enemies who are out to steal his Chainsaw heart. One of the most famous critiques of Chainsaw Man is that the story can be seen as too complex or nonsense, but I believe that's not really the case. The way I see it, the author distracts the audience's attention with bizarre and nonsensical comedy that comes of as hilarious but can also leave the audience confused at the strange humor, because the gags can often times happen during serious scenarios where the humor is unexpected. Now add that to the fact that most chapters are topped off with lots of mind-bending plot revelations and twists, people will likely get confused because they're trying to predict too far ahead instead of giving the author the benefit of the doubt. You can't have all the answers instantly in your grasp, just digest what has happened in the story so far, and keep the questions you have in the back of your head, they'll most likely be answered in the near future. My advice if you're confused by the story is to focus on what's happening visually as well, this manga is the definition of "Show, Don't Tell". All in all, the initial premise of Chainsaw Man sparks lots of interest, and the mysterious underlying plot with it's fantastic pacing and execution makes it an enjoyable experience to immerse yourself in the story.

CHARACTERS
The cast of Chainsaw Man is incredibly fun to watch, the trio main characters have a great dynamic together, whilst still being strong characters individually. In the span of 86 chapters, this manga is able to develop quite a handful of characters, even fodder ones. It's difficult to explain without spoiling, but Denji and Aki have some of the greatest character growth I've seen in any manga. Minor character are also given strong personalities that shine even when they'll never show up again, due to how they're usually accompanied with dialogue that's able to make them very likable.

ART (I'll try my best to not spoil too much with the screenshots)
Tatsuki Fujimoto is a great artist, some may say that the art in Chainsaw Man is lacking compared to other Jump titles, and I don't disagree, but the panel composition enhances the storytelling to such a masterful degree. It's also accompanied by intense double-page spreads that are filled with momentum and always packs a punch. The artwork also encompasses the manga in such a gloomy post-apocalyptic-like atmosphere, which is a perfect tone for the manga. The linework and shading may not be as clean, but the factors mentioned prior more than makes up for it.

Chainsaw Man is also brilliant at outlining character emotions and facial expression.

Along with barely having to read any text, the manga uses the advantage of it's visuals to the fullest, it's not afraid to use multiple pages of just silence to establish a mood for the readers. The panels and structure of the manga feels similar to storyboards, this could be what Fujimoto intended because he himself is a huge fan of films.

ADDRESSING COMMON CRITIQUES
Denji is a bad main character
Denji is sometimes regarded as a dumb horny teen with no goals, which makes him a bad main character. While there's truth to that statement, it's highly oversimplified. Denji is stupid because he actually has a reason to be, unlike a lot of MCs that are stupid as a trope, Denji is stupid because he genuinely did not have an educational background. He was in deep poverty and so out of touch with the world, that what he sees as his "Best Life", is having a hot meal and sleeping on a nice bed. His brain is so stunted that not only can't he make smart decisions, but he can't even dream big. His horniness was also more of a phase, he quickly learnt that there was no meaning in sexual activity without genuine connection to the other person first.

Characters are killed off too quickly/with no reason
It's important to understand that being a Devil Hunter is the MOST DANGEROUS JOB IN THE WORLD, and our main characters are not immune to that danger. Killing off characters gives a more realistic approach to the story, and it's not also just for shock value. You see, even after death, some characters are still used in the story (well, atleast their corpses are), these characters still play a role in the narrative. Some character deaths also directly cause character development for the rest of the cast. Also, is it really "shock value", or surprising when characters that were predestined to die in the story and the fact that we were even warned about their death several chapters ago actually die?

Plot is too confusing or nonsensical
Fortunately, I've already addressed this "issue" underneath the Plot category of this review.

TL;DR - Read Chainsaw Man

NOTE: As of the making of this review, 86 chapters of Chainsaw Man has been released.