Chainsaw Man Episode 5 Review

And Denji has done it. He has accomplished his life goal…but through it, the main aspect of his character is put on full display. Especially how Makima plays into it. From an episode with no action, the character moments were still there.

Denji is young, we know this. His goals aren’t grandiose and he’s been accomplishing them with relative ease. And now, that’s to power, he achieved his next goal—touching boobs. However, he quickly realized that touching boobs wasn’t all that he made it out to be. Of course, he quickly learned that it wasn’t necessarily that he wanted to touch boobs as much as he wanted to touch Makima’s boobs.

But that entire scene between them is telling of her character. By seducing him and then giving him what he “wants” (I’ll explain the quotations in a bit) and with promises of more she manipulates Denji into the hardest task of his life—killing the Gun Devil.

Now, Denji’s wants are pretty clear. He states them everywhere he goes. But it’s obvious that regardless of any of that, his needs are similar, but he entirely misses the mark as to what it is. His focus is on lust, obviously, and totally expected for a kid his age. But due to his upbringing, his real needs don’t come in the form of touching boobs or kissing a girl, instead, it’s simple human intimacy. One of the biggest things Denji lacked his entire life.

Anyway, with his new task at the forefront of his mind, he is thrown headfirst to another devil hunt. Here we are finally properly introduced to the rest of the Tokyo Special Division 4. A colorful (?) cast of characters with their own quirks. Himeno especially has made herself quite a character, promising to French kiss Denji if he kills the devil first.

We will get to learn a bit more as the show progresses, but for now, they are the main group sent to find the pieces of the Gun Devil.

Me being someone who appreciates episodes focused on character, this was perfect for me. A good chunk of this was spent with exposition and flashbacks and introductions, but none of it felt like a slog, and instead I enjoyed every moment and how it was woven throughout the episode. Ending with a bit of a debacle straight out of SCP.