It's incredible how Chainsaw Man can transition between some of the most heavy-metal violence put to animation in quite some time and capture some of the most intimate and warm human intimacy. Granted a lot of fans might classify it as similarly gratifying fanservice, but it's carried out with such personable character acting that it feels far classier than typical sexualization.
It's especially noteworthy that this episode's lingering impression holds on such a lovely moment rather than the gross event beforehand that many will consider the episode's highlight. Last week concluded with Denji resolving to leap headlong into the clutches of the Eternity Devil to whittle away at it piece by bloody piece, and hard work like that demands a drink afterward.
A Few Screws Looser
This week continued a theme from last week, being that one who is a bit "off" is far more likely to live long in the profession of Devil Hunting. The sane and normal crack under the pressure and their fear only feed the Devils, whereas Himeno finds solace in Aki's idiosyncrasies and holds onto the hope that he'll live.
And yet, even that hope is thin when considering the sheer power of the Gun Devil, the apparent big bad at the end of the road for this chapter of the story. Himeno has feelings for Aki, but she's incapable of stopping him from pursuing vengeance against Gun, which is what makes her interactions with Denji so cool.
There's a selfishness to the way she sees Denji; it could be seen as her disregarding him and only seeing how he can be used to save Aki. Even then, her performance and the uncontainable glee with which she discovers Denji's power is hard not to understand. The way she uses the Ghost Devil to pull his ripcord, pushing him onward, is like experimenting with an unfamiliar piece of machinery.
The longer the show goes on, the clearer it becomes how steep the power difference is between certain characters. Denji's power is incredible by this world's standards, making it easy for other characters to see him as a tool to achieve victories they couldn't hope to attain. Himeno isn't a malicious character by any means, but holding onto Denji as a hope for Aki's salvation is begging for trouble down the road.
A Toast To Not Dying Yet
It's interesting that the bulk of the last episode and this one are out of combat, with the battle ending one and beginning the other. Fans have often discussed "Chainsaw Man pacing" with regard to the manga and how quick of a read it can be, and that might very well have to do with the action and how it's presented.
Here, the action is no less gorgeous or detailed but comes at the viewer at a mile-a-minute. Episode 7, in particular, feels like the most hellish, spooky, and wild action to come from the series yet. It feels like one of those validating sequences of animation that solidify that the adaptation 100% captures what people imagine when they hear "Chainsaw Man" and see the artwork and memes.
And outside the battles, the storytelling continues to be excellent, either in the banter between characters or the slightest hints of their backstories. But this review wouldn't feel complete without commenting on *that* scene. Frankly, fans were doubtful from the beginning that Chainsaw Man would make it to air without some censorship and this episode confirmed that.
To be fair, it's impressive that the show got this far before something crossed the line into the territory of "too much." Vomit was apparently a bit too much and given the exact context of it, some viewers might be happy about it. Because remember, this wouldn't just be vomit, this would be vomit as animated by Studio MAPPA. The notion alone is terrifying and that Blu-ray release may test many a gag reflex.
Ending Theme Week 7
After last week's underwhelming conclusion, this ending transitioned flawlessly from the ending scene into the credits with something hilarious and nostalgic. The creators knew how big of a meme the vomit scene was and saw fit to feature it prominently in the ending in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way. But the retro aspect ratio and style were just as great.
The opening beat and drums made it sound like this would be the ED by Eve, but it was in fact the singer ano, a former idol singer turned solo artist. Her song, "Chu, Tayousei" was accompanied by a retro game presentation of the story up to now with 80s-style anime pinup presentations of the female cast.
This episode was obsessed with Denji and his first kiss, but just as much about Aki seeming to crush on Makima or Himeno crushing on Aki hardcore. It was all about the characters' feelings for each other, and kudos to Crunchyroll for the subtitles during the ED. Their subtitles continue to go above and beyond anyone else. If only they could change the font color to differentiate speakers, it would be perfect.