Chainsaw Man Episode 2 Thoughts

Chainsaw Man episode two has Denji achieve some of his goals from the previous episode, such as jam on toast and other foods. Seriously the poor guy. But now he has achieved this; he is trying to come up with a new goal. And his new goal becomes… touching boobs. He wants to work toward the goal of touching boobs one day.
Specifically, he wants to touch Makima’s boobs, the lady who has taken him under permanent employment, as it were. So many people are probably wondering what the deal with Makima is and why she treats Denji in an almost contradictory way. I’m not going to say what it is because remember, I am a manga reader for this one; all I’ll say is that it is the beginning of a developing mystery. Now I will say that regarding Makima’s voice actress, specifically her Japanese seiyuu, I’m slightly disappointed. To me, she makes Makima sound really young, and I think that’s just her tapping into the uncanny innocence that the character puts forward and her angelic-like ways in how she treats Denji, contrasted with her treating him like a dog. This may be effective for some, but I guess I wish they went with a maturer, perhaps matronly-like approach. I think this because Makima is an adult who is technically using that power imbalance over Denji regardless of her intentions. But the actress maybe is just playing the character like this for now and reserving their range for other story events later.
I mentioned previously that I was curious how this anime would adapt CM’s comedy, and this episode showcased some examples I was referring to. Denji kicking Aki in the balls repeatedly is still funny, but I think it just came across as more amusing in the manga. Granted, it could just be that part of the comedy was just from how unexpected it was in the first place, and me seeing it coming watered it down. I was also talking to my friend about the tone in which I read that scene, and we agreed that I read it in a comedic style that is unique mainly in English and less so in Japanese, we think. It’s hard to explain precisely, but you know when in a scene where a character is beating up another character and in between blows, they say each word of their sentence? That’s how I read the manga scene, which is why I felt that Denji had kicked Aki more times in the balls and less kicked in the anime. So it doesn’t feel as funny to me as I think the slapstick combined with Denji’s ridiculous audacity toward Aki wasn’t as over the top.
One comedic scene that was on point that I had no problems with was Aki’s timed reaction to Denji talking about hugging Makima.
This episode also ends with Denji being partnered up with the character Power. Even before she pops up, her moments with Denji in the OP just made me miss seeing those two together and looking forward to seeing them just hang out again. Power is, in terms of her nature, the opposite of Denji. While Denji is a human with devil abilities, Power is a Fiend meaning devil with a human body, to put it basically. And she’s crazy, but Denji tries not to mind because she has boobs.
I don’t want to reveal too much, but it was really satisfying seeing Power rock up at the exact moment she does when you think about the contrast between her and Makima and seeing Denji show almost as much superficial interest in her. I can’t talk about why yet, though, as I want to be respectful of people reading this who might not have read the manga.
But yeah nowhere near as much carnage compared to the first episode besides Denji decapitating one devil. And even then, Denji doesn’t transform into Chainsaw Man for this entire episode. After he exterminates a devil, he gets chastised by Aki for being merciful, and Denji reveals he totally would be friends with another devil if they were cool with each other. And, of course, he would; his best friend, his dog, Pochita, was a devil who gave up his life to save Denji’s, and now they are forever combined. And this is what is incredible about Chainsaw Man. You’re wrong if you thought people like Chainsaw Man just because it’s about a guy who turns into chainsaws and kills everything in sight. That’s the spectacle, but the humanity that gets explored makes CM what it is. Plus, Denji just didn’t want to make a mess of a porno stash he found.
Thank you for reading my thoughts on episode two of CM. And please consider following me if you want to keep up with my weekly thoughts on CM.