Even Yoru was getting bored of this. Even she was feeling that this was cycling and dragging on pointlessly and that an end was needed. She was so close to seeing an ending that actually had meaning to it, before Denji came in to continue the cycle of bullshit.
really not a fan of people using “slop” to refer to any (human-made) media that they don’t think is very good. I think we should reserve it for ai generated bullshit
The identity of a devil isn’t immediately erased after being eaten, but the concept they represent is. That raises a question: why did Pochita’s identity and existence disappear, and not a specific concept that he represented? It wouldn’t make sense unless Pochita is the devil of his own identity.
a tumblr post with a user named bvckbiter writing "is this character good or bad" "is this shop unproblematic or not" "is this arc deserving of redemption or not" girl... underneath it is a screenshot from the show shĹŤgun of a character saying "i don't have time for this christian nonsense"
How I feel reading 99% of art and media critique these days
denji and so many others are constantly suffering precisely because they choose not to think for themselves
have people been reading csm with their eyes closed how are people coming to the conclusion that the moral of the story is to live in ignorance
fujimoto is using humanoid robots instead of hammers and they keep getting mistaken as people
people are getting the impression that chainsaw man characters are supposed to be realistic and autonomous because they’re complex but fujimoto just needed complex narrative tools for a complex narrative
Chainsaw Man analysis megathread 🧵
bsky.app/profile/awty...
bsky.app/profile/awty...
fujimoto has sent the ghost of pochita make me type this like remy ratatouille
they have the potential to really grow and heal only once they’ve escaped the narrative itself, and we can only glimpse it as to not force them back into the position of a character
as long as chainsaw man (and yoru) are directly affecting things, any growth asa and denji have would justify their suffering as necessary for positive growth, which fujimoto is denouncing the whole time. it’s crucial to fujimoto’s message that they don’t heal as characters
if asa and denji grow from their sexual trauma while being characters in a metacommentary, then this would justify the sexual trauma as needed for growth. but the two only have personhood in their first and last chapters, and are characters almost constantly in between.
fujimoto is saying they shouldn’t have suffered in the first place. if this was a story supposed to represent and relate to people, then it’d be more progressive to have them heal and grow, yes. but this is a metacommentary about characters.
denji and asa’s sexual trauma was caused by them being pushed into being chainsaw man and yoru. they cannot escape from or grow in these roles while in their positions because that would justify them ever being in that position as a crucial part of their growth.
asa and denji don’t get a sexual trauma healing growth moment because they are not supposed to represent real people recovering from real harm. their purpose is being forced to exist as narrative tools, and if the sexual trauma was necessary for their growth as characters, that’d justify the trauma
say no to an individualistic hero bootstrap mentality say yes to being a good member of your community
i get that people like to believe that their suffering will be rewarded but i think it’s far more honest and progressive to say “suffering has no merit and it’s the positive interactions that help you grow. also you deserve a second chance even if you fucked up”
Asa suffers because of it. Before Yoru came along, she had her own potential path of growth. This path is taken from her until she is allowed to live as herself in a world without a protagonist.
Asa dies at the beginning of Part Two, and is revived as Yoru’s vessel. Yoru isn’t just the War Devil, but the being that stands opposite the protagonist of Chainsaw Man. Asa can no longer be the protagonist of her own story, but the heroine of another’s.
Asa’s lack of autonomy is upsetting, but it’s kind of the point. She’s being stripped of her identity because as long as Chainsaw Man exists, she can only exist in relation to him. Yoru is the manifestation of the role Asa must play: the rival and lover. That is what people want.
Even if they had the potential to be a normal teenage couple, Chainsaw Man and Yoru consume their relationship. Asa’s natural emotions become secondary to the role Yoru and society forces her into: Chainsaw Man’s rival and romantic interest. She’s not allowed to cultivate an organic connection.
As Yoru rampages, Asa’s feelings don’t matter, so it’s her guilt that fuels her. That reflects in her relationship with Denji. Her attraction towards him fades into the background and their connection is more based in similar traumas.
As Part 2 progresses, Asa’s rich inner monologue fades away as Yoru takes control, and even Asa’s feelings are weaponized and ignored. She realizes she’s lacking autonomy and her emotions are futile, so she becomes quite numbed.
Asa likes Denji but his crass, addictive behaviors disgust her. When she does feel romantic or sexual attraction towards him, Yoru uses that to engage in sexual behaviors that Asa finds shameful and gross. Towards the end, it’s mainly Asa’s savior complex keeping her attached to him.
Asa and Denji are two teenagers who are attracted to each other and care for each other somewhat but I don’t think Fujimoto ever intended them to be read as endgame true love.
