Chainsaw Man episode 2 goes above and beyond with fast-paced, high-quality episode

Fans saw Chainsaw Man episode 2 released early on Tuesday, October 18, bringing with it an exciting, fast-paced, and informative episode to set up the rest of the first cour. Fans were also formally introduced to the two other major characters who will be ever-present throughout the series’ first season.

While there weren’t many amazing fight scenes or particularly noteworthy sequences of animation to comment on, Chainsaw Man episode 2 does demonstrate MAPPA’s consistency. There are essentially no moments in the episode where a poorly animated frame, sequence, or even character can be seen.

Follow along as this article fully reviews Chainsaw Man episode 2 in its entirety.

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Chainsaw Man episode 2 perfectly demonstrates level of consistency and attention to detail MAPPA Studios possesses

Review of Chainsaw Man episode 2

Chainsaw Man episode 2 begins with a sequence that sees Denji and Makima learning about each other via discussion on various topics. The entire time, the performances of Kikunosuke Toya as Denji's voice actor and Tomori Kusunoki as Makima stand out throughout because they each perfectly capture the mood of the scene.

It’s also an incredibly telling sequence for the relationship the two characters will have throughout the first season. Denji’s slowly falling for Makima as they eat their soggy udon together feels like something out of a slice-of-life, before talk of Devils and Fiends brings the series back to its battle-shonen roots.

This seamless transition emphasizes exactly what Chainsaw Man excels at, particularly at the start of its overall story. Chainsaw Man episode 2 keeps this going throughout the entire episode, with really only 2 legitimate action sequences to speak of. Even then, these are far from the level of the Zombie Devil fight seen in the series' premiere installment.

The moments in between these action scenes, however, exemplify what manga readers loved about the series so much, and what anime watchers will likely come to love as well. Although Denji and company are somewhat difficult to relate to in these opening arcs, Toya, Kusunoki, and the rest of the cast's excellent voice acting help to make these characters fan favorites.

One particularly heartwarming scene, which also emphasizes the exceptional skill, consistency, and attention to detail MAPPA possesses, is Denji’s breakfast scene. Living his breakfast dream with a five-spread piece of cinnamon toast makes readers want to root for Denji even further. The animation in this scene is also incredibly beautiful, with every splatter of jam and butter being as detailed as any other scene in the series so far.

While much of the episode is so relaxed it could almost pass as a slice-of-life series, this changes drastically when Power makes her loud entrance. It brings viewers back to reality in a sense, reminding them of the ultraviolent madness they signed up for when pressing play on the series. This is particularly highlighted in the concluding scenes of Chainsaw Man episode 2 where Power cackles while covered in Sea Cucumber Devil blood.

It’s this balance between insanity and mundanity that the series excels at, thanks to the creative genius of author and illustrator Tatsuki Fujimoto. Even just two episodes in, the main themes from which the series will bounce back and forth from are clearly established and discernable. MAPPA Studios' involvement in production undoubtedly contributes to this, elevating this stage of the story relative to its source material counterpart.

Overall, Chainsaw Man episode 2 does everything at least as good as the series’ premiere episode did, even exceeding its predecessor in most cases. Fans should definitely buckle up, because the tension only escalates from here, with fewer and fewer moments of safe mundanity to be found.

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