Alright, time to share my interpretation of CSM as a whole now that its over
This’ll be long but i havent seen anyone else interpret it this way so here we go
To put it simply, i think Chainsaw Man is a criticism of not just shonen, but the typical alure of the hero’s journey and escapism through the whole trope of “young child finds out they are special”. And that the main thing its saying is “be happy with your real life”
Why is this trope so popular everywhere you look? Because everyone at least at one point has wanted to be special or the main character. To have someone appear and tell you that you were secretly really important
Is this harmful? Not at first no. Its when people use this escapism as a crutch to avoid reality where it becomes harmful. And Pochita was always a crutch for Denji.
Being chainsawman was an escape from just being Denji. From actually dealing with his life normally. Its the easy way out. Denji thought it was the all in one solution to being happy. It wasnt
Chainsawman tackles this notion many have of “oh if only i had blablabla, life would be awesome”.
Its a manga directly telling you shit happens regardless, and being the main character of the world would just be worse than your life as it is
Its a manga directly telling you shit happens regardless, and being the main character of the world would just be worse than your life as it is
Yoshida’s ultimatum isnt just towards Denji, but to us as the reader. Hes telling us that you can either be happy with your normal life, or be the most important person ever. Theres no balancing the two.
Being chainsawman is a childish power fantasy. “Im gonna save the day and get all the babes”. Truth is, its just a burden
He isnt why he befriended Aki and Power, its was Denji. Pochita isnt why he fell in love with Reze/Asa, it was all Denji. Pochita IS why he lost/hurt them
He isnt why he befriended Aki and Power, its was Denji. Pochita isnt why he fell in love with Reze/Asa, it was all Denji. Pochita IS why he lost/hurt them
Fujimoto is also exposing the unfairness this trope would actually be were it to happen to a real child.
No kid that age should be that important and have that much pressure put onto them. They will be taken hurt, advantage of, abused and fail.
No kid that age should be that important and have that much pressure put onto them. They will be taken hurt, advantage of, abused and fail.
Chainsawman tackles this trope’s proclivity to having the MC be a teenage boy. Usually, the MC steps up and proves themselves worthy of being special. They are vindicated in their right of being special.
Denji is that trope where the teenage boy is actually a teenage boy.
Denji is that trope where the teenage boy is actually a teenage boy.
Becoming the main character and having powers will not be what changes you for the better. You wont magically heal from trauma or become a better person for free. Thats a step you have to take yourself
The ending of the manga strengthens this point as we see that the world without Pochita, Denji is far better off. He still makes the same connections he did WITH Pochita.
Even Asa’s conclusion supports this. Meeting Yoru, being a famous hero, all led to her conclusion in ch 229 that she already made in 98. Becoming an MC only postponed her healing. She didnt need to be an MC to heal, she was ready to do it herself before being tripped.
In short, i think Fujimoto is saying “You do not need to be the most special person in the world to achieve your dreams, just be you, you’re better off this way, dreaming”
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