Let’s get everyone trapped in a box while they go insane!
This episode sees Denji and pals (and I use the term ‘pals’ in the loosest of senses) trapped on the 8th floor of the hotel. It loops vertically and horizontally, and time appears to be stopped at 8:18 as well, suggesting that they are very cut off from outside help. And also that the devil responsible seems to like the number 8.
That might be because the devil, after several scenes in which the rookies freak out and we get more background on Aki and his one-eyed senpai, appears with a much bigger and more threatening body (a roiling mass of limbs and mouths that gets kind of psychadelic when looked at too closely) and introduces itself as the Eternity Devil. It has a pact to offer as well: it will let everyone else go if they feed it Denji. Devil contracts are binding on pain of death, so it does seem to be an actually trustworthy offer.
The rookies, losing their minds, think this is a great idea. Aki thinks that he should use his sword, but senpai is deeply against it (eventually explaining, as she physically restrains him, that it will cost him a great deal of his life). Power… mostly seems to be enjoying herself. She’s the comic relief here.
The devil ends up turning the floor on its side, becoming the mouths-within-mouths death pit at the “bottom” of the reoriented floor ∞.
Aki takes a knife for Denji, and Power is called on to use her blood devil abilities to keep his blood in his body while Denji decides that, pain and one-shot nature or no, it’s time to pull out the chainsaws. He pulls the cord and takes a flying leap down at/into the Eternity Devil as the Escher-inspired ED plays us out.
Once again, pacing and atmosphere continue to be Chainsaw Man’s big strengths. A lot of shows, even popular ones, wouldn’t be able to go a full episode without getting us to the fighting. They’d quickly demonstrate the lock, say what a bad situation it is, and then cut to the chase of actually beating up the monstrosity responsible after summarily rejecting its offer. For all its promises of gory good times, Chainsaw Man knows that it can be better to slow down and let a situation really build, including getting how different characters react to or interact with their predicament.
When the situation first becomes clear, the girl newbie is wigging out completely (we learn that she was basically forced by her family to become a Devil Hunter as an alternative to prostitution to put her brother through college). The male newbie tries to help keep her composed, but he’s clearly not handling it well himself. Aki and senpai take it very seriously, but in different ways – Aki begins a dogged search for answers (eventually turning up the Eternity Devil and progressing the plot) while his senpai (when she’s not busy raising death flags – I’m somewhat concerned for her if not in this arc then soon) seems more focused on trying to be home base and keep everyone together. Denji… naps. Yeah, he just decides that if they can’t really do anything about the situation, he might as well sleep in a nice hotel bed. While he’s out, Power becomes obsessed with winning a Nobel prize as the first step in a hare-brained scheme for world domination, but while this worries Senpai, Denji is able to confirm that she’s just always like that.
Which is, when you come down to it, an unnecessary moment in terms of telling the direct plot but a very welcome one both in maintaining power’s character as this extremely high-energy eccentric being and in terms of continuing the show of Chainsaw Man. Some shows try to be epic or mythical or grand. Chainsaw Man tries to be a bloody good time instead. It’s irreverent with a devil-may-care (pun intended) sort of attitude that is fairly reminiscent of Dorohedoro but honestly little else in the canon of shows that I’ve reviewed, and having these moments of eccentric lunacy and deadpan-humorous reactions keeps that strong rather than getting mired in misery or overwhelmed by drama. It’s dark, but also very colorful.
Halfway through a standard season, I can see why so many people were looking forward to Chainsaw Man. It’s not just about what it promises; it’s a work with skillful execution and a rather unique and appealing feel to it, and I’m looking forward to keeping on with this show.