you calling Kobeni "Kobeni's car owner" and the "car insurance owner" had me rolling, this was a great breakdown and the subtle comedy and inside jokes like that are the cherry on top, great work
12:55 Little tiny detail you missed, the holes that Denji makes on the surfaces he crashes into form the letters “C,” “S,” and “M.” CSM. Chainsaw Man. This opening has so many tiny details it’s insane.
I’m so glad that someone else brought up that the cinema connection is deeper than it appears on the surface “Would you get rid of all bad movies?” And the scene it references is probably what encapsulates Denji’s and Makima’s relationship best, and how Denji is able to value all aspects of life, whilst Makima is only able to see things in good and bad. Also I’d like to imagine it’s the same reason why Thor Love and Thunder is included in the references because that movie was pretty bad
@Kco YT It's really hard to call it a fire punch reference when he comes back to cinemas in Fire Punch, CSM, AND Goodbye, Eri. It's safer to just say it's a nod to his love of cinemas. Saying "most of the characters in that shot die" as evidence doesn't mean much when literally like 4 people survive in total, two of which are in this shot..
that wasn't denji actually, it was pochita who asked her about the bad movies in the final fight. Which actually does make more sense if we look at the current denji in part 2. It was also pochita who emphasized on the control-connection part too.
The first time I saw this OP, I thought "this has Shingo Yamashita written all over it", and I was _delighted_ when I checked and found out that yes, he's the one that directed it. I deeply admired his work on the openings for Jujutsu Kaisen and Ranking of Kings; there's this unique flair in perspective and lighting you don't see anywhere else in the industry. I'm glad that MAPPA gave him the chance to shine again, because this might be his best work yet. Of course, it also doesn't hurt that the song itself is an absolute banger.
A lot of animators who worked on this opening also worked on Ousama Ranking and JJK (like Tsutomu Matsura, the animation director of JJK 0) and it shows.
Note: when Denji is cracking the egg with a kind of dumb and kinda of lost face, the song says something among the lines of "I think I forgot something"
One detail I really enjoyed was that, in most of their happy family/co-worker scenes together, Makima forms a physical barrier between Denji and the rest of the crew. Not to mention, when she's walking Denji on the beach in the background of that one shot, she's pulling him AWAY from Power, with the next shot showing her having isolated him from everyone.
Spoilers for those who haven't read the manga: I always thought the shot of Denji cracking the egg, especially with how its framed, was a reference to how he finally kills Makima by cooking and eating her.
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 it’s not cg lol, it’s literally all 2d animation just perfectly animated. It looks so smooth because the animators are just that good
12:55 I’ve seen theories suggesting that the Devil they’re fighting in the action sequence is actually a call forward to the battle against Makima. The Devil kinda looks like Makima’s intestine Halo during her battle with the Gun Devil and the chains said Devil uses in the opening help support that by referencing the chains that Makima has. There’s also the fact that despite Aki being there, it’s only Denji fighting said Devil before Power comes in at the last minute to help out Denji but Denji does win by using one of Aki’s accomplishments as an idea for a strategy. This is how the battle with Makima plays out, with Denji using Power’s blood power and Aki’s strategy of playing dead to claim victory over Makima the same way he defeated the Devil in the opening. There’s also the transition to him cracking the egg possibly being a metaphor for him waking up to reality out of a day dream, with the action sequence actually being a fantasy of him beating Makima without losing Power or Aki only for him to remember that he is still alone by the end of all this (before Nayuta comes in of course). But this is just my interpretation.
Lol I was hoping you would mention these details in the movie theater part, but its ok, I'll say em. I like the detail of Denji sitting to the far left, with Makima cutting him off from everyone, and when he looks over at Power and is happy to see her, Makima immediatly shuts that down by looking at him, making him redirect his attention to herself, and then feeds him popcorn to keep his attention. Also on the right, you can see that Kobeni has to pee, Power steals Kobeni's seat and when she comes back, she tells Kobeni "I'll give you back your seat if you tie my shoe" so Kobeni crouches down to tie her shoe. You can tell by the facial expressions and Hand gestures. Its subtle but it works perfectly. Plus this is in character for Power and Kobeni. Power the stupid, childish bully who picks on those weaker than her, and Kobeni the cute pushover. This is INCREDIBLE visual storytelling, tell tell SO much without words and its great for people who have read the manga and know the characters. It makes me really happy that the creators created scenarios outside of the manga that I think, perfectly captures the characters' personalities and dynamics. Its even more interesting seeing all these movie references and seeing how the different characters fit in them, and the positions each character is put in FITS the character. Like Aki making Kobeni and Arai climb on the tables, it makes sense cuz they are the newbies and kind of pushovers. Katana man and Chainsaw man fighting over the well while Snake girl falls in the well as if she was making them fight. Denji polishing the bowling ball while looking at Aki with some disdain. Its so great to have a good and faithful anime adaptation of my favorite manga where the creators not only understand the characters, tone, and energy of chainsaw man "Dark Yet Comedic etc." But they create new stuff that has the characters doing stuff they WOULD do. Its icing on the cake considering that Fujimoto LOVES movies, and a lot of his works like Fire punch and Goodbye Eri and chainsaw man are packed with movie references and movie theater stuff in general. Its just awesome. Thats my take on it anyway.
@@G30R6E93 Exactly! It shows the love and care they put into making this a faithful and accurate adaptation, this is the kind of thing that people mean when they say it Elevates the manga!
Isn’t the devil that they’re fighting in the opening a representation of Makima ? : the donut being her guts halo™️ and the chains that are her whole thing
Also in the scene were power and denji are in the fields having fun while aki and makima are up watching reality, it reinforces quanxi's quote "ignorance is bliss" and that the less they know the better
I feel like the scene of Denji cooking (or at least attempting to) has a bit more meaning to it too: it looks like he's in Aki's kitchen, but Aki and Power and aren't around. This could be showing him trying to learn about cooking after first moving in, or it could be him trying to make food after Aki died, who had previously done all the cooking. It's definitely an important element to Denji's arc though, considering it's his cooking that eventually defeats Makima (in a sense)
Spoilers! And I think it is indeed the end of the series and he is cooking makima, you can see food containers. He makes this kind of a face only when depressed
In the scenic scene part, this can also be a reference to Quaxi's "Ignorance is bliss". Denji and Power are happily playing with their pets, in their younger carefree versions of themselves, with a painted wall of a beautiful nature scenery, without a care in the world. Which speaks a lot of their personalities. Aki looks half way because he's in the Devil Hunter longer than them, and has a good idea of how the world really is, based on what he's allowed to know inside the organization, which is a cruel and ugly world filled of violence and evil, fitting his depressing personality. Makima sees everything from the top of a bookpile, cause she knows everything behind the scenes and adquired the knowledge via the government and research. BUT she smiles and keeps her positivity because she either knows how to go around the future problems (because knowledge is power, the books, but power corrupts), or because she's the one in charge and she can mold the others vision of the world to her liking. Not to mention, this resembles a lot the Berlin Wall, the east side full of grey, decadence and cruelty, and the west full of color and happiness. Two different worlds separated by a wall, and those who choose to ignore it, the ones who took a peek, and the ones who fully know.
the cool thing about the OP is that theres so many movie references that the characters are put, plus the roles and situations they are in match with what the character would be doing, its super cool
Something i always wondered is why Pochita is so special among demons, because his motivation is very human: to be shown affection in the form of hugs. That's not something most devils have in the series. I hope it is revealed why someday.
I have done a lot of thinking about that actually, and as its presented so far, its kinda complex and interesting! So Devils have dreams just like humans do. We learn this in Chapter 1 with the Zombie Devil wanting to get rid of Devil Hunters.Bat Devil and Leech Devil also have a dream, to eat all humans together. Devils abilities and powers are based on how much humans fear their name, so that creates a kind of feedback loop. Devils do bad things, in order to get humanity to fear them more, in order to become more powerful. The interesting thing about these dreams, is that within the text of the story, Leech Devils dream to eat all humans together is a more valid dream than Denjis goal to touch boobs. She won the dream battle. Pochita had made a reputation for himself though as the Hero of Hell, someone who will help anyone who asks for it, but also kills the person too. This likely was because of his dream of wanting to hug someone. He wants to feel close and connected, but hes made of chainsaws, a more intense version of the hedgehog's dilemma. Makima seems to have a similar goal, she wants to form solid connections with others, but is incapable because her powers are based on domination. Makima talks about the "disciples" of Chainsaw Man, so in some way, I think these devils WANT to be against the concept that Devils hurt others. Makima is afterall, trying to use Pochitas eating ability to remove truly awful things from humanity, like the Nazis and Nukes. Which gets us to what we know about from Part 2, Yoru's goals on bringing War and Nukes back, is because shes afraid of being forgotten and therefor disappearing/being powerless(unclear). We also see in Part 2, that Chainsaw Man is inspiring people as a cultural icon now, which because Denji is careless and selfish, is not exactly turning out all that well. Justice has become a constant presence and villain, which is interesting in its own ways. So in total, Devils are their own people, with dreams of their own, but their powers and agency is tied to fear, so the ones that get to be powerful are the ones with wicked dreams. Pochita represent an alternative, but its unclear what the end goal of that is, but it inspires other devils who don't want to be evil(Angels, Sharks, Spiders, Violence, Blood) In the end, its bout the Evils of Capitalism and how societies incenti-
Got an ad for Chainsaw Man right in the middle of this video, LMAO! Just saw the OP for the first time, and was delightfully surprised to see this video handily explaining all the movie references. Thanks!
you could also say with Makima feeding him the snail, that the parasite's goal is to get the snail eaten by a bird to move to a different host basically using the snail as bait the same way Makima uses denji as bait multiple times to set up him transforming into his true form.
This is one of the best openings I have ever seen and its surpassing some top notch ones for me. So many great details like the movie references, the subtle, dark tone of the opening to imply how dark it is (kind of like AOTs op), Denji falling and then leading to cracking a fucking EGG to symbolize his failure to protect the ones closest to him (or it could mean his relationship with makima, etc.) I could go on and on. Not to mention the song kick back SLAPS MAN! I love it so much I cant stop playing it haha. But this anime is revolutionary--it even passed AOTs 2nd season trailer in views and this is AOT we are talking about, which is one of the most popular animes of all time. The manga was already going places, but the anime sets that in deeper stone and I am so fucking here for it.
Nah the egg clearly refers to Dennis being Trans and also Yuko as "Denise." This is later referenced immediately later when the egg is cracked by Dennis, foreshadowing how Yuko will be portrayed in the Manga as her own character
METI, I’m so glad of this video because I love this opening sequence and ALSO because you totally influenced me to check out this series years at this point ago I’m a huge fan of the manga and love your work
This opening is probably the best in the history of anime simply for its specular animation, use of foreshadowing and pop culture references, as well as beautiful coloring, and it’s incredible use of small simple details that really make everything pop. Just fucking incredible.
a thing you missed is 14:37 is the final explosion scenes that are featured in goodbye eri edit: i swear when i watched this that wasnt mentioned i’m going insane
10:16 There is actually two other parasitoid plants blooming off of Denji in this scene, to quote Tumblr user Bogleech: "Two other things are present in this scene though: Cordyceps fungi are pretty famous for taking over the bodies of insects and sometimes altering their behavior, though the genus most well known in Japan would be this species that affects caterpillars and is popular as an herbal medicine. You can see the same rounded, orange branches of fungus growing out of Denji there. And then there's one of my favorite plants, too! Dodder are flowering plants related to morning glories that have evolved into such specialized parasites that they no longer have roots, leaves, or chlorophyll; they are absolutely nothing but long, noodly, branching stems lined with suckers that penetrate other plants and draw out nutrients. The ones in the Chainsaw Man intro are even blooming their little weird flowers! It's really on-the-nose symbolism for how Denji is being manipulated and used by other characters but it's not often Leucochloridium appears in anything and I don't think I've EVER seen a direct reference to dodder in media!"
Great analysis of the op you just earned yourself a new subscriber l also think the whole makima finger motion to the eye is a reference to makima can hear you she knows what alot of people are doing at all times thanks to her abilities.
i haven’t watched a lot of these movies so i didn’t catch most of the references here, but they’re really great! i love how fujimoto’s respect and love for other pieces of media is clear in his work, and that the csm anime team drew on that! just perfect :)
another detail with the backdrop at 15:29 could be referencing the story of the country mouse and the city mouse with a fielded countryside at the bottom transitioning to a gloomy urban landscape
I saw another "CSM OP breakdown" and they mention how Aki looking spaced out during the OP is in reference to how much power Makima has over him. Out of all the characters he is the one that is the most influenced by her control. Also why he is sitting directly next to her in the theater and Kishibe is sitting the farthest away from her. Their sitting arrangements are in reference to how much she is controlling them or how much control she has over them.
A thing you missed. The song "Souda, We're Alive" by the band "Morning Musume" starts with the lyrics "Doryoku Mirai A Beautiful Star" the same opening lyrics as the CSM opening. Denji and Power's goofy dance at the end of the opening is in one of the music videos for that song Edit: The music video is th-cam.com/video/I_zmewdR-b8/w-d-xo.html The dance reference is around 4 minutes into the video, but it's less subtle that the CSM one
I have friend that do alot of cinematic footage filming and personally i also like cinematic filming , so i recognize right away when first watching this it got that cinematic colors in it also each scene is like watching some movie , but i didnt know the opening it self are full of cinematic references.... Thanks for the video now i know why they decided to animated this series in this colors palette and the way each scene are so movies like.
15:39 This scene kinda reminded me of that scene when Denji talked about how one day, he couldn't find Pochita and searched all over town looking for him worrying that he died only to come home and see him whimpering in the corner worrying about Denji and them both fell asleep in eachother's arms due to the relief of seeing eachother save
In the movie theater scene notice that there is no violence fiend despite the other fiends and demons being there. If there are changes made to the scene it'd probably be Himeno disappearing and Arai disappearing and being replaced with violence fiend.
As someone who knew maybe 2% of chainsaw man when I first saw the opening, I saw the shot w the snail makima feeds denji and was immediately excited. The parasitic snail was such a cool idea that I knew was hinting towards more of her character and reading more it was so cool that that tiny detail hinted towards so much of her character, I really really like this opening!
I saw someone mention this, but it seems like the fight with the devil is something thats just in Denjis head? The Gold ball is contrasted against the broken egg, implying that he was just daydreaming(especially since their giant ball plan is super dumb, and also the devil explodes just cause its awesome(which makes it EVEN MORE a Goodbye Eri reference)) I interpreted the devil their fighting to be the "Chain" Devil, since it has chain arms and its body resembles chainlinks as well. Its also kinda a funny pun with "Chainsaw man" I also have a pet interpretation that the last couple shots are thematically also a "peek" into the future the same way that Future Devil gives to Aki. Since its showing sneak peeks at major devils. I also think this, because hes Dancing like an idiot, just like Denji and Power giving the audience a peek into the future too.
15:00 its a reference to an image I have only seen in shitposts about knowledge showing the bleakness of the world, I'm not sure if the 3 tiered one is the orginal one or now but in it, the bleakness is also a facade that with even more knowledge can be overcome, or something. I don't know much about the original
Great video and analysis, I thought I'd caught everything, you definitely found lots of stuff I missed. I think a bit more could be read into with the scene of Denji's face of aww, and Power appearing behind him. Besides the "Don't look up" film reference. The fact that Denji is making his "Aww, so cute" face, makes me think it's depicting his love interests. He's infatuated with all of them, but it always ends horribly (Makima, Himeno (sorta), and Reze). Hence why it's cast darkly and depicted as a horror, meanwhile Denji is aloof. Going unnoticed behind him, is an enthusiastic Power. This represents how it seems Power develops to like him, and they actually live out Denji's dream together later on, but the whole time Denji doesn't see her as a love interest but rather a sister. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it but it seems the perfect depiction of how that all plays out. Also really looking forward to Reze, though with 12 episodes, I'm expecting this to end right before She comes in. But hey, the Bomb Devil arc would make an amazing movie.
The Constantine scene has another reference too. The main character Constantine was a chain smoker who developed lung cancer. But at the end of the film his lung cancer was cured and had a new outlook on life.
12:32 I think the devil's design is a reference to Makima as the real villain. It has a circular shape, similar to Makima's brain-halo and attacks with chains. Also Power and Denji are the one to kill it, working together, while Aki, just stands around trying to keep an eye on them and protecting them. Given it's design, it's possible that we're looking at the handcuff devil, which would still be a reference to Makima and ther concept of control.
The opening is one of my favorites already, Kickback is right up there with Hacking to the Gate (personal favorite) and the allusions in the visuals were on point even if I had to be led by the hand to see them all
One thing I like about chainsaw man's power system is the fact that as long as you're willing to make a deal with a devil you can become powerful rather than having to be born with incredible talent or getting powers through sheer luck.
A little detail that i speculate on is the fact that - the snail infected by the parasite might also represent Aki - as the parasitic worm that takes over the snail specifically is placed in the eye of the snail, in a way similar to how the future devil has front-row seat in aki's demise by being placed in his eye. Makima feeding him the snail, is makima feeding denji aki's demise, at his own hands.. or in this case his mouth
Someone had translated the part of "Kick Back" we got on the final trailer. The lyrics were roughly (I'm paraphrasing) "Fill him with happiness." "I once saw a part of Hell." (Makima's perspective, ch 82-84) "I love you, humiliate me and laugh" (Denji's perspective, ch 82)
now that I think about it, the reference to pulp fiction may go a little deeper, since in the particular scene the opening is referencing, Jules has a sort of monologue about how he has contemplated the bible verse he recites before he kills people, and how he came to realise that he is "the tyranny of evil men", and now he wants to become the Shepard who guides the weak. we can compare this to Kishibe, who for most of his life worked for Makima in public safety, and now wishes to rectify this by killing Makima and inadvertently guiding Denji towards the life he wants to live.
Small reference that might be relevant: power was partially inspired by the Walter character from The Great Lebowski, so it might be another level of connection
15:50 ok know since you made the comparison I am forced to image the future devil having the personality of either Carl or the ghost of Christmas past from the future
SPOILERS IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T READ IT ALREADY Two details you missed in the video. 7:09 in the cinema Arai is present and all the devils/fiends introduced in the building raid are present except Violence. 8:49 Power's breast are padded in the beach shot as a reference to the post-bat devil groping scene. 15:00 the telephone pole is lined up with Aki's right arm in the wall painting, bearing a similar silhouette as his assault rifle arm in his fiend form.
I feel like that Myaku Myaku looking devil they fight is actually a reference to Makima. Its attacking them with chains, which Makima uses to control people, and its body is a meat ring, similar to that halo that forms on top of her head when she fights the Gun Devil
I noticed that Makima is only in one of the ten movie references at the start of the opening before the shot in the theater which could be in reference to when she says that she only finds one in ten movies interesting
Another thing is that when it goes to the door Denji’s never suppose to open, the lyrics translate to “I forgot something”. Might be a reference to (major spoilers) The fact that Denji killed his dad and forgot.
denji, power and aki are fighting a devil made of chains and collars, and when denji kills it, it cuts to him cooking. maybe a reference to him killing Control and eating Makima ?
Chainsaw Man and Fujimoto got everything they deserved with this adaptation, or at least the opening and first ep. Im genuinely happy for him, and so glad that it is so. I love this manga, it's probably my favorite, and watching it being adapted like this is just a treat and I can be happy in the future that the anime exists, and that it is the way it is. What can I say? After this first ep I can only fully trust mappa, no objections.
the donaut devil having chains might be in referance to Makima's chains that bound people and devils she control. also, being an abstract for, a circle, that devil might be intended to be interpreted, but also, being a donaut tie into the wacky humor of series
you calling Kobeni "Kobeni's car owner" and the "car insurance owner" had me rolling, this was a great breakdown and the subtle comedy and inside jokes like that are the cherry on top, great work
Kobenis cars owner? You mean power?
@@OdachiTetsunoko only sometimes
Boruto's dad
Kobeni's Car is the best character. Don't @ me
Don’t forget “Violence (fiend) pre-surgery”
12:55 Little tiny detail you missed, the holes that Denji makes on the surfaces he crashes into form the letters “C,” “S,” and “M.” CSM. Chainsaw Man. This opening has so many tiny details it’s insane.
was about to comment this lmao
I noticed that too and were surprised that no one is talking about it
nice catch
@@jjcandelabra6164 not hating but I doubt he caught it he probably saw a twitter post or something
@@annawang6934 look harder
I like how the opening is just extremely goofy at times
Denji, Power and Future dancing is just so good chaotic energy
I’m so glad that someone else brought up that the cinema connection is deeper than it appears on the surface
“Would you get rid of all bad movies?” And the scene it references is probably what encapsulates Denji’s and Makima’s relationship best, and how Denji is able to value all aspects of life, whilst Makima is only able to see things in good and bad.
Also I’d like to imagine it’s the same reason why Thor Love and Thunder is included in the references because that movie was pretty bad
That movie was intentionally bad, wasn't it
I think Thor Love and Thunder is referenced because Fujimoto likes Taika Waititi
Togatabros..
@Kco YT It's really hard to call it a fire punch reference when he comes back to cinemas in Fire Punch, CSM, AND Goodbye, Eri. It's safer to just say it's a nod to his love of cinemas. Saying "most of the characters in that shot die" as evidence doesn't mean much when literally like 4 people survive in total, two of which are in this shot..
that wasn't denji actually, it was pochita who asked her about the bad movies in the final fight. Which actually does make more sense if we look at the current denji in part 2.
It was also pochita who emphasized on the control-connection part too.
The first time I saw this OP, I thought "this has Shingo Yamashita written all over it", and I was _delighted_ when I checked and found out that yes, he's the one that directed it. I deeply admired his work on the openings for Jujutsu Kaisen and Ranking of Kings; there's this unique flair in perspective and lighting you don't see anywhere else in the industry. I'm glad that MAPPA gave him the chance to shine again, because this might be his best work yet.
Of course, it also doesn't hurt that the song itself is an absolute banger.
A lot of animators who worked on this opening also worked on Ousama Ranking and JJK (like Tsutomu Matsura, the animation director of JJK 0) and it shows.
@@notationmusical I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 Cool. Thanks for telling us that on every third comment or so.
Now get that shittalking outta here, clown.
Note: when Denji is cracking the egg with a kind of dumb and kinda of lost face, the song says something among the lines of "I think I forgot something"
The intro is great. I love seeing the characters finally animated and that music is hype as all hell
One detail I really enjoyed was that, in most of their happy family/co-worker scenes together, Makima forms a physical barrier between Denji and the rest of the crew. Not to mention, when she's walking Denji on the beach in the background of that one shot, she's pulling him AWAY from Power, with the next shot showing her having isolated him from everyone.
The future devil going absolutely crazy at the end was amazing
My favorite part of the intro is Aki's sanity slowly fading away as Denji and Power do their little dance😂
🎶 🎵 it's the Mickey mouse clubhouse 🎶 🎵
@@KingoftheOutback I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961I mean, It ain't that bad...it's still better than berserk
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 also, stop doing that same comment over and over
It’s fun how it showed how he was essentially the older brother watching his dumb younger siblings.
7:25 the jump from "Himino is sleepy and Aki is confused" to "Himino are Aki are people who don't really... care for their lives" like holy shit
Power's name being in the style of Thor Love and Thunder is a reference to how she, like MCU fans, are simple minded
💀really snuck this one in
@@charlesosafo2668 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
No it is not. Lmfao it's literally a reference like all the others to the movies the creator is a fan of. Nice job reaching there.
@@Lifeandrootbeer he was ironic 😐
@@Lifeandrootbeer nothing gets past you buddy
Spoilers for those who haven't read the manga:
I always thought the shot of Denji cracking the egg, especially with how its framed, was a reference to how he finally kills Makima by cooking and eating her.
I thought the same. Denji is alone and there is also some food containers on the table.
@@iwantmoney3598 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 Okay but where is the correlation to that comment
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 it’s not cg lol, it’s literally all 2d animation just perfectly animated. It looks so smooth because the animators are just that good
@@ChilledBacon Damn. Too much copium will kill you, you know.
12:55 I’ve seen theories suggesting that the Devil they’re fighting in the action sequence is actually a call forward to the battle against Makima.
The Devil kinda looks like Makima’s intestine Halo during her battle with the Gun Devil and the chains said Devil uses in the opening help support that by referencing the chains that Makima has.
There’s also the fact that despite Aki being there, it’s only Denji fighting said Devil before Power comes in at the last minute to help out Denji but Denji does win by using one of Aki’s accomplishments as an idea for a strategy. This is how the battle with Makima plays out, with Denji using Power’s blood power and Aki’s strategy of playing dead to claim victory over Makima the same way he defeated the Devil in the opening.
There’s also the transition to him cracking the egg possibly being a metaphor for him waking up to reality out of a day dream, with the action sequence actually being a fantasy of him beating Makima without losing Power or Aki only for him to remember that he is still alone by the end of all this (before Nayuta comes in of course).
But this is just my interpretation.
Isn't it an Umbilical cord? I mean it is more logical isn't it? She is a representation of mama and her chains are coming from her womb
@@helenhikari I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 than read manga)
Lol I was hoping you would mention these details in the movie theater part, but its ok, I'll say em.
I like the detail of Denji sitting to the far left, with Makima cutting him off from everyone, and when he looks over at Power and is happy to see her, Makima immediatly shuts that down by looking at him, making him redirect his attention to herself, and then feeds him popcorn to keep his attention.
Also on the right, you can see that Kobeni has to pee, Power steals Kobeni's seat and when she comes back, she tells Kobeni "I'll give you back your seat if you tie my shoe" so Kobeni crouches down to tie her shoe. You can tell by the facial expressions and Hand gestures. Its subtle but it works perfectly.
Plus this is in character for Power and Kobeni. Power the stupid, childish bully who picks on those weaker than her, and Kobeni the cute pushover.
This is INCREDIBLE visual storytelling, tell tell SO much without words and its great for people who have read the manga and know the characters. It makes me really happy that the creators created scenarios outside of the manga that I think, perfectly captures the characters' personalities and dynamics.
Its even more interesting seeing all these movie references and seeing how the different characters fit in them, and the positions each character is put in FITS the character. Like Aki making Kobeni and Arai climb on the tables, it makes sense cuz they are the newbies and kind of pushovers. Katana man and Chainsaw man fighting over the well while Snake girl falls in the well as if she was making them fight. Denji polishing the bowling ball while looking at Aki with some disdain.
Its so great to have a good and faithful anime adaptation of my favorite manga where the creators not only understand the characters, tone, and energy of chainsaw man "Dark Yet Comedic etc." But they create new stuff that has the characters doing stuff they WOULD do. Its icing on the cake considering that Fujimoto LOVES movies, and a lot of his works like Fire punch and Goodbye Eri and chainsaw man are packed with movie references and movie theater stuff in general.
Its just awesome.
Thats my take on it anyway.
Yes! Thank you for making this comment! This makes me have so much faith that we'll have an incredible adaptation to this amazing manga
@@G30R6E93 Exactly! It shows the love and care they put into making this a faithful and accurate adaptation, this is the kind of thing that people mean when they say it Elevates the manga!
I thought Kobeni started crying
@@mini-bi8482 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 profile pic checks out
Isn’t the devil that they’re fighting in the opening a representation of Makima ? : the donut being her guts halo™️ and the chains that are her whole thing
Ooo good catcj
@@deadsoon thanx 💕
Ayo 😮
Also in the scene were power and denji are in the fields having fun while aki and makima are up watching reality, it reinforces quanxi's quote "ignorance is bliss" and that the less they know the better
Also I noticed that every time Makima and the trio are on screen she is always in between denji and power with aki
I feel like the scene of Denji cooking (or at least attempting to) has a bit more meaning to it too: it looks like he's in Aki's kitchen, but Aki and Power and aren't around. This could be showing him trying to learn about cooking after first moving in, or it could be him trying to make food after Aki died, who had previously done all the cooking. It's definitely an important element to Denji's arc though, considering it's his cooking that eventually defeats Makima (in a sense)
Spoilers!
And I think it is indeed the end of the series and he is cooking makima, you can see food containers. He makes this kind of a face only when depressed
@@helenhikari I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
Damn this opening is literally packed with references and foreshadowing. And I don't think you've missed anything. Incredible video.
In the scenic scene part, this can also be a reference to Quaxi's "Ignorance is bliss".
Denji and Power are happily playing with their pets, in their younger carefree versions of themselves, with a painted wall of a beautiful nature scenery, without a care in the world. Which speaks a lot of their personalities.
Aki looks half way because he's in the Devil Hunter longer than them, and has a good idea of how the world really is, based on what he's allowed to know inside the organization, which is a cruel and ugly world filled of violence and evil, fitting his depressing personality.
Makima sees everything from the top of a bookpile, cause she knows everything behind the scenes and adquired the knowledge via the government and research. BUT she smiles and keeps her positivity because she either knows how to go around the future problems (because knowledge is power, the books, but power corrupts), or because she's the one in charge and she can mold the others vision of the world to her liking.
Not to mention, this resembles a lot the Berlin Wall, the east side full of grey, decadence and cruelty, and the west full of color and happiness.
Two different worlds separated by a wall, and those who choose to ignore it, the ones who took a peek, and the ones who fully know.
Seeing my favorite manga get treated so well by an adaptation just feels so good
the cool thing about the OP is that theres so many movie references that the characters are put, plus the roles and situations they are in match with what the character would be doing, its super cool
8:54 I NEVER KNEW THIS WAS DANDANDAN
Something i always wondered is why Pochita is so special among demons, because his motivation is very human: to be shown affection in the form of hugs.
That's not something most devils have in the series. I hope it is revealed why someday.
I have done a lot of thinking about that actually, and as its presented so far, its kinda complex and interesting!
So Devils have dreams just like humans do. We learn this in Chapter 1 with the Zombie Devil wanting to get rid of Devil Hunters.Bat Devil and Leech Devil also have a dream, to eat all humans together.
Devils abilities and powers are based on how much humans fear their name, so that creates a kind of feedback loop. Devils do bad things, in order to get humanity to fear them more, in order to become more powerful.
The interesting thing about these dreams, is that within the text of the story, Leech Devils dream to eat all humans together is a more valid dream than Denjis goal to touch boobs. She won the dream battle.
Pochita had made a reputation for himself though as the Hero of Hell, someone who will help anyone who asks for it, but also kills the person too. This likely was because of his dream of wanting to hug someone. He wants to feel close and connected, but hes made of chainsaws, a more intense version of the hedgehog's dilemma. Makima seems to have a similar goal, she wants to form solid connections with others, but is incapable because her powers are based on domination. Makima talks about the "disciples" of Chainsaw Man, so in some way, I think these devils WANT to be against the concept that Devils hurt others. Makima is afterall, trying to use Pochitas eating ability to remove truly awful things from humanity, like the Nazis and Nukes.
Which gets us to what we know about from Part 2, Yoru's goals on bringing War and Nukes back, is because shes afraid of being forgotten and therefor disappearing/being powerless(unclear).
We also see in Part 2, that Chainsaw Man is inspiring people as a cultural icon now, which because Denji is careless and selfish, is not exactly turning out all that well. Justice has become a constant presence and villain, which is interesting in its own ways.
So in total, Devils are their own people, with dreams of their own, but their powers and agency is tied to fear, so the ones that get to be powerful are the ones with wicked dreams. Pochita represent an alternative, but its unclear what the end goal of that is, but it inspires other devils who don't want to be evil(Angels, Sharks, Spiders, Violence, Blood)
In the end, its bout the Evils of Capitalism and how societies incenti-
@@BARMN89 damn well said
@@BARMN89 pretty funny ending lmao. I really like your analysis, I will keep it in mind.
@@edfmed1080 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
Got an ad for Chainsaw Man right in the middle of this video, LMAO! Just saw the OP for the first time, and was delightfully surprised to see this video handily explaining all the movie references. Thanks!
you could also say with Makima feeding him the snail, that the parasite's goal is to get the snail eaten by a bird to move to a different host basically using the snail as bait the same way Makima uses denji as bait multiple times to set up him transforming into his true form.
4:58 "kobeni's car's owner 😭😭😭
I like how the scenes themselves are realistic in nature, to further reference the movies as though they're in their respective movies
This is one of the best openings I have ever seen and its surpassing some top notch ones for me. So many great details like the movie references, the subtle, dark tone of the opening to imply how dark it is (kind of like AOTs op), Denji falling and then leading to cracking a fucking EGG to symbolize his failure to protect the ones closest to him (or it could mean his relationship with makima, etc.) I could go on and on. Not to mention the song kick back SLAPS MAN! I love it so much I cant stop playing it haha. But this anime is revolutionary--it even passed AOTs 2nd season trailer in views and this is AOT we are talking about, which is one of the most popular animes of all time. The manga was already going places, but the anime sets that in deeper stone and I am so fucking here for it.
Nah the egg clearly refers to Dennis being Trans and also Yuko as "Denise." This is later referenced immediately later when the egg is cracked by Dennis, foreshadowing how Yuko will be portrayed in the Manga as her own character
I've already seen the trailer 7+ times, so seeing an analysis of the OP really helps.
why don't you just watch the episode??? I saw it yesterday
@@stephenthedude4383 I did. I just watched the OP twice before watching the episode, and a bunch a times after watching it.
@@greengaleproductions I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
Future devil getting funky just makes me smile every time I watch the OP.
METI, I’m so glad of this video because I love this opening sequence and ALSO because you totally influenced me to check out this series years at this point ago I’m a huge fan of the manga and love your work
This opening is probably the best in the history of anime simply for its specular animation, use of foreshadowing and pop culture references, as well as beautiful coloring, and it’s incredible use of small simple details that really make everything pop. Just fucking incredible.
Shingo Yamashita surpasses himself and our expectations every single time. This is for sure his best work yet.
@@blackreaper378 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
a thing you missed is 14:37 is the final explosion scenes that are featured in goodbye eri
edit: i swear when i watched this that wasnt mentioned i’m going insane
What do you mean missed?
14:32
More like YOU missed it
@@hayond656 i swear when i first watched this it wasn’t mentioned at all wtf i’m going insane
@@ItsGBMoD I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
And the term "Kick Back" refers to the sudden jolt/recoil from when a chainsaw hits something
10:16 There is actually two other parasitoid plants blooming off of Denji in this scene, to quote Tumblr user Bogleech:
"Two other things are present in this scene though:
Cordyceps fungi are pretty famous for taking over the bodies of insects and sometimes altering their behavior, though the genus most well known in Japan would be this species that affects caterpillars and is popular as an herbal medicine. You can see the same rounded, orange branches of fungus growing out of Denji there.
And then there's one of my favorite plants, too! Dodder are flowering plants related to morning glories that have evolved into such specialized parasites that they no longer have roots, leaves, or chlorophyll; they are absolutely nothing but long, noodly, branching stems lined with suckers that penetrate other plants and draw out nutrients. The ones in the Chainsaw Man intro are even blooming their little weird flowers!
It's really on-the-nose symbolism for how Denji is being manipulated and used by other characters but it's not often Leucochloridium appears in anything and I don't think I've EVER seen a direct reference to dodder in media!"
Great analysis of the op you just earned yourself a new subscriber l also think the whole makima finger motion to the eye is a reference to makima can hear you she knows what alot of people are doing at all times thanks to her abilities.
Very good analyzation of the OP!! MAPPA is goated for these details.
i haven’t watched a lot of these movies so i didn’t catch most of the references here, but they’re really great! i love how fujimoto’s respect and love for other pieces of media is clear in his work, and that the csm anime team drew on that! just perfect :)
Love the Dandadan reference at 8:55
15:53 Now I can't get the thought of Future Devil saying "You're gonna die" in Carl's voice.
another detail with the backdrop at 15:29 could be referencing the story of the country mouse and the city mouse with a fielded countryside at the bottom transitioning to a gloomy urban landscape
I love your videos man! keep up!
Have you thought about doing a video on the Lyrics from Kick Back? I think they're cram-packed with references also.
Waiting for a vid like this. Glad im still subscribed. (Thats not a sneak diss, I love this channel)
I saw another "CSM OP breakdown" and they mention how Aki looking spaced out during the OP is in reference to how much power Makima has over him. Out of all the characters he is the one that is the most influenced by her control. Also why he is sitting directly next to her in the theater and Kishibe is sitting the farthest away from her. Their sitting arrangements are in reference to how much she is controlling them or how much control she has over them.
That's also probably why kobeni leaves the theatre/ leaves public safety. I really hope she comes back in chapter 2!!
A thing you missed. The song "Souda, We're Alive" by the band "Morning Musume" starts with the lyrics "Doryoku Mirai A Beautiful Star" the same opening lyrics as the CSM opening. Denji and Power's goofy dance at the end of the opening is in one of the music videos for that song
Edit: The music video is th-cam.com/video/I_zmewdR-b8/w-d-xo.html
The dance reference is around 4 minutes into the video, but it's less subtle that the CSM one
I have friend that do alot of cinematic footage filming and personally i also like cinematic filming , so i recognize right away when first watching this it got that cinematic colors in it also each scene is like watching some movie , but i didnt know the opening it self are full of cinematic references.... Thanks for the video now i know why they decided to animated this series in this colors palette and the way each scene are so movies like.
15:39
This scene kinda reminded me of that scene when Denji talked about how one day, he couldn't find Pochita and searched all over town looking for him worrying that he died only to come home and see him whimpering in the corner worrying about Denji and them both fell asleep in eachother's arms due to the relief of seeing eachother save
In the movie theater scene notice that there is no violence fiend despite the other fiends and demons being there. If there are changes made to the scene it'd probably be Himeno disappearing and Arai disappearing and being replaced with violence fiend.
As someone who knew maybe 2% of chainsaw man when I first saw the opening, I saw the shot w the snail makima feeds denji and was immediately excited.
The parasitic snail was such a cool idea that I knew was hinting towards more of her character and reading more it was so cool that that tiny detail hinted towards so much of her character, I really really like this opening!
Konezu definetly is a staple artist for any new anime. His music is sooo good and his voice just sounds amazing
I saw someone mention this, but it seems like the fight with the devil is something thats just in Denjis head? The Gold ball is contrasted against the broken egg, implying that he was just daydreaming(especially since their giant ball plan is super dumb, and also the devil explodes just cause its awesome(which makes it EVEN MORE a Goodbye Eri reference))
I interpreted the devil their fighting to be the "Chain" Devil, since it has chain arms and its body resembles chainlinks as well. Its also kinda a funny pun with "Chainsaw man"
I also have a pet interpretation that the last couple shots are thematically also a "peek" into the future the same way that Future Devil gives to Aki. Since its showing sneak peeks at major devils. I also think this, because hes Dancing like an idiot, just like Denji and Power giving the audience a peek into the future too.
15:00 its a reference to an image I have only seen in shitposts about knowledge showing the bleakness of the world, I'm not sure if the 3 tiered one is the orginal one or now but in it, the bleakness is also a facade that with even more knowledge can be overcome, or something. I don't know much about the original
THANK YOU KUMI FOR HELPING METI!!! 😭
It never even occurred to me that Angel and Beam are seated directly behind Himeno and Arai in the theater. That is crazy foreshadowing
2:50 In Fujimoto's previous work Fire Punch he quotes Ezequiel 25:17 aswell.
Kobeni’s car’s owner must be an awesome person.
i was waiting for a vid like this
I think the little laugh at the end of the song “kickback” could represent the laughing fit Makima has in one chapter 82
The movie scenes really showed how much mappa understands Chsm and Fujimoto
Great video and analysis, I thought I'd caught everything, you definitely found lots of stuff I missed. I think a bit more could be read into with the scene of Denji's face of aww, and Power appearing behind him. Besides the "Don't look up" film reference. The fact that Denji is making his "Aww, so cute" face, makes me think it's depicting his love interests. He's infatuated with all of them, but it always ends horribly (Makima, Himeno (sorta), and Reze). Hence why it's cast darkly and depicted as a horror, meanwhile Denji is aloof. Going unnoticed behind him, is an enthusiastic Power. This represents how it seems Power develops to like him, and they actually live out Denji's dream together later on, but the whole time Denji doesn't see her as a love interest but rather a sister. Perhaps I'm reading too much into it but it seems the perfect depiction of how that all plays out.
Also really looking forward to Reze, though with 12 episodes, I'm expecting this to end right before She comes in. But hey, the Bomb Devil arc would make an amazing movie.
Did anyone else notice the traffic light in the background turn red at the very end of the opening?
The Constantine scene has another reference too. The main character Constantine was a chain smoker who developed lung cancer. But at the end of the film his lung cancer was cured and had a new outlook on life.
love kumi i’ve always relied on them for csm news
12:35-12:52
This is the first time I’ve heard meti stop speaking in his matter-of-fact manner of speech for these analysis videos.
12:32 I think the devil's design is a reference to Makima as the real villain.
It has a circular shape, similar to Makima's brain-halo and attacks with chains.
Also Power and Denji are the one to kill it, working together, while Aki, just stands around trying to keep an eye on them and protecting them.
Given it's design, it's possible that we're looking at the handcuff devil, which would still be a reference to Makima and ther concept of control.
The opening is one of my favorites already, Kickback is right up there with Hacking to the Gate (personal favorite)
and the allusions in the visuals were on point even if I had to be led by the hand to see them all
One thing I like about chainsaw man's power system is the fact that as long as you're willing to make a deal with a devil you can become powerful rather than having to be born with incredible talent or getting powers through sheer luck.
Also now that mention Aqua teen hunger force I can’t stop hearing shake’s voice when rereading his panels with Future
On the first watch i really thought the spider fiend in the theater was Santa claus for a second. Which would only bring up more questions
This op is fire and I can't wait for more episodes of chainsaw man.
A little detail that i speculate on is the fact that - the snail infected by the parasite might also represent Aki - as the parasitic worm that takes over the snail specifically is placed in the eye of the snail, in a way similar to how the future devil has front-row seat in aki's demise by being placed in his eye. Makima feeding him the snail, is makima feeding denji aki's demise, at his own hands.. or in this case his mouth
Someone had translated the part of "Kick Back" we got on the final trailer. The lyrics were roughly (I'm paraphrasing)
"Fill him with happiness." "I once saw a part of Hell." (Makima's perspective, ch 82-84) "I love you, humiliate me and laugh" (Denji's perspective, ch 82)
I've enjoyed everything from you so far so I'll go take you're advice & watch Jacobs ladder right now
They dance.
now that I think about it, the reference to pulp fiction may go a little deeper, since in the particular scene the opening is referencing, Jules has a sort of monologue about how he has contemplated the bible verse he recites before he kills people, and how he came to realise that he is "the tyranny of evil men", and now he wants to become the Shepard who guides the weak.
we can compare this to Kishibe, who for most of his life worked for Makima in public safety, and now wishes to rectify this by killing Makima and inadvertently guiding Denji towards the life he wants to live.
Small reference that might be relevant: power was partially inspired by the Walter character from The Great Lebowski, so it might be another level of connection
That "Donut" devil was probably some sort of "Chain" Devil because of its shape and also the fact it has chain for hands
-O-O-O-
There are chains and eyeballs on it, so...
@@chinjianle269 I've seen 85% of janky and uncanny CG animations in this anime and it made me nauseated. 🤢 🤢🤢
@@jimmyorgenkaccrow4961 guess you haven't seen kemono friends
12:37
I think it’s more like a collar for dogs. Would fit the theme here also
One small detail you missed is that, on the Power pinup pachinko bit, at the very edges of the screen are what I believe is the darkness devil.
15:50 ok know since you made the comparison I am forced to image the future devil having the personality of either Carl or the ghost of Christmas past from the future
So many references it’s insane
you got me laughing out loud with the "kobeni's car's owner".
SPOILERS IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T READ IT ALREADY
Two details you missed in the video.
7:09 in the cinema Arai is present and all the devils/fiends introduced in the building raid are present except Violence.
8:49 Power's breast are padded in the beach shot as a reference to the post-bat devil groping scene.
15:00 the telephone pole is lined up with Aki's right arm in the wall painting, bearing a similar silhouette as his assault rifle arm in his fiend form.
I feel like that Myaku Myaku looking devil they fight is actually a reference to Makima. Its attacking them with chains, which Makima uses to control people, and its body is a meat ring, similar to that halo that forms on top of her head when she fights the Gun Devil
I noticed that Makima is only in one of the ten movie references at the start of the opening before the shot in the theater which could be in reference to when she says that she only finds one in ten movies interesting
Fun detail, When denji is being flung into the buildings, the holes spell out C-S-M
I assume the ring is meant to be a chain devil or a shackle devil, which makes sense given the themes of control in the show.
Another thing is that when it goes to the door Denji’s never suppose to open, the lyrics translate to “I forgot something”. Might be a reference to (major spoilers)
The fact that Denji killed his dad and forgot.
denji, power and aki are fighting a devil made of chains and collars, and when denji kills it, it cuts to him cooking. maybe a reference to him killing Control and eating Makima ?
15:56 i have thought its more of Jojo reference, where one side we have this mixture of horror and flamboyance ;D
EFFORT, THE FUTURE, A BEAUTIFUL STAR
Deep down in my heart, Togata and Agni from Fire Aunch are there in the cinema with the CSM crew
Chainsaw Man and Fujimoto got everything they deserved with this adaptation, or at least the opening and first ep.
Im genuinely happy for him, and so glad that it is so. I love this manga, it's probably my favorite, and watching it being adapted like this is just a treat and I can be happy in the future that the anime exists, and that it is the way it is.
What can I say? After this first ep I can only fully trust mappa, no objections.
the donaut devil having chains might be in referance to Makima's chains that bound people and devils she control. also, being an abstract for, a circle, that devil might be intended to be interpreted, but also, being a donaut tie into the wacky humor of series
Mappa really just teased the gun devil in the first episode huh
3:35 I'm really struggling to understand what the hell the text on screen means. Did I have a stroke, or did you while editing?
9:30 forgot to mention when they zoom in on powers chest there's a gap between it and her bikini top because she's not wearing the pads