For everyone commenting about the Snail & other details, remember there is a manga spoiler section where I go more in depth on certain symbols and references.
Hah! Literally just commented on the slug stuff. Guess I’ll have to see the rest of the video to see if it applies! (I mean, I was gonna anyway, ‘cause this is great, but still!)
Denji reaching out for Makima only to be touching water is a Japanese (originally from classic Chinese) idiom 「鏡花水月」, which literally means flower in mirror, moon in water, a metaphor for something unreachable or doesn't exist.
(edit, didn't get to the part in the video yet where he quite literally pointed it out) I also feel like you could also connect that line and scene to how [Spoiler] . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Makama isn't interested in denji at all, but in fact only interested in chainsaw man who resides in his heart
That's a really incredible metaphor. I haven't read the manga but I imagine Makima has some sort of really facetious manipulative side that's been foreshadowed already. She knows how to control Denji, by understanding all his desires and wants. But she can never really give them to him because once Denji achieves his goal, he will no longer have the insane drive to be a devil hunter and will likely realize how horrid his situation is. As Makima is the person responsible for Denji's effectiveness as a devil hunter, I feel like this makes a lot of sense.
@@brunoemf90 Rukia's big bro also taunts Renji when tries to fight him, saying he is like a baboon reaching into the waters reflection to reach the moon.
yes but water is also the universal sign of traveling through to the afterlife in other cultures as well as rebirth, which makes sense if u know what the control demon actually does before the academy arc.
My friend who is a forester brought up to me that the song's name "Kickback" is a real life Chainsaw reference that they experience where the chainsaw will sometimes "kick back" to the users face causing deadly injuries. Everything ties together so well it's actually awesome
yeah when I found out the song was called kick back I got so mad abt how good it was specifically, kickback occurs when you hit something with the tip of the chainsaw. something something just the tip et cetera
Another bit on the movie theatre part: In Fujimoto's other manga Fire Punch, the ideal way to experience a movie in the theatre that was given was to get popcorn but avoid a drink as that would just lead to you having to leave midway for the bathroom. Here we see Denji and Makima sharing popcorn (with Makima directly feeding Denji at one point) but have no drinks. Aki and Himeno don't have drinks either, though they seem to be having fries instead. The only one with a drink is Kobeni, who of course has to leave midway through, giving Power the opportunity to steal her seat and claim it as her own.
I think it’s no coincidence that a montage of our main cast acting out in movie roles (everyone EXCEPT makima) is followed by a long shot of everyone watching a movie, and then a shot later of Makima doing a picture frame with her fingers before the splash of blood almost like she said “action”. Followed by a Hollywood-esque action montage, such a sick way of representing Makima directing the entire story/cast
MINOR SPOILERS One thing I think was missed is that Denji reaching for Makima only to hit water is a clear allusion to the Japanese allegory of the monkey reaching to grasp the moon's reflection in a lake and then drowning, foreshadowing that the thing he's chasing after is an illusion.
I didn't read the manga I only watch the anime, but I started believe what you say with the opening at the begin, because the snail she gives to Denji is infected with a parasyte who control the brain of snails, in some way, that's a very huge spoiler, like happen with Dai no daibouken op 2.
but in other cultures it other symbolizes passing into the afterlife or in this case rebirth bc of what the control demon actually does before the academy arc
One of the things you missed is after the first round of movies, you'll notice Makima is only in one of them. 1 out of 10 references, like how she says she only connects with every 1 out of 10 movies.
[SPOILER] Something I haven't seen mentioned about this opening is a small detail in the scene where Denji tries to reach Makima. You can clearly see some kind of bug on his left hand, which kind of looks like it's stinging him. The same bug (I think) is then found on his head in the following scene. I'm pretty sure it's one of those parasitoid wasps that lay eggs directly in an insect, thus turning their host into "zombies" and later leading them to their death. This would be yet another warning sign Denji is ignoring, in addition to the more obvious parasite-infected snail.
To add to the messed up situation, the snail is definitely infected…by a Leucochloridium, and it's a parasitic worm that invades a snail's eyestalks, where it pulsates to imitate a caterpillar to lure prey or get itself eaten.
Fun fact: It looks like a generic wasp. However, most wasps species (solely the female ones in said species) will find a suitable host to lay their eggs inside and sting them into a compliant state. What this means is that the female wasps will sting a creature, bend it to its will with the venom concoction, then implant eggs inside to slowly eat away at the creature while it's still alive. So it's definitely a reference to Makima, as are the other parasites in that snippet in their own way.
It's an ant combined with the fungus growing referencing how the zombi fungi Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (here that would be Makima) which takes control over ants (Denji)
There's already a channel that has made all these connections beforehand. It lists everything so the credit i think should go to that everyone else is just copying it.
@@GothPaoki dude there's so many content creators out there it's hard to give credit to just one person. This exact video has probably been done at least 15 times by now this is just his version.
@@kaiju_kun True, and I think Mother's Basement does it better than most on TH-cam when it comes to Anime. They also pick up on different things because there's stuff in this video that I haven't seen in any others.
A thing you missed is how when makima is in the same shot as denji and his friends, she's always separating them into two groups. A classic abusive relationship move is to push someone's friends away from them to keep them isolated and dependent
Spoilers: Not only that, makima is the one who separates them from him forever. She stuck herself between denji and his friends, and killed both of them (well she made denji kill aki but you get my point)
@@ukuviispert9599 i mean if youre reading in the comments of a spoiler video, not only that but the replies of one that shows makimas true nature that has not been revealed yet and wont be until the end of the story, i would say thats kinda on you man
@@johnwiese6760 this video isnt a spoiler video, 75% or even more of it is spoiler free and is entirely anime only. The last section with spoilers also has a huge warning about them. The comment you replied to isnt a spoiler either because makima being manipulative is one of the most obvious things when you first meet her character. And thats the only thing the comment talks about, they never said who she actually is or what she makes denji do, they only stated the thing thats obvious in the very frist scene you meet her in So no, its not on me.
The boner joke being exactly in the middle of the 2 golden balls ,while the japanese word for golden ball also meaning testicle, really sealed the deal for me. absolute genius.
I really like that Power is the only one introduced by name in the OP. It fits Power's personality, as if she insisted that the OP focus on her, while adding to the chaos of the video.
Something that maybe you missed (SOPILERS): In the Makima's reflection scene, she looks at Denji's face for a brief moment and then just looks at Denji's chest (heart, Pochita), which I think is alluding the fact that she never noticed Denji and only cared about Pochita.
The insects on denji are also all related to crontol in a way. The blue hawk wasp in his head are a type of wasp that hunts spiders and uses a venom to take control of their bodies so their babies can be born inside the spider's Bodie
When Denji asks Makima to hold him and she catches him without hesitation seems so innocuous until you realize what her actions imply about her relationship with the Chainsaw
I thought Aki standing on the snow was a reference to what happened. He was playing outside in the snow with his brother when *stuff happened*. So that ended up making him grow up much faster and deal with reality head on. But that event has also frozen him in place (the snow on him) as it's the foundation of everything he does. He's unable to move on with his life. Power and Denji staying child-like are their coping skills. Makima being who she is, and the very calculated play she made, would have her be the only one on a book stack as her knowledge is wide spread and more grounded. She's 10 steps ahead of everyone else which is why she can see into space/the future
I also thought the snow on Aki was a reference to his past and his connection to the Gun Demon. I'd also add that Makima, who's the only one aware of everything actually going on around them, is looking straight towards pitch darkness, and you'd know what place looks like that if you'd read the manga...
that's a lie. We would never have survived the way Kobeni did. Most of us would have died immediately but since Kobeni seems to have made a deal with the plot armor devil she's still here
i mean the way she acts, definitely, but shes actually really strong cuz remember that one devil she fought with ease? so i think the audience would probably just die on the first day
Not sure if this was covered in the spoiler section as I'm trying to be anime-only here, but a detail I think is interesting is that Makima only appears in one movie reference - the Reservoir Dogs scene at the beginning, and she stands in for Quentin Tarantino, the director of the movie. This suggests she's the director behind the camera for all the other "scenes" (especially since there's so many more Tarantino references), and explains why she "lines up the shot" (also a double entendre) in the first blood splatter scene - going further to characterize her as the one who has vision and calls the shots while everyone around her are just actors in her movie.
Combine that with the shadows completely covering her face as she looks toward denji, damn near spooked the shit out of me it caught me so off guard when I first noticed
the fact that the lyrics for when Denji is getting his hair stroked in Maikima's lap is "I want to be happy, I want to live an easy life" gets me every time
Kenshi Yonezu has always been a phenomenal songwriter and singer to me. While nowadays being popular for his song "Peace Sign" for MHA season 2 and now Chainsaw Man, he was a name within the vocaloid community years ago also under the name "Hachi". Who is well known for the song "Donut hole" and many others, with a notable thing about the songs being very much dark in tone but with an almost quirky spin on it making it feel that much darker. His songs made in that time also reflected a dark time in his life, more notably he was very depressed and this was shown in alot of his work, almost like a cry for help but he has gotten help over time, I believe with support from family. Even now, it feels like some of that time remains even in "Kick Back" and his newer releases but not as prominent since he has been doing better but it still shines through subtly, though I feel this is what makes his music iconic, to me at least.
Two things stand out to me as extremely major plot points not addressed in the video (MANGA SPOILERS): 1: The amount of books Makima is standing on is a pretty decent amount. The Space devil describing knowledge of the whole universe as a library comes to mind quite quickly. Her also claiming Santa Claus doesn't even have the knowledge to fill a single page of a single book, even after gaining knowledge from darkness, all while Makima is displayed with at least a hundred or so full books? Unlikely to be a coincidence. 2: Another semi-obvious reference for Power's intro is how loose the bikini top is, pointing out how she blatantly pads her chest.
yes i like this point, someone really thought about the library manga scene first in order to decide on using the standing on different levels reference with books, and then probably constructed the rest of the metaphor to fit next.
4:18 - 4:25 That Shot mostly symbolizes The friendship between the two leads as they drive to their dead end jobs. Cliff to Denji, Rick to Aki respectfully. And while they both like each other and are basically blood brothers. Both pairs have a distinct superior/subordinate roll(s). It doesn't interfere with their friendship in the film but it does strain it and adds tension in certain scenes.
I've only seen the first two episodes of Chainsaw Man but I have seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood quite a few times so I'll just add that the superior/subordinate roles in the friendship are a little more complicated. Cliff needs Rick because he's Rick's stunt double, he only has a job because Rick is a popular actor that only takes roles if they also hire Cliff. You would think that this makes Cliff the obvious subordinate and he does do a lot of little jobs and favors for Rick but throughout the movie he is the one motivating Rick and taking care of him. Cliff is the character that does all the gruntwork that allows Rick to succeed and that is shown in the finale when Cliff does most of the work and Rick comes in for the flashy finish. This dynamic is first shown in this scene when Cliff goes over to Rick's house to get him ready and drive him to work. It's Rick's car but Cliff is the one who's driving/controlling it, Cliff can't go anywhere without Rick but Rick won't go anywhere without Cliff.
@@thisishandlenumber2048 Thanks for clarifying. Its been a while since I saw 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' and your thoughts on Rick and Cliff are spot on for Denji and Aki. Though I warn you their finale is going to take a much more tragic turn.
@@leohex8767 you are such an unadulterated asshole it is unbelievable. An internet stranger stops by to drop some helpful analysis to co tribute to a conversation and you reward them by trying to ruin a show they’re watching for them. Absolutely screw off and leave the rest of the population alone.
One other note in the snail scene: if you look at Denji's head as he sits up, you can see an emerald cockroach wasp, or jewel wasp, sitting in his hair. Jewel wasps are known for injecting cockroaches with venom in order to disable their escape response, before leading them back to their burrow, laying eggs on them, and allowing their larvae to eat them alive.
The snail she feeds denji is also infected with a parasite that lives in the eyes and CONTROLS the snail. Causing the snail to climb up high into the open so it can be eaten by a bird. The parasites literally pulsate like that to attract the attention of predators. I wonder what that could mean in relation to Makima's character later in the series???
Also right before that when hes reaching for her and only meets water, there's an ant on one of his hands. Im pretty sure its supposed to be a zombie ant that's infected. All together, its a bunch of parasitic creatures covering our boy.
It’s a shame What’s in an OP isn’t a great fit for the algorithm, because everytime one comes out I’m reminded of how much it really is my favorite thing you do
SPOILERS I also really like the small detail that Angel is sitting right behind Himeno because he’s the next in line / going to take her place as Aki's buddy. It would be so cool to see him actually move to the front and sit next to him in the OP after she passes away, if we get that far.
With the added obviousness of the nosebleed. Here we are tricked into thinking it's a neat "slowmo activation" of his power (as some shows like to do), but here it's totally his one-track perverted mind going hard.
In a couple of REALLLLLY blink and miss it few frames, when Denji is smiling at Makima, she herself is glancing with a knowing smirk without actually showing her face to him. Right before the scene darkens her face. Showing she's fully aware of their dynamic and will exploit it as much as possible.
Also, the "Broken Egg Shot" is more obviously another allusion to the whole "nut-shattering" foreshadowing going on. I don't know if it's a more popular innuendo for hitting your nuts in Japan than it is in America, but it's a pretty popular one in both.
considering the rest of the insanely specific american culture influences like the upcoming thor one, i would definitely agree that the egg has indeed been shattered lmao manga spoilers: denji's post-crack clarity = learning how to _cook_ what's in the fridge alone, then of course it cuts to the door
I will never accuse anyone of over analyzing anything again for the rest of my life. You set a new high bar and beat it ruthlessly with what used to be the high water mater mark of analysis. This is over the top analysis, like I just watched the Matrix for the first time.
OK now that Ive fnished the video, I can now say THIS is the best WIAOP ever made, the analysis was top notch and the way u structured this video (as mentioned in Layer 3) is just phenomenal. This has got to be one of ur best videos ever. Congrats, made me love Chainsawman even more.
if you think about it, this video is also structured like the OP is: the first part is mostly about references, the second part is about innuendo, and the third part is about spoilers. mind blown yet?? if true, then Geoff actually made a dick-shaped video
@@SevenZeroEleven I could give the very same question backt o you, couldnt I? misunderstanding my comment as 'being scared' is quite WOW. And then ending the comment with Lmao reallycements the fact how immature you sound.
I missed your opening analyses, Mother's Basement. I really, really did. Not just for how good they were but for what it symbolised in the great internet timeline, haha. God, those days
For the spoiler section: One additional thing to note during the moment when Denji is reaching for Makima's chest. Look where Makima's eyes are. She's not meeting Denji's eyes, which would be the camera. They're pointed down, to about where Denji's chest, and therefore heart, would be.
Another point with the whole “the initials represent denji/csm’s impact on the world” is that he has no control over it, having been quite literally thrown into the whole thing.
13:14 I think that shot of power with the glasses is also a reference to when kishibe is training them, and they try to "be smarter" by wearing glasses.
Honestly the idea that it isn't obvious that there's something VERY CLEARLY WRONG with Makima has got to be one that only applies to people as dumb and horny as Denji. I read the manga a week ago with pretty much no spoilers going in and Makima was setting off all the red flags.
He knows theres something wrong with her,second episode he talks about how she treats people like dogs,no different than how he was treated before. But she gives him her coat,and he doesnt care anymore about being treated as a dog and the series continues this way,every time Denji is a bit down she does something to manipulate him into doing what she wants
I think it's something more of a cult of personality, combined with the fact that she's constantly surrounding herself with dysfunctional, traumatized people that aren't really in the place to pick up on all the red flags, like how Aki's stuck in this revenge-driven stasis, Power being such a loose cannon, or the fact that for Denji, even when he realizes she mistreats him, she STILL treats him better than most other people combined with his already idealized image of women. She also probably just looks so comparatively normal based on everyone else around her that when she does have these more openly ominous tendencies, it comes off as merely a quirk of hers.
I literally described her as being composed of more red flags than a Soviet military parade only a few episodes into the show before I had even read the manga, so I feel you. But on the upside, I think a lot of young, naïve people are learning what being groomed and emotionally manipulated by someone with more power and experience actually looks like before it happens to them, which I think is really important.
Another meaning to the "I think I'm forgetting something" line from later on in the OP can be found in the original "Souda! We're Alive" song. The original chant didn't just go as "doryoku, mirai, a beautiful star", but also changed with each line, with its variants including "doryoku, zenshin, a beautiful star" and "doryoku, heiwa, a beautiful star", both of those new words meaning "progress" and "peace" respectively, things absent from CSM's world. It could also be a reference to (spoilers) Chainsaw Devil's secret.
Something else worth noting about the snail is... SPOILERS The bright colours of the parasite are so that they attract birds to eat the snail, so that the parasite reproduces inside the bird, its offspring being pooped out and spread to other snails that eat the poo. In other words, the parasite reproduces by being eaten, just like Makima becoming Nayuta after Denji eats her.
Ohh yea i just watched a documentary about that parasite too that eats off the host snail and control them so it can mean both ways then she is feeding denji which shows her intention towards him damn i didnt noticed that when i first watch the opening I should have noticed dat man as a manga reader i am ashamed
A few details not mentioned in the video: At the start of the opening, we see illustration from Divine Comedy and sound of chainsaw. According to Dante, place depicted on the picture - lake of fire is place where demons are born. And in manga, it's said that when demons are born they hear the sound of the chainsaw. So, it all adds up. The second detail is that in the Jacobs Ladder movie, son of the main hero sitting on the stairs has the name Gabe, which in Bible is angel Gabriel, accompanying dead people on their way to heaven. And in the opening we have the angel devil with pretty much the same abilities.
"And in manga, it's said that when demons are born they hear the sound of the chainsaw. So, it all adds up." Wait what? I do not remember this , but that they all feared the sound of the chain saw
Angel Devil: "I asked the guys in special divisions, and none of them remember hell. But, everyone remembered a sound *right before dying there.* Interestingly enough, the entire special divisions had heard the same sound" Aki: "...What was it?" Angel Devil: "I've pulled chainsaw-kun's cord before. The roar of his engine... It's the same sound as that." The chainsaw is stated to be heard upon death in Hell, not birth on earth, in Ch.53
@@slickestrick4117 it is said that demons cycle between life in hell and in the overworld, so death in hell basically means birth in overworld. Am i wrong?
@@510wburn The implication is that Chainsaw Man is killing demons in the afterlife and the sound of the chainsaw is the last thing they hear *before they die* You stated that they hear the chainsaw *when they are born,* but when they are born is a different time from *just before they die,* and the changed timeline alters the metaphor. They don't hear it upon birth, it's a memory they have from when they were still alive in hell. If you go to an amusement park > eat a corn dog > go on a ride > then throw up, you didn't eat a corn dog then throw up, there is something that happened in between that that changes the context.
10:40 The scenes with Denji on the golden Ball as Well as Power throwing blood and DonutDevil dodging are animated by YenYen / Ct_Bm, He confirmed it himself :) He's Made 5 shots in the OP in total
*SPOILERS BELOW* The snow aki stands on could also be noted to be temporary and once it melts he's back in that childish place just like denji and power. Aki has built his perception on reality from his past (in his snowy home) but when it all melts he's still just a kid, so when Aki and Denji fight and his mental state of "worldly understanding" is gone he's a child again having a snowball fight.
Since you tagged your spoilers I'm jumping on to this. Spoilers below! In many, if not all of the group shots you can also see how Denji is "cut off" from the group by Makima. Can't analyze it as well, but I'm certain there's a reason it's Denji on the left, then Makima, then the rest of the group in all those shots. (Reservoir dogs walk/Bowling Alley/Cinema)
Potential spoiler? So read with caution. One thing I haven't seen anyone mention but that stuck out to me immediately was that in every ensemble shot involving our main 4 characters (Aki, Denji, Makima, Power) Makima is always positioned in such a way as to keep herself between Denji and everyone else. The only real exception is the scene where she's walking Denji on the beach, but even then she's walking Denji away from Power, which could be taken as a reference to that one scene in the Manga where Denji asks to become a dog while completely leaving Power behind. Anytime Denji is with a group while Makima is around she is framed as a kind of divider, which I thought was really interesting, given the context of Denji's relationships with the other Demon Hunters
(HUGE HUGE HUGE SPOILERS) Another thing you seem to have missed in the movie theatre is that in addition to Aki, everyone else sitting in the back is also looking straight forward... that could be an allusion to how they are all under makima's control. And Himeno could be looking back to recognize how many others share this blank stare.
Obviously spoiler (you're reading a response to a comment that was already marked as a spoiler so don't complain): Angel is definitely one of them, with the same blank stare. Reference to Aki's and Angel's final scene in the manga. That scene struck me incredibly hard, since for the first time, after hearing time and time again "Makima saved me" from all kinds of characters, Aki FINALLY asked himself the important question: "Wait, when did that actually happen?" I've forgotten if the Shark fiend was mind controlled or not. All I remember is that he was the ultimate Denji fanboy, but that might have been imbued onto him by Makima.
@@Nothing-ce8uv (SPOILERS FOR LATER ARCS IN PART 1) I think with Kishibe being seated so far back, it implies that while he is seen as under Makima’s influence he still has enough perspective to see what’s actually going on. Usually getting the backseats in movie theatres (at least from my experience) let’s you still watch the movie but you are more likely to get interrupted by people in front of you getting up and moving around and, more critically, you can also see other movie-goers seating in front of you. It would be a solid reference to how Kishibe was capable of silently rebelling against Makima by keeping track of her spies and passing information through writing (as seen with his convo with Quanshi) while still under her command.
@@raphaelforkel7759 pretty sure that the shark demon became a follower of chainsaw man at some point and that’s why beam feels loyal towards denji without even knowing why, if am not wrong something like that was alluded when describing the hero of hell
I just wanted to point out the one moment where Aki breaks his stoicism is when he's alone with Power and Denji in a completely mundane environment. So if you know you know.
Chainsaw man is masterclass in writing Also I saw the carnivorous plants blossoming out of Denji as a symbol of Makima's grooming. She planted those seeds. It's further reinforced by her reaching towards him in that creepy way. The way her eyes flick down knowingly as an experienced adult, while he reaches for her chest. How it transitions to her watching him transform into a devil with her hands positioned over her eye with in a photographer's framing. He's an object of her malicious hunger to posses him.
“Let me know which bits blew your mind in the comments…” All of them. All of the bits. I was pulling that ‘eureka-Denji’ face for a half hour straight. My god, man. BRAVO 👏
I forgot about half of the stuff that happens in the manga, so remembering all of them with your analysis of the OP was mind-blowing. I'll go re-read CSM now
The part that blew my mind was the 7 frames of him frowning! You cant even see it at normal speed but THEY ANIMATED IT ANYWAY! As someone who is currently teaching myself animation, this blows my mind because I know how much work can go into one frame! The 2nd part that blew my mind was about the zombie eyestalk parasite--because holy hell that's so freaking cool but terrifying?!?! WHAT THE HELL, NATURE?!
So. About that slug snack. That glowing rainbow shit is actually a brain eating parasitic fungus that mind controls slugs. Im sure that represents Makima's control over Denji. Its just too awfully specific of a reference to ignore
It's so painfully obvious that I actually think it was a mistake on Mappa's part to add that scene. That's just my opinion though and the zombie snail is not really "common knowldge" I guess
@Schadenfreude tbf so few people actually care about such details so it doesn't change much. Most people skip the opening or watch it without thinking twice. Before watching this vidéo and comment section i originally thought it was some hallucinations-inducing slug, and just thought it was there to say "hey denji wants makima so hard he'd go as far as to eat weird looking-shit if she told him to", and the following "Future Devil" scene was nothing more to me than the aftermath of eating that slug from Denji's perspective, a weird trip So imo it's fine that they put it there, because now i actually known that such a parisitic slug exists 🤷♀️
Here's three more references that I caught. 1. Fujimoto has stated in interviews that his inspiration for Power is Walter from the Big Lebowski and Eric Cartman, and in the shot where Aki winds up for the bowl, we can see Power behind him sitting in Walter's spot, and drawn rather roundly, pointing and laughing in complete Cartman fashion. (She's probably laughing at the weiner joke) 2. The balls and chain have been individually referenced in the OP's main fight scene, but the combination of the ball and chain further contributes to the workplace prisoner and leash motifs that are present throughout the story, as well as the greater scenario for Denji that has been set up. 3. This isn't from the opening itself, but from the single cover for KICK BACK. Denji in his chainsaw form is being pulled by a certain hand, and we know this because this hand, aside from *two fingers*, is referencing a very specific pose made by this person. The connection between these two poses didn't click until I saw this cover, and continues to blow my mind with its implications.
@@illust_sushi I think this is deep in enough for spoilers. It's referring to Makima's finger gun. It's pretty vague but the leading theory is that this power is her control over part of the gun devil. However, because the finger gun is the pose your hand makes before pulling the chainsaw cord, I believe this may be part of Makima's natural powers. Just like she can control people by pulling them towards her, she can also push people away in the most violent way possible. It's mad poetic.
@@AweSirJerk Ah, I noticed the hand on that picture looking like her finger gun, but never made the connection between that and the "pulling" motion. That's really interesting actually!
Speaking of parasite symbolism - when denji is reaching out to makima and when he is being fed a snail, you can see insects on his hand and head respectively. Its hard to tell the species for sure, but i am willing to bet the one on the head represents parasitic wasps due to its general shape, and the one on the hand seems to resemble an ant, which is probably a reference to so called zombie ants, infected by Ophiocordyceps unilteralis fungus
The Snail as well - I can't remember what species it belongs to - but there's a particular kind where the larvae begin their growth in the eye-stalks while also taking control of the nervous system; similar to cordyceps fungus in ants. That's what those colorful moving eye-stalks in the OP represent. Unfortunately, they look much more disgusting in real life...
@@F0rr0r The worm in the Snail is called leucochloridium paradoxum. The Blooming Flower is probably Cuscuta which is also parasitic and has in german the hilarious name Kletterhur.
DISCUSSION OF SPOILR SECTION BELOW So I didn't get spoiled by your video, but Makima's identity was spoiled to me by a merch website I was shopping on lmao. I wasn't super surprised, it makes sense given her introduction. If anything, having that aspect spoiled for me might have improved my appreciation for this story and its writing because it reframes everything she does in a much more sinister light. Watching Makima manipulate the gang is chilling and her VA really does a good job of giving Makima's every word just a hint of danger.
The other thing that BLOWS MY MIND about the zombie eyestalk parasite is that they probably knew most of their audience wouldn't know what that creature is--I certainly didn't until now--so not only did they load it with symbolism but they ANIMATED IT ANYWAY! This is so freaking cool!
I remember the acutual video footage of the parasitic snails go viral in the Japanese Twitter community before Chainsaw man Anime was released, that made me really sick.
Oh boy, I lost my mind when I first saw it actually, since I did know what that snail is, also all of the other plants are either carnivorous or parasitic too
On 9:55 you can see the eyes of the snail are throbbing.. I think it's a reference to Leucochloridium, a parasite that invades snails, eats their eyes and basically pilots the snail by pulsating where to go via it's eyestalks.. could be that Denji is never truly in control of his own life
You don't know how far down the comments I had scroll to find someone saying this! I would have thought that type of parasite was more widely known. But yeah it looks like a slightly stylised depiction of that parasite in action, and it fits perfectly with that scene.
The plot twist with makima is. There is no plot twist. With girls like her usually we will get why she is a good guy also. But not makima. That's actually a very very meta plot twist. Also kick back the song, is 100% deji theme song. I love it so much
exactly, people who say the anime is making it too obvious have me confused because the whole experience of reading the manga was second-guessing myself, saying 'she must be good, otherwise why would she have the status of being a director?' it made me want to believe makima was helpful and therefore good. i still remember how different that first impression felt throughout till the reveal
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Like, my surprise is 4/10 and not 1/10 because I genuinely believed that it was too obvious that she's bad, she must be doing it for the genuine good of others... but nope.... and ya know what, I was not at all disappointed to learn it was the simpler answer. It was done so well that it was excellent regardless.
I'm still convinced that Kobeni got up to use the restroom because she finished her drink, and Power is just crunching on the ice. I'm not sure what deeper meaning this has if any, but it's great visual storytelling.
I like to believe there's still some of the drink left but Power is crunching on it anyway, meaning Denji is currently using their shared braincell leaving her with just enough thoughts to chew on a liquid.
If you want to look for a deeper meaning to it, in Fire Punch it's said that the best way to enjoy a movie is to have popcorn but no drink so you don't have to leave for the toilet midway through. Makima and Denji on the other hand, are immersed and have the ideal bag of popcorn with no drinks. It's most likely a metaphor.
I absolutely LOVE the symbolism in current day shonen, whether it be in the openings or the show itself. I knew a lot of the references and symbolism in this particular opening, but miniscule details such as Aki's permanent neutral face or even the locations of characters were really interesting to see!! I've definitely been on an analysis kick for things like csm and jjk lately.
Everything to do with Aki and the themes surrounding ignorance threw me for a loop. Everytime I watched the OP I was absorbed by the ridiculousness of everyone else & almost entirely missed how consistently clever Aki's actions (or inactions) tended to be. The halo in the theater was the last nail in the coffin, right after him using the snow of his childhood trauma to stand up & view the world "like an adult," or "as the world really is." Awesome analysis MB 🤙🏻
Kinda bummed we won't see Reze in the first season, and also means this will likely be 3-4 seasons just for the first 97 chapters (anime only's are going to it rough staying spoiler free) but can we just comment on how many banger OP's we have this season!? Studios are going HARD!
They could comfortably fit it into 2 seasons with both being 12 episodes each, tho I would say that they could use extra 2 or 3 episodes. Season 1 will cover at least 40 chapters while the whole manga has 97, so I doubt they would make it into 3 seasons. It is more probable that they would make 2 seasons and then make the last arc into a movie.
Okay quick late note: the Texas Chainsaw massacre reference is really cool. The scene Chainsaw Man is referencing is one of the first opening scenes in TCM. It’s a scene of two rotting corpses holding each other who had been killed by the brother of the main horror movie monster (Leatherface). Specifically, this scene I s meant to convey the death of innocents and lurking danger that underlies the horror to come. It’s also meant to create a distrust of everyone the characters meet because ultimately, these people weren’t even killed by Leatherface and were killed by someone who seemed comparatively normal. For chainsaw man, this quick reference is a nod to the loss of innocence that follows Denji and Pochita, and also points to the fact that the one wielding the chainsaw isn’t necessarily the one to fear. Anyway if you can stand horror films, go watch Texas chainsaw massacre. It secretly has a lot going on and isn’t really that gory.
The whole opening being a dick joke is... unexpected but expected at the same time, glorious opening. I think this and Meti's video are a good dueto to understand the opening, personally im not that good at watching movies so his explanation of movie references filled the only void left by this one.
7:36 you're gonna love this; there is SNOW on that mountain, much like the kid-sized pile of snow that Aki stands on. Aki stands on that pile in order to get more elevation, while the Gun Devil is at one of the highest elevations on earth you can get, which coincidentally has snow on it. Or perhaps....it's a mountain of snow. A mountain of kid-sized and adult-sized snow piles. So the connection that we're supposed to make is that the Gun Devil is literally on top of mountains of bodies, one of them Aki stands on. And that connection is solidified because that pile is literally next to kid-Denji. Or if that's too much of a stretch, you could just say it's a shot of that snowy scene, you know the one...
Here's a small detail, the Violence fiend is in the storyboards for the movie theater shot but not the final version. There's a theory about this I found online. Spoilers after this point. There was this old theory that the body the violence fiend took over was Arai's dead corpse and the theory now is that Violence will show up in the OP after Arai does die as either a small nod to the theory or an outright confirmation. Edit: Wow internet theory really aged poorly. Oh well.
I was hoping you were going to mention the zombie snail, i thought you were going to skip over it when you said “weird snack.” But now i understand you were protecting the anime watchers. Great video overall, I think you did a bang up job conveying all the hidden messages in this op. Definitely the best op of all time
So, after watching the first half of the video, i paused at the recommended time, read the entire manga, took a month to recover, and have now watched the second half. Good shit. 10/10 video.
Something I noticed that you did not point out (unless I missed something), is on 1:13 of the OP when Denji cracks an egg on the side of a glass bowl, we zoom out to see that while the egg is still broken in his hand, the bowl is no where to be seen, almost as if it was never their in the first place. I have a couple of ideas as to what this could mean, but they are all pretty big spoilers so I'll refrain for now, just figured it was worth pointing out as I haven't heard anyone really talking about this.
Holy shit I must’ve watched this a million times and never caught that. What’s your spoilery idea about it? Kinda curious now that the bowl thing has been pointed out to me
I'm not sure that's actually true. In the post-egg crack shot you can see what looks like the top of a glass bowl peaking out over the top of the raised back to the countertop Denji is working on.
@@brookejon3695 oh my god wait not only were you right but the egg shot itself is already in the bowl. he is cracking it on the edge of a glass bowl, how did i not see this sooner, i guess maybe because it's transparent but reflective? but it seems so obvious in retrospect ofc- >:OO spoilers: not sure if this was mentioned in the video but he's cooking alone not just because of aki, but because... makima fridge, and then cut to door, lmao
Minor spoilers, but continuing the analogy of the big fight in the opening paralleling a big fight in the manga, I feel it's relevant that in it Denji takes inspiration from something Aki does earlier and is assisted by Power in executing it, dealing the final blow to their enemy.
Another detail on the Reservoir Dogs shot, in the very last frames when Denji looks happily at Makima, losing focus on Aki and Power and looking directly at her, her gaze shifts from a warm smile at Aki, to smirk as she narrows her eyes and looks in the direction of Denji, and she’s suddenly covered in shadow. She notably doesn’t turn around, and at the front of the pack, so nobody behind her sees her change of expression.
Also notice how through out the OP there are two golden balls which the bowling scene confirms they 'belong to Aki' however there is only ever one red ball which is associated with denji, though you could say the appearance of the second ball AFTER denji is revved by Makima could symbolically represent his regrowth of his second post transformation into a devil
Seeing the amount of effort you put into this is really inspiring. I appreciate you not just making an 8 minute video just going over pop culture references, 10/10 video, script, and editing.
SPOILER WARNING One interpretation that I had of the movie theatre scene was that it signifies the character deaths throughout the manga. Himeno going to sleep being the first to die of the group, and Power taking Kobeni's seat as she(Kobeni) is the only one other than Denji that is alive at the end of part 1.
I've been saving this video until I caught up with the anime. The OP has given me weird chills, a sense of future plot points, and I have been looking forward to diving into your analysis.
Caught up on the manga, and this video. Gonna say '0' to your question. And it's because of the OP, and a certain facial expression made by a certain character. I recognise contempt in a facial expression, and what it can signify. With that said: suspecting that it was coming didn't change how much the reveal in the manga ended up amazing me in how it was executed. Damn. Emotional whiplash.
For everyone commenting about the Snail & other details, remember there is a manga spoiler section where I go more in depth on certain symbols and references.
SNAIL 🐌
Hah! Literally just commented on the slug stuff. Guess I’ll have to see the rest of the video to see if it applies!
(I mean, I was gonna anyway, ‘cause this is great, but still!)
sad that you didnt mentioned the hanging blades behind katana-man as a dark souls reference
@@Waluigi_Time SNAIL 🐌
also the some ants referencing the six fingers vacation trip
Denji reaching out for Makima only to be touching water is a Japanese (originally from classic Chinese) idiom 「鏡花水月」, which literally means flower in mirror, moon in water, a metaphor for something unreachable or doesn't exist.
The kanji reads as Kyouka Suigetsu, incidentally the name of Aizen’s zanpakuto, whose powers are based on illusions.
(edit, didn't get to the part in the video yet where he quite literally pointed it out)
I also feel like you could also connect that line and scene to how
[Spoiler]
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Makama isn't interested in denji at all, but in fact only interested in chainsaw man who resides in his heart
That's a really incredible metaphor. I haven't read the manga but I imagine Makima has some sort of really facetious manipulative side that's been foreshadowed already. She knows how to control Denji, by understanding all his desires and wants. But she can never really give them to him because once Denji achieves his goal, he will no longer have the insane drive to be a devil hunter and will likely realize how horrid his situation is. As Makima is the person responsible for Denji's effectiveness as a devil hunter, I feel like this makes a lot of sense.
@@brunoemf90 Rukia's big bro also taunts Renji when tries to fight him, saying he is like a baboon reaching into the waters reflection to reach the moon.
yes but water is also the universal sign of traveling through to the afterlife in other cultures as well as rebirth, which makes sense if u know what the control demon actually does before the academy arc.
The anime community might think it's ready for the gloriousness that is Kobeni they will never be ready for Kobeni's car
it's her second contracted devil after all. A lot of people are afraid of cars
I still love the fact that the community voted for Kobenis Car higher in the popularity polls than they did for Kobeni. Proud of this community.
@@int3r4ct im sorry what? I absolutely need to see this
@@int3r4ct And exactly 1 spot above kobeni at that
I can’t wait for the anime to get to Kobeni’s car and for all the anime only people to be really confused why we’re all so excited
My friend who is a forester brought up to me that the song's name "Kickback" is a real life Chainsaw reference that they experience where the chainsaw will sometimes "kick back" to the users face causing deadly injuries. Everything ties together so well it's actually awesome
Holy shit chainsaw in real life????????
yeah when I found out the song was called kick back I got so mad abt how good it was
specifically, kickback occurs when you hit something with the tip of the chainsaw. something something just the tip et cetera
My husband is a tree trimmer and didn't catch it. TH-cam making your girl look smart for the win!
@@valmurray9632just the tip
@@valmurray9632o
Another bit on the movie theatre part:
In Fujimoto's other manga Fire Punch, the ideal way to experience a movie in the theatre that was given was to get popcorn but avoid a drink as that would just lead to you having to leave midway for the bathroom.
Here we see Denji and Makima sharing popcorn (with Makima directly feeding Denji at one point) but have no drinks. Aki and Himeno don't have drinks either, though they seem to be having fries instead. The only one with a drink is Kobeni, who of course has to leave midway through, giving Power the opportunity to steal her seat and claim it as her own.
Bro that is brilliant
@@phoenixeye4610 Thank you!
i feel like fujimoto enjoys making kobeni suffer as much as possible in this show and makes comedy out of it
Bro it's not that deep
@@lechungus1832 Bro why do you watch these analyses?
I think it’s no coincidence that a montage of our main cast acting out in movie roles (everyone EXCEPT makima) is followed by a long shot of everyone watching a movie, and then a shot later of Makima doing a picture frame with her fingers before the splash of blood almost like she said “action”. Followed by a Hollywood-esque action montage, such a sick way of representing Makima directing the entire story/cast
Mind Blown Moment hearing that.
Nice job
Beautiful.
wow!!! genius!
You're right about the picture frame thing but Makima was literally in the first movie reference :p
Also the one at the bowling alley and the Thor one
I mean that’s kinda obvious
MINOR SPOILERS
One thing I think was missed is that Denji reaching for Makima only to hit water is a clear allusion to the Japanese allegory of the monkey reaching to grasp the moon's reflection in a lake and then drowning, foreshadowing that the thing he's chasing after is an illusion.
I didn't read the manga I only watch the anime, but I started believe what you say with the opening at the begin, because the snail she gives to Denji is infected with a parasyte who control the brain of snails, in some way, that's a very huge spoiler, like happen with Dai no daibouken op 2.
but in other cultures it other symbolizes passing into the afterlife or in this case rebirth bc of what the control demon actually does before the academy arc
my favourite parts of this opening is just seeing Denji and Power share their one collective braincell like good friends should
Right?
Ope just commented something similar lol
Love to see it
One of the things you missed is after the first round of movies, you'll notice Makima is only in one of them. 1 out of 10 references, like how she says she only connects with every 1 out of 10 movies.
DAMN Thats so good
WTF
Yoooooo broo wtf
omggg yooo I forgot about that, good catch!
In b4 Jeff hearts this comment
[SPOILER]
Something I haven't seen mentioned about this opening is a small detail in the scene where Denji tries to reach Makima. You can clearly see some kind of bug on his left hand, which kind of looks like it's stinging him. The same bug (I think) is then found on his head in the following scene. I'm pretty sure it's one of those parasitoid wasps that lay eggs directly in an insect, thus turning their host into "zombies" and later leading them to their death. This would be yet another warning sign Denji is ignoring, in addition to the more obvious parasite-infected snail.
I'm glad I'm not the only one noticed
To add to the messed up situation, the snail is definitely infected…by a Leucochloridium, and it's a parasitic worm that invades a snail's eyestalks, where it pulsates to imitate a caterpillar to lure prey or get itself eaten.
Oh, I was just asking about this! What about the silverfish-looking-thing on his head during when he’s laying his head on her lap do you think?
Fun fact: It looks like a generic wasp. However, most wasps species (solely the female ones in said species) will find a suitable host to lay their eggs inside and sting them into a compliant state. What this means is that the female wasps will sting a creature, bend it to its will with the venom concoction, then implant eggs inside to slowly eat away at the creature while it's still alive. So it's definitely a reference to Makima, as are the other parasites in that snippet in their own way.
It's an ant combined with the fungus growing referencing how the zombi fungi Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (here that would be Makima) which takes control over ants (Denji)
I don’t think i could go on for half an hour just analyzing an anime opening. I applaud your effort.
The truly impressive part isn't how long he can talk for. It's how much he was able to cut out of the D&B joke section.
I don't think I could spend 10 minutes analyzing dick and balls
There's already a channel that has made all these connections beforehand. It lists everything so the credit i think should go to that everyone else is just copying it.
@@GothPaoki dude there's so many content creators out there it's hard to give credit to just one person. This exact video has probably been done at least 15 times by now this is just his version.
@@kaiju_kun True, and I think Mother's Basement does it better than most on TH-cam when it comes to Anime. They also pick up on different things because there's stuff in this video that I haven't seen in any others.
A thing you missed is how when makima is in the same shot as denji and his friends, she's always separating them into two groups. A classic abusive relationship move is to push someone's friends away from them to keep them isolated and dependent
nice one
Spoilers:
Not only that, makima is the one who separates them from him forever. She stuck herself between denji and his friends, and killed both of them (well she made denji kill aki but you get my point)
@@johnwiese6760 wow spoiler
@@ukuviispert9599 i mean if youre reading in the comments of a spoiler video, not only that but the replies of one that shows makimas true nature that has not been revealed yet and wont be until the end of the story, i would say thats kinda on you man
@@johnwiese6760 this video isnt a spoiler video, 75% or even more of it is spoiler free and is entirely anime only. The last section with spoilers also has a huge warning about them.
The comment you replied to isnt a spoiler either because makima being manipulative is one of the most obvious things when you first meet her character. And thats the only thing the comment talks about, they never said who she actually is or what she makes denji do, they only stated the thing thats obvious in the very frist scene you meet her in
So no, its not on me.
The boner joke being exactly in the middle of the 2 golden balls ,while the japanese word for golden ball also meaning testicle, really sealed the deal for me. absolute genius.
I really like that Power is the only one introduced by name in the OP. It fits Power's personality, as if she insisted that the OP focus on her, while adding to the chaos of the video.
Oh yeah!! That does fit!
Butts in
Demands attention
Camera focuses on Dennis
Leaves frame
@@pacotaco1246 dennis
@@FFKonoko indeed. dennis
@@pacotaco1246 He has red on him.
Something that maybe you missed (SOPILERS):
In the Makima's reflection scene, she looks at Denji's face for a brief moment and then just looks at Denji's chest (heart, Pochita), which I think is alluding the fact that she never noticed Denji and only cared about Pochita.
Maybe put a few more line breaks between the spoiler warning and the text, so the anime-only's can't even accidentally read the rest of it.
@@sagecolvard9644 Oke oke
The insects on denji are also all related to crontol in a way. The blue hawk wasp in his head are a type of wasp that hunts spiders and uses a venom to take control of their bodies so their babies can be born inside the spider's Bodie
When Denji asks Makima to hold him and she catches him without hesitation seems so innocuous until you realize what her actions imply about her relationship with the Chainsaw
I thought Aki standing on the snow was a reference to what happened. He was playing outside in the snow with his brother when *stuff happened*. So that ended up making him grow up much faster and deal with reality head on. But that event has also frozen him in place (the snow on him) as it's the foundation of everything he does. He's unable to move on with his life. Power and Denji staying child-like are their coping skills. Makima being who she is, and the very calculated play she made, would have her be the only one on a book stack as her knowledge is wide spread and more grounded. She's 10 steps ahead of everyone else which is why she can see into space/the future
I also thought the snow on Aki was a reference to his past and his connection to the Gun Demon. I'd also add that Makima, who's the only one aware of everything actually going on around them, is looking straight towards pitch darkness, and you'd know what place looks like that if you'd read the manga...
Kobeni is the only character in this show who can represent how the audience would do in that job.
She is crazy talented and hardworking tho... You overestimate us
...Especially in dancing
that's a lie. We would never have survived the way Kobeni did. Most of us would have died immediately but since Kobeni seems to have made a deal with the plot armor devil she's still here
i mean the way she acts, definitely, but shes actually really strong cuz remember that one devil she fought with ease? so i think the audience would probably just die on the first day
I mean, she survived fighting devils, so she already got that over most of the audience.
well to be fair she is actually pretty strong so we would all do much worse
Not sure if this was covered in the spoiler section as I'm trying to be anime-only here, but a detail I think is interesting is that Makima only appears in one movie reference - the Reservoir Dogs scene at the beginning, and she stands in for Quentin Tarantino, the director of the movie. This suggests she's the director behind the camera for all the other "scenes" (especially since there's so many more Tarantino references), and explains why she "lines up the shot" (also a double entendre) in the first blood splatter scene - going further to characterize her as the one who has vision and calls the shots while everyone around her are just actors in her movie.
Interesting! I think you might be right.
oooooh spot on. Nice find
Also reference to a character in fire punch
Animators: "So,how much symbolism and references do you want us to put in the OP?"
Mappa and Fujimoto: "Yes."
Mappa and Fujimoto, surprised: "Dick-n-balls!"
"Yes, sir."
"How many frames of animation you got?"
They are learning from isayama
nuts...
You forgot to add Yamashita.
Don't forget that when Denji looks to Makima and blushes, Makima also looks at him back with kind of sussy eyes.
Combine that with the shadows completely covering her face as she looks toward denji, damn near spooked the shit out of me it caught me so off guard when I first noticed
She looks so cool with those evil eyes.
The Big Lebowski opens on a tumblin' tumble weed, so that's why it is used in the transition to the bowling alley.
no way really
19/10 as a non-manga reader my mind is blown, thanks Jeff
he warned you
make sure you read the manga, at least reading the chapters in parallel with the airing of the anime, or else you're missing out
@@drewbabe no, when the series end in episode 12 then he'll read
Should not have done through the door lol
F
ur whole experience just got worse xD
the fact that the lyrics for when Denji is getting his hair stroked in Maikima's lap is "I want to be happy, I want to live an easy life" gets me every time
Kenshi Yonezu has always been a phenomenal songwriter and singer to me. While nowadays being popular for his song "Peace Sign" for MHA season 2 and now Chainsaw Man, he was a name within the vocaloid community years ago also under the name "Hachi". Who is well known for the song "Donut hole" and many others, with a notable thing about the songs being very much dark in tone but with an almost quirky spin on it making it feel that much darker. His songs made in that time also reflected a dark time in his life, more notably he was very depressed and this was shown in alot of his work, almost like a cry for help but he has gotten help over time, I believe with support from family. Even now, it feels like some of that time remains even in "Kick Back" and his newer releases but not as prominent since he has been doing better but it still shines through subtly, though I feel this is what makes his music iconic, to me at least.
3/10 Anime. Makes me crin-e with its sexual-stuff. Powers are so ill defined i can never feel Tension cause who-knows
what People can tank.
HACHI DID THE OPENING⁉️ I had no idea that's so cool
@@nenmaster5218skill issue
Two things stand out to me as extremely major plot points not addressed in the video (MANGA SPOILERS):
1: The amount of books Makima is standing on is a pretty decent amount. The Space devil describing knowledge of the whole universe as a library comes to mind quite quickly. Her also claiming Santa Claus doesn't even have the knowledge to fill a single page of a single book, even after gaining knowledge from darkness, all while Makima is displayed with at least a hundred or so full books? Unlikely to be a coincidence.
2: Another semi-obvious reference for Power's intro is how loose the bikini top is, pointing out how she blatantly pads her chest.
yes i like this point, someone really thought about the library manga scene first in order to decide on using the standing on different levels reference with books, and then probably constructed the rest of the metaphor to fit next.
halloween
@@AniSage Halloween
Halloween
Halloween
4:18 - 4:25 That Shot mostly symbolizes The friendship between the two leads as they drive to their dead end jobs. Cliff to Denji, Rick to Aki respectfully.
And while they both like each other and are basically blood brothers. Both pairs have a distinct superior/subordinate roll(s).
It doesn't interfere with their friendship in the film but it does strain it and adds tension in certain scenes.
I've only seen the first two episodes of Chainsaw Man but I have seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood quite a few times so I'll just add that the superior/subordinate roles in the friendship are a little more complicated. Cliff needs Rick because he's Rick's stunt double, he only has a job because Rick is a popular actor that only takes roles if they also hire Cliff. You would think that this makes Cliff the obvious subordinate and he does do a lot of little jobs and favors for Rick but throughout the movie he is the one motivating Rick and taking care of him. Cliff is the character that does all the gruntwork that allows Rick to succeed and that is shown in the finale when Cliff does most of the work and Rick comes in for the flashy finish. This dynamic is first shown in this scene when Cliff goes over to Rick's house to get him ready and drive him to work.
It's Rick's car but Cliff is the one who's driving/controlling it, Cliff can't go anywhere without Rick but Rick won't go anywhere without Cliff.
@@thisishandlenumber2048 Thanks for clarifying. Its been a while since I saw 'Once upon a time in Hollywood' and your thoughts on Rick and Cliff are spot on for Denji and Aki.
Though I warn you their finale is going to take a much more tragic turn.
@@leohex8767 you are such an unadulterated asshole it is unbelievable. An internet stranger stops by to drop some helpful analysis to co tribute to a conversation and you reward them by trying to ruin a show they’re watching for them. Absolutely screw off and leave the rest of the population alone.
One other note in the snail scene: if you look at Denji's head as he sits up, you can see an emerald cockroach wasp, or jewel wasp, sitting in his hair. Jewel wasps are known for injecting cockroaches with venom in order to disable their escape response, before leading them back to their burrow, laying eggs on them, and allowing their larvae to eat them alive.
The snail she feeds denji is also infected with a parasite that lives in the eyes and CONTROLS the snail. Causing the snail to climb up high into the open so it can be eaten by a bird. The parasites literally pulsate like that to attract the attention of predators. I wonder what that could mean in relation to Makima's character later in the series???
Also right before that when hes reaching for her and only meets water, there's an ant on one of his hands. Im pretty sure its supposed to be a zombie ant that's infected. All together, its a bunch of parasitic creatures covering our boy.
It’s a shame What’s in an OP isn’t a great fit for the algorithm, because everytime one comes out I’m reminded of how much it really is my favorite thing you do
The jade wasp on Denii's left hand as he reaches out to Makima is yet another parasitic species that manipulates the infected host.
yup specifically cockroaches by completely paralyzing them and making the eggs hatch and eat their way out
SPOILERS
I also really like the small detail that Angel is sitting right behind Himeno because he’s the next in line / going to take her place as Aki's buddy. It would be so cool to see him actually move to the front and sit next to him in the OP after she passes away, if we get that far.
Sadly that didn't happened :(
I'm so happy someone finally mentioned that subtle yet obvious chainsaw slowly getting bigger while Denji looks at Makima
With the added obviousness of the nosebleed. Here we are tricked into thinking it's a neat "slowmo activation" of his power (as some shows like to do), but here it's totally his one-track perverted mind going hard.
In a couple of REALLLLLY blink and miss it few frames, when Denji is smiling at Makima, she herself is glancing with a knowing smirk without actually showing her face to him. Right before the scene darkens her face. Showing she's fully aware of their dynamic and will exploit it as much as possible.
And she's also looking at his heart not his face.
@@lachemineepingouin3635 different scene but youre right
Also, the "Broken Egg Shot" is more obviously another allusion to the whole "nut-shattering" foreshadowing going on.
I don't know if it's a more popular innuendo for hitting your nuts in Japan than it is in America, but it's a pretty popular one in both.
considering the rest of the insanely specific american culture influences like the upcoming thor one, i would definitely agree that the egg has indeed been shattered lmao
manga spoilers:
denji's post-crack clarity = learning how to _cook_ what's in the fridge alone, then of course it cuts to the door
I will never accuse anyone of over analyzing anything again for the rest of my life. You set a new high bar and beat it ruthlessly with what used to be the high water mater mark of analysis. This is over the top analysis, like I just watched the Matrix for the first time.
MAPPA did one hell of a job in giving this series the justice it deserves, it’d be crazy if you covered every ending to this extent as well
What a time to be alive
2 weeks and only two replies?
OK now that Ive fnished the video, I can now say THIS is the best WIAOP ever made, the analysis was top notch and the way u structured this video (as mentioned in Layer 3) is just phenomenal. This has got to be one of ur best videos ever. Congrats, made me love Chainsawman even more.
Thank you for the wonderful compliment!
@@mothersbasement u deserve it bro. This video did make me have that Denji face.
if you think about it, this video is also structured like the OP is: the first part is mostly about references, the second part is about innuendo, and the third part is about spoilers. mind blown yet?? if true, then Geoff actually made a dick-shaped video
@@drewbabe geoff is playing 5d chess with us. Who knows. He might even be the (spoilers) control devil
@@amendez7653 What up Amendez! Haven't seen you on the Crunchyroll comments, glad to see you're still kickin' it here on TH-cam.
Denji is also on Makima’s right in every shot. While Power and Aki and the others are always on her left. Surprised you didn’t mention that.
3/10 Anime. Makes me crin-e with its sexual-stuff. Powers are so ill defined i can never feel Tension cause who-knows
what People can tank.
@@nenmaster5218 Can't handle adult/explicit themes?
@@nenmaster5218 what are you? 12 years old? Boobs scare you? Lmao
@@SevenZeroEleven I could give the very same question backt o you, couldnt I?
misunderstanding my comment as 'being scared' is quite WOW. And then ending the comment with Lmao reallycements the fact how immature you sound.
@@SevenZeroEleven Please do proofread your comment before clicking 'post'
I missed your opening analyses, Mother's Basement. I really, really did. Not just for how good they were but for what it symbolised in the great internet timeline, haha. God, those days
Agreed. I'm genuinely surprised he still does them/did one for this anime. Miss the days of JoJo OPs and such...
same, i hope he will do the new bleach op as well and jojos to etce
Fujimoto is a huge movie fan not surprised by all the references, glad to see his work finally animated!
For the spoiler section:
One additional thing to note during the moment when Denji is reaching for Makima's chest. Look where Makima's eyes are. She's not meeting Denji's eyes, which would be the camera. They're pointed down, to about where Denji's chest, and therefore heart, would be.
15:25 Aki standing on a snow pile while having snow on his head and shoulders make's me tear up a bit.
Another point with the whole “the initials represent denji/csm’s impact on the world” is that he has no control over it, having been quite literally thrown into the whole thing.
oh yeah!!! Hahaha! That is genius!
God this op is hilariously awsome
13:14
I think that shot of power with the glasses is also a reference to when kishibe is training them, and they try to "be smarter" by wearing glasses.
I just listened to a man explain ball jokes for 20 minutes and somehow I agree with every single thing he said
you don't have one...
I loved that the songwriters of the OP added Denji's catchphrase "It's Denjin time" to the lyrics. Bravo Tatsuki
And then he Denjed all over them
Honestly the idea that it isn't obvious that there's something VERY CLEARLY WRONG with Makima has got to be one that only applies to people as dumb and horny as Denji. I read the manga a week ago with pretty much no spoilers going in and Makima was setting off all the red flags.
He knows theres something wrong with her,second episode he talks about how she treats people like dogs,no different than how he was treated before.
But she gives him her coat,and he doesnt care anymore about being treated as a dog and the series continues this way,every time Denji is a bit down she does something to manipulate him into doing what she wants
Unfortunately I was very dumb and horny
I think it's something more of a cult of personality, combined with the fact that she's constantly surrounding herself with dysfunctional, traumatized people that aren't really in the place to pick up on all the red flags, like how Aki's stuck in this revenge-driven stasis, Power being such a loose cannon, or the fact that for Denji, even when he realizes she mistreats him, she STILL treats him better than most other people combined with his already idealized image of women.
She also probably just looks so comparatively normal based on everyone else around her that when she does have these more openly ominous tendencies, it comes off as merely a quirk of hers.
She's a walking red flag lol
I literally described her as being composed of more red flags than a Soviet military parade only a few episodes into the show before I had even read the manga, so I feel you. But on the upside, I think a lot of young, naïve people are learning what being groomed and emotionally manipulated by someone with more power and experience actually looks like before it happens to them, which I think is really important.
The part with Denji's third eye opening at the bowling connection is actually so fucking funny but easy to miss, thank you anime pope
Please what is it
Another meaning to the "I think I'm forgetting something" line from later on in the OP can be found in the original "Souda! We're Alive" song. The original chant didn't just go as "doryoku, mirai, a beautiful star", but also changed with each line, with its variants including "doryoku, zenshin, a beautiful star" and "doryoku, heiwa, a beautiful star", both of those new words meaning "progress" and "peace" respectively, things absent from CSM's world. It could also be a reference to (spoilers) Chainsaw Devil's secret.
So basically the singer forgot the rest of the line. lol
The nut shot metaphor becomes even more clear when you consider that it smash cuts to Denji breaking an egg right after the ball collides with devil
Something else worth noting about the snail is...
SPOILERS
The bright colours of the parasite are so that they attract birds to eat the snail, so that the parasite reproduces inside the bird, its offspring being pooped out and spread to other snails that eat the poo. In other words, the parasite reproduces by being eaten, just like Makima becoming Nayuta after Denji eats her.
gawd
Thank you. I was coming down to check if someone had commented on this. Important 4D chess levels of layering.
Ohh yea i just watched a documentary about that parasite too
that eats off the host snail and control them
so it can mean both ways then
she is feeding denji which shows her intention towards him
damn i didnt noticed that when i first watch the opening
I should have noticed dat man as a manga reader i am ashamed
A few details not mentioned in the video:
At the start of the opening, we see illustration from Divine Comedy and sound of chainsaw. According to Dante, place depicted on the picture - lake of fire is place where demons are born. And in manga, it's said that when demons are born they hear the sound of the chainsaw. So, it all adds up.
The second detail is that in the Jacobs Ladder movie, son of the main hero sitting on the stairs has the name Gabe, which in Bible is angel Gabriel, accompanying dead people on their way to heaven. And in the opening we have the angel devil with pretty much the same abilities.
"And in manga, it's said that when demons are born they hear the sound of the chainsaw. So, it all adds up." Wait what? I do not remember this , but that they all feared the sound of the chain saw
@@Chalo122790 It is explained in ch. 53
Angel Devil: "I asked the guys in special divisions, and none of them remember hell. But, everyone remembered a sound *right before dying there.* Interestingly enough, the entire special divisions had heard the same sound"
Aki: "...What was it?"
Angel Devil: "I've pulled chainsaw-kun's cord before. The roar of his engine... It's the same sound as that."
The chainsaw is stated to be heard upon death in Hell, not birth on earth, in Ch.53
@@slickestrick4117 it is said that demons cycle between life in hell and in the overworld, so death in hell basically means birth in overworld. Am i wrong?
@@510wburn The implication is that Chainsaw Man is killing demons in the afterlife and the sound of the chainsaw is the last thing they hear *before they die*
You stated that they hear the chainsaw *when they are born,* but when they are born is a different time from *just before they die,* and the changed timeline alters the metaphor. They don't hear it upon birth, it's a memory they have from when they were still alive in hell.
If you go to an amusement park > eat a corn dog > go on a ride > then throw up, you didn't eat a corn dog then throw up, there is something that happened in between that that changes the context.
“Now let’s bounce back to after the first testicle” Truly a wordsmith
Ngl, I had 0 idea about the references made and I was just in it for the Denji x Power dance. This makes it so much better
10:40 The scenes with Denji on the golden Ball as Well as Power throwing blood and DonutDevil dodging are animated by YenYen / Ct_Bm, He confirmed it himself :)
He's Made 5 shots in the OP in total
"and the a tumbleweed roll by, for some reason" killed me
*SPOILERS BELOW*
The snow aki stands on could also be noted to be temporary and once it melts he's back in that childish place just like denji and power. Aki has built his perception on reality from his past (in his snowy home) but when it all melts he's still just a kid, so when Aki and Denji fight and his mental state of "worldly understanding" is gone he's a child again having a snowball fight.
bro you didn't have to put snowball fight in ;-;, lets just have a happy birthday :>
Since you tagged your spoilers I'm jumping on to this.
Spoilers below!
In many, if not all of the group shots you can also see how Denji is "cut off" from the group by Makima. Can't analyze it as well, but I'm certain there's a reason it's Denji on the left, then Makima, then the rest of the group in all those shots. (Reservoir dogs walk/Bowling Alley/Cinema)
@@da_slayer_7863 *bang*
Potential spoiler? So read with caution.
One thing I haven't seen anyone mention but that stuck out to me immediately was that in every ensemble shot involving our main 4 characters (Aki, Denji, Makima, Power) Makima is always positioned in such a way as to keep herself between Denji and everyone else. The only real exception is the scene where she's walking Denji on the beach, but even then she's walking Denji away from Power, which could be taken as a reference to that one scene in the Manga where Denji asks to become a dog while completely leaving Power behind. Anytime Denji is with a group while Makima is around she is framed as a kind of divider, which I thought was really interesting, given the context of Denji's relationships with the other Demon Hunters
Also the way she turns to look at him in the begginning MEANS a lot
This is a pretty good take, thanks for sharing
This man accurately predicted where s1 was gonna end by analising the placement of the obscure cock and ball joke in the opening holy shit
(HUGE HUGE HUGE SPOILERS)
Another thing you seem to have missed in the movie theatre is that in addition to Aki, everyone else sitting in the back is also looking straight forward... that could be an allusion to how they are all under makima's control. And Himeno could be looking back to recognize how many others share this blank stare.
Obviously spoiler (you're reading a response to a comment that was already marked as a spoiler so don't complain):
Angel is definitely one of them, with the same blank stare. Reference to Aki's and Angel's final scene in the manga. That scene struck me incredibly hard, since for the first time, after hearing time and time again "Makima saved me" from all kinds of characters, Aki FINALLY asked himself the important question: "Wait, when did that actually happen?"
I've forgotten if the Shark fiend was mind controlled or not. All I remember is that he was the ultimate Denji fanboy, but that might have been imbued onto him by Makima.
Kishibe sitting in the back was never under her control tho
I didn’t read this but I appreciate the spoiler warning for people like me who are watching this for the first time
@@Nothing-ce8uv (SPOILERS FOR LATER ARCS IN PART 1)
I think with Kishibe being seated so far back, it implies that while he is seen as under Makima’s influence he still has enough perspective to see what’s actually going on. Usually getting the backseats in movie theatres (at least from my experience) let’s you still watch the movie but you are more likely to get interrupted by people in front of you getting up and moving around and, more critically, you can also see other movie-goers seating in front of you. It would be a solid reference to how Kishibe was capable of silently rebelling against Makima by keeping track of her spies and passing information through writing (as seen with his convo with Quanshi) while still under her command.
@@raphaelforkel7759 pretty sure that the shark demon became a follower of chainsaw man at some point and that’s why beam feels loyal towards denji without even knowing why, if am not wrong something like that was alluded when describing the hero of hell
I just wanted to point out the one moment where Aki breaks his stoicism is when he's alone with Power and Denji in a completely mundane environment. So if you know you know.
I don't know, is it a manga spoiler because I stopped at the 8th
@@airplanes_aren.t_real and that's exactly how it should be.
@@airplanes_aren.t_real It is a spoiler to the final arcs
@@MikkelBeer oh ok, thanks for telling, most of it hasn't been translated in my country
Chainsaw man is masterclass in writing
Also I saw the carnivorous plants blossoming out of Denji as a symbol of Makima's grooming. She planted those seeds.
It's further reinforced by her reaching towards him in that creepy way. The way her eyes flick down knowingly as an experienced adult, while he reaches for her chest. How it transitions to her watching him transform into a devil with her hands positioned over her eye with in a photographer's framing. He's an object of her malicious hunger to posses him.
“Let me know which bits blew your mind in the comments…”
All of them. All of the bits. I was pulling that ‘eureka-Denji’ face for a half hour straight.
My god, man. BRAVO 👏
Before this, I thought chainsaw man had the best opening of all time, but now i realized it has THE BEST OPENING OF ALL TIME!
THE FUTURE RULES!
No im sorry that goes to neon genesis evangelion.
@@latinstuff1 a cruel angel's thesis has no dick nor titty jokes on it, so its a very strong second place
@@latinstuff1 The legendary one but surely not the best.
mob pyscho 2 :((
I forgot about half of the stuff that happens in the manga, so remembering all of them with your analysis of the OP was mind-blowing. I'll go re-read CSM now
The part that blew my mind was the 7 frames of him frowning! You cant even see it at normal speed but THEY ANIMATED IT ANYWAY! As someone who is currently teaching myself animation, this blows my mind because I know how much work can go into one frame! The 2nd part that blew my mind was about the zombie eyestalk parasite--because holy hell that's so freaking cool but terrifying?!?! WHAT THE HELL, NATURE?!
Which frame is that
In the part where denji is reaching out towards makima (from his pov), i believe her eyes shift down from his face to his chest
Also as soon as makima begins making the frame with her hands, denji begins transforming into chainsaw man, indicative of the way makima views him
So. About that slug snack. That glowing rainbow shit is actually a brain eating parasitic fungus that mind controls slugs. Im sure that represents Makima's control over Denji. Its just too awfully specific of a reference to ignore
It's so painfully obvious that I actually think it was a mistake on Mappa's part to add that scene. That's just my opinion though and the zombie snail is not really "common knowldge" I guess
32:29 the guy even tells you the name of it, watch the video, man.
Yeah that’s what I was, hasn’t read the manga but as soon as I saw the snail I was like she’s going to be bad isn’t she
@Schadenfreude tbf so few people actually care about such details so it doesn't change much. Most people skip the opening or watch it without thinking twice. Before watching this vidéo and comment section i originally thought it was some hallucinations-inducing slug, and just thought it was there to say "hey denji wants makima so hard he'd go as far as to eat weird looking-shit if she told him to", and the following "Future Devil" scene was nothing more to me than the aftermath of eating that slug from Denji's perspective, a weird trip
So imo it's fine that they put it there, because now i actually known that such a parisitic slug exists 🤷♀️
Somebody didn't read the pinned comment
Here's three more references that I caught.
1. Fujimoto has stated in interviews that his inspiration for Power is Walter from the Big Lebowski and Eric Cartman, and in the shot where Aki winds up for the bowl, we can see Power behind him sitting in Walter's spot, and drawn rather roundly, pointing and laughing in complete Cartman fashion. (She's probably laughing at the weiner joke)
2. The balls and chain have been individually referenced in the OP's main fight scene, but the combination of the ball and chain further contributes to the workplace prisoner and leash motifs that are present throughout the story, as well as the greater scenario for Denji that has been set up.
3. This isn't from the opening itself, but from the single cover for KICK BACK. Denji in his chainsaw form is being pulled by a certain hand, and we know this because this hand, aside from *two fingers*, is referencing a very specific pose made by this person. The connection between these two poses didn't click until I saw this cover, and continues to blow my mind with its implications.
Who is it in the 3rd point? I cannot remember.
@@dr4gonbl4z3r I believe it's referring to Makima when the door is open
@@illust_sushi It could also be referring to what Denji had to fight a few chapters before Makima opened the door
@@illust_sushi I think this is deep in enough for spoilers.
It's referring to Makima's finger gun. It's pretty vague but the leading theory is that this power is her control over part of the gun devil. However, because the finger gun is the pose your hand makes before pulling the chainsaw cord, I believe this may be part of Makima's natural powers. Just like she can control people by pulling them towards her, she can also push people away in the most violent way possible. It's mad poetic.
@@AweSirJerk Ah, I noticed the hand on that picture looking like her finger gun, but never made the connection between that and the "pulling" motion.
That's really interesting actually!
Speaking of parasite symbolism - when denji is reaching out to makima and when he is being fed a snail, you can see insects on his hand and head respectively. Its hard to tell the species for sure, but i am willing to bet the one on the head represents parasitic wasps due to its general shape, and the one on the hand seems to resemble an ant, which is probably a reference to so called zombie ants, infected by Ophiocordyceps unilteralis fungus
The Snail as well - I can't remember what species it belongs to - but there's a particular kind where the larvae begin their growth in the eye-stalks while also taking control of the nervous system; similar to cordyceps fungus in ants. That's what those colorful moving eye-stalks in the OP represent. Unfortunately, they look much more disgusting in real life...
@@F0rr0r they look much more green & yellow, and far less prismatic & glowy
@@F0rr0r the one mentioned in the video already?
@@FFKonoko yes
@@F0rr0r The worm in the Snail is called leucochloridium paradoxum. The Blooming Flower is probably Cuscuta which is also parasitic and has in german the hilarious name Kletterhur.
DISCUSSION OF SPOILR SECTION BELOW
So I didn't get spoiled by your video, but Makima's identity was spoiled to me by a merch website I was shopping on lmao. I wasn't super surprised, it makes sense given her introduction. If anything, having that aspect spoiled for me might have improved my appreciation for this story and its writing because it reframes everything she does in a much more sinister light. Watching Makima manipulate the gang is chilling and her VA really does a good job of giving Makima's every word just a hint of danger.
Hey we have the same name!:D
The other thing that BLOWS MY MIND about the zombie eyestalk parasite is that they probably knew most of their audience wouldn't know what that creature is--I certainly didn't until now--so not only did they load it with symbolism but they ANIMATED IT ANYWAY! This is so freaking cool!
I was looking for other comments that mention this, because I recently relearned what it was by reading Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service!
I haven't read the manga, or watched the anime, but I knew the snail and the cordiceps and I was like... wait this is really important isn't it
I remember the acutual video footage of the parasitic snails go viral in the Japanese Twitter community before Chainsaw man Anime was released, that made me really sick.
@@zdkygnofda wow!🤯 also yikes!!
Oh boy, I lost my mind when I first saw it actually, since I did know what that snail is, also all of the other plants are either carnivorous or parasitic too
On 9:55 you can see the eyes of the snail are throbbing.. I think it's a reference to Leucochloridium, a parasite that invades snails, eats their eyes and basically pilots the snail by pulsating where to go via it's eyestalks.. could be that Denji is never truly in control of his own life
You don't know how far down the comments I had scroll to find someone saying this! I would have thought that type of parasite was more widely known. But yeah it looks like a slightly stylised depiction of that parasite in action, and it fits perfectly with that scene.
The plot twist with makima is.
There is no plot twist. With girls like her usually we will get why she is a good guy also. But not makima. That's actually a very very meta plot twist.
Also kick back the song, is 100% deji theme song. I love it so much
exactly, people who say the anime is making it too obvious have me confused because the whole experience of reading the manga was second-guessing myself, saying 'she must be good, otherwise why would she have the status of being a director?' it made me want to believe makima was helpful and therefore good. i still remember how different that first impression felt throughout till the reveal
Yeah, I was thinking the same. Like, my surprise is 4/10 and not 1/10 because I genuinely believed that it was too obvious that she's bad, she must be doing it for the genuine good of others... but nope.... and ya know what, I was not at all disappointed to learn it was the simpler answer. It was done so well that it was excellent regardless.
I'm still convinced that Kobeni got up to use the restroom because she finished her drink, and Power is just crunching on the ice. I'm not sure what deeper meaning this has if any, but it's great visual storytelling.
I like to believe there's still some of the drink left but Power is crunching on it anyway, meaning Denji is currently using their shared braincell leaving her with just enough thoughts to chew on a liquid.
nah shes monching on the ice because shes a psychopath /s
If you want to look for a deeper meaning to it, in Fire Punch it's said that the best way to enjoy a movie is to have popcorn but no drink so you don't have to leave for the toilet midway through. Makima and Denji on the other hand, are immersed and have the ideal bag of popcorn with no drinks. It's most likely a metaphor.
@@xelith6157 Holy shit
Denjis impacts leaving the CSM acronym legit blew my mind, what insane attention to detail.
I absolutely LOVE the symbolism in current day shonen, whether it be in the openings or the show itself. I knew a lot of the references and symbolism in this particular opening, but miniscule details such as Aki's permanent neutral face or even the locations of characters were really interesting to see!! I've definitely been on an analysis kick for things like csm and jjk lately.
Everything to do with Aki and the themes surrounding ignorance threw me for a loop. Everytime I watched the OP I was absorbed by the ridiculousness of everyone else & almost entirely missed how consistently clever Aki's actions (or inactions) tended to be. The halo in the theater was the last nail in the coffin, right after him using the snow of his childhood trauma to stand up & view the world "like an adult," or "as the world really is." Awesome analysis MB 🤙🏻
Kinda bummed we won't see Reze in the first season, and also means this will likely be 3-4 seasons just for the first 97 chapters (anime only's are going to it rough staying spoiler free) but can we just comment on how many banger OP's we have this season!? Studios are going HARD!
For this show in particular, we’re also getting banger endings too. All five they’ve released so far look and sound amazing!
They could comfortably fit it into 2 seasons with both being 12 episodes each, tho I would say that they could use extra 2 or 3 episodes.
Season 1 will cover at least 40 chapters while the whole manga has 97, so I doubt they would make it into 3 seasons.
It is more probable that they would make 2 seasons and then make the last arc into a movie.
it would be parts part2 part3
just like how mappa handled that jjk adaption
at least she's hidden in this opening ;)
@@darwinwatterson4568 reze is hidden in one of the paintings in the 5th ending theme if you slow it doen
I'd love Geoff do What's In An ED every week for Chainsaw Man because the ending of each episode is amazing.
Every single one is mind-meltingly cool and significant. And the songs are bangers, too.
I’m so happy for the return of “What’s in an OP?” after a full year. Especially with one as badass as Chainsaw Man.
geez it's been a whole year?!!? These videos are my favorites of his!
I already felt like this was one of my favorite openings ever, but I would never have grasped the true extent of it’s throbbing brilliance
throbbing, is that another dick joke here?
throbbing hehe
Okay quick late note: the Texas Chainsaw massacre reference is really cool. The scene Chainsaw Man is referencing is one of the first opening scenes in TCM. It’s a scene of two rotting corpses holding each other who had been killed by the brother of the main horror movie monster (Leatherface). Specifically, this scene I s meant to convey the death of innocents and lurking danger that underlies the horror to come. It’s also meant to create a distrust of everyone the characters meet because ultimately, these people weren’t even killed by Leatherface and were killed by someone who seemed comparatively normal.
For chainsaw man, this quick reference is a nod to the loss of innocence that follows Denji and Pochita, and also points to the fact that the one wielding the chainsaw isn’t necessarily the one to fear.
Anyway if you can stand horror films, go watch Texas chainsaw massacre. It secretly has a lot going on and isn’t really that gory.
The Tumbleweed is also a Big Lebowski reference. First song in the movie.
The whole opening being a dick joke is... unexpected but expected at the same time, glorious opening.
I think this and Meti's video are a good dueto to understand the opening, personally im not that good at watching movies so his explanation of movie references filled the only void left by this one.
7:36 you're gonna love this; there is SNOW on that mountain, much like the kid-sized pile of snow that Aki stands on. Aki stands on that pile in order to get more elevation, while the Gun Devil is at one of the highest elevations on earth you can get, which coincidentally has snow on it. Or perhaps....it's a mountain of snow. A mountain of kid-sized and adult-sized snow piles.
So the connection that we're supposed to make is that the Gun Devil is literally on top of mountains of bodies, one of them Aki stands on. And that connection is solidified because that pile is literally next to kid-Denji.
Or if that's too much of a stretch, you could just say it's a shot of that snowy scene, you know the one...
wow i didn't realize this, makes a lot of sense yeah :0
Here's a small detail, the Violence fiend is in the storyboards for the movie theater shot but not the final version. There's a theory about this I found online.
Spoilers after this point.
There was this old theory that the body the violence fiend took over was Arai's dead corpse and the theory now is that Violence will show up in the OP after Arai does die as either a small nod to the theory or an outright confirmation.
Edit: Wow internet theory really aged poorly. Oh well.
Oh yeah that's a cool theory. It would be crazy if it got incorporated into the intro.
Me, not trying to remember who Arai is after binging the entire Manga in 6 hours:
I was hoping you were going to mention the zombie snail, i thought you were going to skip over it when you said “weird snack.” But now i understand you were protecting the anime watchers. Great video overall, I think you did a bang up job conveying all the hidden messages in this op. Definitely the best op of all time
So, after watching the first half of the video, i paused at the recommended time, read the entire manga, took a month to recover, and have now watched the second half. Good shit. 10/10 video.
Something I noticed that you did not point out (unless I missed something), is on 1:13 of the OP when Denji cracks an egg on the side of a glass bowl, we zoom out to see that while the egg is still broken in his hand, the bowl is no where to be seen, almost as if it was never their in the first place.
I have a couple of ideas as to what this could mean, but they are all pretty big spoilers so I'll refrain for now, just figured it was worth pointing out as I haven't heard anyone really talking about this.
Yeah that's definitely significant. Good catch
Holy shit I must’ve watched this a million times and never caught that. What’s your spoilery idea about it? Kinda curious now that the bowl thing has been pointed out to me
i'd love to hear your thoughts about that. Just type the spoiler like this if you don't want to spoil anyone
SPOILER
and then write it all here
I'm not sure that's actually true. In the post-egg crack shot you can see what looks like the top of a glass bowl peaking out over the top of the raised back to the countertop Denji is working on.
@@brookejon3695 oh my god wait not only were you right but the egg shot itself is already in the bowl. he is cracking it on the edge of a glass bowl, how did i not see this sooner, i guess maybe because it's transparent but reflective? but it seems so obvious in retrospect ofc- >:OO
spoilers:
not sure if this was mentioned in the video but he's cooking alone not just because of aki, but because...
makima fridge, and then cut to door, lmao
Minor spoilers, but continuing the analogy of the big fight in the opening paralleling a big fight in the manga, I feel it's relevant that in it Denji takes inspiration from something Aki does earlier and is assisted by Power in executing it, dealing the final blow to their enemy.
Just subscribed to your channel because of this video. Recently watched the show and read the manga, and...wooo boy, what a roller coaster ride.
Another detail on the Reservoir Dogs shot, in the very last frames when Denji looks happily at Makima, losing focus on Aki and Power and looking directly at her, her gaze shifts from a warm smile at Aki, to smirk as she narrows her eyes and looks in the direction of Denji, and she’s suddenly covered in shadow. She notably doesn’t turn around, and at the front of the pack, so nobody behind her sees her change of expression.
I just love the fact that Denji and Power were doing the Mickey Mouse Hot Dog dance while Aki was so done with their foolishness.
Did you watch the video?
@@gaodargon Yes. I know it's not the Mickey Mouse dance but I'm more familiar with that than idols.
@@claytonrios1 Then you also missed the part where he wasn't actually done with their foolishness
Also notice how through out the OP there are two golden balls which the bowling scene confirms they 'belong to Aki' however there is only ever one red ball which is associated with denji, though you could say the appearance of the second ball AFTER denji is revved by Makima could symbolically represent his regrowth of his second post transformation into a devil
Seeing the amount of effort you put into this is really inspiring. I appreciate you not just making an 8 minute video just going over pop culture references, 10/10 video, script, and editing.
The bit with dancing Denji and Power and his dirty clothes and hidden face made me really sad.. that boy deserves the world for what he went through.
29:24
Holy shit that's a 10/10 spoiler for me
Unironically the best WIAOP you’ve ever made, i hope this blows up
SPOILER WARNING
One interpretation that I had of the movie theatre scene was that it signifies the character deaths throughout the manga. Himeno going to sleep being the first to die of the group, and Power taking Kobeni's seat as she(Kobeni) is the only one other than Denji that is alive at the end of part 1.
Himeno isn't the first to die in the group tho. It's the guy on the far right who's name I always forget
I've been saving this video until I caught up with the anime. The OP has given me weird chills, a sense of future plot points, and I have been looking forward to diving into your analysis.
Alright, I'll save the last bit for when I've caught up on the manga. 11/10 OP as CBT analysis.
Caught up on the manga, and this video. Gonna say '0' to your question. And it's because of the OP, and a certain facial expression made by a certain character. I recognise contempt in a facial expression, and what it can signify. With that said: suspecting that it was coming didn't change how much the reveal in the manga ended up amazing me in how it was executed. Damn. Emotional whiplash.