donohoeashley's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Chainsaw Man continues to be a harrowing story, and volume 10 helps bring the story to a culmination of soul-destroying power dynamics. Makima reveals more insight into the tight web she's woven around Denji's life and why it happened. Denji's age shines through in this volume as well.
Spoiler
At the beginning chapters, his inability to understand and process his grief, instead trying to bury it within vices, showcases how he is only 16 with no real understanding of his emotions. Midway through the story, the reveal of Power's role in Denji's life and her inclusion in Makima's plans was solely to kill her makes her death come with an abundance of emotion. The reveal of Makima's motivations and plans feels well deserved, as retrospective analysis of prior volumes shows inklings of foreshadowing to who she is and how she is operating all along. This is a story that continues to grow and become all the more devastating the further it goes.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Emotional abuse, Child abuse, Alcohol, Death, Alcoholism, Adult/minor relationship, Murder, Death of parent, and Child death
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