English Dub Review: Chainsaw Man: “Mission Start”

Overview: Denji (Ryan Colt Levy), Power (Sarah Wiedenheft), Aki (Reagan Murdock), Kobeni (Bryn Apprill) and other members of Special Division 4 are dispatched to take down the Gun Devil’s partners like that of Samurai Sword (Jason Marnocha) and Akane Sawatari (Emi Lo). 

Our Take: Aki is determined as ever and Makima is as deadly as ever. This is nothing earth-shatteringly new, but their characters are reaffirmed nicely. Aki’s dominant force in wanting to kill the Gun Devil is compelling in his interactions with Kurose in how he serves to show how asinine it may be, but on the other side, how daring.

Makima’s unnerving decorum, in how she coerces information out of the yakuza head to figure out the members aiding the Gun Devil, continues to prove how threatening of a presence she is. From ripping out Yakuza family members’ eyes to her body bursting ability, she is shocking in her composure yet brutality. Kishibe also continues to surprise in how confrontational he is with her, being onto how much information she withheld before the attack on multiple divisions. 

Kishibe’s training, unfortunately, feels like an afterthought in how almost non-existent it is with the overall pacing suddenly rocketing Denji and Power’s ability, seemingly. There are a lot of fresh Fiends and Devils that liven up the assault on the yakuza branch aiding and sheltering the Gun Devil’s associates. The Shark Fiend brings some entertaining carnage in how vicious he is with Violence Fiend being a surprisingly understanding and caring one. The Spider Devil is erratically lethal and the Angel is charming in how laidback he is, making them fun additions to the group as well. 

There is also the charismatic debut of the Future Devil, who is a giddy bundle of joy for all things to come. You can not help but be charmed by it, despite its cruel conditions in partnerships with Hunters and enjoyment of others grim fates. It is an exciting power to see unfold in Aki using its ability to see Sawatari’s movements before they occur during their infiltration. It becomes emotionally harsh in her using Himeno’s Ghost Devil to take him down, especially as his use of the powers are short-lived, putting him in dire constraints against it.