Chainsaw Man(ga): BURN DOGS!!!

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Nighthand: Nov 4, 2009; what horror the gas

# ? Sep 13, 2023 05:02

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# ? May 26, 2024 11:50

cuntman.net: Mar 1, 2013

im also going to stop reading this until power comes back. if everyone stops reading then fujimoto will have no choice but to listen

# ? Sep 13, 2023 05:22

Big Leg: May 22, 2020; a corpse is talking

i'm going to read it 5x as much now to prove how cool asa is

# ? Sep 13, 2023 06:11

GhostofJohnMuir: Aug 14, 2014; anime is not good

asa and power are both excellent, but power would bully asa mercilessly if they ever met

# ? Sep 13, 2023 06:34

chiasaur11: Oct 22, 2012

cuntman.net posted:

im also going to stop reading this until power comes back. if everyone stops reading then fujimoto will have no choice but to listen

Last time everyone talked about how much they liked Power, Fujimoto gave her PTSD before killing her. Twice.

I'm not sure that the plan will work out as hoped this time.

As for Power versus Asa and Yoru, right now Power is better than Yoru, flat out, no contest. Power gets to interact more freely with the cast, has more consistent dynamics, and we've seen Power's whole arc rather than just the parts we've gotten with Yoru. Asa... is more complicated.

First off, that just means what it says. Asa is the co-lead of part 2 and until recently she was the main protagonist of the part with no modifiers necessary. We've got more Asa insight than for Power, and Asa's used that time to get messier and messier as a person, while still holding together as a coherent whole. Power is a one-sentence descriptor, while Asa gets whole essays of inner thought.

Of course, this also makes Power better at some things. When Power shows up, you know what you're going to get most of the time, and you get it fast, with a lot of the best gags in the series. Asa, meanwhile, is more uncertain. Sure, sometimes you get gags, but other times you get more contemplative beats, or tragedy, or poetry. It means you don't get the same guaranteed payout.

What's more, Power is less prominent. Even ignoring her absence in Bomb (now being matched by Asa in the latest arc) Power is a clear supporting character, unlike Asa, which means that her vanishing for an arc or two when there's nothing for her to do feels much more natural, giving more breathing room for the rest of the cast.

Oh, and there's the relationships. Power and Denji are buddies. Might be sibling-y, might be something more on Power's end, but it's firm and one of the emotional anchors of the series. It works.

Asa and Denji's relationship makes them both worse, unfortunately including interest. The chapters in the Falling arc revolving around them together are some of the few Chainsaw Man chapters that I'd say aren't, well, good.

I'm not saying Asa is bad, to be clear. She's really well written, and when she's got a good chapter, she's compelling as anyone in Chainsaw Man. Even her dynamics with Denji can make for good reading, with their failure to connect under Yoshida's matchmaking and their date from Hell giving both of them some great moments. But her worst (as a character, to be clear. Some of her terrible moments as a person work great) put her well behind Power, even as her best moments put her well ahead. It's tricky to argue which is better, because different people want different things out of Chainsaw Man, and Asa and Power go pretty hard in different directions, even if they both fit.

(Heck, I think Fujimoto has some trouble with figuring out how to best use Asa sometimes, but that requires a lot of tangents and interview references and discussion of basic narrative structure in an already-long post).

Anyway, I'd say Nayuta is probably the best hook for Power fans, if only because "What would Denji and Makima's daughter be like?" is a question with an answer sharing more than a little of the egotistical absurdity that made Power such a treat.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 09:09

Snooze Cruise: Feb 16, 2013; hey look,
a post

im not reading any of that. i like asa more because she is just like me, fr fr

# ? Sep 13, 2023 09:14

Das Boo: Jun 9, 2011; There was a GHOST here.
It's gone now.

Power would die for her cat like me, tho.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 10:43

cuntman.net: Mar 1, 2013

Snooze Cruise posted:

im not reading any of that. i like asa more because she is just like me, fr fr

# ? Sep 13, 2023 10:47

chiasaur11: Oct 22, 2012

Snooze Cruise posted:

im not reading any of that. i like asa more because she is just like me, fr fr

Asa would read lengthy negative lectures about Asa, though. Then she'd go into self loathing, arrogance about her superiority to the writer, or both at once.

Declaring superiority without actually reading anything is a Power move.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 10:54

SyntheticPolygon: Dec 20, 2013

chiasaur11 posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 13:23

Lt. Lizard: Apr 28, 2013

chiasaur11 posted:

Last time everyone talked about how much they liked Power, Fujimoto gave her PTSD before killing her. Twice.

I'm not sure that the plan will work out as hoped this time.

As for Power versus Asa and Yoru, right now Power is better than Yoru, flat out, no contest. Power gets to interact more freely with the cast, has more consistent dynamics, and we've seen Power's whole arc rather than just the parts we've gotten with Yoru. Asa... is more complicated.

First off, that just means what it says. Asa is the co-lead of part 2 and until recently she was the main protagonist of the part with no modifiers necessary. We've got more Asa insight than for Power, and Asa's used that time to get messier and messier as a person, while still holding together as a coherent whole. Power is a one-sentence descriptor, while Asa gets whole essays of inner thought.

Of course, this also makes Power better at some things. When Power shows up, you know what you're going to get most of the time, and you get it fast, with a lot of the best gags in the series. Asa, meanwhile, is more uncertain. Sure, sometimes you get gags, but other times you get more contemplative beats, or tragedy, or poetry. It means you don't get the same guaranteed payout.

What's more, Power is less prominent. Even ignoring her absence in Bomb (now being matched by Asa in the latest arc) Power is a clear supporting character, unlike Asa, which means that her vanishing for an arc or two when there's nothing for her to do feels much more natural, giving more breathing room for the rest of the cast.

Oh, and there's the relationships. Power and Denji are buddies. Might be sibling-y, might be something more on Power's end, but it's firm and one of the emotional anchors of the series. It works.

Asa and Denji's relationship makes them both worse, unfortunately including interest. The chapters in the Falling arc revolving around them together are some of the few Chainsaw Man chapters that I'd say aren't, well, good.

I'm not saying Asa is bad, to be clear. She's really well written, and when she's got a good chapter, she's compelling as anyone in Chainsaw Man. Even her dynamics with Denji can make for good reading, with their failure to connect under Yoshida's matchmaking and their date from Hell giving both of them some great moments. But her worst (as a character, to be clear. Some of her terrible moments as a person work great) put her well behind Power, even as her best moments put her well ahead. It's tricky to argue which is better, because different people want different things out of Chainsaw Man, and Asa and Power go pretty hard in different directions, even if they both fit.

(Heck, I think Fujimoto has some trouble with figuring out how to best use Asa sometimes, but that requires a lot of tangents and interview references and discussion of basic narrative structure in an already-long post).

Anyway, I'd say Nayuta is probably the best hook for Power fans, if only because "What would Denji and Makima's daughter be like?" is a question with an answer sharing more than a little of the egotistical absurdity that made Power such a treat.

I just wanted to see penguins....

# ? Sep 13, 2023 13:48

Blaze Dragon: Aug 28, 2013; LOWTAX'S SPINE FUND

Nighthand posted:

I would not trust a guide by Yoshida.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 13:57

goblin week: Jan 26, 2019; Absolute clown.

chiasaur11 posted:

Last time everyone talked about how much they liked Power, Fujimoto gave her PTSD before killing her. Twice.

I'm not sure that the plan will work out as hoped this time.

As for Power versus Asa and Yoru, right now Power is better than Yoru, flat out, no contest. Power gets to interact more freely with the cast, has more consistent dynamics, and we've seen Power's whole arc rather than just the parts we've gotten with Yoru. Asa... is more complicated.

First off, that just means what it says. Asa is the co-lead of part 2 and until recently she was the main protagonist of the part with no modifiers necessary. We've got more Asa insight than for Power, and Asa's used that time to get messier and messier as a person, while still holding together as a coherent whole. Power is a one-sentence descriptor, while Asa gets whole essays of inner thought.

Of course, this also makes Power better at some things. When Power shows up, you know what you're going to get most of the time, and you get it fast, with a lot of the best gags in the series. Asa, meanwhile, is more uncertain. Sure, sometimes you get gags, but other times you get more contemplative beats, or tragedy, or poetry. It means you don't get the same guaranteed payout.

What's more, Power is less prominent. Even ignoring her absence in Bomb (now being matched by Asa in the latest arc) Power is a clear supporting character, unlike Asa, which means that her vanishing for an arc or two when there's nothing for her to do feels much more natural, giving more breathing room for the rest of the cast.

Oh, and there's the relationships. Power and Denji are buddies. Might be sibling-y, might be something more on Power's end, but it's firm and one of the emotional anchors of the series. It works.

Asa and Denji's relationship makes them both worse, unfortunately including interest. The chapters in the Falling arc revolving around them together are some of the few Chainsaw Man chapters that I'd say aren't, well, good.

I'm not saying Asa is bad, to be clear. She's really well written, and when she's got a good chapter, she's compelling as anyone in Chainsaw Man. Even her dynamics with Denji can make for good reading, with their failure to connect under Yoshida's matchmaking and their date from Hell giving both of them some great moments. But her worst (as a character, to be clear. Some of her terrible moments as a person work great) put her well behind Power, even as her best moments put her well ahead. It's tricky to argue which is better, because different people want different things out of Chainsaw Man, and Asa and Power go pretty hard in different directions, even if they both fit.

(Heck, I think Fujimoto has some trouble with figuring out how to best use Asa sometimes, but that requires a lot of tangents and interview references and discussion of basic narrative structure in an already-long post).

Anyway, I'd say Nayuta is probably the best hook for Power fans, if only because "What would Denji and Makima's daughter be like?" is a question with an answer sharing more than a little of the egotistical absurdity that made Power such a treat.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 15:35

Big Leg: May 22, 2020; a corpse is talking

chiasaur11 posted:

Last time everyone talked about how much they liked Power, Fujimoto gave her PTSD before killing her. Twice.

I'm not sure that the plan will work out as hoped this time.

As for Power versus Asa and Yoru, right now Power is better than Yoru, flat out, no contest. Power gets to interact more freely with the cast, has more consistent dynamics, and we've seen Power's whole arc rather than just the parts we've gotten with Yoru. Asa... is more complicated.

First off, that just means what it says. Asa is the co-lead of part 2 and until recently she was the main protagonist of the part with no modifiers necessary. We've got more Asa insight than for Power, and Asa's used that time to get messier and messier as a person, while still holding together as a coherent whole. Power is a one-sentence descriptor, while Asa gets whole essays of inner thought.

Of course, this also makes Power better at some things. When Power shows up, you know what you're going to get most of the time, and you get it fast, with a lot of the best gags in the series. Asa, meanwhile, is more uncertain. Sure, sometimes you get gags, but other times you get more contemplative beats, or tragedy, or poetry. It means you don't get the same guaranteed payout.

What's more, Power is less prominent. Even ignoring her absence in Bomb (now being matched by Asa in the latest arc) Power is a clear supporting character, unlike Asa, which means that her vanishing for an arc or two when there's nothing for her to do feels much more natural, giving more breathing room for the rest of the cast.

Oh, and there's the relationships. Power and Denji are buddies. Might be sibling-y, might be something more on Power's end, but it's firm and one of the emotional anchors of the series. It works.

Asa and Denji's relationship makes them both worse, unfortunately including interest. The chapters in the Falling arc revolving around them together are some of the few Chainsaw Man chapters that I'd say aren't, well, good.

I'm not saying Asa is bad, to be clear. She's really well written, and when she's got a good chapter, she's compelling as anyone in Chainsaw Man. Even her dynamics with Denji can make for good reading, with their failure to connect under Yoshida's matchmaking and their date from Hell giving both of them some great moments. But her worst (as a character, to be clear. Some of her terrible moments as a person work great) put her well behind Power, even as her best moments put her well ahead. It's tricky to argue which is better, because different people want different things out of Chainsaw Man, and Asa and Power go pretty hard in different directions, even if they both fit.

(Heck, I think Fujimoto has some trouble with figuring out how to best use Asa sometimes, but that requires a lot of tangents and interview references and discussion of basic narrative structure in an already-long post).

Anyway, I'd say Nayuta is probably the best hook for Power fans, if only because "What would Denji and Makima's daughter be like?" is a question with an answer sharing more than a little of the egotistical absurdity that made Power such a treat.

The day we went on our first motorcycle ride,

I felt your body heat for the very first time.

Your head was a chainsaw, yet I could not deny that your warmth was human, that of someone alive.

In retrospect, every time you save my life, my body�s cold as can be, frozen as ice.

Although I�m doomed to always end up all alone, you always came to my rescue.

That much I know.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 15:47

No Wave: Sep 18, 2005; HA! HA! NICE! WHAT A TOOL!

cuntman.net posted:

im also going to stop reading this until power comes back. if everyone stops reading then fujimoto will have no choice but to listen

Same, but Himeno.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 15:51

copy: Jul 26, 2007

Nighthand posted:

lol going to beforeiread.com to look up the best chainsawman chapter read order and learn if i can lock myself out of anything

# ? Sep 13, 2023 15:54

CharlestonJew: Jul 7, 2011; Illegal Hen

If you�re only reading the story for one character, then you�re not a real fan, and should be ignored

# ? Sep 13, 2023 16:42

Parasol Prophet: Aug 31, 2012; We Are Best Friends Now.

Well I for one appreciated the Power vs Asa essay.

I am still very curious if Power/the Blood Devil will ever come back and what they'll be like if so.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 16:56

blossommirage: Nov 7, 2012

I am going to stop reading this manga until Reze comes back. I'm curious about what's up with that Makima lady, she seems kinda nefarious, but if Reze isn't there, I don't care enough.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 17:18

Tree Goat: May 24, 2009; argania spinosa

as in gabriel garcia marquez's autumn of the patriarch, i am going to drink turpentine until i forget how to read entirely.

my theory of power is that she doesn't need to come back because her central character growth is the extent to which she is or isn't a looney tunes character (the training arc could be replaced entirely with denji and power getting blown up by acme dynamite, running into tunnels painted on the sides of cliffs, putting "free booze for kishibe" under a box held up by a stick, making little flailing bicycle kicks in mid air before they fall down cliffs, etc.). ultimately it was decided that she isn't a looney tunes character, so there you have it. nothing more to be done.

yoru/asa is a continuation of chainsawman's existing narrative themes around the lacanian notion of the other and the process by which desire is moderated by the other and the unattainability of the object cause of desire and so can keep going so long as these conflicts escape resolution (so, indefinitely). she is also, as mentioned, just like me fr fr.

# ? Sep 13, 2023 17:54

cuntman.net: Mar 1, 2013

# ? Sep 13, 2023 18:20

hatty: Feb 28, 2011; Pork Pro

Power as you know her is dead forever

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:06

Nihilarian: Oct 2, 2013

cuntman.net posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:11

Bread Set Jettison: Jan 8, 2009

cuntman.net posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:16

symbolic: Nov 2, 2014

cuntman.net posted:

lmao

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:16

YES bread: Jun 16, 2006

cuntman.net posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:20

copy: Jul 26, 2007

power was cool because in addition to being power she was part of the emotional center of the story as a key member of denji's found family. you're right that nayuta fills that niche now, though, and it is interesting seeing denji in different roles. there's a reason pochita trusts him to help devils who really need help.

but also

cuntman.net posted:

lmfao

# ? Sep 13, 2023 19:21

Marluxia: May 8, 2008

cuntman.net posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 20:57

CharlestonJew: Jul 7, 2011; Illegal Hen

cuntman.net posted:

# ? Sep 13, 2023 21:47

Dangerous Person: Apr 4, 2011; Not dead yet

chiasaur11 posted:

Why are you like this

# ? Sep 13, 2023 21:58

Blockhouse: Sep 7, 2014; You Win!

I like that this is the first time we've ever really seen Denji confronted with the consequences of his penchant for collateral damage and you can see it hit him

Granted yeah during the fight with Aki he was kind of laser focused on having to murder his friend

# ? Sep 13, 2023 22:11