The second part of Chainsaw Man continues to see the return of many old characters, often in new guises. Now, Denji and Asa are stuck in an endless aquarium; is it the work of the Devil of Eternity?
Denji e Asathe old and the new protagonist of Chainsaw Man, are having a date at the aquarium, which is proving to be an embarrassing fiasco. The girl’s social skills manage to be more flawed than even Denji’s, despite the latter’s childhood.
The torture is interrupted by the sudden spatial distortion of the aquarium, which has no end. Denji immediately recognizes the correspondence with what happened to him at the hotel: everything suggests that the Devil of Eternity trapped him again.
Along with him and Asa, three members of the school’s Devil Hunters club are also stranded, including President Haruka, who impersonates Chainsaw Man. And finally, it also appears Yoshidawho, for some reason, never loses sight of Denji.
The Devil does not show himself, perhaps mindful of how things went the last time he faced the hated chainsaw. At this point, there’s a possibility that it’s not really about him. And, in any case, defeating him seems impossible.
Embarrassment and social conventions in Chainsaw Man
This second part of the work of sensei Fujimoto it is much more focused on society and its relationships. It is true that this is a central theme for all the mangaka’s works, but with the introduction, in the second part, of Asa Mitaka, who appears practically autistic, it is more palpable than ever.
We have known Asa as someone who is not integrated into the community and does not wish to be. In this, she is, at least on the surface, different from Denji, who, after growing up alone, was desperate for connection.
His lack of relational experience emerges in the appointment at the aquarium, in which he bores Denji with a rigid program of long explanation of the facts of the less flashy marine animals. But the fact that she studied him in minute detail reveals her desire to connect.
As the group tries to organize itself to survive the spatial loop, she is eager to play her part. But, just like in the beginning of her story, due to an accident she fails and ruins everything. Just like then, she finds herself on the ground, in full view of everyone, and she is judged. Before that, she had been Yoru’s “sister”, Faminejudging her on her inability to be interesting on a date.
The substantially pornographic exposure of these social relations, Fujimoto’s trademark, leads us to reflect on their ephemeral and bizarre nature. What will be Asa’s choice? Blend in, or embrace one’s uniqueness, like Denji did?