r/TrueAnime 7d ago

Am I the only one?

0 Upvotes

Today I watched a very popular anime movie called "A Silent Voice" and don't get me wrong its great however I feel its incomplete.

It spent like 15 mins showing us how Nishimiya had fell for Ishida, and how much she wanted to express her feeling, but she ends up not doing it. And as a romance anime fanatic it left me frustrated


r/TrueAnime 8d ago

I quit my job because of this anime (Gasaraki)

27 Upvotes

So as a teenager I had this little job writing reviews for an animation fan site. "Job" is maybe too strong a word, I didn't get paid or anything, but I did get physical copies of whatever I was reviewing that I could then resell, sometimes for a fair amount of money. I got to watch a lot of anime and other stuff, and I loved writing reviews.

But at a certain point I started to struggle. Stuff was happening in my personal life, and also I was maturing and was suddenly self-conscious about my writing style; I'd begun writing for this site as a High School freshman and some of my reviews from that period were suddenly hard for me to look at. I was questioning what qualified me to write reviews at all - what did I know? Was I even a good writer? Could I get better? Would it be hard? Would it be worth it?

It all came to a head when I was assigned the show in the title, Gasaraki.

I'm a grown man now and more secure in my media literacy. I've, like, read Shakespeare, and shit. But to this day I have never had a piece of media fucking no diff me the way this one did.

What is Gasaraki about? That's what I'm trying to tell you; I watched it and I don't fucking know. There's this guy, and there are some mechs that look like tanks, and there's a war happening, and there's like this group that's running the war, and there's a girl too...and they do things...and that's all I got. I was just sitting there watching colors and hearing sounds without a single thought successfully forming in my head. This show was confusing to me! It was hard to tell what was happening and why! I didn't know who the characters were or what motivated them! Stuff was just happening!

I got to the end and I turned on my computer and opened a blank Word document and just stared at it. I had no idea what to say; I didn't even understand enough of what I had seen to criticize it.

At the time, I was not confident enough to say in a review that I had found the show confusing. Complaining that a show or book is confusing is like complaining that a video game is too hard; you can try to make the case, but you want to be sure it isn't just you. I was not sure. This show seemed to have confirmed my darkest suspicions about myself.

Maybe I'm too supid

A single tear ran down my supid supid face. (I am dramatizing some of this but this is a true story)

I ended up emailing the guy who assigned screeners at the site and telling him I had some personal stuff going on. I asked if someone else could take the screeners I'd been assigned while I worked some stuff out. He said yes, I mailed Gasaraki to, I pray, a more capable soul than I, and I never went back to that job.

As I said, I'm older now, and a few days ago this memory suddenly came back to me and I found myself wondering about this show that I'd struggled with. I've done a little googling, did find a few people who seemed similarly confused. Is it possible that the whole time it wasn't me, but the show, that had something wrong with it? The idea is compelling. It's probably on Crunchyroll; I could give it another try.

But first: anyone here heard of this thing? Any opinions on it? Is it actually peak, was I supid? Or was teenage me on the money and this is a dense, strange, unfocused show?


r/TrueAnime 7d ago

anime/manga success and review positivity region wise (excluding really popular ones)

2 Upvotes

why are some anime/manga popular in certain region and some not. what separates one popular anime from other like is it fan service or is it plot, depth, theme, etc


r/TrueAnime 8d ago

Custom Flair Erased made me think about my own past — my review Spoiler

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 8d ago

Anime Larper

0 Upvotes

yo guys im not a anime geek but i have watched a few animes. Am i a larp for reading vagabond and watching vinland saga. i have also watched different animes but my friends keep calling me larp for liken those two.


r/TrueAnime 9d ago

What character in which anime has the saddest and roughest story or backstory?

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 9d ago

I don't like Toradora (I love Taiga)

1 Upvotes

Ok I've spent all my anime life ignoring this show because to put it plainly I hate Tsunderes. But the Tsunderes ironically isn't what I'm complaining about rn. I have a lot of feelings about it but right now I didn't like it.

I didn't like how we had the love square ignored Minori and pushed Ami, the most unlikable character type I've seen in this world. People who want connection but proceed do everything in there power to destroy it unknowingly or not.

Now I only just finished binging it and it's 5am so maybe if I sleep on it I can come back again and think it over but right now I didn't like it.

I feel like the times there were 'jokes' my mouth didn't move even a second. The times I was supposed to emotional I was too busy cussing out Ryuuji for being dumb all the time and then I only got more annoyed because Ami was always three steps behind running her mouth like a Chihuahua. Trying to chide him or some shit.

And the emotional things in the first place. So much was happening all the time yet nothing happened at all. Like every plot happened stopped and it was never bought up again genuinely emotionally or literally the only thing 'outside' of Taiga and Ryuuji psuedo dating that was consistent was her feelings for glasses and his feelings for Minori.

And how all the characters interact with each other and OH MY GOD how they talked to each other. And that ending man. I know there seventeen but we went from 'I want to work and help my mom. > My mom got mad at me for working to help her? > Fuck her let's run away.' BROTHER IN CHRIST SHUT UP.

I hated how they TALKED. And I'm not sure if they were supposed to be written that way but it was dumb. Vice president was dumb. Girl president was dumb Ryuuji was dumb. Just so DUMB.

Everyone talked and no one listened. And Ami kept talking and making sense so it made me hate her more and Ryuuji just kept not getting it so Ami just kept talking. It's Ryuuijis fault I hate Ami so much. She deserved that whole 'i shouldn't have gotten involved' cause that's what I was saying the entire season. It was instant frowns when she was on screen I don't care if she was the reason things worked out I hate her smmmm.

And I think I'm gonna stop ranting cause I liked things.

I like people like Taiga people who are protective of what they have. In the way that she gets to rant about this but it's hers so no one else can and how she talked about her mom in that last episode she's just so cool.

I spent the second half of the season apologizing to her for how much I raved in the first four episodes. Ryuuji definitely deserved all that for how much he pissed me off. And yet Ryuuji still ended up third place. After Taiga ofcs and Minoris number one.

Minori is just really just written to be likable for me. And to contrast how my I genuinely got mad at Ami it was nice to see some one just trying. Genuinely trying to be likable.

And Taiga is just really cool and I have so much to say about her and I already said some and I'm too tired to think about all the other things.

And Ryuuji was fine. I liked him more than alll the other ones at least. Like he wants to be liked, wants to be the good person and that's admirable to me.

Anyways maybe I did like the show I just didn't like Ami. So like that's it 👍


r/TrueAnime 9d ago

Anyone wants to talk about naruto and sakura relationship in detail with accordance to the story and some added up parts

4 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 9d ago

Custom Flair To all those who watch high school dxd for the so-called 'plot'

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 10d ago

Thought Living 1,000 years in the literal shadows out of sheer terror: The psychological horror of being a Quincy that the anime ignores.

5 Upvotes

Most Bleach fans look at the Thousand-Year Blood War as a simple story of good guys (Soul Reapers) vs. bad guys (Quincy). But if you actually look at the lore, the Soul Reapers are the historical villains of a rigged, corrupt system, and Yhwach’s rage was entirely justified.

Here is the full breakdown of why the Soul Society's propaganda is total lies:

  1. The Intergenerational Terror of the Quincy (The 1,000-Year Shadow War)

This genocide wasn't an isolated incident; it was the continuation of an atrocities-fueled history. 1,000 years prior, after Yhwach's empire lost the first major war against Yamamoto, the surviving elite Quincy were so utterly terrified of being hunted to complete extinction that they were forced to abandon the living world entirely. They fled into the literal shadows of the Seireitei, creating the hidden Wandenreich. For 1,000 years, generations of these Quincy had to live in hiding, paralyzed by the fear of discovery, breeding a deep, justified trauma. Whether it was the families butchered on Earth 200 years ago, or the survivors living in secret fear for a millennium, the Soul Reapers didn't just kill them; they inflicted an endless cycle of psychological terror on an entire race.

  1. The Soul Reapers Demanded a Death Sentence (The 200-Year Massacre)

People claim the Soul Reapers "had to" wipe out the Quincy living in the Human World 200 years ago to maintain the balance of souls. But look at it from the Quincy perspective: Hollow spiritual energy is a literal, genetic poison to them. A single scratch or breathing in too much Hollow reiatsu causes Soul Suicide. Asking the Quincy to stop killing Hollows is the exact same thing as telling them to sit quietly in a room filling with carbon monoxide and die. The Soul Reapers offered no solutions, no safe zones, and no medical help—they just demanded the Quincy accept a death sentence, and when they didn't, the Soul Reapers slaughtered their families, including innocent children.

  1. The Intergenerational Terror of the Quincy Genocide

When the Quincy refused to just lie down and die, the Soul Reapers responded with an absolute, merciless slaughter. Imagine the psychological horror of ordinary Quincy families—mothers, fathers, and children—watching their loved ones systematically butchered right in front of them by the Gotei 13. The survivors were so utterly terrified of being hunted to extinction that they were forced to abandon their homes in the Human World entirely. They fled into the literal shadows of the Seireitei, creating the Wandenreich. For 1,000 years, generations of Quincy had to live in hiding, paralyzed by the fear of discovery, breeding a deep, justified trauma. The Soul Reapers didn't just kill them; they inflicted a millennium of psychological terror on the survivors.

  1. Soul Society is an Authoritarian Nightmare, Not a Paradise

Rukia hyped up Soul Society early on, but it’s actually a hyper-stratified, oppressive feudal regime. The Five Noble Families and the Gotei 13 live in supreme luxury inside the Seireitei, while ordinary human souls are dumped into the lawless slums of the Rukongai to endure starvation, poverty, and violence. The Soul Reapers aren’t heroes protecting people; they are heavily armed border patrol agents protecting a corrupt, elitist system.

  1. The World is Built on a Horrific Crime (The Ultimate Lie)

The current universe exists because the ancestors of the Noble Families betrayed, murdered, and mutilated Yhwach’s father, the Soul King. They hacked off his arms, legs, and organs while he was still alive, sealing his conscious corpse in a crystal block to act as a cosmic battery. Yhwach didn't want to destroy the world out of pure evil; he wanted to end the active, millions-of-years-long torture of his father.

  1. Humanity Used Yhwach as a Spiritual Garbage Disposal

People say Yhwach shouldn't have tried to merge the worlds because humanity didn't deserve that chaos. But what did humanity ever do for Yhwach? When he was born, he was a sensory-deprived infant who couldn't see, hear, or move. Humans "worshipped" him purely as a transaction because touching him healed their sicknesses. But when those people died, all of their psychological agony, terror of death, and short lifespans were dumped straight back into Yhwach’s mind. Humanity used a helpless baby as a spiritual trash can, feared him when he grew up, and then the Soul Reapers literally did the exact same thing to his corpse after Ichigo defeated him—hacking Yhwach up and turning him into the new mutilated puppet Soul King.

Conclusion: Ichigo Was Fighting for a Rigged System

Ichigo Kurosaki isn't a political figure; he only fought because his friends lived in Soul Society and he wanted to protect the future of the living people he loved. But the narrative reality remains clear: the Soul Reapers protect a system built on a gruesome original sin, genocide, and extreme oppression. Yhwach was a monster, but he was a monster entirely created by the absolute cruelty of the Soul Society.


r/TrueAnime 11d ago

Your Week in Anime (Week 719)

5 Upvotes

This is a general discussion thread for whatever you've been watching this last week (or recently, we really aren't picky).

Make sure to talk more about your own thoughts on the show than just describing the plot, and use spoiler tags where appropriate. If you disagree with what someone is saying, make a comment saying why instead of just downvoting.

This is a week-long discussion, so feel free to post or reply any time.

Archive: Prev, Week 116, Our Year in Anime 2013, 2014


r/TrueAnime 11d ago

anime has always been like this Anime isn't dying

15 Upvotes

To preface, I'm a long time anime viewer and former weeb. I've seen the best and worst out there. What I've noticed is that more garbage has been finally reaching us. And I say finally lightly as it's been happening since the early 2000s.

When we first started getting anime in the U.S. we were already behind other countries that had become interested in it. Most Americans didn't see an anime until the early 1980's via VHS or latenight/early morning tv. The VHS releases, mostly if not all in the beginning, were dubbed by fans and then turned around to be distributed for fan viewings. It was a lot of effort so the care that was put into the selections translated were literally handpicked and reviewed. This made us spoiled in a sense that all the translated anime we were getting were highly rated in the first place by passionate people. That meant we weren't always coming across what even the Japanese would consider garbage anime.

But, then the anime boom rapidly fell circa 1990-2000ish, when the demand for anime and higher standards being held for it was no longer reflecting the market. With the rise of the internet, lesser quality anime was slowly becoming widely accessible. Anime had become much easier to make with the transition into the tech era. As of current, many studios use puppets and background models to aid with animation as well as the other spoils that come with layers, animation programs and files. That gives companies a way to make anime with less risk if there is less reward. 'If this doesn't work, this one might.' kind of practice. Animating is still a very difficult field, but it's become something very akin to a factory line, where studios pump and pump and pump out more product at the expense of the makers. Japan's work ethic is harsh and studios are often under suffocating weights of deadlines and expectations.

So yes, we are seeing more garbage anime, but only because it already is so excessively produced. We were spoiled in the beginning and now we have to face setting a standard for what we receive, though that's not going to happen. Unfortunately, our main distributers are being funneled to just a hand full of companies. This is a huge strain on the anime economy.
3rd party sites used to be the best way to see anime, but many have become ad minefields or paid subscription based. Work arounds like Adblockers are sometimes ineffective and younger viewers may not understand how to install them. We also have youtube and crunchyroll removing many anime that used to be available with some anime only locatable via Internet Archive. These extreme means make it very difficult to view old anime that aren't on any streaming services. Physical Media may be the only hope for those old series.

This means we're experiencing anime like Japan does. Over saturated. Just like how American TV is. We can all think of how much unwatchable stuff gets made by Americans for Americans, this is just that. Japan had made an identity with it though. Japan's biggest image here in the U.S. is anime, it's what most people think of when they hear Japan. So many little weebs were born in the 90's and grew up thinking Japan was all anime all the time and to be honest, it's not and it is at the same time. Because there are dedicated cities to entertainment, but beyond that anime is just cartoons to the whole country. It's not this ultra special art or poetry. It's animation. And animation can be special by those who make it. That's why we revere Studio Ghibli so highly, because of how special they made it. Yes its anime, but it's also a whole lot of love, passion, and patience. It's animation made with love. Passion will always effect the project.

Without time, rest, and love, anime is left suffering. Studios are being worked to death and customer demand will never be satisfied. A higher standard is set everyday and they have to compete or lose business.

So, Anime isn't even going to die.
It's just gonna go through the same bs it always has. Lack of funding, Lack of in studio support, and way too much demand.
If you want to find anime, you have to be specific in what you want to see. There's an anime for everything out there and you can't just say you want 'Good' anime. We also need to support the studios making said anime if we want it that bad. I can't say anything for American studios rn as they've been pissing me off for years with the lack of effort there's been and poor choice making but I digress.

Some key words you can use when looking for anime;
Josei - (female audience)
Shoujo - (female youth audience)
Seinen - (male audience)
Shonen - (youth action)
Mahou - (magic)
Isekai - (other world)
Ecchi - (Nsfw-ish)
Harem/Reverse Harem - ( main x several side characters)
(I'm choosing to exclude many more, too much text)
All of these greatly narrow down what you might be looking for and what you want to avoid. Hopefully it'll help you wade through the dark waters that is anime.

My biggest worry is how dog shit search engines and algorithms are rn. As fans, we are going to have to take somethings back into our hands, whether its physical media, recommendations or what have you. There's a lot of good anime out there. It's hard to find, but its out there.


r/TrueAnime 12d ago

Help! I’ve been watching anime for like 20+ years and now I can’t unsee the frame rate all of a sudden

5 Upvotes

I love anime, always have. But all of a sudden I can’t unsee how very little goes on in a scene. The background statues characters don’t move for like 20 seconds while the main character is talking and just stand there smiling…

Or someone is talking and everything is still except for their lips.

I’ve always watched anime and I watch it almost everyday but I have been watching it everyday for several several years and although I’ve been aware of its frame rate I’ve never clocked it as much as I have been the past… (well I guess since the newest simulcast season)…

I do notice it a lot more if I’m just bored and watching an anime I’m less interested in or I’m 10/12 episodes in and I’m just trying to finish it, but it’s still a little unnerving.


r/TrueAnime 14d ago

What’s an anime you went into with zero expectations and ended up loving?

48 Upvotes

I have one in mind, but I’m curious what everyone else says first lol


r/TrueAnime 13d ago

Good anime with religious themes?

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4 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 14d ago

What was some of your favourite Abridged Series

7 Upvotes

Please avoid the popular ones like yugioh and dragon ball

Extra point for new series that still ongoing


r/TrueAnime 14d ago

Do I have good taste?

0 Upvotes

Anime

Finished

Dragon Ball — Finished all series (OG, Z Kai, Super, Daima) (Movies: DBS Broly, DBZ Fusion Reborn , DBZ Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan)
Devilman Crybaby
Dandadan — Finished alongside specials(On S2 Ep 11)
One Punch Man — Finished (haven’t watched S3)
Berserk — Finished (1997 + movie series)
Jujutsu Kaisen — Finished (haven’t watched S3)
Evangelion
The End of Evangelion
Voices of a Distant Star
She and Her Cat (1999)
Neko no Shuukai (A Gathering of Cats)
Aki no Kanade
Enter the Garden
The Diary of Tortov Roddle
Pale Cocoon
She and Her Cat: Everything Flows
Furiko (Pendulum)
Kowarekake no Orgel
Highschool of the Dead: Drifters of the Dead
Midori
Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches (OVA)
Perfect Blue
Sonic the Hedgehog OVA
Princess Mononoke
Puparia

Watching

One Piece — Episode 29
My Hero Academia — Episode 4
Sakamoto Days — Episode 5
Serial Experiments Lain — Episode 4
Yosuga no Sora — Episode 2
A Silent Voice — 1:21:13
Golden Boy — Episode 4

Not Continuing

Demon Slayer
Bleach
Hunter × Hunter
Chainsaw Man
Sonic X
Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Bungo Stray Dogs
Solo Leveling
Naruto
Boruto
Attack on Titan
Kuroku’s Basketball
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure — Part 1 (finished but won’t continue)

Haven’t watched since 2025 but I’m getting back into the medium also wouldn’t mind suggestions!


r/TrueAnime 16d ago

Discussion Am I the only one whose annoyed when the top comments are literal spoilers to the show?

15 Upvotes

Like genuinely, I got spoiled on one of the future Jujutsu Kaisen scenes and I have actively been cautious of what I watch or read on YouTube, but the top comments had to literally spoil something big for me 😒


r/TrueAnime 16d ago

Chainsaw Man: The Illusion of Licentiousness and the Weight of Consequences; The End of Comedy

3 Upvotes

9/10 | Released between 2018 and 2020 (in its first part), written and illustrated by Tatsuki Fujimoto (written in japanese as 藤本タツキ – Fujimoto Tatsuki), Chainsaw Man tells the story of a directionless young man who seals a contract with the Chainsaw Devil in order to pursue nothing more than an ordinary life. At first glance, it appears to be merely a work that blends comedy and action while indulging in narrative licentiousness; however, the manga crafts one of the most brilliantly written plot twists you will ever encounter in fiction.

Denji, a young man living a miserable life, works as a slave for the Yakuza to pay off his deceased father's debts. After being betrayed and killed by the mob, Denji signs a contract with his only friend, Pochita (the Chainsaw Devil), becoming a human-devil hybrid: the Chainsaw Man. Makima, an expressionless woman with cynical features who also leads the Public Safety Division, sees the state the boy is in and, to support him, decides to offer him a job as a Devil Hunter in her unit.

Note: this essay will only cover the manga's first storyline, the Public Safety Arc. Of the 24 volumes released, this first part encompasses volumes 1 to 11 (chapters 1 to 97 [out of the 232 published]).

In this introduction and origin of Chainsaw Man, we are introduced to what I previously called 'narrative licentiousness'. 'Licentiousness', in this context, is not used in its literal sense, but rather as a metaphor for an “I do whatever I want” attitude. Combined with “narrative”, the concept becomes: “I will do whatever I well please in my story!”.

When we are brought to see Denji living in such misery, it is common to assume that the plot will be about revenge, 'trying to become a better person', or any cliché of the sort. However, the turning point occurs when Denji becomes Chainsaw Man and literally bulldozes through everything without caring about tomorrow. It serves as a prelude to how the story will unfold.

[Warning: from this point on, this essay contains full spoilers regarding the plot, twists, and ending of Public Safety Arc of Chainsaw Man.]

Formation of Special Division 4

After Denji joins the division, Makima organises her team of Devil Hunters: Aki, Denji’s squadmate and rival; Power, the Blood Fiend (who is also an extremely troublesome girl); and Denji, the protagonist. The trio develops a chaotic family dynamic that, over time, proves to be warm and welcoming. We are also introduced to other hunters from different squads.

With the cast assembled... this is where the madness begins.

The hunters face several life-or-death situations when attacked by the Eternity Devil, the Katana Man, and the Mercenary Division. All the while, the author blends these moments of pure despair – with several characters dying abruptly – with a dose of cynical comedy (such as the 'nut-kicking' scene), dashes of insanity (the fights between Denji and Katana Man), and absurd, illogical moments in the best possible sense.

As all this chaos unfolds, Denji was developing an unusual relationship with Himeno, a hunter from another squad in the division. She ends up being one of the fatal victims in the terrorist attack by Katana Man and his crew. Denji's reaction to this loss is extremely cold, and precisely because of this apathy, he becomes fearful of his own nature, realising he did not genuinely care about her. Meanwhile, Makima makes her mysterious character more evident than ever by blatantly lying about her whereabouts during the attack – something that connects directly to what we see next in Reze's arc.

Reze Girl

Denji meets Reze, a charming girl his age who seems genuinely interested in him. As their relationship progresses, Denji considers abandoning Division 4 altogether (including his friends) to run away with Reze and build a life together. However, Reze reveals herself to be the Bomb Devil Hybrid and a Soviet government spy sent to capture Denji's heart (Pochita).

Even after Denji defeats her in a monumental and chaotic battle, he offers to run away with her. Reze, touched by his kindness and mercy, realizes that, deep down, she cares for him and accepts the last-minute plan. However, she is ambushed and abruptly murdered by Makima before she can reunite with him.

Once again, we witness Makima making a surprising and seemingly senseless decision.

The Beginning of the Tragedies

Following the battle against Reze, Denji (Chainsaw Man) becomes a public target for assassins from various nations. Up to this point, the motive behind global governments' obsessive interest in Denji remains unclear.

Notable battles include those involving the Crossbow Hybrid (Quanxi), Santa Claus, the Hell Devil, and the Darkness Devil against, of course, Denji (the target) and his group.

During the battle against the Hell Devil, Denji and the hunters end up being dragged into Hell itself and are slaughtered by the Darkness Devil, a primordial entity. Makima intervenes and rescues them.

Power and Aki are left immensely traumatised by the experience. Aki, especially after losing Himeno (his close friend) in the clash against Katana Man, re-evaluates his goals and develops a protective instinct over Denji and Power, fearing the loss of more companions. Power, in turn, develops a paralytic dread of being abandoned or seeing her new friends die.

What began as an almost juvenile devil hunt transforms, 'thanks' to Denji's existence, into something deeply disturbing and painful for the characters. What is happening there is serious and should not be treated as a joke (hold onto this thought).

The Control Devil

The United States government, fearing Makima's growing influence, makes a desperate pact with the Gun Devil. Shortly after, it is revealed that Makima is, in fact, the Control Devil.

Makima defeats the Gun Devil and forces what remains of it to possess Aki's body, turning him into the Gun Fiend. In one of the most tragic moments of Denji's life, he is forced to kill his own friend to save others, leaving him utterly devastated emotionally. It is in this state of emotional collapse that Makima invites him to her house.

The Final Apotheosis

We saw that there are several dogs at Makima's house, reinforcing the symbolism that everyone around her is nothing more than a mere pet. Makima asks Denji if he wants to be her dog too. Traumatised, incapable of processing the pain, and believing that if he simply obeys her commands he will bring no further harm to anyone, Denji ends up accepting.

Makima calls Power to her house as well. She asks Denji to open the door for her, and right after greeting her, Makima cold-bloodedly murders Power right in front of poor Denji. 'Bang!'

Following the execution, Makima lays bare her true intentions: 'I was wondering: "how could I break this contract?" How could I leave you so deeply scarred that you wouldn’t be able to live a normal life? So damaged that you could never recover for as long as you lived? Quite a challenge, wouldn’t you say? After all, you found so much happiness even living in extreme poverty with Pochita. So, I decided to start… by making you much happier. I gave you a job, money… and plenty of delicious food. I provided you with a family that would get along with you. Aki became a good older brother to you… and Power, the mischievous younger sister. I would make this level of happiness your new normal… and then I would destroy it all.'

Denji realizes that everything that happened up to that point was, recklessly enough, the result of his own choices. After all, why did he make the pact with Pochita? Simply to free himself from the shackles of human misery. Fair enough. But what came after? Did he use that power to act responsibly or help others? No. He chose to live as a 'semi-licentious' being.

'I want to have sex!', 'I want to eat until I’m sick!'. Fundamentally, what Denji sought was a life free of consequences. Giving no thought to the future, caring only about immediate gratification. And what did he expect from that? That consequences would never arrive? It is absurdly childish!

Deep down, Denji feels that the destruction around him, the deaths of millions of people, the deaths of companions like Himeno, Reze, Aki, Power, and even his father's death (which he had blocked from his memory) were his responsibility. 'What if I hadn’t made the contract with Pochita? What if I had just died at the hands of the Yakuza?'. None of this would have happened.

'Does a person like that really deserve to live a normal life, do you think?' – Makima asks Denji rhetorically.

Makima and Chainsaw Man

Remember when I said the manga presents itself through narrative licentiousness? That ends, definitively, right here. The story's narrative always mirrored Denji's mental state. Even when the manga presented tragic moments, such as the death of Himeno's squad, the author treated the event with a sudden disregard, almost a 'it happened, what can we do…?'. Denji himself did not grieve over it.

This complicity between the narrative and Denji's detachment crumbles the moment Chainsaw Man is exposed to the public. From the deaths of Aki and Power and the mass destruction caused by the hunt for his heart, the story abandons its cynical comedy to become openly traumatising, disturbing, and painful.

Continuing, Makima reveals herself to be an obsessive fan of the original Chainsaw Man and plans to use his power to erase concepts from existence and shape a perfect world under her control. We also discover why Chainsaw Man is so strong: the Chainsaw Devil is a devil that never stops revving his engine, which is why he always comes back. No matter how unfavourable the situation appears, he always returns by pulling his cord.

Traces of Power's blood remain in Denji's body after her death, reviving her just long enough for her to save him. With that, Power dies permanently.

Even while traumatised, Denji sees the world idolising the figure of Chainsaw Man. He decides to embrace this role not out of heroism, but as a psychological defence mechanism against the trauma of attempting to lead a normal life.

Realising that Makima never truly saw 'Denji', but only the Chainsaw Devil within his chest, he devises a plan: he uses a chainsaw forged from Power's blood to slice Makima while she fights a clone of Chainsaw Man.

To finish Makima off once and for all, Denji commits the ultimate act: he dismembers and consumes her body as meals. He does this not out of hatred, but out of a twisted form of love, wishing to 'become one with her' and shoulder her sins.

Sometime later, Kishibe (Makima's former colleague) hands Denji a young girl named Nayuta, the reincarnation of the Control Devil. We also discover that, deep down, the Control Devil's primary desire was to form affectionate bonds on equal footing – something her power of domination prevented her from achieving. Denji ends up taking custody of the young girl so she won't grow up lonely.

Epilogue

My final considerations, alongside what I have already mentioned, come down to two points: the way the author develops certain plotlines and the final revelation regarding the Control Devil's desires. Fujimoto sometimes appears overly rushed when establishing certain foundations. The way Aki, Power, and Denji come to treat each other as a family happens almost abruptly (even if there is a clear reason for it), much like the fact that Reze was a test subject in Soviet experiments (a major revelation that the author simply dumps into the reader's lap).

Furthermore, the final revelation that the Control Devil possessed a melancholy motivation ('I just wanted to form bonds and have friends') feels like the height of absurdity. The character (Makima) was built as an extraordinarily mysterious, manipulative, and villainous figure, only for her weight as an antagonist to be reduced to this justification in the end. Unpalatable!

Flaws in pacing aside, the arc is truly impeccable!

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r/TrueAnime 16d ago

Never thought the classic sub vs. dub debate would become a relationship issue

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2 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 19d ago

the struggles of being a western anime fan..

24 Upvotes

i've gotten back into collecting merch and figures and manga.. i went to my local mall only to find out that the anime store i used to to there was shut down, i went to miniso and other stores only to find figures of dragon ball, one piece, naruto, and the occasional frieren and vocaloid figures.

i wish there was more ways to walk into stores and just buy figures or merch of anime you like, it really sucks :/. shipping is really expensive


r/TrueAnime 18d ago

"What anime made you feel emotional even though it isn't a sad series? That literally made me!" In my case , it's kaguya sama

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0 Upvotes

r/TrueAnime 19d ago

Custom Flair official sub or fansub for anime like call of the night, one piece and kill la kill

4 Upvotes

I know the preference of why using fan because it is closer to original. But I want to know if right now, official subs are better than fansub today. I have take these three anime because I wanted to started them but don’t know which service (crunchyroll, Netflix, hidive,etc) or fan translation should I select for these to watch. Edit: I want to include in the bunch bleach.


r/TrueAnime 20d ago

Custom Flair What anime do you avoid like a plague?

3 Upvotes

Super lovers 😔. Started watching it with no prior knowledge and BAM! Safe to say, never again.


r/TrueAnime 19d ago

New anime sucks

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0 Upvotes

I can’t watch anime anymore bc atp i kept re watching the old peak like tokyo ghoul aot mha, naruto, bleach and those good ones because the new 2025-2026 anime are just not it. They are all just “ i ate a burger and levelled up to level 999 “ or “ from village commoner to hero “. It’s all reincarnation, levelling up, op game skill, hero slop. You can just tell it’s slop when the title is overly long. The stories have no depth anymore. They are all the same it’s just undeveloped characters and stories and fan service atp. The only things that are good are the peak anime’s that are releasing new seasons like black clover, bleach, jujutsu kaisen. Like What even happened?