Chainsaw Man, Vol. 8: Super Mess

チェンソーマン [Chainsaw Man] #8

by Tatsuki Fujimoto

As Quanxi and the members of the Special Division battle it out over Denji, the mysterious Santa Claus makes his move. But things are not as they appear, and nobody will be prepared for the darkness and despair about to be unleashed!

Genres: Manga, Horror, Comics, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Action

192 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 4, 2020

About the author

Tatsuki Fujimoto 藤本タツキ (Fujimoto Tatsuki) is a Japanese manga author, mostly known for Chainsaw Man.

Awards:
- Shōgakukan Manga Award: Shōnen category for Chainsaw Man (2020)
- Harvey Award: best manga for Chainsaw Man (2021-2022)

Chinese language profiles: 藤本樹 and 藤本树.

Reviews

[laura]

ayo literally what the fuck just happened guys 😃😃😃

[Caahpinotti ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

in order to read this you have to pretend you understand whatever the fuck is going on during the trip to hell

[Artemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of the series up to this point, but this was just a really weak volume. It’s full-on action with barely any story, and the action, while impressively drawn and full of imaginative gore, is near-incomprehensible sequentially, and accompanied by some truly abysmal dialogue (not sure if it’s the author’s fault or some translation miscommunications). I’m sure the series will recover in the following volumes, but this was an unfortunate misfire, which I’m sure will be handled better and with more legibility in the upcoming anime.

Another unfortunate thing about this volume: almost zero Power content, and really no good material for a one-panel screenshot of a review. Oh well.

[Lauren Lanz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm gaslighting myself into believing I understood anything that happened after the 'trip to hell' part of this volume.
We all knew Makima was sus..... but that woman's power is getting more and more worrying with each volume (who is she allied to? What's her motive??? WHY?????)

[literarylesbian · Rating 4 out of 5]

lesbians :/

[Saraí Elvir · Rating 4 out of 5]

RIP auto de Kobeni

[aleksandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75/5

I forgot how much I love this volume. I love Fujimoto’s brain.

─────

This volume was absolutely insane. I didn't understand half of what was going on, but who cares. The Hell chapter, though? Chef's kiss.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

THIS HAS BEEN BY FAR MY FAVORITE VOLUMEEEEE. THIS VOLUME WAS BRUTAL, BLOODY AND WONDERFUL. I REALLY REALLY LOVED IT!

[Himanshu Karmacharya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you think this series can't get any crazier, Tatsuki Fujimoto just proves you wrong. Packed with intense action sequences and dwelling deeper into the devil world of Chainsaw Man, Volume 8 of the series is one hell of a ride.

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume is packed with action, showcasing Makima's incredible strength—she’s clearly even more powerful than we’d anticipated. Her intense interest in Chainsaw Man hints that he might possess abilities or qualities beyond those of the other devil hunters, making him an even more intriguing character.

Santa Claus is an unexpected and unusual addition to the story, adding a layer of eccentricity that keeps things interesting. 😅

The artwork is strikingly beautiful, though its surreal style can make it a bit challenging to follow at times.

Overall, "Chainsaw Man" continues to impress and maintain its momentum.

[Štěpán · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, the literal Hell with flowers and doors is here. Who the fuck is Makima? Why were there astronauts? Why did everyone lose their arms? Who is the fuckin' Santa Claus? Why Quanxi used swords when she could use her own powers? What the fuck was the Halloween chick? Did Denji really use ​the power of light because he burned himself? What the fuck was this volume!?

This was a great ride and complete chaotic carnage, and I want my answers!

[Mizuki · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this is the power of darkness...it's magnificent.

(1) I wonder why the Doll Devil is so powerful... supposedly the power levels of the devils depends on how much humans are afraid of them...so....so...are there many people out there afraid of dolls?"

(2) Mother fucker! The Darkness Devil is here!!!!!! That's so chilling! I'm deeply impressed by how the author described DARKNESS! That's fucking brilliant!!!

(3) The fight scenes are so good!

(4) I am a bit confused about the Santa Claus (from Germany), is his doll manipulation power allows him to swing bodies with different people?

(5) Makima is so chilling!!!! The ending part...I can't even! Now I also notice Makima managed to evenly match with the Darkness Devil! OMG she really is that powerful!?!?

(6) Not only all of the female characters we have encountered so far have, at one point, used their beauty and their body to get their way, even this cool-looking Chinese assassin and her female companions have also been used as an excuse for the author to draw all-female-harem, all the damn time. *sighs* I guess good old misogynism just never gets old, right? Can creators stop being so backward in the 21st century!?

"I'll tell you the secret to making a sophisticated doll. Take the human you'll turn into a doll.....and add emotions only humans have. Adoration. Worship. Pity. And the secret ingredient: Guilt."

(7) So I guess the real Santa Claus is the dying young woman (the Mentor)---or whatever being is residing inside the body of this woman, because the guy can jump from one body to the next with his/her power, so the Santa Claus also made his trainee Tolka into a doll as well, right?

(8) It's really chilling how a certain someone 'makes' Dolls, that's so fucked up but it's brilliant!!!

(9) Regardless of the author's treatment of female characters, I am still deeply impressed by the insight of human nature: betrayal, cruelty against innocent people and children, lies, all in the name of power. I like it! I actually like his worldview!

(9) I do hope there is more character growth for Denji, because I'm liking the supporting characters' stories more now. I don't want the Devil Puppy to be the only thing going for Denji!

(10) From the example of Makima and Denji and how the Santa Claus treats one of his/her delicate 'Doll', I guess the author has a thing for grooming humans like grooming/training a pet, all sort of emotional manipulation is at work here! Be aware!

(11) I just keep re-reading this volume because it's just so cool!!!! I keep noticing new things and having more questions!

[ananya ྀི · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is insanity.

You're telling me my girlfriend Quanxi is dead well fuck you Makima.

I'll miss you my lesbian badass queen

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this volume I was just like...what the fuck is happening?

No really, this volume is the most insane shit I've read in awhile. Getting dragged into hell, astronaut spouting out hands, people getting turned into ribbons, it is the weirdest shit ever. I mean I was interested but I couldn't tell you what the hell was happening if you had a gun to my head.

Saying that the visuals get to be amazing since it is so weird. This has some of the most wicked looking monster designs, deaths, and environments the series has to offer so far. The ending to this arc too was brutal as it shows how some characters really have NO remorse.

A 3.5 out of 5. My least favorite arc storywise in awhile but the visuals made it worth it.

[jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

finally, a good volume.
hell, the art, halloween? fantastic. 4.5 stars

[Sol · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first arc that I can't entirely get behind. It started strong with the cancelled vacation and assassins gearing up, and the chaotic combination of all the pieces was funny and action packed. At the same time it undercut itself a lot, and the art was rushed in several places (Prinz's zipper missing in the very scene she used it, and Master's moles missing in places), with some very stiff action (Angel attacking the dolls, Tolka kicking Beam). Plenty of fluid stuff too, but the clunky bits stands out.


Everything was great right up until Master transformed. I don't even mind a primordial devil jobbing to Makima, he was at least managing to hurt her. But Master's transformation, besides looking beyond goofy, was a lot less scary than when she betrayed Tolka. When she looked like a normal woman, she was a creepy manipulator, and like Makima, it wasn't clear what exactly she might be capable of. Once she turns into a big monster, she's just a target for Denji to beat on. Her dying threat that her dolls across the world would pursue Denji relentlessly was infinitely more frighting than anything she actually did after her powerup. She doesn't even manage to kill anyone, which is less than Reze or even Katanaman did.

Problems aside, this arc had a lot of great jokes (Power playing dead, Kobeni's car), good action scenes to make up for the bad, and it introduces a lot of interesting worldbuilding elements. More information on Hell and devils, the suggestion that Quanxi is an ancient devil hunter, Master's implication that Makima has a "dream" (and Kishibe's plot against her), yet more ludicrous powers for Makima.


Beyond raising her power level even higher, I realized as Makima beheaded Quanxi and her harem, she hasn't actually done anything wrong (that we know of). Everyone she's killed attacked either her or her employees, or were on death row. The only even vaguely questionable action she's taken was stealing the eyes of the Yakuza wives, but they're about equally guilty. Despite this, the parallels between Master and Tolka, and Makima and Denji, are obvious. Older women manipulating naive younger men, and Tolka ends up losing everything(this idea also occurred in Fire Punch with Judah and to a lesser extent Togata). The suggestion that Denji might meet a similar or worse fate is clear. With Darkness willing to lend his power to Master in exchange for Pochita's heart, its clear that not just the Gun devil wants it. It seems likely Makima does as well, but she's not willing to use violence (at least against Denji) to keep it. Kishibe's desire to kill Makima adds more complication. The framing of things make it seem like Kishibe is a decent man and that Makima has the potential for great evil, but we know very little about Kishibe, and while Makima is ruthless and disturbing, she hasn't been proven a villain yet.

This volume also adds a few more pieces to the question of her powers. There seem to be two concepts that cover a good deal of them. She seems to be able to "reflect" things against their wielders (blowing holes in the gunmen who shot her, hurting Darkness after he crushed her arm, beheading Quanxi at the speed of light). Ability from a Mirror Devil, or her sense of humour? Two, she twice seems to redirect sacrifices to a devil away from herself and onto others. Her high elevation crusher took the lives of the prisoners who said the names of the targets, and she forces Tolka to sacrifice himself to the Hell Devil. This would explain her scarless appearance and variety of powers - if she can redirect the sacrifices to others and has a supply of prisoners to foist them on, she could make unlimited contracts.

Denji demonstrates more "heart" than he credits himself for when he rushes to Power's aid against the dolls, and forgoes a vacation with just Makima and himself to take care of her after the battle.

Not a perfect arc, but I'm looking forward to what's next.

[Victoria (Victoriabooklover) · Rating 5 out of 5]

9/30/22: the reveal…still hit just as hard 🫡


6/27/21……WHAT?!!!

[Marisol · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is happening.

[Victoria ✮⋆˙ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ayooooo?? I have no words

[Ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars *may change
YEAHHHA.... this manga is so strange

[lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

what.

[Sarah ♡ (let’s interact!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t quite know what I just read… this series is batshit insane in the best way! 😅 there’s mostly lots of gory imagery and action in this volume, it barely gives you any room to breath as we enter hell! If there’s one thing Chainsaw Man does very well, it’s strong female characters! Itching for more and even though this was so action packed it felt abit like filler to introduce the concept of hell and some new villains, wasn’t too much dialogue overall! So I’m giving it 3.5 Stars!

[Shi2chi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this volume was the conclusion of the current arc or not but lots of things got revealed and we got some hints about Makima and some foreshadowing for a group of really strong devils was done
At the end of this volume a few panels are included titled as "Everything about Kishibe" which serve as comic releife.

[Dhia Nouioui · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's funny how the main character getting his head cut off was the least interesting thing to happen in this volume.

[hiba · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is like a train wreck you can't look away from.

[Lucy Tonks (the invisible life of a reader) · Rating 5 out of 5]

what the fuck is happening

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

there's soooo much going on

[Michael Sorbello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 8 covers chapters 62-70

Things really go to Hell (literally) in this volume.

Volume 8 continues the all-out-war of Denji's crew fighting against the foreign assassin squads and the Devil that turns everything it touches into obedient dolls. While the battle ensues, Makima unleashes the might of her true strength and works from the shadows to pull off her mysterious plan. In the middle of the chaos, alliances are made while others are broken.

The surrealistic horror stuff really went off the rails in this one. It's a bit difficult to keep up with everything that's going on. The first time I read through it I didn't understand a lot of things that were happening. After reading some of these chapters a second time while paying closer attention to the subtle contextual hints given through the vague dialogue and imagery, I began to appreciate the set up of what's happening much more.

Chainsaw Man lures you in as a simplistic action story that gradually gets much more complex, bizarre and surrealistic as it goes on. It's like a Tarantino film on LSD.

[Ash (BooksToAshes) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

I usually don’t rate manga but this volume is probably my favourite by far. There was so much action and scenes with different demons, and the imagery was grotesque, gory and terrifying. I loved every second of it.

It also helped that Denji didn’t have a lot of time to be annoying in this volume so that helped exponentially.

[Rod Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

Massacre time! I'm not sure I understood half of what I read in this fast-paced and frenzied melee, but I certainly had a blast turning the pages.

I'm not sure if I want future volumes to make sense of this one or if I would rather they just keep doing more of the same until it's all just screaming, bloody nonsense in every panel until the end of time.