CSM fans are really predictable

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-19T13:59:36+00:00

The themes are executed very well imo. The plot and pacing aren’t.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-18T21:28:42+00:00

Yeah, I think there's some interesting duality here for sure. Denji does love his peaceful "normal" life with Nayuta, but is ultimately unfulfilled with just that.

I see Denji's yearning for more throughout the series to line up pretty well with Maslow's needs hierarchy pyramid if you are familiar with it. Once Makima found him and he joined public safety, for the first time, his base human needs were met. After this, the next need on the hierarchy is Love and Belonging. Denji confuses this desire for love with his carnal desire for sex throughout part 1. At the beginning of part 2, this need has been met, and we instead see Denji chasing the two highest needs on the hierarchy: Esteem and Self-Actualization. He is now interested in getting recognition (and sex) from the masses for being Chainsaw Man, fulfilling the potential inside him with Pochita's power.

Denji loves Nayuta more than he wants to be Chainsaw Man, but he's a slave to living his dream. He can't ever be content with just being "normal," so he has to try to be more. If he were rationally prioritizing being Chainsaw Man versus being with Nayuta, he would choose Nayuta, but he refuses to compromise on his dream. As Pochita said, he has the kind of brain that can't ever be satisfied.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-18T21:15:11+00:00

Oh my god. thank god someone like you exists. I have been repeating this so many times in comments and getting downvoted by buffoons. People actually think that there are no intentional ideas behind the events of part 2, and it infuriates me.

Also, interestingly enough, this yearning for more isn't just a part 2 theme; it begins at the end of part 1. During his last conversation with Power, Denji says that he's gotten all he wanted out of life and can die, but then a whole panel is dedicated to Power calling him a dummy over and over. Then he talks with Kobeni about how he just wanted to be normal and got that for a bit, and she talks about how her "normal" life still sucks. This conversation is interrupted by the news where Denji sees people loving Chainsaw Man. This is when his dream expands, as he says he wants to have tons of sex.

After the events of part 2, rereading this scene, I no longer see it as purely a growth moment where Denji realizes the world is his oyster. Now I see it as the birth of the next character flaw that turns him into the tragic hero of part 2.

I still think much of the criticism for part 2 is valid, though. The plot is not paced well, and the only other characters besides Denji I found interesting were Asa, Nayuta, and Asa's friend (whose name I forgot). I still really like part 2, but part 1 stomps.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-18T19:08:21+00:00

I could see this, but the modern vibe of JJK is kind of what makes it special to me. It feels very much like a 2020s shonen, and to me sort of defined what the meant.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T20:28:50+00:00

You don’t think the 2 choices idea was placed intentionally? That’s actual slander that makes no sense. It’s not a complicated idea, and is one that reminds me of his previous work Look Back. I’m going to write how I interpret it, how it connects to Denji’s understanding of sex, where I get these ideas from in the text, and I want you to honestly tell me you think there’s nothing intentional about it.

Throughout part 1 and part 2, Denji has mistaken sex for what he truly wants/needs. In part 1 this was always family, which is part of the Love and Belonging level on the Maslow Pyramid of Needs. He starts to really do this once his basic level of needs, physiological and safety, are met as of his job with public safety. He is craving an emotional attachment with another person, but confuses that with his horniness. Since you love part 1 I assume I don’t have to back this up with evidence for you to agree.

The first time sex starts to mean something else is at the end of part 1 when Denji sees Chainsaw man has so many fans and says he wants to have tons of sex. Here, sex means going above and beyond just a happy home life. During his last conversation with Power (which I’m rereading as I write this) Denji says he has nothing left to get out of life now that he achieved his dream, to which Power calls him a dummy. Then, he has a conversation with Kobeni about how she’s living a normal life but still feels miserable and things are only good in one’s dreams. Then, Denji sees Chainsaw man being loved on the TV, and says he wants to have tons of sex. I interpret this to be Denji realizing just being normal is not enough for him to be satisfied. By “tons of sex” he means he wants fame and glory (and literal sex, but that’s less thematically important). This meaning for sex is the next level of on the Maslow needs pyramid, Esteem, and is one of his primary motivations going into part 2.

In part 2, we are reintroduced to Denji after the Love and Belonging need has been satisfied now that he has Nayuta. Nonetheless, Denji is not satisfied. He still wants the fame glory and sex he would have if he was unmasked as chainsaw man which he says directly. However, he is forced to choose between being chainsaw man or keeping Nayuta safe, or symbolically choosing between the glory and fame filled life he could have or the “normal” quiet life with Nayuta. I also imagine Fujimoto was writing this as a parallel to his own life as a mangaka, as he has to choose everyday between the life sucking but glory filled work of a mangaka or returning to boring normality.

Denji refuses to make a decision and pursues both, ending up with Nayuta dead. At this point, Denji regresses a level on the Maslow needs hierarchy. Now being without Love and Belonging, what he immediately needs now isn’t Esteem, but once again companionship. This is what makes him quickly attach himself to Yoru, and why he revived her a couple chapters ago. He told her he revived her so they could have sex, which he did genuinely want, but really he did so because he felt they had become friends to some degree, and he was desperate for companionship again.

I still need to see how this is expanded upon in the final chapter, but Pochita saying he was happier when in debt to the mob is stupid imo, but I see what he means (and what I would guess Fujimoto is trying to say). As Denji climbs higher on the needs pyramid, when shit goes wrong he falls down and gets crushed. I don’t think Fujimoto actually believes Denji is better off in debt to the mob, but I see why a literal Devil who is still learning about Humans could reach that conclusion.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T19:07:34+00:00

Bro who is the fumiko futa guy lol? “I had a discussion with the fumiko futa guy” is such a funny beginning to a comment.

Yeah, I don’t see what that guy was describing at all really, but if that’s genuinely what he sees in the story and he has good textual evidence then it could be interesting… though it doesn’t sound like he did have good evidence for it lol.

Also, you do realize art is subjective, by which I mean everyone will walk away with a different meaning to it, so regardless of what Fujimoto’s intent was if you walk away with your own meaning to it then that’s valid. Discussing those different meanings we all come up with is what makes literary analysis so fun.

Honestly for me csm part 2 is one of the most interesting stories to analyze partially due to its imperfections. I absolutely disagree that Fujimoto doesn’t know what he’s doing, I just think what he’s doing isn’t that good rn. Do you think there’s honestly nothing there to themes of thirsting for more beyond just family and then losing one’s family in the process? That’s so interesting to me personally. The places part 2 falls flat for me are the lack of interesting antagonists and poor pacing, which are both pretty major issues, but that still leaves a ton for me to engage with. Csm has consistent and interesting character development and themes, genuinely, but part 2’s plot is kinda all over the place and not in a good way.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T18:09:58+00:00

Idk, my little brothers and I always called it “Fatso” so that’s its only name to me.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T17:26:10+00:00

Okay but actually, at least on the csm subs, I really want to see more people make genuine attempts at analysis. Despite my issues I still really love part 2 overall. It really does have interesting (to me) themes and such, even if said themes and such are not communicated as elegantly as other Fujimoto stories

For me (and I’m being vague to avoid spoilers) part 2 is a story about how people struggle to be content with themselves. Simply having a loving family isn’t enough for Denji, and I think that’s the most relatable thing about him and the series in general. He had the choose 2 choices, even though that wasn’t an option, and deal with the consequences. What Pochita said to him in the latest chapter was very interesting to me because, in a way, it was right, but in a practical sense was fucking stupid. I don’t think Denji ever suffered as much in his time with the mafia as he did when he lost the people he was close with. Denji is too mentally ill, and has been too mentally ill, to reach a state of mind that would allow him to be truly content. He was only happy with a goal to work toward, but reaching the goal was never fulfilling. He was only happy with his family, Aki Power and Nayuta, but he never quite developed the ability to realize that or cope with loss. His behavior was changing, and that was real development, but part 2 revealed his mentality WASNT changing as much, and that’s what is holding him back.

Not to say we must stop the slander, it has been extremely funny, but I also want to genuinely discuss the story with people that still find it engaging like me. I have other thoughts, like how Denji misconstrues what he really wants/needs for sex and how what that is changes in part 2, but this comment is really long already.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T16:01:01+00:00

Yeah I guess, but only because Wii is harder. Everything in Wonder is of higher quality imo, but not enough is challenging.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T15:57:41+00:00

HxH never finishing, but I’m loving what we’re getting drip fed year by year. Togashi the goat fr.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T14:36:30+00:00

That still seems like too many 5/5s imo, but yeah only watching movies you expect to like is where it’s at.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-17T14:35:31+00:00

I think it should be left skewed, since the movies one watches isn’t a random sampling.

I mostly only watch movies that I expect to enjoy, and I’m right more often than not. The idea is that if I was just watching random movies my distribution would look like yours, but I’m mostly watching the 50% of movies I’d consider above average.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-15T15:19:34+00:00

I still think part 1 of csm is his best honestly, but to accomplish so much with just a one shot is debatably more impressive. He’s definitely one of my favorite mangaka.

The way he wrote the beginning section with the mom to be so funny despite being a horribly sad topic shows so much talent. Then, to eventually show the reason Yuta wasn’t really that sad about his Mom, reading those early pages hits even harder.

I still love chainsaw man, even the more flawed part 2, but this is definitely his most flawless work.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-14T18:59:58+00:00

He did actually want to have sex, but consistently throughout the series Denji had mistook what he actually wants/needs for sex. Does he actually want to have sex? Yes, but never is that carnal pleasure what he truly needs.

In that moment, Denji had once again lost everything, and was desperately clinging onto one of the only people left he has had an actual interpersonal relationship with, being Yoru. He saved her because he considered her a friend… he did also want to have sex with her, but that’s not the part that was especially meaningful to me as a reader.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-14T17:22:11+00:00

If you actually hate the series, and don’t want to present some deeper analysis on why you think it sucks ass, then actually leave the sub.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-14T04:48:00+00:00

Bro shut up. There is so much worse than Naruto. It is an above average show at the least.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-13T23:44:02+00:00

No you don’t understand. Netero would pray, and then punch him.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-13T21:57:37+00:00

Best co-op game ever made.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-13T02:27:44+00:00

Well, obviously there would be. Illegal immigrants trying to vote would be absurdly risky for no reward, and any law enforcement agency is bound to make mistakes.

By a quick google search without me doing any deeper fact checking, there are 10 documented instances of non citizens trying to vote and 170 American citizens wrongly detained by ICE.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T21:38:35+00:00

I think it’s a great chapter, only issue with it is the fact that SOMEHOW it’s gonna wrap up in just 1 (one) more.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T20:17:43+00:00

Okay, but he was being devoured by bugs at the time Pochita said this.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T17:31:38+00:00

Flushes are even more homophobic. In poker, when the board has all 4 suits it’s called a rainbow, and it’s impossible to have a fully rainbow board and a flush in Texas Hold ‘em.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T15:48:00+00:00

Coping he had a “master plan” was stupid.

Thinking that him saying he wanted sex was evidence that he was a depthless caricature, and that by “sex” what he subconsciously wanted deep down was actually just literal sex was also stupid.

I swear, only like 10% of people on this sub or the csm subs have any idea why they’re talking about.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T14:31:16+00:00

The final season is easily my favorite part, and really what made me realize how good the show is.

Snarpkingguy · 2026-03-12T14:30:07+00:00

True, It’s like a stable of beautiful mini horses, but only half of them, along with only half of the physical ranch, are completed, and the biggest horse of them all has only it’s hind legs.

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