Chainsaw Man Season 1 Episode 10 begins when Aki wakes to find himself in a hospital room with Denji and Power reading manga. Power and Denji bicker over apples, Denji tells Power she can’t have any because she’s a “coward,” that left the battle. Aki asks “who survived from Division 4,” Denji responds Kobeni and “that guy with the glasses.” However, Denji and Power are going to meet Makima but Denji leaves an apple for Aki. I’m not sure what the apple is suppose to symbolizes in this episode but it’s a narrative tool at least for the first part. When Michiko and Yutaro enter the room, Yutaro asks if he can “have” the apple. Maybe we’ll get a payoff eventually but I thought it was interesting.
At the cemetery Makima meets Himeno’s former master Kishibe. She wants him to train Denji and Power. Kishibe makes an impact when he asks Denji and Power a series of questions: how they felt when their teammates died, if they want revenge, and if they are on human or devils side? Denji and Power are odd and to be frank selfish and respond accordingly. They say that they didn’t “think much” of their teammates death, they’re uninterested in vengeance, and they’re on the side of “whoever takes care of (Denji),” and for Power whoever is “winning.” These answer pleases Kishibe who claims that they got a perfect score. He’s excited to train them, especially because their not human.
The benefits of training
The training arc is a common arc in anime but I’ve never seen one this violent and brutal. Kishibe breaks both their necks paralyzing them. We are reminded that not only are Denji and Power not human they have the ability to heal after consuming blood. Kishibe shows off his strength and ability with a knife as he stabs Denji three times in quick succession, he then slits the throat of Power. He leaves them in a pool of their own blood. Kishibe is sadistic and I wonder what terrible thing happened to make him this way. The following day Power and Denji decide to use their intellect and defeat Kishibe. He defeats them easily but they did do better. So far two (Power and Denji) of the dumbest characters became a little more strategic. That’s progress.
The rest of the episode focused on Aki gaining a new devil contract. The Fox Devil isn’t responding to Aki’s call suggesting their contract has been voided. We get more world building when Michiko and Yutaro bring him to the basement where Public Safety keeps the devils they catch. They take him to cell 108, which houses the Future Devil. Yutaro warns him that the other two people that have contracts with this devil lost “half their lifespan,” and “their eyes, sense of taste and smell.” I wonder what Aki can sacrifice. We know he only has two years left. Also what do devils do with what they take form humans? Can they make use of eyes, fingernails, taste, or smell? Or do they just want the sacrifice?
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