cornucopiawrites

[cornucopiawrites]

For a while I've been thinking about why Chainsaw Man's Part 2 has been pretty polarizing among the fanbase. At least, from my experience and observations

Personally, I don't keep up with it closely anymore. Not at all like Part 1, or the earlier arcs of Part 2. I'm not going to make this into a post about bashing Part 2. Rather, I realized one of the things that Part 1 did so well:

B plots and deuteragonists.

What makes reading Part 1 so special, especially past the Bat Devil arc, is that the story really breaks away from the shonen genre it's labeled as and attains a special kind of mass appeal.

Special, in that the product (the story) is not a generic "averaging" of what would draw the most readers. Instead, the manga manages to present an assorted cast and ongoing, concurrent developments that readers can hook onto, based on their own proclivities and backgrounds.

Here, I'm mainly talking about characters and pairings like Himeno and Aki, Aki and Angel, Makima (and all the characters she interacts with). Major characters that are not Denji and exist and do things outside of his plot bubble. Part 1 is just as much about them as it is about Denji.

And they deal with situations, themes, problems, etc that are far different from what Denji is up to.

Beyond them, you have Kobeni and Arai/Violence. Santa and Tolka. Reze. Aldo and his brothers. Quanxi and her harem. Kishibe and Yoshida. Plot threads and characters that coexist alongside whatever Denji's got going on — and yes, they do amplify and resonate with the themes and motifs of Denji's story, they are also fables or wholly self-contained arcs in themselves.

Obviously, Part 2 also has b plots and side characters. But not nearly as many as Part 1. Certainly not ones as well-developed, in my opinion. And they all got a very hefty amount of screen time, with Denji nowhere to be seen.

Just some scenes and threads that come to mind:

Town Mouse and Country Mouse with Reze and Denji, Aki and Angel, and then Makima and Reze

Kurose and Akl at the hospital

"Easy Revenge"

Tolka, and how to make a Perfect Doll

Aldo and Tomono (and Kurose)

"I don't wanna see a thing."

Kobeni, in the burger shop and in the hideout

We just... lost that in P2 I think. We had it early on, with Yuko to give one example. Back when Asa was much more the MC. When Denji was a b plot, which I think brought a very neat perspective to his character post-Public Safety Saga.

Basically, if Denji and the suffering train wasn't your thing, you had plenty of other things to love.

Now? Being engaged with Denji and his arc is practically mandatory. And I think that does put up a wall for many readers.

[cornucopiawrites]

Hey, I appreciate the response!

Ultimately I think we're coming at CSM and Makima's Part 1 spanning arc from different directions. But I do want to speak to what I view as a projection of emotions or views onto her, which she never professes to have.

First, though, I'm a little confused as to what you're saying here:

And an intended illusion that speaks to her limitations as a character with designated purpose within the story given that Makima is in fact passive to how readers perceive her characterisation as well as the tropes and beats of csm in part 1.

I don't think it's an illusion, given that from International Assassins onward, she's the catalyst for the plot. The major threats the cast face no longer stem from Denji/CSM being the target. It's major political powers attempting to take out Makima herself.

I think what you state here

This can be seen in how the framing in some of the panels you've shown in your examples is done through how she's perceived by the other characters (notably Denji's (or Aki's) awe of her vs Kishibe's (or Himeno's) skepticism of her which also serves to highlight a pocket narrative regarding conforming to binaristic beliefs too.)

No longer applies by as early as Intl. Assassins, because the narrative largely leaves Denji, Aki, Kishibe, etc behind and the exposition we get about Makima comes from characters we, at that point, don't even know (Yoshida revealing she borrows the ears of lesser beings, Santa/Master in her Darkness form mentioning her "dream", and the president of the united states being the one to reveal she's the Control Devil).

By the Control Devil arc she's wrenched the focus of the story onto herself. She essentially does exist at the center of the manga, and even continues to hold a firm grip over the story in Part 2 through Barem, Nayuta, and Public Safety.

I also think that this point is an oversimplification and overlooks a lot about what she discloses about her self-perception and how she views the world:

She is as she said, a necessary evil. While simultaneously being the state's collared dog with dogs of her own in her Special Division 4, the collaring/being collared is the key here.

Because she explicitly rejects the perception of herself as evil

In fact, her major revelations about herself are in how she states she's a "chainsaw man" fan and likes the country mouse.

For the former, she's directly confronting and fighting against both the narrative and the reader's ideas about her. I've written a bit about it here.

And the latter is part of a larger set of elements that, I argue, reveal that she is a very self-aware character and is actually quite happy with what she is and what she is doing. I've begun writing a bit about that here.

(In the future I really want to discuss how gender plays a really big role in the fandom's interpretation and reception of her character. As I've discussed, Makima states her intentions, worldview, and self-image explicitly. But many readers largely eschew what she says and interpret her as a tragic self-deluded figure who was chained and actually longed for companionship — things collectively stated by Denji, Kishibe, and Chainsaw Man. The masculine figures of the story. Why do we defer to these voices without question, but heavily scrutinize what the woman herself states?)

On to the next brief thing:

I'm not sure if this was your intention, but I interpret this

Her incapacitation of Reze, coercion of Angel and blaming of Denji highlights this strongly as her way of nipping off diversions to her established canon (denji finding happiness without her involvement, angel having a family as a devil, denji deserving to have a normal life)

to imply that Makima is driven by these ideas (Reze wanting to escape, Denji and Angel having a family that love them unconditionally, etc). And I disagree with this, too, because as you said, her actions, even the most awful and inhuman ones, stem from utilitarian aims. Especially with Angel Devil, she manifests as a kind of force of nature

And she doesn't even appear to derive any particular emotion from her actions. Her apology to Angel and Aki is like a written-off aside. Her actions and the situations she concocts are part of something much greater than any of these characters.

This is echoed in her reveal to Denji

There's very little emotion at play with her. All the suffering and chaos she causes is task-oriented.

She does break from this, however. In, once again, a way that fights against readers' perceptions of her. In talking with Kishibe, she frames what we believe to be the "final battle" with CSM as something else entirely:

Again, she is going to be killed. And she is celebrating. This is a kind of ritual or ceremony. To me, this just echoes the apocalyptic motifs of her (apocalyptic in the sense of change).

Anyways the last point I wanna contend with is

While simultaneously being the state's collared dog with dogs of her own in her Special Division 4, the collaring/being collared is the key here

and

The distanced refinement of the state as the apex of society vs the messy earnestness of Denji from the bottom rung of society.

First, the events and imagery in the Control Devil arc, to me, show that Makima is ultimately in opposition to the state and actually comes out above it:

Going back to the apocalyptic aspect really quick, in tandem with her being the "apex of society" and Denji being the "bottom rung of society" — one thing about her arc and character that I really engage with is that she's, in my eyes, one of the only (the only? at least in Part 1) voices that attempts to act against the status quo.

She attempts to change the world for the better. But, rhetorically, the manga argues that this is somehow the wrong kind of change. Or the wrong way to go about it. Or that, for whatever reason, she is untrustworthy of bringing about this change — changes that ultimately would make "bottom rung" members like Denji nonexistent, as she seeks to do away with the socioeconomic factors that lead to his condition by completely eradicating hunger, illness, conflict, etc..

I will admit that this last bit is very heavily mired in a very particular reading of the manga. But, personally, once I approached the Control Devil arc in particular as a piece of reactionary media, the rhetorical aspects of the narrative give way to broad, competing ideas on gender, spirituality, idealism, etc..

This wound up being a lot longer and more rambly than I expected. If you made it this far I appreciate you reading all of this. It kind of turned into me laying out ideas for future posts I want to make, which a reblog probably isn't the best thing for but here we are. Take care!

(Makima thoughts from bsky to be referenced.)

Makima's image as Control tends to be perceived as dominance what with the femdom popularisation in the fandom, but she personally comes across to me as more conformity as an ideal. Not necessarily as like a tradwife but that that the notion of conformity is itself a domineering presence in society.

Dominance more akin to taking over something and having it controlled within your sphere of influence/management. There's also just the alienating nature of her perfection and the omnipotent image she carries in the power she holds through authority.

A representation of dogma to be followed at the cost of one's self.

[cornucopiawrites]

I have a contending viewpoint to this take on Makima. And usually I wouldn't make a post just disagreeing with someone like this, because I really don't believe there's a right or wrong way to read and digest fiction. But in thinking about why I disagree with you on this, I wound up coming to some realizations about Makima that warrant a post.

So, please don't feel like I'm attacking your take or anything. I'm posting this as a reblog because your post was the impetus for this. (It's also going to be a bit rambly because it's late but whatever).

ANYWAY

I think the association of Makima with "perfection" and "conformity" is also a fan-made popularization akin to her femdom appeal, and she is actually an embodiment of disorder and chaos, particularly from a narrative viewpoint. (Ironic, given that she's the Control Devil). In fact, I argue that she is also an embodiment of nonconformity, in that she defies the readers' efforts to force her into a role, and even revolts through forcing the reader to broaden their knowledge of the manga's worldbuilding and constantly re-evaluate their understanding of the powers at play.

My argument lies in how pivotal she is in moving the plot of Part 1 forward, and how her character developes in very wild, completely unpredictable ways as she plot goes on — as well as the ways in which she forces both the status quo and the reader's perception of the manga's universe to change as well. This is actually fitting, given her nature as a horsewoman of the apocalypse (and therefore a harbinger of change).

I'll be going through a sampling of what one can reasonably call her biggest plot "beats" and appearances, and show that one doesn't need to dig deep at all to see just how chaotic of an entity she is.

Her perpetual metamorphosis is present from her introduction. At first she's presented as an ambiguous caretaker and even love interest:

But then her threatening nature is quickly brought to the forefront:

You'll recall that she also promises Denji they'll be "working together" only for it to be revealed that she's in a much higher position in Public Safety that she let on.

Is she manipulating Denji (and by extension, the reader)? Of course. But it isn't done through making Denji/us conform; quite the opposite, it constantly changes our perception of the status quo. Keeping stability just out of reach is a common tactic among cults and whatnot, so this does fit her antagonistic role as a mastermind.

The bar scene echoes this dynamic. She wins a drinking contest. Yes, she asserts her dominance, but look at the context its within:

Inebriation. Disorder. And she's still going.

Later, in the Katana Man arc, her death and revival between chapters is another metamorphosis. It's a rebirth in how the reader perceives her. Obviously, she was already a mysterious and ominous figure, especially after that whole scene with Denji in her office.

But, once again, she ups the ante.

From here, she really starts to become synonymous with blood, gore, and shock. I think rather than "perfection" or "conformity", the best descriptor to use for Makima as she is presented in Part 1 is just "extreme" and "violent".

Her actions in the aftermath of the attack, which are among those iconic scenes I mentioned, are extreme if nothing else:

And, again, the reader has the rug pulled from under their feet. "She can make people explode!?" "Public Safety can pull a stunt like this!?"

Later, the scene with Kishibe kind of twists the knife:

So she most likely even helped facilitate the attack. What are her intentions? Is she even on P.S.'s side? We have no idea. We know she's up to something, but she remains a step ahead. And every time we think we get a picture of her intentions or the scope of her power, we are proven wrong.

BUT WAIT! Suddenly, in an interlude, we get a vulnerable side to her:

So. Perhaps she is human?

NO! She is rats:

Once again, she refuses to be compartmentalized to a schema. What's further muddled is that, so far, she has been working against the arc-specific antagonists. And once again, consider the context of her appearance before Reze:

She emerges from a mass of writhing rodents.

This supernatural aspect pushed further and further in the International Assassins arc, as is the ambiguity of her allegiance. After all, she fights off a primal.

Now, as we remember, Gun Devil arc is where things really accelerate for her character development. But in compiling my thoughts for this post, I also realized something:

Makima's expository dumps completely up-heave our perception of CSM's world.

This is among the first instances of this:

Up until now, we thought Gun Devil to be a major antagonist. Instead, we now exist in a pseudo Cold War reality, and we have no idea who or what the "big bad" is anymore.

When she's revealed to be the Control Devil, that's another upheaval. But, at the very least, we have some confirmation of her nature. Some solid ground.

Until she dies. Which we've seen before. But, this re-birth is different. It has an apocalyptic air. And it's like she's unmasked herself yet again. Plus, we're left to imagine what those dozens of other deaths could have been for.

Later, she shatters our schemas of some very central pillars to our understanding of Part 1 thus far:

Denji's past:

Pochita, and the world he has molded:

Herself (once again)

And (what I find most interesting): our very perception of the scope of the narrative

This is something I didn't really appreciate until writing this up. Makima forces the plot to become more. We see here, in her recounting of the battle with CSM, that the manga (and even Denji's entire life) is a slice of a much bigger story. The stakes become greater. She's the catalyst of this escalation -- not only from her actions and machinations, but also just her narrative role.

In an earlier post, I had talked about how Makima follows the stages of Jung's Anima through the course of Part 1, culminating in Sophia. And in this way — the way in which she enlightens the readers themselves as to the scope of the manga's world — she really embodies that archetype of oracle, prophet, or giver of enlightenment.

That's the extent of what I feel like typing up right now. But through this, I hope to have demonstrated how Part 1's Control Devil is an entity of change and chaos, defying attempts to categorize her up until her end, while at the same time fighting against an semblance of status-quo between the narrative and the reader, and the main characters themselves.

In closing, I'll leave with a few panels that I couldn't fit anywhere above, but that I think really highlight her core aspects of violence, extremism, and endless upheaval:

[disclaimer: i am a makima apologist]

(Makima thoughts from bsky to be referenced.)

Makima's image as Control tends to be perceived as dominance what with the femdom popularisation in the fandom, but she personally comes across to me as more conformity as an ideal. Not necessarily as like a tradwife but that that the notion of conformity is itself a domineering presence in society.

Dominance more akin to taking over something and having it controlled within your sphere of influence/management. There's also just the alienating nature of her perfection and the omnipotent image she carries in the power she holds through authority.

A representation of dogma to be followed at the cost of one's self.

[cornucopiawrites]

Wip ~

[cornucopiawrites]

summer

[cornucopiawrites]

1 Sun's Dawn (Day 170)

I showed Ranis Athrys my

Wizard's Staff.

[cornucopiawrites]

i drew makima

used @/ksenkansesh's makima cosplay as reference

[cornucopiawrites]

Hair down Makima

[cornucopiawrites]

[cornucopiawrites]

OH HELL YES I KNOW THIS MANGA

possessive grocery store cashier boyfriend. "i saw you check your groceries out in someone else's aisle." #dark romance #booktok #alpha

[cornucopiawrites]

Having found him again, Makima decided to tell him what she knew about him and what was wrong with him now! He understands that she won’t just leave behind. He understood from her eyes that she was not a person, he was interested in what happened to his father when he was only a year old. No one knows where he disappeared to? And he decided to take her hand. He felt and something told him that she shouldn’t trust her yet and be on her guard, she could do anything and hurt him. Looking at her with a serious look, she was not afraid of that.

Why do you want to help? He asked her

Makima walked up to him and just hugged him. He was surprised and she told him

You smell special! You smell blood with iron and something else but not demonic forces I don't know what it is but I would like to know. Makima told him

So, okay, so I smell something, even if it’s blood and iron, but I’m ready to find out the secret of my father’s disappearance! Once we find out everything, I’ll help you, we agreed.

He and Makima shook hands, then got on a dark blue Harley-Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle and rode towards the Public Security Bureau building.

[cornucopiawrites]

He went straight into the hug 🥺❤️

[cornucopiawrites]

[cornucopiawrites]

[cornucopiawrites]

Makima hades artstyle

[cornucopiawrites]

[cornucopiawrites]

when a mutual joins one of your main discord servers and you watch them slowly fit right in ❤️❤️❤️