Chainsaw Man is one of the most highly anticipated anime in recent memory, and while it's good to keep expectations in check, the team behind it is definitely something to be relieved at. While fans await the show's release on Crunchyroll, here's a rundown of the creative staff bringing the acclaimed manga to life.
But first, Chainsaw Man is a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto about a man named Denji doing dirty demon-killing work for the yakuza until he gets whacked and becomes a devil himself. The manga has won awards and MAPPA is treating this new adaptation as a big step forward for the already huge studio.
Directing
Previously, when questioning whether Chainsaw Man was being over-hyped leading up to the anime release, GameRant reported on the two credited directors, Ryu Nakayama and Tatsuya Yoshihara. Both are immensely talented animators in their own right, which should lend to the quality of a suspected action-packed adaptation.
The former, Yoshihara, directed a lot of Black Clover and is an overall experienced key animator on anime such as Jujutsu Kaisen and One Punch Man. The latter, Nakayama, has similar experience, but notably has directed for EVE's music video "Raison d'être" and an episode of Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front - Babylonia.
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No matter how much talent is given to a project, the guiding hand of a director is key. Having skilled animators is a plus, but for a story as acclaimed as Chainsaw Man's, it also takes a storyteller. This being Nakayama's first huge directing gig will be quite the mark of their capabilities.
Writing
Screenwriting is crucial, even when dealing with adapted material. Screenwriter Hiroshi Seko is a busy man, and the screenwriter behind some of MAPPA's biggest projects, from Attack on Titan Final Season, to their upcoming work Vinland Saga Season 2. However, their career across the industry is massive and speaks for itself. [See their work history.]
Character Design
Two is often better than one and in this case, Chainsaw Man has two character designers, Kazutaka Sugiyama and Kiyotaka Oshiyama. The former, Sugiyama, was a character designer and Animation Director on Mushoku Tensei, a beautiful show in its own right, with even better-looking characters.
Meanwhile, Oshiyama is credited specifically for the "devil designs," the kind of credit that invites giggles of excitement at such a specific task. Similar to how mecha shows bring on a designer (or several) just for the mecha, this show has a lot of monsters that need a delicate touch to be brought to animation.
Art
The Art Director on Chainsaw Man is none other than Yusuke Takeda, a career Art Director whose resume includes a lot of science fiction works and some colorful but grounded dramas. They've done a lot of work on the Legend of Galactic Heroes films of the last several years and previously worked with Wit in the art department for Vinland Saga and will be reprising that position for season 2 at MAPPA.
Accompanying them is Naomi Nakano, a Color Designer whose recent work includes Sword Art Online Progressive, in addition to similar work on Appare-Ranman and Kemono Jihen. Their projects can easily be described as being bursting with color, but depending on the project, a lot of the chaos can be reigned in depending on the direction. She and Takeda may very well make a great team.
Music
Kensuke Ushio is a name that should sound very familiar to fans of popular anime, particularly within the last few years. They were the composer behind the light but occasionally powerful score to A Silent Voice, as well as Naoko Yamada's Liz and the Blue Bird. In television, they blew minds with their techno soundtrack for Devilman Crybaby, and they captured the tone of Boogiepop and Others like nothing else.
Ushio's involvement within the sound department might be the biggest sell for those less versed in the in and out of animation production. Sound is such a major part of how media is consumed, and Ushio's dexterity in creating a signature while molding it to the project they are working on has made them deservedly high-profile despite not having a huge repertoire in anime.
Chainsaw Man is definitely going to be the anime that everyone has their eyes on and thanks to the news about the crew working on it, it's a bit easier to get excited about it. For now, it's simply a matter of waiting.