The highly anticipated anime “Chainsaw Man” premiered on Tuesday, along with one of the most memorable opening sequences in recent memory.
While most openings tease viewers with the show’s major players and upcoming fight sequences, the opening for Studio Mappa’s anime adaptation of the popular shonen manga pays homage to some of the most iconic films and moments in cinema history.
The opening scene features the series characters Denji, Makima, Aki and Bond in suits at an intersection in a nod to the opening scene of Quentin Tarantino’s 1992 feature-length debut “Reservoir Dogs.” The shot is just one of three references to the director’s ultra-violent and darkly humorous films sprinkled throughout.
The following sequence is of Denji clutching his chainsaw devil companion Pochita close to his chest, which is a fitting nod to the shot of the corpse monument in the 1974 slasher “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Some other notable references include sequences inspired by films directed by the Coen Brothers, including one that riffs off of Jesus Quintana’s iconic bowling ball rubbing technique from the dark comedy “The Big Lebowski.”
The opening was directed and storyboarded by prolific animator Shingo Yamashito, whose past work includes the 13th opening of “Naruto: Shippuden” and the opening for “Jujutsu Kaisen,” and its theme is an electrifying rock number from Kenshi Yonezu titled “KICK BACK.”
“Chainsaw Man” centers on a down-on-his-luck boy named Denji who gains the ability to turn parts of his body into chainsaws after fusing with a chainsaw devil named Pochita.
A side-by-side comparison of some of the intro’s references with the actual movie scenes that inspired them was compiled by Twitter user @Yuyucow in a video that has been viewed over 3 million times since it was shared on Tuesday. Watch it below:
Shingo Yamashita brought out Chainsaw Man’s spirit with his opening. The barrage of references to memorable shots from all types of films doesn’t just sum up Tatsuki Fujimoto’s love of cinema & influences, but also matches his constant non-sequitur turns with an eclectic sequence pic.twitter.com/kTiUlrHznh
— kViN 🌈🕒 (@Yuyucow) October 11, 2022
Featured Image via MAPPA CHANNEL
