It’s interesting that the two most anticipated anime of the fall have two completely opposite approaches to their appeal. Spy x Family is a cute, cozy satire of the spy genre with an adorable pink-mopped protagonist, while Chainsaw Man is as bloody and violent as that name would suggest.
The first twelve episodes of Spy x Family premiered last spring, and the show was an instant hit — for good reason. We fell in love with this story of a master spy, expert assassin and telepathic toddler who pose as a fake family while being totally unaware of the others’ roles (except for Anya, the kid, who can read their minds).
When we last left this trio, they were thinking about adding a fourth member to the family: some kind of canine. At the same time Loid is assigned to stop a terrorist plot to blow up a lot of buildings using dogs with bombs strapped to their backs. It’s a dangerous assignment, and Loid could wind up under rubble if Anya can’t change his fate. She knows this because….HER DOG CAN SEE INTO THE FUTURE! I love this show.
Then there’s Chainsaw Man, which is decidedly NOT as cuddly. Based on the popular manga of the same name, it’s set in a world where devils have escaped the underworld and are terrorizing civilization. Fearless teenager Denji was one of the best devil hunters around — until he nearly died from one. However, his faithful dog Pochita was NOT a dog, and could NOT read minds but DID have the power to merge with Denji’s body to save his life.
Denji is now half-devil, the powerful Chainsaw Man. When he transforms he has the ability to produce chainsaws from multiple points in his body, as well as gain a cool-lookng robot head with a chainsaw protruding out the top like a horn. The English cast includes Ryan Colt Levy (My Hero Academia: World Heroes’ Mission; Moriarty the Patriot) as Denji, Suzie Yeung (Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba; Wonder Egg Priority) – as Makima, Reagan Murdock (Dragon Ball Super; Don’t Hurt Me, My Healer!) as Aki and Sarah Wiedenheft (Black Clover; Dr. STONE; Dragon Ball Super) as Power.
Chainsaw Man will premiere its first episode on Crunchyroll October 11. The new season of Spy x Family will premiere there October 1.
