The first opening theme song to Chainsaw Man contains a homage to a memorable scene from the 1995 Neon Genesis Evangelion TV series.
A Twitter user who goes by the handle of annocinema shared a video that compares a disturbing sequence from Episode 16 of Neon Genesis Evangelion to a scene from the Chainsaw Man opening. Episode 16 of Neon Genesis Evangelion is about Shinji Ikari going through a spiritual, introspective journey as a black-and-white spherical Angel, called the Leliel, is absorbing him and his Evangelion Unit-01. The episode ends with Unit-01 savagely tearing its way out of the Leliel, killing the seemingly undefeatable Angel. In the Chainsaw Man opening, “KICK BACK” by Kenshi Yonezu, the brief scene of the titular hero violently emerging from a dark, spherical creature is strikingly similar to what Unit-01 did to the Angel.
Chainsaw Man’s Opening Paid Tribute to Multiple Films
A tribute to Neon Genesis Evangelion isn’t the only Easter egg viewers can find in the Chainsaw Man theme song’s opening video. Animators scattered numerous visual references to Hollywood films throughout the one-minute and thirty-second opening. Some movie references in the opening include Reservoir Dogs, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Pulp Fiction and more. The Chainsaw Man fandom has embraced the Season 1 opener by re-imagining it to other popular series like Spy x Family and Animal Crossing. Jungkook, a member of the famous K-Pop band BTS, did a cover of “KICK BACK” during a karaoke stream on the social media platform Weverse.
The Chainsaw Man opening doesn’t only contain endless fanservice for movie buffs. It also foreshadows the tragic nature of the Tatsuki Fujimoto series, some of which came to light in the shocking Season 1 finale. The referentially dense opening isn’t the only thing that sets Chainsaw Man apart from its peers. The series featured 12 different ending themes by various musicians for its Season 1 run. Queen Bee, ZUTOMAYO, and Kanaria are just some of the musical artists involved with the ending themes for Chainsaw Man Season 1.
Season 1 of Chainsaw Man is available to stream on Crunchyroll and Hulu. Currently, Season 2 of Chainsaw Man has yet to be announced by MAPPA, the animation studio behind the series.
Source: Twitter
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