Chainsaw Man: Anime Canonicity

[CowHeadGod]

so apparently you need a CRT to establish that animes are of equal standing to their manga counterpart. so here you go, might as well clear this up ahead of time. ¯\(ツ)/¯

The Main Stuff​

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During an interview with Fujimoto (the mangaka) and Shihei Lin (his editor) at Jump Festa 2022, when asked about the production of the anime, they comment on how they have both been directly checking over both the script and the storyboards of the anime to ensure that they're consistent with the manga:

"We've actually checked the script. They are now working on a storyboard, I guess"

"Yes, we'll just let them know if it's inconsistent with the original story. We hope they could do their own Chainsaw Man"

"Yes, we checked the storyboards too"

Link to full interview (Dec 22, 2021)

Moreover, during an interview at Anime Expo 2022, Makoto Kimura (MAPPA's Chainsaw Man Producer) states that Fujimoto is heavily with everything involved with the anime as well as how the staff intends to try to make the anime as close as possible to Fujimoto's original vision of the manga:

The producer says the team is working closely with him. The creator was involved from the beginning including planning and casting and music. He is involved in everything, and that is important because we want to keep that original vision in mind.

Link to source (July 4, 2022)

Furthermore, later on Shihei Lin's twitter, he further confirms how involved Fujimoto is with the entire production, overseeing basically everything:

アニメ『#チェンソーマン』は企画・構成・脚本・絵コンテまで、全て藤本さんに見て頂いて、MAPPAさんのアニメチームと密に連絡を取って打合せし続けてきました。

"Fujimoto has overseen the planning, composition, script, and storyboarding of the anime "Chainsaw Man" and has been in close contact with MAPPA's animation team to continue holding meetings."

Link to full tweet (Oct 18, 2022)

Extra Yap​

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Spoiler: Whooooole lot of Extra Evidence

• Dec 13, 2020
  • Fujimoto comments this after the release the the final volume and announcement of the Chainsaw Man production, signifying he's planning to get involved with the anime's production:
    • "Wait the studio that did Doreohedoro and JJK is doing the Dorohedoro and JJK knock Chainsaw Man?! What else is there to say?! I can't wait to work with them!"
• Apr 21, 2021
  • During an interview, Fujimoto comments on how he has talked with MAPPA but leaving it to them to handle the anime (this is expanded on more later on):
    • "I talked to the people handling the anime. I felt that they were people I could feel comfortable leaving things to, so I don't have any worries whatsoever. I love anime, but I don't have any experience in making it, so I am leaving it all to them."
• Oct 22, 2021
  • During an interview with a French newspaper, when asked about the production of the anime, Shihei Lin says:
    • "En ce qui concerne Chainsaw Man, tout à fait, je suis actuellement très pris par ce projet et je participe activement aux réunions de l'équipe de production."
    • "As far as Chainsaw Man is concerned, yes, I'm currently very busy with this project and actively participate in production team meetings."
• Apr 5, 2022
  • During an interview on the 'Nikkei Entertainment! May 2022 Issue', when asked about the anime, Shihei Lin says:
    • "The script meeting is over, and Fujimoto-san and I are checking the storyboards and other intermediate stages, but I am excited to see that the anime is perfect and will spread not only in Japan but also around the world."
• Aug 7, 2022
  • Makoto again mentions during an interview at Crunchyroll's Anime Expo that both Fujimoto and Shihei Lin are working closely with them to give advice and more.
    • The next question goes to Kimura on how Lin and Fujimoto are involved with the anime. It really feels like they are there for the whole thing, he says. They are working closely with every step from scenario to dubbing and animation. We are working very closely with both of them. Not only in the anime production side are they involved but also merchandise. They are giving us lots of advice because it is important for us to deliver the best of CSM to fans who love the series. As for that advice, Kimura says the two have lots of trust. So they don’t make major changes most of the time because the anime staff is filled with fans. However, they do give advice on detailed nuances here and there.
• Oct 10, 2022
  • During an interview with Keisuke Seshimo (the animation producer), a question was asked about if Fujimoto ever gave him advice during production, Seshimo says:
    • "コミュニケーションを取るタイミングは随時あるのですが、中でも「自分の意思としては、良い映像が見たいということが1番大きい。そのためにできることは何でもやります。僕が何かの書類にハンコを押した方が良ければ、今この場でハンコを押します」とおっしゃられていたことが印象に残っています。おそらく冗談だとは思うのですが、すごく藤本先生らしい忖度のない意見だと思いました（笑）。それもあって各キャラクターのデザインやキャストを決める時、絵コンテのチェック、映像表現など、逐一、藤本先生から意見をいただくようにしています。"
    • "There are times when we communicate, but one thing that stuck in my mind was when he said, "My biggest wish is to see a good video. I'll do whatever I can to achieve that. If it's better for me to put my stamp on some document, I'll do it right now." I think he was probably joking, but I thought it was a very Fujimoto-like opinion with no consideration for others (laughs). That's why, when deciding on the design and cast of each character, checking the storyboard, visual expression, etc., I always ask for Fujimoto-sensei's opinion."
  • And when asked about what Fujimoto's reaction is to the production was:
    • "みなさんがイメージされているように多くは語られない方なので、細かい感想や要望が来ることはありません。ただ、アフレコや音響に立ち会うタイミングで完成途中の映像を確認される際、特にいい芝居や動きをしているキャラクターを見ると顔が緩む時があるんですよ。笑って楽しそうにしていて。それは現場の人間として嬉しくなります"
    • "As you might imagine, he's not a talkative person, so he doesn't give us detailed opinions or requests. However, when I'm present at the dubbing or sound sessions and he checks the footage in the middle of being completed, his face sometimes relaxes when he sees a character who is acting well or moving well. He's smiling and seems to be having fun. It makes me happy as someone on the set."
• Nov 13, 2022
  • During an interview with Ryu Nakayama (the director) and Keisuke Seshimo, when asked about what they were particularly playing attention to when creating the anime, Nakayama says:
    • "原作の雰囲気を壊さないように、リスペクトを持って制作に当たることを前提に、“映画好き”という藤本タツキ先生との共通点を足がかりにしながら、実写的な画面をつくっていきたいと考えています。デフォルメを減らし、安易に“アニメっぽさ”にいかない。映像としてどう見せたいかに重きを置いています"
    • "As long as we don't destroy the atmosphere of the original work, we will work with respect, and using our common ground with Tatsuki Fujimoto, who is a movie lover, as a starting point, we want to create a realistic screen. We want to reduce deformation and not go for an easy "anime-like" look. We place emphasis on how we want to present the visuals."
  • Essentially this corroborates with what Fujimoto was talking about earlier with how he wanted MAPPA to do it's own thing but also not mess up with his original story.
• Dec 3, 2022
  • During another interview with Ryu Nakayama, he says that it was his primarily goal to convey the essence of the original work as best as possible to the viewers when making the anime:
    • "アニメ化する上でもっともこだわっている部分はどのあたりになるでしょうか?
      
      マンガをまだ読んだことがなく、アニメで初めて『チェンソーマン』に触れる人にも原作が持っているエッセンスを余さず伝えるというのを大事にしています。連載当時の“テンション感”を伝えられたらと。"
    • "What do you focus on most when adapting it into an anime?
      
      It's important to me to convey all the essence of the original to people who haven't read Nakayama's manga and are experiencing Chainsaw Man for the first time through the anime. I hope to convey the "excitement" that was there when it was serialized."
  • Moreover, when asked about if Fujimoto gave him any specific orders about the anime, he says:
    • "藤本先生からは、「『チェンソーマン』をよろしくお願いします」と背中を押して頂きました。僕はそもそも藤本先生のマンガが好きで、『チェンソーマン』が好き、『ファイアパンチ』も好き。『ルックバック』や『さよなら絵梨』といった読み切りも好き。だから自分の色を打ち出すというよりも、藤本先生の作品の魅力を多くの人に伝えるということをやりたいと思ったので、そこに関して話し合いました。"
    • "Mr. Fujimoto gave me a push, saying, "Please look forward to Chainsaw Man." I've always loved Fujimoto's manga, and I like 'Chainsaw Man' and 'Fire Punch'. I also like one-shots like 'Look Back' and 'Goodbye Eri'. So rather than putting out my own style, I wanted to convey the appeal of Fujimoto's work to many people, and we discussed that."

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tl;dr​

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Both Fujimoto and Shihei Lin have been heavily involved with all aspects of the anime (scripting, storyboards, voice-acting, etc.) to ensure consistency with the original vision of the manga, and the main staff of the anime all have expressed that they wanted to keep as true to Fujimoto's vision when creating the anime.

So it should be obvious by now the anime should be held to a similar light as the original manga.

As for applying this... idk lol. Do I need to dump this into a blog or something? Or simply list this on the verse page. idk ¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[ElajRuengies]

This man can't be stopped. Agree w/ OP.

 

[The_2nd_Existential_Seed]

so apparently you need a CRT to establish that animes are of equal standing to their manga counterpart. so here you go, might as well clear this up ahead of time. ¯\(ツ)/¯

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Not a mod or anything but this looks clear cut to me if the main creators were essentially really involved in ensuring it's consistent with the manga.

 

[GunshyFever]

Amazing Job, x5

As for applying this... idk lol. Do I need to dump this into a blog or something? Or simply list this on the verse page. idk ¯\(ツ)/¯

I would recommend placing it on the verse page in case we decide to do any additional calcs such as the Gun Devil’s destruction in different countries, anime exclusive abilities or if we simply choose to use anime clips as justification on profiles. We would need a blog on the main page proving why we can do so.