El hombre de la motosierra. Chainsaw Man y el sujeto político contemporáneo

Abstract

This essay examines the animated series "Chainsaw Man" (from the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto) as a showcase of current male representation and identification realms. Through the male perspective of the series and its narrative, it serves as an allegorical window into the politicization of male experiences at this sociopolitical threshold of crisis, acceleration, and exacerbation of conflicts. The series, which has become intertwined with Argentine politics (evidenced by the adoption of its symbols in Javier Milei's campaign), uses the protagonist, a hybrid human-chainsaw teenager, to comment on inequality and the ruthless competition of contemporary capitalism. The described environment suggests social structures collapsed by personal and collective crises, projecting a bleak vision of humanity. With the analytical trigger of the series, a shift in masculinity, the incels movements, male perspectives on female characters, and the omnipresence of violence and dehumanization in increasingly disintegrated environments are explored. A connection between fiction and contemporary social movements is offered, demonstrating how the series' narrative and associated cultural elements resonate in political discourses in post-pandemic Argentina that strive to redefine democracy, coexistence, and gender.