csm ch 230? spoiler alert
js read ch 230 of chainsaw man, and i'm not happy at all. i'm pissed bc i keep seeing people online rejoicing saying denji's finally getting some, but that's really not the point here.
asa was the only person who saw denji as himself, not as chainsaw man, not as a weapon. their relationship felt meaningful until recently. in this chapter, their original dynamic was just thrown aside. asa's consent is being “given” through yoru, the literal devil of war. it doesn’t feel authentic at all. we haven’t even actually heard asa clearly give her own consent. yoru saying asa agrees isn’t the same as asa choosing it herself.
what makes it worse is that denji doesn’t really question it. like ok yoru js said asa gave her consent but he didn't bat an eye, he's just happy he gets to have sex. asa obviously cares about him, she’s even said she wanted to make him happy (ch. 207). but denji seems focused only on the physical aspect.
he doesn’t care who it is as long as he gets something out of it. i thought he had grown past that, because in previous chapters (LIKE CHAPTER 166) he clearly recognizes his flaws. but there was no development?? Like I get that development isn’t linear but it’s been a while. idk i js thought he might finally have a relationship where sex wasn’t the priority.
plus it's frustrating how much yoru keeps interfering. asa hasn’t even been able to confess her feelings properly, yoru stole her first confession. now she’s overriding asa again, using her body to manipulate/provoke denji. asa would probably never treat him like that. yoru's motivations are completely different, likely tied to her plan to turn him into a weapon.
i've also seen someone online suggest that Asa and Yoru are slowly merging into one personality. i can't accept that interpretation. they're clearly still distinct. yoru literally looks embarrassed when claiming asa gives consent. and asa was previously uncomfortable with the idea of sex with denji, it doesn’t make sense that she’d suddenly change her mind mid-conflict. sharing a body doesn’t mean they share the same identity or desires. yoru is not asa.
lowk it just feels like asa is losing agency in her own story. she was positioned as one of the most, if not the most, important perspectives in this arc, and now yoru constantly overrides her emotionally and physically. i wanted to see asa choose denji on her own terms, or not choose him. either way it should be her decision.
thats why this chapter is fucking annoying. its not about whether denji gets some. it should be more abt agency, consent, and whether the relationship between asa and denji is actually built on mutual understanding or just manipulation/impulse. rough chapter for asaden enjoyers 💔💔💔
