Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Provides Ripping Good Time For Fans
Dylan Z. Alter ‘29 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer
Spoilers ahead.
Following the smashing success of the first season of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man back in 2023, anticipation for what was next was at an all-time high. After two years of waiting, the next sequence has arrived, in the form of a full-blown big screen production.
Adapted from the manga of the same name, Chainsaw Man follows Denji (Kikunosuke Toya), a young delinquent whose life takes a turn when he makes a deal with the Chainsaw Devil, who also happens to be his childhood pet Pochita (Shiori Izawa). Pochita sacrifices himself to give Denji superpowers, and in exchange Denji promises to live out his life to the fullest. Denji is given the ability to sprout chainsaws out of his limbs and his head at the pull of a revver on his chest, turning him into Chainsaw Man. At the behest of a Devil Hunter named Makima (Tomori Kusunoki), Denji joins Public Safety, an organization tasked with hunting Devils.
The first season of the Chainsaw Man anime adapted the first major chunk of the manga, ending with a major defeat of a particularly powerful Devil. The film, subtitled Reze Arc, adapts the second major chunk of the manga, telling a very focused story about Denji and his attempts at entering a relationship. Denji, throughout the film, is torn between two women: Makima, his boss and the target of his affection from the beginning, and Reze (Reina Ueda), who approaches Denji during a rainstorm and grows fond of him.
The film puts its focus squarely on Denji and his relationships with these two characters. Denji is, at this point in the narrative, a sex-crazed delinquent, whose main drive is trying to sleep with Makima. Once Reze enters the picture, however, he starts having genuine feelings for her, and this creates a massive crisis for him, as he has to decide between the object of his affection and the first girl who seems to truly like him for who he is. The film perfectly explores the good and bad of both options: Makima is beautiful, but cold and controlling towards Denji, and Reze is kind and affectionate. Slowly, Denji begins slipping from Makima’s grasp and into Reze’s arms.
However, the film makes sure to keep viewers on their toes around Reze, especially as the film enters its midpoint. Denji and Reze sneak into a school at night, and Denji, having never been to school in his life, acts out being a student with Reze as the two connect further. After Reze teaches Denji how to swim in the school’s outdoor pool, she leaves Denji alone, at which point she is attacked by an assassin hunting after Denji and his Chainsaw abilities. She easily dispatches the assassin, and from this point on Reze becomes the film’s primary antagonist. After asking Denji to run away with her, which he denies because he still has feelings for Makima, she reveals her true form—she possesses Bomb powers, and was getting close to him in order to steal his heart, the home of his Chainsaw capabilities.
Help comes to Denji in the form of Beam (Natsuki Hanae)—a human possessed by the Shark Devil—the Angel Devil (Maaya Uchida) who can kill with a touch, and Aki Hayakawa (Shogo Sakata), Denj’s friend and coworker at Public Safety. Together they stand against Reze and her partner the Typhoon Devil (Eri Kitamura), a massive Devil with the ability to create rainstorms. The majority of the second half is spent gathering the players, before the tides of battle are turned and Denji enters the fight as Chainsaw Man.
This strong focus allows the film a great deal of emotional tension, particularly in its first half. Denji and Reze’s relationship in particular is incredibly well-executed, as it feels like they could have been together under different situations. The drama is effective, and when the action begins, flawless is an understatement. The other characters don’t get ignored either, particularly Aki and Angel. Interspersed with Denji’s storyline, Angel and Aki hunt down Devils to find pieces of the Gun Devil—the strongest Devil known to exist and the overarching narrative drive of the series—and grow to develop a bond where once was a shared hatred of one another. Aki even saves Angel during the fight with Reze and Typhoon, dramatically reducing his lifespan. These moments, while not quite as important to the story of Reze Arc, become important further down the line, and are very well set up in this film.
The animation shouldn’t be slept on either. This film is incredibly well-animated, with the action constituting a perfect blend of insane chaos and narrative clarity. It also manages the perfect amount of gore, with Denji’s rip-and-tear style of combat resulting in plenty of guts spilling about and blood flying all over the place. The slower scenes, too, are lavishly realized in full color and animation, providing a mellow vibe that pairs nicely with the slower paced beginning of the film.
It looks fantastic, and flows smoothly between wide shots of the environment, quick cuts of characters and high-octane, brutal action scenes.
For those looking to enter the series here or enjoy the film as a traditional action thriller, it might be best to look elsewhere. However, for fans of the series, or people who have seen the first season and want to see where the story goes, this film is perfect. Reze Arc manages to perfectly pull off an adaptation of Fujimoto’s work, turning the visceral manga pages into beautiful and bloodthirsty animation. The film manages to pick up perfectly from where Season 1 left off, and teases plenty of major twists coming in subsequent releases.
As the film has already torn through sales expectations, Chainsaw Man is sure to continue in some shape or form. But whether another season of the anime or more movies are on the horizon, it couldn’t be a better time to enter the terrifying and heartbreaking world of Chainsaw Man.