🔗 Share this article

A pair of youngsters share a private, tender instant at the neighborhood secondary school’s open-air pool late at night. While they drift together, suspended under the stars in the stillness of the evening, the sequence portrays the fleeting, exhilarating thrill of teenage romance, completely caught up in the present, consequences forgotten.

Approximately half an hour into The Chainsaw Man Film: Reze Arc, it became clear such moments are the core of the film. The love story became the focus, and all the contextual information and backstories previously known from the series’ initial episodes turned out to be mostly unnecessary. Although it is a official installment within the franchise, Reze Arc provides a more accessible starting place for first-time viewers — regardless of they haven’t seen its prior content. The approach brings advantages, but it simultaneously limits some of the tension of the film’s narrative.

Developed by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man follows the protagonist, a indebted Devil Hunter in a universe where Devils represent particular evils (including concepts like getting older and obscurity to terrifying entities like cockroaches or World War II). After being deceived and murdered by the yakuza, Denji forms a contract with his loyal devil-dog, his pet, and returns from the dead as a part-human chainsaw wielder with the power to completely destroy Devils and the horrors they signify from reality.

Plunged into a violent struggle between devils and hunters, the hero meets a new character — a charming barista hiding a lethal secret — sparking a heartbreaking confrontation between the two where love and existence collide. This film picks up immediately following season 1, exploring Denji’s connection with his love interest as he wrestles with his emotions for her and his devotion to his manipulative superior, Makima, forcing him to choose between passion, loyalty, and survival.

A Self-Contained Romantic Tale Amidst a Larger Universe

Reze Arc is fundamentally a lovers-to-enemies plot, with our imperfect protagonist the hero falling for Reze right away upon introduction. He’s a lonely young man seeking love, which renders him unreliable and up for grabs on a first-come, first-served. Consequently, in spite of all of Chainsaw Man’s intricate mythology and its extensive ensemble, Reze Arc is very independent. Filmmaker Tatsuya Yoshihara understands this and guarantees the romantic arc is at the forefront, rather than bogging it down with unnecessary summaries for the uninitiated, especially when none of that is crucial to the complete storyline.

Despite the protagonist’s imperfections, it’s difficult not to sympathize with him. He’s still a teenager, stumbling his way through a reality that’s warped his understanding of right and wrong. His intense craving for affection portrays him like a infatuated puppy, even if he’s prone to growling, snapping, and causing chaos along the way. His love interest is a ideal match for Denji, an compelling seductive antagonist who targets her mark in our protagonist. Viewers hope to see Denji earn the affection of his love interest, even if Reze is clearly concealing something from him. So when her real identity is revealed, you still cannot avoid hope they’ll in some way make it work, although deep down, you know a positive outcome is not truly in the plan. Therefore, the stakes fail to seem as high as they should be since their relationship is doomed. This is compounded by that the film acts as a direct sequel to the first season, allowing little room for a romance like this among the more grim events that fans are aware are approaching.

Breathtaking Animation and Technical Execution

This movie’s visuals seamlessly blend traditional animation with 3D environments, delivering stunning visual appeal prior to the action begins. From vehicles to small office appliances, 3D models enhance realism and detail to each shot, making the animated figures stand out beautifully. In contrast to Demon Slayer, which frequently highlights its digital elements and shifting backgrounds, Reze Arc employs them less frequently, most noticeably during its explosive climax, where such elements, while not unattractive, become easier to spot. Such smooth, dynamic backgrounds render the film’s battles both visually bombastic and surprisingly easy to understand. Nonetheless, the technique excels most when it’s unnoticeable, enhancing the dynamic range and movement of the 2D animation.

Final Impressions and Broader Implications

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc functions as a good starting place, likely resulting in new fans satisfied, but it also has a drawback. Presenting a self-contained narrative limits the stakes of what ought to seem like a sprawling anime epic. It’s an illustration of why continuing a successful anime season with a film is not the best approach if it weakens the franchise’s general storytelling potential.

Whereas Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle succeeded by concluding multiple installments of animated series with an grand movie, and JuJutsu Kaisen 0 avoided the issue entirely by serving as a backstory to its well-known series, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc advances boldly, maybe a slightly foolishly. However that doesn’t stop the movie from proving to be a great experience, a excellent point of entry, and a memorable love story.