🔗 Share this article

Two youngsters share a intimate, gentle moment at the local secondary school’s open-air pool late at night. While they drift as one, suspended beneath the stars in the quietness of the evening, the sequence portrays the fleeting, exhilarating excitement of adolescent love, utterly engrossed in the present, consequences overlooked.

About 30 minutes into Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, it became clear these scenes are the heart of the film. Denji and Reze’s romantic tale took center stage, and every bit of background details and backstories I had gleaned from the series’ initial episodes proved to be largely unnecessary. Despite being a official installment within the franchise, Reze Arc offers a easier entry point for first-time viewers — regardless of they haven’t seen its single episode. The approach has its benefits, but it simultaneously limits a portion of the urgency of the film’s story.

Developed by the original creator, Chainsaw Man chronicles Denji, a indebted fiend fighter in a world where Devils embody particular evils (including ideas like getting older and obscurity to specific horrors like insects or World War II). When he’s betrayed and killed by the criminal syndicate, Denji makes a pact with his faithful companion, Pochita, and returns from the deceased as a chainsaw-human hybrid with the power to completely destroy Devils and the horrors they signify from existence.

Thrust into a brutal conflict between devils and hunters, the hero meets Reze — a charming barista hiding a lethal secret — igniting a tragic clash between the two where affection and existence collide. This film picks up immediately following season 1, exploring Denji’s connection with his love interest as he wrestles with his feelings for her and his devotion to his controlling boss, Makima, compelling him to decide among desire, loyalty, and self-preservation.

A Self-Contained Love Story Within a Broader Universe

Reze Arc is inherently a romance-to-rivalry plot, with our imperfect protagonist Denji becoming enamored with Reze right away upon introduction. He’s a isolated boy seeking affection, which renders him vulnerable and easily swayed on a first-come, first-served. As a result, in spite of all of Chainsaw Man’s intricate mythology and its extensive cast of characters, Reze Arc is very self-contained. Director Tatsuya Yoshihara understands this and ensures the love story is at the forefront, rather than bogging it down with filler recaps for the uninitiated, particularly since such details really matters to the complete plot.

Despite the protagonist’s flaws, it’s difficult not to sympathize with him. He is after all a adolescent, stumbling his way through a world that’s warped his sense of morality. His desperate longing for love makes him come off like a infatuated dog, even if he’s prone to barking, snapping, and making a mess along the way. Reze is a ideal match for him, an compelling seductive antagonist who targets her prey in our protagonist. Viewers hope to see the main character earn the affection of his love interest, even if she is clearly hiding something from him. Thus when her true nature is revealed, you still can’t help but wish they’ll somehow succeed, although internally, it is known a positive outcome is never really in the plan. As such, the stakes don’t feel as high as they ought to be since their romance is doomed. This is compounded by that the film serves as a direct sequel to Season 1, allowing minimal space for a romance like this among the more grim developments that fans know are approaching.

Breathtaking Animation and Technical Craftsmanship

The film’s graphics effortlessly combine 2D animation with computer-generated settings, providing stunning eye candy even before the excitement kicks in. Including vehicles to small office appliances, 3D models enhance realism and texture to each shot, allowing the animated figures stand out beautifully. Unlike Demon Slayer, which frequently highlights its digital elements and shifting backgrounds, Reze Arc uses them more sparingly, particularly evident during its explosive finale, where those models, though not unappealing, are more apparent to identify. These fluid, dynamic environments render the film’s fights both visually bombastic and surprisingly easy to follow. Nonetheless, the technique shines brightest when it’s invisible, improving the dynamic range and motion of the hand-drawn art.

Final Impressions and Wider Implications

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc serves as a good starting place, likely leaving first-time audiences pleased, but it additionally carries a downside. Telling a standalone narrative limits the stakes of what should feel like a expansive anime epic. This is an example of why following up a popular anime season with a movie is not the optimal approach if it weakens the series’ overall storytelling potential.

Whereas Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle found success by concluding multiple installments of anime television with an grand film, and JuJutsu Kaisen 0 sidestepped the issue completely by acting as a prequel to its well-known series, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc advances boldly, maybe a bit foolishly. But this does not prevent the film from being a enjoyable time, a terrific introduction, and a unforgettable love story.