An Anime Film, directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara
I mentioned in my review of Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle that Hollywood media types seemed both befuddled and shaken by that film’s success, and were likely looking to Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc to determine whether anime was suddenly “the next big thing” in Hollywood or if Demon Slayer was simply a fluke. That framing is unfair, but it is exactly the sort of thinking high-paid executives are prone to. When one dominant trend, such as superhero films, begins to decline, studios inevitably start chasing the next perceived gold rush. Considering Demon Slayer is now regarded as the highest-grossing international film at the American domestic box office, and with Chainsaw Man performing comparably to a prestige event film like Downton Abbey, it is not hard to imagine industry heads taking notice.
“A direct sequel to the first season of the series “Chainsaw Man”, featuring Denji, a young man who co-exists with a chainsaw demon. Denji encounters a new romantic interest, but will his involvement place them both in danger?”
Chainsaw Man follows Denji, a desperately poor teenager burdened by his deceased father’s debt to the yakuza, who survives by hunting devils alongside his chainsaw-dog companion, Pochita. After being betrayed and killed, Denji is resurrected through a pact with Pochita, merging with him to become Chainsaw Man, a human-devil hybrid capable of transforming parts of his body into chainsaws. Recruited by the government’s Public Safety Devil Hunters, Denji is thrust into a brutal world of devil extermination, manipulation, and moral ambiguity, where his simple desires – food, shelter, affection, and a normal life, collide with his work.
In the Reze arc, Denji finds himself entangled in an emotional triangle between his superior, Makima, who increasingly appears to be exploiting him, and Reze, a kind and flirtatious café worker who offers Denji a glimpse of the ordinary adolescence he has never experienced. Their bond forms around shared fantasies of school, swimming, and normalcy, making Reze’s presence feel like an escape rather than a threat. Denji’s greatest weakness is that he is painfully easy to manipulate; having never experienced friendship, romance, or genuine affection, his longing for those things leaves him vulnerable.
The illusion of happiness and normalcy shatters when Reze is revealed to be the Bomb Devil hybrid, a foreign assassin tasked with capturing Denji’s heart – quite literally – because of Chainsaw Man’s immense power. What follows is a destructive and emotionally charged confrontation, as Reze shifts between genuine affection and her mission, culminating in brutal battles involving Denji, Public Safety, and other devils, and reinforcing the series’ central idea that intimacy itself can be weaponized.
I saw this movie in a somewhat packed AMC theater and was annoyed by a couple of things. The movie was in 3D, which surprised me. That in itself was not a bad thing, but it was not advertised in any way whatsoever, and there was a wave of people in my theater who had to leave, get glasses, and then come back once it became painfully obvious that this was, in fact, a 3D movie. I don’t even think it was listed under the 3D pricing. Some people literally can’t do 3D for various reasons, so I hope nobody was affected in that way. Secondly, there were supposed to be promo cards or some kind of giveaway available, which my AMC did not get.
Looking online afterward, it appears that almost nobody received these, which feels like a pretty shaky business practice. Why announce something and send out emails if you are not going to deliver on it? I am not sure if Sony, who distributed the film through Crunchyroll, or AMC is to blame for the botched release, but they really need to avoid repeating issues like this in the future. After getting my glasses and sitting in my heated recliner, thankfully, the rest of my experience was fine.
While Reze Arc assumes that the viewer has seen the previous season of the show, the plot itself is fairly basic, and it is easy enough to enjoy the film as a standalone experience. As long as you have a general understanding of what Public Safety does and Denji’s backstory, you can jump right in and follow everything without much trouble. The film features great animation, strong action, and well-placed humor, making it well worth experiencing on the big screen. The visuals alone of seeing a man with chainsaws for a head and arms riding on a four-legged, six-eyed, shark monster fighting a demonic tornado and a girl with a bomb for a head was insane.
It may not feel like as major of a cinematic event as something like Demon Slayer, but it does dip its toe into the idea that future portions of the Chainsaw Man manga could be developed into films in a similar way. Much like how Demon Slayer flipped anime production on its head just prior to COVID-19, this approach could allow studios to capitalize on fans clamoring for big theatrical releases.
Overall, despite my displeasure with the initial theater experience – which is admittedly rare given that I have been an AMC A-List member for quite some time – I really enjoyed seeing this film on the big screen. I am always looking forward to anime films when they get theatrical releases, especially since that was not something that happened very often when I was really into anime, back in the days of conventions, club meetings, and fan screenings. Anime as a medium has had an incredible year, and this film only reinforces that momentum. Looking ahead, the next potential breakout appears to be a film based on the Jujutsu Kaisen franchise, and if I end up seeing it, I will be back to let everyone know what I thought.
