REVIEW: ‘Chainsaw Man The Movie — Reze Arc’ Puts Romance Before Mayhem 

When it comes to anime “films” now, much of the fanfare is directed toward stringing together episodes, often already released, to make a feature-length “film.” And to be honest, the novelty has worn off. Not because they require outside knowledge, but because the scattered pacing mars the experience. That was my worry coming into Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, despite my love of MAPPA’s animation and the cinematic way that they approached Season 1 of the shonen series. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. 

Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara and written by Hiroshi Seko, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc takes place immediately after the events of Chainsaw Man Season 1. Denji (Kikunosuke Toya), Aki (Shôgo Sakata), and Power (Ai Fairouz) are living together now, but after the events of the last big battle and multiple deaths, each of them has at least one new dynamic that changes their path in this film.

Aki’s new partner is Angel, a devil who drains the life of anyone he touches. Denji and Power are separated, since Power has to have her blood drained to reduce her, well, power after two new horns sprouted on her head. And now Denji is partnered with Beam (Natsuki Hanae), the shark fiend who sees Denji as his god. But Chainsaw Man The Movie isn’t about devils and their strength; it’s about love and heart. Denji’s heart, to be specific. 

The Reze Arc is MAPPA’s finest work in terms of adaptation and animation. 

MAPPA is known for its action animation, but that is reserved for the third act of the film. Outside of that, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc opens with Makima (Tomori Kusunoki) and Denji going on a date, a cinema-hopping movie marathon. Despite watching bad film after bad film, when Denji finally cries during one of them, it all paid off.

For Denji, that’s also been his love life and his existence overall. A lot of bad, repeatedly, and then one moment of good. There are a few characters in traditional shonen that are more pitiful than Denji and his Chainsaw heart. But for almost an hour, Denji gets to feel close to someone.

It all starts with his date with Makima, and Denji declares that his heart belongs to her. While that’s the last that we see of her until the very last minutes of the film, it leaves an impact on Denji and the audience. When he has any spare moment, he thinks about Makima. He wants to complete his quest and find every piece of the Gun Devil’s flesh just to ask Makima to be his girlfriend. Then, after seeking shelter in a phone booth to get away from the rain, a beautiful girl walks into his life. 

She laughs, compares him to her dog, and then they hit it off. Her name is Reze (Reina Ueda), and despite trying to keep focused on Makima, he can’t help but show up to Reze’s cafe, sit with her while she studies, and just be with her. They skinny dip, they joke, and despite Denji’s one-track mind, there is an innocence to their relationship that continually reminds the audience that Denji is still a teenager. 

He’s a teenager who has experienced so much trauma, who has fought and had his body torn apart, who has eaten out of the garbage, and up until this exact point in his life didn’t know what it was like to have a comfortable home. Everything about Denji is depressing, and yet, the toothy smile continues. He’s just a city mouse who wants to eat good food regardless of the danger around him. And now that he has Reze, he has love. 

Until he doesn’t. 

The tenderness of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc can’t be understated. There is a softness in the first hour of the film that is moving, and as a viewer, you care deeply for Denji and his love. But when Reze starts to reveal herself, the sharp reality of the world Denji lives in can’t be escaped.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie is so strong that it even overcomes one of the worst theater crowds I’ve ever been in.

Once the Bomb Devil shows herself, the film transforms into a larger-than-life battle. It’s like a string being cut, separating the narrative’s romance from its violence, yet audiences can feel that shift in tone while Denji remains tethered to Reze.

Denji is still in love with love, and yet, every devil wants to take his regenerating chainsaw heart, but they don’t want his. No matter how badly he wants to give his heart to someone, his humanity isn’t loved. Every girl Denji has tried to love has tried to kill him or died, and that is painful to think about. 

I do have to state how horrible my theater experience was, to the point that I was ready to walk out of the film altogether. When we watch movies, the people we are with and the environment we are in help curate that experience.

Traditionally, when films are expected to be watched only in theaters for review, dedicated press screenings take place. Still, with Chainsaw Man – The Movie, that wasn’t the case, and it had me yearning to watch it at home instead of with folks trying to make TikToks while the film was playing.

The horrendous theater experience is worth noting because I backed out of reviewing other films. The artistry had been taken away from the film. But by the mid-point of the film, the theater had finally quieted down, and by the third act, you could hear a pin drop.

Unlike most films, where incessant talking and phones would make the entire movie fall apart, Chainsaw Man – The Movie was able to overcome that. It captivated the audience and silenced them on its own narrative merit, something I hadn’t experienced before. 

By the time Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc switches into high gear, it would be easy to say that it’s become a different film. Explosive mutilations happen, the city is ripped apart, and people are brutally killed. The final battle in Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is high-octane violence. But the film doesn’t lose itself in the blood; it balances humor, like our lead riding his new partner, Beam, as a shark into battle, while also injecting emotional moments throughout. 

While this movie is about Denji first and foremost, Aki and Angel Devil (Maaya Uchida) make the most of their limited screen time. Diametrically opposed to each other, Aki hates devils, and Angel has no empathy for humans. The irony of their partnership is that Aki’s life has been drastically cut in half thanks to his contract with his devil, and Angel is a devil whose simple touch will drain your life.

Both men are a walking tragedy, and the vocal performances from seiyuu Shôgo Sakata and Maaya Uchida deliver on the emotional weight they both carry. What’s clear is how close they become over the course of the film, impacting each other more deeply than you’d assume. As side characters in this Reze Arc, they still hold emotional weight.

In addition to Angel and Aki, we do see small moments with Kobeni (Karin Takahashi), Power, and Kishibe. But their inclusion matters only to fans who have watched the entire series or have caught up on the manga, knowing where each will go. 

Like any canon film, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc rewards existing fans. That said, the amount of explanation about Denji’s past, what devils are, and even the finer points like Aki’s contract are all relayed in dialogue moments. It’s a choice that doesn’t interrupt the flow of scenes, with exposition that’s natural rather than forced.

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc captures what makes Tatsuki Fujimoto’s work resonate so well. 

While someone in the audience may not reach the same heights as those who came in already invested in the world of Chainsaw Man, this movie stands as one of the more accessible film releases under Crunchyroll’s banner that directly ties into a series. 

And if you ask me, it’s because director Tatsuya Yoshihara hasn’t sacrificed narrative pacing for the ease of being split up into neat episodes in the Chainsaw Man Season 2. It’s even better than the success of Mugen Train. One can only hope that it isn’t mangled into an episodic nature.

If franchises like Star Wars can expect their fans to have seen other series or films, that same grace should be given to animated series. And thankfully, MAPPA designed’ Reze’s impactful but short arc to be told in the cinema. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is a feature film, and I can only hope that this is the direction we stay in for anime. 

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc continues the series’ ability to subvert expectations, double down on action, and maintain the emotional core of the story. While it’s easy to think audiences are drawn to Chainsaw Man for its intense action or even its moments of fan service, Tatsuki Fujimoto‘s story resonates because it has heart.

Denji is deeply lonely, abused by the world, and yet, he doesn’t stop trying. He doesn’t stop trying to find love or a life worth living. His loneliness is as essential as his power as a devil; his happiness is as central to the story as are the devils he’s chasing. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc thrives because it’s just good storytelling.

Bloodfueled action balanced by romance in a way that captures the very best parts of Fujimoto’s story. While the use of certain manga panels or even covers of volumes is a great callout moment for fans, it’s all about the story in the end. It’s about Reze, Denji, Aki, and Angel. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc isn’t spectacle, it’s storytelling. 

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is playing now nationwide and will stream on Crunchyroll at a later date.