‘Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc’ Review: Colorful, Bloody Anime Mayhem

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The movie Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is enjoyable, but it would have been even better as a five or six-episode anime series. It continues the story of the popular Chainsaw Man anime, produced by MAPPA and based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s ongoing manga. The series centers on Denji, a troubled but humorous teenager living in a world where humans and Devils constantly fight, sometimes making deals for power. Denji merged with his dog-like Devil, Pochita, giving him the ability to turn parts of his body into chainsaws and regenerate with blood.

The Reze Arc is a complex storyline spanning 12 episodes or 38 chapters, but at its core, it’s about Denji, a new member of a devil-hunting agency, being pursued by many who want to steal his Devil heart. While he’s trying to survive and enjoy a more normal life after being in servitude, Denji is mostly motivated by his attraction to women. He’s a typical, somewhat naive teenage boy searching for love, and unfortunately, the women around him often exploit that desire against him.

The movie is clearly divided into two parts. The first half focuses on Denji’s attempts at romance with two women: his boss, Makima, and a newcomer, Reze. The second half centers around a major battle, and it’s filled with incredibly impressive action animation. (No spoilers for those unfamiliar with the original story!)

Despite well-known issues with how they treat animators, MAPPA studio has produced some of the most exciting animation in recent years, including popular series like Yuri!!! On Ice, Dorohedoro, and the new adaptation of Ranma ½. The animation in Chainsaw Man is exceptional, beautifully portraying both the everyday lives and desires of its characters and the incredibly dynamic action sequences. The animators didn’t just recreate the unique style of Fujimoto’s original manga; they creatively expanded upon it.

The character designs are fantastic, especially the Bomb Devil, which feels inspired by artists like Clive Barker and H.R. Giger. While Fujimoto’s unique style is unmatched, MAPPA is doing an excellent job of adapting it. They’re clearly willing to try new things and find innovative ways to turn the original manga’s still images into dynamic, impactful action. Even the CGI blends seamlessly with the overall artistic style. The result is a visually stunning experience – it’s cartoonish, violent, and beautiful all at once.


Sony Pictures Entertainment

The music of Reze Arc is truly striking, and the animation is beautiful. Kensuke Ushio consistently demonstrates his talent as a composer, skillfully crafting a soundtrack that enhances the characters, action, and emotional journeys. While the beginning is a bit slower, it stays true to the source material. However, this faithfulness – and the decision to adapt an already self-contained story – ultimately leaves the feature feeling somewhat incomplete.

One of the things that makes Chainsaw Man so compelling as a manga is its careful, sometimes slow, storytelling. Some readers get frustrated when a chapter doesn’t seem to move the main plot forward, but every detail is there for a reason, even if it’s just showing a character’s reaction. The anime’s first season brilliantly builds on this by taking small moments from the manga – things that might have only taken up a page or less – and expanding them. It finds beauty in the little things, like showing events from different characters’ viewpoints, depicting their daily routines to help us understand them, or letting conversations unfold naturally with thoughtful direction and pacing.

One of the things that really set this series apart for me was how they didn’t just slap a generic credits roll at the end of each episode. They actually created unique animations for the end credits of every installment – it was a really cool, creative touch that showed a lot of care and attention to detail.

Unlike most anime series which use a unique song and ending sequence for each episode, closely linked to the story and characters’ development, the movie Reze Arc takes a more traditional approach. This means we don’t get much extra time with the characters, so important emotional moments, especially for those in the background, don’t quite have the impact they deserve. Viewers unfamiliar with the characters’ histories may also struggle to fully connect with their struggles beyond what’s directly shown.


Sony Pictures Entertainment

For decades, anime fans have enjoyed compilation movies – films created by re-editing episodes from existing anime series. Originally, these movies were often shortened versions of complete shows, like early films for Neon Genesis Evangelion or Gurren Lagann, intended to introduce new viewers to the series. Now, it’s more common to see specific story arcs adapted into feature-length films, such as Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. These films aim to extend the show’s story in a natural way, while also offering a different storytelling experience by moving away from the typical episode format. The recent increase in these films is largely driven by the popularity of shows like Haikyu!! and Demon Slayer, with the latter even releasing a movie this year that’s planned to be the first in a series of three.

This trend often happens because studios either don’t have the time or budget to create carefully planned, multi-part stories, or, more simply, they want to make more money by having animators work on projects that are easier to sell. While these adaptations aren’t always poorly made – some even exceed expectations – they mostly just offer a chance to see a familiar anime on a larger screen. For viewers unfamiliar with the original series, movies, or source material, it can feel overwhelming, like jumping into a Marvel film that requires knowledge of dozens of previous stories.

It might seem unfair to judge Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc based on how it compares to the original anime, but the change to a movie format naturally affects the result. While the movie is visually appealing, faithful to the source material, and enjoyable, it doesn’t quite reach the same creative heights. After seeing the anime take bold chances and succeed, this movie feels a little too safe, and that’s a letdown for any adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s work.

Sony Pictures will release Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc in theaters on Friday, October 24.

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2025-10-23 23:05