Which would you rather have: a life of peace, or a life of luxury? That is the central question of the latest installment of the Chainsaw Man series: “Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc.”
Based on the manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto, “Chainsaw Man” takes viewers into a world where devils manifest based on a human’s fear and become stronger the more feared the phenomenon is. At the center of this story is Denji (Kikunosuke Toya), a young boy who merges with a chainsaw devil and gains the ability to become a human-devil hybrid. He is recruited by Makima (Tomori Kusunoki), head of a public devil-hunting organization to use his abilities for eliminating devils from the face of the earth. Hopelessly in love with Makima, Denji accepts the offer in an attempt to get closer to her.
The latest movie introduces a new character, Reze (Reina Ueda): a student working at a small back-alley cafe. The plot follows Denji’s conflicting romantic feelings for Makima and Reze, both of which are occurring while he is caught up in schemes of other devils searching for the heart of the Chainsaw Devil.
MAPPA, the studio behind the film, flawlessly adapts the style of “Chainsaw Man” to the big screen by making it feel like the shots were ripped right out of the manga. The first half of the film, when we see Denji get closer to Reze, is beautiful; lying in stark contrast to the fluid and fast-flowing action of the second half. These two differing tones and animation styles shouldn’t work together, but here, they convey how the world can be beautiful in one moment and completely horrifying in the next.
This theme is prevalent throughout the movie as it poses the question of what is more preferable: an easy life or an exciting one? Each character has different answers as well as different perspectives. Reze stands out because we see how human she is. She’s kind and often very close to Denji, compared to Makima’s distance. We see Denji connect with her every day at the cafe in a way we don’t see Denji do with the others. It’s a relationship akin to hanging out with a friend after a long day of work.
To contrast, we meet the Angel (Maaya Uchida), who we see in more extreme situations. Through the film, he contemplates his own mortality as he brings up the same question with Denji’s roommate Aki (Shôgo Sakata). Despite the contrast in tone, Angel gives us a similar feeling of humanity to Reze as he talks about what it means to face death and how someone should feel. These two characters communicate the same message, while conveying it in very different ways — speaking to how well-written the characters are.
Despite the characters’ standout complexity, the first half of the film moves remarkably fast. It focuses on the slice-of-life aspect as the audience gets to know the new characters.
Denji’s relationship with Reze develops quickly and viewers don’t get much time with Aki and Angel before things ramp up. Slowing down the first half and giving some time for scenes to sink in would help make the poignant scenes near the end land that much better.
Overall, “Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc” tells a beautiful story about Denji and Reze in the first half that takes a turn for the insane in the second half, complete with amazing animation and high-octane fight scenes. This latest entry into anime is “Chainsaw Man” at its best, and fans of the anime will not be disappointed.
This article was edited by Alfie Pritchard, Jessica Ackerman and Walker Whalen. Copy Editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting, Arin Burrell, Paige Caron, Andrew Kummeth and Ryan Sieve.
