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A pair of youngsters share a intimate, gentle instant at the local high school’s outdoor pool after hours. As they float as one, suspended under the stars in the stillness of the evening, the sequence captures the fleeting, exhilarating excitement of adolescent romance, utterly caught up in the moment, consequences overlooked.

Approximately 30 minutes into The Chainsaw Man Film: Reze Arc, it became clear these scenes are the core of the movie. Denji and Reze’s romantic tale became the focus, and every bit of background details and character histories I had gleaned from the anime’s first season turned out to be largely unnecessary. Despite being a canonical installment within the series, Reze Arc provides a easier entry point for newcomers — even if they missed its single episode. The approach brings advantages, but it also hinders some of the tension of the film’s story.

Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man chronicles the protagonist, a indebted Devil Hunter in a universe where Devils represent particular evils (ranging from ideas like getting older and obscurity to specific horrors like cockroaches or historical conflicts). After being betrayed and murdered by the criminal syndicate, he forms a contract with his loyal devil-dog, Pochita, and comes back from the dead as a chainsaw-human hybrid with the ability to completely destroy fiends and the horrors they represent from existence.

Thrust into a violent conflict between devils and hunters, Denji meets a new character — a alluring coffee server concealing a lethal mystery — igniting a heartbreaking confrontation between the two where affection and existence intersect. The movie picks up right after season 1, delving into the main character’s relationship with his love interest as he wrestles with his feelings for her and his loyalty to his controlling superior, his employer, forcing him to choose between desire, loyalty, and self-preservation.

A Self-Contained Love Story Within a Broader World

Reze Arc is inherently a romance-to-rivalry story, with our imperfect protagonist the hero falling for Reze right away upon introduction. He’s a lonely boy looking for affection, which makes his heart unreliable and easily swayed on a first-come, first-served. Consequently, despite all of Chainsaw Man’s intricate lore and its large ensemble, Reze Arc is very self-contained. Filmmaker the director recognizes this and guarantees the love story is at the forefront, rather than weighing it down with unnecessary summaries for the uninitiated, particularly since such details really matters to the overall plot.

Regardless of Denji’s imperfections, it’s difficult not to sympathize with him. He’s still a adolescent, stumbling his way through a world that’s warped his sense of morality. His intense longing for affection portrays him like a lovesick dog, even if he’s likely to growling, biting, and making a mess along the way. His love interest is a perfect match for Denji, an compelling femme fatale who targets her mark in our protagonist. Viewers hope to see Denji win the ire of his love interest, despite Reze is clearly hiding something from him. So when her true nature is unveiled, audiences can’t help but wish they’ll somehow succeed, even though deep down, you know a positive outcome is never really in the cards. Therefore, the stakes don’t feel as intense as they should be since their relationship is fated. This is compounded by that the movie acts as a direct sequel to the first season, allowing little room for a love story like this among the darker events that followers are aware are coming soon.

Stunning Animation and Artistic Craftsmanship

The film’s visuals seamlessly blend traditional animation with computer-generated settings, providing impressive eye candy prior to the action begins. Including vehicles to tiny office appliances, digital assets enhance realism and texture to each shot, making the 2D characters stand out beautifully. Unlike Demon Slayer, which frequently highlights its digital elements and shifting settings, Reze Arc uses them more sparingly, particularly evident during its action-packed climax, where such elements, though not unappealing, are more apparent to spot. These smooth, dynamic environments render the film’s battles both spectacular to watch and surprisingly simple to follow. Still, the method shines brightest when it’s unnoticeable, enhancing the dynamic range and motion of the hand-drawn art.

Concluding Thoughts and Wider Considerations

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc functions as a solid starting place, likely leaving new fans pleased, but it additionally carries a drawback. Telling a standalone narrative limits the tension of what should feel like a sprawling anime epic. This is an example of why following up a successful anime season with a film isn’t the optimal approach if it undermines the series’ general storytelling potential.

While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle succeeded by concluding several installments of animated series with an grand film, and JuJutsu Kaisen 0 sidestepped the problem completely by acting as a prequel to its popular show, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc charges forward, maybe a slightly recklessly. However that doesn’t stop the film from being a great time, a terrific introduction, and a memorable love story.