By Michael Purtell
Leave any reservations about anime movies at the door.
“Chainsaw Man — the Movie: Reze Arc” brings artistic shot composition, brilliant animation, an emotionally poignant score and the brilliant writing of Tatsuki Fujimoto. There is not much more an audience could ask for from any film.
The movie is a follow-up to the first season of the anime series “Chainsaw Man,” which follows the devil-hearted, teenaged orphan Denji as he chases his dream: Three warm meals a day, a roof over his head and a beautiful girl to play video games and share his life with. As he is hired to a secret government organization of devil hunters by Makima, who offers to make his dreams come true, his idea of a perfect future grows and changes.
The Reze arc, which the movie covers in a tight 100 minute runtime, follows Denji’s meeting and subsequent relationship with Reze, a coffeeshop waitress who Denji suspects has a crush on him. Having the context of the show helps contextualize the characters involved and elevates the movie, but I would not consider it wholly necessary, as the movie’s plot is self-contained.
I experienced the movie on Halloween eve in theaters, with Japanese audio and subtitles. An English version is available as well for those with an aversion to subtitles.
The movie excels — much like its source material — foremost through its exploration of its well written cast. Fujimoto’s characters all provide strong identities which are understood quickly and then studied through the plot meaningfully. The characters which are familiar, most notably Denji and his roommate/coworker Aki, are each paired with new members of Public Safety which clarifies aspects of their ideologies as their relationships develop.
Through these relationships, including Denji’s with Reze, the movie makes itself a commentary on love, desire, control, hatred and intimacy.
Denji and Reze’s relationship is truly touching, and following Denji’s internal struggle with his romance defying his allegiance to Makima adds a layer of tension which keeps the slower paced, character focused section of the film engaging.
The most emotionally charged scenes in the film are also underscored by a gorgeous, piano-led soundtrack composed by Kensuke Ushio. It swells so brilliantly that I feel no shame in admitting tears were brought to my eyes at several points in the movie.
And then, once you’re completely drawn in by the romance the movie explodes into its third act: a city destroying kaiju, destruction of scores of civilians and devil hunters alike and gore-splattered chainsaws.
Animation studio MAPPA and director Tatsuya Yoshihara flexed every cent of their $4.1 million budget — a controversial number as MAPPA remains ensnared in criticism of refusing to allow its animators to unionize — throughout the movie’s extended action sequence. Several stylistic choices coalesce to create sequences that feel totally fresh in a non-stop barrage of violence that spans city streets, collapsing skyscrapers and the eye of a monsoon.
Many took to social media to comment on the movie’s quality. Fans of Fujimoto and Chainsaw Man, of course, nearly universally were elated that the story was animated with such quality, but many who were unfamiliar with the prior work also wrote about how the movie led to them reconsidering their blanket disdain for Japanese animation.
“Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc” is something that transcends its genre. It not only stands as the best anime-series-tie-in movie I’ve seen, but as a phenomenal film that is worth experiencing if you are a fan of animation, film, action or thoughtful and emotional character studies.
Five stars from me.
