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A pair of teenagers share a private, gentle instant at the neighborhood high school’s outdoor pool late at night. While they drift as one, hanging under the night sky in the quietness of the night, the scene portrays the ephemeral, heady thrill of teenage romance, utterly engrossed in the present, consequences forgotten.

About half an hour into The Chainsaw Man Film: Reze Arc, it became clear these scenes are the core of the film. Denji and Reze’s love story became the focus, and every bit of contextual information and character histories I had gleaned from the series’ initial episodes turned out to be largely irrelevant. Despite being a official entry within the franchise, Reze Arc offers a more accessible entry point for newcomers — regardless of they missed its single episode. This method has its benefits, but it simultaneously limits a portion of the tension of the film’s narrative.

Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man chronicles the protagonist, a indebted Devil Hunter in a universe where Devils represent particular evils (ranging from concepts like Aging and obscurity to specific horrors like cockroaches or historical conflicts). When he’s betrayed and murdered by the criminal syndicate, Denji forms a contract with his faithful devil-dog, his pet, and returns from the dead as a part-human chainsaw wielder with the power to permanently erase fiends and the horrors they signify from reality.

Plunged into a violent struggle between demons and hunters, the hero encounters Reze — a charming barista hiding a deadly secret — igniting a heartbreaking confrontation between the pair where affection and survival collide. This film continues right after the first season, delving into the main character’s connection with Reze as he grapples with his feelings for her and his loyalty to his controlling superior, his employer, compelling him to choose between desire, loyalty, and self-preservation.

A Self-Contained Romantic Tale Amidst a Broader World

Reze Arc is fundamentally a romance-to-rivalry plot, with our imperfect protagonist the hero becoming enamored with his counterpart almost immediately upon introduction. He is a isolated young man seeking 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 highly independent. Director the director recognizes this and guarantees the love story is at the center, rather than weighing it down with unnecessary summaries for the uninitiated, particularly since none of that really matters to the complete storyline.

Regardless of Denji’s imperfections, it’s difficult not to sympathize with him. He’s still a teenager, fumbling his way through a world that’s warped his understanding of right and wrong. His intense longing for love portrays him like a lovesick puppy, although he’s prone to growling, biting, and causing chaos along the way. His love interest is a perfect pairing for Denji, an compelling seductive antagonist who targets her prey in our protagonist. You want to see Denji earn the affection of his love interest, despite she is obviously concealing something from him. Thus when her real identity is revealed, audiences can’t help but hope they’ll somehow succeed, even though deep down, it is known a happy ending is never really in the plan. As such, the stakes fail to seem as intense as they ought to be since their relationship is doomed. It doesn’t help that the film acts as a immediate follow-up to the first season, allowing minimal space for a love story like this amid the darker events that followers are aware are approaching.

Stunning Animation and Artistic Execution

This movie’s visuals seamlessly blend traditional animation with 3D environments, providing stunning eye candy prior to the excitement kicks in. Including cars to small desk fans, 3D models enhance realism and texture to each shot, making the 2D characters pop beautifully. In contrast to Demon Slayer, which often highlights its digital elements and shifting settings, Reze Arc uses them less frequently, particularly evident during its explosive climax, where those models, though not unappealing, become easier to identify. These fluid, dynamic environments make the film’s fights both spectacular to watch and surprisingly simple to follow. Nonetheless, the method excels most when it’s unnoticeable, improving the vibrancy and movement of the hand-drawn art.

Concluding Impressions and Broader Considerations

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc functions as a good starting place, probably leaving new fans pleased, but it also has a drawback. Telling a self-contained story restricts the tension of what ought to seem like a sprawling animated saga. This is an illustration of why continuing a successful television series with a movie is not the best strategy if it undermines the franchise’s overall storytelling potential.

While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle found success by concluding multiple installments of anime television with an grand film, and JuJutsu Kaisen 0 avoided the issue entirely by serving as a prequel to its popular show, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc advances boldly, perhaps a bit recklessly. However that doesn’t stop the movie from being a enjoyable experience, a terrific point of entry, and a memorable love story.