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A pair of teenagers experience a private, tender instant at the neighborhood high school’s open-air pool after hours. As they float together, suspended beneath the night sky in the stillness of the night, the scene portrays the ephemeral, exhilarating thrill of teenage romance, completely engrossed in the present, consequences overlooked.

Approximately 30 minutes into Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, I realized such moments are the heart of the film. Denji and Reze’s love story became the focus, and all the contextual information and character histories previously known from the series’ first season proved to be mostly irrelevant. Despite being a official entry within the series, Reze Arc provides a more accessible entry point for newcomers — regardless of they missed its single episode. The approach has its benefits, but it also hinders some of the tension of the film’s story.

Developed by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man follows the protagonist, a debt-ridden Devil Hunter in a world where demons represent particular evils (including ideas like Aging and Darkness to specific horrors like cockroaches or World War II). After being deceived and murdered by the criminal syndicate, he forms a contract with his loyal companion, his pet, and comes back from the dead as a part-human chainsaw wielder with the ability to permanently erase fiends and the horrors they represent from existence.

Plunged into a violent struggle between demons and hunters, Denji encounters a new character — a charming coffee server concealing a lethal mystery — sparking a tragic clash between the pair where affection and existence intersect. The movie continues right after the first season, delving into Denji’s connection with Reze as he grapples with his emotions for her and his loyalty to his controlling superior, Makima, compelling him to decide among passion, loyalty, and self-preservation.

An Independent Love Story Amidst a Broader Universe

Reze Arc is fundamentally a lovers-to-enemies plot, with our imperfect main character the hero falling for his counterpart almost immediately upon introduction. He is a isolated boy seeking affection, which renders him unreliable and up for grabs on a first-come basis. As a result, in spite of all of Chainsaw Man’s complex lore and its extensive cast of characters, Reze Arc is very self-contained. Director Tatsuya Yoshihara recognizes this and ensures the romantic arc is at the center, rather than bogging it down with unnecessary summaries for the new viewers, particularly since such details really matters to the overall plot.

Regardless of Denji’s flaws, it’s difficult not to feel for him. He is still a adolescent, fumbling his way through a reality that’s distorted his sense of right and wrong. His desperate craving for love portrays him like a infatuated dog, even if he’s prone to growling, biting, and making a mess along the way. Reze is a perfect match for him, an compelling femme fatale who finds her mark in our protagonist. Viewers hope to see the main character win the ire of his affection, despite Reze is obviously concealing a secret from him. Thus when her real identity is revealed, you still can’t help but hope they’ll somehow succeed, even though internally, you know a happy ending is not truly in the plan. As such, the tension fail to seem as intense as they should be since their relationship is fated. This is compounded by that the film serves as a immediate follow-up to the first season, allowing minimal space for a romance like this amid the darker events that fans are aware are coming soon.

Stunning Visuals and Technical Execution

The film’s graphics effortlessly combine traditional animation with computer-generated settings, providing impressive eye candy even before the excitement kicks in. From vehicles to tiny office appliances, digital assets add depth and texture to every scene, making the animated figures pop beautifully. Unlike Demon Slayer, which often highlights its digital elements and shifting backgrounds, Reze Arc employs them less frequently, particularly evident during its explosive finale, where such elements, though not unappealing, become easier to spot. Such smooth, ever-shifting environments render the movie’s battles both visually bombastic and remarkably easy to understand. Still, the technique excels most when it’s invisible, improving the vibrancy and motion of the hand-drawn art.

Final Thoughts and Broader Considerations

Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc serves as a good starting place, likely leaving new fans pleased, but it additionally carries a drawback. Presenting a self-contained narrative limits the stakes of what ought to seem like a sprawling animated saga. This is an example of why following up a successful television series with a film is not the optimal approach if it undermines the franchise’s general narrative possibilities.

Whereas Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle found success by tying up multiple installments of anime television with an epic movie, and JuJutsu Kaisen 0 avoided the issue completely by serving as a prequel to its well-known series, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc advances boldly, maybe a bit recklessly. But that doesn’t stop the movie from being a great experience, a terrific introduction, and a memorable love story.