Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, sees Denji (Kikunosuke Tonya) bump into Reze (Reina Ueda) by chance; this encounter might be what both were looking for.
2025’s Scotland Loves Anime returns for another year, opening with Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc, one of my most anticipated.
Does one need to watch Chainsaw Man Season One (2022) before viewing, as the film is a follow-up to that first season? The answer is yes. The film requires an understanding of background aspects with characters like Makima (Tomori Kusunoki), who has a lot of influence on our main character.
However, the film really puts Denji and Reze at the front and center, the beauty of circumstances in how two perfect matches come together, giving the story a lot of heart and humility—something I did not expect after the first season, specifically from Denji.
Denji is a Shonen protagonist. In anime, usually, your Shonen hero will have a primary reason why they do what they do; for example, Deku from My Hero Academia (2016-Present) wants to be the world’s greatest hero, or Tanjiro Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba (2019-2024) wants to save his sister.
What film does well is that Denji’s primary reasons might not be heroic compared to his other Shonen hero, in the first season, show his motivations boil down to wanting a girlfriend and having good food.
Film does well, as it doesn’t judge Denji for having those motivations; it actually shows that it stems from Denji having that feeling of missing out and forming those connections with people. He reveals to Reze that he never had the chance to go to school.
This results in one of the most heartfelt sequences within the film, where both visit an abandoned school, Denji gets to experience a classroom, and Reze teaches him to swim.
The sequence is really simple, but it highlights the heart in the film that I didn’t expect. The reason it really stood out is that, in the context of these two characters, it’s a moment that feels infinite and special.
The animation is incredible, unlike the show, which was seen as too cinematic and not capturing the stylized manga. Here, the color palette is bright, specifically red, with an overall saturated and shiny style that comes across as out of this world at times.
(It’s a pity the animation studio, MAPPA, is reported to have a not-so-great work environment, often overworking staff.)
Kensuke Ushio brings beautiful composing. A standout is that swimming sequence, where the score has a great sense of wonder and freedom—for the first time, we really feel understand how much Denji and Reze missed those feelings.
Toya returns with the same cheeky and fun attitude in Denji that you got in the first season. But here adds a bit of awkwardness, especially when Denji is around Reze. He can fight demons, but trying to talk to a girl is an uphill battle for him.
Ueda is great as Reze; she has this bubbly spirit that gives her a bounce on her feet. As a result, you get why she makes Denji so awkward around her because she doesn’t buy into that bravo attitude.
As a film that centers around a Chainsaw demon slayer, it delivered, but in a way I least expected.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is more of a story about the impact that finding one special person can have on a lonely soul.
Review Courtesy of Matthew Allan
Feature Image Credit Sony via IMDb