The World of ‘Chainsaw Man’ Where Life is Cheap
The World of Original Creator Tatsuki Fujimoto
Before discussing the main story, let’s touch on Chainsaw Man’s essence. Since his debut with ‘Fire Punch’, creator Tatsuki Fujimoto depicts a “world where life is cheap.” He builds your attachment to characters, then eliminates them decisively once their role ends. This ruthlessness is a major charm of Chainsaw Man.
Starting in 2019, ‘Chainsaw Man’ was serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump. Now, Part 2 appears in Jump+, with 22 volumes and over 30 million copies sold. The series mixes shonen, B-movie, horror, and splatter influences, giving it a unique blood-and-sex feel.
The psychopathic Denji, who shrugs off the death of someone important as if nothing happened just a few pages later, and his utter stupidity, are focused solely on sexual desire. I find this characterization, so different from traditional shonen manga protagonists, truly compelling.
Overwhelming Visual Expression, a Return to “Anime-Like Anime”
The Controlled Aesthetics Born from Explosions and Chaos
The visuals of the anime film ‘Chainsaw Man: Reze Chapter’ have a completely different atmosphere from the TV series. While the TV version was moody and focused on atmosphere, the movie version goes all out on entertainment, using every means possible to get the audience hyped.
Explosions erupt everywhere, blood splatters wildly, and when the Typhoon Devil appears, it feels like a VR roller coaster. The whole screen turns chaotic, moving in every direction and pulling you right into the action.
Yet, this disorderly, chaotic imagery is beautifully controlled throughout the entire work. Slow-motion sequences effectively punctuate the high-speed combat scenes, and the skillful use of pacing creates one nail-biting scene after another.
The urban combat scenes are breathtaking. Explosions and chainsaw frenzies destroy buildings and overwhelm the viewer. Denji riding the shark demon Beam amplifies the excitement beyond the original manga, showing MAPPA’s production skill. The direction echoes the “Sukuna vs. Makura” battle from Jujutsu Kaisen’s Shibuya Arc.” While that was a TV series, this film is even more intense and powerful.
The climax, where the beam and typhoon demons merge, filling the screen with debris and explosions, delivered the sheer intensity of a high-calorie monster battle. The timing of MAXIMUM THE HORMONE’s song playing was also perfect.
An Emotional World Woven by Light and Color
The color design in ‘Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Chapter’ stands out. A focus on light creates a strong mood, turning the first half with Reze into something memorable.
At times, colors shift suddenly to a psycho-thriller palette, creating confusion. When Denji and Reze share a nice moment, the colors invert, becoming eerie, especially in the nighttime school scenes. The palette fully brings out ‘Chainsaw Man’s’ psychedelic feel.
Delving Deep into the Psychology of Reze and Denji
Reze: The Heartbreaking Love of a Girl Raised as a Weapon
The character Reze is central to the anime film ‘Chainsaw Man: Reze Chapter’. She is introduced as a new girl who appears bright and innocent, quickly forming a bond with Denji. Beneath this friendly exterior, however, she is secretly a weapon human known as Bomb—a devil in human form, sent on a mission.
From the start, Reze comes unusually close to Denji. Overwhelmed by her touch and suggestive comments, Denji thinks, “This girl likes me, right?” But it was a calculated honey trap. She wanted Denji’s heart. Her innocent “Little Red Riding Hood” persona was a lie for her mission.
What makes the film stand out is its careful portrayal of Reze’s real emotions. As she spends time with Denji, she experiences ordinary moments. The film gently shows her changing feelings, from teaching Denji to swim at night to their fireworks promise to café chats, where real emotion comes through in her gestures.
Reze’s choice in the end proved she gave up her ‘wolf’ identity and chose the ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ self she showed with Denji.
Her final line seems to symbolize Reze’s entire life. Like Denji, she too was a girl who never knew what “normal” was. That’s precisely why they were drawn to each other, and why this tragedy seemed inevitable.
Denji: His First Taste of “Normal Love”
For Denji, the film is crucial to his growth. Reze is the first to show him what the “ordinary life” he longs for truly looks like.
Denji shares a relationship between equals, unlike his twisted dynamic with Makima. Normal youth, with nights at school and promises of festivals, finally seems within reach. Just as Denji finds happiness, everything changes without warning.
Denji’s maxim, “I like people who like me” (which even I found myself agreeing with), is voiced in the story. His encounter with Reze was his first “real-feeling love.” It wasn’t the same as his longing for Makima; it was a love story of youth, on a human scale.
A beautiful fall from youth into despair, a perfect narrative structure
First Half: Classic Boy Meets Girl
The anime’s narrative is masterful. The first half tells a classic boy-meets-girl story, with rain in a phone booth, coffee shop talks, and sneaking into school at night. Denji’s first taste of ordinary youth fills the screen, making this feel like a different kind of love story at first.
Especially the scene at the school pool at night was truly wonderful, enhanced by the quiet, memorable BGM, enveloped in the bittersweet atmosphere of Reze teaching Denji how to swim.
Second Half: A Sudden Shift to Desperate Violence Action
Just as their romance peaks, the story shifts suddenly. The situation plunges into a nightmare, turning the film on its head.
This narrative shift is not just a plot device. It captures the core message of Chainsaw Man: happiness in this world is brief and always at risk of being destroyed by violence. The film’s structure makes this truth clear and powerful, showing why this adaptation stands out.
The Bittersweet Epilogue
The film’s ending deviates from the original manga. The journey to Reze’s café stands out. Since the staircases and alleys were shown early, the last scene packs a powerful emotional punch.
The choice to insert the end credits also brilliantly frames the “one summer’s youth” as a beautifully concluded chapter.
Emotions Woven by Music: Kensuke Ushio and the Theme Song’s Perfection
The Emotional Range Painted by the Score
Kensuke Ushio’s music makes the film a masterpiece. He switches between orchestral sounds and intimate piano, expressing the story’s emotional range—bittersweet romance and battle despair.
The Theme Song’s Stunning Contrast Structure
Equally indispensable to discussing this work is its theme song. The opening track, Kenshi Yonezu’s “Iris Out,” was a pop song brimming with exhilaration, perfectly capturing Denji’s heart as he floats on cloud nine, intoxicated by love.
The ending theme “Jane Doe”—an English term for “unidentified female”—captures the tragedy of an erased existence. It perfectly expresses loneliness and loss as the closing song.
These two songs form a brilliant contrasting structure. While Denji sings “You’re the only perfect thing in this world” with high energy in “Iris Out,” “Jane Doe” features the overlapping voices of Kenshi Yonezu and Ano singing “Let’s fill this world with mistakes.” This stunningly beautiful contrast deepened the film’s afterglow many times over, making it unforgettable.
The Achievement of the Compilation Film
The existence of the ‘Chainsaw Man Compilation Film’, quietly released before the theatrical premiere, is also noteworthy. This work, which re-edited all 12 episodes of the TV series into a two-part film, changed directors, re-recorded the voice actors’ lines, and re-edited it with improved pacing. It was far more than just a “compilation film” in name; its level of completion was practically a separate entity from the TV version.
| Streaming Service Name | Link |
|---|---|
| Crunchyroll | https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/GVDHX8QNW/chainsaw-man |
| Netflix | https://www.netflix.com/jp-en/title/81215627 |
| Hulu | https://www.hulu.com/series/chainsaw-man |
Summary: The Mysterious Power to Cherish Unforgettable Scars
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc captures the feeling of a summer of youth and stands out as one of this year’s top action films. Even as youth disappears suddenly in the story, the film somehow makes those emotional scars feel precious.
The three long-awaited years since the TV series were never wasted. By responding to fans’ voices from the TV series and delivering 120% of the original’s charm, this theatrical version became a historic work that paved a new path for animating ‘Chainsaw Man’.
Watching this film feels like hearing a sweet love song, then having heavy death metal crash in out of nowhere. A beautiful youth love story is suddenly and mercilessly thrown into chaos.
It was a work that let you experience the soul-shaking sensation of being tossed about by the wild swings of emotion: tender youth, violent action, and a heart-wrenching epilogue.