The Score: Chainsaw Man—The Movie: Reze Arc

 

Well, this year is a great year for anime movies! Before I dive into the review for this one, I think I should cover two things:

1) This review will have SPOILERS. This movie is amazing, and the arc is much better if you go in blind. You should watch the first season of the anime, but aside from that, try to avoid advertising and reviews. I read the manga blind, and it is so good at handling the rollercoaster of a plot. I will refrain from giving spoilers from the rest of the manga in this review, but just know that, having read the rest of the story, this arc only gets better upon looking back at it and seeing its impact. So if my score seems very high, bear in mind I can't explain all the set-ups that eventually get paid off.

2) I plan to eventually write my opinion of Chainsaw Man as a Christian. This film is not one that I would recommend to a broad audience. It is violent (with a good deal of blood and gore), and it contains a lot of sexual imagery and themes (skinny dipping and lingerie in this film). While the skinny dipping is very, very slightly censored (you won't see any nipples or close shots of genitalia), it does show the forms of both a guy and a girl very clearly, and the whole scene is extensive (4 minutes). So, this needs a big content warning. More than anything else I've reviewed. That being said, I firmly believe that this story is excellent in how it handles sexual themes, and it does it in a way that is very impactful and effective. I would need to write a whole long post to explain what I think of this element of Chainsaw Man, and it is an integral part of the themes and writing of the story, but if you are not comfortable putting these things in front of you, I'd encourage you to sit this one out. Your thought life and mental purity are worth more than your entertainment. That being said, I have found this story to be, sincerely, edifying from my position. So I do not think it is a story that is wrong to enjoy. It is, however, something one should interact with carefully.

With that out of the way, let me get to my review!

Categories:

• Impact/Personal History (9): Chainsaw Man has become one of my all-time favorite manga. This arc, in particular, was (and is) my favorite. On a personal note, this arc was, in part, what actually convinced me to quit being selfish with my life and time and pursue a girl who had consistently shown interest in and kindness towards me... a girl who had told me she loved me... a girl who is now, very thankfully, my dear wife. The way Chainsaw Man handles the idea of male sexuality is very bold-faced. Much like culture, it is in your face. It is provocative. It is meant to entice, excite, and seduce. This story does not shy away from that, but it also clearly displays (in this arc, in the prior arcs, and in many of the future arcs) that sex on its own is hollow. It is this vapid, all-consuming, flashy dream that can consume the minds of men. But behind all that, what really lasts is love. This arc has moments that are certainly meant to be sexy and exciting, but the parts that hit the hardest are the quiet and sincere moments. The moments that seem like true love. When I first read this story, I had seen romance (in both the culture and in the lives of my friends) as just hormone-driven. It did not seem sweet to me. But then I read this arc, and it made me think I could want romantic love. Both the sexual side, yes, but much more than that. It made me want to love and be loved in a way that was genuine. This story emphasizes the importance of love in its many forms. It doesn't shy away from sexuality or portray it as all bad (though it does acknowledge that it is often dangerous), but it does emphasize what really makes a relationship meaningful. So, ha, yeah... I have been looking forward to seeing this arc adapted. It made me think romance and even sexuality could be much more than hormones and the ads thrust on us by culture, and because of that slight shift in thought, my life has been made indescribably richer. (I love my wife. Ha)
• Presentation (10): This film looks and sounds phenomenal. I will get to a few gripes when it comes to consistency in the "aesthetics" part of this review. This film is a love letter to film in general. It is so intentional in using imagery to be symbolic and interesting. It doesn't just show what is necessary to convey the scene; it goes out of its way to sell the tone, feeling, and meaning of what is happening. The animation is gorgeous and looks very hand-drawn and masterful. The film looks great. The action scenes are extremely cool and dynamic, and the slice-of-life scenes are surreal and astoundingly pretty. On top of this, the score for the film is amazing. "In the pool" is especially notable as it swells behind the scene it is in. IRIS OUT is also an absolute bop, and it is implemented in a cool way. The voice cast is also perfect. Reze is new, and she does a killer job (in the original Japanese at least). Her delivery is extremely charming, and I was very impressed at how expressive she and the other characters (especially Denji) are in this film. As it is a story that orients heavily around personal/romantic dynamics, that level of detail in the expressions is very much appreciated! Sincerely, this is one of the prettiest films I have seen... on top of being one of the most intense and action-packed. The grim and gory scenes are fittingly horrifying, while the tender scenes are staggeringly beautiful. 
• World-Building (10): Chainsaw Man is a story I go to when I want to describe fantastic world-building. The way the devils of this world are embodiments of human fears and become stronger the more their name is feared is absolutely fascinating. It allows for what feels like limitless creativity, while also being understandable (unlike, say, Jujutsu Kaisen, which sometimes feels like you need to read an entire book to wrap your head around some of the characters' abilities... especially later in the manga). As soon as Beam yells that Reze is bomb, you immediately realize how powerful and terrifying she will be, especially in the context of Japan's history. It is such a fantastic reveal (perhaps even better in the manga). It is probably one of my favorite reveals I can think of! Especially with the utter desperation of Beam as he flees from her. The fact that she has had a grenade pin on her neck the whole time is just fantastic (I could gush on what I think the symbolism of her choker is, but I will refrain).  It is a fantastically unique world that manages to feel grounded enough to sell the drama while also having... well... a dude with a chainsaw head as the main character. This film also reveals more of the broader world of Chainsaw Man, hinting at Angel's past and revealing the horrors the Soviet Union is willing to do to make super soldiers.
• Aesthetic (7): Broadly, the aesthetic is consistent and really good. I do feel like, in a few places, the anime leans a little too much into being stylish. This is definitely in response to the negative reception of the first season, and I am all for that. However, there are points where the action is very hard to visually track because it has become chaotic. On top of this, a few sound effects are used for comedy, and they took me out of the story. Don't get me wrong, I am glad this film actually nails the humor most of the time, but sometimes it was overdone and detracted from the scene.
• Protagonists (7): Denji is a brilliant audience stand-in. While I don't particularly *like* him, he does a great job of carrying the narrative and, often, conveying the feelings of the audience. Aki and Angel are much more noble when it comes to the heroes of the story (and Beam is extremely fun. Haha, dude is the MVP of that battle! Denji owes the poor shark boy). I like the development of Angel from cruelty (claiming he is a devil) to kindness (claiming he is an angel) due to Aki rescuing him. It is a perfect catalyst for Aki, who has been portrayed as someone who cannot stand to watch people die in front of him. 
• Antagonists (10): Reze has got to be one of my favorite antagonists ever. I absolutely adore the nuance of her writing. It is a ton of fun to go back and try to piece together scenes and to guess when she was being sincere or when she was lying. She is deeply sympathetic... but much like another 10/10 antagonist from an anime film this year, she also does not lose any of her presence or terror because of this. She is a terrifying threat, and some of her scenes are deeply menacing and horrific. Simultaneously, I like the stiffness of her body language in some fights (seen better in the manga) and her offers of mercy if people will back down. It both shows and tells that she is 1) extremely powerful and not exerting much effort to defeat, say, Beam or Violence. And 2) that she does not actually want to kill people. I will slightly spoil that there is a reason why she allows the conflict to spread and why she takes so many lives, but that is revealed later. She is fantastic. She defines this film. Her personality is both charming and terrifying (Kudos again to the JP voice actress and the amazing animation staff), and her feelings are complex enough to keep the viewer guessing. I would honestly love to write an entire post analyzing her alone as a character, but I will move on. 
• Themes/Depth (10): As mentioned in a section before the review, this movie deals heavily with a theme that Chainsaw Man deals with often, and that is the idea of male sexuality and desire vs something much deeper and more meaningful: love. I adore the fact that in the moments in which Reze is being real, she is much more reserved and sincere. She isn't being flirty or sexual; probably her most sincere moment is simply telling Denji that she likes him as she begs him to run away with her. It is striking because it juxtaposes shallow sexual desire with genuine connection. Why we, as an audience (and Denji), want to choose Reze in the end is because, outside of all the flirtation and sexually charged moments, Reze actually empathized with and cared for Denji. She hoped, perhaps foolishly, that he would understand her and that the two of them could escape together. That leads into the theme of the country mouse vs the city mouse. This is another idea played with heavily in this arc, and it continues later into the manga as well. Reze wants peace, but Denji wants excitement. Denji is, bluntly, proven to be wrong in this mindset. But it is too late by that point. The country mouse wants peace. There is meaning in simplicity. There was meaning in simple acts of affection between Reze and Denji. Unlike moments with Makima (in my opinion) the quiet moments between Denji and Reze (her hugging him on the beach) are not for seduction. They are not erotic. They are quiet. Peaceful. They are what genuine love would offer Denji. That genuine, small-seeming, quiet type of love is so much more valuable than the flashy, erotic, artificial sexuality offered by the life of a city mouse. The themes of this film and manga are super super well established, and honestly, I have probably missed some of them because Fujimoto uses symbolism fantastically well.
• Uplifting (3): Oh. Look. It is a piece of art written by Fujimoto... so of course it is deeply impactful and also just incredibly sad. This story hurts. It is haunting after you finish it. It has been crafted to make you wish and wonder "what if" for the entire rest of the time you spend with Chainsaw Man. Fujimoto said he hoped people would feel like Reze haunts them as a curse after watching this movie. I think he very much succeeded in that desire. It is a romantic tragedy, and it emphasized to me why that genre has stood the test of time. 
• Tension (10): The back and forth of this film is phenomenal. From Denji trying not to fall for Reze, to us as the audience suddenly worrying that she will be killed, to discovering she is powerful and hiding something, to her sweet and sincere confession and his rejection of her, to the gory and grim reveal of her Bomb form... it is a rollercoaster back and forth. We, like Denji, want him to stay faithful and not trust this new girl, only to be lulled into liking her and fearing for her safety. It is excellent. This story has also not pulled punches when it comes to killing characters, so that pays off well in this film when it comes to tension. Fantastic work.
• Pacing/Length (9): The pacing is pretty much perfect. Surprisingly, I honestly felt like the action sequences were the part that drug on slightly longer than I'd like. Not by much at all, but the character writing and drama are so good it makes me eager to get back to it (I have heard other complaints that there is too much slice-of-life, but I thoroughly disagree with that).
• Emotional Resonance (10): As mentioned in tension, and in discussing Denji, Fujimoto is great at expecting and reflecting the feelings of his audience. As such, you get taken on an emotional roller-coaster, and your heart gets very invested and attached. The tragedy of the ending haunts me days after finishing the film and years after finishing the manga arc. 
• Destination Clarity (5): I don't think this arc shows much clarity as to where it is going or where the rest of the story will go. That being said, this is a completely minor gripe.
• Consistency (8): The small animation and humor complaints are the only things hurting the consistency of this film. Overall, it is shockingly good throughout. It handles action, horror, and romance extremely well. 

Quality Notes:

I will say there are some scenes I liked better in this movie than in the manga. When Denji is daydreaming about girls and trying to choose between Reze and Makima, in the film, this is consistently cut with Reze being chased by a murderer through the school. This draws a tremendous amount of attention to how vapid and shallow Denji is being. He is objectifying not just Reze, but women in general in his mind, while she is running for her life. I felt that that was conveyed much more clearly in the movie. I also like that Reze runs to hug him on the beach, something that is missing in the manga, but also something that ties into how I am convinced she actually feels about him. So I was very happy to see that.

So, yeah, while I would not recommend this movie to just anyone, it is a masterful piece of writing. Between this and Demon Slayer, two of my favorite manga arcs have been adapted to film this year. It has been a wild ride... with a lot of tragic fireworks!

Final Personal Score: 10/10

Also, I have been giving out lots of 10/10s lately! To be fair, as mentioned, these anime arcs are from manga I had read and considered favorites for years. I will just toss out that, sadly, Superman was a 6/10 leaving the theater... which became a 3/10 when I was thinking about it afterward for a review.