Chainsaw Man the Movie: A bloody gory action movie that surprises with emotional depth. 

My friend and I went to see the Chainsaw man movie not knowing exactly what to expect. At the end of the movie, we walked out of the theater in awe, trying to take in what we just watched. When we left, we both agreed that the movie wasn’t just good, it was something we would never forget. 

The Chainsaw Man Movie: Reze Arc released in late October and made an impressive $30 million in North America in its first week after release. The movie is the second highest rated anime movie released this year, holding an 8.4 on IMDB and a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The franchise was started as a manga series written by Tatsuki Fujimoto and published in Shonen Jump. The first season of the anime adaptation was released on October 11, 2022, by Mappa Studios. This new movie was directed by Ryū Nakayama who also worked on the anime. 

This year, there have only been two anime movies that are candidates for anime movie of the year, which are Chainsaw Man and Demon Slayer by a huge margin. I have watched both movies twice and I think the Chainsaw Man movie is better. The Chainsaw Man movie has a better story, better pacing, and the animation is equally as good as the Demon Slayer movie. This brings me to my conclusion that the Chainsaw Man movie is the best anime movie released this year. 

What really stands out to me is how the animation quality feels even more polished than the series, especially in the action scenes. The pacing also worked well; it did not feel rushed or dragged out.   

The movie has a surprising mix of romance and action. I have seen on TikTok some people really enjoy the romance part more than the action part of the film. This is an action movie that actually makes you feel. I remember my friend almost cried during this one scene. 

Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc takes place directly after the first season of the anime. The series takes place in an alternate world where devils terrorize humanity. The movie follows the protagonist, Denji. Denji makes a contract with his best friend/pet Pochita (the chainsaw devil), which granted him the ability to sprout chainsaws out of his body. Denji is part of an organization called “public safety” which is made up of devil hunters and their job is to protect humanity from the devils. The movie centers around Denji and his relationship with a girl he meets named Reze.  

The film was made by Mappa studios, they also helped make other popular animes like Jujutsu Kaisen, and Attack on Titan. The company did an excellent job adapting the manga series into the screen. The movie’s animation was incredible, arguably just as good as the Demon Slayer movies animation. During the fight scenes, the animation was cinematic, and smooth, and the art was clean and consistent.  

The movie really surprised fans as the film had a different feel from the first season as it wasn’t all just blood splattering and violence. The first half of the film is slow and has very little action. It’s about romance and two teenagers who are falling in love with each other. The second half of the movie is all crazy action, and the animation is gorgeous, and they did all of this with a budget of $4 million.   

One highlight that everyone talks about is the soundtrack which was composed by Kensuke Ushio. I always see TikTok’s online about the music and how great it is, especially the “in the pool” song. A strong example of this is when Reze teaches Denji how to swim, where the song “in the pool” plays. There is no sound effects or dialogue, just the music playing. The music playing during this scene, “In the Pool,” is soft and calm, which makes the moment feel safe and relaxed. As Reze guides Denji through the water, the melody helps show how Denji begins to trust her. In the fight scenes, the music made the fights feel more intense. In one of the scenes, a devil arrives and attacks all the workers in the building. During this scene, the music they played seemed like it would be used in a thriller or horror movie. 

The one thing the film was lacking was the supporting characters and their boring sub plots. The movie does a great job following the main plot involving Denji, but the main plot revolves around two people. There are two different sub plots revolving around the supporting characters, and both of those subplots are very boring. While watching the movie, during the subplots, I was dying waiting for the movie to switch back to the main plot. Power, one of the most popular characters from the anime, appears for maybe a minute. Aki and Angel, who were important in season one, only got a few short scenes.  

What makes the Chainsaw man movie stand out so much compared to other anime movies is how it mixes romance and action so well. The movie is full of energy, emotion, and beautiful animation. I would highly recommend watching this movie. Honestly, it is certainly one of the best movies I have watched this year. 

Screen shotted by Luka Demidov