Fall 2025 was a busy time for theatrical anime - both "Demon Slayer" and "Chainsaw Man" had feature films that would be the Number 1 films at the North American box office when they released. Thanks to a well-timed Bluray release of "Chainsaw Man" Season 1, it was also a good time for me to catch up on the popular anime to see what all the fuss was about. The anime proved itself worthy of the hype, and I was fully prepared as a fan to watch the film. The films for both "Demon Slayer" and "Chainsaw Man" have elements in common and elements that separate them. The curious element in common is that both are direct continuations of the canon story, basically a new season of television anime, but in a feature-film length and format. In this case, the film's subtle is literally named after the story "arc" in the manga it's based on. This is rare for shonen action anime, but perhaps anime studios are becoming more comfortable with the idea, and also see the buzz and revenue this can generate? Anyway, seeing these is essential for anyone who wants to keep up with the franchise's story, AND watching the proceeding anime in full beforehand is critical. That's defintely a shortcoming for both; "Reze Arc" assumes you know who Denji is, what devils are and how their powers work, and so on, and it's a lot tougher to enjoy the movie if you haven't seen what the characters went through in the first season. Only up-to-date fans should be watching this movie. On the other hand, this only has twelve episodes of homework you need to watch, compared to the multiple seasons you needed for "Demon Slayer" before the "Infinity Castle" films. And the element differentiating them is that "Reze Arc" is a self-contained arc, not the first part of a trilogy, so it has a complete beginning, middle, and end, unlike the weaker "Infinity Castle - Part 1" (all with almost an hour less of runtime too). If it isn't clear, yeah, I wasn't a big fan of "Demon Slayer"'s 2025 film, at least as of this writing before the rest of the trilogy came out, a rare nay-sayer compared to legions of anime fans who all seemed to agree that film represented Ufotable at their best (production and writing-wise, I still think it was their worst project in nearly two decades). "Reze Arc" isn't exactly flawless either, but it does a better job representing what I expect from the original series, and at that quality, fits the theatrical experience a lot better."Reze Arc" eases the audience in slowly. Denji, the Chainsaw devil fiend, is still working as a devil hunter. Reasons are given for Power to be absent for almost the whole movie, pairing Denji with the overly-eager and loyal Shark Fiend. Denji gets to go on a brief date with his supervisor Makima, marathoning multiple movies at the local theatre. This is moment of writing where the manga writer, or perhaps the animation studio, really get to show their passion for film as a medium and why it matters to them (I learned later that the first season's opening credits are also a love-letter to international film). On patrol for demons in the town, things are rather mundane, until in a heavy rainstorm, he comes across a girl also seeking shelter from the rain: Reze. Reze is a teenager who works at a quiet local cafe. She's extroverted, cute, and seems to think Denji is cute too. Imagine poor Denji's head - he's committed himself to pursuing Makima, but now has this new girl chasing after him! Reze continues to flirt with him, eventually inviting him to the local fireworks festival. But Reze isn't who she appears to be... I won't spoil it, although the movie posters kinda do already. Needless to say, the last half of the movie is a giant action spectacle, and is slightly more personal for Denji than usual, for having his heart toyed with during the film. A lot hinges on Reze as a character, and whether we care about her in the beginning, middle, and end of the film. I will say the writers did a fair job making her flirtation believable, compared to anime's typical strategy of just having a woman undress and offer herself to the main character in your average harem rom-com. Reze does end up undressed (or at least partially undressed) for significant portions of the film, including a romantic pool scene (for the theatrical edition, her bare chest is visible but smooth, while Denji's nipples are in full view... anyway...). Certainly, Reze is likable from a male-fantasy perspective, but not as effortlessly cool and alluring as the mysterious Makima was... I'd credit this to Reze only being in this one film, but Makima made a stronger impression within the first two episodes of the anime. This is a small issue because the film's ending, quietly tragic, is more effective IF you've become emotionally invested in Reze as a character. And it's that tragic conclusion that fans seemed excited to see in the film. Personally, I felt just a little cold, not unlike Denji feeling bored on his first few movies with Makima (and not how he was impressed with the final movie he saw, which Studio MAPPA was probably hoping for). The most memorable part of her is that Reze proves herself to be strong, independent, and ultimately, dangerous.
Oh, and elsewhere, Aki is also on patrol. His dialogue with a fiend partner Angel doesn't really make sense without Season 1, and has little meaning within this film, but it helps give the movie places to breathe, and for him to join the fight in the second half of the film. Denji's internal dilemma is core to the story, and partly represents both his stupidity and naivity, but also innocence. Increasingly, it feels like his personality will be at the centre of the franchise moving forward, for better or for worse, and he will remain invincible and safe from death, even if everyone around him isn't. In terms of writing, there are subtle but clever nods of planning that you might only catch on a second or third viewing, like "oh, THAT's why she waited for the fireworks festival," or "THAT's why the rain started and stopped at such key moments."The first season already had some great action spectacle, and "Reze Arc" follows suit, increasing the scale slightly to have the big fight cover most of the city (and presumably, kills hundreds if not thousands of innocent civilians in its wake). It's big and bombastic and fun. At times, almost stupid, in a good way. In trying to describe the movie to family members and why an anime was the top box office film that week, I said "at the end, it has a guy with chainsaws in his arms, riding a flying shark into a giant typhoon in the city, with a giant evil baby in the center of it." It totally makes sense in the context of the film, I swear. It's largely unncessary for what boils down to a personal battle of fisticuffs between two individuals, but is it fun to watch? Yes. Yes it is. Season 1 of "Chainsaw Man" already had a theatrical quality to it, with particularly good animation after the first few episodes. "Reze Arc" looks about as good as those latter episodes, with small extra flourishes, like opening with Denji's recurring dream sequenece in a black-and-white frame that looks like the original manga come to life. Of course, the big battle is beautiful, with some particularly inspired shots that made my jaw drop late in the fight - when they fight in the dark, the artists play with not rendering outlines, or only rendering highlights made from explosions, in experimental studies of motion, light and colour. And all with virtually no CGI for character animation this time, aside from a few blink-and-you-miss-it shots... if it's used more often than that, it's so seemless that even I couldn't catch it. "Reze Arc" was like watching a mismash of the detail of Production I.G. and Madhouse, with the unhinged style and rule-breaking of Studio Shaft or Science Saru. It looks good, and paired with Denji's stupidity, it's hard not to have a big smile on your face as the carnage flows and paints the town red. I did see this in IMAX, which was wholy unnecessary. The English dub is good, carrying over from the series. Audio is pretty great though, and in a theatrical setting, perhaps elevated, from the punk opening theme to the emotional ending theme, and the explosive score and effects during the fights. A minor annoyance - the opening theme was given English subtitles, but the ending theme wasn't, and fans were quick to write online that knowing the song's meaning helps make the ending more powerful. "Chainsaw Man - The Movie - Reze Arc" is a pretty fun movie, and essential for fans of the series, since it tells an important arc and hints and what's to come. In the back of my mind, I have doubts on whether the franchise can keep up its momentum for much longer... it might want to reach an ending in a second or third season... but right now, it's both stupid and smart, cool and fun, overall a blast.