After the great success of Demon Slayer, the new anime movie of Chainsaw Man is also doing quite well. And rightly so, as MeinMMO editor Niko was thrilled because the action anime offers something rarely seen in the Shōnen genre.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc continues the first season of the anime from 2022, but this time in theaters. I liked the first season, which was wonderfully quirky and also provided good action sequences. Exactly that is what I expected from the new movie: Some childish humor, exciting fights, and strange characters.
The movie contains all of that. Still, I was quite surprised because the action anime spends a lot of time on something that is usually neglected in other Shōnen works.
Finally a credible love story in an action anime
What makes the movie so good? As in the first season, the main character Denji talks a lot about love and that he would do anything for his boss Makima. But suddenly he meets Reze. She is not only the same age as Denji, she laughs at his nonsense and even makes such jokes herself.
The two get closer, and a love story develops that touched me because it is surprisingly respectful. The series often plays with vulgar language and also revealing outfits and dreams, but during the dates of Denji and Reze
, none of that occurs. It is simply romantic and even believable. Kensuke Ushio’s soundtrack perfectly complements it. in the pool
I listen to every day since I saw the movie.
Now, one could argue that you don’t need any love stuff
in an action anime, but in Chainsaw Man, it works damn well. Denji has had nothing his whole life, but suddenly he receives love. That worked particularly well for me because it is woven into the story without taking the cheapest path for emotions: flashbacks.
In this respect, the other anime cinema hit of 2025 has it down well: Demon Slayer. Don’t get me wrong, I like Demon Slayer, but flashbacks are the most clumsy way to build emotions. Oh, the nasty demon was killed, let’s run a sad flashback.
By the way, One Piece is also quite good at this.
The problem with flashbacks is that they interrupt the current story. The flow and pacing go awry, and if done too often, characters do not become independent characters but mere products of a flashback. Yes, I find them sad too, but I always feel manipulated.
Chainsaw Man does this much better: It trusts its characters to operate without a sad backstory. This made the twist at the end and the spectacular fights more effective. I feel for the current
characters, not for those they once were in the past.
An action fest, especially in theaters
But what about the action? In short: it is a true feast. Even though it annoys me that anime series are continued in theaters, sitting in the cinema and watching well-animated fighters go at each other on a gigantic screen makes me forget everything.
The action in the movie of Chainsaw Man is well-choreographed, absurdly wild, and at the same time brutal. This is a nice contrast to the silly or emotional moments. As mentioned before, the action also benefits from the love story. The movie finds a nice balance between both aspects.
I also found the diversity of ideas in the fight amazing. Instead of simply spamming the strongest attacks, interesting ways have been found to showcase and utilize the characters’ abilities. This is not only visually fun; you enjoy quirky combinations
.
Chainsaw Man is something special
I can only recommend Chainsaw Man to everyone. After the new movie, I immediately consumed the next manga chapters and was thrilled. The series plays with classic Shōnen clichés and manages to create something exciting even from completely silly characters. It is simply different from series like One Piece, Demon Slayer, or Naruto, and those who have been anime fans for a long time will also enjoy a lot here.
And the success of Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc shows that the series works despite its unusual story and characters. According to Dexerto, the production costs are said to have been around 4 million US dollars (approx. 3.5 million euros). Currently, worldwide earnings stand at over 140 million US dollars (approx. 120 million euros) according to IMDb. Thus, the movie is already quite a big success.
We can only hope that we won’t have to wait another 3 years for a new movie or a new season because Chainsaw Man deserves all the hype.
The new Chainsaw Man movie is just a small example of the success of anime in theaters. The last movie of Demon Slayer is among the most successful films of the year, even competing with real blockbusters: Demon Slayer got a movie instead of the coveted 5th season, now it shows: Apparently the right decision
