"Chainsaw Man" and the Search for One’s Heart

[The following review contains spoilers]

Director, Tatsuya Yoshihara’s Chainsaw Man: The Movie—Reze Arc ripped its way into theaters this November to near-universal acclaim. This highly anticipated film, based on Tatsuki Fujimoto’s groundbreaking manga and MAPPA studio's 2022 anime adaptation, more than delivers on its promise of emotional intensity and narrative depth. Packing an entire story arc into a tight hour and forty minutes, the movie is anything but rushed. Its pacing is expertly handled, and the narrative never loses its emotional clarity, a testament to Fujimoto’s storytelling ethos and Yoshihara’s direction. Breathtaking animation, compelling performances, and a soundtrack that resonates long after the credits roll cement this film as a standout experience.

The animation in this movie truly reflects studio MAPPA’s recent reputation. Even the CGI blends almost seamlessly with its 2D backdrops. The action is as inventive as it is outrageous. One minute, we see our protagonist riding a shark with legs, and the next, he’s maneuvering the battlefield with the grace of a trained dancer. The quiet, personal moments are given an equal amount of care. Rotoscoping is used in intimate moments to bring attention to the smallest of details, the imperfections that come with a human body. Although these scenes are beautiful, what truly stuck out to me was the music.

Kensuke Ushio’s score was nothing short of incredible, with tracks such as “in the pool” and “sweet danger” being personal highlights. His tracks have such a wide emotional range. I’ve never seen another composer so clearly translate emotion into his music. Kensuke Ushio’s masterful score amplifies the film’s emotional peaks and valleys, capturing everything from the innocent spark of teenage infatuation to the chilling manipulations and heartbreak that frame Denji’s journey.

Yet, beyond the gory spectacle, Chainsaw Man is a meditation on love in its many forms. Particularly, the bond between the protagonist Denji and the enigmatic newcomer Reze. Unlike many anime that stumble into shallow portrayals of romance, Chainsaw Man offers genuine bonds, particularly in the connection between Denji and Reze. Two characters who have been deprived of any form of genuine affection find consolation in each other. 

Chainsaw Man has often faced criticism for its explicit content, with some labeling it as typical anime "fan service." I strongly disagree with this statement. At the start of the story, Denji is a fifteen-year-old orphan who inherits his father’s substantial debt of 38 million yen, roughly equivalent to 260 thousand dollars. He is a boy who is consistently dehumanized by those around him, and the only creature he finds solace in is a literal chainsaw demon, which is incapable of speech. Even his best friend is incapable of telling him how much he cares. 

After a near-death experience, Denji and his best friend are combined into a human-devil hybrid. Makima, the leader of a government-sanctioned devil-hunting agency, after finding Denji with his newfound powers, gives him a choice: join the agency or die. This deal includes three square meals a day and a place to live. Denji quickly becomes infatuated with Makima, a beautiful older woman who seems to have saved him from a life of poverty. Naturally, he accepts her offer and regards it as a total win.

However, Reze later points out that what Denji sees as luxuries are actually just the bare minimum. Denji continues to face threats to his life every day, receives no education or counseling, and is essentially trapped in a state of indentured servitude. Any affection Makima shows him is entirely transactional; she manipulates his feelings to reduce him to a mere tool. Denji remains unaware of this manipulation and believes this is how love is meant to work.

A question posed by the film comes from Aesop’s Fables, specifically “The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse.” The country mouse gets to live in safety, but doesn't get to eat delicious food as they do in the city. The town mouse gets to eat delicious food, but runs a higher risk of being killed by humans or cats. Denji chose the city mouse, thinking it was similar to his current living situation. It’s heartbreaking to think that Denji is ignorant of the fact that he lives the life of the town mouse, with the measly reward of the country mouse. This question isn’t only posed to the characters but also to the audience itself. How far will ambition lead you before you eventually succumb to it? And is the reward truly worth the suffering it takes to achieve it?

In order to combat the monotonous nature of his nine-to-five job, Denji tries to set goals for himself. From the outside, these goals may seem simple, to put it mildly. Creator, Tatsuki Fujimoto often disguises his nuanced themes through comedy, which often results in people misconstruing the story’s themes. So, of course, after achieving a “stable life,” Denji’s first goal is to touch a girl’s chest. Not because he's some lunatic, but because he's only learned affection as a physical act. He achieves this goal but is left feeling empty inside.

It is only when Makima tells him that physical affection can often be superficial and that intimacy is more meaningful with someone you care about that Denji’s perspective begins to change. Sensing an opportunity, Makima makes a deal with him: if Denji destroys her enemies, she will grant him any wish. Denji’s new goal is to make Makima his girlfriend. Everything seems to be going well until Reze appears. 

She shows genuine affection for Denji, seems to be his age, and even points out the oddities in his life, like how he doesn't go to school and is constantly putting his life at risk. She even offers Denji the chance to run away with her, the chance to go to school, and to have a life that even remotely resembles normality. But Denji refuses, not wanting to leave his newfound friends and disappoint the people who have seemingly given him a fresh start in life. Reze, in her grief, reveals her true colors: a fellow indentured servant, a weaponized slave belonging to a foreign nation, the bomb devil. They have their big fight; there are explosions, blood, talking hurricanes, and shark people, but that's par for the course with Fujimoto’s writing. When the storm clears, despite this seemingly gargantuan betrayal, Denji offers Reze to run away with him. When she says that her previous feelings were an act, Denji correctly sees through this second failed guise. Why would she offer to run away if she could have just killed them the first time they met? In response, Reze simply points out that she didn't get to school either. 

After everything he’s been through, Denji still recognizes that their feelings for each other were real. Not just the typical romantic love, but the ability to find comfort in another soul. Despite being used by Reze, he recognizes that her actions are not entirely her own. Reze has been conditioned into using love as a weapon. She deceives Denji mercilessly, nearly leveling a city in the desperate pursuit of what her employers desire: his heart. Reze was deprived of connection, so much so that she’s been able to weaponize it. However, she underestimated Denji; she thought she was there to kill a hormonal teenager who fell face-first into power he could never begin to understand. In reality, Denji is just like her, denied connection, denied love, and seen as nothing but a weapon. Where they differ is through Denji’s passion and optimism.

Although Denji is unsure of what he wants, when he eventually settles on a goal, there is nothing on earth that can get in his way of achieving it. Denji’s determination and childlike wonder endured through his trauma. He reminds Reze of what she’s lost but also what she can get back. 

Reze and Denji have a genuine connection. They are two people who were denied a childhood by institutions that saw them as expendable tools, solely meant to support a system that holds no regard for their well-being. While Reze has become complacent in this system, she is still drawn towards Denji’s charm and naïveté. Both are characters stripped of agency and weaponized by a world that values utility over humanity. Reze’s allure and Denji’s unfiltered honesty pull each other into a delicate, dangerous dance. 

At the beginning of this film, Makima said that she only finds one of every ten movies interesting and enjoyable. For me, Chainsaw Man is undoubtedly that one, a brutal, beautiful meditation on love, trauma, and what it means to be human. Watching Chainsaw Man, you’ll find yourself drawn into its darkly compelling world, feeling each triumph and heartbreak as intensely as the characters themselves. The film’s striking visuals and powerful storytelling will leave you both shaken and inspired, urging you to reflect on your own notions of humanity and compassion long after the credits roll. This movie will remind you that you have a heart, whether it belongs to a chainsaw demon or not.