Amidst the rage for anime films in India comes Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. The Japanese movie is the first big-screen adaptation of the hugely popular fantasy series of the same name.
The show, which is available locally on the Prime Video channel Anime Times, is adapted from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. Both the comics and the series follow 16-year-old Denji, from whose head a chainsaw sprouts whenever he needs to fight the evil forces known as devils.
Denji became Chainsaw Man after nearly dying in a zombie devil attack. His loyal canine-chainsaw combo Pochita fuses his own heart into his master’s, creating a deadly hybrid.
Tatsuya Yoshihara’s film has been released in the original Japanese with English subtitles as well as in Hindi. The movie continues from the end of the show’s first season. While ardent fans will make the most sense of the characters and their relationships to each other, Hiroshi Seko’s screenplay is cogent enough to be understood by the uninitiated.
Denji (voiced by Kikunosuke Toya) now works for a division dedicated to destroying the devils. The assignment fulfils one of his basic needs – three meals a day – but the object of his desire, Makima, remains maddeningly out of reach.
A series of movie dates does prove that Denji and Makima (voiced by Tomori Kusunoki) have the same taste in cinema. The only film that moves them is the Russian classic Ballad of a Soldier.
Another Russian connection is awaiting Denji. The overly effusive and touchy-feely waitress Reze (voiced by Reina Ueda) gives Denji the sexual kicks that this needy adolescent has been craving. Sadly, in keeping with Denji’s past experiences, Reze isn’t who she says she is.
The emphasis is on dazzling imagery stuffed with movement and colours. Rather than gore, the film is littered with explosions and fireworks, which literally light up the screen.
At 102 minutes, the movie is a breezily entertaining ride with crackpot comedy, a host of cool-cat supporting characters and thrillingly kinetic action. While Reze is overly sexualised, her dynamic with the hopelessly romantic Denji creates some surprisingly sweet and poignant moments.
