Spoilers for “Chainsaw Man” follow.
Tatsuki Fujimoto’s “Chainsaw Man” manga is divided into two parts: Part 1 (Chapters 1-97), and the still-ongoing Part 2. The 12-episode “Chainsaw Man” anime adapted up to chapter 38, and now new movie “Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc” blitzes through 14 chapters, ending at no. 52. A second season of the anime, which has not been officially announced but seems inevitable, is on track to finish out Part 1.
“Chainsaw Man” takes place in a world where “Devils” — monsters personifying mankind’s fears — rampage. Denji is a Japanese boy living in poverty, having inherited his dad’s debts to the Yakuza, and is friends with the dog-like Chainsaw Devil, Pochita. When Denji is murdered by the mob, Pochita revives him by becoming his new heart. The new Chainsaw-powered Denji is recruited into the Japanese office of Public Safety, who are Devil hunters overseen by the enigmatic Miss Makima.
The Reze arc was the best portion of “Chainsaw Man” Part 1 to adapt into a movie. It’s right smack in the middle of the narrative, so a convenient bridge between TV seasons, and largely self-contained. Denji meets a sweet girl named Reze who starts dating him … but only because she’s actually the Bomb Devil. Reze, raised as a weapon by the Russian Government, is out to steal Denji’s heart, literally. Yet while Reze is no doubt the star villain of this movie, another threat lurks in the background, and Reze’s character foreshadows the final evil that Denji will face in Part 1: Makima.
The story’s anime so far has been faithful to Fujimoto’s manga, so there’s no reason to assume Makima is less than the monster manga readers know she is. “Reze Arc” gives us a hint of her power and evil.
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Makima is the villain of Chainsaw Man Part 1
Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc scene of Makima in her office – Crunchyroll
Makima is like a Venus Flytrap. She’s sinister, but she’s also attractive, wears a slight smile, and has a soft voice. Mixed with her unflappable calm and the eyes of a predator, those qualities only make her more eerie, though.
She tells Denji that, if he wants to live, he will be her dog, and she sends him out to risk his life every day against Devils. Denji, a dimwitted horndog, happily barks along to Makima’s commands and she’s not shy about using both her body and affection to ensure he complies. But she also gives him a home and friends. You hope for Denji’s sake that maybe Makima does care about him … but she doesn’t, not in the slightest.
“Chainsaw Man” season 1 includes the manga’s early hints that Makima isn’t human. In episode 9, she shrugs off a gunshot to the head and then remotely kills several Yakuza members trying to capture Denji. The worst of her power is still yet to come, because Makima is a Devil herself — the Control Devil. Devils are stronger based on how much people fear what they represent, and so Makima is one of the strongest of all. Knowing she represents control, details of Makima’s character fall into place.
Take the way her bangs fall perfectly while she ties her hair back in a tight braid, or her association with dogs, animals that dutifully obey their masters. The title sequence of “Reze Arc” also sees Makima eating a carefully prepared breakfast, compared to Denji and co.’s messier cooking. Raised as a weapon by the Japanese government, Makima yearns for love but can’t understand it. She wants a better world, too, but is utterly malicious in chasing it.
Reze’s character foreshadows the truth about Makima
Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc, Makima on sidewalk arriving to her date with Denji – Crunchyroll
The opening of “Reze Arc” (based on chapter 39) features Makima taking Denji to a movie marathon date; she tears up at the last picture they see. When Denji wonders if he has a heart, Makima puts her head to his chest and reassures him he does.
Makima does care about Denji’s heart, because she wants Pochita, the true Chainsaw Devil, under her control. She plans to drive Denji to despair by giving him a taste of happiness, ripping it away, and convincing him to surrender all control of himself to her.
Reze’s character, a Devil who manipulates Denji (and the audience) by offering love then crushing it, foreshadows Makima’s true self. Denji often compares Reze to Makima as she tries to unleash him from Makima’s control, pointing out how Makima has only given him the bare minimum. Reze tells Denji Aesop’s fable of the Country Mouse and City Mouse: Denji is the City Mouse (living a dangerous but exciting life), but Reze implores him to run away with her and become the Country Mouse (whose dull life is safer).
At the film’s end, Reze realizes she did have feelings for Denji and rushes to meet him. Makima returns, summoning a swarm of rats to block Reze’s path. Makima tells Reze that she, too, likes the Country Mouse… killing it, that is. Their preference for the Country Mouse is another key parallel for Makima and Reze, as are their similar backstories and buried desires for love.
As for Denji, he’s left waiting for Reze and thinking her interest in him was all a lie — perfect for Makima’s plan to make him miserable that will continue into “Chainsaw Man” season 2.
“Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Reze Arc” is playing in theaters.
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Read the original article on SlashFilm.
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