The Chainsaw Man anime universe will continue with the upcoming Reze Arc movie. Despite being a major hit, Season 1 of MAPPA’s anime adaptation drew some criticism and controversy from fans of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. Directed by Ryū Nakayama, the season was criticized for desaturating the vibrant colors and tones of Fujimoto’s iconic artwork from the Chainsaw Man manga. The Reze Arc movie has replaced Nakayama with Tatsuya Yoshihara, and the first trailer has proven that the series has fixed Season 1’s biggest change. But, the new movie may find critique and controversy on its own merit.
The film will adapt the titular Reze Arc, a fan favorite from Tatsuki Fujimoto’s manga. Fans love the arc for its explosive action between Denji and the Bomb Devil, as well as its steamier scenes between Denji, Reze, and Makima. But, both of those fan-favorite elements might be lost in the upcoming film. While fans will have to wait until September 19th (October 29th in the US) to see the changes for themselves, MAPPA has already confirmed that more changes to the manga are on the way.
Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc May Disappoint Fans With Its Changes
During MAPPA’s panel at this year’s Anime Expo (which ComicBook attended), the studio’s CEO, Manabu Otsuka, confirmed that MAPPA was forced to make some changes to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s original story during the adaptation process. Unfortunately for fans, the two elements that were toned down and changed for the film were the violence and the “sexual expression,” as Otsuka put it.
“Reze has a lot of violence in it, and there’s a lot of sexual expression in it,” Otsuka began. “But of course, the movie industry has a lot of strict ratings. I think what’s expressed in the original is something that I want to do as much as possible. But I also want a lot of people to see it. There are rules that we have to follow in order for a lot of people to see it.”
Chainsaw Man Falls Victim to Film Censorship… Kind Of
Despite being a Shonen Jump staple, fans who have read Fujimoto’s manga know there is a lot of mature content in the story that might be a bit too explicit for the intended shonen demographic. While Fujimoto got away with it in the manga, MAPPA has had to tone down the violence and “sexual expression” to appease film rating boards.
That being said, the film is still pushing the limits of what it can get away with. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is Studio MAPPA’s first R-rated film. If MAPPA had to tone down parts of the story, and it still got an R-rating, fans can only imagine what was left on the cutting room floor.
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc opens in US theaters on October 29th. Two trailers for the film have been released so far, and fans cannot wait for Chainsaw Man‘s long-awaited return to our screens after Season 1was released in 2022.
