SPOILER WARNING: The movie being reviewed also contains extreme amounts of gore, violence and nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.

In an anime titled “Chainsaw Man” where the titular character pops chainsaws out of his head and arms to fight devils, some expected adjectives might be “terrifying” or “action-packed.”

However, an unexpected adjective was “heartwarming.”

“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” released in Japan on Sept. 19 while releasing in America a month later on Oct. 24. It adapts (unsurprisingly) the Reze arc from the manga, one of my personal favorite arcs.

The movie takes place in 1990s Japan, where devils are rampant. Denji has the heart of the Chainsaw Devil, allowing him to transform into Chainsaw Man at the pull of the starter on his chest. After joining Public Safety, an anti-devil government organization, he develops a crush on his boss, Makima.

In this movie, we follow Denji as he falls in love with a mysterious girl, Reze, despite having feelings for Makima. As he grapples with his emotions, he’s caught in a grand battle for his chainsaw heart.

Act 1 lays out Reze and Denji’s blossoming relationship, going on bigger and more emotional dates with each other, giving us probably one of the most heartwarming sections of the film. The breathtaking animation and painfully sweet soundtrack combined with the genuine and earnest chemistry between them completely melted my heart.

The best example of this in principle is their date in a school after-hours. After having learned that Denji doesn’t know how to swim (and has never been to school), Reze offers to teach him, undressing in the process.

At a surface-level interpretation, the original scene from the manga seems vulgar — two teenagers splashing around naked in a pool. However, in the anime, the scene feels almost pure. Despite the imagery and context, the film shows a genuinely heartwarming interaction between the two. As the scene progresses, the animation adds a dreamy tint to the film, painting it almost like a blurry memory. Combined with the ethereal soundtrack, this scene perfectly surmises the wholesome nature of their relationship.

Interestingly, this adds a parallel to Makima’s date with Denji near the start of the movie. While the animation is done decently well, there’s nothing that allows it to really pop out. There’s no hazy art, no tranquil music and no wistful animation. It feels like an event that happened, while Reze’s date reminds me of a sweet memory that you have no choice but to look positively on.

The sharp contrast between these two dates is a great representation of each woman’s relationship with Denji. Makima’s “romantic” interactions are purely transactional: In return for accomplishing a notable feat, Makima goes on a date with Denji. While Denji pours his heart out for her, his feelings aren’t reciprocated, which is why, even though their date was objectively at a better location (the movies), it doesn’t feel as whole.

However, Reze genuinely does love Denji. She loves his jokes, his strange personality and their time together. As Denji receives this affection which he’s been so desperately searching for, he in turn reciprocates her feelings. He doesn’t understand his feelings as he’s under the delusion his love for Makima is “true love” and believes that his feelings for Reze are lustful. For the first time in his life, Denji feels true romantic love, hence why his date with Reze feels so sentimental despite the questionable location (I heavily doubt anyone finds a school swimming pool romantic).

However, it wouldn’t be called “Chainsaw Man” if we didn’t see some chainsaws.

Act 2 is incredibly short, but it perfectly builds up the tension in the film in a quick and subtle way. As their school date ends, Reze is suddenly attacked by a serial killer. To the audience’s shock, she effortlessly defeats him. As the killer is suffocating to death, Reze begins to chant an eerie poem in Russian while staring at the rain, hauntingly, without blinking. As I watched the unnerving and creepy scene, it was clear to me that there was something off about Reze, that she was not who she said she was.

All of this comes to a head during their date at a festival. When they share one final kiss after Denji refuses her offer to run away, he suddenly stumbles backward midkiss, blood dripping from his mouth.

The movie did this plot twist brilliantly. When Denji stumbles backward, the music changes, and sharp colors pierce the screen. There was no doubt in my mind that something was wrong, and all of the hidden tension from the first two acts hit me like a truck. Everything about this scene was haunting, terrifying and perfect.

The chase for Denji’s heart begins, sparking a battle between Denji’s allies and Reze. As Denji begins to get the upper hand, Reze calls upon the Typhoon Devil for support.

At this point, the animation goes from spectacular to wild, crazy and everything you could ask for in an anime titled “Chainsaw Man.” There’s something truly exhilarating about watching a dude with chainsaws for his head and arms riding a shark whilst flying in a typhoon. It was several minutes of unrelenting, unbroken, chaotic action. With the epic background music and the energetic voice acting, this fight was truly memorable.

As the film came to a close, it had one final melancholy scene to throw at me. As Denji and Reze reunite, they share one final kiss before Reze paralyzes him to make sure he doesn’t follow her. In a desperate gamble, Denji offers to meet her at the cafe where they first met.

This scene was bittersweet in so many different ways. Despite Reze’s betrayal, despite Denji’s feelings for Makima, despite everything that sets them apart, they share genuine feelings for each other. There’s nothing more beautiful and tragic than the final reunion between two star-crossed lovers.

Which is why it broke me when Reze died — in the alley directly across from the cafe, where Denji sat waiting with all the money he’s earned, ready to run away with her. As Reze lay dying, she revealed one final detail that brought a tear to my eye: she’d never been to school either.

As much as I’d like to point out a flaw in this masterpiece, a chink in the impenetrable armor, there aren’t a lot of negatives about the film. The only small flaw I could find was that side characters were sidelined, but it didn’t bother me too much since it left more screen time for Reze and Denji.

Overall, this film was exquisite in every aspect. It perfectly balanced emotional storytelling with adrenaline-filling action, with beautiful symbolism and gorgeous animation. If you don’t mind some vulgar scenes and a bit of gore, I would heavily recommend giving this masterpiece a watch.