I decided to revisit the first season of the anime adaptation, and while I enjoyed some aspects of it, it also felt like it was primarily trying to capitalize on the manga's rising hype and popularity at the time. People only started to slowly discover its greatness and somewhat antithetical approach to shounen manga as a whole when Part 1 was wrapping up in late 2020. God, was it really that long ago?

The anime ultimately missed the mark in my eyes: while distant from being an outright awful adaptation, there is a lot of good to be found there (Kobeni, yes), but it was perhaps trying a bit too hard to be something that could be enjoyed by the average moviegoer. The opening was filled with references to classic cinema, and we know Fujimoto is a cinephile, but his manga certainly offers more than that. This very cinematic angle, combined with rough-looking CGI and dull and drab colors, resulted in the polar opposite of what CSM stood for. Look at some of the volume covers—they are given a coat of paint with very vivid and popping colors. You don’t get anything like that here. I’m glad the anime has its fans, and by no means is it an experience not worth checking out, but I would always point people towards the manga’s brilliance instead.

To be fair, the first four volumes of Part 1 covered in Season One are widely regarded as the weakest part of the series' overall story. It serves as a good build-up, laying out the rules of its world, how making a pact with a devil works, what the benefits are, and what sacrifices must be made to gain a fraction, a taste, of such otherworldly powers. I've always loved its "dog eat dog" world, and while the manga felt like it was constantly running away from the possibility of being canned in the magazine it was a part of for two years, it was overall a very entertaining, high-octane romp that only ran out of steam near its climax.

I firmly believe that the Reze film is an adaptation that elevates its source material with such craftsmanship, elegance, and respect that it could be argued to be a superior way to experience the bombastic fight that serves as the story arc's highlight. The overall look and character designs are much more in line with Fujimoto's style (Makima even has red hair here! Something that S1 fumbled with), even if it meant less detail, but this "sacrifice" is more akin to returning home after being abroad in a different country for months, if not years.

The film can be terrifying when it needs to be (the bathroom scene oozed terror and was genuinely unnerving with its smart use of shadows and dark brooding colors) and completely goofy when the situation provides a small breathing space amidst the genuine and bombastic chaos that makes up the second half of the runtime. The movie wouldn’t have worked with an episodic format; the very thought of a possible cliffhanger at the end of every episode still upsets me. The Bomb Girl arc is a story that could only work as a full-length film when adapted to the big screen, and it only runs out of steam when "the spider finally entangles its prey."

Approximately 1.5 volumes of the manga served as the basis, so it should serve as no surprise that it’s perfectly fit for the 100-minute-long runtime. This adaptation had everything, and I do mean it; everything was brought to the screen exactly as I remembered it—Denji is still horny for girls. Power is still racist. Kobeni is still the best girl in this universe. Angel Devil still has a constant death wish in this world. Reze can turn from a goofball to an iron-willed killing machine at a fingersnap—like, the very way she demolishes her adversaries.

Certain scenes were a bit extended, but they were all done in a way and given justice that doesn’t detract from the original vision but rather enhances the picture. I was absolutely loving those moments where the manga’s art style flashed in for a brief moment, as if the movie was wearing it as a badge of honor.

I have been losing some interest in this franchise in recent memory, something that could be attributed to the less than stellar, directionless, and divisive Part 2. But tonight brought back the spark and flame and made me realize why I hold Chainsaw Man in such high regard.

Watching this in 4DX format most definitely elevated the experience: there are so many explosions, something that you will also feel and smell in the theater as the fog machine starts to work in correlation to what you see on the screen. Or when Reze uses explosions to propel herself to her target—you will almost fall out of your seat, only to realize your hands are firmly grabbing the edges during all that. It’s such an incredible feeling, and I am glad this movie served as my first foray into this previously unappealing format.

(seen in Westend on 2025.10.22)