With Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc scheduled for its U.S. theatrical release on October 24, 2024, the creative team took the stage at New York Comic Con (NYCC) for a panel discussion, offering insights into the film’s evolution from the TV series and its unique cinematic highlights. The team revealed the creative secrets behind bringing the “Reze Arc,” one of the most popular storylines from the original manga, to the big screen.
目次
- 1 Inheriting the Strengths of the TV Series for a Cinematic Upgrade
- 2 Filling in the “Gaps” of the Original Manga with Dialogue and Direction
- 3 The Visual Beauty of Seamless 2D and 3D Coexistence
- 4 Director Describes Action as an “Amusement Park Attraction”
- 5 Why a Movie Sequel Instead of a Second TV Season?
Inheriting the Strengths of the TV Series for a Cinematic Upgrade
The panel featured Assistant Director Masato Nakazono, MAPPA CEO and Executive Producer Manabu Otsuka, and CGI Producer Yusuke Tannawa. Nakazono explained that the production team, led by director Tatsuya Yoshihara, “focused on inheriting the strengths of the TV series and highlighting the essence of the original manga and anime in the best possible way for a feature film.” He noted that detailed adjustments were made to accommodate the grander scale of a theatrical release. “For example, on the visual side, we changed Makima’s hair color,” Nakazono revealed. “We made it a more vibrant shade to make it stand out on the movie screen. While we are building upon the TV series, the sense of scale is different, so we invested a great deal of effort to ensure all the backgrounds fit perfectly within the theatrical frame.”
Filling in the “Gaps” of the Original Manga with Dialogue and Direction
Addressing the challenges of adapting a manga into a visual narrative, Nakazono spoke about expanding on the source material’s dialogue. “Between the panels of a manga, there is no dialogue. We had to create content for those gaps and make the dialogue stand out,” he explained. Special care was taken in directing the relationship between Denji and Reze, which is central to the film, to create a deeper emotional connection for the audience. “Reze and Denji build a very personal and intimate relationship,” Nakazono said. “We directed the scenes in a way that the audience would feel the same way Denji does—that Reze is incredibly cute—allowing them to share his feelings.”
The Visual Beauty of Seamless 2D and 3D Coexistence
The discussion also touched upon one of Chainsaw Man‘s signature features: its hybrid animation style that blends 2D and 3D. CGI Producer Yusuke Tannawa commented, “We aimed for the 2D and 3D elements to coexist naturally as a single, cohesive image.” This suggests the team leveraged the expertise gained from the TV series while pursuing a quality robust enough for the big screen.
Director Describes Action as an “Amusement Park Attraction”
Later in the panel, messages from director Tatsuya Yoshihara and character designer Kazutaka Sugiyama were shared. “With this film, all of us on the staff wanted to convey the fun and appeal of Chainsaw Man to as many people as possible. That’s why we gave it our all again,” commented Sugiyama. “We strove to bring out the maximum charm of the characters drawn by Mr. Tatsuki Fujimoto.” He added that the action scenes are “like an amusement park attraction. You can just empty your head and enjoy the ride.” Director Yoshihara shared his unique take: “With the ‘Reze Arc,’ I believe we’ve created an entirely new genre: love, violence, action, romance, sharks… The impact should differ depending on which character’s perspective you follow.” He added, expressing the team’s passion, “In Chainsaw Man, devils regain their strength by consuming blood. For the ‘Reze Arc,’ every member of the production team shed a massive amount of their own blood. As a result, this film is overflowing with energy.”
Why a Movie Sequel Instead of a Second TV Season?
As for why the sequel to the first season was produced as a movie rather than another TV series, Producer Otsuka offered a clear explanation. “The first season of the Chainsaw Man TV series was highly acclaimed, and talks of a sequel began. We wanted to make the sequel as a movie, not a TV show. Because it’s a work that so many fans have enjoyed, we felt that Chainsaw Man deserved to be released as a standalone film. To make that a reality, we felt Sony Pictures could help us with international distribution, so we decided to collaborate with them.”
Carrying the immense expectations of its fanbase, Chainsaw Man the Movie: Reze Arc, a film infused with the extraordinary passion of its creators, will be released in U.S. theaters on October 24.