After a grueling three-yearlong wait, many fans grew uncertain, even forgetful, of the beautiful animated adaptation of the “Chainsaw Man” by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

As a show that was quickly renowned for its unique style in character movement, color design, creative storytelling methods, followed by excellent sound engineering and a revolutionary animation style, it makes sense that the next release of the “Chainsaw Man” saga would be coming to the big screen before hitting our at-home streaming services. 

Like any of the other long-awaited anime releases of this year, many fans have only one fear concerning the film’s release: Is it worth the wait?

“Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” hit theaters in the United States Oct. 24, leaving a three year gap between its previous TV release in 2022. 

While it is undeniable that the amount of time fans were subject to wait for the next release felt like a slap in the face, it is visibly, audibly and emotionally apparent that the animating studio, MAPPA, did not plan on making us wait in vain. 

The story of “Chainsaw Man” follows a boy named Denji who is turned from devil hunter to part-time devil. Denji is subsequently — and somewhat forcefully — recruited into public safety in order to continue his career in fighting devils using his newfound ability.

The story follows a brilliant mix of “Boy Meets World” and dark-action storytelling. Chainsaw Man brings a combination of jaw dropping action, humor, deep-rooted manipulation, exploitation and death behind every corner. 

“Chainsaw Man” did not only live up to the standards set by the TV series, it exceeded and expanded upon them. The storytelling was on a different level than what viewers were previously given. Subtle details, hidden metaphors and internal conflicts kept the audience guessing, leaving the viewers to discover and make up their own mind on the events of the story. 

Most importantly, the power scales in the story took a sudden leap into a different league, without giving the characters much time to adapt to the escalated circumstances. This makes for an excellent arc of character development and jaw-dropping action on-screen. The film also continues on its path of vulgarity and over-the-top graphic images to keep the viewers intrigued. 

To those familiar, and only following the animated adaptations instead of the completed written version, the film gifts us with some more small, cryptic hints into the world and mind of Makima, the most compelling and conflicting character in the story. The film has accomplished ratings of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes and an 8.6/10 on IMDB.

While it is always up to the individual audience member to decide whether or not the film is worth the wait, fans have a motivated and passionate studio in charge of continuing the fan favorite.

The passion held by the creators of “Chainsaw Man” is visible in every step of the way, leaving the audience needing more. To anyone who has not started the saga, it is recommended that they start as soon as possible in order to not miss this cinematic masterpiece.

Reach Beck Olson at entertainment@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegian.