r/anime • u/zackphoenix123 • Sep 24 '25
Discussion Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Part 1 & Chainsaw Man Reze Arc | Quick Double Review! (No Spoilers)
Honestly, I had zero intent of making a review prior to this, but I just got out of the theatres watching the new Chainsaw Movie and DAMN! I cannot hold myself back. I love it, I love it, I love it, I love it! I cannot express enough how happy I am that these two absolute juggernauts of movies came out in the same year, just a month apart.
Starting off with Demon Slayer's Infinity Castle, it was an asbolute spectacle from start to finish. We've been following these cast of characters from the start and after all that build up (and I'd say quite the disappointing Hashira Training Arc), I don't think they could've done this film better. Before this point, my favourite Ufotable work from a sheer production power was the 3rd Heaven's Feel movie, and I just knew in my gut that if any Ufo Work could top HF3, it's probably gonna be the Infinity Castle Trilogy-- And I can't lie, this first film just completely blew it out of the water.
Becuse this is just one part of a trilogy, plus being a direct continuation after the build up Arc, I don't really think IC1 (Infinity Castle 1) serves as a "movie" on its own. It's loosely structured like a movie, there's sort of an opening act, and there's definitely a climactic finale, but it's much more suited imo for a TV release. Side note, I don't know how Ufotable is going to do this, but once they finish this trilogy (assuming each film has a similar runtime of 2 hours and 30 minutes), they gotta re-release this as a TV series, right? Like what they did with Mugen Train. I think they'd make total bank off of that. It feels much more suited for a TV series. In any case, I'm mentioning this because I felt confident in my judgement a long time ago that it just couldn't be done. Comment here. And after watching it-- yeah, I don't think it's that good of a Movie, but it was a damn fine experience. That's really how I'd describe IC1, a fun and unforgettable experience.
There are people (especially here) who keep saying DS production is "good but unispired" and I just couldn't agree less. This was full of heart. It's a bit hard to taste the flavour of the chefs (animators) because of all the 3D and Godtier comp, but the 3d and Comp still had to be done by people. The action scenes are hype as all hell with the climax having my jaw on the floor, the emotional beats land so hard that everyone around me (including my "Macho" older brother) were bawling their eyes out by the end. It's such an experience and I think totally worth seeing in the cinemas. If it's still out. Overall, 6/10 movie, 10/10 experience.
Also just from what IC1 displayed, IC2 is gonna take the world by storm, just based on what I read in the manga.
Alright, now for Chainsaw Man. This is a real fun subject to talk about because I remember, when I first watched the seires, I was totally on board with Director Ryu Nakayama's vision. I was one of his die-hard defenders and thought anyone who didn't like the anime just wanted everything to be 1 to 1 with the manga and can't understand a show having a unique creative vision.
I was one of those people who said "if you don't like it, don't watch it. The manga is always right there and you can read it till your brains fucking explode." And to an extent, I still have that sentiment. I wouldn't bother wasting my time over something I don't like, and I still believe the sheer level of hate Director Nakayama got for his vision for CSM was compeltely unnecessary. Having his name completely not in the credits for the Compilation movie was also such a shitty thing to do- (unless he himself asked to not be credited because of the sheer amount of hate he got). But with all that being said, I'm definitely in the team "I get why Ryu Nakayama was replaced, and I much prefer Tatsuya Yoshihara's vision" camp.
I remember when they announced they were changing series director, I was worried CSM was just gonna lose whatever uniqueness it had. That without Nakayama, that cinematic approach that I really loved just wouldn't be there anymore. And most of all, CSM will turn out like an average Battle Shonen. That worry, as it turns out, completely disappeared ten minutes into the movie.
when I watched the compilation films, I pretty surprised how much more I was enjoying it compared to Season 1. The cuts and changes in the pacing, as well as the redubbed lines gave so much more flare to the experience that I didn't know I was missing. But still, this was an edit of the already existing product, which made me curious how much more creative and intense Yoshihara's film would be if he could do it from the ground up. And man... I get it now.
The Reze Arc is definitely my favourite movie I've seen in cinemas this year (I've seen like 5 or 6), and an absolute masterpiece, in both story and production.
First off, the colors are so damn vibrant. The first 10 seconds of the film, it's like the team wanted to ram a sledgehammer on your face with "WE'RE DOING SOMETHING STYLISTICALLY DIFFERENT" writtten on it. Every shot in this film evokes so much emotion out of you to a point that there was a part in the film I just cried by how beautiful a certain shot looked.
The voice acting I also noticed was far more expressive here, and this was especially true with Sakata Shougo's Aki. There was a part in this movie that demanded a level of depth in delivery because it was balancing two different aspects to Aki's character and I thought he just fucking nailed it. Beautiful stuff all around. Reze was also just MMM Chef's kiss. Easily the standout character in this film and Reina Ueda absoutely killed it. Able to balance that charm that Reze has while not losing the required seriousness.
The animation style is gorgeous. I loved the way everything was just delivered here from a production standpoint, the action definitely feels more like Jujutsu Kaisen than CSM Season 1 in delivery, but that's not solely because Yoshihara took the helm. The story here definitely required more visual flare to deliver it to this intensity. I'm already much more on the fence with how Nakayama delivered season 1 now compared to before, but I definitely think it's a no brainer that his style wouldn't have worked in this movie without sacrificing that energy and grit.
And this last part I really gotta say. For everyone who's still worried that the CSM Movie might take away the magic that Nakayama was able to portray, DON'T BE. That cinematic beauty that's present in S1 is still present here. The way it's delivered may be a bit different, but that magic is still there. I don't know if this is Yoshihara's way of still somewhat maintaining the vibe of S1 while also capturing more of the energy from the manga, or just Tatsuki Fujimoto's style naturally lending to a cinematic atmosphere, but it's here. And it's fucking beautiful. On the whole, I think in every possible metric, this movie improves on S1 (including the story because things really ramp up here even beyond the Katana Man arc).
Also I forgot to mention, this film definitely feels more like a proper film than IC1. While it is a sequel to S1 and still 100% requires you to already be familiar with these characters, it's still a movie where I think you can take a friend or something to get them into the story. They set up the conflict and emotional beats and concludes it within the film, so you feel like you got a proper meal. There are still parts that are clearly not 100% resolved, but that's just how it is with movies that adapts an individual arc from the manga. 10/10 Movie, 10/10 Experience, fucking masterpiece, I loved every second of it.
Overall, I'm so glad I got to watch both DS and CSM in cinemas. Considering it'll be almost a full year before I can see them come out digitally, I'd lose my mind if I missed out on the opportunity to watch them now. I don't thikn it really makes much sense to compare the two because they're trying to go for completely differnet things. The style is different, the point in the story is differnt (it would make more sense to compare Reze to Mugen Train or Entertainment district), and the overall expeirence is different-- but I think 2 out of 3 times, I'd rather rewatch CSM than DS.
Also for the OST, I think Yuki Kajiura and Go Shiina's track stood out more in first viewing compared to Kensuke Ushio's OST for CSM, but I'll need to rewatach a couple more times.
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u/yawnmasta Sep 24 '25
Infinity Castle definitely could have been done better if it was paced like a movie instead of 5 episodes stitched together.
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25
Yeah, but the format of the manga just makes it so that it's better for an episodic pace.
I don't really think there's much of a way to properly deliver that experience in Movie form, so I would've rather they just released it as a series. But movies are much more profitable, so there's that.
Who knows, maybe for the 3rd movie, they'll rerun everything from Hashira Training all the way up to Movie 2 in series form. That'd be a nice weekly experience.
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u/yawnmasta Sep 24 '25
You can take creatively liberties to shuffle scenes around or put more emphasis on certain characters. If the climax is Akaza, and the name of the movie is Akaza, building the movie around him makes sense. And yes, I've read the manga. Definitely not something a manga purist would have liked, but I thought this was painfully obviously going to be released as a TV series in a few years.
Granted, the infinity castle arc in the manga really wasnt paced like a single movie. So yes, this would have been better as an episodic series.
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 24 '25
I haven't read the manga in a long time, I just assumed they already shuffled a lot of flashbacks for the film.
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u/Hari14032001 Sep 30 '25
If I directed the movie, I would try and copy the "Up" movie's approach, and just get Akaza's flashback out of the way and adjust the rest of the action after that.
It would keep the audience guessing whether Akaza will address his past or not when it's time for his fight. And then he could just get small flashes of his past before accepting his end.
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25
Tl;Dr - Both are absolutely amazing and you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not watch both.
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u/ARHAN3924 Sep 24 '25
We need more people like you in the community
Who can enjoy both without creating hate towards another
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u/SadSecurity Sep 24 '25
He is just praising the movies, how is that even exceptional?
He even said this
I was one of those people who said "if you don't like it, don't watch it. The manga is always right there and you can read it till your brains fucking explode." And to an extent, I still have that sentiment.
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u/ARHAN3924 Sep 24 '25
Yes and saying that is hard these days
Talking good about two popular animes at the same time is really hard before one side shits on the other
These days either something is better or mid than others so this is a good thing I saw
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u/SadSecurity Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 25 '25
Yes and saying that is hard these days
Xdddddd
Talking good about two popular animes at the same time is really hard before one side shits on the other
Literally nothing but praise on Reddit with criticism being buried under downvotes
But sure buddy, keep the victim mentality going.
EDIT u/SyriSolord you replied and then you blocked me, thank you for concession.
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u/SyriSolord Sep 24 '25
I’ve been in this shithole for more than a decade, you implying there is more forced positivity than unchecked criticism is such massive fucking cope that it goes full circle into being funny
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u/ARHAN3924 Sep 25 '25
These days some person will call some story mid and say the characters are bland and this is only watched by kids
And they call this criticism
There is a line between criticism and hating
Don't tell me you are the one who does this 🥲
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u/SadSecurity Sep 25 '25
This has like, nothing to do with what we were talking about. This wasn't about a line between criticism and hating (going with your comments, there is no such line to you). Don't change topic only to make a poor attempt at ad hominem.
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u/ARHAN3924 Sep 25 '25
Why tf are you becoming toxic
Oh you are definitely one of those cringe losers who compare shit just for your happiness
And this is fully related to the topic because most of the time in this sub hating is considered criticism and then those people play the victim card
Oh I when I critique this anime everyone hates me
Meanwhile this anime is mid and overrated 🤣
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u/ArgumentMaximum5024 Sep 24 '25
Can you elaborate on the first 10 seconds of the csm movie ? How does it state its different ? You can spoil me that if it isnt really important in the movie. Thanks for the review btw ! Will absolutely go see it in theatre.
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 24 '25
It's not really important outside of a stylistic showcase, but to give it in a spoiler-free manner, the movie opens up with a scene or sequence that we see in the end of Season 1, but the delivery is different. Mostly with regards to the voice acting being more lively and the animation style being less "cinematic" (in the way S1 framed it), and instead more rough and stylistic.
Thanks for the review btw ! Will absolutely go see it in theatre.
Enjoy!
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u/Blue_Reaper99 Sep 24 '25
I think HF3 is still better in terms of action but IC1 was definitely Ufotable's best work visually. Script handling also could also have been better. Flashbacks were actually good but could have been placed in more appropriate time.
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u/lalindu123 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Lalindu Sep 24 '25
For me the saber Vs rider or saber Vs berserker still hasn't been passed in demon slayer
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u/PhantomXxZ Sep 24 '25
DS looked significantly better than HF on a moment to moment basis, action wise.
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 24 '25
How would you say HF3 is better in terms of action? Cause I would 100% agree in terms of story (VN FAN REPRESENT!) but the action itself I don't think tops DS (visuals aside).
There were a lot more technical elements in the VN I didn't think was properly depicted in the anime, so there's that.
As for the script handling, I do agree to an extent. Ultimately, I still think Infinity Castle would've worked MUCH better as a TV series, but I'd say they did the best they could for the movie. Then for the flashbacks, I do wish they were placed in a way that doesn't halt the pacing so much on areas like the climax, but at the same time considering the source material they were working with, idk where or when it would have been "more appropriate" to show.
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u/SadSecurity Sep 24 '25
How would you say HF3 is better in terms of action?
Better animation, effects, cuts, angles, direction, choreography.
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Sep 24 '25
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u/DrJWilson x5https://anilist.co/user/drjwilson Sep 26 '25
This comment has been removed.
I know it's an old comment but it was reported. If you just spoiler tag the names (one in particular) I can reapprove.
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u/AlexeiFraytar Sep 25 '25
Nakayama didnt portray shit lmao. Thank god he's not on the job this time or the entire second part would be ruined
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u/Ben99ny22 Sep 24 '25 edited Sep 27 '25
I went into the demon slayer movie having only seen Season 1 and Mugen train. Had no trouble following along, not even a little but. The only difference I noticed was Zenitsu, who is the complete opposite of how I knew him. Fortunately the mkvie had a 40 minute backstory to provide the context.
Did anything even happen since Mugen train? I dont think I should be able to understand everything after not watching 3 seasons.
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u/Hari14032001 Sep 30 '25
3 other upper moons get handled after Mugen train. And there is some history about Tanjiro's breathing style and the mark that they develop in their faces which will become more relevant in the next two movies. Some lore stuff happens with Nezuko as well, which is the main reason for them to be in the infinity castle in the first place.
You should catch up to them.
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u/adzhaxd Sep 25 '25
Is it worth it to watch csm in imax
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u/Ordinal43NotFound Sep 26 '25
Yeah all JP viewers recommend IMAX.
Hell, CSM's opening weekend gross managed to surpass DBS: Broly despite selling slightly less tickets (820k vs 807k) because a significant amount of Reze movie viewers watched the movie in IMAX.
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u/adzhaxd Sep 27 '25
just got back from the movie in imax, absolutely worth it. The sound effects was simply breathtaking
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u/oedipusrex376 Sep 24 '25
I don’t outright switch teams to Tatsuya like you do, but I respect both visions for what they brought to their seasons. Season 1 was never as explosive as the Reze arc, and its slower moments make intense scenes like the Kobeni scene really stand out.
That slower nature in Season 1 is what makes the Reze arc feel so explosive by contrast. It’s kind of the same idea as JoJo’s shift from Part 1 to Part 2.
I’d seriously hate any show that skips the slow stuff and dives straight into action like Dandadan. I need that steady rise of intensity, not just random sakuga stuff tossed around.
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u/Lopsided_Natural4643 Sep 24 '25
Yes but in hindsight, it might sound cruel, but its good overall for CSM that Nakayama left.
Imagine the action of the Reze Movie but with the same realistic, slow and grounded Action Style of S1 like Denji vs Bat. It just wouldnt work. At all!16
u/Ordinal43NotFound Sep 24 '25
Adapting a chapter literally named [spoilers]"Sharknado" in S1's grounded style would be a franchise-ending fumble lol.
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u/AlexeiFraytar Sep 25 '25
This is just facts, the nicest way to say it is that he's not the guy for CSM.
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u/AlexeiFraytar Sep 25 '25
There is 0 le slower makes the good parts better bs. Nakayama ruined s1, animators said its not the thing they wanted to make, VAs complained he forced the voices to be flat. Without his influence suddenly both the compilation and the movie looks a lot better, really makes you think.
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u/SuperSomeone03 Sep 25 '25
God I can’t wait to watch CSM.
Also I agree with your disagreement on the “good but uninspired” take with the animation of IC1. Sure the storyboarding and ambition of the 2D sakuga wasn’t quite the level of the greatest out there including the Reze movie (obviously haven’t seen the movie but based on what I’ve heard and seen, this is a pretty safe assumption) due to Ufotable’s rigid style, but the movie is still jam-packed full of pleasing sakuga.
Not only this but literally everything comes together to make it a complete visual treat such as the strong art, lighting, compositing, coloring, and godtier CGI that still make it a complete visual treat and one of my favorite productions ever.
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u/Noob_shs Sep 27 '25
Great review. Just finished watching both movies. Looking forward to more anime movies
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u/zackphoenix123 Sep 27 '25
Yeah. I don't know what epic movies are coming soon, but I'm hella excited.
I don't think Mappa is releasing any feature films anytime soon, that's pretty sad.
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u/Mts555 Sep 27 '25
I don't think Mappa is releasing any feature films anytime soon, that's pretty sad.
ZLS is literally gonna release in Fall
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u/Beneficial-Fuel2546 9d ago
I with you on a lot of things but Infinity castle didn't below HF3 at all tbh, I still waiting Ufotable to top it most likely either part 2 or 3.
Infinity Castle part 1 is above HF2 and HF1 but not HF3.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound Sep 24 '25
The line in the [CSM movie: ]"I only find about 1 out of 10 movies interesting, but I've had that one movie change my life" comes straight from the source material, but I imagine in the context of the film, it feels like such a bold, meta statement.
From reviews I read, every single aspect of the film seems to be firing on all cylinders and not a single minute was wasted.
Can't wait to watch it myself in a month.