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Chainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Archas finally released its first trailer, and attentive fans will notice a major change in staff. Ryu Nakayama, the original director of the anime, isn’t returning for the movie, and it will instead be directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara, a notable change that can already be seen in the presentation of the trailer.
Chainsaw Man’s original director not returning for the movie is disappointing, but it might not be as big a loss as people think. Ryu Nakayama’s style was a big part of the anime’s identity, so there’s an argument to be had about the movie’s quality following his departure, but fortunately,theChainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arctrailershows that the movie is in great hands with Tatsuya Yoshihara thanks to his incredible visual style. Naturally, even that hasn’t been without its criticisms, but with the trailer looking as good as it does, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.
Why The Chainsaw Man Movie’s New Director Is Such A Great Fit For The Series
What Makes Tatsuya Yoshihara Such A Great Director
A big part of whyChainsaw Man’s new director is so great stems from the biggest criticisms that were levied at the anime.Chainsaw Manwas highly criticized by fans and critics for its often slow and methodical pacing and animation, as while the intention was to play into the cinematic inspirations of the series, it often didn’t work because of how at odds it was with the energetic tone of the original story. The anime wasn’t bad, but it’s easy to see it as not being anything close to what people were hoping to get out of it.
Chainsaw Man’sanime wasn’t without its criticisms, and the movie appears to be a major response to them. Not only are characters and overall visual aesthetic reworked to be closer to the manga, butthe trailer for theChainsaw Manmovieshows off animation with all the same energy people associate with the manga while still maintaining the anime’s cinematic vibes, making for a great compromise between the anime’s aesthetic and what fans of the manga were expecting. Tatsuya Yoshihara has completely changed the overall aesthetic ofChainsaw Man’s anime, and it’s hard not to see the benefit of that.
Tatsuya Yoshihara’s skill as a director could be seen well beforeChainsaw Man’s movie, of course. Not only was he the action director for the anime, but Yoshihara has been involved with numerous action-heavy anime over the years, most notably how he was the chief director ofBlack Clover’s final seasonand is largely responsible for it looking as good as it did.Chainsaw Man’s new director is someone well-versed in the kind of over-the-top actionChainsaw Manthrives on, and if there was anyone who would replace Ryu Nakayama as director, there was no better way to go.
Chainsaw Man’s New Director Brings The Anime Full Circle
The Meta Reason Why Chainsaw Man’s Director Is So Great
Something else worth noting aboutChainsaw Man’s new director is how it brings the anime full circle. Tatsuya Yoshihara worked on the original anime as its action director, but well before that, Yoshihara was the director of the anime’s first teaser trailer, released back when there wasn’t even a firm release date for the series. With the absence of Ryu Nakayama, the anime’s new director needed to at least be a crowd-pleaser, soChainsaw Mangetting its original director back for the movie is the perfect way of continuing the anime’s legacy in the absence of Ryu Nakayama.
Adding to that is the specific style of Tatsuya Yoshihara’s teaser trailer. Much like the trailer for the movie, the first teaser trailer largely kept to the same energy and overall style of the manga before the actual anime went in a radically different direction under Ryu Nakayama, and that ended up being a major part of the discourse surrounding it. As such,Tatsuya Ishihara becomingChainsaw Man’s new director brings the series back to its roots on a meta level, and whether that was by accident or by design, it’s great to see for old and new fans alike.
Why Chainsaw Man’s Original Director Isn’t Returning For The Movie
What Happened To Chainsaw Man’s Original Director?
There’s a lot of good to be had in Tatsuya Yoshihara directingChainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc, but that, of course, invites the question of why Ryu Nakayama isn’t returning. In August 2024, it was announced that Nakayama had been appointed CCO of Studio Mayflower, a relatively new studio, soRyu Nakayama’s new duties with Studio Mayflower are likely keeping him from working onChainsaw Man. Being tied to one studio wouldn’t make it impossible for Nakayama to work at another, but unfortunately, it’s unlikely to happen anytime soon.
On a less positive note, Ryu Nakayama’s departure might be because ofChainsaw Manseason 1’s reception. Season 1 was highly divisive largely because of Nakayama’s directorial style, which led to Nakayama and MAPPA receiving much criticism from fans worldwide. Because of that,Ryu Nakayama might have leftChainsaw Manbecause he was forced out to prevent the movie from receiving the same level of vitriolas the anime; all of that is hypothetical, but with how different the aesthetic of the movie is from the anime, it’s unfortunately easy to come to that conclusion.
Does The Chainsaw Man Movie’s New Style Prove The Anime’s Biggest Critics Were Right?
WhileChainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arcdoesn’t seem to be a complete departure from the anime’s style, it’s undeniably different thanks to the new color palette and the livelier artwork and animation, especially in the few big action scenes teased in the trailer. Granted, anime films tend to have different styles than the shows they’re based on, but with how radically big a change it is, combined with Ryu Nakayama’s unceremonious departure,it’s easy to see the aesthetic ofChainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arcas proof that people were right to criticize season 1 of the anime.
That idea is largely premature, of course. As notable as the criticisms of the anime were, the higher-ups at MAPPA have repeatedly spoken aboutChainsaw Manbeing a success, soChainsaw Man — The Movie: Reze Arc’s style being so wildly different from the anime’s likely isn’t a response to criticismand is just a coincidence drawing from Tatsuya Ishihara’s specific style. If anything, the movie’s style can be seen as a natural evolution of the anime’s, and whatever the case, Tatsuya Yoshihara is bound to bring plenty of renewed energy toChainsaw Mancome 2025.
Chainsaw Man
Chainsaw Manis a dark fantasy manga created by Tatsuki Fujimoto. The series follows Denji, a young man who merges with his devil-dog Pochita to become Chainsaw Man. He joins the Public Safety Devil Hunters to fight devils threatening Japan. The series explores themes of violence, power, and survival. Since its debut in 2018,Chainsaw Manhas gained immense popularity, leading to a critically acclaimed anime adaptation.
