Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc Interview: Director Tatsuya Yoshihara×Assistant Director Masato Nakazono

English translation of articles from the Japanese entertainment magazine Nikkei Entertainment!
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We sat down for an interview with Director Tatsuya Yoshihara, who oversaw the production for Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc along with Masato Nakazono serving as assistant director. The two shared their thoughts with us on everything from the charm of the original manga to the dedication that went into the movie production.

Helming the film as director is Tatsuya Yoshihara, who also served as action director for the TV series and took charge of direction and storyboarding for episodes 4 and 10. Serving as assistant director for the film is Masato Nakazono, who also holds the role of chief director of the TV series and oversaw episode direction. What kind of animation vision did the two creative leads bring to the theatrical adaptation?

　First, we asked the duo how they felt about stepping into the role as director and assistant director for the theatrical version of the global hit Chainsaw Man.

—How did you both feel when you accepted the offer to serve as director and assistant director for Reze Arc?

Director Tatsuya Yoshihara (hereafter, Yoshihara): I struggled with the decision, but I also saw it as a tremendous opportunity. More than anything, I wanted to live up to the expectations of the fans, so I decided to take on the challenge and give it my all. I also just love Chainsaw Man and really wanted to help make it even more exciting.

Assistant Director Masato Nakazono (hereafter, Nakazono): Mr. Yoshihara and I have worked on the series together since the TV adaptation, so I wanted to step in and support him as a teammate. I was appointed as assistant director. I hope to both help Mr. Yoshihara's vision of the film come to life, as well as assist in facilitating smooth communication and collaboration among the staff.

—How are you dividing the work between the director and assistant director roles?

Yoshihara: Before we started production on Reze Arc, we sat down with the animation team to discuss whether we could better capture the essence of Chainsaw Man in ways like how we present the characters or how we handle timing and pacing in the direction, as well as how to really bring out the best elements of the original manga through animation. While working on those areas, I was still figuring things out myself. So I leaned on Mr. Nakazono as well as character designer Kazutaka Sugiyama for guidance. Mr. Nakazono even went the extra mile in providing support and feedback on everything from reviewing materials and editing to voice recording and sound.

Nakazono: I wanted to be a good sounding board for him. I saw my role as supporting him whenever he ran into difficulties.

Highlighting the Strengths of the Original Work

—What do you feel is the appeal of Chainsaw Man, and what do you find compelling about Reze Arc?

Yoshihara: Personally, I think that Denji's outrageous actions keep not only the characters around him, but also us as readers and viewers, on our toes. While his actions evoke feelings of anticipation, unease, and amusement, the way the series explores the backstories and traumas of Denji and the other characters feels unusually deep for Weekly Shonen Jump.

　For example, when you learn about Denji's past and his life with Pochita, you realize he has a sweet side under all the chaos. Even Makima, who rarely shows emotions, has moments where she shows a surprising depth. The characters all have an endearing side and a contrasting heavier side, and I think that duality makes the series so appealing.

Nakazono: From the very start of the series, I felt that it had a very different tone from most of the manga in Weekly Shonen Jump. Although it has the edgy tone of something you would expect in a seinen magazine, it also has that heroic spirit and sense of momentum unique to Jump. I thought it was a fresh, innovative manga.

　In Reze Arc, our unpredictable Denji falls in love with a woman named Reze, resulting in a story that feels a bit more approachable than earlier episodes. The new heroine, Reze, is very charming. Because this episode made me fall in love with Chainsaw Man even more, I feel honored to have been involved as a member of the production team.

Yoshihara: Reze Arc has a well-defined beginning, middle, and end. I find it really beautiful how the stories of the other characters are neatly woven around the core story of Reze and Denji. That's probably the main appeal.

—With that appeal in mind, what kind of animation did you set out to create?

Yoshihara: We started by talking to the animation team, led by Mr. Sugiyama. For example, we discussed adjusting the way characters are drawn to bring them more in line with Mr. (Tatsuki) Fujimoto's art style. Emphasizing the artist's style alters the expressions and density of the lines.

　Also, we felt that by using more casual expressions, we could broaden the range of direction and include more anime-style techniques, so we decided on a unified approach as a team.

Nakazono: For me as well, after working on the TV series, I wanted to take things a step further and try to capture the feeling you get when flipping through a manga. That unique feeling that lingers after reading was an important thing to preserve in the animation. So rather than having that fast-paced, anime-style direction for the whole film, I thought it would be better to have it only where needed. Of course, we drew on what we developed through the TV series, so we created the balance through exchanging ideas with the staff.

Yoshihara: There are a lot of really memorable scenes in this film, like with the pool and fireworks. Even in those moments where the structure is the same as the original, we wanted the film to create a fresh new feeling that's unique to anime.

—What do you mean by bringing things more in line with the original art style?

Yoshihara: In terms of character design and animation, we made a conscious effort to reflect the original manga's expression. For details regarding character design, we created notes and shared them among the team. Things like removing highlights from the eyes, reducing the amount of shading, and indicating how to depict clothing wrinkles and joint textures. For character colors, we slightly enhanced the saturation in Makima and Power's hair. In particular, we adjusted the shade of Makima's hair so that the red would leave a stronger impression on the viewers.

Nakazono: It's not that we made changes just because it was the theatrical version. With Mr. Yoshihara taking on the role of director, and after revisiting ideas with Mr. Sugiyama, the challenge was determining a single direction for Chainsaw Man moving forward.

　One thing that we were conscious of for the theatrical version was the widescreen CinemaScope giving us more background space to work with. We built each scene around Bamboo's detailed but open-style backgrounds and carefully decided how to pair them with the animation as well as which colors would best tie everything together.

Yoshihara: We brought on Mr. Sōta Shigetsugu as action director for Reze Arc. When I asked him to make the typhoon battle even more epic in scale, he delivered a breathtaking sequence with ideas two or three levels above what we had expected. But some action scenes unfortunately had to be cut during the editing process.

Nakazono: The staff all love Chainsaw Man, so a lot of ideas arose naturally from that passion. Wrangling it all together could be challenging at times. I was in charge of the opening sequence, and I think it turned out to be really exciting and just an incredible experience in animation. I hope you all look forward to it.

　The film adaptation, Reze Arc, pulls content from volumes five and six of the original manga. The screenplay is also closely based on the manga. Director Yoshihara said that the original work is so incredible that we should keep it as-is. The vivid and gripping story unfolds over a span of around 100 minutes.

—To wrap up, what would you like to share with viewers ahead of the Reze Arc premiere?

Nakazono: I know a lot of fans have been waiting for this for a long time. We took that time to really reflect on the source material and focus on making it the best we could. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc represents a culmination of all our efforts, so I feel nervous about showing it to the world.

Yoshihara: Every staff member poured their hearts into Chainsaw Man. I'm thrilled that people will be able to see it in theaters, and I hope to elevate the impact of the series even further.