Official Conversation between Masao Maruyama co-founder of Madhouse, as well as the founder of MAPPA and Studio M2 animation studios and Manabu Otsuka CEO of Studio MAPPA.
This is our Translation of the report by SYO.
Tool used for translation: DeepL
Source: Chainsaw Man's Official Website (Published March 2026)
Please tell us why you chose to adapt the “Reze Arc” into a feature film.
Otsuka: After completing one season of the TV series, when we were considering what to do with the subsequent episodes, we felt that the “Reze Arc” was well-suited for a feature film because it had a solid narrative structure with a clear beginning, middle, and end. From the start, “movies” have held significant meaning for Chainsaw Man. For scenes like the school pool and everyday moments, the directors and animators really put thought into how to approach the acting—asking, “If this were a movie, what kind of performance would we need to deliver?”
Maruyama: It might sound abstract, but watching the “Reze Arc” just felt good. You could really feel the joy and passion of people who love what they do, having fun while doing it.
Otsuka: Exactly. It’s a movie where everyone’s ideas clashed and came together (laughs).
Maruyama: I think that’s MAPPA’s strength right now. As a company, we have a strong mindset of “giving things a try,” and we tackle difficult challenges with passion until we see them through.
The contrast between the first and second halves of the “Reze Arc” is striking, isn’t it?
Otsuka: As with Chainsaw Man. I think the titles MAPPA has worked on give the impression of really going all out on the action. Since the audience was probably watching while anticipating, “When is the amazing action going to happen?”, it was crucial to carefully build up the everyday life and romantic elements leading up to that moment. It’s inevitably difficult to pull off this kind of development in a TV series, so I think it’s something unique to the movie format.
Did you give the directing team any advice, Mr. Otsuka?
Otsuka: No, not really. The only advice I gave was mainly regarding staffing. Of course, if there were any concerns with the work that came in, I’d point them out, but this time I could feel energy in every part of the production, so I had nothing to say.
The “Reze Arc” was received with great enthusiasm in the U.S. as well.
Maruyama: I’ve been around since the time Japanese animation first began expanding overseas, particularly into the U.S., so I’ve watched the entire process unfold right up to today. We worked hard to promote “Japan’s animation is amazing” in the U.S. with 'Jubei: The Ninja Scroll' (1993), which influenced overseas creators and spread into the live-action world—leading to projects like 'The Animatrix', the animated anthology for 'The Matrix'—while Hayao Miyazaki made his mark on the world in a different way— —As someone who’s lived through this era of repeated challenges, seeing 'Demon Slayer' and 'Chainsaw Man' gain such acceptance made me feel, “We’ve finally made it this far.” Young people in the U.S. are watching these works, aren’t they? I’m deeply moved by the very fact that Japanese anime culture has reached such a wide audience.
It wasn’t just a single work that broke through, there’s a trajectory and history leading up to this point, and today’s success is built upon that foundation. I think it comes down to having material that was able to respond to the right timing in this era. We kept creating works that, while they may not have been hits, were destined to go down in history—we worked hard to cultivate that field, and then Otsuka-kun sowed the good seed of 'Chainsaw Man', watered it well, and the flower bloomed. Feeling that made me very happy. I’d have no regrets even if I died tomorrow (laughs).
Otsuka: Maruyama-san, you’ve been saying “even if I died tomorrow…” for the past 15 years! (laughs)
Maruyama: It’s surprisingly long for that, though (laughs).
Otsuka: I think the strength of 'Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba', which was just mentioned, lies in the fact that it’s suitable for all ages. Rather than taking on the challenge using the same approach, I feel like we followed in the footsteps of 'Jujutsu Kaisen' and 'Chainsaw Man' by adopting a style where creators in their 20s and 30s simply poured whatever they found cool onto the screen.
I think the youthful energy of these young people has been transformed into a source of charm. The creators themselves never set out to make “niche” works. In the same vein, the marketing and rights teams never gave up either. While it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking, “Maybe it has a lot of male fans?” or “Maybe it’s mainly fans of the original manga?”, they refused to rule out any possibilities—believing that “even female fans and high school students who’ve never encountered \Chainsaw Man\ before will watch the ‘Reze Arc,’ and we have to make sure they do.” I think that’s precisely why we’ve been able to get this far.
No one, myself included, could say, “We’re aiming for 10 billion in box office revenue.” But deep down, none of us had given up; we believed this work had that kind of potential. It’s about the mindset with which you approach a project—I feel like the “Reze Arc” has given us the confidence to move forward.
Maruyama: My motto is “a charming flawed product.” Personally, I don’t aspire to a perfect finished product, my theory is that as long as there’s one aspect with overwhelming charm, people will follow. Directors, by their very nature, tend to strive for perfection, but I personally think that if you have the money to make fixes, you’d be better off using it for your next project (laughs). What’s wonderful about Otsuka-kun is that while he’s inherited that kind of boldness, he doesn’t go about it as recklessly as I do. He took over MAPPA at the same age I was when I started MADHOUSE, and I think the “Reze Arc” is the kind of project that can only be done by someone young. My first impression when I watched it was, “I could never do something like this anymore! It’s so frustrating!” (laughs).
Otsuka: But conversely, when I watched 'In This Corner of the World' which Mr. Maruyama planned in 2016—the year I became president—I felt, “I couldn’t make something like that right now.” I couldn’t even imagine myself producing that film and seeing it come to completion. I suppose we both share the same sentiment.
Maruyama: I’m sure everyone who watches the “Reze Arc” will dream, “I want to do something like this too,” but I think it’s a work—and a success—that was only possible because of the 10 years of experience MAPPA has accumulated since Otsuka-kun took over as president.
Otsuka: In fact, I don’t think we could make it again (laughs). It’s a work that was only possible because of that moment and that specific team.
Maruyama: That’s true. That burst of energy in the moment is what matters. If you start tinkering with it halfway through, thinking, “Let’s make this even better,” it won’t work. You have to just go for it. I could really feel that they understood that and crafted it that way, and it made me very happy to watch it.
In our era—the works of Mamoru Oshii, Hayao Miyazaki, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri—I feel like they had a strong authorial voice. While they all created them as entertainment in the sense that they wanted “everyone to see them,” they leaned more toward art. But from a certain point onward, I feel there was a shift toward a kind of anonymity—a move away from relying solely on the individual artist’s style and toward creating something that truly functions as entertainment by incorporating various elements. While the source material’s elements are still strongly present, the focus is on presenting them in a fun and entertaining way. I think this trend, where entertainment value has taken precedence over artistry, aligns with the expansion of Japanese animation worldwide. Overseas audiences who used to have an aversion to “Japanese animation being a bit too intense” no longer feel that way.
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