Fans finally got to see Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle in theaters worldwide on September 12th, and the reception has been nothing short of remarkable. The movie continues to break records as we speak and is clearly on track to become one of the greatest anime films ever. Adapting the Infinity Castle arc from the manga, it marks the beginning of the series’ final storyline, where the Demon Slayers are trapped inside Kibutsuji Muzan’s castle and prepare to face the ultimate villain in an all-out showdown. Kicking off this climactic battle, the film runs over two and a half hours and notably depicts three major fights.
While the battles themselves are breathtakingly crafted and the film excels in visuals, sound, and other technical aspects, Infinity Castle is far from flawless. The most glaring issue lies in its pacing. Showcasing three battles back-to-back leaves fans scrambling to keep up, as the narrative jumps from one fight to the next without pause. This makes it feel less like a cinematic experience and more like binge-watching an anime season on the big screen. This is precisely where Crunchyroll’s upcoming major release, Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arcgains the biggest advantage over the Demon Slayer film, as it promises the kind of pacing and format audiences expect from a true movie experience.
Crunchyroll’s Upcoming Film Will Have Better Pacing Than Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc is set to release in Japanese theaters this weekend on September 19th, before rolling out worldwide, with U.S. fans able to watch it starting September 24th. The film runs a little over an hour and a half and adapts the Reze Arc from the manga, which spans 14 chapters. This storyline follows the mysterious girl Reze, who enters Denji’s life and changes it dramatically. Unlike the previous arc, this one blends romance and slice-of-life elements before culminating in an emotional confrontation between Denji and Reze in its climax.
From every angle, this movie embraces a proper cinematic format, building anticipation through themes of love, emotional growth, and ultimately a climactic battle that fans can trust will be executed flawlessly thanks to studio MAPPA’s reputation. While Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is undoubtedly a spectacle on another level compared to most anime films, it struggles to function as a movie. Ufotable’s decision to cut several scenes to compress the arc into a film format makes it feel more like an anime season stitched together rather than a cohesive movie.
This highlights that Infinity Castle would have worked better as an anime season. Instead of cutting material, Ufotable could have expanded on it, much like they did with the Hashira Training Arc, where a 10-chapter storyline became a full season. There’s still a possibility that the missing content could be restored when the film is re-edited into an anime format, as was done with Mugen Train. For now, however, its pacing suffers because of the cuts. This is exactly why Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc promises to be a refreshing theatrical experience, supposedly delivering the full story without omissions, three years after the anime’s first season debut.
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