Crunchyroll might be best known for its streaming service, but the anime company has been working to bring some of Japan’s biggest theatrical releases to North America. Earlier this year, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle arrived in the West to such success that Tanjiro and the Demon Slayer Corps were able to take the top spot for two straight weekends. While Crunchyroll’s next theatrical entry might not hit the same heights as the biggest anime film of all time, the streaming service has released the entire first season of Chainsaw Man for free to get fans hyped for the arrival of the Bomb Devil.
Billed as the “Chainsaw Man The Movie: The Reze Arc Catch-Up Watch Party,” Crunchyroll has uploaded the entire television show’s first season on YouTube. Releasing the English Dub of the anime’s debut, the video runs for almost five hours, so take out some time from your schedule to catch up with Denji’s adventures for the first time or revisit the introduction of the Chainsaw Devil. Chainsaw Man The Movie hits theaters in North America on October 24th and will begin almost immediately following the first season’s finale. With the arrival of Reze, Denji not only has a wild new physical threat to take on, but he also is going to deal with a love triangle that he didn’t see coming. You can watch the entire first season below:
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Prior to arriving in North America, the Chainsaw Man movie has already seen some major success in Japan. As of the writing of this article, Denji’s first movie is close to hitting $60 million USD in box office receipts, making it a confirmed success even before hitting the West. While it would be shocking to see the Chainsaw Devil taking the top spot for its opening weekend when it has competition like Black Phone 2, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, and more, we have seen some pretty surprising box office debuts in anime recently.
As for the future of the Chainsaw Man anime, that remains anyone’s guess. Should the MAPPA production continue to follow its source material to the letter, creating a movie for the next arc might prove to be a little tricky, considering how meaty the “International Assassins Arc” is. In chatting with MAPPA’s CEO earlier this year, even Manabu Otsuka himself wasn’t sure what route Denji’s anime would take moving forward, whether that be via a series of movies or a second season. Still, MAPPA has committed to adapting all of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man in the past, so fans shouldn’t worry that any material from the manga won’t make its way to the screen. Considering the subject matter of the Bomb Devil’s arrival in the anime adaptation, anime fans should prepare themselves for one of the most unbelievable rides of the year, with the film arriving next week.
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