Map coming soon Chainsaw Man – Movie: Reze's Arc masterfully combines 2D and 3D art, repeating the words Ufotable Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle by combining 3D environments with 2D character models. Mappa made its first appearance at New York Comic Con with a panel including assistant director Masato Nakazono, supervising producer Manabu Otsuka, and CG producer Yusuke Tannawa, offering fans a behind-the-scenes look at the film.
During the discussion, the team answered questions about methods for combining 2D and 3D animation, showing early drawings and prototype footage, and having subtitles read out loud to participants.
“In Reze's arc, the role of CG is to complement each production process in a balanced manner to maximize the artistic expression of hand-drawn animation,” said (via translator) CG producer Yusuke Tannawa. “We create 3D background models for key scenes to ensure precise placement and scale to match the director's vision. For scenes set inside the café and in the night classroom, 3D CG helps maintain accurate character placement. While [during] in urban battle scenes, it provides dynamic camera movements that would otherwise be difficult to achieve.”
Endless Castle uses similar techniques, combining 2D characters with the ever-changing 3D corridors of its main location. Sometimes the line between 2D and 3D becomes blurred – as during Shinobu's fight with the highest-ranking demon of the House. Cinematic CGI enhances transitions, emphasizing scale, reflections and dynamic action. The same can be said about the upcoming Man with a chainsaw movie.
“For battle scenes in particular, we reproduce the texture of hand-drawn backgrounds in CG, allowing for a dynamic visual composition within the aesthetics of traditional animation,” said Tannava.
Man with a chainsaw The panelists also explained how using 3D CG models helps maintain positions and gives background objects surrounding characters a realistic appearance. However, unlike Endless castle instances of 3D models on screen are few and far between Reze Arka.
“Although all the characters in this film were hand-drawn, 3D CG models were used extensively during the layout stage to model the best possible compositions before moving on to the painting stage,” Tannava said. “In addition to Denji Chainsaw's models from the television series, new models were created for Reze/Bomb and Beam and given to the animators to support the overall production process. Many of the vehicles are also presented in 3D CG, which adds a sense of realism to the film.”
Footage shown on the panel shows 3D mock-ups of classrooms and cityscapes, including a panoramic shot of a damaged section of streets. We also saw T-pose models of Bombshell and Denji as Chainsaw Man displayed alongside fully 3D rendered vehicles of all types.
We've talked about this before, but the days when CGI had a terrible reputation in anime are fading in real time. Computer graphics create their own artistic space, revealing a unique beauty that blends with traditional 2D. Movies like Endless Castle And Reze Arka show how full 3D animation can create breathtaking, action-packed battles that rival the best traditionally produced anime. At its peak, technology doesn't just support the arts; it becomes indistinguishable from him.
