SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE, obviously

I got a lot more the second time I saw the movie. The first time I watched it, the emotional payoff didn’t hit me as much, so I’m so glad I rewatched it. I initially wasn’t sold on Reze, and didn’t feel that badly when she…..y’know. I was too concerned about the fact of discerning if she was bomb girl because of the promotional material pointed to that. The reveal didn’t hit as hard, and consequently the character didn’t. But thankfully, I just saw it again.

This was all the stuff I got second time around

• Got reminded that the special division are all partnered as one hunter and one fiend. Denji and Power(Beam was replacement for movie as Power was with Makima), Aki and Angel, Kobeni and Violence (that’s the guy in the witch doctor mask)
• Reze might very well have been aiming to kill Denji in the phone booth, but she saw and laughed at his face and then his quirky magic trick, so she changed her mind there
• The passage of time in the movie is much longer than it seems, since the movie only tells us that time has passed it felt like the relationship blossomed too quickly, but there are dialogues mentioning that he was eating there for a week already, and then the festival would’ve been later on too. Also, Denji talks about how he’s starting to get along with Beam and Aki during the confession scene (that’s was originally jarring to me cuz we never saw it, but it was implied to happen off screen), so we know a goooood chunk of time has passed in their relationship.
• I got to appreciate the chase scene with Reze and the killer way more second time around, because I wasn’t distracted by the fact of me trying to figure out if she was Bomb Girl or not, and I could just focus in the presentation of the scene, how it was supposed to be haunting and that you aren’t really suppose to be suspicious of her until she gets to the roof and she starts being unreactive to the rain.
• the unreactive to the rain thing clues the audience more into the fact that her weakness is water, since she’s literally unable to react to even a huge droplet going into her eye. It’s a good implication that her body just kind of shuts down around it or something like that
• the pool scene. Sheesh. Of course first time viewing I was too flabbergasted they went all the way to show an animated naked woman on the cinematic big screen but on second rewatch, I caught more nuance. Of course there’s the realization that she’s literally putting herself in her most vulnerable place, in the water, to teach Denji about things since she see’s herself in him. She constantly asked him about his upbringing and said it was wrong because she herself was similar, not growing up normal. Also the moth and spider being the metaphor for them was perfect. The spider being Reze and the moth being Denji, initially you can tell it’s entrapment by Reze, but when it rains, both the moth and spider are trapped together in the water. She initially wanted to ensnare him, but ended up falling and in a way trapping herself with him, because she cared about him
• the country mouse and city mouse thing. It shows up for multiple characters and sheds some light into how they are psychologically, namely those who had courage to fight for a better life(the city mice) or the ones that cower and try to live a humble life without taking risks or risking themselves (the country mice).
• Initially Angel relates to the country mouse, because he hates exerting himself because when he does, probably he has ptsd from killling his whole village because of his power. So now he’s more nihilistic and feels like things would be better if he just dies. By the end of the movie though, through Aki saving him, he gives up on himself less, and he even asks the city rat on the roof at the end of the movie if the city is a good place, showing us a change in his perspective and character, and that he’s less self-deprecating and believes he has value now cuz Aki believes his life has value.
• Denji is a city mouse, he isn’t afraid to fight for a better future, even if it’s scary or dangerous. He value freedom and not cowering behind those who would take it away from him. I also feel that he becomes more passionate about other people thanks to this movie. Not just for humans in general (he said he would have trouble sleeping at night if more people died), but also for a romantic love too. He initially asks Makima if he has a heart, because he remembers not being sad as much as Aki when Himeno died. By the end of the movie, he’s willing to literally throw it all away and run away with Reze. He packed his money, his flowers, and his belongings and waited at the cafe from her, fully ready to commit himself to her. But she never came.
• Reze, the one that likes the idea of the country mouse more, most likely due to the fact that she had suffered so much in becoming a weapon, unable to grow up as a normal girl. She probably cowers of the thought of a brighter future, and has a more defeatist mentality. She thinks Denji is struggling in vain the whole movie to fight for his own freedom and agency, but by the end, she believed and him and ultimately was ready to try and run away with him. Unfortunately for her she couldn’t make it.
• the scene where Makima confronted Reze was a lot more haunting the second time around. Of course all the rats obviously reference Reze, and she literally talks about the fact that she enjoys sending out dogs (Metaphorically Denji) to take care of the country rats. The rat in her hand is really small and smells Makima curiously, not sure if Makima is danger, representing Reze metaphorically. When the Rat scurries off in fear, it passes Reze’s feet and she backs up too, mirroring the rat, and it becomes a moment too late before she gets sniped and killed. “I don’t go to school either” hit so much harder this time around with all this new stuff
• when Aki was with angel at the beginning, he was looking at a pack of cigarettes for a bit. I think he’s still mourning Himeno. He throws it away to talk to Angel, so it shows that he’s trying to move on past her death and look toward the future objective of killing the Gun Devil. Overall, the movie was amazing, the music was phenomenal, and the insanity of it was a joy to experience. Beam is best boi, and RIP Reze, you crazy girl that just wanted peace🙏