Financial success doesn't always guarantee critical recognition, and Denji's fans are learning that the hard way. Despite being the second-highest-grossing anime film of 2025 and receiving praise for its direction, Chainsaw Man: Reze Arc has been completely ignored by the 2026 Golden Globes. The decision has perplexed the community, especially since other anime and animation titles did make it onto the prestigious list of nominees for Best Animated Feature.
Too dark for Hollywood
The competition this year includes titans like Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, Zootopia 2, and K-Pop Demon Hunters. The exclusion of Chainsaw Man seems to confirm a historical trend: Hollywood still has a complicated relationship with "adult" anime. While Studio Ghibli masterpieces (such as Spirited Away or The Boy and the Heron) or epic fantasy phenomena such as Demon Slayer manage to break the barrier, the raw, bloody and psychologically complex tone of the Reze Arc seems to have scared away traditional voters.
Prizes only for "the whole family"?
The presence of family films such as Zootopia 2 in the absence of a mature narrative such as that of Reze Arc reignites the debate on whether Western awards continue to see animation as a children's genre. Although the fandom considers the film a technical and narrative work of art, for the academy, moral ambiguity and visceral violence remain a difficult filter to pass.
