Enen no Shouboutai

Fire Force offers one of the more original takes on Shonen, instead of being about a kid out to get stronger or take on the world, we get a story about a world in which humans live in constant fear of suddenly exploding and turning into flame monsters. As someone who has been following the manga since the start, I was quite excited for this adaptation and was not disappointed at all. The source material was perfectly adapted and pacing was never an issue throughout. Characters and the world are properly developed and after the series gets going, you really do become attached to themain cast and genuinely become invested in their individual stories. The fight scenes are the main selling point of any battle shonen and they’re done extremely well in this series. Gorgeous animation and amazing sound design/ost to compliment them. I will say this, there have been many complaints on twitter and other social media about the amount of fan service particularly as it relates to Tamaki. Personally, I have no issue with fan service and don’t see why anyone would mind it, but if you do, you may find parts of the show difficult to get through as her fan service is often used as a plot device and in a later arc actually proves very decisive. Personally, my one complaint with the series are the camera shots that seem to linger after a person has finished talking. For instance, if Shinra and Arthur are talking and Arthur finishes his sentence, for some reason the camera stays on him for like a full 5 seconds which for me creates a cognitive dissonance. Probably a minor thing, but I felt it was important enough to mention. TL:DR Fire Force is at the front of the new gen, interesting premise, cool characters, Soul Eater author, cool fights and music(minus OP 2) and a story you’ll get sucked into. Check it out.

Many people say Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba is the hottest new show of 2019 and it’s no understatement. Then, there’s this show called Fire Force where reports told that it had only sold 107 blu-ray disks in Japan. On the other hand, Demon Slayer sold more than 11k copies in its first week. What went wrong? First of all, I don’t want to actually compare the two shows because they are actually not very similar. Both shows deals with supernatural entities to survive in their world and that’s where the similarity ends. But why did Fire Force suffer so much from popularity? Judging bythe show on its own, Fire Force actually has a unique premise, one that deals with death by fire. It’s one of the most fearful ways mankind can die since the dawn of time. The thought of being burnt alive is beyond chilling, a way of death that no one wants to happen to them. Unfortunately, in the world of Fire Force, that’s part of a dark reality. People meet the risk of becoming beings known as “Infernals”, where they eventually meet their demise by burnt alive. The three words “Spontaneous Human Combustion” is designated as words of fear. What is mankind’s solution? It’s called the Special Fire Corps, consisting of individuals who can actually control fires to destroy the Infernals. Think of them as supernatural firefighters dealing with abnormalities. In a world of fear, you’d think mankind would fight for survival. This is where we meet Shinra Kusakabe, the Second Class recruit with a desire to discover the truth behind his family’s death. Being a hothead protagonist, Shinra adapts an impulsive personality that you can find in some dark fantasy shows. And it doesn’t take long for Shinra to start making a name for himself, albeit for some rebellious reasons. While watching Shinra, I come to realize that he is a good natured kid at heart but deals with problems too impulsively that sometimes puts others at risk. His early relationships with his crew such as Arthur and Maki often gets into bickering and arguments that can be best described as very high school-ish. But like I said before, Shinra is fundamentally a courageous young man who we shouldn’t overlook for his actions that speaks louder than words. And because Shinra is part of the Special Fire Force Company 8, it becomes the most prominently featured group in the show. Not every character will be likable in this group and often times, ideals clashes between their members that results in a ton of silliness. Company 8’s early missions deals with typical assignments to eradicate Infernals but as the show evolves, so does their role. In fact, the true role for the company may be to investigate the other companies in case any of them are hiding something from the world. However, company 8 is symbolic for being rebellious due to the nature of their formation. This often puts their squad in odds with others but that doesn’t stop Shinra to discover the truth. Fire Force sometimes works as an urban fantasy as our main character and others seeks to discover the truth that is hidden from them. The plot gets more complex as each episode ventures on and with 24 episodes, the anime becomes more than fighting fire with fire. At its best, Fire Force can keep the fans engaged with some of its fluid ideas. As this anime consists of dark fantasy, it also contains settings with thrilling secrets, such as the Netherworld. There’s a sense of curiosity that this show wants us to always be on the lookout for hidden motives. When watching the characters, I also came to realize each them have their own agendas and purpose. Not every character get their significance though so bear that in mind. There are some minor characters that have been easily discarded and be forgotten such as the Infernals early in the show. Others such as the Knights of the Ashen Flame serves as an iconic cult shrouded with secrets. This season only scratches the surface of their roles so it’s an unfortunate case of adaptation issue. Other companies are less featured even with roles of some of the more prominent characters such as Hibana from Company 5 and Captain Benimaru from Company 7. The creators of the show had Shirna and his company to be the group to carry the plot together. It’s a bit disappointing at some instances where I find characters such as Benimaru more fascinating than the main leads. This is especially true for the commander of the Knights of Ashen Flame, Shou Kusakabe. He may be young but Shou is a cold character with a lack of empathy for others. He stands as a major obstacle for Shinra and the others to overcome and in one of those episodes, we see the difference in their fighting skills. At its worst, Fire Force’s storyboarding suffers from balance. Sometimes, the show can be emotional and make us feel sympathetic for the characters such as the case with Vulcan and Lisa’s relationship. Other times, they seem wasted with endless workplace comedy being dumped into our faces. I get it. Fire Force anime has to keep the mood lighthearted sometimes but I find the cartoony humor unsuitable for this type of show. This doesn’t help but Shirna’s weird condition related to his forced smile, the uncharacteristic fan service gags (mostly thanks to Tamaki), or other elements. Shirna’s character personality can be unbearably annoying at times when you realize how hotheaded he is. Even in battle, he doesn’t hold back and often fights like a maniac on fire. However, I will say that Shirna’s “Devil’s Footprints” skill can be quite a showstopper thanks to the cinematic choreography he delivers. This is accomplished with the help of David Production and their talented staff. Fire Force’s cinematography commands attention and is described simply as spectacular. Director Yuki Yase had previously worked on unorthodox projects such as Mekakucity Actors, Nisekoi, and Monogatari Series. Granted, you’re not going to see Shaft’s head tilts but there’s plenty more this anime does show you. For instance, every big fight this anime throws at you concentrates on the fire being animated as if it’s alive. Watching the flames burn in various battles shows the complexity and dangers of fighting fire. These fire abilities are also distinctive that takes on different shapes and every one of them can cause devastation. By cause and effect, being burnt alive is a morbid thought to think about and this anime amplifies that feeling to maximum heights. Fire Force also contains visual coloring of is setting and decorative outfits, in particular the company members. The audience may also feel a bit of familiarity for those have read or seen Soul Eater, one of the author’s prominent works. In contrast, the Infernals stands above as the symbolism of horror and despair. Watching their mere presence alone should sent the messenge that they are what mankind truly fears for what they may become. Fire Force clocks in at 24 episodes, a 2-cour show that’s paradoxical for celebrating the consequences of fire. This may be a dark fantasy but somewhere down the line, you’re going to have some laughs at this show for its innate humor. But seriously, I wouldn’t say Fire Force is a masterpiece or even close. It’s another one of those anime built with a wealth of ideas but drops the ball. The phrase “if you play with fire, you’re going to get burnt” just took on a whole peculiar meaning.

Let me take you back to 2003. Atsushi Ookubo, creator of Fire Force, is making waves with Soul Eater, a manga that would go on for 10 successful years - sparking an anime adaptation and a spin-off series. Soul Eater was a stand-out shounen that excelled in not only having a fascinating universe, but also characters that were compelling by having...well, personalities. And while Soul Eater did have characters with wacky quirks - most notably Death the Kid's OCD, used as the butt of many jokes - they weren't the epicenter of every character's existence. 2 years after Soul Eater, Ookubo started Fire Force. And in almostevery way, it feels like he has de-evolved as a storyteller. Characters in Fire Force are defined by singular traits, and you're bashed over the head with them constantly. Female characters especially, in the form of unfunny and blatant fanservice. Villains are comically evil mustache-twirling, monologue-spewing characters that are so blatant you can point them out the first time you see them. There is little to no nuance in Fire Force. It has moments where you start thinking "wow, maybe this will actually get good now!", and then it falls right back into its tired, repetitive devices. And it's a shame - because there's no question that Studio David went all out with the action animation in Fire Force. But no matter how elaborately animated the fight sequences may be, it can't save Fire Force from barely scraping the surface of mediocrity. I don't want to bash on Fire Force entirely - it's not a trainwreck. It is awkward, stilted and has weak convictions. But it does have moments of genuine tension, character growth and curious lore. Fleeting as they may be, they are there. So let's start with the good. THE GOOD: The Asakusa arc takes place in the middle of the anime, and it is by far the strongest arc in this season. Why is it so much more satisfying than anything else that happens in the series? Because it advances the plot in meaningful ways, and the ways in which it does it are EARNED. Characters do things for believable reasons, and conflicts are resolved in sensible ways that give strength to the plot. I thought the anime did a 180 for the most part during this arc, and had high hopes for what came after. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The fighting animation is fantastic. It is also complimented by the sound effects used to add impact to the fire-based fighting. Altogether, it's easily some of the best choreographed and heart-pumping sakuga out there. The characters of Fire Force shine their brightest when they are fighting. Mostly because they dialogue is so weak, but hey - you get what you can take. The universe and lore of Fire Force is pretty interesting - when you get some. There's clearly something sinister on a cosmic level that's going on in Fire Force that slowly gets revealed as time goes on. And i'm sure there will be more of that in the 2nd season. Unfortunately, that's about it for the good. THE BAD: The direction outside of the fighting scenes is weirdly robotic and disjointed. Shots are flat, uninteresting and tonally confusing. Conversations are punctuated with a lot of awkward silence, still shots are held for too long, and you're often left wondering if there was supposed to be a punchline. It's worth noting that a lot of David Pro have come from Shaft, where many worked on the Monogatari series. While this is pure speculation, I can't help but wonder if the decision to use the same directorial stylings of Monogatari on Fire Force was due to this, because you can definitely make some parallels here. Unfortunately, for a shounen, it really doesn't work - especially when we get to the next bad thing: the humor. Comedy is important in shounen. It can help sometimes to break up serious moments or sadness with a little bit of humor. But it's also easy to stretch a joke too thin. Fire Force is tirelessly overdoing its recurring gags. I get the feeling Ookubo might find his jokes a lot funnier than they actually are - and he uses the same ones over and over. As mentioned earlier, a lot of characters have a singular quirk that is shoved in your face over and over. One of the worst ones is easily Tamaki's. Her character is repeatedly shoved aside for a single joke that is played out to excess - her clothes are constantly falling off and she always finds herself being accidentally groped by the MC Shinra in the most impossible situations. Now, this would be fine if you were making a brainless ecchi fanservice show - but Fire Force wants you to take it seriously quite often. So it's tonally bizarre when at one moment there is death, tragedy and destruction, then suddenly some girl is squeaking while her bra and panties magically pop off and her boobs are in some guy's face. This kind of stuff happens more often than it really should, and for me almost none of the humor landed. On the subject of Tamaki, I have to unfortunately give a knock to the female characters of Fire Force. It's not like Soul Eater wasn't full of fanservice, but at least it had an incredible female lead by the name of Maka Albarn, who wasn't a constant source of cheap sexual gags. Fire Force seems to treat every female character as a certain type of fetish - like strong girls? There's Maki. like scantily clad ones? There's Tamaki. Like femdom? There's Hibana. Like the innocent type? There's Iris. Outside of maybe 2 or 3 scenes, these characters are thoroughly shoved into their corner of pandering to something so juvenile that it's honestly just sad - especially considering that they (with the exception of Iris) are incredibly powerful fighters that deserved better. Not only that, but the way some of these characters are treated ranges from disappointing to downright disturbing. Two examples that come to mind are Hibana's "turn" to join the 8th Company during her fight with Shinra. Shinra does a little talk no jutsu, punches her in the face, and just like that, she completely changes her mind about her life's ambitions AND - as an added bonus - falls madly in love with Shinra. It's the first arc in the series and really takes a lot of the wind out of your sails, because it's supposed to be the climax of the arc and it falls totally flat. The second one is when Tamaki finds out someone she idolized is actually an evil person. That evil person proceeds to mercilessly kick the shit out of her while she cries and does absolutely nothing to defend herself, despite being entirely capable. It's uncomfortable to watch and comes off as weird fetishy torture porn. The male characters are not much better, just that their one-note quirks are inherently not sexual. Shinra is the main character. You see, he's a hero, so he has to say that all the time - just in case you forget. Arthur fancies himself a knight, and so he has a lot of jokes about being a knight. When he feels like a knight, he fights good. When he doesn't, he fights bad. To be fair, the male characters can be decidedly more well-rounded than the female characters, because they actually take the time to give them some backstory. So there's that. Finally, the villains range from comically evil to downright incompetent. I'm gonna have to give "dumbest villain of the year" award to none other than Giovanni - a man with a plague mask who mostly just stands around talking - who managed to incapacitate his cult's #1 target, then proceeds to leave him alone in a forest with no guards instead of taking him somewhere where he couldn't escape. Then - of course - he escapes, after Hibana finds him somehow - and proceeds to get kicked in the face while he is busy talking about how evil he is elsewhere. At the end of the day, a lot of these plot contrivances can all be chalked up to one thing - lazy writing. I don't know why Fire Force ended up being such a huge step backwards from Soul Eater narratively. There's a lot of reasons to speculate, but it doesn't really matter. At the end of the day, Fire Force is what it is - the most baseline of shounen action, coupled with awkward humor, bizarre scene direction and stunted characters. For every moment you're pumping your fists, you get ten where you're rolling your eyes or raising an eyebrow in bemusement. All in all, it's kind of exhausting to sit through. Should you watch Fire Force? Maybe if you've got nothing better to do. It struggles to even elevate itself to mediocrity. And in a genre as over-saturated as shounen, a lot of viewers are looking for something better. And there's plenty better out there than this - including the author's previous work.

*contains minor spoilers* I wasn't expecting much when I started Fire Force. I'd already heard about the excessive fanservice, so I knew this wasn't going to be a high quality show, but somehow Fire Force reached lower than my already low expectations. First off, the pacing was atrocious. The first four or so episodes were jam packed and nonsensical, so much happened over the season that I barely remember. We're introduced to all the main characters, except for the fanservice girl, in just the first few episodes. The world is barely established before we're thrust right into a tournament arc that lasted maybe two episodes. During thoseepisodes we're also introduced to a villain, given a bit of the Shinra's backstory, and we're told that the Fire Force may not have good intentions. It's entirely too much information way too quick. This terrible pacing does improve slightly as the season goes on, but frankly, it's still terrible. Secondly, the characters. They're all flat, uninteresting, and undeveloped. The women are especially frustrating. Each one fits a specific trope: Maki is the masculine but wants to be feminine with the typical anime girl body, Iris is the pure virgin with the typical anime girl body. Then there's Haibara, the 20 year old femdom who's lusting after a 17 year old. Fanservice girl is the most insulting. Tell me why she's from the 1st district Fire Force team yet we never see her fight or even be semi useful? Instead she's reduced to a dumb, disgusting joke of a character who is constantly groped or stripped without her consent. I thought we had moved past such moronic, misogynistic tropes, yet here we are. Why make her a 3rd generation fire user and then make her absolutely useless in a fight. She became a fire fighter for a reason?? Even when she was isolated with Iris (who can't fight because she has no powers) during later episodes we didn't get to see her fight the bad guy. Instead she was useless the entire time. Honestly, I'm incredibly disappointed to see such sexist depictions. Thirdly, this may be because I watched Fire Force in dub, but oh my god the dialogue was some of the worst I've ever seen. It was on par with High Rise Invasion in terms of quality. Not only was it cringey, it was just pathetic. Characters info dump, they say ridiculous one liners no one in their right mind would say and metaphors that are just cringey, state the obvious, and just repeat the same lines over and over. I'd be willing to bet that at least half of Shinra's lines are something along the lines of him being a hero. Don't get me started on Arthur and his dumbass knight persona. The reason the cringey dialogue didn't bother me as much in HRI is because it didn't take itself nearly as seriously as Fire Force. HRI is well aware of how goofy it is. Fire Force tries to make its plot and world deep, but the writing quality just isn't up to the task. Overall, this show is not worth watching, not even for the flashy fight scenes. I like Benimaru enough to watch season 2, but frankly I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone. It's complete trash and a waste of time.

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