Kora
“I’m going to be a hero– No, I have to be a hero…”
“From, Okubo Atsushi, the creator of Soul Eater,” is a line that evokes a bunch of mixed feelings. Soul Eater was a series with a some major visual flair and interesting characters, but was, in my opinion, undermined by the bizarre and underexplored internal logic of its world. Think of it as an inverse of this season’s Dr. Stone. So, it’s weird to say this about a series that involves firefighters who specialize in fighting fires caused by spontaneous human combustion, but it’s nice to see Okubo tackling some more grounded subject matter. That’s a relatively ridiculous statement until you consider the fact that Soul Eater featured a fight on the moon where the characters knocked out one of the moon’s teeth… because the moon had teeth! Furthermore, this first episode of Fire Force isn’t just a more even-handed work than I would have expected from its creator. It has arguably placed itself at the top of the heap when it comes to the series that I have reviewed so far this season. With an intriguing premise, stylistic and fascinating characters, and a wacky but still weighty tone, Fire Force has set itself apart from the pack as one of the most interesting titles of the season.
Fire Force takes place in a world where, a number of decades prior to the start of the series, instances of humans spontaneously combusting began to occur. The victims of this bizarre phenomenon were referred to as “Infernals,” and they would go on rampages until their hearts were destroyed. However, later generations (Referred to as Generations 2 & 3) proved to be capable of controlling the fire, and Special Fire Forces were formed to combat the threat posed by the Generation 1 Infernals. We follow our main character, Kusakabe Shinra, as he joins Special Fire Force Company 8, and attempts to use his power to ignite his feet to become the “hero” that he aspires to be. Right out of the gate, Shinra is a great character. Even the initial elements of his character that feel like surface level quirks are brought back in significant ways. The rest of the Company are no slouches in the character department, but this is Shinra’s episode and it’s a heck of a character piece. I won’t spoil any of the details, and much of it is reasonably predictable, but the execution elevates it.
The production is being handled by David Production, but I could have just as easily believed it was being taken on by the likes of Bones or Madhouse. There are several instances of integrated CG being used for rendering vehicles, but even that looks good. It looks like Okubo has toned down his brash character models without losing what makes his art distinctive and iconic. This extends to the world that he presents as well. Soul Eater’s world was always a bizarre blend of ideas which were never fully explored, but Fire Force’s world feels more lived in and logical. Even the aspects that play to his particular quirks as a writer, like the Fire Force also being a religious organization, feel like natural progressions to the world it is set in. Technically, their job is to go out and kill people. Doing so saves the lives of countless others, but they are still tasked with eliminating humans who until recently were living normal lives. Tying them in with a religious order is a sensible progression for that world as they need to be capable of also providing care and guidance to the loved ones of the people they are tasked with eliminating. And to top it all off, Fire Force seems on board to explore those darker implications. I am on board for this one.
Before I wrap up, a few Notes and Nitpicks:
- I haven’t watched much from David Productions in the past. I watched a little bit of Level E way back in 2011, but since then they’ve mainly been known for their work on the Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure adaptations and last year’s surprise hit Cells at Work.
- I really hope that Fire Force doesn’t lose focus as it progresses, but even if it does this was a hell of a first episode.
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