Review of Fire Force

Enen no Shouboutai Fire Force I've seen quite a few clips and scenes of this anime on Youtube and naturally, my impression was massively negative. Especially when the best scenes were supposedly Tamaki's Lucky Lewd. Well, at least I thought my experience watching Fire Force would be a sight for sore eyes. But then the unexpected happened... No matter how average Fire Force is, I have to admit that it is a very good anime to watch. It has an unhealthy mix of bizarre, blunt, and amusing character humor. Combined with a pinch of serious scenes, a decent plot, and dynamic fights, you can turn off your headand just enjoy the series. The fact that the first season in particular is so simple and dull makes it a great complement.

However, a massive problem with Fire Force is the fact that the author doesn't know "what" the manga/anime was going to be. The balance between serious scenes, backgrounds, and drama is so often ruined by jokes or fan service (especially Tamaki) that it would be hard to talk about. And since Fire Force very often tried to create a somber tone or distribute some drama, it only makes it worse. The author stops his progress by not knowing when to put the brakes.

In addition, this season has a hard time getting going anyway. The first 6 episodes were relatively weak, then it got better and again weaker in the middle part. Quite a lot of potential was wasted here.

[Story 5]

The story of Fire Force has a relatively interesting concept, although it seems relatively simple at the beginning, there is much more behind it than you get to see in season 1. In a world where anyone can be affected by spontaneous ignition, people fear for their existence. The fear that one can become a fire monster instantly and at any time is interesting and well-portrayed.
The main characters work as firefighters with special clothing and equipment to defeat the ignited fire creatures and pray for them to rest. Especially the aspect about the burial of the souls is very interesting and gives the whole thing extra weight.

Later on, the protagonists try to investigate various events and find out the truth of the world, which takes them down completely different paths and raises even more questions.

In general, I would even count the plot of Fire Force among the "better" ones among shounen, but in the first season, you see relatively little.

[Characters 5]

The characters in Firce Force are an impressive change of pace. They are mostly comedy-oriented personalities with bizarre traits and gags that constantly follow. This creates many amusing scenes and there are funny moments. Unfortunately, it's also hard to take the characters seriously in any situation. I would even say that they don't fit this kind of anime.

Shinra is a simple but somewhat varied protagonist. He is not too naive, has decent intelligence, and is someone who is not easily provoked. Which automatically puts him above most shounen protagonists. His personality is simple, but also kind of endearing. Likewise, I like that he can act and think rationally from time to time.

Arthur is my favorite character. The samurai knight with his broken head, can turn any scene into a comedy and makes sure that not even the opponents know what is happening. In his fantasy world, he is a knight. And the more he can get into his fantasy and escalate his interpretation, the stronger he becomes. He's simple and easy, just a living comedy character.

Tamaki is ... unnecessary? Her Lucky Lewd had some decent moments in season 2, but in season 1 she was just boring, and unfunny and doesn't contribute to anything until the end.

Less can be said for the rest so far. Priestess is a typical good girl who likes to push buttons, especially red ones. Ogi is an ogre. Maki is a relatively sympathetic character, but her running gag with the cyclops gorilla is really bad.

[Music 6 / Animations 8]

Music-wise, the first season has a decent intro and outro. As well as many fitting osts. Unfortunately not enough to stand out much. Practically nothing here has a recognition value. On a particularly positive note, though, I have to say that there are some eerie osts here that could fit immensely well in horror games. Why? Don't know, would also like to know why they are here.

The animations were impressively good. They fluctuated more often and got weaker, but on average they were able to make the fights and scenes immensely dynamic.

[Conclusion 5]

Fire Force's first season has a lot of weaknesses but also strengths. Apart from that, I am most positive that the series has a certain charm that you can watch it well despite the lack of quality. In the end, this season was just on the average shounen level and nothing else worth mentioning.

[Enjoyment 6]