Review of Fire Force

The animation? Absolutely stunning. The lore? Genuinely unique; The ability system is pretty intricate and each individual's power is what makes the battle scenes engaging to watch. For a story with such a monstrous level of potential, the execution is the show's greatest liability. SPOILERS AHEAD --> Shinra's role in the story confuses me. Like many other shounen protags, he wants to be the protector of people who cannot protect themselves-- and like any interesting character, he has a solid motive. He has a flaw... I think? So far I've only seen him bulldoze his way through different enemies and give us a cheesy shounen-style lifelesson.

One instance where the viewer senses his need to improve himself is when he battles Burns, in which he is left without a scratch after Shinra tried every single move he's done before. That's would be great, if it weren't for every other fight scene being one-sided. The only thing that makes these scenes cool is the unique way in which characters use their abilities.

The last iffy thing I've noticed is that some characters are just... Okay with doing absolutely nothing in a scene. When Iris and Tamaki had Shinra fight on their behalf, they just sat there, not doing anything. They didn't get help, nor try to physically support him even though they were quite able to do so.

I also found it weird how in the fight against Rekka, they shoe-horned in a bunch of fan-servicey scenes in which Shinra kept accidentally sexually assaulting Tamaki. I get that that's part of her character, but putting that in the middle of an important fight scene just makes it awkward and takes the tension away.

In conclusion, this was one of the most mid shounen I've ever watched. 7/10, would not watch again.