Review of Fire Force

Enen no Shouboutai, or in Fire Force in English, is quite possibly one of my favorite anime of this year. Let me explain why. Story: 8/10 The story has a well-written, properly-conceived plot. It's easy to understand and you are pulled into the progression of the story as the anime continues. The focus of the story is also very unique: there aren't many anime or manga about firefighters. And the world-building that the anime does is excellent, and the subtleness of hints regarding the secrets of the world only bring the audience to want to learn more about the world. The pacing of the revelations is alsoexcellent.

Art: 8/10

To be expected from David Productions and Atsushi Okubo. DP has given us classics like JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and Okubo is the creator of the fantastic Soul Eater manga. This combination sold me on this anime right away, and I was not disappointed whatsoever! I love the character designs and how the animation flows. The background is well-developed and any CGI is done perfectly and seamlessly. Each character popped out at me and they all had different designs from their core face to even their uniforms.

Sound: 7/10

The voice actors are amazing. They did an excellent job portraying the emotions of the characters. I could really feel the emotion! The first OP is memorable and probably one of the best openings. The sound and animation for it was amazing and one of the reasons I decided to check out this anime. I don't pay attention to many anime openings or endings, but this one was incredible. The reason I gave it a 7 is because of the second opening, which was a bit more disappointing after the first one.

Character: 8/10

All of the characters have their own unique personalities. Shimura's drive and ambitions are notable as well. He is not a static character either. As the story progresses, so to do his ambitions. But he still sticks to his ideals and wants to live up to the promises he has made. The way the anime continually circles back to his past shows that his history does in fact play a major role in driving the plot, which is something I love in an anime. When an anime brings the past of a character into the story, I want it to mean something! I want it to be there to have us relate to the character, to understand their thought process, rather than just using it as feels-bait as many anime have done in the past.

I also love the comparison of devil and hero in this story. Shinra is the perfect character for this theme, and his motivation and the plot are shaped around this as well.

Enjoyment: 9/10

I loved this anime. I enjoyed watching every minute of it! The characters are all fun and quirky, and I couldn't stop myself from watching it. Every week I anticipated a new episode release, and as soon as I did, I wanted more. I would definitely rewatch this series repeatedly, it was such a fun ride!

Overall: 8/10

Let's do the math! 8 + 8 + 7 + 8 + 9 = 40. 40 / 5 = 8. So, my overall score is an 8. What solidified this score is the anime itself. It leaves you wanting more, and you won't be disappointed. I sincerely recommend this anime, and I am hyped for season 2!