REVIEWED: SEASON 1 (EPISODES 1 – 4) | WHERE TO WATCH: CRUNCHYROLL
With a change in season comes a new batch of anime with not only returning series but some fresh new adaptations as well –and arguably the hottest and most anticipated series of all is Fire Force from the creator of Soul Eater.
In the Solar Year 198, the Earth is ravaged by a terrible curse – at any point, anyone can spontaneously combust and transform into fire monsters known as Infernals. A special fire force has been set up by three governing bodies to tackle this epidemic by putting the Infernals to rest by destroying their core. Our protagonist Shinra is about to join the 8th Company – however, Shinra has a troubled past and possesses a unique ability to produce flames from his feet and use them to fight and fly. His goal – become a hero and avenge the loss of his mother and brother who passed in a house fire twelve years prior.
This anime, based on the hugely popular and still continuing manga, has been sensationally brought to life by David Productions – the art style truly encapsulates the spirit of the source material and the anime faithfully brings these wonderful fleshed out characters and world to life. Within the first four 23-minute long episodes, audiences are introduced to some truly marvellous characters, including the happy go lucky Captain Obi, the cocky Knight King Arthur and the adorable yet fierce tempered Maki.
What sets Fire Force apart from its peers is its strong lead character Shinra. His story emotionally tethers the viewer to the show and brings you back week after week in order to follow him trying to discover the cause of combustion. Fire Force also has arguably the best anime opening theme since Attack on Titan first graced our screens. ‘Inferno’ by Mrs GREEN APPLE stunningly captures the high octane nature of the show and also has an incredibly catchy chorus.
At its core, Fire Force is the best anime of the summer season. The well-realised characters, great dialogue and emotional beats all mould together to form a compelling story that gets stronger with each episode. Topped off with gorgeous music, this is an anime you do not want to miss.
