Once again I tried to do a nice short and sweet review of Fire Force on 100 Word Anime and once again I failed! At it’s best, this show really inspires me and I find tons to say about it.
Unfortunately that applies to the visuals as well but I will try to contain myself.
Gather round kids, let company mom and company dad tell you about how they met!
The transition between present day Hinawa and past Hinawa was great. There were a few transitional images but the close up on his face and the same framing and same close up without the glasses and much shorter hair just grabbed your attention. And Hinawa really does look younger despite being the exact same character model.
And doesn’t Tojo look so nice. Those are the perfect dog eyes. I learned about this last year, it’s a makeup trend. Instead of using eyeliner to create a sharp wing that extends out and up (i.e. cat eyes), like Hinawa and Shinra have, you bring the line down and keep more rounded. This is suppose to make you look “kind”, just like Tojo.
I love the tray scene.
They didn’t dwell on it at all but this was in fact a pretty horrific scene. You can see how it goes from a cool slightly greenish palette (green – I should have known something was off) to a sweltering crimson that gradually takes over the entire screen.
We don’t usually see the more shocking scenes illustrated with so much light but it works very well. I wonder if this will start a trend and animators will try to find excuses to make their more violent moments glow somehow.
I’m really breaking this up a lot but every sequence has it’s own mood and palette. The opening was in the present and at the fire house in the colours we’ve come to know.
The cafeteria scene was almost clinical. All grey, black and dark green. It looked rather drab but safe. On the other hand the infernal scene, well I already went through it and now Obi and Hinawa’s first meeting may be happening in difficult circumstances but the colours are bright and cheerful and the now familiar beautiful Fire Force sky is clear and fresh overhead. Unlike the ominous green light before, this bright clear light brings something good.
Good is sort of a relevant term here. Still, although the house where the infernal was waiting was dark, there’s none of that suffocating atmospheric you usually get in Fire Force battles.
You can’t see it in the stills obviously, but the two men’s shadows kept getting longer in the animation as if the sun was setting incredibly fast. It added a dramatic touch to their conversation and sort of a surreal way to show the passage of time since it marked a jump forward within the flashback.
That Maki moment was just so heart warming I thought I would give it it’s own little blurb is all!
I hope they end up doing something with Hinata & Hikage because on first impression they look like gimmick characters to me. That’s not a bad thing in itself but since Fire Force is already so crowded they could easily end up getting overshadowed.
I love the steampunk looking copper pipes over the traditional Japanese houses. It’s a nice little contrast.
Benimaru looks a bit like Murasakibara.
I did not expect the celebration of destruction but there was a poetic ring to it.
I like how the sky had become grey and dim because of the smoke and debris.
Benimaru has the same eye colour as Shinra but the shape is closer to Arthur. He’s like a combination of the two. So that means he’s going to be a great ally, right? Right!
It’s always a great feeling when I’m watching an anime and i know something epic is gonna come up. This episode really embodied that feeling for me, you know what I’m saying? It gives me chills whenever I see great moments from the manga really executed beautifully in the anime.
I haven’t read the manga but I will say it was well done in the anime