Fire Force S2 – 04 [Groping Through the Fire]

One day, and I hope one day soon, Fire Force will decide whether or not it’s a great anime.  Unfortunately, that day is not this week, as “Groping Through The Fire” (pretty sure that’s on purpose), showcases this mixed bag of a series to the fullest extent.

Let’s start out with the good from this episode.  It’s simple.  The setting and environment are amazing. 

Fire Force has done a great job of creating a dynamic, destroyable world to put fire zombies to rest in.  That 3D fight sequence felt more at home in a large scale anime movie than in episode 4 of a summer series.  I love the smoke effects, the fire, even the handicap that Fire Force have to wait until a sister can put the infernals to rest.  This entire episode was actually a fairly well done battle – strategies, clear objectives, arriving reinforcements – good job.

The neutral.  Alright, you can flame me for this one – but Tamaki.  That’s right – neutral.  As Vulcan broke the fourth wall to point out, they’re getting into some awfully specific territory here.  Maybe I’ve just gotten Stockholm Neko Syndrome, but I can appreciate this round of service.  It also didn’t blatantly interrupt the fight sequence flow (more on that in a moment) and served to highlight how chaotic the battlefield can be.  Was it necessary?  Probably not, so we’ll give that a neutral overall.

The bad.  Yes, there was bad.  For all the great setting, Fire Force still fights poor choreography and uneven physics.  Primarily surrounding Shinra I’ve come to notice.  Some of the punches he gives and receives – plus one particular instance when he hits the ground – just are terribly uneven.  Maybe the sound effects aren’t matching up, maybe the choreography is wonky – I just don’t know.  But then Arthur’s fight felt okay – so obviously the ability is there.  For a show whose bread and butter should be fight duels, Fire Force just struggles for no reason.  

Finally, the befuddling – Inca.  Last episode, I thought she was a nice dynamic character.  This episode – not so much.  Just way too much time spent with her talking about how much she loved danger.  Okay – just do that while running through the burning stuff, avoiding the white clads or something dynamic.  That would have packed more of a punch.  Instead she comes off as just a whiny brat, despite the fact that she’s 12.5% of a world ending calamity.  

So the final word – this was an uneven episode.  But I guess we’ve come to expect that from Fire Force, so not much new there.  I do like the experimentation with the fight settings and 3D – but I wish it wouldn’t come at the expense of the prolonged duels.  What do you think?  Can Fire Force ever smooth out their fights and achieve greatness?  Will they be doomed to be a high budget “okay”?  Did Tamaki help you “reach heaven”?  Let me know!