A Fire Soldier’s Fight
One of the more popular animes that arrived last year finally returns for its second season. Essentially the first episode acts as a series of two halves, the first showcasing the action this anime handles so well and the second moving much deeper into the sexual comedy, which feels like it comes out of left-field but handles the infamous calendar in a surprisingly tasteful way to provide a lot of hilarity. The episode itself begins with Shinra, Maki and the others heading into town and enjoying the sunshine. Only, Shinra doesn’t find it so easy to relax given what happened at the end of last season and the intense fight he had with Sol in the Nether. However, a sudden burst of fire is enough to spark him into action as the group, led by Shinra, race to the location of the blast. The Infernal this time around comes in the form of a gigantic titan that towers over him. Just before a fireball hits Shinra though, Arthur arrives to save the day (not that Shinra would ever admit that of course!) The rest of the 8th race onto the scene and begin working together to try and take this Infernal down. Thanks to a series of stock screens we’re reminded who everyone in the 8th are, as they burst into action. Licht briefs the team, explaining how he’s found five weak spots that need to be targeted and what follows is a methodical, well-rehearsed fight that sees everyone work together and allow Shinra to execute his signature Rapid-Man Kick move. However, the worst is yet to come when Shinra and the others return to base and learn the time has come…for the nude calendar. Given 8th have always been in last place, they’ve got some pretty tough competition and they set to work training to change their fortunes for the upcoming annual calendar, which is where the episode comes to a close. Fire Force is back and already we’re seeing some really promising signs for the season ahead. The animation feels like a step up from what we’ve seen before and some of the colours are beautifully contrasted – especially those gorgeous sky-blues with the flickering flames of the Infernal. The action scenes are just as exciting and rapid as they’ve been in the past and this opening segment definitely feels like a conscious choice to remind viewers what the previous season did so well in both humour and action. So far so good though and accompanied by a brand new anthem by Aimer (which is definitely a great addition to this anime), if this is a sign of things to come we should be in for quite the exciting ride! What did you think of the opening episode? Let us know in the comments below!
