Fire Force (Season Two)
Shinra and Special Fire Force Eight continue to look into the origins of the Infernals and are soon caught up in some sinister conspiracies, but just how far do the lies go and who really knows the truth?
What did you watch?
Who would have thought I would have spent fifty weeks talking about young sweaty firefighters? I think that’s what Yomu from Umai Yomu Anime Blog was expecting and he still signed on to review the series with me. And, with a third season already announced it looks like we’ve got at least another season to go. Well, I suppose we had better get this one done first, especially as I think we should have plenty to talk about. There will be spoilers. Consider that a warning!
What happened?
During their investigations of the other Special Fire Force departments, Shinra experienced an Adolla link with someone claiming to be the First Pillar. She seemed to feed on his rage and sought to turn it against the world. He had no idea who or where she was. He had to find out. Their investigation took them to the main continent where they hoped to investigate the rift, a place where the Earth’s crust had shifted significantly. What they found there would change everything.
Of course, the discoveries were swept under the carpet by the Holy Sol Church as they would have created doubt about their organisation. That forced Licht to call in the big guns. Joker went to investigate the church taking Benimaru with him for company. They made another shocking discovery that lead them back to the Evangelist who was still collecting Adolla flames in the hopes of burning the world once more.
All right. I tried to keep the What Happened section as vague as possible as there was a lot to cover. If you need more, check out the episode reviews where we discuss each episode at length. For now, though, let’s talk about the season as a whole. As the guest, Yomu can go first. Over to you!
What did you think?
Moving from Season 1, we started this with a good idea of what to expect in terms of the main cast, the action, cliffhangers/suspense, and so on. This season managed to carry forward and somewhat meet those expectations, but I would say that this season felt like it was lacking. Both in the action and in the mystery department.
Season 1 had the task of introducing everything to us for the first time, something that takes time in any story. This season didn’t have to worry about that, but it still felt like there were too many ‘slow’ moments that didn’t deliver – either in terms of action or suspense/mystery. And it felt like this season shot itself in the foot a few times also; by giving us new points of interest only to never mention them again, or by appearing to build up to some great action only to fall short of our expectations.
Overall, it was more Fire Force, and that’s a good thing. But to me, it definitely felt like this season was a step down from what last season accomplished.
I would have to agree with everything you’ve said. There were some new characters introduced, but none of them really had a huge impact on the story. We definitely had enough setup from the first season to take things further than they did. There were some nice reveals, but then they didn’t do anything with them.
Normally, I want to see a series push things harder in the second season. The fights should have been bigger and better, but it failed to deliver on that. Most of the season was fine, but fine is not what we’re here for. Some of the fights in season one are among my favourites in all of anime. I can’t say the same about any of the fights this season.
It had the same impressive style which I liked and some of the visuals were stunning. However, as you said, it was a step down from the first season.
What was your favourite moment?
While the Demon Infernals often felt like cop-outs for proper action with actual characters, the fight with Demon Internal Nataku stood out as a great moment in the season. The temporary alliance of Shinra, Charon, and Kurono, individuals from three different factions, to fight against Demon Infernal Nataku was great. The action was good, and while Nataku was a big lumbering infernal at the time, they still managed to make the whole ordeal exciting, with Charon stopping some seriously dangerous attacks.
Also to add to that, I think the best bit of comedy, with Kurono answering his phone in the middle of the battle, was also in that scene, making it a great moment overall.
For me, it was the moment that I realised that the First Pillar was trapped inside Amaterasu. That was one of those moments where your jaw drops open and all you can do is stare at the screen. I was disappointed that we never really revisited that because I feel like it should have been a massive game changer. Hopefully, they’ll readdress that in the third season.
I also enjoyed Juggernaut’s fight where he protected Tamaki in the Nether. From a comedic point of view, I laughed hard at Assault trying to find a way to overcome Tamaki’s lucky lecher.
What was your least favourite moment?
Maki’s perfectly timed return to the Fire Force to save the day! The whole situation just didn’t sit right with me. Firstly how Maki just suddenly was transferred out with no warning, and secondly how she just suddenly came back an episode later at the perfect time. It almost felt like there was no reason for her to leave in the first place.
Also, it didn’t feel very satisfying how she “proved herself”. Her father and brother felt that she was too weak to engage in such dangerous work – so you’d think that Maki proving herself in combat would have been a better way to prove them wrong. Instead, she just redirected the explosion, which I guess was important, but the whole situation was clearly contrived just to fit Maki’s return, making it all feel underwhelming.
Yeah. That really didn’t serve any purpose whatsoever. Had Maki gone in to spy on the military I would have been fine with it but she didn’t and it was just forced drama.
My least favourite moment was when Burns told Joker and Benimaru about his belief that the man that started the Holy Sol Church was an imposter. Benimaru backed up the idea by telling them about the people who changed faces in his district. All good so far. Then, cut to White Knights and the guy basically pointed at himself and said “it was me. I started the church.” Any chance of mystery is gone because of a stupid exposition scene.
Who was your favourite character?
Licht. It always felt like when he was involved, there would be some degree of comedy, or we’d be getting some answers. While he doesn’t actually engage in combat, I always enjoyed it when he was on screen and making his additions to the plot. I guess he’s not exactly a main character, but even so he seemed to be involved more often than not, doing something in the background or whatever. Just a fun character.
Maki is obviously still my favourite, but from a season perspective, I really enjoyed Charon’s involvement. He was a stone-cold psychopath but he had his rules and that oddly made him more relatable. There was also something a little more complex about him than say Haumea who was completely nuts. I get the feeling he could be pivotal to the whole thing by the end.
Who was your least favourite character?
This time around, it’s Inca. Her introduction was really cool and at first when we didn’t know her she seemed like she could be a bit of a wild card. But after we saw enough of her, it became clear that she’s actually a pretty one-dimensional character who is just obsessed with watching things explode and burn. And to top it off, she ended up being really unimportant and rarely showed up after her introduction, even though at the time it seemed like she was going to be a key character for the season.
I’d agree with that. She lacked any of the complexity of Charon who at first came off far worse than she did. As you say, she really didn’t add anything to the story. If anything her protector did more with her zombie Infernal control.
Would you like some more?
Despite the unexciting final episodes of Season 2, this is still Fire Force. The characters, world design, and unanswered questions are all sure to deliver a great experience. So absolutely, I’d love to see where they go with another season.
Yeah, of course. After 48 episodes I feel like we’re pretty heavily invested in the story and want to see the outcome.
It wasn’t as good as season one, but they maintained the look and feel so it was at least well produced. I feel like now they have to go all out. There can’t be any more setup. We need answers and action. Lots of it!
And we need to see more of many of the side characters who had painfully little screen time this season. Which feels like a lot, such as Vulcan, Lisa, and even Hinawa and Iris. Although I guess the trip to China did cut into many characters’ potential screen time.
Of course most of all, we need to see the First Pillar again!
Absolutely. They introduced her at the beginning of the season and then nothing. It would have been amazing to see Shinra interact with her knowing that she was trapped inside Amaterasu.
I’d like to know what the White Clad hope to gain from their alliance with the Evangelist. There are a lot of questions that need answering, especially after this season.
Yep. This series still has much to deliver. Let’s hope Season 3 can really unravel the mysteries and give us some exciting action to enjoy!
Agreed. It wasn’t bad, but we were definitely expecting more from it. I am looking forward to next season and am hopeful they can deliver.
Other reviews in the series
- Season One
- Episode 1 – Shinra Kusakabe Enlists
- Episode 2 – The Heart of a Fire Soldier
- Episode 3 – The Rookie Fire Soldier Games
- Episode 4 – The Hero and the Princess
- Episode 5 – The Battle Begins
- Episode 6 – The Spark of Promise
- Episode 7 – The Investigation of the 1st Commences
- Episode 8 – Infernal Insects
- Episode 9 – The Spreading Malice
- Episode 10 – The Promise
- Episode 11 – Formation of Special Fire Force Company 8 – The Mightiest Hikeshi
- Episode 12 – Eve of Hostilities in Asakusa
- Episode 13 – The Trap Is Set
- Episode 14 – For Whom the Flames Burn
- Episode 15 – The Blacksmith’s Dream
- Episode 16 – We Are Family
- Episode 17 – Black and White and Gray
- Episode 18 – The Secrets of Pyrokinesis
- Episode 19 – Into the Nether
- Episode 20 – Wearing His Pride
- Episode 21 – Those Connected
- Episode 22 – A Brother’s Determination
- Episode 23 – Smile
- Episode 24 – The Burning Past
- Season Two
- Episode 25 – A Fire Soldier’s Fight
- Episode 26 – Flames of Madness
- Episode 27 – A New Flashpoint
- Episode 28 – Groping Through the Fire
- Episode 29 – Corna (Sign of the Devil) / A Secret Plan
- Episode 30 – The Time to Choose
- Episode 31 – Road to the Oasis
- Episode 32 – Smoldering Malevolence
- Episode 33 – The Core
- Episode 34 – The Woman in Black
- Episode 35 – Dark Hero
- Episode 36 – Shadows Cast by Divine Light
- Episode 37 – A Pair of One-Eyes
- Episode 38 – The Ashen Reaper
- Episode 39 – A Three-Way Melee
- Episode 40 – Mind Blown
- Episode 41 – Boys, Be Weak
- Episode 42 – The Holy Woman’s Anguish / The Man, Assault
- Episode 43 – The Oze Family
- Episode 44 – Weapon of Destruction
- Episode 45 – Enemy Contact
- Episode 46 – Plot for Extinction
- Episode 47 – Firecat
- Episode 48 – Signs of Upheaval
- Bonus Posts
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