Story (7/10):
The premise of this show takes place in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo that is almost entirely steampunk. Like every shounen, the story telling is mostly omnipresent but focused and revolves around the protagonist, Kusakabe Shinra. Given his shounen background (i.e., lost of a family member(s), or being hated or being an outcast growing up), he is your go-to shounen character. The build-up they took was quite different. Each episode offered a piece to contribute to the development of the whole story. In other words, there was no fillers or brain-dead content to keep the show going.
Given the standard idea of Shounen, Fire Force doesn't try that much to force the emotions of its story or scenes onto the viewers. Rather, they told the story as is and let the viewers decide how to feel about each scene or moment. Compared to other shows in the genre, which ques emotional backstory or background song, Fire Force doesn't have a lot of that (I mean it still has its moments, it's shounen after all). This makes the story less of a cringe and it never really does reach the point wherein the protagonist gets on your nerves with his signature tagline.
The world building is slow but, for a reason. I appreciate how almost every story in each episode contributes to the world building gradually until you get a clear picture of the world they're in. Don't expect it to come earlier than episode 10, like I said, world building is slow but, for a reason.
Why 7? The storytelling was good. The story itself was innovative but not new. There were some parts that was left without a proper introduction early on that I decided to give up on waiting for an explanation, only to be hit with it, several episodes later wherein I feel didn't exactly mattered to be told at that point.
Art (9/10):
The art was detailed. You could feel the vibes it was trying to give off every setting. I also appreciate how they showcase the detail of their art by focusing on it on a frame (they also sometimes use this as a transition, which I think is smooth).
Sound (9/10):
I really enjoyed the first OP. I could have watched that for the next 24 episodes and not get tired of it. The OST was not overlapping scenes but going with it. The balance between the sounds and scenes were exceptional. They also got rid of certain SFX where you would get anywhere else (For example, if a character did something stupid or perhaps tripped, you wouldn't get that OOF sound. I believe doing this was also essential to let the viewers decide on how to feel between and during the scenes).
Character (7/10):
Now, character development was present. Was it linear? No. Did it bother me at first? Quite. But, I suggest holding out. In other shows, the main protagonist would be introduced in episode 1 along with around 80 to 100% of what you should know about him. Fire Force threw Shinra at us at episode 1 and I didn't even have a concrete idea on who he is. They didn't make it so wherein you had to accept the main character right then and there. His development is seen throughout the entirety of the anime. our acceptance of him and his ideal come off natural and not forced.
I have given Fire Force a 7 because I feel like its omnipresent storytelling has caused some developments in side characters that could have been left untouched for the time being. Some side characters, who play an important part to the story, will incur your prejudiced. This will cause you to doubt them and things they do, which didn't really matter at this point yet.
Enjoyment (9/10):
Overall (8/10):
The storytelling does wonders for this show. Especially since it is competing with tons of others in the shounen genre, it does do something to stand out. Don't expect too much because no matter how it does go about it, in the end of the day, it is still a shounen anime. Some things might be predictable and others might be too idealistic but it is what it is. For someone new to anime, this would be a great gateway drug. For those who are accustomed to this genre, nothing wrong with taking in a little more shounen, especially this.
