Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

A surprisingly engaging action series with breathtaking animation

An action-packed anime series, Fire Force is an enormously entertaining gem that packs a mighty punch for fans of high octane action. The series is based on the original manga by Atsushi Ohkubo (Soul Eater). The series was developed by animation studio David Production (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: The Animation, Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On) and originally aired on Japanese television network MBS. Instead of bursting into flames, Fire Force proves itself to be an impressive and worthwhile anime production.

Earth is facing a brand new crisis: the unexpected combustion of human beings in to flames. Things aren't looking so great for the planet (and all of its inhabitants). What will tomorrow hold? And can anyone solve what has caused the peculiar phenomenon from happening? As things heat up (pun intended!), the sole hope for a better tomorrow is a bad-ass group known as the Fire Force. A organization of highly skilled fighters trained in pyrokinetics, the organization fights for all.

Shinra Kusakabe (Gakuto Kajiwara) is training to be a hero in the Fire Force. Joining the ranks of the eighth division, Fire Force Company 8, Shinra joins other pyrokinetics in fighting villains while he struggles with his own developing abilities: the “Devil's Footprint” (which allows for his feet to combust in to flame at any time he wants). As Shinra comes face-to-face with a dangerous cult navigating the earth his mysterious past awakens. An offer awaits him from one of the leaders: is Shinra truly a friend or foe?

"Fire force? What is that... a new reality series?"

Fire Force has impeccable production values that make it must-see television. The highly stylized art direction by the first-rate team of Toshiaki Amada (Digimon Adventure, Full Metal Panic! Invisible Victory) and Yoshito Takamine (Akame ga Kill! , Matoi the Sacred Slayer) manages to help make the world seem expansive and exciting in good measure. The world-building is extremely successful and the animation never falls short of excellence. The art work (character designs and backgrounds) are a joy to watch. An outstanding effort.

The series score composed by Ken'ichirô Suehiro (Goblin Slayer, A Wonderful Single Life) is a compelling component of the production. The score by Suehiro manages to highlight the action and drama with equal tenacity. The score is remarkably effective and a good fit for the series.

Director Yuki Yase (Durarara!!, Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl) is the primary filmmaker at the helm of the first season. Yase delivers on the concept of the series with aplomb success. While the screenplay written by Yamato Haishima is a little inconsistent at times (and there are a few episodes with less-stellar scripts), the series remains entertaining and visually spectacular throughout every single episode because of Yase's remarkable style as the director. The series is a visually stunning creation.

The tone is perfect. The action is intense. The experience is one that is well worth taking. Fire Force is one of the more exciting anime series of the moment and anime fans should consider is a must-see thrill-ride.

Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Funimation has knocked it out of the park with this top-notch presentation. Throughout the entire video presentation, I was downright amazed by how stunning the crisp animation appeared to be (as viewed on a high-end OLED display). The colors were stunningly bright, vivid, and extremely lush in appearance. The animation appeared to have remarkable depth and detail. The subtle intricacies of the animation managed to make a solid impression.

Fire Force has a number of elaborate action scenes which were intensified significantly by the encode as well: there weren't any moments where it seemed as though the compression was getting in the way of the overall quality. No artifacts to speak of – and the sequences were jam-packed with intense, well-drawn scenes. Outstanding.

Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray release includes two impressive lossless audio options for viewers: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 with English subtitles. The high-resolution lossless audio tracks are crisp and well defined throughout the entire set of episodes. Dialogue is consistently clear and easy to understand. The surrounds were well implemented on the 5.1 English dub track. The music score and subtle intricacies of the sound-design were handled with care.

While some scenes could have used a bit more LFE, the majority of the sound mix was so tight and clean sounding that the experience was much more intense than it would have been without such a well-encoded sound mix. Action scenes are much more engaging to watch with the surrounds in use and the soundstage will have viewers on the edge-of-their-seats. A first-rate lossless audio presentation.

Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

Episode One Audio Commentary

Disc Two:

Fire Force: Interview with Atsushi Ohkubo at Anime Expo 2019 (HD, 8:45)

Fire Force: Atsushi Ohkubo Speed Drawing at Anime Expo 2019 (HD, 1:28)

Fire Force: Inside the Episode: Episode 5 (HD, 10:21)

Fire Force: Inside the Episode: Episode 8 (HD, 9:53)

Fire Force: Inside the Episode: Episode 12 (HD, 9:03)

Episode 10 Audio Commentary

Textless Opening Song (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song (HD, 1:32)

Fire Force: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

There is something remarkable about Fire Force and its opening act. The series is non-stop fun with remarkable action scenes and a solid storyline. The production merits are impressive. The action-packed thrill ride is one audiences won't want to miss out on experiencing. The Blu- ray release even features a first-rate video-audio presentation and enough extras to keep fans entertained long after the credits roll. Don't miss it. Highly recommended.