What They Say:
“The Ashen Reaper”
Licht reveals to the other members of the 8th that he has been spying on them for Haijima. Licht and Shinra come up with a plan to get inside the child pyrokinesis lab where Shinra was institutionalized as a child to uncover some dirt on Haijima.
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Its been a while since Shinra and Authur have had their idiot comedic duo routine in this show. Authur accuses Shinra of being a Haijima spy and they start to fight. In the middle of their fight, Vulcan sends two animal covered rockets right at their faces. I’m not much of a fan of their routine but its a nice change of pace. This season has had a darker tone and this was a good point to inject some light comedy. The only problem is that it was lacking in humor and there needed to be a punchline.
Viktor Licht finally reveals his secret to Fire Force Squad 8 to the surprise of no one. Well, mostly no one. Iris is the only one who is surprised to hear that Licht is a spy for Haijima. I have to wonder if she is shocked at this revelation or if she wanted to do the Pikachu face shock meme. Everyone else eyes are so dead as he announces his secret. Licht took it as a shock that everyone already knows. He was building up so much suspense for it to go away in a matter of seconds. Either way, he is ecstatic as he talks about his quest for the truth. He doesn’t care if he works with Haijima or Company 8 as long as he discovers all the forbidden truths. Licht contains the potential to walk a calamitous path. He seems not to care about the cost of his path. The ends don’t justify the means.
Shinra spent most of his childhood at a Haijima laboratory to discover if he had an Adolla Burst. Haijima failed in this task and set Shinra free but this would come at a high cost. Shinra would later discover his Adolla Burst. Other children are subjected to harsher trials to see if they can acquire an Adolla Burst. Haijima wants Shinra back at any cost possible. Company 8 also wants to use this as an opportunity to see if there is a connection between Haijima and the Evangelist.
The fruits of Rekka’s labors are finally starting to bloom. Nataku has awakened his fire abilities and is a test subject in Haijima labs. This is an unfortunate fate as he is often beaten by Kurono, the Ashen Reaper, to discover the limits of his abilities. Nataku hallucinates that Rekka is next to him and encouraging him to fight. It seems to be a coping mechanism to survive his fight against Kurono. Nataku screams himself into a rage of fire but doesn’t stand a chance against Kurono.
Kurono is another delightful villain to join the cast of Fire Force. He is 100% convinced in his methods and moves to his own tune. His strength gives him the authority to treat others as he wants. He works with the researchers but will destroy them if they step out of place and attempt to move up the ladder. Researchers typically represent the devasting aspects of humanity but Kurono puts them to shame with his ghastly deeds. He takes pleasure from defeating the weak and this includes children.
In Summary
This new arc is getting off to a high start as the second dark side of Tokyo is thrust into the light. This episode features one, maybe two characters, that people will love to hate. Licht has never found his place with Squad 8 and struggled to fit in. These latest episodes have delved into more to who why he takes action. I found these last episodes’ approaches to displaying emotional trauma to be a wonderful beginning. Lisa and Nataku’s dreadful stories are told in parallel. They are both unable to move on from their past and are haunted by figures who caused them great distress. I hope this series doesn’t forget about this aspect and goes even deeper into their psyche to better understand the damage done to them.
Grade: B
Streamed by: Crunchyroll
