The following contains spoilers for Fire Force Season 3, Episode 20, “Hope Is,” streaming now on Crunchyroll.
Episode 20 of the final season Fire Force Episode 19's ending is boldly weird and experimental in ways viewers may not have been prepared for. Episode 19 primed fans for a titanic clash of powerhouse doppelgangers from Adola against Company 8. Soul EaterThe Moon looks great, but “Where's the Hope” goes in an aggressively different direction. The results are positive and mixed Fire Force Fans may be divided on whether this is truly an inspiring story or just another excuse for fan service trying to justify itself with a deeper message.
The end result is not entirely effective as Tamaki Kotatsu's Lucky Lecher Lure becomes more of a plot device than ever. previous Fire Force Episodes make it a PG-13 gag as Tamaki's clothes keep flying off, while in “Where Hope Is,” it's actually the key to defeating Assault's doppelganger. Episode 20 is using questionable means to deliver a truly meaningful message, fanning the flames of Internet discourse in anime-style fan service. The end result will be a different hit depending on who is watching, but at least Fire Force is trying to do something positive, and its first scene is undeniably memorable and thought-provoking.
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The Fire Force thinks intelligently about the growth and destiny of life
here and there, Fire Force Anime World Shinra Kusakabe twists the boundaries between home and the real world that anime fans live in when they stream the series. It's a clever breach of the fourth wall that connects Shinra's fictional home with the real world to help fans think about how fantasy and reality influence each other. Like anime Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayerand Fire Force Obviously there are works of fiction, events and people that don't exist and never will, but the world of Shinra shouldn't exist. too Separate from the real one, and episode 20 knows.
In earlier episodes Fire Force Real-life photos and images were used to connect Shinra's futuristic world with the real world, and episode 20 takes it to surprising new heights. In the episode's opening scene, viewers meet a Japanese woman named Sugita Sumire in a flashback sequence. She explains her role as the servant of the Evangelist who anticipates the next two major cataclysms. In short, Sugita's speech is a thoughtful meditation on the long-term cycle of life, collective extinction and the destiny of evolution. In Sugita's view, doom and despair make life's inevitable end game, because nothing lasts forever. According to Sugita and other advocates of evangelist, the earth becomes the sun in the final cataclysm because all life must welcome the release.
This fun experimental segment is a bold strategy in an increasingly competitive and saturated anime market, and it's not just an attention-seeking stunt. Fire Force Always played with the limits of creativity in this medium, slowly phasing everything into the real world to connect and make it resonate. What fans saw on “Where Hope Is” feels like a natural next step. There may be a slight shock afterwards Fire ForceIn other experimental scenes, a real woman speaks to the audience like this for three minutes, but the end result is remarkable.
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Tamaki Kotatsu's inspirational message and fan service mix in a confusing way
After Sugita's small speech, episode 20 spends a few minutes on the mass evacuation of civilians before getting to the meat of the event: the erotic battle against Tamaki Kotatsu's attack doppelgänger. This is where “Hope Is” gets unnecessarily confusing in terms of tone and technique, although many fans will still appreciate what they see, Tamaki has no problem with unnecessary screen time. That being said, it's just that episode 20 spends so long on this awkward, unpredictable fight that the unpredictable fight feels underwhelming after episode 19 promises a showdown against more headline-worthy doppelgangers like Benimaru and the Joker.
In essence, Tamaki's attack is an attempt to empower Tamaki as a girl who uses more of her natural good looks to succeed in the fight against the doppelganger. As Tatsuto, the younger boy, notes, Tamaki had to work hard to see the way he did things, instead of relying on his innate talent. Tamaki also manages to convince the disgusted crowd to support him, to the point that everyone is taking off their clothes to cheer on Tamaki's reliance on sexuality to represent the vibrancy of life. Tamaki's lucky Lecher Lure is initially very embarrassing, only for it to become his greatest weapon.
All of this is bound to get the anime community talking about how much fan service the medium needs, from romance titles to fan favorites. Food Wars! and Fire ForceWho happily uses it. On the one hand, it's daring Fire Force To use the lucky lecher lure as an expression of life's vitality and energy as a vehicle for messages of self-belief and de-stigmatization of sex. For once, Tamaki's lucky Lecher Lure actually means something. Still, fans could easily argue that Tamaki's message of the vibrancy of life and hope could have been conveyed in a less unnecessary and less controversial way.
Whether fans appreciate Episode 20's methods or not, the fact remains that the episode is giving itself unnecessary trouble and confusion by mixing a serious message with a famously obvious and often shallow trope. This combination has potential to work, and a more mature anime about sex and body image could get some serious mileage out of this concept. Fire ForceMeanwhile, it's making it difficult for fans to decide what they're watching: an attractive girl pleasing fans, the same girl empowering herself with her body, or something in between.
Fire Force In contrast to delightfully unusual and fourth-wall-breaking stories featuring actual footage or images of pre-Holocaust Japan, it's taking unnecessary gambles. This makes episode 20 a mixed bag, though one thing is certain: this is Tamaki's best episode yet as she claims a tough win on more than one level. His fans are sure to enjoy what they are watching until it's time to get into the most anticipated endgame battles.
- Release date
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July 5, 2019
- network
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TBS, MBS, CBC, Tulip Television, BSN, tys, NBC, HBC, RKK, i-Television, SBS, IBC, BSS, MRO, OBS, TUF, RSK, TUY, tbc, RKB, SBC, KUTV, RBC, UTY, RCC, MRT, atv, MBC
- directors
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Sho Sugawara, Ryota Akei, Tetsuharu Nakamura, Yuya Horiuchi, Kazuomi Koga, Daisuke Chiba, Kyohei Suzuki, Yushi Ibe, Shuji Miyazaki
- The authors
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Yoriko Tomita
- franchise(s)
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Fire Force
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Gakuto Kajiwara
Shinra Kusakabe (voice)
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Yusuke Kobayashi
Arthur Boyle (voice)
- Tamaki's message may resonate too much for some.
- Tamaki powers up and claims a much needed win.
- Boldly mixing anime with the real world.
- Tamaki's fan service is still overwhelming.
- The episode is completely confused with Tamaki.
- The much-anticipated fight has yet to begin.
