Oedo Fire Slayer -The Legend of Phoenix- – Episode 1

What’s it about? Gengo Matsunaga, known as the Phoenix, was one the greatest fire-slayer in all of Edo. So when he’s approached to rebuild a fire brigade after retiring, he finds himself in the midst of a ragtag band who are charged with defeating fires that now seem more daunting than in his early years.

Flames engulf the horizon in this premiere as Gengo Matsunaga is tasked with saving a princess. He leaps through the literal fire and the flames, demonstrating heroics in a time where modern day firefighting gear–including the ability to have a supply of fresh oxygen–doesn’t exist, leaving those who are bravest to calculate the danger and dive in.

Flash forward to life thereafter: Gengo has retired from firefighting, living with his clever wife in the rustic countryside, when opportunity comes directly to his door. Without intending to, he’s thrust back into the job he left in the wake of a traumatic fire.

I’ll admit that I have a perennial soft-spot for historical fiction anime. They’re one of my favorite genres, providing a peek into times I’ll literally never be able to adequately recreate, even now. I have many memories of watching episodes of Sengoku Basara in college at anime club, and I just recently snapped up the newest volume of A Bride’s Story. Whether grounded or completely fantastical, I really love stories like this.

Fire Slayer seems to be going for a decidedly fantasy bent with Gengo, a famed fireman, having an almost psychic ability to detect humans within the belly of a fiery beast. It’s what leads him to rescue a princess and honestly, what immediately characterizes him as being someone worthy of being called a hero. Suitable that he ends up in charge of a group of hapless youth who are nowhere near breathing distance to that title in regard to themselves.

Now, I hate to come for it, but…Fire Slayer looks uncanny at times, and yes, it’s because of its 3D animation. I always hate saying that because there’s incredibly shows out there that capture a very stylized look (cough cough ARCANE cough cough cough) in a way that elevates the show.Things aren’t always mildly discomforting: when the show is in its quiet moments, it’s just a kind of an average 3D anime, but when the action picks up is when the show seems to lean toward being uncanny and really reveals itself as being somewhat hard on the eyes. It’s my biggest ding against what is ultimately a perfectly fine, even kind of compelling, premise.

Overall, I really liked this premiere. It’s simple, but well done, offering up an action slice of life from a time long gone. Often uncanny animation aside, I do think it’s one of the quieter premieres that’s actually well-worth watching because of it’s potential to tell a really nice story. 

Gengo’s immediate conflict with his past and the trainee firefighters is compelling: he’s clearly got his own trauma with fires, even if he’s the only man capable of whipping a group of would-be firefighters into shape. It provides space for this to grow into a heartwarming story where there’s no magic macguffin to hunt down nor realms wide and far, just one of history’s most destructive forces to fend off and lives to save. With the inclusion of a foe––the elusive arsonist, Foxfire––the show grows more and more curious as fires ravage the lives around it.

While this is no action adventure set in another world, nor a well-loved storied fantasy, it is a reminder that sometimes, really curious shows can be found at the fringes of a premiere season. I highly recommend you check it out: I think I’m going to keep watching this one.