Hey guys and here I am with a brand new anime review! For this one I will finally be able to talk about the first ever feature length feature from Studio Trigger, Promare, which was able to get a limited theatrical run here in the U.S. last year. Now I’ve already mentioned numerous times before that I am a big fan of the animation studio, and their work and have reviewed a number of their works already but all I’ll say is that I tend to really like their stuff so naturally I was interested in seeing what they could do with their own movie. It looked really cool from the trailers with it’s intriguing premise, and colorful animation so I was optimistic that the final product would be just as fun. Right I was because as it turns out it is one of funnest movies I’ve seen recently, and is among the best animated films of last year. So let’s answer that siren call and fight some fires with the Burning Rescue team in a crazy yet exciting adventure that was entertaining from beginning to end!
We get a sense of the status quo in an opening sequence that shows a catastrophic event known as the Great World Blaze where spontaneous human combustion occur that kill half the world’s population and was caused by people who seem to have special pyrokinetic abilities who come to be known as the Burnish. Jump to thirty years later and we get introduced to our main character, Galo Thymos, who lives in the city of Promepolis, and works as a member of Burning Rescue, a team of firefighters who take care of fiery incidents caused by Mad Burnish, a radical group who are seen as terrorists. One day during one of those incident, the team gets into a skirmish with the leader of the group and actually is able to defeat, and imprison them. Yet despite his initial feelings of resentment toward them, and what he’s been told by his good friend, and the governor himself, Kray Foresight, Galo comes to realize does start to think about what they were trying to do and how the Burnish are treated by the Freeze Force (a police force overseen by Foresight) and eventually does start to have something of a change of heart. Now can he be able to team up with Lio, and can they together take down a secret plan that could potentially eradicate the Burnish, and save the Earth from an impending doom?
There are some movies that are just one non stop thrill ride from the start all the way to the end and are most concerned with making sure the experience is memorable. I would definitely put this one under that category as it really is a movie that invites you along for the ride and pulls no punches when it comes to delivering what one might expect from a product from Studio Trigger. It’s very fast paced, and constantly moving quickly (so much so that at times some may find it exhausting) yet also knows when to take a little break when needed in order to let an emotional moment sink in, have some neat character interaction, or unload some important information. It kind of reminded me of John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum in that respect in that it is a relentless experience that nonetheless still has a good deal of investment to the proceedings as well. I also thought that the world building on display, and how the Burnish came to be was really cool, and looked into a lot and is admittedly something rather unique, and original plus it gave the film some opportunities to provide a bit of substance with how it looks into oppression and how misguided it can be, especially when those oppressing fail to understand the plights of the oppressed or are afraid to do anything about it. The concept of the Burnish is interesting as it showcases a group of people who despite their deadly abilities that were forced upon them they still try to make the best of it and stick together and help one another and this is best exemplified in one of the quieter scenes of the film when Galo witnesses a Burnish is dying and it was very effective. Of course just like previous Trigger works it is very much a movie all about teamwork and putting aside differences to take down a common threat and it’s all good stuff and it’s wrapped in a fun, witty (the movie is quite funny at times), and often times downright epic package (with plenty of Trigger related easter eggs to boot). It does have it’s issues here and there as there aren’t too many shocking surprises in the narrative, there’s a utilization of many familiar tropes, and story turns, and it’s very much more focused on visuals than on plot. But it still manages to work thanks to the many reasons I stated above and I was consistently entertained throughout!
Visually speaking Trigger once again brings their A-game to the table as this can best be described as a a big colorful fireworks show to the eyes! Every single frame is just brimming with energy and as a whole the movie works quite well as a spectacle with the animation playing a huge role in that. I really like the looks of the characters and each major one stands out from each other, all looking different while also capturing the personalities really well, and having very expressive facial expressions (something past Trigger works have also done extremely well) while the movements are appropriately fast paced, and energic as it always feels like something is happening onscreen. For the backgrounds there is some 3D utilized and it helps in making the world, and environments like the city of Promepolis for example, feel vast, and big and blends in well with the 2D aesthetics and is used a lot in the Mech based action. Speaking of which let’s discuss just how awesome the action here is! There are some many memorable sequences that just go all out in terms of the insane factor and take advantage of the large environments around them as well as using the Burnish’s fire powers to creative effect creating some neat, and cool visuals in the process and presenting that specific power in a unique way (there is one really cool visual involving Lio’s powers that occurs which was dazzling). They too also feel big, and epic in scale with the opening fire rescue, and the climatic showdown being my personal favorites of the bunch. They’re also elevated by the music here as the soundtrack here composed by Hiroyuki Sawano is a stand out! The main theme, “Kakusei”, performed by Superfly is just pure awesomeness as it does a great job in getting me hyped for what’s about to occur while the opening, and ending song, “Inferno”, performed by Benjamin Anderson is really catchy. If your ever in the mood for a work out and want something hype inducing to listen to, then these tunes would more than do the trick! Once again the animators over at Trigger do what they best to craft some truly wonderful visual feats once more.
Then there are the characters themselves and for the most part they serves their purposes well and are fun to hang out with it. First let’s start off with our main character, Galos, who very much resembles Kamina from Gurren Lagann not just in terms of design, but also personality as well. He’s a hot headed individual who may not follow orders, and is often very impulsive he still is very passionate, and dedicated to doing the right thing, protecting others no matter what, and he comes to really want to help the Burnish out. He remains likable throughout and he has some nice interactions with the rest of the characters such as Lio who is easily my favorite of the bunch, and is the most developed as well. He’s very sympathetic in that all that he is doing is for the sake of his people and he just wants Burnish to be left alone yet he never has harmful intents and doesn’t want to kill anyone making him an honorable leader whos sympathy towards people can unfortunately be taken advantage of. I like where his arc went and he’s just a really cool, interesting character that I found really compelling. As for the rest of the Burning Rescue team well Aina is the one gets the most to do as Galos’s partner (and potential love interest) and they made for a nice couple (would’ve like to have seen more of her relationship with her scientist sister who works for Foresight though) while the others are fun, and have some really cool, and each have unique character designs yet it’s one of those cases where I really liked this team but I still would’ve liked to have seen more of them. As it is they each play different archetypes (Ignis is the strict captain, Remi is the brains, Varys is the muscle, Lucia is the energetic one, and Vinny is the cute little mascot) yet each still get their moments to shine and make for a memorable unit with plenty of fun squabbles, and interactions. Finally there’s Kray Foresight, the governor of Promepolis, and founder of the Freeze Force (whose colonel Vulcan whose bulky look, and abrasive personality make him an effective, and memorable right hand man) and it revealed somewhat early on (spoilers I guess) that he is indeed the big bad of the picture and an interesting one at that. He starts off as a kind, and caring individual who only wants what’s best for the populace, though it is subtly implied that all is not what it seems with him and it is soon revealed that he is a very aggressive, and tyrannical and will do whatever it takes to become humanity’s savior no matter how many lives must be sacrificed and some of the twists involving him I found pretty interesting and he made for an well done threat for our heroes to face. All in all though this is a solid cast of fun, and colorful characters (with strong vocal performances from each of the voice actors) that fit in nicely with the rest of the movie.
On the whole I had an absolute blast watching Promare as it is a fantastic visual experience with some cool world building, a good deal of substance that makes it more than just an animation showcase, insane action set pieces, and a memorable cast of characters who I would like to see more of. It may utilize familiar tropes, and may not totally use it’s supporting cast like the Burning Rescue team as much as I think it could’ve but it still works very well and is just a ton of fun to watch. Fans of Trigger will undoubtedly appreciate it and if your into these types of crazy fun types of movies then you probably enjoy this as well. May not be for everyone as it may be too hectic, and insane for some people but even then there is still plenty to appreciate. It’s also a movie that I could see getting some kind of follow up of some kind, though if that doesn’t come to fruition well it still ends things well and actually ties things up nicely. A highlight in terms of animation for last year and if Trigger ever decides to make another feature length film, then considered me sold!
Rating: A-
Please leave your thoughts down below in the comments and see you guys later!
Review Time 