Thirty years after teams of techno-firefighters saved the world from flame and explosion, the fires are starting up again. This time blame falls on the ethnic ‘Burnish.’ (Whoever the hell they are.) But what if anti-terrorism laws being used against The Burnish are targeting victims rather than perpetrators? If so, who are the real agents of destruction? Is a government cabal calling the shots behind the bomb throwing tanks and fire-spewing flying battleships? Or have I got the story wrong? Honestly, kinda hard to tell amid the nonstop combustible ordinance in Hiroyuki Imaishi’s ultra-kinetic anime. Not that it matters much during the first half of the pic where violence in a pastel palette is inventive enough to carry you thru; along with the motley mix of young action-firefighters led by hunky Galo and sleek Lio. There’s even a mouth-to-mouth Kiss of Life climax for these two. (The longest homoerotic smooch in non-porn anime history.) Elsewise, no sexual tension between anyone on this crew of diverse action heroes. All too busy screaming orders and rebel yells to stop for romantic complications. And for about half the film’s running time, this proves more than enough as cool design elements (in background & character) and a digital execution with a hand-drawn æsthetic carries you along. Just too much of it. By the second half it hits like a noisy video game with an arena rock soundtrack you’ve spent enough time playing. Though not I suspect, the target audience. Though even they may get a bit tired of all the explanatory verbiage.
ATTENTION MUST BE PAID: Hey! Japanese pizza makers, put a little cheese on that pie!
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