With a sample! A manga masterpiece completed this year] Anime and games…! The secret of the “Flame Fire Brigade” boom that fans are crazy about!
This is a series of short articles looking back on the greatest hit manga that have reached their conclusion this year. From the manga that have been loved throughout the ages from the Heisei era to Reiwa, we will present selected masterpieces in the genres of “sports,” “action,” “fantasy,” “romance,” and “everyday manga.
The blockbuster hit “Flame Firefighters,” which has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, reached its conclusion in February 2022 after six and a half years of serialization, with the 34th volume of the manga released in May of the same year.
The story takes place in a world where a mysterious phenomenon of human body ignition occurs after a certain catastrophe. Those who ignite lose their ego and go on a rampage until their own lives are extinguished, burning up their surroundings and terrorizing people as “Homurabito,” or “flame-beaters. The “special fire brigade” is organized to protect people from the fear of flames and to investigate the cause of the phenomenon of human body ignition. The story follows Shinra, a boy who lost his mother and younger brother in a fire when he was a child, who is assigned to the “8th Special Firefighting Team” and engages in firefighting activities with his friends, and fights to discover the secret of the “flame bites”.
In addition to its bold, authentic fantasy, this work has also attracted attention for its multifaceted media mix: the TV anime began in 2019 and has now aired two seasons; in May 2022, it was announced that a third season, “Flame Fire Brigade: San no Sho,” will be produced. The voice cast is also gorgeous. The cast includes handsome voice actor Takehito Kajiwara, who plays the main character Shinra, as well as Yusuke Kobayashi, Kenichi Suzumura, Maaya Sakamoto, M.A.O., Aoi Yuki, and many others.
In addition, three stage productions will be staged between 2020 and 2022, all of which have been very successful. Teru Makishima, who played Kaido Kaoru in the third season of the musical “The Prince of Tennis,” gave a fine performance as Shinra in the first stage production of “The Fire Brigade” and “The Fire Brigade – Destruction Flower, Creation Sound. The show also attracted attention for its gathering of popular 2.5D stage actors such as Yuya Asato and Ren Ozawa.
In addition, a newspaper ad was placed in the Yomiuri Shimbun’s morning edition to coincide with the sale of the final volume, and an online exhibition was held in June to commemorate the completion of the series.
A completely new original game for smartphones and PCs is scheduled for distribution in the coming year. It seems that the hot movement created by “Flame Fire Brigade” has not yet cooled down.
Interview and text by： Minako Nakamura
