***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Promare. Reader discretion is advised.***
As a reminder: THIS IS NOT A REVIEW. Films and other posts under the Out and About: Eigakan label are watched in Japanese with NO English subtitles. Therefore, misinterpretations and misunderstandings are possible. With that said:
I just got out of Promare…
And there’s no hiding it. I was looking forward to this one.
If you’ve been following me on Anime Hajime for a while or if you’ve read my other posts which have focused on any of this company’s past series, then you know full well that my favorite anime studio is Studio Trigger — Kill la Kill, Little Witch Academia, Darling in the Franxx, etc..
I am a fan of Studio Trigger because their productions are uniquely their own. It is impossible to mistake one of their series for another studio’s. Packed to the brim with outstanding animation, excellent music, fun humor, and fascinating drama, there are anime which go big and then there is Studio Trigger big.
Now imagine that, but on a movie’s budget. So yeah, I was a little hyped when walking into the theater.
In spite of that, I can’t deny the massive handicap I had during my viewing of Promare. A Studio Trigger story and my level of Japanese didn’t instill me with a confidence that said I was going to understand everything in this film.
It turned out, I was right. There was quite a bit I couldn’t catch.
Be that as it may, holy s@#$ did I have a good time with this movie. I cannot wait to review it for real. But before I go into more depth, to the best of my ability, here’s a brief synopsis of Promare’s story:
Sometime in the past, a mysterious energy began to resonate within people the world over. This power turned those with it into immensely destructive, fire-like wielding weapons. As such, this affliction came to be known as “burnish,” and a violent global struggle to contain it ensued.
Many years had since passed, and people with the burnish ability went underground; only occasionally breaking out explosively. When those emergencies did occur, it was the job of the elite Burning Rescue to contain the devastation. Amongst the most skilled members of this team was the hot-headed Galo.
One day, Galo and his comrades responded to an attack being carried out by a burnish terrorist cell led by the supposedly dangerous Lio Fotia. Galo successfully captured Lio and was rewarded for his efforts. However, Galo’s rising fame permitted him to glimpse behind the scenes. There he learned the true “threat” behind burnish.
While I was watching, Promare was at its haziest when it came to the real nitty-gritty details. There are a lot of why-questions I can’t yet answer. But those I will worry about — assuming they are problems at all — for the actual review. Besides, this movie had my full attention from the first few minutes, and it never let go.
Promare’s opening fight between Galo and Lio was bat s@#$ crazy, and I mean that in the most positive way possible. Studio Trigger — and more specifically, Promare’s director, Hiroyuki Imaishi — has proven to operate under a single philosophy:
If you’re going to go wild, you better make damn sure you don’t half-ass it.
Galo versus Lio was a spectacular way to start this film. For me, it got my blood pumping fast. And do you want to know something completely nuts?
Promare’s first action scene, the one that had me totally sold, was the least exciting of all this film’s action scenes.
“Fun” doesn’t even begin to describe my experience. And by the way, you bet your ass the answer is yes. This movie showcased Studio Trigger’s best animation to date. Although that was something I wanted to see, I honestly didn’t think I was going to get it.
Man, I really wish I was more fluent in Japanese because waiting for an English subbed release is already taking too long.
Oh, there is no doubt about it. I am buying this movie. Before I do, though, I won’t be surprised if I end up with the soundtrack first. Not only did Promare have a bona fide Studio Trigger musical score, but it also had a Hiroyuki Sawano musical score. That’s the same person who made the music for Studio Trigger’s Kill la Kill, as well as Attack on Titan and the 2015 installment of the Xenoblade series Xenoblade Chronicles X.
And if that still doesn’t register anything with you, let me say it this way:
Promare sounded f@#$ing awesome.
With that, I think it’s about time I wrap this up because without knowing the story more than I do now, I’m not sure where I should go next. In the meantime, I will grant that it is possible this movie could actually be full of holes and be an all-around mess. While that would certainly suck, I’m more than willing to take the risk.
Something tells me Promare has a pretty good chance of holding up.
But you know what? I could be wrong. We will just have to wait and see.
Thank you all so much for reading. Please comment down below if you have anything to say – positively or negatively – about this post. Also, if you have seen the film, I would love to hear your thoughts.
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For Anime Hajime, I’m LofZOdyssey, and I’ll see you next time.
