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I have to leave this review because I see so many negative reviews for this show, and I don't think that's fair. It's funny cause I used to agree with those reviews. When I started this show, back when it first premiered, I couldn't stand it. I thought it had way too much fan service, the pacing was bizarre and the characters seemed very one-note and gimmicky. Episode 9 was the breaking point for me, where a goofy moment was thrown in, what was supposed to be, a serious fight scene. I dropped the show out of frustration; I wanted to like these characters, I ... wanted to be invested, the world and powers they created were so interesting. The pieces were in place to have something truly special.

About a year later, I picked up the show again, this time with a friend. Having come off Kill la Kill, I figured I was better prepared to handle the fanservice this time around. The aforementioned moments still annoyed me, they annoyed my friend too, but eventually, we made it to episode 10. And that is when the show turned around.

The pacing suddenly got better, all of a sudden we were learning characters backstories and getting some very human and emotional moments between them. Fanservice, while still there, was now so over-the-top ridicuous, we couldn't help but roll our eyes and laugh, often equating it to ripping off a band-aid. By the time we reached the end, we were invested in Shinra's struggle, the plot and were having an absolute blast watching.

This is the most perplexing show I've ever watched. Not in the story, not in character, not in production, but in what a difference in quality between the first 9 episodes and 10 onward are. By the time you reach the last few episodes, you are watching a completely different show. If the first 9 episodes had the same quality as the rest of Fire Force, it would have fared a lot better. I've never seen a show take 9 episodes to find its groove, but I am very glad that it did because the payoff is worth the wait.