While not yet on fire, the anime adaptation of The Fire Hunter is certainly catching attention. The very lush animation and stellar casting have created some preliminary heat around the Crunchyroll series which could melt the winter release ice and is certainly sparking interest. Will things heat up for this adaptation or will the extensive requirements of world building fail to translate to the screen?
As a light fantasy novel, Hikari no Ou (Firecatcher Lord) has done well for itself. Originally created by Rieko Hinata as their first novel, illustrations and original character design was done by Akihiro Yamada, who had previously worked on Twelve Kingdoms and RahXephon. Four volumes were put out by publisher Holp Shuppan to some acclaim, beginning December 20, 2018, and going through September 3, 2020. In November of that year, it was announced by Signal MD that an anime adaptation was in the works, eventually to be picked up and aired this winter 2023 on Wowow, a Japanese television station known for producing great anime, such as Cowboy Bebop, Ergo Proxy, Paranoia Agent, the 2016 Berserk series and Anime Complex.
Matchsticks and Sickles
The story is set in a post-apocalyptic future where the final weapon used in the Last War was a pathogen of such toxic alteration that it created a situation where humanity can no longer be exposed to even the slightest source of open flame without spontaneously catching fire and burning themselves up. The only safe source of heat and energy then comes from strange creatures, Flame Demons, that haunt the dark forests that now surround the small, struggling enclaves of humanity. They are pursued by hunters wielding sickles to protect humans and gather the flame. Among these hunters there is a rumor of the greatest hunter of all, the King of the Fire Hunters, the Firecatcher Lord, who will be able to harvest the fire of the 1000-year comet or "Wandering Spark" that was put up before the Last War and whose path across the sky indicates that it is now making its way towards earth.
Phew, there's a lot to process here without even addressing the characters. Certainly there have been anime with equally "out there" premises that have done very well. In the popular Doctor Stone, most of humanity is turned to stone is a mysterious worldwide petrification process, with millennia passing before humanity has to start up again from scratch, so the whole "people as matchsticks" idea might not be a hard pill to swallow. A deliberate weaponized creation of this as a global infection, coming just off a pandemic, may prove a more difficult prospect. Still, given the number of heavy hitters associated with the staff and voice actors on this title, bets are clearly towards a big win.
Cast and Crew
Two people who were never intended to meet, 11-year-old Touko an orphan from the outlying villages, and 15-year-old Koushi, a student from the protected capital city, meet in the forest and change the destiny of their world. Touko will be played by Misaki Kuno (Made in the Abyss, Lycoris Recoil), with Koushi being voiced by Shouya Ishige (My Dress Up Darling, The Devil Is a Part Timer). Junji Nishimura (Vlad Love, Samurai Deeper Kyo) will be directing with Mamoru Oshii (Angel's Egg) on script and animations by Takuya Saito (Outlaw Star). Kazuhiro Wakabayashi of Mob Psycho 100 fame, will be handling the music. The opening song is "Utsosuki/Liar" by Leo Iein, and the closing song is "Mada Tooku ni Iru.Still Far Away" by Maaya Sakamotoa, who will also be playing the supporting character Akira, the red-haired huntress who helps Touko.
The Fire Hunter will begin simultaneous airing on Wowow and Crunchyroll on Janurary 14, 2023. Although the lineup for 2023 is tightly packed with potential wins, here's hoping sparks fly for this beautifully animated tale of survival.