![]() There's a lot to talk about with all art. There's a lot to talk about with Fire Punch. ![]() Fire punch is, after all, a manga, created by an artist who is unabashadly in love with stories. Fiction can, Fire Punch supposes in the midst of its chaos and confusion, allow the oppressed to be free, give meaning to the meaningless, and provide comfort to the suffering. The answer is, of course, a complicated "yes".Īnd through that "yes" an optimistic vision of creation is formed. Or are we like the antagonists, who tell their own fiction so much they end up believing in it themselves. Are we like Togata, whose life has no meaning without stories to watch to pass the emptiness of life, or are we like Agni (the protagonist) whose life is, knowingly or not, shaped and defined by the violent stories society loves. The audience is in this way confronted with how society consumes art: that is to say, constantly and hungrily. The main character, his motivations, his personality, the very world he lives in is all so silly, like some sort of joke. The initial darkness that turned so many off is seen in a new light now as a sort of mockery. From here on, the form of sequential art is twisted and played with as expectations and cliches are constantly dismantled with an infectious glee: the super special ultra technique exists for a gag, the quirky and mysterious side characters are almost immediately ignored after their introductions, fights are born and raised for the sake of the anti-climax, so on and so on. The manga refuses to abide by the tired and true beats of traditional manga. Or she would be, but things keep going wrong. She constantly and overtly discusses the narrative beats of the manga itself, explaining like an author or a critic how each scene should fit within the overarking story. Someone who can't help but see the world as a narrative. The protagonist disappears, replaced by someone whose entire life is formed through stories. Togata, a camera wielding maniac, almost literally hijacks the manga early on. But then a character appeared and recontextualized the preceeding pessimism. And hey, I was seconds away from quitting myself. They call it out as pointlessly edgy and immoral and nihilistic. And most reviews or impressions of Fire Punch seem to suggest that most people did stop here. Sure there are some jokes, but it all weighs heavy on you as bad things keep piling up on each other as if that's just the truth of the world. It's hard to blame anyone for backing out early here despite the amazing premise and promise of real scuzzy exploitation fun in the first chapter thanks to the following volume worth of oppressive and at the face meaningless cruelty. A story where a man who fights by hitting bullets with a baseball bat is confronted by a woman in a bikini (the world has frozen over in Fire Punch, a perpetual winter) riding on a katana as An intelligent and carefully crafted work that refuses easy solutions or simple emotions. A manga that treats the traditional narrative and plot hooks of the medium with disdain as if they themselves are an act of opression, bearing down on the lives of its characters. A free-wheeling psychedelic commentary on violence (all kinds-physical, sexual, emotional, etc) in media and our relationship with these stories. As Agni traverses a frozen wasteland, he vows to avenge his sister and kill Doma.įire Punch rules. However, his burning vengeance is as fierce as it was on the day Luna was taken from him. Doma's flames do not extinguish until they have reduced their target to ash, and due to Agni's remarkable regeneration, he remains ablaze and in constant, excruciating pain.Īfter nearly a decade of enduring the pain, Agni has conditioned himself to tolerate Doma's flames. Nevertheless, what little serenity they have is stolen away when army commander Doma passes through and incinerates the village they are seeking refuge in-Agni's beloved sister included. Fighting against the cold has brought out the worst in humanity, leading to cults, violence, and the persecution of the "Blessed"-those born with supernatural powers.Īgni and Luna-blessed orphans with regenerative powers-are making the best of their situation within a small society of elders their affection for each other serves as a distraction from the uninhabitable climate. EditSynopsis In a world ravaged by ice and snow, civilization is on the brink of collapse, thanks to the elusive Ice Witch.
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