by l3ongl3oi on March 27th, 2008, 7:28pm

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User rating of this review - N/A out of 5
Story/Plot - 4 out of 5
Characters - 4 out of 5
Drawing Style - 4 out of 5
Enjoyment - 5 out of 5
Overall - 4 out of 5

Click here for series information

Hey everyone! This is my first review so please add comments.

RATING SYSTEM: I've noticed that for most manga titles, its hard to narrow the genre down to just one. So you will see that many of the titles listed on this site is under many different genre types. I will narrow it down to the main two that I feel match the title the most. Then I will give a rating for the book for these two genres alone. So I will rate how well the book reads for the genre selected, for example, if it is a comedy/drama, then I will rate it for how well it makes me laugh and move me.

Basic Plot/Plot Development:

The basic plot of this manga is about a boy going after his dream, which is to be a great firefighter. Like most journeys his is not just a simple path, the plot slowly develops as the character evolves and grows walking on that path toward his dream.

Character Development:

This manga is VERY character driven. Like many stories revolving around one main protagonist, the evolution of that character drives the story and in turn evolves the characters around him. Although the main character is well built, the supporting characters seemed lacking in comparison. It will be very easy to get behind the main character as he Is trying to do what is right. In the first few chapters he is the sole driving force in the story, as the story progresses, more of the supporting characters will play larger roles in the outcome of the story.

Art Style:

The art style is very detailed, and visually appealing. As the story progresses, you notice the evolution of the artist as the volumes go by, every time being a little more refined. I myself don’t really care too much about the art. Art like most things take time to get used to.

Worth Buying?(US release)

The firefighting and rescue scenarios are very exciting and it’s hard not to get pulled into the story. The situations that him and the characters around get into and out of are believable at the beginning, as the story goes on, situations he gets into grows and the solutions get more and more extreme. Yet I never found myself doubting the story, everything was explained in such detail that unless YOU ARE a firefighter I doubt you could disagree. This is a unique manga, especially in the US where it does not involve monsters or magic, or anything supernatural. It is a genuine, REAL adventure story that is worth the read. This was one of Viz’s early releases so it’s not as fine tuned as some of its more recent ones, but it’s still good. I think that this is worth the buy, if you like heart pounding action without the bells and whistles, whatever that means.

Reviewer's Opinion:
I don't feel that a real review can be written on a series unless one is completely finished reading it, because the ending is just as important as the beginning.

This book was an exciting read from beginning to end, there were almost no moments it slowed down. The genre of this manga says drama /shounen, I never really understood the shounen genre it’s too general. I would dub this a profession / drama. The profession genre type is a manga that spotlights a certain job profession.

For its high paced action and many dramatic points in the story arcs, and the great way it highlights the firefighting profession, I would give this a solid 8/10. (i realize that this will slightly differ from the above rating, but this rating is based on my rating system, explained above)

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