Firefly Wedding wasn’t on my radar as one of the anime I wanted to get into this season, and after watching the first episode for review, it’s clear I made a grave mistake in that assumption. Episode 1 of Firefly Wedding was exciting and twisted at the same time, but throughout its course, my attention never faltered. This is a wicked love story if I ever saw one, and it’s a highlight of the fall anime season, undoubtedly.
Editor’s note: there will be minor spoilers for episode 1 of Firefly Wedding.
The anime adaptation of Oreko Tachibana’s Firefly Wedding manga stars out like many romance tales—the introduction of a girl that’s down on her luck. More specifically, a weak heart and constitution that plagues Satoko Kirigaya (VA: Lynn) and her life going the years of her adulthood. She’s beautiful and the daughter of a noble family in Japan, but she’s running out of time. Her father is determined and vows that she will live with a good man that loves her unconditionally. Initially, this story is about being uplifted in the face of adversity, and well, that still applies to an extent later in the episode.
Firefly Wedding Episode 1 is a Brilliant Stunner
I won’t spoil too many details, but I will say that this episode is certainly a tale of two halves. Firefly Wedding does a great job emphasizing Satoko’s beauty and resilience in the face of her condition. She wants what’s best for herself and her father, who she owes much to for accepting and raising her when others didn’t. She’s even willing to find a suitor to help support her and pay her dues to her father. The first half of the episode paints that heartwarming image of her clearly.
This episode is a real stunner, though. Enter Shinpei Goto, a ruthless and deranged assassin whose tasked with the unfortunate duty of killing Satoko after she’s kidnapped. Goto is as crazy as you can imagine, and Satoko is terrified for her life. To make matters worse, she’s put in a severely compromising position. Even Goto has a faith sliver of humanity left in him, though. With a katana in hand, Goto can’t be touched by his enemies, or rather, only the blood of his opponents can. He is the epitome of ruthlessness, which makes his relationship with Satoko seriously intriguing.
From Satoko’s beauty and despair to Goto’s derangement, Firefly Wedding is beautifully animated through and through. Firefly Wedding has a surprising amount of gore for what is essentially a romance story at its core, but that element is appealing as well. This anime is also rich in color with its artstyle, making each sense memorable and captivating, even when blood is being spilled.
Episode 1 of Firefly Wedding is a twisted treat, and this anime is shaping up to be one you’ll want savor. I had virtually no qualms with this episode other than wanting more, and in that regard, I can’t hold it against the episode for being that good in roughly 23 minutes. I highly recommend giving Firefly Wedding a watch as long as you don’t mind some gore in your romance story.
Firefly Wedding premieres on October 9 at 11:30 p.m. JST on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block. Crunchyroll will stream the anime.
Disclaimer: Crunchyroll provided access for episode 1 of Firefly Wedding for review purposes.
