Part of Queer Qlassics
Thirty years after the rise of the Burnish, when pyrokinetic abilities suddenly catalyzed throughout the population, society has vertically regimented itself. Burning Rescue, a ragtag bunch of firefighters led by the endearing, perpetually shirtless lunkhead Galo (Ken’ichi Matsuyama), make a point of containing and clearing up the wreckage and ashes left in the Burnish wake. But among the many things Galo learns from the Burnish leader, Sia-haired Lio (Taichi Saotome), is that there are always questions to be asked and other paths available. The narratives offered by entrenched power are not absolute, and prejudice is the fuel for engines that have been turning since before the modern technological age. When these two meet in battle, buildings will crumble, hearts will explode in flames, lonely souls will languish in withering and pitiless cold — and the fate of the world will hang in the balance. A visual marvel of big emotions and bigger punching, PROMATE is well-stocked with battle mechs, mutant power signatures and a righteous heart.
“The style is the substance, the motion is the motive – and the film’s greatest pleasures to be found in its sound, fury and purely expressive chaos.” —Kambole Campbell, Little White Lies
“Frankly, director Hiroyuki Imaishi (Kill La Kill series) doesn’t just use the animation style as dressing, but as a significant aspect of the narrative. This technique hasn’t been as ingeniously integrated since 2018’s SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE. Buckle yourselves in, folks. Once PROMARE gets started, there’s no leaving this ride until it’s over.” —Douglas Davidson, Elements of Madness
“A worthy contender for the most hyperactive feature animation ever made, PROMARE, directed by Kill la Kill and Gurren Lagann veteran Hiroyuki Imaishi, cumulatively feels like watching about 17 different films at once. Its animation design and storytelling simultaneously operate in modes of explosive maximalism and abstract minimalism”. —Josh Slater-Williams, SciFiNow
