The Fire Hunter is the story of a group of people living in defiance of a devastated Earth in the distant future, after the society we live in has collapsed.
In this world, most of the civilizations built up by humanity in past eras, the various ways of thinking used to understand the world, the many bodies of knowledge that were accumulated, and the rich and beautiful arts have been lost. The surface of the earth is covered by a deep, black forest inhabited by terrifying man-eating monsters known as Fire Fiends. Villagers live in fear, never leaving safe places that are protected by magical barriers.
This is a world in which many people spend their entire lives in the place where they were born. They live their lives looking up at only the narrow strip of sky above their heads, get married, have children, raise them and die all in the same place. Their lives are quiet ones; they work and grow old. The only shadows over this peaceful kind of life are the presence of monsters and—for some reason or curse—the loss of fire.
People now have bodies that burn and combust easily. If there is even the slightest spark nearby, their bodies will instantly ignite, and they will burn to death. Because of this, the people of this world are unable to use fire, and are cut off from the many benefits that their ancestors obtained from fire in ancient times.
One interpretation is that humanity has lost the possibility of building a new civilization. People have forgotten their former prosperity and live their lives with their eyes fixed on what they know. They cultivate fields, weave cloth, and make paper—their days are like those in a folktale or fairy tale.
Not everything has been lost, however. Various machines and the technology to operate them have been passed down piecemeal. Some of these have undergone new technological development, like the black carts that merchants and Fire Hunters take from village to village. Those carts pass through the forest where the monsters live, eventually reaching the capital—the city where the gods are.
In this world, people in towns and villages create things that are used as raw materials in larger projects. There are factories that manufacture the various things needed for urban living (like synthetic food, for example).
The sight of the factories in the capital city is a glorious and beautiful scene, like the nighttime factory scenes we see today in urban cities. Steam engines do not appear, but the vehicles and factories do recall some of the technological marvels of the distant past. The story gives off a steampunk vibe, sans steam.
In a world where humans cannot use fire, what fuel powers these vehicles and factories? This is one of the mysteries that connects to the big mystery at the center of the story. The fuel is the blood of monsters—Fire Fiends. Fire Hunters make a living by hunting Fire Fiends and collecting the fuel. With brave and loyal dogs by their side and special weapons, they harvest the golden blood of Fire Fiends. That blood powers the technology that remains in this world: it is like the oil in oil lamps without the spark to light them. Fire fuel does not burn people, but it is still powerful.
An old legend of this world claims that a goddess defended the current capital and taught people how to use the fuel. She also created the first of the special sickles that are capable of killing Fire Fiends and harvesting their blood. This goddess was the first Fire Hunter.
Guardian Gods aren’t people, but they’ve created various systems and use their mysterious powers to protect the people under their care. They are (mostly) portrayed as benevolent beings, watching over the people from on high.
In this fantasy world where gods and monsters actually exist, a girl and a boy live their lives: a girl from a village, a boy from the capital city. They love their families and live their lives as best they can. Those who have already read the story know that Fire in Spring tells the story of two children who experience tragedy that destroys their ordinary lives forever. They discover hidden truths of the world and solve various mysteries.
That’s the story.
***
The world, purportedly protected by the Guardian Gods, is secretly heading towards total collapse.
The children fight desperately for their lives, as if they were witnessing and being caught up in the tragedy of a huge building collapsing. Along the way, they develop friendships with the people they meet. Sometimes they are offered a helping hand, and sometimes they help others. They risk their lives in dangerous situations and reveal hidden truths that could threaten the ordinary lives of others.
Faced with all this, the children are confused, but they still choose a path forward. Although they are young and immature, they arm themselves with all their wisdom, strength and courage. They protect those they care about even when they are hurt and sad themselves. They don’t stop moving forward.
The people they meet and the unknown things they encounter are sometimes mysterious and frightening, but the children do not cower or stand still. They step out proudly and bravely into the world, following their own hearts. They hold out their hands to the world, and sometimes their fingers tremble with fear. They continue to seek knowledge in the darkness of the unknown with grasping fingers. They do not turn away from the cruel truth that they couldn’t have known in their sanitized fairy-tale like existence. They remember those gentler, happier days in their hearts, memories burning like affirming flame.
I thought that the adventure in this story, which is mainly about encountering an unknown world, might be similar to how small children grow up in the real world. If a child is sheltered by their family at home and never steps outside, they won’t feel scared and will be happy at the center of the world they know. However, if the child never opens the door and steps outside on their own two feet, they’ll never come to know the true nature of the world for themselves. They will never know the vastness, brilliance, or mysteries of the world. They’ll never meet anyone. They’ll never know who they really are, and they might not even have the courage to find out.
That is why children must leave their sheltered homes.
While writing this commentary, I experienced a depth of feeling for the story. I’ve known Hinata Rieko, an extremely talented writer, since childhood. Although she possesses a keen and delicate sensibility as an artist, she was frightened of the world when she was small. Over time she opened the door to the outside world for herself and wrote a story about children who do the same. They forge ahead into unknown territory. In that sense, this is a happy story.
I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to write this commentary on The Fire Hunter. I felt as if I was along for the brave journey of the characters. (Oh, and one more thing—I hope I’ll read the exploits of some Fire Hunter cats someday—why let the dogs have all the fun?)
-Murayama Saki (author), writing from Nagasaki
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