Forum - View topicShakugan no Shana (TV) (all seasons + movie).
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Tony K.
 SubscriberModerator  Posts: 11293 Location: Frisco, TX |
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Season 1 - Shakugan no Shana (TV) Movie - Shakugan no Shana (movie) (discussion starts here) Season 2 - Shakugan no Shana Second (TV) (discussion starts here) Season 3 - Shakugan no Shana III (Final) (TV) (discussion starts here) Genres: action, drama, romance, supernatural Themes: magical girl, monsters, spirits, superpowers, tsundere Plot Summary: Sakai Yuuji, a high school student who expected his normal life to last forever, is dead. When he was on his way home he witnessed a shocking view as the world suddenly froze: people were engulfed by blue flames and a monster resembling a large doll swallowed them. Just as the monster prepared to consume Yuuji, a sword-wielding girl in black attire with flaming red eyes and hair that burns like embers saved him from the monster. The girl called herself a "Flame Haze" who hunts the "Guze no Tomogara", creatures from another world. As Yuuji noticed a blue flame in his chest, she called him a "Torch", a temporary replacement, saying that the "real" Yuuji's existence had already ended. Unfazed, Yuuji befriended the strange girl, named her "Shana", and joined her fight against Tomogara and other Flame Hazes. ---------------------------------- Okay, so I just finished it and rated it Very Good. Minus one rating level for the incomplete ending, and minus another for all the loli-fanservice. But other than that, it was a well-balanced series of action, comedy, drama, and romance. The art was very colorful on a lot of spots, and I like how most of it was hand-drawn (at least it looked like it was). I especially liked the characters' eyes, a little big, yes, but they gave off a kind of soothing feeling every time I looked at them. Animation was good for the most part. It's a bit difficult to really observe it through fansub format, but being in anamorphic widescreen, I'm sure it'll look much, much cleaner when it comes to DVD. Unfortunately, after looking up the DVD info, I'm dissappointed they're not releasing volume one with a box, so I might just wait for a box set instead. Shouldn't take that long, though, because it looks like they're going to release the entire series in six discs. Music was very good. I love the first opening and ending songs, as they're very upbeat and brought out the atmosphere of the series very well. The BGM by Ohtani Kou had a nice mix of dramatic flare for the action scenes, and the piano rendition of "Hishoku no Sora" was real touching for the scenes with Yuuji and Shana. Plot and characters were excellent. The supernatural theme made me think a little of Bleach, but without the obvious length a regular shounen series would get. And speaking of which, would this title qualify as shounen? I currently have it in my top 10 Fantasy and Supernatural categories, but it feels a bit shounen-esque as well. The characters were fun and easy to empathize for. In terms of the romance, I actually felt a little bit of Suzuka in how spoiler[ Yoshida was in love with Yuuji, but so was Shana, and Yuuji clearly liked Shana, only she was a little too inexperienced to say it herself, though I guess that sort of thing is common in a lot of romance titles.] On a side note, I also liked some of the names and titles a lot of them had. Don't know why, but I like saying Enpatsu Shakugan no Uchite, as it sounds cooler and is easier to remember than "Flaming-hair-red-hot-eyed-whatever-they-translated-it-to" (which might sound weird when they dub it  ).
Voice acting was very good. I'm not familiar with a lot of the seiyuu they had casted, but they certainly were convincing enough for my first real experience with them. I especially liked how jovial Marcocious was. I actually thought it was Takagi Wataru (Onizuka) at first, but he did a dang good job anyway being Margery's loudmouth consciences, of sorts. Overall, I was pretty pleased with the series and hope it performs well when it hits the U.S market this September. I'm also looking forward to the movie or even a second season if they ever decide to pick up where they left off. Very Good, A-, 8/10, 4 out of 5 stars (take your pick of the rating system)! Last edited by Tony K. on Fri Jul 02, 2021 12:48 am; edited 4 times in total |
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Vortextk
 Posts: 892 Location: Orlando, Fl |
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I didn't find anything wrong with this, I just didn't care for it. I agree, it did try to blend in a lot of things with this one, but I just didn't see it happening too well.
I just thought it was average in everything it did. I like Bleach fights better. I think Chobits and Azu Manga are funnier. I also believe Honey and Clover handles the romance/every day lives much better. This is the second time I've read about a kind of open ending to SnS, and besides remembering that "we haven't defeated all the bad guys!", I can't even really remember how it ended. And excuse me if I spell this wrong but Wilhelmina's(...I'm close atleast) transformation was laughable =/ I did mildly enjoy the show and don't regret watching it, I just think it was shallow in the end. Bleach/Naruto may be as well and I watch both of those; the fights just get me into each of those more.(Well...they did awhile back atleast) It's been hit and miss for me with the newer stuff. LOVED Honey and Clover, very much liked Haruhi, didn't care for Trinity blood at all and felt this one was an ok watch. |
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v1cious
 Posts: 6202 Location: Houston, TX |
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i personally found it to be extremely mediocre. it's like the whole show just went downhill in the final episodes. they didn't resolve a single thing, it's almost as though they were expecting another season. also the moe fanservice got annoying really fast.
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frentymon
Forums Superstar
 Posts: 2362 Location: San Francisco |
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My semi-long rant on Shakugan no Shana.
In my opinion, it was a solid series, much like almost every novel-to-anime adaptation ever made. I gave Shakugan no Shana a rating of "Excellent", mainly because it has so many bits and pieces that I'm quite fond of (both in the plotline and in production). I could go on for pages about how I adore the character designs for this series. Itou Noizi is by far my favorite character designer, and her chibi designs fit this series just right. The eyes warrant immediate recognition, and are drawn unlike any other type of anime eyes I've ever seen. A lot of very cute facial expressions as well, and that's one of the things that really brings Shana to life and gives her quite a large fanbase and greatly contribute to her "moeliciousness". Now, the one thing about the character designs in the series is that it doesn't do the fanservice much justice, but that's another story for another time... I could also go on for pages about how I absolutely love the OP theme, Hishoku no Sora.
The ED theme was very good as well, and the transition from "haunting" to techno was done quite well. I'm not particular fond of Takahashi Youko's voice, but it fits the song pretty well. The second ED theme lacked the fluidity of the first, but the artwork for the ED animation was more aesthetically pleasing. Onto the background music. A nice soundtrack by Ootani Kou, with a nice blend of orchestral and synthetic. Somewhat like Kajiura Yuki, but his use of synthetic instruments seems to be somewhat more subtle than Yuki's, with the synthetic supporting the strings rather than focusing on the two equally. His music also doesn't rely much on the synthetic bass like Yuki's. Overall, a nice soundtrack (with French track names to boot), and my favorite track would probably be "Poursuite". I agree, voice acting was done very well, especially with Kugimiya Rie voicing Shana. She has quite a high voice, but is still able to insert agitation into her voice without it sounding forced in any way, which, from the series I have watched, is somewhat uncommon for seiyuu with high voices to accomplish (just look at Kawasumi Ayako  ). I love how she says "Urusai urusai urusai!"; I could record that onto an mp3 and listen to it over and over again. Hino Satoshi voiced Yuji quite well, delivering the sense of bravery, yet somewhat innocent voice that he needed. Back to Kawasumi Ayako, she voiced Kazumi quite well, and of course, giving her the "innocent girl" feel. And I'd say that in Episode 12, when spoiler[Shana and Kazumi fight over Yuji, Shana wins the argument 'cause she sounds more aggresive  ] Oh, and Junichi Suwabe does a great job like always, this time voicing the doll-loving Friagne.
The plot started off very strong, although giving off that Bleach aura, and it actually semi-creeped me out with the "You don't exist anymore" premise. It became slightly formulaic, but it was all good, especially as every mini-arc served the main plot in some way (although, I really detest those lolicest twins). The flashback was done quite well, allowing the viewer to see Shana in a different light. I loved the relationship between Shana and Yuji, and could feel that tingling excitement inside when their relationship seemed to be strengthening. Overall, I give this series a 9.2/10. Great music, good animation, great voice acting, and plot was fairly solid, albeit some cliches. Did I mention that after finishing this series, I went to my local Japanese bakery and bought some Melon Pan? Now I know why Shana loves it so much... |
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Zero89
Posts: 147 |
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Considering the fact that they barely touched on spoiler[Yuji actually being able to fight].... I would think that there is a very good possibility for a second season... Unless of course, the movie offers a conclusive ending  ... It may just be my memory, but where exactly was the excessive moe fanservice? I do remember a lot of tsundere though. 
Personally, I thought that the beginning was the most dramatic/climactic part of the show, (psychologically)... The ending didn't need to solve too many things, as the whole show was more or less about character development... My guess, is that if they weren't going to have a sequal, (in some way, shape, or form), than spoiler[shana would have died ]in the ending... But we all know what happened, right? 
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Pleroma
 Posts: 443 Location: Eromanga island |
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OH GOD SHANA IS HOT!
Ahem, with that out of the way... I believe an OVA is forthcoming, I also have high hopes for a second season as much of the show's finale felt rushed. A shame considering the great pacing and development it help up the end of the twins' story. Yuji also started getting on my nerves by the end and Yoshida just seemed t be unfairly taking attention from Shana. I too really liked the originality with the names, seemed like a wealth of character info cleverly packaged. PS: Watch Zero no Tsukaima, its literally the voice same cast, they even look similar and show seems pretty fun 4 episodes in thus far. |
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Fui
 Posts: 339 |
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Haha. "Oh God..." On behalf of my avatar, I would like to make an announcement that Shana is hot, and I'm not referring to the embers coming from her hair. I rated it Excellent primarily because of the great art and entertainment value. The storyline wasn't top notch, but at least it seemed to have less loopholes than Bleach and more complex. There definitely is a similarity so whenever I recommend it to someone my briefing of it is usually "it's kinda like Bleach..." Anyway, this was one of my favorite animes, and I'm excited that Geneon licensed it so I can get some Shana goods. Please bless us with a second season.
I've listened to Hishoku no Sora at least 100 times by now and I haven't gotten tired of it. Too bad my favorite part of it isn't in the OP (the instrumental solo). Definitely my favorite OP as of yet. My Japanese text isn't working so I'll just have to roomaji it. Urusai, urusai, urusai! Shana is tsundere, right? |
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selenta
Subscriber Posts: 1774 Location: Seattle, WA |
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Personally, I have become a big fan of the term frentymon coined (I think it was him anyway): "moelicious".
That's exactly what this show is to me. Moelicious. I also gave it an 8/10, but that isn't because of any "fanservice", as I thought what relatively little there was was actually done pretty tastefully. What I lowered the rating for was the complete lack of real action througout the middle of the series. It felt like the animators were teasing me by hinting at action in the beginning, and then never actually delivering. Nearly the entire show was devoted to character development, a sad turn of events in my book considering the first episode or two and the premise, which made me a very sad panda. Though this is DEFINITELY a shounen/romance TK, that is one of the main things this show had going for it imo. The combination of the art-style (seemingly designed around Shana's moeliciousness) and the definite shounen atmosphere created a lot of potential in my mind (which it did not truly live up to) on it being a really unique anime. However, the subsequent lack in good fulfilling action and lapse into romance/drama killed the show for me. The fantasy/supernatural aspect is there for sure... but they seem almost purely as an excuse to explain the story. I don't consider something a 'Fantasy' unless it just oozes the make-believe (like Twelve Kingdoms, Utawarerumono, or Inu Yasha) but maybe that's just me. No matter how I look at it, I can't justify giving this show any more than an 8, due mainly to the poorly executed story, lack of fulfilling action, and lack of any resolution what-so-ever. On the other hand, this show single-handedly (no pun intended ) turned me into a die hard moe style fan. Not enough can be said on just how much I loved the art style.
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
 Posts: 7580 Location: Wales |
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I liked what I've seen of Shana, although I didn't get all that far into the series since it was licensed and it was too complicated to follow raw.
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Gauss
 Posts: 519 Location: Finland |
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I have to say I'm surprised SnS gets so rave ratings. After some thought I eventually came to the conclusion that it appeals greatly to teenagers and in that sense could be said to work well. However, the older the viewer gets the less likely it is to work for them. It's basically a shounen action romance with some seinen trappings to make it appear edgy. The show is extremely unsubtle and relies greatly on flash over content.
Unsurprisingly I found the animation and art design to be the best part of the show. Quite good, though they saved a bit on the budget with recaps of previous episodes. Not that I'm complaining, skipping recaps meant a minute less to watch of each episode. The ED and first OP songs are average, the second OP better. The background music is... did they lay it on thickly, or what? Super dramatic music, even in the recap of what was a largely peaceful previous episode. The narration was amateurish. In the early episodes we have Shana telling Yuuji to get lost because he greatly annoys her. This is immediately followed by a massive infodump as she explains things to him. And this exact event repeats itself! In addition the talks between Shana and the jewel (Alastor?) sometimes takes the form of the hackneyed "As you know my dear Watson" device. Shana doesn't need to be told all that stuff but since the viewers need to be informed the script writers resort to this cheesy way of telling them. It isn't as bad later on but the narration remains dedicated to being as unsubtle as possible. There's actually a surprising amount of talking instead of action in this show. Partly it's all the character development, but I'm also left with the feeling that the scriptwriters seem to think that leaving viewers confused is one of the seven deadly sins of this world. The dramatic flair and all the talking did manage to make the villains seem very menacing. Sadly it's all trickery as Shana, after early setbacks, usually defeats them with surprising ease. Even though each villain lasted a few episodes it still felt like a simple "villain of the week" format. The incestuous twins were the lamest villains I've come across in a long time. Instead of being shocking they seemed contrived and faintly ridiculous. I can't really blame the voice actors for a script that actively encourages over-acting. The seiyus do as well as they can. Though I have to add that the male twin's acting managed to get on my nerves. Overall I agree with the assessment that it is a mediocre show. Not a complete waste of time but I did get frustrated over the show having great potential yet every time I thought it might live up to that potential my hopes were quickly and most cruelly dashed. |
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Darc_knight
 Posts: 169 |
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Yea, I agree with you there. It could be similar to Fullmetal Alchemist with the movie being conclusive. Also, I was wondering if anyone knows when the sequel will be available? I'm wishing they expand the unknowns of this anime more, or at least the details we know very little about. I want to see the relationship between Yuji and Shana expand, how strong Yuji becomes later on as he continues to fight with Shana, the villains that, if I remember correctly, escaped and how they will get annihilated, and other information that I know were left out, but can't remember. Anyways, I loved this anime to death at first glimpse. I loved the action, the plot, and the personalities of many of the characters going through changes. It was very interesting to see Yuji in a feuding battle between the girls.
Yup Yup. Word to big bird. Don't mind my slang, but I have got to say that those big eyes were extremely captivating, and gave me a wonderful calm feeling that I just couldn't look away from. |
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Shiroi Hane
Encyclopedia Editor
Posts: 7580 Location: Wales |
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I do love the way Noizi Itou draws eyes.
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blackmage
Posts: 62 |
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well the love triangle going on there was really interesting.the fighting was good and i really liked the way how margery and her book acted
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undeadben
 Posts: 1212 Location: West Texas |
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I liked this series, I think the concept is great; interdimensional beings sucking up power of existence, not just killing you but erasing your total existence, that was really interesting. I'm glad the manga and novel were both licensed, I want to see if there is more about this. While the story is a bit shaky at times, one of the main characters, Yuji, is not very well developed, and the romance triangle is a mess (as most love triangles tend to be), I was still entertained overall and wouldn't mind a second season.
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Arcanite Champion
 Posts: 44 Location: pennsylvania |
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My friend got the DVD's of it (I think they're imported) and we were going to watch them, but he forgot disc one at his house, so now i really want to see the series, especially after I learned that it's made by the same animators as Suzumiya Haruhi (I loved the Animation in that show).
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