Shana Logo
He had thought his normal days would last forever, until they were ended abruptly by an encounter with a girl with red hair and eyes. He named her Shana.
Not long after he enters high school, Sakai Yuji’s normal days come to an end. He sees something bizarre on his way home: people are frozen in a strange fire, and a monster that looks like a large doll is attacking them. Just when he’s about to be killed, a girl in a dark cloak wielding a large sword appears, and slices the monster in half. Although Yuji survives the strange encounter, the girl informs him of a desolate truth: “You don’t ‘exist’ anymore.”
She calls herself a Flame Haze who hunts “Kuze no Tomogara”; intruders from another world. She explains to him that he is a “Torch”, a substitute of Yuji whose “existence” has already been devoured. She also told him that he is a special Torch, “Mystis”, which contains a precious item in it. When he looks at his chest, he sees within himself a faint flame, just as she said.
It is in this way that his eternal struggle alongside the girl begins.
When I first heard the despirction of this show, I was bit intrested and thus my struggle began to see what Shakugan No Shana is. It is anime mix of school life-mixed with magical battles and romance/comdey. The characters themself are intresting–including the Flame Haze Shana, making it mission to hunt down the beings from the Crimson Realm. At frist I was pretty sure it was like an average anime, but I was so wrong in everyway.
Story Focus: In the first season of Shana focus on the meeting of Shana and Yuji–two world apart characters in more ways and similar to each other than they think. The relationship of the two first start with partnership and amoistiy, but Shana comes around in some battles to relaize she loves him and Kazumi Yoshida won’t stand for this. The introduction of other Flame Hazes, their masters, and other characters are brought in smoothly and the story is easy to follow, expect for maybe the terms used. The Second Season is more School Life, but has the same hardcore action. This focus on the Bal Masque, the main baddies from the 1st Shana series and the continuing battle of the Flame Hazes aganist their. Their are new characters, more suripses, and plenty of romance and battles to go around.
Shana And Yuji VS Bal Masque
ART: The art of Shana is beatufuil. Astheical pleasing the battle animation does not fail or look shoddy and the world stands out. The Second season improves upon the visuals and boost the work into a modern world of magic and seasantion.
Music: Shana is no music junkie, but the tracks are nice. The openings and closing themes fit the mood and the overall tone in battle does, too. Those familar with most J-pop and rock, Kotoko and Mami Kawada do their job with flair.
Overall: Even though Shana seems like a tried anime formula played out way too many times, the execution and steps involved aren’t. A cumbersome story transfomration into a intresting tale, Fresh muisc for measure, and artwork too ignore. Everything in Shana many seem out of place in a regular anime, but the ideas and style of the genere isn’t. Besides Shana is a easy character to fall in love with. How hate this melon bread eater?
Shana and Melon Bread
Pros: Good storyline, strong characters, invloved world, fresh music, well-executed.
Cons: Storyline wanes in between, backgrounds some time blends with art in a triedsome manner, a bit hard to follow.
Final Score: 8/10 B+
*The Frist season of Shana is released in a box set, yet as of now their has been no information to dub the second season of series.*
