Shakugan no Shana

I have the first R1 of this. It's good. Shana's voice is a bit deep but that's ok with me. The VA casting is pretty spot on this one.

Just a few quick words .. I dutifully downloaded and stashed away each of the 24 (fansub) episodes in this series – but I never got around to watching this story – at least until Astro-boy made a favorable posting.

Watching 24 episodes (back-to-back) can be intense, but as soon I finished the series – I found myself wanting to rewatch it again! MUCH FUN!!

With very few short comings, this is a very fun, entertaining and creative story – and well worth at least ONE sitting.

One way to get me to like an anime is to establish some sort of hook early on. The writers of this anime, using the original novels as a guide, succeeded in this by having the male lead be revealed as a dead man who's time on Earth as a "Torch" is limited. Once gone, no one will even remember he even existed, not even his parents. Yeah, that was a pretty good hook, and it stayed interesting from there.

The series isn't a deep one. The first eight episodes establish the players (Tomogara, Torches, Mistes, Hougu, Flame Haze, etc.) and interlock three seperate stories into a single one. Yuuji has to deal with the fact that he is not even alive, but merely a Torch designed to be a place holder for a while until he burns out and becomes as one who never existed. However, further complicating matters is knowing that one of his female classmates has recently become a Torch and no matter what he does, she too will burn out one day and be remembered no more except by him until he burns out. It is a pretty sobering thought to know that one who did exist will become as if they never had been born.

Fortunately, the writers don't spend too much time on the heavier stuff. Humor is injected into the series from time to time, with episode 9 being a comedy story. Romance is also injected into them mix with Yuuji's classmate Yoshida-san having a crush on him, but she's the quite, shy type. She does put up a fight when she becomes convinced that Shana is in love with Yuuji and becomes determined to fight for his attention. So that also adds some humor to the story.

The various Tomogara that come have different motivations for coming to this city. I suspect the novels may go into this with greater detail, but we are told is that they need the energy found in humans (and I suppose other life forms) for whatever thing they have planned. The various Tomogara are...well odd. Friagne is obsessed with the Rinne he created in doll form called Marianne. The young Aizenji and Aizenta, the brother and sister twin Tomogara, have a very perverted relationship as Aizenji wishes to possess Shana's sword. And then there's the wacko Tomogara's in the organization known as Ball Masque. As villians, they aren't overly compelling, but they serve their purpose.

The various Flame Haze that we are introduced to are pretty interesting. I loved it when the series took time (episodes 15-17) to explore Shana's past and how she went from human child to a Flame Haze. In fact, that's where the show went up a notch in my book. That gave her, and the series, enough depth to be more than just some action-adventure title with a kick-arse loli kendo-girl.

With episode 24 wrapping up the anime's final story, it was pretty clear to me that the story could continue. I wasn't sure if there was some grand story-arc in play, but it felt like there was. Indeed, reading a bit about the novels the anime is based on would seem to bear out my thoughts. So I hope the new movie is a sequel to the TV series and not some remake as some movies are.

Bottom line: a nice mix of action, adventure, supernatural, romance, darkness, comedy, and more leading to a fun ride.

Last updated Thursday, May 11 2006.