Shana: Volume 6

Introduction

For the second time this month, I'm facing the same anime problem, that of a series release ending in the UK before the story is completed. Tsubasa's first series ends this month, with no sign of the second on the horizon, and the same is true of Shakugan no Shana. At least with Tsubasa, there is the option of importing the second series from the US, but Shana's second series hasn't even been licensed in the States. There is no English dub that may eventually work its way to the UK. It's been a long wait already for fans in the US, and it doesn't look as if their will be any joy for them in the near future, with even the motion picture remaining a distant prospect. So once again, I'm crossing my fingers, hoping that there won't be a pesky cliff-hanger at the end of volume 6, and that the story gets a worthy enough conclusion that I won't feel bad drawing a line under the series here, in the event that I never see any more Shana.

Shakugan no Shana tells the story of high school student Yuji Sakai, and what happens when Shana enters his life. Shana is a Flame Haze, whose purpose is to fight the Denizens of the Crimson World and the Rinne they send to do their bidding, and stop them eating the lives of the people in the real world, who remain blissfully unaware. She isn't always successful, which is where the Torches come in. The balance of the world would be destroyed if people suddenly started vanishing, so Shana creates Torches to take the place of the dead, short lived replacements who eventually vanish from the world, along with any memory of their or the original's existence. When Yuji walks into the wrong place at the wrong time and dies, it's the start of a really bad day for him.


At the end of the last volume, Shana's mentor Wirhelmina was in town, looking for the Midnight Lost Child. Having learned of the Ball Masque's plans, she had come to the logical conclusion that destroying the Mystes would solve the problem. That means killing Yuji. The first season concludes with 4 episodes.

21. Diverging Feelings
Wirhelmina confronts Yuji, ready to take temptation away from the Ball Masque, and Yuji is uncertain what to think when Shana doesn't help him. She does stop Wirhelmina though, saying that Yuji still has important information that could help them in their fight. Meanwhile, the Ball Masque are about to complete their plan, and create a Fountain of Existence, all they need is in place and it's just a matter of time. Shana's distance has settled matters for Yuji, he's leaving town, taking away the Ball Masque's target to keep those he loves and cares about safe, and he learns that Tanaka and Sato want to go with him, having learned of this other world from Margery, and unable to sit idly by while the fate of the world is decided. Before they can leave, an Unrestricted System appears over the city, followed by the Palace of the Stars, and time freezes. The Ball Masque have arrived for Yuji, and Sydonay comes to collect his target. Yuji's time is up, and Wirhelmina decides to kill him. She isn't expecting Shana to get in the way.


22. The Flickering Flame
Here's the plan. One of the Ball Masque, Hecate has an infinite capacity to absorb power. Yuji is a special type of Mystes that gets his life force recharged every night at midnight. Hecate will join with Yuji, and at midnight, his recharge will flow into her, an infinite amount of it. That power will be the Fountain of Existence, just what Bel-Peol (another of the Ball Masque) needs for ultimate dominion over the world. Tanaka, Sato and Yoshida swear to do what they can to rescue Yuji, but it may be too late. Shana heals quickly from her wounds, but has difficulty sorting out her feelings for Yuji, from her duties as a Flame Haze. Wirhelmina reminds her that the best solution is to kill Yuji, but first Tanaka and Sato give her the sword that Margery left behind, then Yoshida begs her to do what her heart tells her and save Yuji.

23. Battle at the Palace of the Stars.
Wirhelmina and Shana arrive at the Palace of the Stars, but surprisingly face no resistance. It's a trap quite obviously, but if they want to achieve their goals, they will have to spring it regardless. Before they can even start looking for Yuji, they walk into a vast room, only to be surrounded by mechanical Rinne. The Professor is up to his nefarious experiments again, and this time he has devised an Unrestricted System that drains the power of a Flame Haze. It's ironic given the Fountain of Existence that is flooding the city with energy. Against these odds, and fighting a losing battle, Shana finally makes a decision about Yuji. Then Tanaka and Sato get an unexpected phone call.


24. Crimson Thoughts
The balance keeps shifting back and forth. First the heroic Flame Hazes are about to be defeated, when circumstances turn the odds in their favour, and it looks as if Shana and Yuji are to be reunited and the Ball Masque vanquished. But when the city is threatened once more, it turns out that only with Shana's death will everyone be saved.

Picture

Shana gets a nice 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer. The image is clear and sharp, and the transfer is impressive, showing just a few of the typical NTSC-PAL telltales. There is the slight judder during pans that is evident, but that's it. The character designs are simple but memorable, and the animation is vibrant and effective, blending CG and traditional 2D animation with what has come to be typical anime style.

Sound

You have a choice of DD 2.0 English and Japanese, with optional translated subtitles and signs. It's a surprise to see an action show forgoing the chance to show off its surround goodness, but the stereo tracks are effective enough with discrete placement of effects. The English dub is Ok if you like that sort of thing, although I didn't find it to be the best dub in the world. They changed the end theme in the previous volume and now in this one they change the opening theme as well.

Extras

Extras this time begin with trailers for Desert Punk and Solty Rei. You'll also find the final textless closing sequence.

It's the last Naze Nani Shana video on this disc, running to 4 minutes. In it, chibi Friagne and chibi Marianne return to offer some more insight into the world of Shana, and of course, say goodbye.

The peaches of the extras are the Shana-Tan parody animations. There are two altogether, running to a total of 9 minutes. In it, the diminutive Shana has been reduced even further to a doll size. This chibi-Shana can often be found sat atop Yuji's head, eating melon bread and constantly telling him to shut up in a cute baby voice. I thought this was hilarious.

Conclusion

Once again, you can rest easy with this final volume of Shakugan no Shana. The story is concluded, the immediate loose ends are tied up, and should you choose to end your dalliance with Shana at this point, you can sit happily with these six volumes and never concern yourself with further episodes. Unlike many Hollywood series, anime series are usually outlined well in advance, and more often than not, are made with the understanding that this is all the airtime that the creators will get. A second series is usually just a pleasant surprise, but it does mean essentially starting again in terms of the story.


You're obviously not going to start watching Shana at volume 6, so there's little point in me trying to promote its finer virtues at this juncture. Suffice it to say that if you are collecting the series, you will have pre-ordered this disc anyway. It gives you exactly what you are expecting from a series finale, and you'll find that the earlier character comedy and quieter moments have been diminished in this volume in favour of action and spectacle, along with a suitably emotional finale which will have you at the edges of your seats, if you have invested at all in any of the characters.


I'm feeling utterly schizophrenic about Shakugan no Shana, I both love it and hate it. It's a great little show, wonderful characters and impressive animation making for a nice diversion. There's an interesting diversity in the characters, something to appreciate about all of them, and even if you aren't captured by the central pairing of Yuji and Shana, then there are plenty of other plot threads to follow, with characters like Sato and Tanaka's infatuation with Margery, Wirhelmina's relationship with Shana, the triangle that develops between Yuji, Yoshida and Ike, and so on. It's a show where all the characters have lives, and there aren't really any supporting or sidekick roles. The central pairing does carry the show though, and there's a lot of entertainment to be had in Yuji and Shana's fiery relationship.


What I hate about the show is the sheer amount of babble to it. It's one of those shows that ask that you invest wholly and completely in it. It wants you to live in the universe, read the manga, buy the plushies, the soundtrack CDs and the spin-offs. It's a show that is best appreciated if you know the universe inside and out. It's the contract that you make when you buy into the story. You will eat, breathe, sleep and dream Shakugan no Shana, or you will surely miss out on most of what is going on. It's not as much of a demand as you would think, after all, I once felt that way about Star Trek It was a show that I knew inside and out, all the jargon, back stories, even the contradictions and inconsistencies. I once could have had a lengthy debate with a like-minded geek over the benefits and drawbacks of a singularity powered warp drive compared to one powered by an anti-matter reactor, and none of it is real.


Shakugan no Shana is like that, you'll get the best out of it once you know what Flame Hazes are, what Unrestricted Systems are, who the Chanter of Elegies is, who the Thousand Changes is… Everything has a long and complex name, and there's little or no explanation to what it all means. You just have to know it. The trouble with a bi-monthly release schedule is that if you have been out of the loop for a couple of months, then being thrown into the deep end again means that you will most likely drown in the obscure lingo. In this volume, when they started talking about Fountains of Existence, Whole Sacred Chapels and half a hundred other obscure references, I decided that I just didn't care anymore. For most of the disc, I was looking at the pretty pictures, and swearing that if this show didn't get a worthy ending, I would eat the disc. Fortunately for my appetite, they dispensed with the nonsense and got back to what counted, Yuji and Shana, but it was a close run thing.


Thinking back on it, the mystibabble only really takes hold in the second half of the series, and I really enjoyed the first half, the 'getting to know you' stage of Shana and Yuji's relationship. It's only in the second half that I began losing the thread. I'm sure that the next time I watch it, at my leisure, and without the two-month gaps, it will make a whole lot more sense. Shakugan no Shana is an entertaining, supernatural, unconventional action romance, but you'll have to devote yourself to the series to get the best out of it. It's a little too middle of the road and average a show to warrant that kind of investment in my opinion, but high production values may convince you where shallowness of story doesn't.