Reviews for Shakugan no Shana Second (6.78)
Zaku88
Fujii Masahiro
Imoto Yuki
Ootsuka Mai
Watanabe Takashi
Shakugan no Shana 2 takes place directly following the end of the first season where Yuji and the gang successfully fend off an attack made by Bal Masque. Due to the fact that Shakugan no Sh...
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05.06.2011 21:59 - direct link
(rs8040)
Shakugan no Shana 2 takes place directly following the end of the first season where Yuji and the gang successfully fend off an attack made by Bal Masque.
Due to the fact that Shakugan no Shana is a sequel, the initial introduction to the entire world and the main characters is very brief. The series instead focuses on pure plot progression as Yuji learns more about the mysteries of the Reiji Maigo and its origins, as well as some complications.
SNS2 does a decent attempt at furthering the story but fails at capturing the uphill-battle mood of the original series. By the end of the series, I did not feel that the series had progressed as much as I had expected for something of this length. However, it makes up for some of this by having a lot of action sequences with a fairly good level of intensity.
If you watched and loved the first SNS, go ahead and dive into this. If you liked the first season for the character development, be warned that the overall development is not at the same level as that in the first season. If you liked the first season for the action, this season will suit you just fine.
Animation:
The animation is very well done and is a noticeable improvement from the first season. This is easily apparent in action sequences and the fuzetsus that are cast throughout the season. Note that there are a few bloody scenes in the show (though a far cry from Elfen Lied status).
Sound:
The OP/EDs are all very good this time around and the BGM score is reminiscent of the first series. There are a few new BGM mixes but they fit in with the overall quality of the original series. The VAs are all the same from the first series but, due to the actual story progression, their voices (and characters) seem less believable than the first series (more on this in Character).
Story:
Despite successfully fending off a major assault by Bel Masque in the first series, what starts out as a return to normalcy ends as a wave of tomogara attacks pretty much takes up the duration of the entire series.
Don't expect much exposition as the three Flame Hazes and Yuji are pitted in battle after battle after battle. There are a few break episodes where Magery's past is explored but, for the most part, this series is more focused on action and battles. Due to the heavy emphasis on action, character development is also significantly reduced (simply count the number of times Shana gets to say "Urusai!"). This is a disappointment as this was one of the strong points of the first season.
The story comes to a climax late in the show when Bel Masque returns with a new sinister plot centered on the Reiji Maigo.
As the climax is right near the end of the season, there is no real room for any falling action so the ending feels abrupt. As there is not a real conclusion of any sort, it would be my guess that they will eventually be a third series.
Character:
During this period, Yuji, now strengthened greatly after synchronizing with Hecate in the first series, continuously trains to become a useful asset to the Flame Haze. However, his determination and change of outward behavior comes as a shock to Kazumi and Shana.
The major flaw with this season is in the character development. Some of Yuji's actions and decisions felt very unnatural considering the short duration of time in which he "changed". Though it appears his personality has become more serious, his character in general is a lot less believable than in the first season.
There is also reduced tensions between Kazumi and Shana as a mutual agreement is put in place when a third girl joins the school and is immediately stuck (literally) to Yuji.
Many of the characters have a bit of development but a large amount of the development occurs over situations that the viewer will have difficulty relating to (especially considering the actual decisions made by the characters). This greatly lowers the overall character satisfaction as well as the value/enjoyment for me.
Value:
Overall, the season was fairly good though I wished that they would either give news of a continuation or a better conclusion... Regardless, character development was sacrificed for more glorified battle time. To be more specific, the development revolved around the Reiji Maigo, not Yuji and the gang. As I loved the development in the first series, this greatly lowered the returns from this series as well as the value of a re-watch.
Due to the fact that Shakugan no Shana is a sequel, the initial introduction to the entire world and the main characters is very brief. The series instead focuses on pure plot progression as Yuji learns more about the mysteries of the Reiji Maigo and its origins, as well as some complications.
SNS2 does a decent attempt at furthering the story but fails at capturing the uphill-battle mood of the original series. By the end of the series, I did not feel that the series had progressed as much as I had expected for something of this length. However, it makes up for some of this by having a lot of action sequences with a fairly good level of intensity.
If you watched and loved the first SNS, go ahead and dive into this. If you liked the first season for the character development, be warned that the overall development is not at the same level as that in the first season. If you liked the first season for the action, this season will suit you just fine.
Animation:
The animation is very well done and is a noticeable improvement from the first season. This is easily apparent in action sequences and the fuzetsus that are cast throughout the season. Note that there are a few bloody scenes in the show (though a far cry from Elfen Lied status).
Sound:
The OP/EDs are all very good this time around and the BGM score is reminiscent of the first series. There are a few new BGM mixes but they fit in with the overall quality of the original series. The VAs are all the same from the first series but, due to the actual story progression, their voices (and characters) seem less believable than the first series (more on this in Character).
Story:
Despite successfully fending off a major assault by Bel Masque in the first series, what starts out as a return to normalcy ends as a wave of tomogara attacks pretty much takes up the duration of the entire series.
Don't expect much exposition as the three Flame Hazes and Yuji are pitted in battle after battle after battle. There are a few break episodes where Magery's past is explored but, for the most part, this series is more focused on action and battles. Due to the heavy emphasis on action, character development is also significantly reduced (simply count the number of times Shana gets to say "Urusai!"). This is a disappointment as this was one of the strong points of the first season.
The story comes to a climax late in the show when Bel Masque returns with a new sinister plot centered on the Reiji Maigo.
As the climax is right near the end of the season, there is no real room for any falling action so the ending feels abrupt. As there is not a real conclusion of any sort, it would be my guess that they will eventually be a third series.
Character:
During this period, Yuji, now strengthened greatly after synchronizing with Hecate in the first series, continuously trains to become a useful asset to the Flame Haze. However, his determination and change of outward behavior comes as a shock to Kazumi and Shana.
The major flaw with this season is in the character development. Some of Yuji's actions and decisions felt very unnatural considering the short duration of time in which he "changed". Though it appears his personality has become more serious, his character in general is a lot less believable than in the first season.
There is also reduced tensions between Kazumi and Shana as a mutual agreement is put in place when a third girl joins the school and is immediately stuck (literally) to Yuji.
Many of the characters have a bit of development but a large amount of the development occurs over situations that the viewer will have difficulty relating to (especially considering the actual decisions made by the characters). This greatly lowers the overall character satisfaction as well as the value/enjoyment for me.
Value:
Overall, the season was fairly good though I wished that they would either give news of a continuation or a better conclusion... Regardless, character development was sacrificed for more glorified battle time. To be more specific, the development revolved around the Reiji Maigo, not Yuji and the gang. As I loved the development in the first series, this greatly lowered the returns from this series as well as the value of a re-watch.