With so much coming out, one of the latest series I’ve finished has been Shakugan no Shana. You’ll be sure to see the Season 2 review and OVA review in the future. Of course later this year will be Season 3 once that has been released. With that said I’m starting with my review of Season 1. This series has a lot to offer and has kept me wanting more. Why? That’s a good question to ask anyone who seems to enjoy what this series provides. What can make an anime such as this so good that I couldn’t wait for the next part to release? That’s another good question! Does this series have what it takes to come out on top among many of the anime titles released lately? Let’s take a look!

The series Shakugan no Shana was directed by Takashi Watanabe, who’s known for directing anime titles such as Aria the Scarlet Ammo, Freezing, Slayers and more. On top of that he’s done musical work on Full Metal Panic, which is another anime I enjoyed. As for the writer he is none other than Yasuko Kobayashi, who has written for anime titles such as Witchblade, Claymore, Blassreiter, and even Casshern Sins. Just seeing the list of titles worked on by some of the team of course put me in a good mood. What is this series about?

In the series Shakugan no Shana you’ll learn about the Crimson Realm in which beings known as Crimson Denizens live. What can they do to the world? That’s a good question! When they happen to be in “our” universe they can mess with the Power of Existence. Each person in the anime has this said existence and if you happen to lose it you’ve pretty much never existed. What do I mean by that? Pretty much what I just said! If you’re replaced with a torch you slowly fade away as if you were never born at all. How does the torch get placed in each person? To some it up at some point they were attacked by a Crimson Denizen and killed but how do you stop one? Some Crimson Denizens happen to reach out to humans and have them become flame hazes. This grants the human with magical power to defeat other Denizens. What do these flame hazes do? They’re tasked with killing off Crimson Denizens who happen to break the balance in the world. Now to get to the good part about this series! We meet our main Character known as Yuji Sakai, during one night time everything simply stops, which is a sign of a battle in front of him. Of course with any person you’d be confused and what happens next throws in a twist. You’ll meet the other main character who you’ll know more and more about as the series and progresses and as you guessed her name is Shana. Would you like to see for yourself? Just head over to FUNimation website to watch a few episodes.

I would also like to take the time and state there is also a Shakugan no Shana movie that has been released. What’s it about? Pretty much grab the the first couple episodes of Season 1 and add in extra parts. Honestly, when I recently had the  time to watch it I was’t sure what to think other than “I’ve seen this before! Isn’t this part of Season 1?” So as you’re reading this review take note about this. I don’t have a huge problem with it but I was hoping for a different story. If you’re looking to see part of Season 1 in a new way be sure to check out the movie.

The graphics to this series is done quite well. As I’ve said above having two people that have worked on anime titles I really enjoyed clearly showed in this anime as well. You can tell so much work was done when it came to going around the city, big battles to the simple everyday visits to school. What about the acting throughout the series? It was pulled off just right the acting was spot on with emotion at the key points it was needed. This story provided enough details that allowed each character you meet in the series. When it comes to any anime title that’s one thing I look out for. Why have battle after battle without learning about the characters along with seeing them live an every day life. Maybe even fall in love at some point! Add all that plus the emotions the characters have throughout the series and you have a decent series in front of you.

Overall, I’d say the Shakugan no Shana series is something well worth checking out. At this time you can purchase Season 1, 2, the OVA and Movie at funimation.com. Later this year Season 3 will be coming out and you’ll be sure to see me excited for the release. Is this series worth buying? At this time I’d say yes since there is a lot more to come in the series. This series provides a solid story line, love between characters and just an overall entertaining time. Though does it come down to does this series fit well with the every growing amount of anime in the market? I’d say at this time it fits good in the US market and will be sure to please fellow anime fans.

Shakugan no Shana was provided for review purposes by FUNimation Entertainment. For more information on this series or FUNimation please visit www.funimation.com.