Shakugan no Shana – Review

Last night, I watched the first four episodes of the anime Shakugan no Shana, and I was instantly pulled in. Up to now, the story is all about Sakai Yuji, who, on his way home from school, meets a Flame Haze – a young girl created to keep the world balanced (kind of like Shinigami on Bleach, but not quite as cool :)). Anyway, he finds out that he is dead, and is existance is now that of a ‘torch’ – a temparary being that will stop the world going into chaos by having victims slowely disappear. The first four episodes mainly centered around the situations, emotions, and relationships of Yuji, and named Flame Haze, Shana. 

Yuji is an interesting high school student, who seems to care deeply for others. Shana, on the other hand, is a rather mysterious character who thinks of herself as an ‘it’ rather then a living being, and shows few emotions to other people. The main villan so far is very good, and he is close to his servant – a small creature with the appearance of a stuffed doll – which sets him apart from the regular villan, who only cares for himself.

The music was good all round – particulary the opening theme, which I was quick to load onto my ipod. The animation is also very nice, the definate highlight being when Shana turns into her ‘red hair, red eyes’ form.

Overall, this has been a gripping anime so far, and I will be watching the remainder of the series. 8.5/10