Japanese animation (anime) - 灼眼のシャナⅡ
English: Shakugan no Shana 2
Vintage: 2007
Style: Romance Drama Ação Fantasia
灼眼のシャナⅡ - Preview
Preview
Warning: This is a DIRECT follow up on Shakugan no Shana (first season), and any preview will totally spoil the first season. If you did not watch the first season, read that review instead.
Immediately after the events at Shakugan no Shana, peace is back, and Yuuji and Shana are back to school with their love triangle with Yoshida at full throttle - except now Yoshida is fully aware of the reality behind Yuuji and Shana. Meanwhile Wilhelmina remains as Shana's personal maid and Margery Daw is living at Sakai's home with constant visits of Ike. Unfortunately, this peace might not last forever, as a new student who looks exactly like "Idataki no Kura" Hecate (which almost got the Hoogu off Yuuji in the last series - keep in mind no enemies from the first season were killed) shows up. What's this person up? Does she have something to do with Hecate? and obviously, will they stop looking for a way to get the Reiji Maigo off Yuuji once more?
Pacing
Usually people get tired of a title because the first episodes are introduction for the characters and a small slice-of-life period to show them in their natural environment before the great tragedy/plot/twist starts - obviously one would not hope that to be true for a second season on a series filled with action, but that is not the case with Shakugan 2, and about seven episodes are extremely repetitive school-life romance focusing the Shana, Yoshida and Yuuji triangle, which is not only boring to the extreme since you were hoping that, by end season one, Shana and Yuuji would be together, but also because Yuuji is the densest creature in the universe, and not even direct confessions work to make him realize "why the girls are acting weird".
Fortunately, by episode eight the title gets back on track, and while the romance remains somewhat not complete, the new menaces and mysteries take up most of the screen time - just enough not to bug the viewer with a teen romance - which was certainly not why one would watch Shakugan no shana 2. With a good pacing and a very good relation between all characters, in Shakugan no Shana 2 you get to see all three main Flame Hazes (Shana, Whilhermina and Margery) fighting alongside against powerful Guze no Tomogara, and more than that, Yuuji even becomes believable useful as he now also has some special powers from his encounter with Hecate at the end of the first season (which will also bring some issues)
Conclusion
While several loose ends from the first season are mended at the second season, the most important being the romance aspect (yes, in the last episode Yuuji finally chooses one, and you obviously know who do-oh), Margery Daw finally meet her nemesis enemy "the Silver", and Yuuji finds his place among humans and Flame Hazes (he still have some existential doubts about himself), some new dilemmas that raise during the second season are left unattended for, leaving a small space for a possible third season or OVA. Despite the slow start focusing on a teen romance that "we did not sign for" (but some viewers might find pleasing, specially because it's only 7 episodes), Shakugan no Shana quickly gets on track to what viewers want, and we have memorial battles with several enemies and strategies. Yuuji not only can fight for himself (as long as the enemy is weak), but he also manages to put some brains into his void container and act as the strategist of the group while they fight, which is again a plus, giving more substance for both his character and the show.
Certainly a good follow up for the first season, a must-see for any fan, one that will hardly let you down with a sudden ending.
