My Anime Nation

Review

The first time I've met Shana was on a forum thread where my co-worker used her pic as an avatar and a blogger that also too used it. I admit that at first I thought it was just any other anime that was produced... I was wrong. Shakugan no Shana has this potential that I felt in Cardcaptor Sakura. From the story to the relationships created by the characters will keep you glued to your seats and will be wanting for more.



View The List of Shakugan no Shana Characters Here

Plot

Sakai Yuuji a new high school student thought that his very normal life will last forever. Before the day of the exams he took a detour to a CD store accidentally meeting his classmate, Hirai. After learning that she has a crush on his bestfriend, Ike, they parted ways. The world suddenly freezes (the red-colored wall) leaving Yuuji shocked in horror while a doll like giant eats everyone that is engulfed in blue-flames. When Yuji freaks out the giant doll and his companion (a bunch of doll heads put together like a ball) finally noticed him.

Still in shocked, Yuji was captured by the giant doll and was about to eat him. Then suddenly a Flame-haired and Flaming red eyes girl appeared cutting off the arm of the giant doll. After saving him from the giant doll, he learns that he was dead and he was just a torch (something like a shock absorber or minimizer), a thing to fill the existence of the dead Yuuji, and also a mystes, a special kind of Torch, who contains a Treasure Tool. He also learned that the one who was about to eat him was a Rinne, a puppet of sort to do the bidding of their master, a Tomogara or Denizens of the Crimson Realm. He befriends the hunter and named her Shana after her sword, Nieto no Shana.

Shana's fight is actually a long-standing struggle between the Lords and Denizens of Guze. The Denizens steal Power of Existence, the energy that forms the basis of the world, from living people and utilize it for their own selfish ambitions. Some Lords inhabit humans creating Flame Hazes in an attempt to retain balance by hunting renegades from Guze. Flame Hazes create Torches in place of the consumed to save the world the disruption of many existences being lost at once, allowing the Torches to gradually burn out over the course of time.

Video
Shakugan no Shana Teaser here.

Sources:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=5943
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shakugan_no_Shana
http://animekousei.blogspot.com/2009/01/shakugan-no-shana-season-2.html
http://photobucket.com/images/shakugan%20no%20shana/