Dhruv Sharma
When you start off with the first season of ‘Shakugan no Shana’, it comes off as nothing more than other “ISEKAI” shows that revolve a character getting transported into a whole new world. And though it remains to be pretty much of a cliche, the best thing about it is that it never tries to rush from one plot point to another. It takes its own time to unfold the story and also gradually brings out all of its characters by slowly polishing the with some background stories. As typical as ‘Shakugan no Shana’ may seem, it’s the execution of the anime that makes it much better than others of the same genre. With each and every season, the anime has shown consistent improvement and that’s probably the reason why even a studio like J.C Staff, that is known for giving up on projects midway, decided to give it a proper conclusion.
When it comes to the art style of the show, I wouldn’t really call it a masterpiece but it is still topnotch, especially the visual effects used in battle scenes. Even the opening theme is very catchy and all the soundtracks fit in well the scenes they are played with. Overall, ‘Shakugan no Shana’ has a lot of similarities with renowned shows like ‘Bleach‘ and ‘Fate/Stay Night’ and after a while, it becomes clear that it is making an attempt to combine elements of many famous shows. But surprisingly, it does this really well and in some cases, it even delivers a much stronger impression than the ones it is being compared with.
Shakugan no Shana Season 4 Release Date: When will it premiere?
‘Shakugan no Shana’ season 1 premiered on October 6, 2005 and came to an end on March 23, 2006. During this span, it aired a total of 24 episodes with each one of them being 24 minutes long. This was then followed by a 24-episode season 2 which aired from October 5, 2007 to March 28, 2008. After this, an OVA series of 4 episodes premiered on October 23, 2009 and went on till September 29, 2010. Finally, season 3 of the anime released on October 8, 2011 that went on all the way up till Mach 24, 2012. This marked the end of the main series of the anime and since then, the creators have never really thought of bringing it back. And since the ending of Season 3 was perfectly conclusive of the entire series, most fans have also accepted that there isn’t anything more to it.
There is obviously a reason why even the creators of the anime have titled season 3 as the “final” season. Even if they ever decide to come out with a whole new sequel season, it will be more of an after story to the main storyline that was being followed. Also, considering the fact that its last season came out almost 7 years ago, the hype around the show is starting to fade a little. So as of now, though the chances of the renewal of ‘Shakugan no Shana’ are very low, there is still a little hope. But as long as we don’t get any confirmation from the Studio’s end, there isn’t much we can say about its future. In case we hear anything about ‘Shakugan no Shana’ season 4 release date, we will update it right here.
Shakugan no Shana English Dub:
The English dub of ‘Shakugan no Shana’ on Funimation and Amazon Prime. You can also watch it on Crunchyroll with its original Japanese audio and English subtitles.
Shakugan no Shana Plot:
The main plot revolves around a conflict between the Crimson realm and the human realm, the one that we live in. The Crimson realm is an entirely different plane of existence where its denizens are able to absorb and control the power of existence (the basic energy within all life-forms that fuel their existence) in order to further their causes. The ones that are able to manipulate these powers better than their peers are known as ‘Lords of the Crimson Realm’ and those that surpass the powers of the lords are called ‘Gods of the Crimson Realm’. There needs to be a proper balance between the powers of existence of the Crimson Realm and that of the human realm in order to sustain both the planes. However, there are many denizens present in the Crimson realm who wish to use their powers in order to escape into the human realm and steal the power of existence from unsuspecting humans killing them in the process.
Therefore, there are several guardians known as ‘Flame Hazes’ that work tirelessly to ensure that these misfits do not enter into the human realm and cause mayhem. They too possess the power to bend the power of existence according to their will and they mostly use this to make things look normal when the denizens are done with their chaos. A lot of deaths all in one place will look extremely suspicious so it is the job of these Flame Hazes to fight off these creatures and then provide enough power to the humans who have been stricken so that they don’t die immediately. These are known as ‘torches’ and eventually will burn out making it seem like the victim died of natural causes.
The story takes place in the city of Misaki in Japan where a high school student named Yuji Sakai suddenly notices that the world around him has stopped. It’s almost as if time has frozen itself in place but he finds that he can still move around apparently unaffected by the events that are taking place around him. Suddenly, two creatures known as ‘Rinnes’ appear out of nowhere and start devouring people around him at random. Once they spot him, they make a move towards him apparently very interested. It is at this moment that a Flame Haze appears and saves Yuji from the clutches of death. She defeats these creatures and restores everything back to normal as they were.
Yuji extremely frightened and intrigued by all of this asks the Flame Haze about everything that transpired right then. She then casually explains that Yuji is actually dead and that he is a torch right now which will soon extinguish!
Yuji not believing that he is dead again asks her about her identity to which she replies that she is a Flame Haze. She proceeds to explain the delicate balance between the Crimson realm and the Human realm is frankly too much for Yuji to take in. She tells him that a few of his classmates have had their energies devoured by the Rinnes and that they are now mere torches like him which will eventually burn out.
The Flame Haze, which Yuji names Shana due to the massive blade she carries, also explains that Yuji also has a limited amount of life left. Shana then goes to show Yuji how a classmate of his Yukari Hirai was close to having the torch extinguished. No matter how much they try, they are unable to restore the torch which eventually blows out. Shana also informs Yuji that he has a treasure tool inside his body that makes him different but she is not entirely sure what that treasure is. In order to keep a closer eye on Yuji, Shana decides to join the same class as a replacement for Yukari.
The following day at school, Shana takes the place of Yukari and literally terrifies the teacher through her immense knowledge. Not only that, she even goes to the length of explaining to the teachers exactly where they are going wrong with their teaching and how they can improve their habits of the same. However, in between one of these sessions, the Rinnes from before decide to attack the class sensing that Shana is present there. This leads to a massive confrontation between the Rinnes and Shana but she eventually manages to defeat them again.
It is during this time that a powerful and mysterious being appears before them and takes notice of Yuji or more accurately, his mystic power and then leaves. Yuji shares his treasure tool with Shana who restores everything back to normal in the classroom. That night Shana suddenly notices that Yuji’s torch replenish itself at the stroke of midnight much to her bewilderment. The anime goes to show how Yuji and Shana utilize their powers and creates a new world where humans and denizens can co-exist in peace.
Shakugan no Shana Characters:
Yuji Sakai: A pretty average high school student and the main protagonist of the story, Yuji Sakai has his life suddenly turned upside down when he finds himself in the middle of a conflict between the Crimson realm and the Human realm. He finds out from Shana, a Flame Haze who rescues him, that he is a Mystes who has a power called the ‘Midnight Lost Child’. This treasure tool restores his power of existence at the stroke of midnight every night preventing his torch from going out.
Shana: A Flame Haze who is tasked with maintaining the balance between the Crimson realm and the Human realm, she is the one who rescues Yuji from the clutches of death. She finds him extremely interesting and discovers that he has a hidden treasure tool inside of him. In order to keep a closer look, she decides to join the same school as him and the two eventually develops a special bond.
Alastor: An extremely powerful Lord of the Crimson Realm to whom Shana is bound, Alastor is also known as the ‘flame of the Heavens’ due to his contractor’s ability to divine summon. It is an extremely powerful method that is called ‘Heaven Destruction Earth Break’ which literally shatters the very core of existence and requires a lot of will and power of existence ascending his position to that of a true god.
Snake of the Festival: One of the True Gods of the Crimson Realm, Snake of the Festival is an extremely powerful lord who leads ‘Bal Masqué’, an organization made entirely out of Crimson Denizens. He has a kind and noble side to him that he sometimes displays through acts of emotion towards his followers but is mostly depicted to be firm and unapologetic. He is also shown to stop at nothing and will take down anything that attempts to stand in-between him and his desires.
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