Shakugan no Shana III (Final)

(This is my first review here on MAL, so I apologize for being an amateur at this. Also be aware, minor spoilers are included.)

Oh Shana, how low could you have gotten?

I was a big Shana fan three years ago, and after hearing of the news of when season 3 was going to premier last Summer, I was overjoyed. Boy was I in for a surprise, massive disappointment.

Shakugan no Shana III (Final) is J.C. Staff's third and final adaption of the popular Shakugan no Shana light novel series written by Yashichiro Takahashi. Shakugan no Shana is a hot series for J.C. Staff, with each volume of ... season 1 and season 2 having sold 10,000+ copies total, and with great reason. Shakugan no Shana was a very entertaining and interesting series with the first two seasons. Season 3 however, is a whole different beast (It's even selling on average 4,000 copies per volume on average, not 10,000+ like the successful first two seasons.).

We start off with how Yuji has disappeared, and whether or not if he truly has had his flame burn out. This was interesting...for a while. One of the biggest issues early on with season 3 is time. They make no effort to explain when season 3 takes place (I.E. How long after the end of season 2.), and it proves to be a problem that just gets worse, confusing the viewer. Not to mention, something always associated with time, pacing. Shana III has an issue of making events either occur way too fast, or way too slow (Like slower than Dragon Ball Z almost at times.). This is very apparent during much of the first half, the war between the Flame Hazes, and the Bal Masque which also happens to be one of the most boring, if not the most boring war I've ever seen in an anime.

Another problem with the series is character development, and lack of explanations as to what's going on. Season 3's biggest issue is adding too many characters at once, and then not even bothering to provide any back-story, thus causing the viewer to hardly care about them. They'll only really be attached to the characters they know and love from the first two seasons, except of course Yuji (I'll get to this later.). As the show goes on, this only gets worse and worse as they try to make you care with touching moments, but due to the lack of proper character development, this does nothing.

The lack of explanations really is one of the biggest issues. It makes the show quite confusing, and leads to the viewer being quite bored. There are also many contradictions thanks to this.

Now, Yuji. The Yuji you knew from seasons 1 and 2 is completely gone. For some, this may be a good thing, but for others, it's quite a bad thing. Basically early on he has The Snake of the Festival take over his body. We have no idea where Yuji was, or where The Snake of the Festival came in which goes back to the issue of the lack of explanations and time. The Snake of the Festival later takes over as leader of the Bal Masque (As he was their former boss before he was sealed away.), and his goal first is to free his old body (Which of course, is a giant snake.), and he has another thing up his sleeve (He reveals this during the war.) which I won't post about due to spoilers.

The sound and art (Well, it's not as good, but it works.) are pretty much on par with the first two seasons, and they're what help hold this show up from being a 3/10 show or lower. It helps make the show still somewhat enjoyable. They're the best things about the show, which is such a shame. The entertainment value is there, but not much. A few episodes I've found have been quite a chore to watch even.

Overall, Shana III is a massive disappointment, and only devoted Shana fans will really have any reason to watch this, the main one being just to finish the story (This is the only reason why I haven't dropped it, I really want to see the end.). I may edit this after I see the end, but I don't expect this show to get much better.

Edit 3/30/2012 after seeing episodes 23 and 24 (The original part of the review was on 1-22):

Episode 23 didn't really help the show (It suffered from the same problems that are very apparent in the series), but episode 24 was worth watching (It's pretty much the only episode really worth watching). We get a decent enough ending which actually resulted in some decent character development.

this is my first review in My Anime List

Story :
just to be honest! Shakugan no Shana III is the true adaptation of novel... this is the true Shana without fanservice or filler episode...
We're having a huge changes of plot since previous seasons and we face a faster pacing in this season... but somehow, J.C. Staff managed to pull it out and make it lots better than any anime they ever made before...

Art :
just same like previous seasons... this art is already good enough for Light Novel adaptation anime (please don't compare the art with Visual Novel adaptation)
the battle's art is very good

... Sound :
I can't say anything anymore.... Mami Kawada, Kotoko, and Altima totally owned this season! Serment, I'll Believe, and ONE is really good and enjoyable... not to mention the BGM and some songs from Mami Kawada as BGM (Akai Namida, u/n, etc)

Character :
awesome! Shana and Yuji's character developments are very well-pictured by J.C.Staff. Not only two main characters but also Yoshida Kazumi, Eita, Keisaku Satou, Margery Daw, and Wilhelmina...

Enjoyment :
totally enjoyed it... that's all... I don't know what to say anymore

Overall :
10/10 is maybe too high.. but for me, I consider Shakugan no Shana III as one of the best anime I ever watched

sorry if my review is bad.... this is my first time... xD

Assuming you have watched SNS S1 and S2 and you know the characters well, you may be shocked when you watch the first episode of SNS s3. SNS s3 was somewhat confusing at first impression (one minutes into the show), but the unexpected opening quickly piqued my imagination. It appears that the protagonist had reversed and became antagonist. With the briefly explained background information of the first episode, the viewer may have difficulties understanding the reasons behind protagonist's faction change. Although I had hoped for more details in the first episode, I think that it may be best the way it is, that is lack ... of a complete background introduction. Overall, this animation is enjoyable and exciting, which is true in my case, The art work and sound of S3 quality was specular, I would rate the SNS s3 a 8.5/10.

Shana? Yes, I was waiting the third season very long!

The third season of Shana - the long-awaited project from J.C.Staff, which was expected not only to fans of the most Shana, but also people who love any art of this studio.

Since I myself am a fan of Shana, I can say that the ending was totally justified. This anime made ​​me remember all the seasons of Shana and this is good news, since not every studio can do it.

In fact, in the third season added a lot of sharp turns of the plot, which is good simple viewiers. (Story - 9)

New Shana a lot of ... interesting creatures and transformations, that is good news. New monsters, interesting buildings and various specifically can fully appreciate the scale and scope of this anime. (Art - 8)

The music is just great! Since the release of the anime, and to this day, I listen openings and endings. (Sound - 8)

Characters not really changed since the second season, of course added new ones, but they are not particularly interesting. An exception can be called Sakai Yuji. (Character - 7)

Unfortunately when watching the third season of Shana sometimes there is a desire to switch off and do not watch it, because so much is not clear, but razbratsya in all of this is very difficult, but it's still interesting to know how it ends, and how the story will turn into reality. (Enjoyment - 7)

In conclusion I would like to add that all the seasons of Shakugan no Shana made ​​a huge impression on me, and so I want to thank J.C.Staff for taking the job. They were able to do Shakugan no Shana for what it is, and a happy ending to it - it's entirely their merit. I'm glad it ended so Shakugan no Shana!

This is my first review, not that it matter much.

I address this to fans of the the series,

Firstly, if you enjoyed the first two seasons because of the plot, characters and nice pace, like myself, then you can kiss those things goodbye and prepare yourself for intense confusion.

Now really review this.

To be completely honest, I've watched few anime with as much of an impact as Shakugan no Shana from the start. I enjoyed the first two seasons as well as the specials thoroughly, I enjoyed the concept of existence and I enjoyed the love elements placed thought out them.

In the case of Shakugan no Shana ... III Final, it seems to have butchered everything great about the first two seasons. This is because they were replaced them with endless fight scenes and a sudden increase in cast with no backstory whatsoever.

That's not to say the anime itself is bad, but because the first two seasons were incredibly similar, I must say that the change in delivering the story was a little strange. Anyway, I should talk about why this sequel wasn't as good as it could have been.



Story:

Alright, assuming you've watched the first two seasons, you should have a thorough idea of where the plot is at. However, most characters from the past barely have any screen time and those who do hardly need an explanation about themselves.

The story begins with a nice plot twist which adds an interesting controversy from the beginning. In truth, the first episode was very similar to the first two seasons. Even the episodes following keep a nice plot going, it didn't take long though for the action to kick in.

The first two seasons had an equal pace of both action and progressing with the plot and somewhat decent character development. In this case you are introduced to a short and strong plot, before delving into battles that cover endless amounts of episodes. But these scenes are so long that they ignore the plot, heck they could have been condensed into half, no, a quarter of their length really easily.

Alongside these fights you are also introduced to a cast so large that you sometimes forget about the main characters, which isn't a good thing. Though I’ll address this later alongside those damn Flame Hazes.

The beginning of the season was great to be honest, it delivered the plot with a decent pace and flow. After that you’re bombarded with action packed scenes that actually like to avoid the plot. I’m not saying they’re bad scenes, but you’ll be so adjusted to the fighting that when the story progresses you’ll be a little caught off.

When the plot does develop, there are usually actions that take place that are completely stupid. You will most probably find yourself dumbstruck at how unbelievably crazy the things people do in the season are, however you’ll have to suck it up and remember that whatever happens is never addressed to again.

It’s not a necessarily bad story, but the lack of any progression due to the fights causes you to forget the plot. I must say though that a few episodes at the end make a nod or two towards a certain someone from the first episode of the first season which really meant something.

Overall a 5/10.



Art and Sound:

I decided to combine the two since I actually have little to say on the matter for either.

The art remains similar to it’s prequels, here and there you notice a little more detail than usual but nothing special.

The truly exceptional factor in the art is that no matter how fast paced things get, you’re still supplied with decently fluid animation and detail. Being a twenty-six episode season there are naturally a ton of scenes and a lot that needs to be tended to during those full scale fight scenes with an entire army of people.

Because of this I really admire the people who animated and coloured every scene throughout the season, even the computer generated snow and stuff is awesome.

The sound however... It took a turn for the worst. While the first two seasons gave you soundtracks with emotion, tension and meaning all I heard throughout Final was dramatic music.

The music wasn’t anything bad, not was it anything superior to the first seasons, however I heard so many pieces for action filled scenes that I swear only ever heard a cycle of five songs or so.

I enjoyed all of the OP and EDs and found ‘Light My Fire’ to be a song I really enjoy. No problems there.

To be truthful, I don’t want to go back through the series either just to try and hear those non-dramatic pieces.

The sound effects were the same as ever, satisfying. Not much else to say.

The art gets a 7/10 for a decent job and consistency on demand.

The musical score and sounds only get a 5/10 due to playing their part in adding tension but nothing more than that.



Character:

Okay, this is where I actually begin to get annoyed since characters that played a role in the first two seasons are barely addressed to again.

Keisaku, Eita? I think I’ve heard those names before... Nope, must have been my imagination.

Past characters who added to the plot barely got a mention during Final, which was sad since I never once disliked the cast at all. While those who did still didn’t get much attention paid either.

In this case all there is to focus on is Sakai Yuji, Shana and an massive new cast of characters who completely stamped on any understanding you ever had of past members involved with anything at all from the plot before Final.

There are so many new characters which really aggravated me more than anything else. Despite the issues with the plot, despite the endless fighting, the characters are what got me most.

Firstly and fore mostly, don’t bother with remembering their names. Just don’t. Because you’ll not only struggle with comprehending the battles and the plot, but also who you are watching make the plot happen.

Not only is the cast incredibly large and time consuming to remember, but the story flickers between all of them constantly. At a fair few points some die and you’ll either say, “Who was that?” or you’ll forget them in a short time anyway because someone new has probably been introduced by then.

Thankfully, it seems that we didn’t have to bother with remembering their backstory since it is NEVER explained. Okay, maybe one person had their past told in the most unhelpful way, but constantly shifting between people in the story left it incredibly difficult to keep track of anything!

Personality wise... You will still be lost as the new characters reveal barely anything about themselves. Leaving you with bland characters who probably can’t make an apocalypse exciting.

If you love Yuji and Shana however you’ll be drowned in moments including them... Even if Sairei no Hebi makes you wonder whether it’s actually Yuji or not who is speaking.

If you love the past characters then I’d advise you to keep any hopes for their appearances in firmly on the harsh reality that they’re rarely referenced to if at all.

If you love a brand new cast of people who you really don’t want to give a damn about then this will be perfect as you can kiss all those LAME characters from before goodbye and say hello to a great amount of characters with as much personality as bread!

Okay, okay I’ve had enough of a rant on the new guys, it’s time for something serious here.

The Flame Hazes.

I didn’t really understand them from the get-go to be honest. All I knew was that they were a large group of people who killed Guze-no-Tomogara for the sake of balancing the world.

This made me question why they decide to kill so many throughout the season with little to no care for the so called,”Imbalance of Existence”.

I always assumed what they did as a job, and there’s a level of understanding where taking care of these creatures is what they do for a living.

However, in this case the Flame Haze are presented with the perfect opportunity to remove those whom imbalance the amount of existence. So what do they do? Rebel. Why? Because they don’t want to loose purpose.

Seriously, the entire focus of the season is how Yuji wishes to remove the Flame Hazes enemies, yet the fight against the Guze-no-Tomogara based on the fact that they want to continue fighting them until they’re killed.

Maybe I missed something out, maybe I’ve watched to many faced paced scenes to remember the plot, maybe there’d be a big imbalance of existence if they all disappeared.

But when you watch the ending to Final you can only facepalm at the stubbornness and idiocy of the Flame Hazes. I wont ruin the moment for you, if you want to have the living hell confused out of you then go ahead and watch it.

As a result however the only form of character development involves a little bit between Yuji and Shana while the fantastic new cast introduced to the show and the Flame Hazes spoil any other enjoyment you may get out of characters.

I end my rant here with a 2/10 since there was just enough development to gain an extra mark from the lowest possible rating.

Enjoyment:

Please, if you just read everything before this you should now mostly how feel.

This is mostly a summary of what I’ve previously said.

Despite enjoying the first two seasons and specials a great deal, Final was highly disappointing. The plot was all that kept me going while I suffered through countless scenes filled with action-packed battles between people I didn’t know with character traits that I couldn’t understand. The musical score was repeated enough to make me feel sick, excluding ‘Light My Fire’ and the art was generally alright.

Did I enjoy it?

Only during the first few episodes, episode nineteen and the final episode. (I partially enjoyed the final episode merely because it ended.)

As a result, 4/10.



Overall:

Overall, it’s a clunky mess of dissatisfaction. If you’re watching it for the story rather than the fighting then you’re going to be let down a lot and there’ll be a long wait before you see the plot develop.

At times you may find yourself crying, either with confusion, anger or disappointment. I almost cried myself during those final few minutes at the end, because of how sad I was that something so awesome could become so bad.

Whereas if you’re a die-hard fan of the series overall then there’s no doubt that you’ll probably enjoy a fair part of it, what you make of the new characters is really personal preference.

As a sequel to the rest of the series, all of which I gave 7/10, it’s ultimately inferior. Everything from beforehand is thrown out while a whole new angle for both plot and characters is taken.

Even the resolve to the story is so stupid that I can’t being to express how much my understanding has dropped.

I’ve never truly felt let down by a sequel before today which really kicked the rest of Shakugan no Shana in the unmentionables. Again, whether you are or not is entirely up to how you feel with drastic changes.

And so I reach my conclusion. I’ve probably left a lot out from before, mostly to avoid spoilers and also due to the fact that I never want to relive this again.

I stand by my decision saying 3/10 is the way to go with this.

If it was a stand alone piece it would get about 6/10 on a good day, but when you take into account how decent the first two seasons and specials were, it’s only worth your time for the plot.

Now if you don’t mind, I’m off to watch the first episode of Shakugan no Shana. Perhaps contradictory to what I’ve said, but after this train wreck of a series, I’ll probably be overcome with happiness and nostalgia at how much I enjoyed the first season.

This was my first review, driven by my disappointment, I hope this has been somewhat helpful.

Personal Message :

This season , was my long waited dream. I don't know is there anyone out there like me , but I waited so long for a good damn Romance/Action anime. Closest the what I wanted was Romeo/Juliet but it had that sad ending , and I also wanted to characters to be together all the way. I always searched , and still searching '' Anime like ''Kaze No Stigma'' With MORE ROMANCE '' , but never actually found what I was looking for. But now , it changed . Only problem is, this is the last season , and not even finished . ... I have to wait weeks , even months .. So if there is anyone reading this, and has the same taste like me , please , feel free to talk and recommend.
I am loving this so far , and writing my first review to this.

And of course , the anime :

Since I only watched the first episodes (7 at the moment) Imagine me saying ''for now'' at the end of each sentences.

Main character become powerfull , both mental and physical.
He is now sure about his feelings , and MORE importantly , actually understands the ones around him.
And also , at last , he made his choice in that love triangle . I don't know if there is anyone loves triangles, but I don't , and in this one , It was more obvious than any other anime that who will he choose. I'm glad that everything is clear , and no more triangles (Hopefully).
And his powers, or Snake of Festival's I should say ? , makes action scenes so good , I don't think there is even a word to truly describe it.

Like I said , I wanted something like ''Kaze no Stigma'' , which had very powerfull ( Mentally and Physically ) main character , with more romance , I think found it . Deja vu , I think it's my second time saying this but forgive me , I'm just full of happines right now.
Only thing bad about this anime = It has ''(Final)'' in it's name..

I'm finishing this short review right now , hopefully someone will read it . Thank you for taking your time to read it .

Shakugan no Shana

Hmm... This Series is Interesting and very good.

Shakugan no Shana II

"Yawn", the first season was much better, this kinda bored me



...
Shakugan no Shana III (Final)

YEAH!!!!! this series rocks!!!!


Just started watching Shana III this April and currently on the 20th episode. Man, this series is epic. The final season of the Shana and Yuuji and they became enemies, the action in this anime is awesome. I said in my previous review about Fate/Zero that F/Z is the best anime of that season, which is obviously wrong (I only watched i think 3 episodes of that series when i wrote that review, and i haven't watched Shana III during that time). The cuteness of Shana is still there, The development of relationships of each characters, The uselessness of Kasumi is there.

I'm just waiting right now on how will they end up the Finale of this series which excites me.

The following review will contain spoilers. I was a fan of this series following a recommendation to watch the first season of Shakugan no Shana. After many years of waiting, I was very excited to see that the final season was being produced and had to see how it would end. I will tell you that if you only care about action, pretty drawings, and good sound work, our opinions on this final installment of Shakugan no Shana shall be very different; however, if you actually care about story quality and proper character development, we may find solidarity in the thoughts displayed in this review. ... The main character, Sakai Yuji, goes from being your typical average guy that gains power and evolves as a man into an anti-villain who has, with little to no explanation, joined forces with the enemies Yuji had been fighting in the rest of the series. Even though Yuji suddenly joins bodies with the leader of Bal Masque, in the process kidnapping the two women who love him and starting a full scale war against the people viewers were lead to believe were on the side of justice, that in and of itself did not bother me. Stories always evolve and change as a series goes on. The issue that truly agitated me regarding this series was its blatant lack of proper development. New and radically different elements to the established story were constantly thrown at you without something as simple as a subtle introduction. In addition, many new characters were tossed into situations that would require sympathy from the viewer, once again, without proper development. Just being upset with the direction that the series took is not enough for me to give such a poor review. What warranted my utter rage and disappointment week after week was the drop in quality. I gave Shakugan no Shana Final a 2 rather than a 1 for the overall rating because the site says that a 1 is "unwatchable" and I did make it through. Not so much because it was worth it, but because I had a stubborn desire to see how a series that I really enjoyed ended.

SnS III, a trainwreck anime which is nowhere worthy of 7.94. Oh my god, my jaw dropped, my mouth was gaping open, my eyes were rolling with disbelief when I saw the score.

Why is this anime bad? Well, let's see...

The story is poor.
-> A lot of support characters were popping out of nowhere. The writer was trying to make them appear important / look like some big shots, but we viewers hardly cared about them. The reason is they don't even have a proper introduction or background story.
-> How about the battle / war? There are waaay too many scenes of generic nameless characters whom ... nobody cared about, duked at it each other with no end in sight. While all of that happened, an old hag sat down on her chair calmly, sipping her tea and going "Hmmmm..."

The art is fair. The main characters are drawn properly, standard anime style, big eyes, small nose and chin, but those nameless characters are drawn sloppily / lazily. They could have been made faceless, and it won't make a difference.

The sound is very good. The BGMs are done by Ootani Kou, they are good and fit the mood just like season 1 and 2. Kawada Mami and Kotoko are good singers as always. While Altima handles both of the ending songs. They are EPIC. Which Altima's song isn't?

The characters are poor.
-> The motivations of the so called 'good guys' are ridiculous. They are mostly because of butthurt / unable to forgive the past. Also at least one of them was just a battle crazed freak. Also one of them was a hundreds years old obaa-san who's still trying to act cute at her age. Also one of them was a old hag in nun outfit and granny pants.
-> The heroine and the antagonist is even more poor. The heroine's motivation is really unclear. Is it a sense of duty? Is it some blind love? Is she simply going with the flow? Bah. Also the antagonist is one of the most awful character I have ever seen. He is supposed to be a good guy, actually, but his actions are totally opposite of that, and caused misunderstanding up until last episode.

How about enjoyment? Poor. I almost fall asleep because there are too many useless scenes and talks.

As you might wonder why I put up such a low score for this series is because of the way it follows the story. For people who've watched the past episodes of this series, you may be in for quite the bumper ride of your life. I've seen the past seasons. I've liked it, and if I had to review it I'd say its outstanding. But for my point of view for this season. Its going to be good, I also like the voice actors, so I put outstanding on sound, Art is obviously very good so I put Great, but the new storyline is ... very much not my taste so I'm not going to expect anything better. The story shows signs of the story turning into the worst case scenario, a very bad end for the character. Specifically, Sakai Yuuji. I'm not going to spoil you on what happened to him, I'll let you guys see for yourselves. Now, I'm the kind of guy who is a romanticist, so I would prefer a good end. And even if it WAS a good end. Almost all of the story has already been very much messed up. I'd say its a good anime. But the new story is definitely not my taste.

NOTE: This isn't the first time I've reviewed on an anime, but this is the first time I've actually made such a poor review. I am very much disappointed in the story. It kinda reminds me of the grief I had when watching "ENDLESS EIGHT" From the second season of Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu. Its a slight let down.

I have one question: who wrote this?
I'm very sure that back in 2011 after watching SNS season 2, that it wasn't horrible as what season 3 turned out. Only because I missed some Kugi-chan action did I opt to watch this now, and was nowhere near where season 2 left. Season 3 was all plot-driven, it was all dreadful.


STORY = 2
Yep. Dreadful it is. I took time to read some of the high-rated reviews here and I get their main point: read the light novel, my backside. Read, because that is the original version of the Shakugan no Shana storyline. However, that's just the same ... as telling me I should read the entire graphic novel of TheWalkingDead to enjoy its TV adaptation. But AMC and others concerned with the production didn't require us to do so, and the TWD TV version is as brilliant or acclaimed better than its original graphic novel. I could say JC Staff should have done something like that, too, which they didn't.

This is unexpectedly disappointing, however despite I understand the "original adaptation" thingy that Shanatards emphasize, the writer/JC Staff/whoever has the key role here did have three choices:
a. they could continue s1 and s2's efforts, solidifying the fans' expectations, nevermind those who had known the light novels;
b. They should have done this "true adaptation" back in season 1 so we won't be wasting our time;
c. They can choose to just f*ck this up. Who cares about plot and story? We want the money. They said.

And I guess they chose letter C.
The thing is about the entire SNShana installment, is whoever tried to deviate the animation story from the original should have bet his/her entire money on seeing it through. It's what's proper, it's what should have been done. Thanks to the "reverting to the original" efforts, SNShana ended up 100% plot-driven. Characters Yuji and Shana seemed to have ambivalent feelings towards their choices and decisions and still, they chose something their dialogues and scripts didn't state. That goes for the entire cast of characters as well.
Plus, what's worse than a plot-driven story is the "Deus ex Machina", and this element is as bountiful as their power of existence had been.

Also, what I can point out to the story, and sorry to say this, but I'm totally unimpressed and eye-rolling towards the entire "religious innuendos".
Most of the side of the Flame Hazes' specifically the Crimson Lords have devilish names such as "Behemoth" and "Alastor", whereas on the other side constitutes of the "Trinity" and the "god of creation", and the rapture and the apocalyptic---pah.
If I had known this was the entire plot of Shana all along, I should have watched this when I yet to age 12, because back then I enjoyed Gundam Wing and Angelic Layer, then I'm pretty sure I could have enjoyed SNShana season 3 very well; because by the time I turned 13, I know I would be focusing on better stories like Gurren Lagann for example.
Now that I'm older, I'm infuriating, and cussing, and pulling some of my hair, and calculating about 10hours of time wasted watching this, and 20hours more of watching both s1 and s2.

Shanatards would surely like to see all those explosions and fights, but only a child or a monkey can be fascinated by those, especially if you've spent watching season 1 and 2 with a regard of 7 or 8 rating, the "reverting-to-the-original season3" failed to impress even a tiny bit because it ruined the pace of execution of the story. I can assure you that even if this plot is added with the USS Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, two Gundams, and alchemy, tyrant's eye---none of those will make me think otherwise, because the plot itself is beyond salvage, it's ruined.


ART = 10
yes, give this a 10. JC Staff's only good side.


SOUND = 7
Surely though, Kotoko and Mami Kawada music transmits that Shana-esque vibe, but that can't atone for the damage caused.
Also, even with Ai Kayano, Yuki Kaji, Marina Inoue and Natsumi Takamori were added on the seiyuu cast, none of them matters. I'm pretty sure that they were overjoyed being casts on SNShana 3, but I can bet you that by the time they finished their voice-recording, they've all realized what a complete waste of time it had been.


CHARACTERIZATION = 2
The plot is dreadful, moreso the characterization. With the "reverting of season 3 to light novel" as claimed by Shanatards went, the characterizations were all derailed and was cut off from the progress of what season 2 left which resulted to uneven pacing and deus ex machina, and the very fact that no matter what dialogues the characters were delivering, the plot just proceeds on itself, leaving the viewer wondering why and what happened.
For example, how did Sakai Yuji ever reached the conclusion that the best way to help Shana is to side with the Denizens and the trinity and a new snake-guy never heard of in season 1 and 2? If this is the s1-s2 Yuji, you know that he won't decide on that. But the s3 version of him is just what the author penned him to without a care of what/who he used to.

Then there's worse. Adding too many characters as extras for the "great war" proved to be useless, unnecessary and out of context. Because here we know that there were thousands of Flame Hazes as "merely mentioned" in season 1, but we caught a glimpse this season 3 that apart from the main and supporting characters, these extra flame hazes are nothing more but salarymen, housewives, and otakus. They couldn't even transform into something else (yes it might be expensive to animate but this is Shana, if they could make a ton of magic circle, they could easily animate anything and anyone else more) and was not even clear if they had their own vessel/crimson lord or they were just wielding swords to look like the part. Then because there were so many extras, everyone should just have to have a screentime of 3mins and needs to die after.
Supporting antagonists also suffered the 3mins-fate, very few died while some others forgot they used to have roles back in season 2 and 1---and whatever happened to Hecate's feelings, all these were a gigantic pile of mess.

As if the mess wasn't bad enough, some characters suddenly had too much of too many powers/abilities that even if a Gundam, Saitama, Ryuuko, the Jedi council will pass in the middle of their so-called war, you'll certainly not notice them because of the barrage of whatnot powers been already displayed. Of course, the premise goes to that they had these powers inside them for a thousand years or more, but that's a flimsy and childish excuse, too lazy to elaborate and was just all too wonky to convince, unless you're a kid or those who are easily impressed.


ENJOYMENT = 1
This is the first time I ever tried to take breaks upon finishing an episode. Usually I could finish 3-5eps straight; even Glasslip got me about 2eps before breathing out. But here in SNShana s3, I longed for the day to get this thing done, finished, and reviewed here in MAL to warn others that you go waste your time in some anime else. I mean, I watched Tamayura just to ease my mind in this SNShana s3, re-played NFSMW (2005), and listened/discovered more David Bowie songs---all these while dreading that I was about to watch the next episode soon. Now, glad that's over.



OVERALL = 3
The power of existence of season 3 proved to be like a Ford Fiesta that was placed with a Mustang engine, in which the Ford engineers patted themselves on the back for a job well done, but Ford fans knew better as to what a Fiesta would look like with a V8. If in reality they did do something like this, Ford fans might chase them out with Camaros and Corvettes.

However, what about a Focus on Mustang V8 engine? Sounds good, eh?

Hence, like the analogy of the Focus bridging the Fiesta to the Mustang, this is what I could have strongly suggested on SNShana 3: this could have been a season 4, or a Shana movie that bridges the gap of season 2 to 3, or some OVAs to do just those---anything that can "bridge" and "provide information" on events that will lead to season 3, not just taking the premise and leaving it out to the viewer's imagiation.
Instead, JC Staff and whoever wrote this proceeded that putting a great war and misaligned characters will be a huge hit, and it will be the greatest epic Shana season ever.
No it isn't.
A monkey can clap hands on the explosions, kids can cheer on the fights, but to Shana fans (not necessarily Shanatards), this is an insult. We could have started watching season 1 as the "default, original intended light-novel version" and I know I'll give this an 8-10 rating; however putting a different s3 from s1 and s2 where Shana and the others' characterizations have been popularized, loved, and respected, this was a disaster in storytelling. Shana and Yuji's and the rest's power of existence were basically disregarded and ripped to be replaced with "plot-driven characters" who kept saying craps and pieces to which the plot just took them to what the author decided-- not from the causes and effects of their decisions. Thus, the characters you know from s1 and s2 left their souls on those previous seasons.

VERDICT: could have been great, if only the storytelling of the season 3 were all made to be parallel and connecting to the previous seasons.

Well, this is my first time writing a review and I just joined the community yesterday so I hope I'll do good at least. Enough with the introductions so let's get started!

In my point of view, Shakugan no Shana III caught me off-guard. The suddenly twist of plot from the ending of the last season. I quite hated it from the start when I was just around watching the first 3 episodes. But it gets better as you continue watching it.

STORY - 9/10 - I gave it 9 out of 10 because of how creative the story was created. Even though there are some parts ... that are rather boring. But overall the story was great.

SOUND - 10/10 - Shakugan no Shana excels in this aspect. I love how they change the opening theme song every arc or so. Or rather the sounds were actually 'that' good.

CHARACTER - 9/10 - I didn't gave it 10/10 because I was quite annoyed by Yoshida Kazumi.

ENJOYMENT - 10/10 - Well I'm not some kind of witch but the enjoyment factor is actually based off from my opinion. But I enjoyed the series throughout. :)

OVERALL - 9/10 - I recommend you to watch Shakugan no Shana III. But don't forget to start from the first season! You won't regret it. Hontoni. :)

The worse out of all seasons. The previous seasons are great but this one juz don't attract me instead it bores me out.Too draggy too messy and boring fights......For almost all the episode i dun even see yuuji and shana really fight..It's like they are juz floating in the air toking rubbish

Let's see... Shakugan no Shana III...

To start off, I would assume you watch SnS and SnS II already. As we know, our mate Yuji have been the fight of Shana and Kazumi. And, we would all expect that in SnS III he would clarify who he wants etc. etc. And when the release was one year late, (It was supposed to be released in 2011, but the original SnS website say it will be late) I expect them to shoot out some quantum awesome thing.

However, I was left disappointed, very very disappointed. First of all, SnS III barely touches Shana's tsundere side or even the ... love triangle. The small bit of school life is also gone and the original side characters barely made an appearance. New sub characters were introduced (well, it is a war) and let me tell you, I don't even remember half of them and their purpose.

In SnS and SnS II, the story emphasize on Shana and Yuji fighting Tomogara and trying to make progress in their 'love'. All is lost when Yuji disappeared. In the end, they all march to war and the place looks like a permanent Fuzetsu. To make thing worst, while the first part of the war is going on, Shana is MIA (inside Yuki's castle).

She later appeared on while an insane amount of power, even though she have been training with Margery for what? Two weeks?

The plot is so boring and it revolves around a lot of talking and talking. SnS III in my opinion should just shorten itself to 12 episodes instead of dragging on for 24 episodes.

The characters seems different somehow, Shana became as she is in SnS and Yuji became ye ol' villain. Kazumi appeared once in a while and Sato and company rarely appears.

The Music, namely Light my Fire and One, is quite enjoyable. Well, at least they maintain the standard like Hishoku no Sora from SnS and Joint from SnS II.

The art is the same and the fighting sences are more pro since Shana became extremely powerful (in the second part), same goes for Yuji. So, epic fight.

Basically, I feel that they could have done a better job. Hopefully, this does not kill all the fans of SnS, SnS II and SnS S. But, it killed me.

My jaw dropped after seeing the reviews for the season finale, I was really disappointed at the community and this site in general. How can you rate such a well executed and series defining season as anything less than astonishing?

First and foremost J.C hired the author to supervise development in order to keep the lore as faithful as possible to the original work. I mean the season was actually canon compared to the bullshit scripts they used in their first two seasons. Perhaps there were a few intricate scenes that weren't added in which the fans were expecting to see but apart from such ... gratuities they shouldered the light novel's burden with very few inaccuracies keeping it faithful to the books until the end.

Now most hate originates from the sudden and vast amount of change, and I mean it's so grand that the setting itself is at threat. Tons of new characters were introduced and many returning characters who played previous core roles came back to be sparsely used and receive small insignificant ones such as Yoshida who made little appearance to the exception of the start and end of the series and even then she was vaguely there. Though there may have been many new characters, those new roles added a lot of flavour to the show incorporating many new personalities ranging from the daredevil rebecca reed to the subtle, shy rose shaped cocytus brigid.

Apart from all the added characters the two that the series depended and revolved around also underwent change. The protagonist and the heroine or should I say the antagonist and the heroine? At the beginning of the season the boy dotes upon the philosophy of change and what it would accomplish if he were given the strength to change the world and eventually under the influence of the deity Serei no Hebi(voiced by AYAMI SHOW) he takes the task to achieve a better tomorrow for his friends family and loved ones, but to the expense of the girl he loves whom he has to fight against in order to save. At that moment and as we progress through the series we get glimpses at how drastic his personality has shifted from a scared boy who let the surprise of the moment swing his mood to a daunting young man incorporated with the traits and charisma of the Snake. This was what I think J.C struggled the most with, shaping Yuji's character to one that represents his ideal self influenced by his decision to change, and the half shared by the deity. Though they are the same entity they both have distinct voice actors, one that portrays the newly reformed Sakai Yuji and the other that reflects the snake's wisdom.(Who can do a better job than AYAMI SHOW for an immortal badass snake that has lived for over a millennium?) Although they've never contradicted the other the two are easily seen as different individuals who can be distinguished even if they bore the same voice. Despite Yuji's polar change at the start of the season he also grows on certain occasions where he's given the opportunity to confront his old classmates he left behind giving a thorough speech to them on his motives and reasoning behind fighting against what they perceived as good and clearing any misconceptions the viewers may have formerly had.

As Sakai Yuji develops a more complex character the same can be said alongside the heroine Shana who struggles against her own insecurities the first half of the season and turns into a fine dependable young woman the next. Her personality at the start is a port from the second season as she slowly realizes her own true nature and strength which she later demonstrates against Sakai Yuji who defeated her in Misaki city. Following her defeat she learned to quell the emotions and feelings she couldn't answer and confessed to him when they met proving her own desire to change that rivalled that of Yuji's actions. Shana's change wasn't as notable as the Prota/anta but it was without a doubt more character development in 10 episodes than what you would see in 100 naruto episodes.

Well it's true that the season lacked in the harem department but the scenes involving Shana and Yuji confessing their ideals to each other and how they fought for a better future together were more emotionally involving than the entirety of the second season. I fail to see how some found the season boring, I obviously don't share in your opinion since I remember the great deal of satisfaction I felt at each episode when the series was still airing and the yearn for episode 12 after episode 11 ended on a cliffhanger and had the next episode delayed for two weeks.

After waiting three seemingly long years without even an assurance of it getting an animation again, the sequel or rather the finale of one of the most famous series in the anime world is finally here.

There’s a long review coming………….

About the STORY
As the ending of the last season was so much of a cliffhanger, we are all wondering what happened after that. To my surprise, there’s even a shocking revelation right off the very first episode. It just shows the different new storyline and plot this series has to offer for this finale. There’s a major twist in the story this time because of an ... apparent major switching of sides of one of the main characters. It is really confusing but it’s just to make the revelations at the end anticipating. A full force war is always a perfect storyline for endings. And if we’re talking about war, it’s always about a battle of beliefs. Who’s right or wrong? What is the true peace? Whose belief will prevail at the end? As always, this series loves to use interesting yet quite confusing terminologies or names for its characters. Some terms are interesting and cool but some are quite mess-up and don’t even matches to the character’s personality and ability. However, I am going to admit that most of the dialogues and lines are really confusing.

About the CHARACTERS
For a new season and for a finale, there are quite a number of new characters both from protagonists’ and antagonists’ side. Sakai Yuji has always been the type of character with an impressive improvement. From being a weak and tiny torch, he became quite a capable fighter that even Alastor was in awe. However, this time around his character development is rather more of a shocking character development which is so unexpected. Personally, I don’t even particularly like him because he can really become quite irritating but in this finale, he’s not only extremely irritating but he’s also really confusing. You will see Shana’s abilities like you’ve never seen it before. There are few new interesting techniques. I’ve always wanted for Shana and Yuji’s love story to really have a development because in the last previous seasons, it was quite in a slow pace but this is so far from what I imagine it to be.

About the ANIMATION
One of the amazing things when there’s quite a gap between the previous season and the sequel is the improvement with its animation. There’s non-stop explosive action from start to finish, befitting the ending of one of the most successful action-fantasy series in the anime world.

About the ENJOYMENT
I don’t find making Yuji a villain and making him fight Shana interesting. It surprises me, not in a good way. Yuji sides with the enemies because he wants to protect Shana and the people he loves. But Shana thinks differently. I know that the kind of drama that comes with that kind of storyline is very common today because it’s still very much effective. Making best friends or lovers go against each other particularly in series with wars at the end is really effective because it is really interesting to see characters that are once ally’s ends up becoming enemies because of their different beliefs. However, it just doesn’t feel right this time. After all the battle that Yuji and Shana had been through at the end Yuji sided with the enemies and fight Shana! At the end it just turns out that all of them want the same thing. Then what’s the point on making the villains so effective. I feel so irritated almost the entire time I am watching this.

I know that because this is the finale, they are going for a different and more dramatic kind of storyline and love story but it just doesn’t work for me. It is so far-fetched and so over the top.

Woah what a way to start a show, an unexpected continuation of the cliffhanger in season 2 which was going the right way that will give me the scenes I want to see but instead, it did not go that way nor the other way, it completely did a full 180 and went back to its gay path even deeper.

As if Yuuji alone wasn't bad enough, Yuuji combining with a demon lord level antagonist? (and wtf is that ugly appearance) Unbelievable, although the show makes Yuuji stronger and finally shows love back towards Shana like I wanted but this is definitely illegal, hurting Shana ... to this extent is unacceptable. But still I remained patient and keep watching as I heard that there is a kiss scene to look forward to and then it came, and wtf was that kiss, Shana kissed Yuuji? In that form? Was that even a mouth to mouth kiss? I started to pity Shana for having to fall in love with this bitch. 5/10 done.

Hahaha but that was when I was into slightly over half of the show.

Yuuji's true intention is then revealed soon after and I understood a little more and when it was pointed out that Yuuji and Shana is fighting each other for each other I started to realize that Yuuji is improving and that Shana is actually a very strong loli indeed as I saw her still smiling during the fight and shows no sign anger at all after how badly she was treated multiple times. The new world project thing then completes and Yuuji 's reason to still hurt Shana is revealed through the last final battle, I was relieved, the feeling of irritation that has been built up for nearly 70 episodes gets washed away through Yuuji's redemption and I felt like a proud father who finally gets to witness my autistic ignorant son being a great man. After that, it only gets even better, the persistent Yoshida Kazumi third wheel finally fucks off and ends with that kissing scene omg... I really did not see that one coming, I the famous kissing scene was the other one so that really surprises me and it was so nice, it is the best kissing scene I have ever seen. I coudn't be more satisfied with that ending. 10/10. Best series I have ever seen very good character development not only Yuuji but Shana too.

From cold hearted Shana in episode 1 to tsundere Shana, "urusai! urusai! urusai!" and finally to kawaii forgiving Shana, "I love you more than anyone else!". Ahh, my heart is melting. Sad to know that this great journey has finally comes to an end, it was a great journey, there were times I suffered and cried but it was all worth it for this show overall.

Story 10/10:

The story is actually very good when viewed overall, makes sense and reasonable.

Art 10/10:

The art improved so much when compared with season 1 anyways it is all good for considering its age.

Sound 10/10:

The OPs and EDs of this season are my favourite anime songs now.

Character 10/10:

The character development was huge, great improvement.

Enjoyment 10/10:

I really enjoyed the show it still makes me happy right now.

Overall 10/10:

I recommend this to everyone even if they don't like lolis, they can watch it for the action and romance.

Before reading this please note that:
-This review will be broken down into two separate reviews, one for the season and one for the overall series
-This review may contain light spoilers
-This review is from the standpoint of a person who loves a good romance anime

**PART 1- THE SEASON**

For any reason that you are persuaded to not watch this anime, WATCH IT. This season is a direct sequel to the second season to the point where Yuuji has to choose between Shana and Kazumi. But something has gone wrong and Yuuji has disappeared. Then we learn that our main male protaganist is pursuing the role as ... the leader of the Bal Masqué. I know it sounds a little fishy and it seems that Yuuji has become corrupted but i ensure you that he has his reasons.

Story-10/10
The story is what makes this season the best season of them all in the Shakugan no shana anime. There are twists and turns. There are sad parts, parts in which you can chuckle at, parts that make you frustrated, and parts that you will remember for the rest of your life. The whole thing about Yuuji and the Bal Masque is confusing and makes you want to punch Yuuji through the computer monitor but it is well put together and i applaud an anime with plot twists.

Art-9/10
I believe that i seen the same animations and quality of art through the 3 seasons (roughly 5 years) which is great but i would think that it could had changed for the better for a 2011 anime.

Sound-10/10
I'm almost always not a critic when it comes to sound but the soundtrack was AWESOME! and the English voice actors where great (like always).

Characters-7/10
I believe that this season added too much characters and gives back-stories for too much of them but then again the whole 3rd season is about a giant war. Still the character of Shana always impresses me, i believe that she is a very 3-d character meaning she has outside personalities like being harsh, but in the inside she has hidden romantic feelings and leadership qualities. Yuuji on the other hand i didn't really like until this season because i think he was indecisive at times and did things that went against Shana. This season Yuuji redeemed himself stating that the reason why he does what he does is for the people that he loves, like Shana. And then that whole thing about Margery and Keisaku is really great.

Enjoyment-10/10
Credit the amazing ending for the enjoyment because this season is just basically a giant cat and mouse game. Seasons one and two had a mix between comedy, romance, action, and school life. But war and romance are the only two themes in this season. Which is great for those who has came to this anime for romance (like myself) but not so great for the people who came to this anime for the sole purpose of action. Meaning that the battles were not that great like a Dragon ball battle or a Naruto battle.

Overall-10/10
This anime quickly shot up to one of my favorites of all time almost everything was spot on, the errors and bad things about this anime was quickly overshadowed by the all of the great things.


**PART 2- THE SERIES**
Oh it's been a hell of a ride through almost 80 episodes and there was a great payoff. Seriously Shakugan no Shana was a anime that had me quite surprised but i guess i should had knew it was good because it shared a lot of the themes from the familiar of zero which is up there as one of my favorites. This is one of those anime in which your not going to be moved by it like a Clannad but you are going to deeply enjoy it and cherish the memories of watching it for as long as you live because i know i will.

The final series, of the Shakugan No Shana story. I personally found this one the best out of the 3, plenty of action, romance mainly focus on Yuji and Shana not that bitch Kazumi. Some people say that the 3rd series lacked romance compare to the other 2, i strongly disagree, Shakugan no Shana II almost half of the series was all useless fan service, the only bit of romance was probably the end. I admit that the 1st one probably had more romance compare to the 3rd one, but the 1st one had significantly less fights than the 3rd one.

Story 9

The must unexpected twist ... in a story i had ever seen, never in a million years did i think that Yuji will join up with BM (Bal Masque) and fight against the FH (flame haze). Yuji who had the God of creations, Sairei no Hebi in him, wanted to free shana from the destiny of the flame haze, a never ending fight against the tomogara. The fights between Yuji and Shana led to romance development between them which was pretty nice to watch and enjoy, Yuji FINALLY chooses a girl after 50 episodes... Season 3 is basically a war between the Tomogara and the Flame haze, Yuji who wanted to create a world for the Tomogara, meaning they will all leave the current world and flame haze wouldn't fight anymore, at the start I was thinking "great thats good, finally peace" so i was VERY confused on why the flame haze continued to fight even though Yuji's action will lead to peace, after rewatching those episodes several times i realised that the Flame Haze was fighting for the future while Tomogara was fighting for the present, that was the only difference. If we were playing a game, you can call the ending a "good end" like its literally a good end with no bad outcomes and everyones happy, very first time witnessing one. I found this ending to be absolutely amazing, even rewatching just the last 5 mins a hundred times, i still get emotional at Shana and Yuji's talk =P.

Art 8

Yuji's new look is pretty badass, he looks like a true villain. Most of the character design didn't really change, everybody still looks the same but i guess they can't really change much considering their clothes are part of their weapons. I think the animation of the massive fight scenes were pretty well done, most the FH looked different, but for the tomogara, you can see the same one like 10 times they didn't really put much effort in it, but i guess it'll be hard to come up with loads of unique monster designs. The new characters were also quite good as well, with the new tomogara design weird as ever and monstery like and the new flame haze well, there all very different and their clothes really match their personality.

Sound 8

The opening songs is as amazing as ever, even after listening to them probably about a hundred times on youtube and on my phone I'm still not bored of it. The ost is quite well done, i especially like the one in the ending, a nice slow piano theme while Yuji and Shana is talking about their relationship. The fight OST is pretty good as well. The ending songs is also as amazing as ever, i especially like what they do now where they have part of the ending song playing just before the end of the episode, for me it kinda created a cliffhanger feeling making me want to watch more.

Character 9

It really is amazing to see how much Shana has changed, from a complete Tsundere into someone who can freely express her feelings but i do love the bit in the end where she uses Urusai x3 again at that point i was just thinking "YAY shes back woooo!'. In this season she's more open towards all the character and it soon becomes clear that because of this it has affected everyone else as well especially Wilhelmina, at the start she refused to recognise Shana as a flame haze due to Shana's feeling, but now after 2 seasons she finally accepts Shana. Plus I think she became more soft, and more opening as well. In the past 2 season's Yuji was pretty predictable, you knew what he was doing and their was nothing mysterious about him, That all changed in season 3, He became a character that is the complete opposite, and in a way Shana became more like what Yuji was before. This was actually kinda fun to enjoy for me, for Yuji who was always following Shana to actually oppose her feels like he finally became a man, but i know a lot of viewers who disliked the fact that they fight. One thing i am especially happy about is Kazumi finally being out of this love triangle, no more obstacle's between Shana and Yuji or so i thought... The introduction of new and old flame hazes/tomogara was pretty good, it shows just how large the armies of both sides was. Love seeing Khamsin again and Rebecca was a pretty interesting new character.

Enjoyment 9

This anime was probably about 70% fight scenes, with about 20% romance, the fight scenes was very enjoyable to watch, the plans that the FH came up with, the sacrifices that occur. Although the comedy factor of this anime was gone, I found the new relationship developments between Yuji and Shana very enjoyable to watch, each scene was very heartwarming. I liked the story of season 3 the most, it finally felt like that story was going somewhere, in the last 2 seasons it was always the same, Bal Masque did something Flame haze stopped them. Which probably made it quite enjoyable to watch for me. Best bits of the anime was probably when Yuji's tells of his plan, and the ending. The ending is just.... words can't describe it.

Overall 9

Overall I didn't think the story was lacking anywhere probably except for some character design of the minions of Tomogara, but its not a big deal, the Story is better than the other 2 although the romance was lacking but it still had more than season 2. What i found pretty amazing is the character relationships and how much it developed. The opening and ending songs still top notch. The Shakugan No Shana series is a must watch, all 3 seasons is really good in my opinion, if your a fan of Action, Romance anime then i think Shakugan no Shana is definitely for you, also with 70 something episodes you probably won't be bored for a while or at least a week =P. For people who says omg i want season 4, its not gonna happen the light novel finished so URUSA!I, URUSAI!!, URUSAI!!!!

After having watched the first two seasons of Shakugan no Shana, it was safe to say I became an avid fan of Shana. So, of course, I had hopes for it’s third and final season. Having noticed the third season received more poor reception than it’s predecessors, my hopes dropped down. However, I still kept going, thinking I could make it work.
I couldn’t make it work.

Story/Narrative - Final starts us off right where the second season left us, or rather the aftermath of the second season’s cliffhanger. Yuji seems to have disappeared right before he was able to choose between Yoshida and Shana, and now ... the rest of the cast is trying to confirm his status and where he is. However, this is only for the first few episodes, afterwards, we get the sudden plot development that the reason Yuji was gone was because he formed a contract with a being known as the Snake of the Festival or the God of Creation. This wouldn’t be as bad if this God of Creation wasn’t the leader of our main cast’s antagonistic team whose plans they been thwarting for the past two seasons, Bal Masqué. With this sudden realization, Shana and the gang must now oppose the person they once knew, Yuji Sakai.

Shakugan no Shana Final’s plot can be described in one word: rushed. Right from the beginning of the season, we get the abrupt development that Yuji is no longer the Yuji that was slowly and carefully developed throughout in the past two seasons, he is now a completely new character with new mindsets and goals. How Yuji met the Snake of the Festival and agreed to his contract affirmatively is never thoroughly explained, or explained at all. This isn’t the only time the series doesn’t explain things, though, throughout the entire duration of the season important plot points that would be convenient with understanding the story and what's going on are either just casually brought up once, or never even shined upon. Now, this wouldn’t be as bad if there was at least enough context to make it ambiguous to the viewers, but there isn’t. Sudden changes in plot development are inevitable because of this, making them only work as a form of shock value and nothing else. Furthermore, towards the end of the series, Shakugan no Shana realizes it has to have a theme and it cops this out by having an extremely trite, and dare I say cringey one. The ending completely leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth as it feels like it’s disregarding some of the themes presented in the previous seasons and aiming for a more out of character ending. The only redeemable thing about Shakugan no Shana Final’s plot is that it keeps you mildly entertained as to what’s gonna happen for a while, until it becomes incredibly stretched out and mundane shortly afterward. 2/10

Characters- For better or worse, Final has to rush through its characters’ development just like its plot. As stated before, all of Yuji’s character development from the previous seasons is completely disregarded in place for a pretentious antagonist. One would hope that at least some parts of Yuji’s original character would still be intact in his now hollow shell, but nope, he’s no longer Yuji. Shana, completely confused by the sudden development, tries to self-identify herself as always. And, to be perfectly honest, her development is handled rather decently, almost appreciable in fact. If it wasn’t for her having to quickly move along with the plot, she would be one of my favorite characters. Wilhelmina as well is the final character to at least get some decent conclusion to her character, which was nice see considering she was my favorite. Other characters, such as Yoshida and Margery, are put on the bus until the plot absolutely demands them to come back, and completely rushes their development to the point where it’s unnoticeable. It’s also important to note that a significant amount of characters are introduced in this season, such as multiple important Tomogara/Denizens and Flame Hazes. These characters are never fully established upon, they’re just there. Some have implied motivations and goals, but like Final’s plot points, they’re never clearly explained. The pacing skipping most of these characters’ development and characterization completely kills any emotional depth these characters are supposed to have, ruining several sentimental scenes, which this season contains several of. Besides a few handful, most of the characters in Final aren’t ever developed with enough context to ever get to the point past bland. 3/10

Art/Animation - Shakugan no Shana isn’t known for having spectacular animation, and this stays true in Final. For an anime made in 2011, it doesn’t very look “modern”, looking more like one made in 2007. Although if J.C. Staff did this for the sake of keeping the integrity of it’s previous seasons, I applaud them. The fight scenes, which this season contains a ton of, could have used a bit more budget, but I digress. Shana still has that beautiful Flame Haze hair, and off models aren’t an uncommon occurrence. Final’s animation stayed relatively the same compared to its predecessors. 5/10

Sound- The soundtrack of Shakugan no Shana is reminiscent of it’s previous seasons, meaning there’s not any particular BGM that completely stands out as something one would listen to on it;s own, but do they do fit the mood really well most of the time. As for the OPs and EDs, “Light My Fire” by KOTOKO is my particular favorite, as I feel it completely fits the situations and whatever moods that Final is trying to achieve. The EDs, “One” and “I’ll Believe” by ALTIMA are also pretty good, as they fade into the last few seconds of every episode they’re in as an attempt to try to hype up the next episode. As for the seiyuu, they do a good job voicing their characters as always, but I really gotta hand it down to Rie Kugimiya as Shana for nailing the impact of some of her lines, really great job there. 7/10

Enjoyment - Entering with high expectations, I tried to enjoy Final as much as I could, despite how bad it started. Once I realized that it had a bit of a big downfall, I was disappointed, which definitely clouded my enjoyment of the show. I never really wanted an episode to end, but I never really felt a need to watch the next one, albeit in the beginning I had some aspirations for the show to get better, but that never came, making the rest of Final a rather mundane experience that was just there to waste 24 minutes. 5/10

Overall- Shakugan no Shana Final is a disappointment. It’s clearly trying to achieve something with it’s significant cast of characters and big 180 plot, but it completely fails in doing so by trying to fit so much into just 24 episodes. In return for the development of a handful of characters, Final has to discard the complete development of a couple characters and not explain several character actions and plot points. Shana fans should beware of Final’s flaws when watching it. People who have previously hated the past two seasons might find comedic value in the complete trainwreck that Final brings. And, as for people who just want to finish the Shana trilogy… well, the ending results are decent. Someone please tell me if the light novels at least did a better job... 4/10