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The world is not what it appears. There are battles taking place that we cannot see, between the protectors of balance and those who want to destroy everyone living on this planet. That's the basic premise of this show and there's not much more to it than that. Shakugan no Shana Second is incredibly basic when it comes to the setup, but it delivers an experience unique to itself.

First thing anyone should know is that this series is the direct sequel to the first series, Shakugan no Shana. It is highly recommended to watch that before watching this series. The first series explains terms and ... sets up the characters for this series and a viewer will be much less confused as to what's happening because this series derives directly from what happened in the first series.

That being said, if someone's already seen the first series, then they know the story of Shakugan no Shana Second already, for the most part. Nothing's changed from series to series. Yuji Sakai is still a Torch and a Myste, and Shana is still a Flame Haze. Together, they are tasked in killing Crimson Denizens (Guze no Tomogara) who live in the Crimson Realm, the parallel universe that lies directly on top of the human world. There is little change to setup and the second series continues this trend. As expected then, most of the plot that drives the series along is focused on different Tomogara who show up at any given time and Sakai and Shana have to fight them off with assistance from their close friends.

If you had any questions from the first series (you probably did) and were expecting answers. Well, the series may answer one or two, but you'll probably find yourself asking more questions by the end and you'll have to watch the next series to see if it answers your questions (It probably won't). There's not much more to add here other than the show does a good job of continuing what was started before and it introduces new plots and ideas that certainly build on the old.

But Shakugan no Shana never really was about the strong story, was it? The characters are what make this anime shine. All of your favorite characters are back. Margery Daw, Wilhelmina Carmel, Kazumi Yoshida, Keisaku Satou, Eita Tanaka, Hayato Ike, and Matake Ogata all share a large portion of the show and the series mostly devotes its time developing these characters. Every character develops in their own way and that's the enjoyable part of this show. You find yourself attached to the characters as the anime goes on and as different situations happen, viewers become emotionally involved.

That's where the strong point of Shakugan no Shana Second lies. The characters are all widely varied and they are all shown to have different thoughts and beliefs about what is happening in their lives. Different characters take different paths and not all of them are remotely close to what you might think they would do. Characters face turmoil and difficulty and are forced to make difficult choices. This makes the characters of Shakugan no Shana Second incredibly strong because the creators made sure to continue building them from the first series. They all change in some way or another and watching them change is the real joy of this show. There is hardly a dull moment in the show as a viewer will care in some way about every single person on the screen at any given time.

Animation is, of course, fantastic. All the characters are uniquely designed, every model looking different from the other. Fight scenes flow smoothly, and detail is incredibly high during intense moments. Shana's flame looks as detailed as it did the series prior. There are some moments where CGI is clearly used and it detracts heavily though. It's usually in the middle of an intense sequence of events and completely throws off the feel of the moment, which is a shame. Other than that though, the only other issue is that the character's eyes are rather large and they seem slightly too far apart from one another, but after some time one gets used to it.

The soundtrack is great as well. The soundtrack always sets the mood and accompanies scenes exactly right. During suspenseful action sequences, the music pumps out fast beats and matches the mood, while during a slow, emotional scene, the beats drop away to something more soft and quiet, drawing the viewer into the moment intimately.

There's not much to be said negatively about Shakugan no Shana Second other than the rather disjointed plot that is really only there to drive the strong characterization of the characters. There's nothing deep or meaningful to be said in the story, but in reality, that doesn't matter in this show. Plot comes second to the strong characters that are the driving force behind what brings the viewers back. When a show can get a viewer to invest emotionally into its characters, then you know that a show is doing something right.

Rather it's on field or off field, the sport of football is full of tension, suspense, and action. On the field, players duke it out in a battle of skill, wits, and determination. Off the field, fans struggle to stick with an underdog team, while management struggles to figure out how the team should be improving. In the center of all of this stands the one person who's supposed to keep things under control and that's the head coach.

It's into this fierce, competitive world Giant Killing throws its viewers. The story is relatively simple and easy to grasp. East Tokyo United (ETU) is an underdog ... football team that's been struggling to make its mark in the realm of Japanese Football (That's soccer to the Americans). After viewing a game where an underdog team comprised of non-professionals beat a team of professionals, the general manager of ETU takes a look at the coach who led the underdog team to victory. Tatsumi Takeshi was considered to be a great football player himself in his time, playing for ETU as it were, and as a coach, his teams seem to overcome all odds to pull off unbelievable wins. The General Manager of ETU does what any man in his position would do after seeing such a display of coaching ability; he offers Tatsumi a job as head coach of ETU. And Tatsumi accepts his offer.

From here, the anime takes off. Tatsumi is not your typical coach. He doesn't believe in standard practices and drills. Instead, he often looks at whatever strategy his opponents use in games and adapts the team to play against that strategy. Instead of simply doing drills, he crafts and molds ETU into a team that can change how it plays as a team from game to game, using outlandish techniques and coaching practices to prepare. This creates great tension and suspense as the anime goes on because the writers never show the audience what Tatsumi actually plans on doing until his plan unfolds during the game.

Meanwhile, while the team has to struggle with all the changes Tatsumi is making, the fans, management, and even the press have to adapt to this new coach and his style.The fans are completely outraged that the coach of ETU is a man who played for ETU...and then left the team at the peak of his career for a better team. The fans see this as blatant disloyalty. The management want to see positive results at games and signs of effort actually put into practice. Tatsumi....does not give them this as regularly as they would like and they suffer constant heartache. The poor press needs positive results to get readers, and ETU is hardly consistent enough to give them peace of mind.

To carry this show are some simply great characters. The show never focuses on simply one character, so there is no main protagonist. Tatsumi is the core of the team, yes, but he is not the focus of this anime. The show devotes a lot of screen time to individual players on the team and we see nearly all of them get their own personal story arc that develops and ends. Tsubaki the rookie; Gino, or "Prince" as he is called, the overly confident playmaker; Akasuki, a player who wants nothing more than to win; Sera, who's goal is to shine and be valuable to his team; and Murakoshi, the calm captain who's job to is to keep his team together.

On top of the team members of ETU, the rest of the cast is made up up of some very unique and varied side characters. A wide variety of fans, from the die-hard young adults, to the rekindled passion of the old, to the little kids just getting into the sport, make up a good chunk of characters who get screen time. Rounding it all out is the management of ETU, who's frenzied job is keeping things organized on top of promoting the team out to the masses. Character development is top notch and there is nary a boring or stereotypical character to be seen. All the characters are likable and they all seem very realistic to the world they're in.

The anime hits its high points during football matches. The anime chooses to let the audience see what a player is thinking during critical moments, and most of the character development is done during these times. Listening in on what's going through a player's head as he sets up a shot for a goal really pushes this anime forward as the audience can't help but be pulled along by the emotional turmoil that's racing through a player's head. Viewers cheer when players strike the goal net as their favorite character finally gets what he was looking for. For a sports anime, this does a very good job of entertaining people who aren't even into sports at all.

That being said, the character models are not exactly what you would call "pretty". Characters are drawn very rough and harsh. Lines are sharp, nothing is blurred. The smell of masculinity is in the air with all the models, with their pointed noses and incredibly toned kneecaps.

The animation is very well done, however, with everything running smooth and cleanly. Background settings and locations are well detailed. But during games, CGI is obviously used when the camera cuts to the crowd and everyone in the stands is moving. CGI is also used when the camera pulls to above field shots and every player is running around. It doesn't distract too much, though, and the action of the moment makes your mind forget about it completely most of the time.

This anime also likes to reuse soundtracks. The same music is played in the same situations every time and it can get very repetitive. The music is often a cue for what's going to happen next and that can ruin suspense at times and that takes away from the atmosphere of the show.

The voice acting, also, could use some work. This anime takes a unique approach with language. Instead of everyone speaking Japanese like normal, oftentimes, coaches and players from other teams will speak their native language and you'll have to read subtitles to understand them. This is something that is honestly refreshing to see in an anime where characters struggle with a language barrier, but at the same time, the people who are speaking their native languages supposedly, actually speak them with incredibly heavy accents that ruins any feel of authenticity. It's not a huge flaw, by any means, but it does hurt something that is a legitimately good idea.

Overall, Giant Killing is one of the better sports anime out there. The story is solid for the genre, bringing a perfect amount of unknown to the mix to the point you can't predict who will win at match ups. The characters are absolutely superb, each of them getting a fantastic amount of time to develop and grow. There's very little to be disappointed with at the end of Giant Killing and it is easily recommended by anyone who wants to watch an anime with a good story and even better characters.

In a world plagued by war, one young man tries to find his place during a time when many others around him barely understand their own purpose in life. The result of this is a world where the citizens cling to anything that give them hope, whether that be religion, the military, or family. It's in this world that X'amd: Lost Memories transports its viewers.

Suffice it to say, X'amd is looking to throw the audience into a world they barely understand. The first episode is full of terms and phrases that will confuse you to their meaning. And believe it or not, half of your ... questions won't be answered by the series' end. And that's okay. Because X'amd isn't about the story. Well, that's not entirely true. The anime is very much story driven, but it's not important for you to know the details of the world. That's not the point. The point is to watch different characters grow and understand themselves better as the series goes on.

That's the main focus of this anime. How do characters grow and react to the different situations they're placed in? You may never know how or why a particular battle or machine works. You will know that a character learned a lesson from the experience, though. That's what makes X'amd such an entertaining show. The characters are the real force that pushes the show forward.

Having said that, some of the characters are not as developed as I would like and there are some questions left unanswered about certain characters by the end. But for the most part, the characters are very strongly put together. Each character is different from the other and nearly all of the characters you see in the series will undergo some sort of personal change and growth. This makes it a very emotional anime at times and plenty of tears are shed by a slew of people as they struggle to overcome some sort of difficult thing in their life.

Accompanying all of this is some absolutely stunning animation. The background sets and pieces are drawn to an amazing detail. Every background in the series looks gorgeous and the battle scenes are incredibly well drawn and animated. The anime's soundtrack is also high caliber. Each scene is graced by fitting music and it can really drive the mood of any particular scene as it reaches a pitch or climax.

Overall, X'amd: Lost Memories is one of the better anime's I have watched and fully recommend it. While it doesn't answer every question a viewer has and the story does have some issues that are never explained in detail, the character development and the beautiful animation that goes with it makes X'amd a must-watch for any anime enthusiast.