Shakugan no Shana II - Episode 1 Discussion / Poll [Archive]

GHDpro

2007-10-07, 06:29

Welcome to the discussion thread for Shakugan no Shana, Episode 1.

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UPR

2007-10-07, 06:34

well what you know it got it's own forum.

Anyway the first ep felt like a setup for things to come. a nice 8/10

Solafighter

2007-10-07, 06:39

Till now, no subs out, or? :uhoh:

Well than i will watch the RAW later.

Whitemoon648

2007-10-07, 06:59

Banzai , Shana got her own thread :kisskiss::nod::heehee::blush:.

Cant wait for the first episode. The OP was the best.

Rhyel

2007-10-07, 07:07

Good, two cute series at same time. Clannad and Shakugan no Shana II.

* Finding new images for make new signatures. XD *

Shadow X

2007-10-07, 07:41

Woohoo, Shana got it own thread! *cheers*

Somehow I am wondering what is taking so long for Shana II ep 1 fansub... lol.

And rush people and flood the images thread with pictures hehe. :D

stormy001_M1A2

2007-10-07, 07:47

Interesting opening episode, we got to see the new Denizen in action.

GHDpro

2007-10-07, 08:08

Till now, no subs out, or? :uhoh:

Well than i will watch the RAW later.

The first episode always seems to take a little longer. I figure it's because the karaoke (for both OP and ED) need to be made, and that takes effort and thus time.

Clannad got a bit of a head start because a DVD with promos and OP and ED was released a week before the first episode.

Although seeing various speed subs for other series out there, it's odd there are no Shana speed subbers, considering the series should be more than sufficiently appealing / popular enough.

Mentar

2007-10-07, 08:13

Hmm... what could be the reason...

o Shakugan no Shana Movie (full-length - that's work of 3-4 episodes)
o Hayate no Gotoku 27 (new OP/ED/Logo)
o Clannad 01 (new OP/ED/Logo and lots of filtering fun)

...and that was only a part of it.

Kindly relax a bit. We'll be back at our usual pace when these days of "initial episode" hell are over.

Sylphic

2007-10-07, 08:20

Yeah most likely because of the karaoke for op and ed
I thought the so was rather good though i had hoped for a more developed shana and yuji rather than a reset button

I hope this series will follow the novels closely as my understanding of the novels will really depend on this show as my japanese reading comprehension is weaksauce.

elite-dreams

2007-10-07, 10:22

are fansubbers going to sub the second series tho? since it was licensed >.< hope someones going to sub it :P such a good series.

DeotoxSlayer

2007-10-07, 10:27

are fansubbers going to sub the second series tho? since it was licensed >.< hope someones going to sub it :P such a good series.

Well I knw that the static subs, and eclipse combo are gonna sub it, and also k-neko, and iy4ever are also workin on it together.

Ratix

2007-10-07, 10:33

Hmmm this episode judging from the screencaps seem to be the telling of the PS2/DS games...

serenade_beta

2007-10-07, 12:31

Rejoice, all that wants fansubs. SS-Eclipse has released episode 1.

(Well, no need to worry about people asking for subs now...)

ashlay

2007-10-07, 13:02

nothing that special, but was a creative way to bring everyone up to speed where things are at.

everyone continues to be well characterized, animation seems to be up a little from last season. all and all a good start.

Mentar

2007-10-07, 13:07

From the technical angle, Shana S2 is the cream of the Fall2007 crop so far. Especially if I look at the OP...

Some older sequences are still normal-resolution, but most of the new animation is true HD, and looking extremely detailed and sweet.

This show is gonna be fun to do :)

xris

2007-10-07, 13:07

are fansubbers going to sub the second series tho? since it was licensed >.< hope someones going to sub it :P such a good series.
What makes you think the license for the second season has been announced?

Have a read of the Shakugan no Shana is licensed (1st Series and OVA) (http://forums.animesuki.com/showthread.php?t=55787) as to what is considered as licensed.

garra113

2007-10-07, 13:42

I just saw the 1st episode and it was pretty well done as a matter of fact. Even the new opening looks very tempting to me that I might even start my own group lol >_>. Well... gonna have to wait for the next episode >_>. Looks intresting too :P

NightWish

2007-10-07, 15:19

Please keep the discussion focused on the actual content of the episode and less on the technical details of how a fan subtitled version might be presented. I've moved the off-topic quality discussion to the a thread in the Fansub Groups (http://forums.animesuki.com/forumdisplay.php?f=17) forum, where it is more relevant.

neutralizer

2007-10-07, 15:36

I must say that Shana in HD looks absolutely gorgeous.

At the beginning, I was like haven't I seen this before. And then it was different. That was an interesting hougu. So far the plot seems mysterious, but definitely very intriguing.

Also when Yuuji was asking Shana what she said, Shana's reaction so incredibly cute. That shuld give her the boost she needs for Saimoe and Best Moe.

FlareKnight

2007-10-07, 15:49

Ah welcome back to Shana. First episode was a fine way to get the series started up again. Dealing with an odd ability to throw a person into a dream world. Yuji did alright in figuring out what was going on and getting out of it. Though doesn't seem like it's the end by a long shot.

It would be just like that guy to not catch or forget Shana's confession. Puts Shana back a bit with Kazumi's still sitting in his mind. But still her reactions to the question were great.

Solafighter

2007-10-07, 16:02

Like expected, a good beginning of the new season.

But i wanted to click on the poll so quickly, that i cliked on "1 out of 10 : Painful" :upset:

i wanted to vote a 10/10.

The opening is fantastic! :eyespin:

Skyfall

2007-10-07, 16:06

For the first episode, overall i am less than impressed. Not a bad way to introduce the horn girl with that weird ability, but having Yuji run around, seeing the events we have already seen while repeating how weird this is was not the most exciting thing ever :)

That aside, Yuji caught on quite quickly. Her reasons for having Yuji experience this 'dream' are still unknown, and i wonder what can she actually gain from this ... perhaps something related to his Reiji Maigo ... we shall see due time no doubt :)

Character design seems to have changed, and the changes will take an ep or two for me to get used to. Especially Yuji himself.

Now ... the bad part. I was fearing they would somehow pull a reset button ... and they did. Why couldn't they at least do it while not making it look like a dumb plothole ?

He didn't hear her confession ? My arse, this is just plain inconsistency to what we were shown last season. Yuji heard perfectly, then smiled at her ... now they made it seem the explosion happened before Shana could tell the final words ... this is just a poorly executed plot hole, nothing else. But hey - easier to drop it instead of straining the brain over this issue, right ?

OP is quite nice once the lyrics kick in, but the rock piece played before that feels terribly not fitting.

6/10 for the first episode ... can't bring myself to think of this more than just 'average'.

Whitemoon648

2007-10-07, 16:10

WOW such a good quality. So much better than the first season. In terms of quality it deserves 10, but overal for todays episode 9. But i was so impressed with the quality that i gave it 10 :).

pikanaria

2007-10-07, 16:16

Yeah, I also thought the episode was just average but I got to hear "urusai, urusai, urusai!" so I'm all set for now ^^

Kisuke06

2007-10-07, 16:41

the animation was just great in this episode! And I hope it keeps like that for the whole series.

I have watched the first season long ago, but I remembered some of the events in this episode(like Shana making the teacher cry).

I give it a 9/10.

And I can't wait for Yuji's first battle(if it happens in this season).

Quakis

2007-10-07, 17:04

Haven't yet watched the episode, but funnily enough I just finished re-watching the first season and now the first episode of season two comes out - good timing! XD

Midonin

2007-10-07, 17:23

I finished Shana's first season no more than a week ago, so when Yuuji was going through what felt like the entire first season in 30 minutes, I thought, "well, at least it'll be a good recap". But they only got as far as the second arc before we snapped back into the second season and out of the first. Not bad for a small reminder of how things are, and Shana's cute as always.

The new OP is good, though I expect it'll be better in full. No song is truly listened to until you've heard it all, after all. The ED's not bad, but Shana's first ED is probably my favorite overall. I like the new rockish version of the eyecatch, and the preview music isn't bad either.

So, not a bad start, and I'm ready for another ride. This time, going along with it instead of catching up. 8/10, a few points taken off for the sort-of-recap.

Terrestrial Dream

2007-10-07, 17:31

The first episode was ok, nothing special about it. Even though this was like a recap episode it was still nice to see Shana again. Hopefully that it will get better with next episode.

garra113

2007-10-07, 18:18

I just rewatched it and for some reason, It gave me this code Geass feeling in the beginning >_>. Anyone got the vibe xD? Sounds alot like the opening from MBAC also.

Edit:One more thing, when it showed the credit scene in the beginning on the sponsers, doesn't the girl in the back looks alot like Tear from ToA?

Echoes

2007-10-07, 18:40

I thought this was an excellent way to start the series off, I didn't see it coming at all. Yuji's reasoning is surely a force to be reckoned with, he pinpointed the problem and solved it with such haste. The mysterious nature of the whole event kept me at the edge of my seat throughout the entire episode, and I'm very much looking forward to the next. I had high expectations for Shakugan no Shana II, and it more than lived up to them. Shana was amazingly cute when claimed to not remember what she had told Yuji, perhaps even more-so than she's been in the entire first season.

Splendid visuals, lovely opening and a plot that I'm sure to find enthralling, I can ask for no more, 10/10. Might be the show of the season for me.

Oh, and I loved the new character. She looks smashing.

kiseki_gurl

2007-10-07, 18:48

Well like everyone said, I think this was a pretty good start to the new season. I was actually happy that Yuji didn't here Shana's confession. I mean what's the fun when the love triangle is solved :P.

But man, the recap reminded me how retarded the villans were from last season. Hopefully this new chick will be a little less retarded.

9/10.

HayashiTakara

2007-10-07, 19:12

Well done recap episode. I give it a 7/10 since its nothing really to write home about.

Oh, did anyone else notice that in the opening animation that Yuji is wearing a soldier outfit? I have this feeling that Yuji is gonna become a major badass.

DazarGaidin

2007-10-07, 19:25

HayashiTakara

2007-10-07, 19:28

I don't really see it as a reset, Shana accepts the fact that she's in love with Yuji, that within itself is a huge leap forward considering that in the first season, she was completely confuse by her feelings and unable to coupe with it.

Archuka

2007-10-07, 19:33

The good:
- It's in HD!
- The animation and the designs seem to have slightly improved.
- The introduction to the plot was quite good.

The bad:
- The animation still wasn't spectacular in action scenes. Or perhaps Shana just isn't that amazing with a sword. :heh:
- Kugimiya Rie as Shana still strains my ears at times.

...and the ugly:
- Yuji x Shana relationship reset plus major inconsistency with the previous season. I suppose they wanted to do more of the same rather than actually develop the story. :(

Also, I noticed I had forgotten much of the original plot. I can't remember why Bal Masqué wants Yuji's hougu so badly, for instance.

HayashiTakara

2007-10-07, 19:36

Balle Masque wants the Reji Maijo because it can potentially produce an infinite amount of life energy, and with that energy they can become eternal (Hecate primarily)

Omfgbbqwtf

2007-10-07, 19:38

Ah.. interesting way to start a season. Can't comment much about it besides....we get a glimpse of what the new enemy looks like and her ability.

ashlay

2007-10-07, 20:26

Also, I noticed I had forgotten much of the original plot. I can't remember why Bal Masqué wants Yuji's hougu so badly, for instance.
all the crimson denizens always want hougu by default, they don't really need a good reason to want something powerful.

anyway, if Bal Masque's reasons for wanting the Reiji Maigo have changed since last season, we'll likely find out about it next week.

mpt37

2007-10-07, 20:26

Great to see that Eclipse and SS will be subbing this. As for the 1st ep:

Loved seeing Wilhelmina acting like some overprotective parent of Shana's, even if it was only is Yuji's dream world. I'm a bit upset that they made it so Yuji didn't hear what Shana said just before summoning Alastor, but it did make for a cute scene at the end and it gave Shana a chance to use her 3x Urusai!

Looking forward to the rest of the series.

beamknight87

2007-10-07, 20:30

Just watched it... the OP rocks but this ep felt much like a recap due to the circumstances. Hope the next eps are better though...

grey_moon

2007-10-07, 21:33

Hee hee did I start off with a shock....

When I started watching it I thought what, is this a remake of s1?

I didn't really like how Yuji didn't hear Shana's confession, I would have liked to see their relationship progress from that point on. I mean the poor lad was willing to sacrifice himself with her, so even if he didn't hear she should have thrown him a cookie especially with the fight for Yuji competition on.

Another thing that is bothering me is why are they staying in the city? I thought Yuji had decided it was safer for everyone if he left? I guess there is 3 Flame Hazes there now so at least they have fire power to deal with anything....

I like the op and the ending

Not enough content to have any real thoughts about the new season, but I am glad to get some more Shana action again

Aquifina

2007-10-07, 21:56

You know, it is possible to have romantic drama with an actual couple.. :P I wish they woulda focused on their relationship from the first season developing further/dealing with that relationship (which would be interesting in itself especially given shana's inept social skills/experience). Maybe a lead up to HIM responding to her feelings equally?

The triangle was wearing thin and now they reset it...

I actually would have preferred this option too, but I think Yoshida can make the triangle interesting. Yoshida showed an impressive (and at the time, wholly unexpected) amount of spine when she declared "war" against Shana. And then there's Ike in the mix. But yeah, it would have been more interesting and less cliched if they had Shana and Yuji actually try to sort things out in the open.

outlaw97

2007-10-07, 22:26

Despite seeing the movie two days ago, I haven't seen season 1 in a while, so the recap wasn't as painful. At least they tried to tie the recap into the plot, as opposed to just a plain ol' "What happened in season 1".

Other than that, WOW, does HD make a whole world of difference. I've always appreciated the aesthetics of the series - it's familiar enough yet has a style all to its own at the same time (I can't get enough of Shana's flame aura!). And now with the HDTV raws we really get to see it shine, even if parts are blatantly CG.

EDIT: Having just read the SD vs HD thread, I'll have to rephrase that last paragraph - bottom line is whatever they're doing in season 2 is really showing off the aesthetics and style that I loved from season 1.

What's nice is that while yes, the relationships are generally unchanged from season 1, the fact that everybody knows everybody else's positions in their respective pairings means that no more setup or introductions are needed. From the looks of it there appear to be two new villains, but other than that we can just hit the ground running, so to speak.

I don't know, I'm getting Nanoha A's vibes in terms of comparing first and second seasons, which in my book is not a bad thing at all. The OP still has to grow on me, but I latched onto the ED pretty quickly - definitely gives the "Shana" feeling.

SeedFreedom

2007-10-07, 23:00

................WOW!!!

Hot damn, i never expect a lot from a second season, but this blew me away. to start the intro, i fell in love with right away and was drumming on my keyboard from the first note. the acutal story is not much to comment on cuse it was mostly recap, but i think its needed. for those who have never seen shana can now get a glimpse as to whats going on and they did it in a way as to not be a complete recap episode. i agree with, i think almost everyone here that they should just kill the love triangle already

i think it was a very good choice to have yuji not hear shana, but i dont think it was a good choice to set back their relationship (aka shana shouldnt have kicked him to get out of the way). However they can now work on the relationship without having to tire out a boyfriend/girlfriend angle. and shana is so damn cute!!

this was easily my most anticipated show of the season beating out gundam and CLANNAD so i really hope the reast of the season turns out well
im hoping yuji will play a bigger role as a fighter in this season and not just stare dumbly like he's commenting a hockey game.

Kaioshin Sama

2007-10-08, 03:04

I really like the rocking opening, probably the best I've heard this season, and it also has some dramatic shots of Shana in what I refer to as "Come Get Some" poses. Speaking of Shana, Rie Kugimiya storms onto the scene again as Shana causing me to smile, cheer and laugh as she works through situations involving fawning over Yuji, intimidating the teacher and the Tomogura with her growly voice, and acting all embarassed and chipper while eating her Melon Bread and talking to Yuji. I don't think there any many Seiyuu quite so good at bringing out the most in characters as Kugimiya.

They should have called this episode Chain of Memories, as that's basically what it is. Each character gets something to do in this episode, but none of it really matters as it's all being conjured up by Yuji. Yuji also get's to play the Dr. Wily stage and try to fight each of the bosses again, but ultimately it's up to him to solve the puzzle and escape the fantasy and for Shana to then defeat the giggly Parasol Tomogura. I felt everything was well done, I also don't see how this is much of a recap so much as a bridge to the next series, much like.....Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories. It's also clear that giggle monster isn't dead either, so there's definitely more to be had. My favourite part of the episode was Shana's method for protecting Yuji from Giggle Monsters barrage. Was it to shield him? No. Was it to tell him to watch out no? No. Was it to kick him out of the Area of Effect? Yes. Nice to see the lolidom personality hasn't left Shana.

Overall this is my favourite first episode of the new season (although I still haven't seen Celestial Beings), and the ending theme was good too. Hopefully either song isn't replaced by a Kotoko horrorshow too soon (preferably ever), as I'm really enjoying them right now. Overall a Nine Out of Ten from me.

FieryAeon

2007-10-08, 04:01

Well the first episode started quite okay IMO. Though I hated the recap-ish part, you would have thought that the movie was enough for a recap. Watching it in HD was very nice though. Overall, a decent start.

HayashiTakara

2007-10-08, 05:11

My, my are you going to be in for a surprise at just how important Yuji's role will become, not to mention how powerful he will be.:D Those who have read the novel or the novel spoilers will know what i m talking about:p. Anyways, great start to a new season of a great show.

I've "heard" some things... I can't wait to see what it is like!

Shadow X

2007-10-08, 05:22

Gave it a 8/10.

I like how they do this recap ep. Nice OP too. :D

Sorrow-K

2007-10-08, 05:25

Wasn't really the biggest fan of the first series of Shakugan no Shana. I didn't think it was all bad, I just didn't think it was very good either, and overall, pretty forgettable (hence why a pseudo-recap like this is somewhat useful). But this wasn't too bad. I mean, yes, it did have the same-old SnS-brand of generic-supernatural-action anime triteness that we all know and "love" from the first season, but the whole dream sequence and following Yuuji (who still has no balls) figure his way out of it was actually quite interesting.

But, never mind that. That's one episode's story, and it will hardly send waves through the rest of the series. The thing that does though, as Skyfall and others have pointed out, is that Yuuji forgot Shana's confession. Weeeaaak. Reminds me of ZnT (what about this doesn't?) in that respect... finally, after an entire series, we get relationship development right at the very end, and they bloody reset it in the first ep of th new season! To hell with that! Clearly I should no better and shouldn't have expected more, but it's still a sore point, nonetheless.

Anyway, I'm expecting much the same as we got in the first series: mindless fun (that unfortunately takes itself too seriously), and the writers chickening out any time there's a hint of relationship development. Hmmm... can't wait.

As long as this doesn't turn into another Zero no Tsukaima, which has just put out the most disappointing sequel series I can remember for years. The difference between this and that is that this doesn't have a cast of characters as strong and likable as ZnT's, so it really can't afford a dip in quality on any front.

Ratix

2007-10-08, 06:31

Haven't watched it yet but where does it end? And now Im totally convinced its basically telling the story of the DS and PS2 game... With that Mistes in the picture.

Tsukou

2007-10-08, 07:31

I'd hafta say I agree with the people saying it wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Considering I watched, and by watched I mean skimmed through, the movie a couple nights ago, I thought the recap was just a waste of time >.>; or at least from my perspective. Sure we need to look back a little, but meh.

The OP is good at least. Yuji still appears mixed between what to do with Yoshida and Shana, while Ike seems to express his feeling to Yoshida. Either way, I wanna see how Yuji turns out, as well as Yoshida. And yea, I'm miffed too at the plot hole with the whole, "not remembering what Shana said" issue.. I mean, we got the words from Yoshida, but so why can't Shana be remembered too.. Oh well, maybe it's dealt with in the manga, but I haven't read it.. so..

Animation wise it definitely went up a gear. I can see why people would vote high, but animation alone still isn't enough for me. And Shana's english part still sticks needles in my ears..

All in all, while this second season is something to look forward to, I'll have to wait till episode 2 to really get into it. Right now.. Gundam 00 definitely seems the most fun.

rainbow_rena

2007-10-08, 09:23

I really enojyed this episode, it was great.
The op is amazing <3

Klashikari

2007-10-08, 09:51

For starter, I must admit I really regret my vote, as I gave a 8, instead of a 6.
Basically, this episode fail for many many things that it completely outnumber the awaited return of the enpatsu shakugan...

meh... i put my rant back on the blog.
SNSII, Episode 1: Screencaps, Summary and Thoughts (http://animehistory.wordpress.com/2007/10/09/shakugan-no-shana-second-episode-1/)

now, for the rant!

First, the biggest problem is probably the “reset button”. It is purely dumb, as the first season clearly demonstrates that Yuuji HEARD Shana, and the later scenes after the Tenpa Jyousai did imply deeper interactions.
I dunno if it was some device to actually fix the mistake they did in the first season (as, if IIRC, shana wasn’t supposed to confess back there), but it is terrible since they are just trying to boost up the triangle, which completely fails as i will explain later on.
AT LEAST, Kazumi’s confession was still aknowledged (hard to avoid this anyway…but they DID mention nevetherless, along with Hayato’s!).

Still, the triangle effect doesn’t worth anything if Yuuji is clear with his feelings (which can be altered if JC staff do jack, just like they did with the reset). How this move was stupid enough? Because even if Shana doesn’t confess to him, that doesn’t mean Yuuji might begin to change his feelings out of the blue. Knowing it or not just gives the ability to actually execute the “couple dilemna” later or not.
That absolutely doesn’t reactivate the triangle, as as i said, until Yuuji changes his mind (very unlikely), Kazumi has 0 chance.
Aside of the major disappointement, I just realized it when i was screencapping the episode for the blog: basically, the art was completely unstable.
It has nothing to do with the change of design (as it is quite easy to distinguish the changes, especially the girls’ eyes, much smaller, giving a wider gap between them. Compare “SII” shana with the faint flashback of the Tenpa Jyousai), but really the consistency of the design, which go completely budget in various instances.
Example: Friagne… “glove” (is that rather a muttin!?) (http://i242.photobucket.com/albums/ff237/klashikari2/SNSIIep01024.jpg),
Let’s not mention the unbalance in detail: why the staff decides to put crapload of details for Shana’s lecture scene? See the details in the hair (though Kazumi was still shafted big time, anyway) and eyes were largely superior to most sequences in this episode.
I begin to fear some “ZNT” legacy for the art, as many “lazy” part can be spotted aside of what i just wrote.
At least, they didn’t use poor old footage for the whole “flashback dream” stuff. In fact, it is funny to see they completely reworked it to adapt with the Movie (as they have shown Marianne wielding bubble loot, which doesn’t happen in the first season)

That said, that doesn’t redeem JC staff for the very poor job in the character design consistency.
On the other hand, the animation is still smooth enough, though I would complain again for some parts (toncrap of stillshot).
Now as for the plot itself, we didn’t get much except that weird tomogara who can project such dream. It doesn’t exactly look like harmful yet, which is why this first episode was kinda useless. True enough the pace and the parts chosen were nice, but that didn’t exactly tell us who she is.
It would be better if they shortened this dream part to 2/3, and we could grasp something, instead of her idiotic laugh.
consequently, this episode looks really like a filler to me, as it didn’t flesh out the new plot yet (which could be done more efficiently with less dream thing)

Aside of the weird change for the Character Design, the series kept its heritage from the first season with the usual BGm and seiyuu (Kugimiya Rie engrish is even worse this year…)

newby

2007-10-08, 09:56

Overall this is my favourite first episode of the new season (although I still haven't seen Celestial Beings), and the ending theme was good too. Hopefully either song isn't replaced by a Kotoko horrorshow too soon (preferably ever), as I'm really enjoying them right now. Overall a Nine Out of Ten from me.

imo, kotoko's songs are ok. they dont sound like horrowshows to me. most sounded alright. they are not that bad till you need to describe them as horrorshows right?

for the episode, i gave it a 7, as...

the recap part seems rather pointless. but overall the episode is great. the OP and ED sounded good. but i just dont like the recap part. also, shana's urusai x3 came in at the right time, and yuuji is really blur lol.

sorry for my horrible english.

Furean

2007-10-08, 10:26

I thought it was a nice recap~ish episode, really liked that they included it to the plot.

But, I also thought the reset-button-thing between Shana and Yuji was a bit mehish.

Kristen

2007-10-08, 10:30

I didn't like this episode. I was hoping for some sort of buffer shock in order to represent the start of a new season. Higurashi did it fairly weel by having that 1 episode to say "Alright, this is the world of Higurashi, let's get back into it!" Shana just jumped into a new plot. It'll be great when viewing it from 1-48, but for right now, it just seemed to rapid pace. I was not a fan.

Quakis

2007-10-08, 10:54

Recap right after rewatching the series, oh the horror. High definition is a lot nicer this time round, consistency from previous series of ost and even the episode titles were nice - don't like the new eyecatch tune though. The episode itself wasn't too bad, though I don't expect much from first episodes for a lot of series, awaiting episode 2.

Grimkill7

2007-10-08, 11:44

I gave this episode a 9/10. I was going to give it a 10 because of the amazing visuals and the storyline was really exciting to me, but the whole "What did Shana say?" thing made me give it a 9. I mean come on! Just stick Yoshida with Ike and Shana with Yuji and problem solved. We dont need to go through the same thing over and over.

Master Chibi

2007-10-08, 11:56

Willheminainainainain (can't spell her name for shit) is the only reason I liked this episode at all.

Step it up Shana.

Sinestra

2007-10-08, 12:15

Not very much happen in the first episode i really didnt expect much except for the love declrations of war by all parties involved. If i had to pick the best thing about the first episode it would have to be the OP and ED.

Both were strong and very virbrant not mention both songs kicked ass. I think i watched the opening twice before i even watched the episode lol. I think animes with strong OP's tend to do better with viewrs because it catches their attention.

HayashiTakara

2007-10-08, 13:11

Well since its been a really really long time since the first season I can understand why they had to do a recap sort of episode. Even, if I did rewatch the first season to refresh my memory a week before this episode was released -_-....

s[H]sIkuA

2007-10-08, 16:20

2H-Dragon

2007-10-08, 16:58

Nice first ep to be honest. I didn't feel like a recap to me. Maybe the first 5mins? Not expecting this season like the first one be anything ground shattering, but a new good solid season of Urusai goodness.

About Yuji not hearing it. I don't really mind they are young it's not like they are going to die or should I say vanish(?) anytime soon. :heh:

Someone mind posting a quick summary on season one? I am to busy to bother watching it again. :O

Panzer Bandit

2007-10-08, 21:27

Going into this season, I was both really excited and really scared. Excited that I finally get to see a second season of Shana, and scared after witnessing the train-wreck that was ZnT 2. :upset:

So far, everything looks good, and I'm praying that the extra time between seasons gave the storyboarders ample time to really plan things out. Now, for the episode itself...As a note, I haven't read any of the light novels aside from volume 1, so while everyone keeps hinting that something big will happen, I want to be kept in the dark as much as possible. So please, be liberal with your spoiler tags if you reference the novels. :D

1. I didn't mind the recap session at all, seeing that it's been over a year since season one ended, and I think they pulled it off without being overly boring. Yuji's analytical skills seem pretty sharp, which kind of carries over from last season. Being one month removed from ZnT 2, I was shuddering at the thought that Saito=Yuji. Thankfully, he's far less lecherous and a lot more intelligent (though he seems just as clueless about romance :heh:). I liked how they reanimated everything too, rather than reusing the old stuff. Nice touch there.

2. One thing I did mind was Yuji not hearing the confession. Bad plot hole...:eyebrow: It was too convenient to go down this route, I think. I too would have preferred that they kept the relationship development going. Shana being flustered at Yuji's question was very cute, though.

3. Not that I'd knock the entire episode for this, but did Kugimiya Rie's English get a little worse? :heh: I could've sworn she said that line a lot better in the first season...

4. The new Tomogara seems interesting. I'm wondering what she accomplished by sending Yuji off to his dreamworld. Also seems like a pretty powerful ability if she can use it on the Flame Haze as well.

5. Everyone's already mentioned this, but watching this in HD gives me nerdgasms...

All in all, I thought it was a good start to the season. I'm still a little scared, seeing that I thought ZnT 2 had a good start, only to have its plot fall apart at the seams. I honestly think that JC Staff will do a much better job with this, though.

I give it a solid 8 out of 10.

S_K

2007-10-08, 21:30

Id give it an 8
I didn't like how it was all flashbacks
but on the good side, the opening was good
We need some Khamsim in this series again

Devard

2007-10-08, 21:59

3. Not that I'd knock the entire episode for this, but did Kugimiya Rie's English get a little worse? :heh: I could've sworn she said that line a lot better in the first season...
I felt the same. Her pronunciation of "would smell" in particular was really off this time around.

Aznbanana

2007-10-09, 00:45

i felt this deserved an 8. like others said before, when the producers decided to make Yuuji unable to hear her confession really ruined it for me. But i loved Alastors reaction :heh:

godraziert

2007-10-09, 01:11

Gave it a 9. I liked this episode a lot after not being in touch with Shana since the 1st Season ended. It was interesting to see both the new Tomogara's power and how Yuuji was slowly able to comprehend his situation, which actually allowed me to enjoy the flashbacks . . . a great way to recap.

I also liked how they didn't reveal too much about the new Tomogara since it keeps me anticipating her return once more, especially after that little smile/smirk which she gave before disappearing. :D

jukugo

2007-10-09, 01:51

I gave it a 9, but it was really more like an 8.5 >_>.

This episode was an example of recap done right, as it refreshed our memories without being long-winded about it and, as an added bonus, it quickly re-establishes Yuuji as a protagonist who is not completely worthless, which I would definitely count as a good thing.

I agree with the above posters about Kugimiya Rie's English, it did sound worse than that scene in the first season. I think it was still good enough to remain decently convincing, though.

As far as Yuuji not hearing Shana's words, I feel like it could turn out to be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what they do with it from there, which will likely become apparent very quickly. They can only leave it hanging for so long before it becomes silly, so hopefully they'll tie it off quickly.

Also, ZOMG purdy! purdy!

*Ahem*

Westlo

2007-10-09, 03:41

I didn't mind the recapped portion as much as I thought I would, I thought they did it in an interested way. I also didn't mind the reset in the Yuji/Shana relationship because I'll rather it get back on track with the novels.

Get's a 7/10 and it's a nice start, JOINT is the opening of the season thus far and the 1280x720 Eclipse encode is gorgeous.

Lilprid

2007-10-09, 05:08

http://stage6.divx.com/Limited-Image-Works/video/1722411/Shakugan-no-Shana-Second---01-%5BSS-Eclipse%5D SUBBDDDD! :D

arkxkra

2007-10-09, 05:49

just watching 1st epsiode, feel ok also, quite similar to season 1, episode 1 take alot of time... but its ok, looking forward to next episdoe.
I feel this time the op and ed is much for better, especially the op.

prosnoopy

2007-10-09, 06:55

The first episode was great, loved the OP.

Darknemo2000

2007-10-09, 09:45

Gave it an 8. Its good but not perfect.

Yet again, 8 was the highest mark that I gave only once throiugh-out the whole ZnT 2 season so I guess not bad start at all.

The only complain - Yuji not hearing Shana's confession sounded bit too forced since you can clearly see that he did hear her confession in season one...

But its not too bad. Besides, you can always watch Zero No Tsukaima season two, if you want to be reminded how do REALLY terribly done episodes look like. After ZnT 2 nothing looks so bad.

I can only be happy that it didnt seem to pick stupidity of ZnT 2 season or perverted overused jokes to create some pathetic comedy.

But let's wait and see how other episodes look like. After All, ZnT 2 seasons first episode wasnt too bad either...And we all know how bad it turned out later.

But since director is not the same as stuck-forever-in-puberty as in Znt 2, it can't be that bad.

rozenfreak123

2007-10-09, 11:21

Dark Wing

2007-10-09, 12:07

Obviously this episode was a recap and used to introduce the newest enemy every creative too if I may add. Well I'm just glade we got a season 2 and I'm really looking forward to it because if the anime dose stay true to the novels (let us pray on this one) then Yuji will become stronger able to fight on with his own power. As for the plot hole of "I didn't hear it" I think the JC staff is basically saying it we want it this relationship our way. I can only hope they don't go the way of ZnT2....:upset:

ashlay

2007-10-09, 12:10

I gave the episode a 6 merely because I was expecting something more dramatic such as the Ball Masque attacking once again and capturing Yuji Sakai but to torture him for insulting Hecate for calling her an empty container.
that might be expecting a bit much for a first episode... 0_o

I can only hope they don't go the way of ZnT2....
unlike ZnT2, SnS2 has the same production team back as last time. shouldn't be that much to worry about when it comes to a drop in quality.

Sinestra

2007-10-09, 14:37

WOW i just noticed someone actually rated episode 1 a 1 thats pretty harsh,

KholdStare

2007-10-09, 15:14

I think it was kinda boring, partially because the last thing I wanted to see was a repeat of the first episode of season 1 (after having watched the movie), so as you can see that's my reasoning. The end was very cute though (for me at least) so I'll give it a generous 7/10. I'm sure that it will get better, but I'm just not big on the first.

ashlay

2007-10-09, 15:28

WOW i just noticed someone actually rated episode 1 a 1 thats pretty harsh,
actually he made a mistake. look earlier in the thread, he meant to give it a 9 or 10 :heh:

KholdStare

2007-10-09, 15:34

It does happen. I accidentally rated an episode (not this one) a 1 either!

Sinestra

2007-10-09, 16:18

actually he made a mistake. look earlier in the thread, he meant to give it a 9 or 10 :heh:

ok cool i didnt see it i was like thats pretty rough for a first episode. I think we all have done it at least once.

Devard

2007-10-09, 16:40

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are rating these episodes at. I have plenty of shows I like that my friends don't at all and vice versa.

Pell14

2007-10-09, 18:32

I was totally wtfized on the first half, i even have a urge to close my media . . seriously
This sort of approach doesnt appeal to me oh mine . . haha. I rewatched season1 and watched the movie so watching the 1st half of this eps almost killed me haha

neutralizer

2007-10-09, 21:00

Panzer Bandit

2007-10-09, 21:50

I didn't mind the recapped portion as much as I thought I would, I thought they did it in an interested way. I also didn't mind the reset in the Yuji/Shana relationship because I'll rather it get back on track with the novels.

Ah, I didn't think about that. If they plan on merging the continuity timelines with the novels, then I could see why they would be willing to deal with presenting such a big plot hole. They probably weren't thinking too much about how that line would affect the continuity into the second season when they wrote out the last episode. It seemed like a good conclusion at the time, right?

ashlay

2007-10-09, 22:01

Yashichiro Takahashi was apparently involved in the writing this season. wouldn't surprise me at all if they were trying to get the anime continuity to match with the novels.

in which case such a plot hole is indeed a necessary evil.

Chaos2Frozen

2007-10-09, 22:58

Well, the first episode wasn't as 'boring' as I've heard some people complain :heh: It's good that Yuji is still using his head, proving why he's one of the better male characters in Anime... Shana still cute as ever, seeing her being dere-dere about her confession is one of the most amusing thing all week :D

Wonder what the game's character gonna bring to the table...

ElementSun

2007-10-09, 23:00

judging from the OP, looks like there's going to be a new character with a love interest for Yuji too...

jtrog

2007-10-09, 23:24

Shana really gets up set when shes put on the spot about her feelings. :D

Chaos2Frozen

2007-10-09, 23:45

judging from the OP, looks like there's going to be a new character with a love interest for Yuji too...

Yeah, I've heard about her... And boy what a rival she'll be :uhoh:

Shana really gets up set when shes put on the spot about her feelings. :D

Embarrassed-dere Shana is brilliant :D

Ratix

2007-10-10, 06:26

This is interesting... Seem like its going to take the main story of the DS/PS2 games, and retelling of it, into Shana II, at least perhaps the first arc.

KholdStare

2007-10-10, 10:41

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about what other people are rating these episodes at. I have plenty of shows I like that my friends don't at all and vice versa.

I personally do, because for some strange reason, my anime taste coincide well with the average rating for said anime. I don't worry about the opinion of one specific person, but I care about them as a whole. It really helped with knowing which anime to watch and such, because I'm a man of all genres an not the type that watches all the anime within a specific genre.

alvinkhorfire

2007-10-10, 14:43

Devard

2007-10-10, 14:53

May I know what is the proof that Yuji did listen to Shana's confession at the Seiren-den? Well, someone has pointed out that Yuji might have smiled to to Shana even though he did not get to hear what Shana said.
I agree. It's been a while since I saw the last episode but I can't recall if there's any concrete evidence of the fact that he really did hear what she said. I knew they were going to do a reset of some sort so it didn't really bother me. Also, I think Yuji would probably have gasped or given some kind of a startled look if he actually did hear the confession. As others have pointed out, it's not really something that Shana would say. I don't know think it's believable for him to just stand there and smile as if he saw it coming a mile away.

ashlay

2007-10-10, 15:47

I agree. It's been a while since I saw the last episode but I can't recall if there's any concrete evidence of the fact that he really did hear what she said. I knew they were going to do a reset of some sort so it didn't really bother me. Also, I think Yuji would probably have gasped or given some kind of a startled look if he actually did hear the confession. As others have pointed out, it's not really something that Shana would say. I don't know think it's believable for him to just stand there and smile as if he saw it coming a mile away.
it is plausible, especially considering they completely downplayed it in the scenes afterwards at the end of season 1 (shana goes directly from "I like you" to "you saw, didn't you?")

but still, this just makes Yuji look bad somehow. They did try to cover for him, he did consider it (only to write it off as "shana would never say something like that, right?") ....I know it is Shana's fault for hardly ever being honest with her feelings, but for someone like Yuji, who's supposed to be the brains of this outfit and who usually seemed to pick up on other people's relations, this comes off as surprisingly dense.
suppose there was no other way around it from a story standpoint. :\

Aquifina

2007-10-10, 19:34

it is plausible, especially considering they completely downplayed it in the scenes afterwards at the end of season 1 (shana goes directly from "I like you" to "you saw, didn't you?")

but still, this just makes Yuji look bad somehow. They did try to cover for him, he did consider it (only to write it off as "shana would never say something like that, right?") ....I know it is Shana's fault for hardly ever being honest with her feelings, but for someone like Yuji, who's supposed to be the brains of this outfit and who usually seemed to pick up on other people's relations, this comes off as surprisingly dense.
suppose there was no other way around it from a story standpoint. :\

Yeah, I also feel a little uneasy, due to the fact that if Yuji could pick up on Ike liking Yoshida, one might think he could figure things out with Shana. He obviously *isn't* stupid, and neither is he emotionally inept. In fact, Yuji's pretty good about considering other people's feelings and the like.

All that being said, when you think about it, Yuji never sees many of the things we see (the confrontation with Yoshida, Shana trying to learn how to cook, etc.), and all his initial interactions with Shana were so spectacularly harsh. Furthermore, unlike Alastor, Yuji has from almost the get-go always seen Shana act spectacularly cranky due to the angst he causes her; if he knew that Shana only acted that way around *him,* he'd probably know what was going on, but not having known Shana before, one can hardly blame him.

I think it's reasonably clear from what we've seen that Yuji does have unresolved feelings for Shana: the time he remarked on her being cute after the bed scene; the time he asks her if he can stay with her forever; the fact that it's obvious he *did* want a kiss after the defeat of the incest twins; and finally, in this season, the palpable disappointment Yuji had when Shana denied the confession, and in typical Shana fashion, made things emotionally worse for Yuji by calling his question "worthless." As far as I can tell, ep. 1 has Yuji not hearing Shana make the confession, but somehow knowing on some level what Shana said through either lip-reading, intuition, or a mix of both, but doubtful of what it was due to Shana's record of tsundere behavior. Shana then does her usual thing and goes to great lengths to deny it, and Yuji ends up doing what he's done the whole series, resigning himself to Shana's seeming indifference.

The irony here, is that in this sense, Shana is actually more emotionally self-aware than Yuji--she at least knows she loves Yuji, even if she can't admit it to him outside of a life-ending situation. Yuji, who generally is far more emotionally perceptive, seems to have suppressed his own feelings in his own mind, simply because he views it as so completely hopeless. And really, if Yuji's given so little encouragement by Shana, Yoshida's confession is of course going to demand serious consideration from him.

ElementSun

2007-10-10, 22:04

You think Yuji would of figured something out after seeing Shana take a spear in the chest for him =/

Anh_Minh

2007-10-10, 23:53

Yuji can be dense when it comes to himself. It took him a surprising amount of time to figure out Yoshida, and she wasn't exactly subtle.

And about the smile - even if he didn't hear, it wasn't exactly the right circumstances to shout "WhaaAAT?", so just smile and nod.

serenade_beta

2007-10-10, 23:59

You think Yuji would of figured something out after seeing Shana take a spear in the chest for him =/

Density itself is an anime stereotype. :)

*nod, nod*

ashlay

2007-10-11, 00:08

And about the smile - even if he didn't hear, it wasn't exactly the right circumstances to shout "WhaaAAT?", so just smile and nod.
if they keep doing the shana-tan specials in the DVDs they're going to have to throw that one in. :heh:

Panzer Bandit

2007-10-11, 00:18

if they keep doing the shana-tan specials in the DVDs they're going to have to throw that one in. :heh:

That would be so perfect. :heh:

Kang Seung Jae

2007-10-11, 04:16

You think Yuji would of figured something out after seeing Shana take a spear in the chest for him =/

Well..... he might have thought Shana protected because of the Reiji Maigo.

To tell the truth, WE know that Shana "loves" him, but from the receiving person's POV, it can be hard at times.

Klashikari

2007-10-11, 04:21

Azmaria

2007-10-11, 09:04

I thought it was a good start for the new season, I really enjoyed the first chapter

bmkharuhiism

2007-10-11, 09:11

Personally, I thought the episode started out kind of slow. It kind of picked up towards the end.

It is so great to see Shana again.

Anh_Minh

2007-10-11, 12:01

That's not exactly possible, since Wilhelmina told to Yuuji that Shana even agreed about "killing the host will put the Reiji Maigo in a safer place"

Basically, as a Flame haze, Shana doesn't gain anything to protect Yuuji, especially if Wilhelmina was the one who wanted to finish him off.
He obviously knows their bound, especially when he was expecting a kiss after Sorath&Tiriel arc.

The scripters are just jumping back and forth with "yuuji's denseness", but really, he actually have doubts about her feelings.

Well, it's true that as a Flame Haze, she should have let him die, and he probably knows it. But he might figure that she's come to consider him as a friend, but that she doesn't want anything more. Especially since girly stuff and displays of affection are out of character for her.

alvinkhorfire

2007-10-11, 19:14

Judging from what happened in the last episode, Yuji should liked Shana more than Kazumi. If he liked Yoshida, why would he offered to die along with Shana with possibility that he might die and might not see Kazumi again? Although he can't decide now which girl he likes most, he should be more inclined towards Shana.

As much as I hate it, the reset button has to be pushed to align the storyline back to the novels. The Seiren-den arc did not exist in the novels, so whatever happened at there has no effect in current storyline.

Guido

2007-10-11, 22:24

It was way back to October 2005 when I was setting the mood for the Halloween season.

Back then Jigoku Shoujo have immersed with its supernatural-revenge theme, then on a night like this one I watched the first episode to the previous Shakugan no Shana serious, and a whole new world of strangeness and mysticism spread all on me.

I would never forget the bang on how the very, very first episode to season one started. Beginning with a flash forward with Yuuji about to be eaten by a Tomogara inside a frozen and void world when he was suddenly barely spared death by a cute chibiko with red-eyes and red-haired, Shana.

I know that I should never keep my expectations high on how they would started the prologue to season two, and this is because, unlike the introduction for season one, season two's introduction was built and given pace. However, I must said it worked with a bang.

Like Yuuji I was as well lost and gone off track with the deja-vú dream sequence, that's until he realized he was trapped in his own, imagined dream.

It was really weird watching Friagne and the twins, since they were presumedly killed by Shana back on season one.

But, thankfully, Yuuji slapped and came back to reality just in time to avoid more death at hands of the brand-new, horned Tomogara.

My favorite scene at the dream sequence was the overview of Misaki City getting absorbed into that void of ruin as Yuuji watched with horror; kind of sci-fi and fantasy horror mixed in.

I as well noticed that the animation for the character designs is slightly different from the previous season, obviously since likely some new animators were introduced in the animation crew but is refreshing to know that the director and most of the staff are back for season two.

The soundtrack is the same, and I did not forget at all about the names of other characters as well as the complex terminology of the Shana-verse.

The manner on how that Tomogara targeted Yuuji makes more certain that for this season the answers regarding about Yuuji's mystery hougu, the Reiji Maigo, will finally be revealed.

To conclude I think I'll need to listen one more time to the ending song in order to get accustomed with it, but the opening song leaves much to desire on me. Only time will tell if it's worth my interest.

Overall, a blazing restart to get Shana back where she left off.

HayashiTakara

2007-10-11, 22:43

Personally, I thought the episode started out kind of slow. It kind of picked up towards the end.

It is so great to see Shana again.

I agree, Shana can Urusai me anytime, mmmm, lol :heh:

EadTaes

2007-10-12, 01:13

Well it was good and a nice twits to the start off. However hitting the reset button on Shana and Yuji was a "awww come on moment" hopefully it will get unrested soon.

As for not leaving i kinda got a him from that at the end of season 1 when they left for school. but staying put isn't a dumb move either. I mean they have 3 flame haze's in the city and that one tunning boy in the near area. Plus they still have access to Friage magic citymap. And 3 humans to help out in some way. Plus is seems that Yuji can wield the super heavy sword. So i don't think he will be as defenseless, from back lien support to front line combat. Would be the first time a mystes engaged in battle. Remember were Shane got her sword from?

BTW WTH does "de arimasu" mean???? wilhelmina keeps saying at the end of every sentence. It's annoying hopefully she wont get to many lines this time around.

Tokkan

2007-10-12, 01:48

BTW WTH does "de arimasu" mean???? wilhelmina keeps saying at the end of every sentence. It's annoying hopefully she wont get to many lines this time around.

"De arimasu" is the uncontracted form of "desu". There's no way of translating the difference in its use from desu into written words, it's only translatable into English as a much more polite tone of speech. Hence, Eclipse left it there.

syniel

2007-10-12, 01:48

He didn't hear her confession ? My arse, this is just plain inconsistency to what we were shown last season. Yuji heard perfectly, then smiled at her ... now they made it seem the explosion happened before Shana could tell the final words ... this is just a poorly executed plot hole, nothing else. But hey - easier to drop it instead of straining the brain over this issue, right ?

OP is quite nice once the lyrics kick in, but the rock piece played before that feels terribly not fitting.

6/10 for the first episode ... can't bring myself to think of this more than just 'average'.

I'm pretty much of your mind here. ( however, I did think the visuals looked outstanding.) The sound quality was excellent BUT it wasn't just the rock piece that didn't really fit. I explore different genres of music as a hobby and so I couldn't help noticing that they constantly changed musical styles throughout the entire episode. They switched from rock and swung all the way to classical and then packed the rest of the show with incidental music that also switched styles constantly. Even the rock number at the start really started off metal before it ended up rock. So, for me the ST is so jarring if they don't change it I probably wont continue on with the series - which is a real shame since I liked the movie.

It's like they wanted to be avante garde and just ended up garbled.

EadTaes

2007-10-12, 02:01

"De arimasu" is the uncontracted form of "desu". There's no way of translating the difference in its use from desu into written words, it's only translatable into English as a much more polite tone of speech. Hence, Eclipse left it there.
Aww i see. Well it's still annoying. I think she a to well behaved and mannered person IMHO. :)

FatPianoBoy

2007-10-12, 07:13

I'm liking the music (lightyears better than the first series') and the pretty animation, but... I dunno, I can't see this one succeeding where the first series failed: making me care. I did manage to finish it, but it was mostly because it was the only new thing I had left to watch for a while.

I know that sounds harsh, but what I mean is that Shakugan no Shana, the more I think about it, feels like nothing more than a by-the-numbers magical girl story. Granted, Shana is much cooler than any rabbit (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usagi_Tsukino) ever was, but the elements of magic, action, weird villains (some of which are pretty cool, I'll admit), superfriends, and some school stuff thrown in is something I've already been through. All of this wouldn't be a problem if we had some interesting characters, but the only character that ever had more than one facet was Margery, who simply doesn't get enough screentime (drunken comic relief notwithstanding). Shana doesn't count because a tsundere must have two sides by definition. Also, the story is borderline incomprehensible, and the Power of Existence is almost on the same level as Minovsky Particles. But to me, characters are what make the story, so I'd still be willing to let that stuff slide.
I really enjoyed the first few episodes of the first season. That "You're dead. Have a nice day." bit was nice, and watching Yuuji desperately struggle to save Hirai was wonderfully bleak and depressing. In fact, I actually thought that this would be one of those shows where there'd be no-holds-barred on who lives and who doesn't. However, once the usual stride set it, I kept wishing the finish line would just meet me half way or something.

I want to like Shana. I really do. But before I can like it, it's going to have to do something which sets it apart. It isn't a bad show by any means, and I'd even recommend it to someone who was completely new to anime, but to impress someone who's been at this a while it's going to take something special. This first episode, with its first two-thirds being made of recycled material from the first season, certainly isn't off to the right start. I'll stick it out for a few more episodes, however, hoping that just maybe it'll manage to impress me.

Owaranai Destiny

2007-10-12, 22:20

I'm pretty sure plenty of people are disappointed with this episode, considering how we were completely thrown smack dab into the middle of the action and terminology at the beginning for season 1 and the relative popularity and success it had. The first time round, it was because we knew nuts about Tomogara, Rinne, Fuzetsu and stuff like that. Considering how we've become slightly more knowledgeable about such terms, this didn't go too well.

Considering how it started out, SnS II isn't doing itself too many favours. It might not be too surprising to actually consider that J.C was actually taking an undesirable leaf out of Sunrise's book with the recycled animation in some parts, even though the story was at least progressing instead of putting in scenes focusing completely on recaps. You have to admit, though, it was slightly reassuring to see evidence of a stronger backbone on Yuuji's back there, and the way he handled himself in comparison to Season 1.

Animation-wise, it seemed to be slightly better than Season 1's, while the fighting/action sequences were obviously disappointing to me, (that wasn't such an entertaining fight for Shana and Mare, but at least it brought about the notion of how 'weak' Mare was made out to be by Shana and Alastor) but at least the story kept me going for a bit, having at least paid better attention than some regarding the properties of some of the terminologies in the Shanaverse, which at least allowed me not to make insignificant comparisons. ;)

With but a few extra scenes and dialogue hardcore Shana fans can recite backwards hundreds of times, this is a stuttering start. Still, the OP and ED were good, since it's Kawada Mami. Not to say that Season 1's OPs and EDs were not as good, but somehow the rock music at the start gave me the impression of something starting anew, because we've hardly heard any rock music in SnS's melodies.

Overall, I'd say I'm generally satisfied and at least looking forward to story development and a conclusion to the part with Mare. Episode 2's preview seems promising, but so far episode 1 hasn't been exceeding my expectations. a 7/10 here, especially for a show I loved in particular for it's action and surprises.