Shakugan no Shana

Shakugan no Shana (灼眼のシャナ, Shakugan no Shana^? lit. Shana of the Blazing Eyes), also known simply as Shana, is a series of Japanese light novels and related media works written by Japanese novelist Yashichiro Takahashi and illustrated by Noizi Ito centering around Yuji Sakai, an ordinary Japanese high school boy who inadvertently becomes involved in a perpetual war between forces of balance and imbalance in existence. In the process, he befriends the title character: a fighter for the balancing force, whom he takes to calling "Shana". The series incorporates science fiction, fantasy, and slice-of-life "school days" elements into its tale.

Since the series' inception, it has spawned a wide range of media, ranging from printed prose, to a manga and even multiple anime adaptations. Shakugan no Shana began as a light novel series first serialized under the seinen label Dengeki Bunko published by MediaWorks with the first complete novel being released on November 10, 2002 in Japan. In time, the series gained popularity and a manga was created based on the series with art by Ayato Sasakura. It was first serialized in the manga magazine Dengeki Daioh, also published by MediaWorks, on February 1, 2005. An anime version was quickly adapted which aired between October 5, 2005 and March 22, 2006 by the animation studio J.C.STAFF and contained 24 episodes in total. Following the conclusion of the anime series, a Playstation 2 video game, developed and published by MediaWorks, was released in Japan on March 23, 2006. A second video game for the Nintendo DS is planned for release on March 29, 2007, also developed and published by MediaWorks. Additional anime adaptations include the 30 minute OVA which was released on December 8, 2006 and a movie which will be released in theaters on April 21, 2007.

Viz Media announced at Comic-Con 2006 that they have licensed the right to release the English translations of both the Shakugan no Shana light novels and the manga series.^[1] Additionally, Geneon has licensed the anime series in America^[2] and the first DVD was released on September 5, 2006.^[3]

Both the light novel and manga are currently being released in Japan. So far, there have been sixteen light novels and two manga volumes. The most recent light novel, book XIV, was released in Japan on February 10, 2007.

1 Plot
2 Principal characters
3 Terms
4 Novels and adaptations
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

“	Infinite time stops its heartbeat, and people are soundlessly consumed by fire. Not a single soul notices as the world becomes dislocated, and is engulfed in the flames of the Crimson Realm.	”
	— Alastor

“	無限の時が鼓動を止め、人は音も無く炎上する。誰一人気付く者も無く、世界は外れ、紅世の炎に包まれる・・・	”
	— 天壌の劫火　アラストール

Yuji Sakai, a high school student, expected his very normal life to last forever. However, this expectation is quickly shattered one day while on his way home.

The world suddenly freezes in time, leaving Yuji to watch in horror as blue flames engulf the people around him. Soon a monster resembling a large doll appears and begins sucking the flames into its mouth, until it notices Yuji. Surprised with Yuji's insusceptibility to the time-stop, it jumps with glee.

Just as the monster prepares to consume Yuji, a sword-wielding girl in black attire with flaming red eyes and hair that burns like embers appears, swiftly and confidently destroys the monster, before noticing Yuji moving freely. The girl calls herself a "Flame Haze" who hunts the "Denizens of the Crimson Realm" and the "Rinne" they send to do their bidding. When Yuji notices a blue flame in his chest, the Flame Haze tells him that the "real" Yuji died some time ago, and that he is a "Torch", a temporary replacement for erased humans. Torches take on the forms of those erased persons, but after a period of time, they will vanish from existence and the memories of the living. Unfazed by his apparent death, Yuji befriends the strange girl and names her "Shana" after her sword. Expecting Yuji to slowly fade away like all other Torches do, Shana is surprised to find that Yuji is not a normal Torch, but instead a special kind called a "Mystes": he has a treasure inside him, known as a "Hougu", a device possessing special abilities of sorts, and an extremely powerful and valuable one at that. Shana resolves to protect Yuji from the Denizens, who would use the treasure to disrupt the balance of the world, and Yuji decides to join Shana in her fight.

Shana's fight is actually a long-standing struggle between the Lords and Denizens of the Crimson Realm. The Denizens steal Power of Existence, the energy that forms the basis of the world, from living people and utilize it for their own selfish ambitions. Lords are the mortal enemies of Denizens, and utilize Flame Hazes to attempt to retain balance. Thus, the Flame Hazes create Torches in the image of the dead in order to relieve the strain on reality resulting from the actions of the Denizens.

During their time together both Shana and Yuji begin to realize that their affection for each other is more then just friends. During Shana's numerous battles with the Flame Haze she has come to realize that whenever Yuji is close and cares about her, her powers increase, thus awakening the Flame inside her.

[edit] Principal characters

Main article: List of Shakugan no Shana characters
Yuji Sakai (坂井悠二, Sakai Yūji^?) (Mystes): Voiced by: Satoshi Hino (Japanese), Kristian Ayre (English)

Yuji, the main character of the story, is just an average high school student. However, his world is turned upside down when he discovers that he is already dead and does not have much time before he disappears. Fortunately, Yuji is a Mystes who contains a treasure known as the Reiji Maigo (零時迷子^? "Midnight Stray Child"). Unlike normal torches, the treasure inside him restores his Power of Existence every night at midnight. With the Reiji Maigo, Yuji has the possibility to live on like an average human as long as he makes sure that his Power of Existence does not run out before midnight. Later, he begins to learn to use the yet untapped potential of the treasure kept within him.

Shana (シャナ, Shana^?) / "Slayer with Flaming Hair and Blazing Eyes" (「炎髪灼眼の討ち手」, "Enpatsu Shakugan no Uchite"^?) (Flame Haze): Voiced by: Rie Kugimiya (Japanese), Tabitha St. Germain (English)

The female lead of the show and a Flame Haze. Initially she is concentrated solely on her duty as a Flame Haze, going as far as to not bearing even a name. She sees Yuji only as a Torch, an object, marginally interesting because of his status as a Mystes. However, she slowly opens up to Yuji, coming to think of him as a person, despite being a Torch, and eventually comes to love him. Until she met Yuji, she was identified by only her Flame Haze title "Slayer with Flaming Hair and Blazing Eyes," or her sword, Nietono no Shana (贄殿遮那^? "Vairocana of the Offering Room"). Yuji, in his need to humanize her, chose to name her "Shana" after her sword. Shana has a habit of saying "Urusai!" ("Shut up!") three times in a row whenever Yuji asks her questions or makes remarks that disturb her original worldview. But in reality they really care for each other. She has a great fondness for melon bread.

Alastor (アラストール, Arasutōru^?) / "Conflagration upon Heaven and Earth" (「天壌の劫火」, "Tenjō no Gōka"^?) (Lord of the Crimson Realm): Voiced by: Masashi Ebara (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English); He is the Lord of the Crimson Realm to whom Shana is bound. He expresses his will through a divine vessel called the Cocytus, which (in Shana's case) takes the form of a pendant. His name is actually the name of a demon in mythology. Alastor is considered to be the strongest of all Lords or Denizens, even comparable to a god in the Crimson Realm. But even so, he tries to keep the Denizens from consuming Power of Existence.

Margery Daw (マージョリー・ドー, Mājorī Dō^?) / "Chanter of Elegies" (「弔詞の詠み手」, "Chōshi no Yomite"^?) (Flame Haze): Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame (Japanese), Janyse Jaud (English)

Margery is a tall, "well-endowed" and mature blond Flame Haze with a drinking habit. She uses the book Grimoire, which is the divine vessel through which Marchosias, to whom she is bound, expresses his will. Her main powers focus around chanting spells and turning into a werewolf. She casts spells by chanting an "Improvisational Poem of Slaughter" (屠殺の即興詩 Tosatsu no Sokkyōshi^?). Her name comes from Mother Goose, as does what she chants. Eita and Keisaku look up to her because she saved their lives once.

Marchosias (マルコシアス, Marukoshiasu^?) / "Claws and Fangs of Violation" (「蹂躙の爪牙」, "Jūrin no Sōga"^?) (Lord of the Crimson Realm): Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata; The Crimson Lord to whom Margery Daw is bound. He expresses his will through the divine vessel Grimoire, which takes the form of a book. His name is actually the name of a demon. He talks wildly, makes comments without remorse, and often teases Margery, often earning a retaliatory punch. He does genuinely care about her, however, perhaps not in the form of friendship but as a companion in battle. The dynamic of their relationship is quite different than that between Shana and Alastor; Marchosias will serve as Margery's vehicle from time to time and occasionally suffers physical abuse at her hands, but they seem to be equals in their quest.

Kazumi Yoshida (吉田一美, Kazumi Yoshida^?): Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Chantal Strand (English); Yuji's classmate. She has a crush on him, but is a bit too shy to tell him directly. When Shana becomes her love-rival, she vows to tell Yuji her feelings and to let him decide between her and Shana. Named after Shigeru Yoshida.

[edit] Terms

Power of Existence

As it name suggests, Power of Existence is a power that is contained within any biological or magical entity. Thus, it is not limited to reside in living humans. Crimson Denizens can steal it from humans or Torches.

Torch

A Torch is a replacement entity for a human, whose Power of Existence is gone. Torches are "shock-absorbers" for the sake of balance in real world. They are only temporary, and will disappear after a certain amount of time, eradicating all traces of existence related to the Torch.

Mystes

A Mystes is a special kind of Torch, who contains a Hougu.

Flame Haze

A Flame Haze is a servant, whose duty is to maintain the world's balance. Each Flame Haze has contracted a Lord of Crimson Realm.

Lords of Crimson Realm

Lords of Crimson Realm are powerful entities who take care of the balance of the world by monitoring the Power of Existence and utilizing their Flame Haze to terminate those Crimson Denizens. Lords represents themselves as magical objects, in Shana's case, a pendant.

Crimson Denizens

Crimson Denizens are mostly evil entities who usually don't care for the balance of the real world, collecting and using Power of Existence for their own purposes.

Rinne

Rinne are servants for the Crimson Denizens. They vanish if they don't get Power of Existence either from their master or from humans and/or Torches.

Unrestricted Methods

Unrestricted Methods are powerful magic spells mostly with battle purposes. They can be invoked with chanting and they consume Power of Existence. Unrestricted Methods can be seen as blue insignia upon casting.

Hougu

Hougu is the name of magical objects which can provide special abilities or even Unrestricted Methods. Reiji Maigo is a Hougu, which is able to replenish its owner's Power of Existence at midnight every day.

Fuzetsu

Fuzetsu is a special dimension, where the Crimson Realm and the real world intermingles, and time is stopped for ordinary living beings. Flame Haze are able to create such Fuzetsu on their will, as do Crimson Denizens. However, battles in the Fuzetsu can damage real world objects, and harm the paused living being, but it is possible to reverse the effects, using enough Power of Existence. However, if the Fuzetsu is ever unlocked during a battle, any repairing is impossible.

Haridan

Haridan is a crystal-like projection of the real world. It can be used to observe the location of Torches and Unrestricted Methods.

Spoilers end here.

[edit] Novels and adaptations

Shakugan no Shana light novel volume 1.

[edit] Light novels

Main article: Shakugan no Shana (light novels)

There are currently sixteen novels out for Shakugan no Shana. They are numbered from I through XIV, along with volume 0 and S, which consist of short side stories. The most recent light novel, book XIV, was released in Japan on February 10, 2007. These novels are called light novels, which feature a light amount of text and occasional black and white illustrations. The series was authored by Yashichiro Takahashi with illustrations by Noizi Ito. The series is serialized under the seinen label Dengeki Bunko, published by MediaWorks. The first novel was released in Japan on November 10, 2002. The novels have sold exceedingly well, and have jointly sold over four million copies.^[4] At Comic-Con 2006, it was announced that VIZ Media licensed the novels for the US market.^[1]

[edit] Manga

The manga, by mangaka Ayato Sasakura, is currently serialized in the monthly Dengeki Daioh, which started on February 1, 2005, published by MediaWorks. The first bound volume hit shelves October 27, 2005. The manga is doing well and has already sold over 500,000 copies.^[4] At Comic-Con 2006, it was announced that VIZ Media licensed the manga for the US market.^[1]

[edit] Anime

An anime version of Shakugan no Shana, directed by Takashi Watanabe, was aired in Japan between October 5, 2005 and March 22, 2006.^[5] The series has been licensed for North American distribution by Geneon,^[2] and the first DVD of the series was released on September 5, 2006.^[3]

[edit] Episodes

Shakugan no Shana manga volume 2.

Main article: List of Shakugan no Shana episodes

The anime series contained 24 episodes which aired between October 5, 2005 and March 22, 2006. Later, three mini omake episodes depicting Shana and Hecate in chibi form were released with the first, fifth and eighth DVDs on January 25, May 25 and in October, all in 2006 respectively. Lastly, an OVA was released on December 8, 2006.^[6] The events of the story take place between the storyline of the TV series' episodes 13 and 14.

[edit] Music

Main article: List of Shakugan no Shana albums

Shakugan no Shana had two opening and ending themes. The first opening theme, "Hishoku no Sora" by Mami Kawada was used for the first sixteen episodes and the OVA. The second opening theme, "being" by KOTOKO ran the rest of the series to episode 24. The first ending theme, "Yoake Umarekuru Shōjo" by Yoko Takahashi ran for the first fourteen episodes and the OVA. The last ending theme, "Aka no Seijaku" by Yoko Ishida was used between episodes fifteen and twenty-three. The last episode's ending theme was "Hishoku no Sora".

The Shakugan no Shana original soundtrack was first released on January 25, 2006 by Geneon. There have also been three other soundtracks called the Assorted Shana albums. Volumes I, II and III which were released on February 24, March 24 and April 21, all in 2006 respectively, and were published by Geneon.

[edit] Staff

Original work: Yashichiro Takahashi

Shakugan no Shana PS2 video game cover.

Illustration: Noizi Ito
Director: Takashi Watanabe
Series composition: Yasuko Kobayashi
Character design: Mai Otsuka
Music: Kō Ōtani
Animation production: J.C.STAFF

[edit] Video games

A video game named Shakugan no Shana for the Playstation 2, developed by MediaWorks, was released on March 23, 2006. Another video game for the Nintendo DS is planned for release on March 29, 2007.^[7]

[edit] Movie

The news that an animated film was to be made was after the ending credits of the last episode of the anime series. The movie will be released in Japanese theaters on April 21, 2007.^[8] The movie is not a sequel to the anime, but is an adaptation of all the events in the first novel, and therefore a veritable remake of the first six episodes. However, it is expected to contain events that were not in the anime series.

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b ^c New licenses announced at SDCC 2006. Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
^ ^a ^b "Geneon Anime Licenses", Anime News Network, 2006-07-02. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
^ ^a ^b ANN Encyclopedia: Releases. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-24.
^ ^a ^b MediaWorks' Shakugan no Shana website (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
^ Shakugan no Shana at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia Retrieved on February 8, 2007
^ DVD details at animate.tv (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
^ Amazon.co.jp on the Nintendo DS game (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.
^ Dengeki Bunko news on the movie (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-02-08.

[edit] External links

Official Shakugan no Shana website (Japanese)
MediaWorks' official Shakugan no Shana website (Japanese)
Official Shakugan no Shana movie website (Japanese)
Dengeki Bunko's Shakugan no Shana movie website (Japanese)
Official Shakugan no Shana English anime website
Shakugan no Shana at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia

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Shakugan no Shana

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Contents

[edit] Plot

[edit] Principal characters

[edit] Terms

[edit] Novels and adaptations

[edit] Light novels

[edit] Manga

[edit] Anime

[edit] Episodes

[edit] Music

[edit] Staff

[edit] Video games

[edit] Movie

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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