tfritsch - 2015-05-21 15:41:25

The first season of Shakugan no Shana was, for the most part, quite good. An interesting concept with decent characters and a well paced story. My only real issue was with its bullsh*t cop-out ending and filler episodes. So, does Shakugan no Shana II hit the reasonably high bar set by the first series? No. It does not. Instead, it goes soaring gracefully over the bar, impressing all who bare witness to it, even if it's landing was a little shaky.

*If you have not seen the first season of Shakugan no Shana I recommend you watch it before reading this review*

Story:

Shakugan no Shana II kicks off with three great episodes, and then promptly grinds to a halt. Things don't really get going again until around episode 13 which makes for a decent portion of the series that doesn't really do much. That's not to say these episodes aren't important or entertaining. We get introduced to a new character, Fumina Konoe, who does turn out to be important to the plot however her story arc dragged on for WAY longer than it should have. Don't even get me started on the filler. When things do finally get going though, they REALLY get going. The pacing picks up again and we get plenty of awesome action sequences to go along with it. The main antagonists from the first series make their return and come up with a plan that had exactly zero chance of working due to one highly spoilerific reason that you'll understand if you ever watch the series. The love triangle form the first series is also resolved in a way that no one ever saw coming from a light year away [hefty sarcasm]. So overall, the story was good. It's not the most complex or deep story ever but it works just fine with the series and it allows for some reasonable character development. Plus, the ending didn't totally suck! 

Characters:

The first series really gave Shana a good amount of character development while also allowing for Yuuji and Yoshida to get some development. However, Shakugan no Shana II feels like it focuses a lot more on some of the side characters and Yuuji. We do get a lot of good character development for our main lead Yuuji, however Shana just kind of stays static for the majority of the series. Yoshida stays pretty much unchanged from the first series as well while Wilhelmina gets some much needed development, as does Margery Daw. There is also one character who is introduced in episode 13 and then quickly tossed aside after just a couple of episodes. Although the characters are still good, it would have been nice to have good character development for everyone involved.

Animation and sound:

While the first series had some nicely animated battle sequences I felt some of the dialogue scenes weren't as good and the scenery lacked detail especially towards the end of the series. The is more or less the case for Shakugan no Shana II. The battle sequences where once again the highlight of the series although the dialogue scenes where not bad by any means. The animation quality was also fairly consistent throughout the whole series. I was never too fond of the music in series 1 even though none of it was bad and this is mostly the same for series 2 seeing as they used most of the same songs from the first series. As for the opening as ending, the first opening was ok and the first ending was ok. The second opening was kind of sh*t however the I really liked the second ending song.

Verdict:

I really, really enjoyed watching this show despite it's flaws. Pacing and character issues aside, Shakugan no Shana II is a great follow up to the first series which I highly recommend if you liked series 1. It offers a satisfying conclusion to a good series and I think every fan of the first series will be happy and content with this ending. What do you mean there's a third season?

Rating: 78/100

sam45 - 2014-04-30 07:41:30

Shakugan no shana II

The Highlights
Animation: Top-notch.
Action: Engaging, bold and energetic.
Story: Expect to arrive back at episode 1 by the end of the series.
In comparison to the first: Heavier emphasis on drama than action.

The original Shakugan no Shana ends in a completely open-ended love triangle. This sequel gives the shape a few more sides and lets it out into the wilderness. With fan service almost nonexistent, this harem setup actually turns out to be quite innocent and heartwarming. Watching Shana, Yoshida Kazumi and Fumina Konoe fumble around their awkward love lives is inexplicably cute. Unlike the original, this setup is not continually broken, fixed, and then broken again, but it is allowed to develop over the course over the entire 24 episodes. Characters grow, relationships deepen, but in the end, nothing happens.