Shakugan No Shana Season 3 Parts 1 and 2 Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack Reviews
“Shakugan No Shana” Season 3 Parts 1 and 2 is an admirable mess.
In the first 12 episodes of season 3 (AKA Part 1), “Shakugan No Shana” takes a much darker turn. Not only has Yuji disappeared from Misaki City, but he has now become the leader of Bal Masque. Naturally, this does not sit well with Shana and the others who had befriended him. Aside from that key revelation, expect to see stories about Shana training, Shana and company fighting with Yuji, Yuji capturing Shana and brings her to Serei-Den, Outlaw networks, Margery’s mind being lost, the return of Hecate, a powerless (and a powerful) Shana, Flame Haze Sophie Sawallisch, a war between Denizens and Flame Hazes, the Divine Gate, Snake of the Festival, the Trinity, battles against Sabrac, and more minor subplots secondary characters (such as Keisaku).
In season 3 part (which contains episodes 13-24), we get the final batch of episodes of “Shakugan No Shana.” Right off the bat, it is a dark time for the Flame Hazes as the Snake of the Festival escapes the Divine Gate and creates a new world full of Denizens and Power of Existence. Aside from that, the other pivotal storylines involve the Palace of Light, the Gods of Earth, Shana and the Flame Hazes vs. Yuji and the Denizens, Johan and Pheles, the creation of Xanadu, the God of Creation as well as lots of crucial side stories for characters such as Kazumi Yoshida, Wilhelmina, and the mad scientist Dantalion.
While the fate of Yuji has definitely been eluded to (and built up to), I can’t help but feel like we’re missing a lot of story in between season 2 and 3. I just don’t buy his abrupt turn as it feels entirely forced in the way it is presented. Sure, this game changing story element proves to elicit more intrigue, chaos, darkness, action as well as some great scenes with the Bal Masque and Denizens, but the first 13 episodes are just too cramped. The show has become so overloaded with characters, terminology, and mythology (even more than before) that it bogs the series down. Season 3 Part 1 may indeed be superior to the first two seasons, but the critical flaws that have plagued the series continue to do so.
I wish I could say the flaws vanish in the last 13 episodes (episodes 13-24 in season 3 part 2), but the endless exposition, overabundance of characters, and the overall bloated nature of the show remains a problem until the very end. There’s just way too much to keep track of here and it feels like homework by the time it is over and done with. Yes, the show is certainly admirable and ambitious as it delves into subjects such as power, creation, wars, and friendship, but the show is simply TOO ambitious.
As for the ending, I’m not sure how I feel about the conclusion to be honest. The story wraps up everything a little too nicely for my taste. I don’t want to get into particulars because I don’t want to spoil the show for anyone who plans on watching, but, suffice to say, it seemed like the show was leading up to something more than what we actually saw.
Video/Audio:
Presented in widescreen 1080p, Season 3 looks a lot more colorful. There’s no doubt that the quality of the show improves with each season.
These sets contain English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 audio tracks. While the action sounds better in the 5.1 track, the Japanese voice acting is stronger in terms of voice acting. Make of that as you will.
Season 3 Part 1 Extras:
* Trailers for “Last Exile,” “Tenchi Muyo- War On Geminar,” “A Certain Scientific Railgun,” “Summer Wars,” “Baka and Test,” “Heaven’s Lost Property,” “Trigun,” “Is This A Zombie?,” “Shakugan No Shana,” and Funimation.com.
* Commentary on episode 4 by ADR director Jerry Jewell and ADR engineer Alyssa Galindo. The two mainly joke around and chat about how convulted the series is. Skip it.
* Commentary on episode 7 by Jerry Jewell and Josh Grelle. A revealing track that delves into what various jobs at Funimation entail. Informative to say the least.
* Textless opening and closing songs.
* “Shakugan No Shana-Tan Final Destruction”- Another Chibi short.
Season 3 Part 2 Extras:
* Trailers for “Baka and Test” OVA Collection, “Summer Wars,” “Rosaio + Vampire,” “Fairy Tail,” “A Certain Scientific Railgun,” “Corpse Princess,” “Eden of the East,” “Toriko,” “Shakugan No Shana,” and Funimation.com.
* Commentary on episode 14 by Jerry Jewell and voice actor Scott Freeman. Jewell basically does a Q&A with Scott Freeman (who doesn’t have much to say). Skip it.
* 1 textless opening song and 5 textless closing songs.
* A promo video and U.S. trailer for “Shakugan No Shana” season 3.
* “Shakugan No Shana-Tan Final Destruction 2”- One last chibi short.
* Commentary on episode 24 by Jerry Jewell and Cherami Leigh. Jerry Jewell should never lead a commentary track. He’s just awkward and not funny at all.
Summary: While I appreciate the darker tone of season 3, I don’t think “Shakugan No Shana” was a successful anime series overall. The show had its moments, but the clunky writing hampers it from the get go.
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