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Thursday, 18 January 2007 |
 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | GENEON ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | 16UP | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 11/24/2006 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/19/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD | | |
If you found out you were already dead, what would you do? Yuji faces the fact that he has died and exists only as a Torch, a flame of energy for the Crimson Denizens to feed upon. In time his light will fade and he will cease to exist, all traces of his life erased as he is annihilated from the universe. And yet, he doesn’t go out with a roar or with resignation, instead Yuji is a gentle heroe who faces things with a surprising compassion in his heart and a steadfast belief in goodness. Including the goodness he trusts resides in the Flame Haze Shana.
A warrior out to restore the balance between this world and that of the Crimson World, she will restore that order at any cost. Believing herself only a tool for destruction, her growing feelings towards Yuji confuses Shana. This conflict within causes her to consider the worst: that perhaps she should kill Yuji! In this volume things grow even more dire as Friagne arrives. The creepy Crimson Denizen with the freaky doll fetish, he will consume the entire city if he isn’t stopped. But is Shana, separated from Yuji and conflicted, be able to stop him? Meanwhile Yuji finds himself conversing with a Crimson Denizen, none other than the legendary Corpse Collector. Learning more about himself, Flame Hazes, and the Crimson World, he listens avidly to this frighteningly powerful person. Yet what are the motives of the Denizen known as the Corpse Collector?
With these battles and confrontations, things don’t stop there. The growing tension between Shana and Margery hit a climax in this volume as they face off against each other for perhaps the final time! Replete with intrigue, horror, fantasy and increasingly compelling characters, Shana is on fire with excitement.
This is one of the most interesting anime series to hit stores in ages. It has many unexpected turns. It keeps the viewer on their toes with suspense. In these episodes some major characters die and this is only volume 2! The series takes risks and no prisoners. It’s thrilling. The complex relationships and deeper character development is well done and helps peak the curiosity.
The tone of the series is fascinating. It is a fantasy series to be sure, but it has horror elements including a score that pulls on our feelings of unease. There is also a surprising level of violence. Again the show keeps throwing unforeseen turns to things, including visually. The animation is splendid. But it’s the dark palate of the show that is intriguing and lends, along with the score, to that sense of something ominous lurking around the corner.
There’s a lot in this volume. We learn more about the Crimson Denizens, the Flame Hazes and uncover what Treasure Yuji holds. Major confrontations occur and some with very final results. You won’t want to miss a second of it.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include reverse cover art, Geneon previews, textless ending animation, and a production art gallery.
IN SUMMARY:
Shana entices with its riveting blend of fantasy and suspense. Thrilling surprises, unexpected discoveries and climatic duels are held in this volume. |
