Although it began as a novel series, Shakugan no Shana would become much more well known for its later anime adaptation. While on its surface, the fantasy story seemed fairly typical and generic, its execution went far beyond the mere sum of its parts, resulting in a memorable anime that's still incredibly beloved.
The books can definitely be a hassle to get into for different reasons, but the anime in its various forms is widely available. This means that anyone wanting to purchase or stream the show's three seasons can easily do so, witnessing the adventures of Yuji and Shana as they protect humanity from devilish Denizens. Here's a closer look at the series' plot and the best way to easily enjoy it.
The Plot of Shakugan no Shana
The story of Shakugan no Shana revolves around a teenage boy named Yuji Sakai, who meets a mysterious red-haired girl named Shana. According to her, Yuji has been dead for quite a while, and he's only kept alive due to his "Power of Existence" recharging every midnight. Along with Shana, he's drawn into an age-old conflict involving a parallel dimension known as the Crimson Realm.
The Crimson Realm is filled with Denizens and Gods who have their own Power of Existence, with those uninterested in maintaining peace with the human world feeding upon the life forces of humans. Fighting alongside the "Flame Haze" Shana, Yuji hopes to help end the continuing slaughter of innocent humans. Alongside these fantasy and action-adventure elements, the series incorporates slice-of-life concepts as well.
Where to Read the Shakugan no Shana Light Novels and Manga
Shakugan no Shana was originally a light novel series by Yaschichiro Takahashi and Noizi Ito, debuting in 2002. Lasting for 10 years, the decade's worth of stories filled up 26 light novel volumes. The first manga adaptation lasted from 2005 until 2011, culminating in 10 volumes. The second manga series, Shakugan no Shana X Eternal song: Harukanaru Uta, lasted for five years with just as many volumes.
Unfortunately, these print versions of the series are quite hard to come by and in some cases completely nonexistent in the English market. For the manga, Amazon has the first six volumes, although that's all, as Viz Media canceled the localization of the final four volumes. Likewise, only two of the light novels were ever released in the West, and only the first can be found on Amazon. This was likely because, at the time, light novel localizations were not nearly as profitable as they are now. For these and other reasons explained later, the anime is generally the best way to get into the series.
Where to Watch the Shakugan no Shana Anime
J.C. Staff handled the Shakugan no Shana anime, which aired 24 episodes from 2005 to 2006. The production studio is perhaps now most well known for shows such as Date A Live, the tsundere classic Toradora and the anime that looked inside the manga industry, Bakuman. The show's run was followed by an OVA special, as well as a film adaptation of the first novel, another OVA series and two more televised seasons.
Unlike a lot of anime, which are many times seen as inferior to their manga counterparts due to censorship or filler, the Shakugan no Shana anime is generally seen as vastly superior to the manga version. This is due to the art style and animation generally improving the story's art direction and fight scenes, while the characters were also more strongly developed.
The anime can be streamed through both the Funimation streaming service as well as Hulu. The latter has all three seasons of the show, while Funimation has both the show and the movie. The Blu-ray/DVD physical collections of the show's three seasons, the OVAs and the movie can also be purchased from Amazon, Best Buy and Walmart.