Shakugan no Shana II: Episode 16

[Arika]

Rating: 8/10
Impressions:
I like the calm and tranquillity after the storm in many cases, and not so much the type that exists before the storm. It gives a sense of achievement, as it evaluates the results of the action in the previous episodes, and gives you an idea of what might come next. This particular episode also brings a lot of character development, especially in Yoshida, and although I don’t like her at all, I must approve of this method of execution. If you ask me, Yoshida isn’t going to die any time soon no matter what. She’s been built up as a tremendously strong support character, with all the attention she gets, as well as the acknowledgement from the main characters.

The next episode seems to be not be about the main story, despite the great importance of the things that are already happening: Bal Masque putting their plans into its final stage, Yoshida and her hougu, Yuuji and his training/preparation etc. Of course, I want to know more about the things that I’ve listed than Satou and Margery, but I can say I’m confident enough in the producers, and the novels foremost, to say that however the show continues from now, won’t disappoint. I do think we’re getting close to the latest novel, so that might pose a problem in terms of the show and anime originals, but hopefully, with not many episodes left, that won’t be the case.
This episode introduces a new OP and ED, which is a bit late by usual standards, although the first season of Shakugan no Shana does the same thing. Both songs are sung by Kotoko—the OP is alright, but not that good for her standards, IMO. It could be just that, but I actually think it’s simply due to the different feel of the song in its entirety that reduces my good opinion of it. The ED, on the other hand, is quite generic for a Kotoko song, but IMO is the far better of the two, and I can say that I like it a lot. In terms of animation though, the OP no doubt has the better production, and this time, the producers really have made an effort to make it fantastic.