- Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
- Video Codec: AVC/MPEG-4
- Resolution: 1080p/24 (23.976Hz)
- Audio Codec: Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit), English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit)
- Subtitles: English
- Region: A (Region-Locked)
- Rating: TV-14
- Discs: 2 (2 x Blu-ray)
- Digital Copies: N/A
- Run Time: 300 Mins.
- Studio: Funimation Entertainment
- Blu-ray Release Date: December 18, 2012
- List Price: $64.98
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Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:2.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
Click thumbnails for high-resolution 1920X1080p screen captures
(All TheaterByte screen captures are lightly compressed with lossy JPEG at 100% quality setting and are meant as a general representation of the content. They do not fully reveal the capabilities of the Blu-ray format)
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The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Part 2 of the second season of Shakugan no Shana really heats up. The events of Pt. 1, reviewed here, set into motion a lot here. Yuji makes some shocking discoveries about the Midnight Lost Child and decides he must train harder, learn faster. A rift develops between himself, Shana, and Yoshida as his attitude about remaining in the human world shifts. Meanwhile, Tanaka’s path diverges, after he witnessed the death of his beloved Ogata, despite her being brought back to life. Rather than follow Margery-san, he leaves the life of devotion to the Flame Haze, to devote himself to Ogata and the world of humans. Bal Masque return to capture the Midnight Lost Child and brand Yuji, who finds there is more inside of him than anyone previously imagined. Then the terrifying Sabrac appears, and Wilhelmina must battle her nemesis, even as she nurses terrible wounds, in order to protect Yuji and Misaki City. But the battle is not over, even as Sabrac is felled. Yuji’s renewed spirit for life with the good news he learns about his mother is short-lived when Hecate reappears, rips the Midnight Lost Child from him, and Shana, Margery and Wilhelmina must race to his rescue. Can they keep Yuji from disappearing? Will Yuji die with Shana and Yoshida never being able to tell him how they feel about him? All is answered in this excellent second half of season two for Shakugan no Shana.
Personally, after having viewed the entire second season, I can unequivocally say that the creators of Shakugan no Shana outdid themselves with the second season, surpassing everything that made the series enjoyable the first time around, creating a better sense of character depth, charm, and humor. The animation remains enjoyable even if it still doesn’t shine in this high definition up-scale from Funimation. Combined, both seasons and the OVA offer hours of compelling entertainment.
Video Quality
[Rating:2.5/5]
The up-scaled transfer is filled with noise, banding, and looks generally soft. Colors are washed out as well. It’s pretty much the same as both previous seasons on Blu-ray, and it doesn’t look very good.
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
An English dub in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 (48kHz/24-bit) and the original Japanese soundtrack in Dolby TrueHD 2.0 (48kHz/24-bit) are provided on the disc. Both are reasonably entertaining, although the English dub strays pretty far from the literal Japanese translation in the subtitles provided with this release. The surround effects are engrossing and ambient in the 5.1 mix while the 2.0 Japanese track uses the stereo imaging effectively.
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
The usual included commentary and humorous chibi versions of Shana are included along with clean animations of the opening and closing songs.
The supplements:
- Episode 21 Commentary
- Shakugan no Shana-tan Revenge (1.78:1; 1080p/24; 00:07:10)
- Naze Nani Shana II (1.33:1; SD; 00:20:25):
- “Why: What? Shana! Ask Anything Question Box: ‘Colorful Wind’ Pheles & Chakra of Wind”
- “Why: What? Shana! Ask Anything Question Box: Giralda”
- “Why: What? Shana! Ask Anything Question Box: ‘Destruction Blade’ Sabrac”
- “Why: What? Shana! Ask Anything Question Box: Effigy of Pride”
- Textless Opening Song “Joint”
- Textless Opening Song “Blaze”
- Textless Closing Song “triangle”
- Textless Opening Song “Sociometry”
- Textless Opening Song “sense”
- Funimation Trailers
The Definitive Word
Overall:
[Rating:3/5]
An absolutely fantastic and addictive series with sympathetic characters and fine visual work makes Shakugan no Shana a must for fans of sci-fi/fantasy anime series. Collect both parts of Season II as well as season one for a marathon of cool anime and you won’t be disappointed.
Additional Screen Captures
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Purchase Shakagun no Shana: Season II, Pt. 2 on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
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[amazon-product]B008D1RCTU[/amazon-product]
Purchase Shakagun no Shana: Season II, Pt. 2 on Blu-ray at CD Universe
Shop for more Blu-ray titles at Amazon.com
Overall
[Rating:4/5]
The Series
[Rating:4.5/5]
Video Quality
[Rating:2.5/5]
Audio Quality
[Rating:4/5]
Supplemental Materials
[Rating:3/5]
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