Shakugan no Shana: Great Ideas, Good Moments, Crappy Script

Shakugan no Shana was a difficult series for me to watch, but also a challenge. The first time I went into The Summer of Love with a new series without any knowledge. It turned out to be a very mixed bag, with good highs and some of the most frustrating lows I’ve seen in an anime. It’s a show I probably won’t watch again, but one I am glad that I did. If you are interested in reading my posts on everything I did, then links to my posts are right here!

The Summer of Love V with Shakugan no Shana Episodes 1-12: The Hunter Arc to Aizen Sibling Arc!

The Summer of Love V: Shakugan no Shana Episodes 13-24: The Girl from Tendokyu Arc to Bal Masque Arc!

The Summer of Love with Shakugan no Shana II Episodes 1-12: Village of Jestful Slumber to Omens of a Storm Arc

The Summer of Love with Shakugan no Shana II Episodes 13-24: Colorful Wave to Grand Order Arcs!

The Summer of Love with Shakugan no Shana: The Season 2 Specials!

The Summer of Love with Shakugan no Shana Final Episodes 1-12: Blackout to Battle of Seireiden Arcs!

The Summer of Love with Shakugan no Shana Final Episodes 13-24: Battle of Seireiden to Final Battle of Misaki City Arcs!

The Summer of Love V: The Music of Shakugan no Shana

The Summer of Love V: Shakugan no Shana’s Shana: The Rei Expy with Attitude

Shakugan no Shana’s Yuji Sakai: Fresh Eyes, Screwed by the Script

The Summer of Love V: Final Thoughts on Shakugan no Shana

Fate/Kalied Liner Prisma Illya: Fate at its most Magical

Almost two years ago, The Summer of Love took a look at one of the longest, but also most unique installment in the Fate series: Kalied Liner Prisma Illya. I examined all four season, as well as the movie. While the series has not yet concluded, I walked away with the following thoughts.

There is action, there is humor, there is slice of life hijinks. A cast of sweet young girls who range from being obsessed with Boy love, to being a ball of insanity that is one laugh after another. There is the best version of Shirou Emiya to grace the screen. There are characters who get a chance to shine where adaptations made them fall short, and there are characters that make you raise eyebrows. The music is some of the best in the series, and the animation, while nothing special, does the job with more than enough satisfaction.

Two years later, I still feel that, and I also realized I never did an index post for this series! Well let’s fix that! You can find links to all of the posts right under the title!

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya Season 1 Episodes 1-5: The Introduction Arc

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya Season 1 Episodes 6-10: Illya’s Resolve

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya 2wei Episodes 1-5: Kuro’s Arrival

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya 2wei Herz! Episodes 1-5: Peaceful Days of Magical Girls!

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya 2wei Herz! Episodes 6-10: The Eighth Card!

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya 3rei Episodes 1-6: Miyu’s World

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya 3rei Episodes 7-12: Battle against the Ainsworths

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya Oath Under Snow

The Summer of Love III: The Music of Fate/Illya

The Summer of Love III: Let’s Talk about Kuro

The Summer of Love III: Fate/Illya’s Illyasviel von Einzbern: The Reboot that Works

The Summer of Love III: The OVAs and Specials of Fate/Illya

Shallow Dives in Anime: Anniversary Posts

Hey guys

Every now and then I like to catalogue my posts and give you an easy place where you can find links to them. I normally do this when I finish a Summer of Love, and you can expect that later this week. For now though, I want to share links to my last four years of anniversary posts. Take a look and see what you think!

One Year of Shallow Dives in Anime: Shinmai Maou no Testament

Two Years of Shallow Dives in Anime: Chivalry of a Failed Knight

Three Years of Shallow Dives in Anime: Neon Genesis Evangelion

Four Years of Shallow Dives in Anime: Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragons

Overlord: Uniquely Un-Unique

Overlord has always been the Isekai I’ve struggled to get into the most. I tried three times to love it, and I couldn’t do it. Then buying the light novels and watching with friends turned me around on it. I still think it is the weakest of the Kadokawa ‘Big 4’, but it is a fun take on a well worn formula that has more than enough effort put into it. My thoughts on the anime series and several of the Light Novels are right here.

The Anime

Quick Thoughts on: Overlord Season 1: This one time, in The Great Tomb of Nazarick

Quick Thoughts on Overlord Season 2: Softcore Lizardman Porn

Overlord Season 3: Death Touching your way to World Domination

The Light Novels

Overlord Volume 1: A Funny Thing Happened on the Last Day of the MMORPG.

Overlord Volume 2: What time? Clementine.

Overlord Volume 3: Shalltear’s lousy, no good, very bad day.

Overlord Volume 4: Hardcore Lizardman Porn

Overlord Volume 5: Climbing the Stairway to Pussy

The Higurashi Saga: Blood Runs Fast in a Small Town

I’ve pretty much said everything I want to say about Higurashi. It’s a fantastic series, top to bottom and the sequel has been nothing but fun as well. With all the posts I have, I think it is high time I have an easy to access page for them all. Please enjoy the list of everything I’ve said about this bloody great series!

Series Posts

When the Higurashi Cry: My teenage horror show is pretty fucked up, as I expected.

Higurashi: When they Cry kai: Conspiracies, Parasites and other things.

Higurashi: When They Cry -Gou- First Cour: And Those Other Stories….

Higurashi: When They Cry -Gou- Second Cour: Ch-Ch-Changes!

Higurashi: When they Cry -SOTSU-: Battle of Gods

Additional Posts

Don’t @ Me: Eight of my Anime Opinions: Higurashi GOU/SOTSU Edition

Higurashi GOU/SOTSU’s Sakoto Hojo: The Certainty of Change

Sitting down with Infinite Zenith: Higurashi, When they Cry Part 1

Sitting down with Infinite Zenith: Higurashi, When they Cry Part 2

Sitting down with Infinite Zenith: Higurashi GOU and SOTSU

The Hentai Posts: For Men and Women of Culture

Shallow Dive in Anime has been around for almost three years, and I’ve done a shit ton of posts on Hentai. I love em to death, and I’ve run the gambit on several shows. There will be more in the future, but for now. I want to have an easy to access list for those interested. So pull up a chair, pour a glass of wine, and enjoy this all the hentai I have reviewed.

Emergence/Metamorphosis

Bible Black

Sense of Values of Wine

Renketsu Houshiki

Aneki: My Sweet Elder Sister

Cleavage

Rance: The Quest for Hikari

Baka Dakedo

Kanojo x Kanojo x Kanojo

Nee Chanto Shiyou Yo

My Household’s Liliana-San

Kakushi Dere

Another Lady Innocent

Resort Boin

Swing Out Sisters

Mobile Suit Gundam Seed: More than Meets the Eye

Mobile Suit Gundam SEED is a special series in my heart. I loved it as a kid, loved as I grew up, and when I went back to see if it still held up, I still loved it. While most Gundam fans have a mixed view on the show, it remains, in my mind, a great piece of anime. A story of people thrust into a war, who either sink or swim, a story about the arrogance of humanity, the rush to perfect. And most of all, a show where awesome looking robots shoot laser beams at each other. The HD remaster brought polish to a series that, while suffering from some issues, is still able to hold up today. If you are a mecha fan, absolutely check out this show. And if you want to read about it, links to all of my posts are right here!

Date A Live: The Ironclad Commitment

This year’s The Summer of Love discussed the ecchi/harem series Date A Live. A show that needs no introduction around these parts. It is the best example of a B+ show, one that is committed to its premise, and is able to be exactly what it says. Not perfect, not masterful, but never a show whose mistakes cripple it. I spent the summer discussing all three season, the movie, and some of the character. Links to all of those posts can be found right after the cut! Please enjoy!

Black Cat: The Best at What it Does.

Last October and November, I decided to take a season long look at the manga series Black Cat. I discussed the manga from cover to cover, looked into the characters, the music and everything I could think of (cept the anime). As it was a series I always really enjoyed, I walked away respecting the manga for what it does so well: telling the story it wants, and then leaving the stage. After the cut, you’ll be able to see links to all the posts I did on the series, so I hope you enjoy!

Yosuga no Sora: In solitude, where we are least alone: Quiet Beauty

While we keep things shallow here at Shallow Dives in Anime, that hasn’t meant that we shy away from looking at all aspects of a series. One such show, one that I never thought I would honestly discuss was Yosuga no Sora: In solitude, we are least alone.

It has been a show that has, probably rightfully so, meme’d and joked about by the anime community for years. Considering the show’s content, I am not surprised. However when sitting down to watch the show, cover to cover, putting all of that aside and judging the show for what it is. I can’t deny that I really, really enjoyed it.

Yosuga no Sora is a story about loneliness, regret, and sacrifice. A story that doesn’t shy away from its erotic elements and embraces the truth that teenagers will be intimate with each other. A story about young souls trying to move forward even when shackled by their past. Coupled with one of the most beautiful themes to ever grace the medium, Yosuga no Sora is a show that deserves to be more than what the memes have made it. Links to all my posts on the series, including a conversation with fellow blogger Infinite Zenith can be found after the cut.