Reception
The Mainichi Shimbun reported in October 2011 that the novels have sold over 8.5 million copies. As reported on the obi strip on volume 4 of the Shakugan no Shana manga released in January 2008, 1.2 million copies of the manga had been sold. Theron Martin from Anime News Network reviewed the manga and called it "inferior" to the anime, and notes the anime develops characters better than the manga. Martin also critiques the art, saying the background art has little detail, and while the action scenes are handled well enough, they are still sub-par compared to the same scenes in the anime. Martin concludes the review by warning the readers that " this is your first exposure to the franchise, look to the anime version to see it done right."
When reviewing the anime, Martin thought the first Shakugan no Shana always manages to slightly exceed expectations, and while its story elements may be typical, its execution is not. Martin noted that Shana's Flame Haze transformation is a visual highlight of the series, and other details are shown equal care. Reviewer Chris Beveridge of Mania.com felt uncomfortable about the morbid nature of the series. While Beveridge did not think the series is "groundbreaking", it proves to be a "solid title" that continuously gets better. The pacing in the middle of the first season was criticized for quickly ending an arc before "going into a storyline that feels out of character for the show." Martin's review of Shakugan no Shana Final was less positive; he described Yuji as having been made into a different character, criticized the addition of a large number of prominent characters without sufficient development, and described some things as not making sense, although he praised Shana's development over the course of the third series.
Read more about this topic: List Of Shakugan No Shana Albums
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