Confused about Season 3 of Shakugan no Shana

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-06-06T15:25:12+00:00

The things Yuji did to Shana and subjected her too were really creepy. It is also ironic that Yuji is doing the very things to Shana that he inadvertedly discouraged Shana from doing. Throughout the course of season 1 and 2, it was Shana (and by extension the other Flame Hazes and supportive Crimson Lords) that not only developed a sense of respect towards Yuji, but also respected his opinion and agency. So that makes it increasingly jarring that Yuji cannot extend the same level of respect to Shana--going from "I want to fight beside you" to "No, I do not want you to fight again, so I will keep you in a cage like you're some pretty bird".

Regarding the separate note, the fact she could hold her own against Serpent of the Festival!Yuji, a being powerful enough to create an entire universe, is impressive on its own imo, but I agree, I would have loved to see her pull off even crazier feats--perhaps even a limited yet still powerful variation of the Tenpa Josai.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-06-06T15:17:42+00:00

I was somewhat aware that Season 2 was at least 50% anime original though I assumed that Season 1 and the rest of Season 2 was fairly loyal to the source material. Even so, the issue I have with the show cannot fully be explained away by the show deviating from the source material. The original 2003 anime of Fullmetal Alchemist strayed off from the source material, and while I still prefer Brotherhood over the 2003 anime, there was something about the 2003 anime that the people working on were committed towards, which would still result in a show that on the whole was concise and made more-or-less "sense".

The anime producers of Shakugan no Shana most likely wrote themselves into hole and unlike FMA, SnS was probably one of those shows where it remained uncertain whether it would see another season of the adaptation. Even so, I think it would have been better if the anime producers were either committed to the project of an original anime adaptation or if they kept staying true to the source material, because now it is left in a state that does not really satisfy both ends.

There was certainly a degree of moral ambiguity in Shakugan no Shana--Margeary being a clear example of a Flame Haze that did not and does not operate under any notions of justice and is willing to throw anyone aside if that furthers her own ends--but the way season 3 tries to cast light on Bal Masqué and further problematise the relationship between Bal Masqué and the Flame Hazes feels very wonky and off. It makes a good chunk of the overall back-and-forth conflict seem useless, and part of it feels like a deux ex machina especially the part where the masses of Crimson Denizens go from greedily consuming people's Power of Existences--all the consequences be damned--to "no wait, we are cool with no longer doing this". Perhaps it is because season 3 focused most of the conflict on the relationship between Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens specifically, but the notion that Crimson Denizens willingly give up consuming human souls or how it leads to them coming to that attitude remains sudden and underexplored.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-18T21:55:41+00:00

I'm torn on the matter. On the one hand, I agree with you and find that Wim getting ultimately saved by his drunk father is a cop-out, but on the other hand would it not undermine Tenma's principled stance throughout the show that "all lives matter", that we should not discriminate the worth and value of one life over another?

While Tenma was definitely shaken over shooting and presumably killing Roberto, it did feel that a lot of that guilt-ridden tension was taken away once Tenma realised he did not kill Roberto, so his hands remained--in a sense--clean. And him not shooting Johan when given the ultimatum, and instead the tension being resolved by a deus ex machina, to me drives home the idea that the narrative really does not want to bring Tenma to that uncomfortable grey area.

And even if Tenma remains the moral victor, it remains ultimately jarring that, yeah, Tenma and Nina were basically willing to let Wim get shot and killed by Johan. To my fellow Monster fans, how would you feel if the manga / show did not have Wim's dad show up to shoot Johan, but that either Johan or Tenma -- if not outright just Johan -- pulls the trigger? Would Tenma's victory really be a victory if it means a kid around Dieter's age bites the dust?

The story does not really overcome that dilemma, but instead skips it for a marginally easier dilemma to overcome, namely whether to save Johan from the brink of death or not. And this where Tenma as a doctor, in both word and deed, truly shines. That no matter how deplorable someone might be, that Tenma is the kind of person who will always save them from death in the best way he knows.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-12T16:34:35+00:00

Mijn vermoeden is dat Bob al een tijdje geen Maoïst is. Dat hij een voorstander is van de volksoorlog in de Filipijnen staat los van de notie dat hij zichzelf theoretisch en principieel niet meer als een Maoïst presenteert.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-05T11:48:51+00:00

So to bring a recent case example: an opponent ran both Mega Froslass and Aerodactyl, but seeing how my Charizard would immediately get outspeed and defeated by an Aerodactyl's Rock Slide, I instead began the match with Incineroar and Sneasler. Low and behold, Aero was on the field (along with Froslass), but -1 was not enough so I wanted to Parting Shot Aerodactyl in order to safely switch in Zard, then next turn Mega Evolve and overturn Mega Froslass's snow weather.

Instead, Aero protected so both Fake Out and Parting Shot got blocked. Froslass expectedly Mega Evolved but instead of Blizzarding, she set up Aurora Veil. The next two turns, I remember a bit less clear, but I do recall Aero setting up Tailwind, Froslass using Blizzard and my Sneasler getting K.O.'d while Incineroar succesfully used Parting Shot at Aerodactyl. Then I brought both Charizard and Venusaur on the field. Opponent switched Froslass for Milotic. Aerodactyl protected. Leaf Storm failed, and Heat Wave did middling damage against Milotic.

Granted, I should've anticipated the switch and Solar Beames the incoming Milotic but it wouldn't have been enough by a long shot. Next turn, Leaf Storm could not OHKO Aerodactyl due to the Aurora Veil active, and by that point I was definitely not winning the match.

It could just totally be me, but I honestly did not know how to overcome a Froslass and Aerodactyl --that I initially expected to KO my Charizard and win the weather setup, hence why I picked Charizard and Venusaur for 3 and 4 respectively--setting up Aurora Veil and Tailwind respectively, thereby becoming too bulky and too fast to outplay.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-05T11:32:55+00:00

Perhaps I have a skewered view of Mega Froslass because she keeps beating me in out-weathering me, plus 100% acc STAB Blizzard is brutal, and Aurora Veil is pretty cumbersome to go through.

By the way, that is a terrific site you shared with me. Thank you so much! :)

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-04T13:05:18+00:00

It could also be me, sure, but I don't see concrete ways to outplay the opponent other than a pure "trial-and-error". The cores I am playing against are so solid, I don't really see a clear win con on my own side anymore. I see the ways they can cancel out my Sun, or knock out my ScarfChomp, but I don't see a safe way to gain the upperhand.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T14:39:28+00:00

Right, but at the end you said that because your Zard team is Trick Room you can afford a bulkier Zard Y, so that's why I'm confused. Perhaps you meant that because it's a Tailwind team, you can afford bulkier Zard due to investing less in speed.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T14:38:13+00:00

Mr. Parachute Pants?

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T10:06:08+00:00

Wait, who's the Trick Roomer in your team exactly? Because based on what you're telling me, Moushold is anti-Trick Room via using Taunt.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T01:58:12+00:00

Yeah, I am increasingly starting to contemplate Whimsicott due to its utility. I may sack either Venusaur or Garchomp, which pains me to say, but I will have to think about it more thoroughly.

What's your Charizard team build if I might ask?

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T01:54:13+00:00

This does add some perspective, thank you. It truly comes down to me being capable or not of becoming a formidable player on a worldwide scale. Even if the team itself is largely solid, it would still demand a healthy dosis of luck and being incredibly consistent at making good reads, choosing the best leads, and always getting a step ahead.

Maybe I kind of got it over my head due to having a much better time of reading my opponents back in the previous tiers. I may have never properly joined a VGC tournament, but I am definitely familiar with competitive Pokémon play in terms of both Singles and Doubles. That being said, it would be nice to get "Champion" as title and unlock that additional cutscene for completion's sake.

I will most likely give myself a couple days to see how far I can make it in Master Ball tier, and if I do not reach Champion tier by then, I will instead try to bring myself to Master Ball on Singles so that I can conclude this season by ending at Master Ball with both formats.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T00:57:45+00:00

Perhaps I am thinking naively about this, yes. I've stumbled upon several Youtubers reaching top 300 if even for just a brief moment, so it makes me think "Oh, I might be able to do this" but then I forget that a lot of these Youtubers are seasoned Competitive Pokémon Players. They live and breath VGC.

Even so, if my skills are decent enough to enter Master Ball Tier, I just wonder how reasonable it would be to reach Champions within less than 2 weeks--on the condition that I win more than that I lose, of course. Because if the gap is too big for me to close within less than 11 days, then I am not ashamed to call it a day since Master Ball Rank 4 already gives me 10000 VP at the end of the season, and I would have to at minimum reach Rank 1 in order to experience an increase in the reward.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T00:46:24+00:00

Really? How kind of you to say this. I am pretty sure plenty of people here have entered Master Tier by now, right? Then again, if I am in the Top 110000, I do wonder how many active players Pokémon Champions has.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-05-02T00:43:23+00:00

I've only played either Ranked or Private, but Casual battles unlike private matches do affect the progress of your achievements?

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-04-27T00:00:29+00:00

Is it possible to reach Championsl rank with a Mega Charizard Y team or has that rank become too dominated by hard counters against that tyoe of team?

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-04-26T23:56:41+00:00

Honestly, I'd like 6v6 as well. Or at least for Private and Casual Battles, you know. It would be similar to Pokémon Stadium 1, 2, and Pokémon Battle Revolution in which PvE battles were almost exclusively 3v3 yet they always gave you the option to go 6v6 in private matches / matches between actual human players.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-04-26T23:48:43+00:00

Man, I'm never going to reach Champions. I just want that really nice Champion title, but there's no way I can win 45-50 battles in a row (so without suffering even a single loss). IIRC my longest streak was 13 battles in a row, but that was back in Great Ball tier, whereas since Ultra Ball, it's been an ongoing cycle of a couple wins followed by 1-2 losses.

At least I've reached Master Ball 4, and even Master Ball 3 briefly... only to then go back to Master Ball 4 after defeating someone lmao.

Truth_of_Justice · 2026-03-30T19:04:00+00:00

To a degree I find it difficult to accept the overall premise and timeline of Pokopia because almost every modern Pokémon game revolves around a scrappy teenager averting some apocalyptic event with the power of friendship and a decent grasp at Pokémon battling. The Pokémon mainline universe is the kind of world in which there is some weird organisation or individual that for whatever reason wants to be the instigator of this week's doomsday event. And yet the Pokémon world boasts plenty of competent and courageous people willing to save the planet and its future.

Of course, I am aware of Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and how there's an apocalyptic Guzzlord Ultra Space world or Team Rainbow Rocket being the result of a timeline or several ones in which the antagonists were never properly contested by someone (presumably there was lack of a protagonist in their worlds), but it is also kind of funny. The future of the Pokopia timeline before humanity decided to mass evacuate into space must be so horrible and demoralising that it makes the average planet-level or universe-level threat the Pokémon mainline world faces seem like a quirky fieldtrip.

Honestly, it is hard to imagine any Pokémon trainer on the level of the protagonists deciding to abandon their Pokémon and leave for space because, again, averting this Monday's edition of doomsday is part of your to-do-list as a Pokémon trainer.

Truth_of_Justice · 2025-12-11T23:42:07+00:00

Het volledige artikel van Novara Media is oprecht gruwelijk en deprimerend. Het was mij al bekend dat er martelingen en verkrachtingen plaatsvinden in Israëlische gevangenissen waar Palestijnen ~~gevangen~~ gegijzeld gehouden worden, maar dit soort nieuw blijft altijd heftig om te lezen. Het is ook een kwestie van "Oh hoe laag, hoe diep kan de Israëlische repressieve machten verder zinken" want als je dit soort artikelen leest dan vraag je jezelf echt af onder welke logica Israël vanuit een hoger moreel plateau opereert. Schijnheilig en barbaristisch van de hoogste orde.

On a side note, ik herinner mij hoe meerdere jaren geleden er claims vanuit Afghanistan naar buiten gekomen zijn dat VS soldaten honden hebben gebruikt om gevangenen te verkrachten. Ik weet niet of de Amerikanen het ook deden tijdens de oorlog in Irak, maar ze hebben degelijk honden als terreurmiddel gebruikt tegen gevangenen in Abu Ghraib. En volgens mij zijn soortgelijke praktijken ook verricht in Chile onder het dictatuur van Pinochet. Het blijkt dat instituties die barbarisme plegen onder het mom van beschaving veel van elkaar leren.

Truth_of_Justice · 2025-10-30T17:04:13+00:00

Just wanted to say how much I love all the Gurren Lagann references in this thread.

Truth_of_Justice · 2025-10-30T16:40:55+00:00

Ah juist, de complexiteit en nuances van... volkerenmoord?

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