Burning Eyes and Otome

I've finished a ton of shows these few weeks but the two shows that stick out in my mind are Shakugan no Shana and Mai Otome. Why? Because I almost didn't download them. I really didn't think I would like either shows. But I decided to give them a chance anyway and was rather surprised by both shows. So here's my review:

Shakugan no Shana:


What ANN Says:
Sakai Yuuji, a high school student who expected his normal life to last forever, is dead. When he was on his way home he witnessed a shocking view as the world suddenly froze: people were engulfed by blue flames and a monster resembling a large doll swallowed them. Just as the monster prepared to consume Yuuji, a sword-wielding girl in black attire with flaming red eyes and hair that burns like embers saved him from the monster. The girl called herself a "Flame Haze" who hunts the "Guze no Tomogara", creatures from another world. As Yuuji noticed a blue flame in his chest, she called him a "Torch", a temporary replacement, saying that the "real" Yuuji's existence had already ended. Unfazed, Yuuji befriended the strange girl, named her "Shana", and joined her fight against Tomogara and other Flame Hazes.

What Emerald Says:
Going into this show I had negative views. I had read that it was filled with fanservice and that the story was just kind of blah. But after marthoning the first 12 episodes I had a change of opinion. The animation and fight scenes are great but for me it was the characters that made me love the show. It also didn't seem like a monster of the week type show as many of the main villians weren't killed off in one episode. My only gripe about the show would be the ending. It just seemed rushed.


My Rating:
8/10- The ending could have been better but with a movie on the way and hopefully a second season I have a feeling they'll make up for that.

Mai Otome:


What ANN Says:
Arika Yumemiya has traveled far in search of her goal: the prestigious Gualderobe Academy. This is the school where young girls are trained to become Otomes, protectors of royal leaders throughout the lands. Here, Arika makes plenty of friends, but some enemies know something about her past that she does not. Nevertheless, her spirit and determination will keep pushing her forward. --- Adapted from its predecessor, Mai-HiME, this series is not a direct sequel, but an alternate universe setting featuring some of the Mai-HiME cast (though with different personalities).

What Emerald Says:
I was not looking forward to this show at all. To be honest I wasn't really a fan of Mai Hime when it came out. And this being a sequel I thought it would be horrible. But after seeing some screenshots of it and some fairly good reviews I decided to try it out and I'm glad I did. There are so many plot twists in this show and so many great characters. The animation is great and I really liked some of the mechanized creatures in the show. And I actually finished this show (unlike Mai Hime I think I only got five episodes into that show). I didn't really care for the ED though it was just to happy and popish. My other gripe would be that I think the writers went a little bit too far with some of the plot twists. One episode in particular will have fans yelling at the screen but I don't want to ruin it so you'll just have to watch the show to see what I'm talking about.

My Rating:
8.9/10- Some fans might be ticked at later episodes. But overall it's a really good show and you don't have to watch Mai Hime to enjoy it.