*SPOILER FREE*
Animation Company: J.C. Staff
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance, Shounen, Supernatural
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Continues where Season 2 left off, a shocking twist of the sudden disappearence of Sakai Yuuji. One day, he returns out of blue only for Shana to discover that he had merged with the God of Creation, Sairei no Hebi and announcing that he will take her to his side with the declaration of war against the Flame Haze.
Story & Plot: 8/10
The story and plot this season really did a good job filling in the details that we were still left uncertain about that remained as a mystery from the past two seasons. This season heavily focused on the war between the Bal Masqué VS Flame Haze, because of the revival of the god of creation, Sairei no Hebi whom Sakai Yuuji had merged with. However the problem with the plot this season was that, the dragged it out too long or they focused on things we could care less about- and that’s when it started getting boring.
Characters & Development: 7/10
Oh joy the characters! Let me tell you something. I don’t CARE about these new characters, the only ones that actually played a role (yet I also could care less about) were Kickass-Granny Sophie, Chiara and Sale. On the other hand, both Margery and Wilhelmina of all characters were the ones with the most significant development. Shana had definitely matured throughout this show, but she didn’t have so much development as she completed most of it in the previous season (Shakugan no Shana II). We were also able to learn a lot more about Johan this season, and see another side of him.
Animation Quality: 9/10
This season of Shakugan no Shana’s animation quality was almost perfect. There were definitely flaws throughout the show, as one would expect from J.C. Staff, but the important part is they did justice to the fights and really upgraded the vibrance in comparison to the previous two seasons.
OST: 9/10
I’m giving the OST a 9/10 because they recycled a lot of the tracks from the previous seasons. Of course that’s not a bad thing, but it does reduce ones and a season’s orignality. Anyhow the new ones were absolutely fabulous and I am really eager to get my hands on this. It’s memorable, emotional and it did a wonderful job conveying the mood of the situations.
Overall Score: 7.5/10
Out of the three seasons of Shakugan no Shana, surprisingly this one isn’t my favourite. This season focused heavily on dialogue and a number of new characters were introduced where as I could care less about. I didn’t like how they delayed Yuuji’s and Shana’s fight despite the fact when they did, it was magnificant. I have certainly enjoyed most of the outcome and am well satisfied with the conclusions of the series, but since the first half of this season was considerably slow and dull for most part (because of the focus on the many new characters and strategizing), I have decided to give Shakugan no Shana III Final an 7.5/10. To be honest, I do believe this is a pretty harsh grade and if I were to cut this show some slack, I’d give this an 8/10.
Finally, putting all three seasons together, Shakugan no Shana series as whole deserves an 8.5/10. I highly recommend that you watch it. This is one of my favourite J.C Staff’s productions, and I can promise that you will not be disappointed by them. Shakugan no Shana has a strong heroine, and a main character who discovers he’s actually already dead and refuses to sit aside and do nothing despite the fact he’s powerless. The growth of this series of phenomenal and memorable, and is definitely one of my favourite Anime of all time.
Overall Series Score: 8.5/10
Recommendation: Absolutely! This show considerably underrated, I highly suggest you check it out for yourself and watch a few episodes before deciding. Mind you, a note in advance, Season 1 has a slow start (not like this season though), but it’s still awesome.
