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Shakugan no Shana 2

by stormy001 » Fri Oct 19, 2007 6:54 pm

Well, well, the anime is here and if follows what I read until Book 15 of the novel series, the Lord Silver Snake should appear in this anime as last boss. This King is the one who destroyed Margery Daw's life and set her life on vengeance and Shana will be hard pressed to kill him because.....well you will find out.

Lord Pheles, good friend of Wilhelmina's and creator of Reiji Maigo making her appearance and she has been hunting for the artifact that used to belong to her beloved, Johann.

Love the 1st OP of the anime.
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by Bazza » Fri Oct 19, 2007 8:59 pm

OH GOD SHANA IS HOT

8)
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by Mappy » Fri Oct 19, 2007 11:17 pm

Old meme is old.
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by stormy001 » Thu Oct 25, 2007 2:13 am

"As the name suggests, this thread is used by users to provide information as well as post questions and answers concerning the terminology and metaphysics seen in the Shana-verse, as envisioned by series author Takahashi Yashiro.

This is more or less an "ad-hoc encyclopedia", as I have tonnes of stuff I can write about but not sure where to start.

I'll start with a few today then, my preference is to use an English equivalent name wherever possible, since most of the terms are just adjectives:

Crimson World (Guze)
A world that is adjacent to our own. Residing there are Crimson Denizens (Guze no Tomogara) and the more powerful Crimson Lords (Guze no Ou). The name "Crimson" is just a metaphor, coined by a certain Flame Haze ages ago, and does not necessarily mean the world is crimson in colour. Their world is not as "physical" as we would normally perceive ours to be. Overall, a very abstract world. For various reasons, Crimson Denizens and Lords decide to physically manifest themselves in our world. (See entry below)

Crimson Denizen and Crimson Lord
There are various reasons Crimson Denizens and their more powerful counterparts Crimson Lords physically manifest themselves. Some to fulfill all sorts of desire that they are not able to achieve in the Crimson World. Mostly it has something to do with love, or a twisted form of it, like Friagne and the Aizen siblings. Though there are others, like Bal Masque, whose purposes are entirely unknown.

In order to physically manifest themselves, they require Powers of Existence (Sonzai no Chikara) found in this world. Think of it like the MPs (Magic Points) of the Crimson World. It is the power that keeps this world in existence.

There are two ways to acquire PoE (I'll be using this abbreviation from now on): one is to "devour" a human being's PoE, causing his/her existence to be "forgotten" after becoming a Torch; another is to "borrow" the existence of a human being, i.e. living in "symbiosis" with that human, these humans are known as Flame Hazes.

The difference between the former and the latter is that the former acquires PoE indiscriminately just to fulfill their desires. If too many PoE have been extracted, then it could upset the balance between our world and the Crimson World. Some of the more concerned Crimson Lords decide to stop their own kind from going too far, hence they form contracts with Flame Hazes.

There are also certain Denizens/Lords who are neither and do not affect the overall balance of the two worlds. One example is Rami, the Bone Collector (AKA The Spiral Harmonica). He resides inside a Torch, hence he does not take away anybody's PoE, and he only extracts from other Torches, which does anybody no harm (from the "Balance World" PoV anyway).

The "Evil Crimson Lords" that you mention are the series antagonists, those that prey on human PoE to manifest themselves physically in order to pursue their desires.

Alastor and others that form contracts with Flame Haze would be the "Good Crimson Lords" out to stop their own kind from upsetting the balance between the two worlds.

As for power levels between Crimson Lords, well, that's open for debate. Though technically speaking, Alastor, who is the only Crimson Lord to emit a natural red flame (compared to the "unnatural" colours of Marchosias's blue, Tiamat's purple and Behemoth's orange, etc), is considered by many from the Crimson World to be the most powerful in terms of strength, as he requires an insane amount of PoE to manifest physically. Hence his long search for a suitable container large enough to hold him.

Power of Existence
The basic power that keeps everything in our world "in existence". Every person is born with such PoE. Some people have larger "existences" than others, in that they have more "contacts", "friends", or are just "popular".

In a nutshell: For an average popular person, his "existence" grows as he meets more people, and is at its climax during the person's prime. Once he ages (i.e. goes into retirement), his "existence" would gradually shrink as he gets out of touch with the people he normally comes into contact with, though it never disappears, even after death.

This changes when his PoE is forcibly taken by a Crimson Denizen/Lord. In which case, he is devoured and is deemed to have "died". However, unlike death, he will not be mourned, because since his "existence" is taken away, no one will know he even existed.

However, while humans normally won't even detect whether one of their own is devoured by Denizens. Overconsumption of PoE would mean people would begin to question the very fabric of their world as more of more people "disappear", this would lead to great distortion, and eventually a collapse in the balance.

Flame Haze usually seek out Denizens by searching for these "distortions". Once a battle is over, these "distortions" are then adjusted and repaired, with the help of a local inhabitant, by a certain group of veteran Flame Haze known as Tuners.

In order to hide their presence, Denizens invent the idea of using Torches to replace the devoured victims. This buys them time to escape before the Flame Haze arrives. Though sometime Flame Haze also create Torches themselves in order to utilize their PoE to repair areas damaged after battles in a Fuuzetsu (Sealed Barrier).

PoE is also the basis for both Denizens and Flame Haze for their Unrestricted Spells (Jizaihou).

Torch

According to the novels, it was the Denizens who first came up with the idea of creating Torches to buy themselves time to escape from Flame Haze, who sniff their trail by following the "distortions" that they leave behind. Over time, Flame Haze also install Torches in the case where they've already killed a Denizen before he could make a Torch, or after a "massacre" has occurred and they want to reduce the damage caused to the world as much as possible.

Anyway, once a person is "devoured" of his PoE, a small fragment of that PoE is used to form a "temporary replacement". However, this is but a mere shadow of the original, who for all intents and purposes, should be considered "dead".

This replacement looks like the original, talks like the original, thinks like the original, and even has the memories and personality of the original.

In the early stages, a torch would still behave like any other human being. However, this is where their true function really begins. Slowly, as his flame slowly burns away, people around would stop paying attention to the Torch, and slowly the Torch behaves as though he's a zombie. When his flame finally runs out, he "extinguishes" without anybody noticing.

Torches are not meant to last forever, hence they are not designed with "aging" in mind. Think of it like creating a robot clone for yourself that doesn't age but his batteries will expire in a few months. Thanks to the Hougu inside him, the Mistes Saki Yuji is the sole freak exception in that he is able to maintain his flame perpetually, hence making him technically immortal.

(Separate entries for Mistes and Hougu later)

An interesting question arises concerning Torches: When a person disappear, what happens to his family?

Let's consider the following example:

Unlike time travel, where you go back in time and kill your grandfather, you end up killing your existence.

If a Denizen ends up devouring your grandfather, you will not disappear, because nothing will change the fact that you're "born". Rather, your perception of who your grandfather was will change.

You will wonder "I wonder who my grandfather was?" Your grandmother would struggle to remember how on earth did she have children, etc. But they would then come up with a "rational explanation" to explain away this "unnatural distortion" to their perception of the world.

The same applies to a Torch's physical possession. Take the hapless Hirai Yukari for example, after she disappeared (along with her just as unlucky parents), her apartment does not become vacant overnight. Rather, the stuff inside would continue to remain there, collecting dust. Neighbours would wonder "Did someone ever live here? No one's ever gone in and out for ages." (Not counting the fact that until recently, Shana never bothered staying there. )

Flame Haze
Concerned with the overconsumption of PoE, some Crimson Lords decide to take it upon themselves to stop their own kind from disrupting the balance between the Crimson World and our world.

Physically manifesting themselves is impossible, however, as this means they have to consume other people's PoE as well, which totally defeats their purpose of "preserving the balance". So they decide to "borrow" the existence of certain humans, forming contracts with them, and lending them their power.

Which humans are qualified to become Flame Hazes? Basically, since these are powerful Crimson Lords, so they require "vessels" large enough to contain their existence. Usually, people with such "large existences" tend to be very influential people in society, like nobles and royalty. Example: Khamshin was a prince of a long forgotten kingdom, while Wilhelmina Carmel was a princess in medieval Europe. This may also imply that Shana, who "is large enough to contain [Alastor] with room to spare" may be of noble heritage or descended from someone influential, despite her being "an orphan", but we'll see.

After forming a contract, a Flame Haze would receive tremendous power from the Crimson Lord that he has lent his existence to. He would stop aging physically as well, becoming immortal in their eternal pursuit of Crimson Denizens.

The price of becoming a Flame Haze is that he would lose everything that he has and the world that he once lives in. His existence would be "forgotten", no one would know of his existence, besides other Flame Hazes and Denizens. Thus, as Shana puts it "Flame Hazes are no different from Torches in a way".

Most Flame Hazes tend to be avengers - those that bore a personal grudge towards Crimson Denizens as they have lost their loved ones to the Denizens. It is based on this hatred that some Crimson Lords choose their vessels as it drives the fire in their pursuit of Denizens.

The downside is that the Flame Haze may end up being subjective and too emotional. Margery Daw is a prime example of a Flame Haze driven to extremes by her hatred of Crimson Denizens.

The Crimson Lord Alastor, the Flame of Heaven, wishes to avoid such a situation, hence he chooses to raise a girl from childbirth and instill in her the knowledge of this world without any hatred attached, to allow her to understand the true meaning of "Maintaining the Balance of the Worlds".

Crimson Lords communicate with their Flame Haze via a Device (Jinki) (I forgot what it's actually called, can someone help?) It comes in any shape the Flame Haze desires. (Shana chooses a pendant for Alastor, Margery a book for Marchosias, Wilhelmina a ribbon for Tiamat, and Khamshin a hand ornament for Behemoth) These Devices act as the eyes and ears of the Flame Haze in our physical world, and can be summoned (teleport) any time even when its not physically by the Flame Haze's side.

Mistes (Some spell Mystes, but that's up to each person's preferences)

Mistes are a special type of Torch in that they carry Hougus (Treasure Device), special tools used by Denizens and Flame Hazes for all sorts of purposes. (I'll write more in the Hougu entry. ) Mistes are no different from Torches in that they burn out eventually, and the person who has turned into a Mistes would be forgotten.

When the Mistes's flame is extinguished, whether gradually or forcibly terminated, the Hougu inside would be randomly transferred to another Mistes.

Depending upon the function of the Hougu being stored, some Mistes may be able to move in a Fuuzetsu or even prolong their flames. Sakai Yuji is the only Mistes able to live perpetually thanks to the Reiji Maigo inside him.

Tenmoku Ikko

Special mention must be given to the Mistes known as Tenmoku Ikko. Not a lot is known about him, save that he used to be a swordsmith that came to know of the Crimson World and the battle between Flame Hazes and Crimson Denizens. So fascinated was he by the intense battle that he decided to pour all his energy and existence into forging the Hougu katana - Nietono no Shana, which contains some of his PoE.

Some say he and the samurai armour he wears are one of the same person, some say his PoE fused with that of the samurai that wore the fearsome looking armour. In any case, one thing is clear: swordsmith was so determined in giving the katana to someone worthy enough of wielding it, he was willing to sacrifice his existence and become a Mistes on his own will.

He travelled for ages, attacking both Crimson Denizens and Flame Hazes indiscriminately in search of a worthy owner for his katana. Since he's a Mistes, his presence could not be sensed easily by both Denizens and Flame Hazes, coupled with the fact that he can move in a Fuuzetsu, making him the most feared Mistes in history.

It's never explained how his flame managed to go on for so long. One explanation is that he consumes Denizens that he slices and eats their PoE along with them. This could also explain why normal humans don't seem to notice him, for technically he's still a Torch, so his existence is not as strong as a normal humans, but just enough to keep him moving "mindlessly" in search of the "Strong One".

In the end, he finally got his wish by battling the Flame Haired Burning Eyed Assassin, and she then becomes the current owner of the katana. Her name also being derived from this blade years later by Yuji.

Trivia: Tenmoku Ikko's name (天目一個) is based on a god in Japanese mythology - Ame no Hitotsu no Kami (天目一箇神, literally "The One-Eyed God", a fitting name since Tenmoku Ikko only has one glowing eye). The kanji is similar but unlike the god which used the kunyomi spelling, author Takahashi used the onyomi spelling for Tenmoku Ikko.

Hougu (Treasure Device)

These are the "treasure chests" of the Shana-verse. They come in all sorts of shapes and forms. Some are weapons, like the Nietono no Shana and Blutsauger, some are used as defense, like Friagne's Azure Ring (the flame-resistant ring Yuji now carries). And there are others that are placed inside Mistes, the most famous example being the Reiji Maigo. All of these Hougus are powered by PoE in one way or another.

Reiji Maigo (Midnight Stray)

The "Holy Grail" of all Crimson Denizens, in that it is able to generate PoE on its own perpetually.

The Reiji Maigo was originally created by the Crimson Lord Pheles (the green-haired lady in the second series OP). She fell in love with a human called Johan. In order to live eternally with Johan, she made Johan into a Mistes that could live forever using the Reiji Maigo, at the same time, she also relied on the PoE generated from the Reiji Maigo, thus she does not need to prey on humans.

The Denizen organization Bal Masque is intent on getting the Reiji Maigo, and has sent an assassin known as "Broken Blade" after the two.

Flame Haze Wilhelmina Carmel met and befriended them during her journey, and took it upon herself to protect them from "Broken Blade". However, "Broken Blade" finally caught hold of them and had Johan fatally wounded.

Before Johan could disintegrate, Pheles stuffed Johan's "existence" inside of the Reiji Maigo, forcing the Hougu to randomly transfer prematurely before it could fall into "Broken Blade's" hands.

In response, "Broken Blade" chanted a complicated series of Unrestricted Spells on the disappearing Reiji Maigo. The Reiji Maigo then ended up in the Mistes Sakai Yuji, allowing Yuji to "exist" perpetually.

Not much is known about what these spells would do, but Wilhelmina fears it won't be anything good. She knows Pheles is intent on resurrecting her lover, but Wilhelmina cannot afford to let the balance of the world be jeopardized, which is why she was determined to destroy Yuji.

After being stopped by Shana, Wilhelmina has to contemplate fighting her friend Pheles, who would stop at nothing at bringing Johan back at Yuji's expense."

I am lazy to type so this is a cut and paste from another forum. Enjoy the reading.
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