History YMMV / ShakuganNoShana

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: China loves ''Shakugan no Shana''. Especially ''Creator/{{mihoyo}}'', which eventually managed to get most the cast of voice actors and actresses for their games.

** [[spoiler:Yuji Sakai]]'s DarkerAndEdgier AntiHero tendencies over the course of season 3 has left many fans grumbling about the drastic change in personality.
*** The problem stems a lot from the anime adaptation. [[spoiler:Yuji expresses despair over the endless, ultimately nihilistic Flame Haze-Denizen struggle very early in the light novels, as well as a growing determination to do whatever it takes to end it. The Snake of the Festival, who shows up out of nowhere with no foreshadowing or buildup at the beginning of ''Shakugan no Shana Final'', approaches Yuji from within the Midnight Lost Child [[WeCanRuleTogether and tempts him with promises of ending the eternal conflict]]. He also starts to exhibit a much more aggressive personality far sooner as well. For example, in the anime, when Wilhelmina attempts to kill him to prevent the Midnight Lost Child from falling into Bal Masqué's hands, Yuji does little to fight back. In the light novels, after Shana prevents Wilhelmina from harming him, Yuji takes the opportunity to ''try to kill Wilhelmina'', and comes close to doing so. In short, Yuji's FaceHeelTurn, for a given value of heel, is not the abrupt switch the anime made it out to be, but a well-telegraphed and logical conclusion to his character growth.]]

* EvilIsSexy: [[spoiler:Yuji as Snake of the Festival]] has attracted a lot of fans over to his side because he took a massive level in {{Bishonen}}. Honourable mention goes to Bel Peol, with her choice of clothing.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: In the mid and late 2000's this was [[Manga/DeathNote one]] [[Franchise/CodeGeass of]] [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann many]] [[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya anime]] that achieved widespread popularity. Newer fans who try to watch this show don't get what all the buzz was about, as a lot of the tropes that this show popularized are now in tons of anime, causing new viewers to find nothing special about this show. It is made even more apparent by the fact that one of its contemporaries, ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'', still enjoys widespread popularity and acclaim to this day, while Shana herself is no longer the poster girl for the {{Tsundere}} trope as she used to be.

* WTHCastingAgency: A lot of fans (especially those who were familiar with [[Creator/BradSwaile season 1]]'s dub) didn't like Creator/GregAyres's performance as Keisaku Sato in [[TheOtherDarrin Funimation's cast]].

* DesignatedHero: To some people, [[spoiler:the Snake of the Festival and/or Snake Yuji]] is a rare antagonist example- he is clearly intended to be a HeroAntagonist who has the noble goal of [[spoiler:wanting to create a world where Flame Haze, Crimson Denizens, and Humans can life in harmony]]. But the things he does in pursuit of this goal are rather hard-to-swallow: sacrificing millions of innocent lives, human and denizen alike, in the war, [[spoiler:driving Margery to the DespairEventHorizon]], and outright [[spoiler:[[AndNowYouMustMarryMe kidnapping Shana to have her stay with him]] and holding her down on a bed, all while leaving his other love interests Kazumi and Hecate in the dust]]. Needless to say, some people view [[spoiler:him [[TheBadGuyWins winning]] and reconciling with Shana]] as a prime example of an EasilyForgiven KarmaHoudini.

** With ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. Both are light novels published by Dengeki-Bunko that got published around the same time and have the similar concept of magic in a modern day setting, alongside a male protagonist who is partnered with a hot-headed female lead. It also helps that the anime for ''Index'' aired at the height of ''Shakugan no Shana's'' popularity and even featured many common cast members (as well as singer Music/MamiKawada, who performed openings and endings for both).
** Also with ''LightNovel/TheFamiliarOfZero'', ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'', and ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'', since their female leads[[note]]Louise, Nagi, and Taiga respectively[[/note]] are {{Expies}} of Shana and are even voiced by Creator/RieKugimiya. Together, they're collectively known as "The Four Tsundere Wonders" by many fans and are often featured in numerous crossover fan art and fan fiction. Even the anime industry in Japan has acknowledged this friendship and used the opportunity to promote merchandise based on the characters being together.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: In the mid and late 2000's this was [[Manga/DeathNote one]] [[Franchise/CodeGeass of]] [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann many]] [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya anime]] that achieved widespread popularity. Newer fans who try to watch this show don't get what all the buzz was about, as a lot of the tropes that this show popularized are now in tons of anime, causing new viewers to find nothing special about this show. It is made even more apparent by the fact that one of its contemporaries, ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'', still enjoys widespread popularity and acclaim to this day, while Shana herself is no longer the poster girl for the {{Tsundere}} trope as she used to be.

* CommonKnowledge: Shana is the prototypical hyper-aggressive, ultra-violent {{Tsundere}} who habitually dominates and abuses her love interest. Except she’s not. While Shana introduced, [[TropeCodifier or at least codified]], a type of {{Tsundere}} that is more hot-tempered and more abrasive to her love interest, and while the hyper-aggressive, ultra-violent {{Tsundere}} can [[ShanaClone claim a direct line of descent from Shana]], she lacks the borderline abusive behavior (at worst striking Yuji all of three times in the first season-- of a three-season show—in moments that are played for laughs), tendency to treat their love interests in a subhuman fashion (Shana’s early dismissal of Yuji as a “thing” is due to the fact that, ordinarily, he would be little more than a non-entity as a Torch), and the tendency to dominate or tyrannize said love interests that they have. Shana actually is closer to the classic {{Tsundere}}, a person with harsh outward personality, the result of a sociability problem, who gradually reveals a softer and loving side. Her CharacterDevelopment is really quite remarkable, even when comparing the cold and hostile Shana at the beginning of Season 1 to prickly but friendly Shana of mid-Season 1, let alone the Shana of Season 3, who can no longer even be considered {{Tsundere}}.

* SeasonalRot: For a lot of viewers the first season was well-received and thought of as a great start to the franchise. However, many felt that as the show went on it got progressively worse. Season 2 was criticized for beginning on a {{filler}} arc that lasted half the season, and not doing much to differentiate itself from season 1. It was the third season where many felt that ''Shakugan no Shana'' began to lose its touch. Many criticisms were aimed at [[spoiler:Yuji [[FaceHeelTurn fusing with]] the [[BigBad Snake of the Festival]] and becoming a much less likable character]], the introduction of many new characters that had no development and added nothing to the show with some [[spoiler:dying in their first fight scenes]], the IdiotPlot involved in the final battle, and the ending that [[spoiler:completely negates any consequences and has the two sides make up while Snake Yuji [[TheBadGuyWins wins]] and pulls a KarmaHoudini]]. Not helping matters for English dub fans is the ChannelHop from Creator/{{Geneon}} to Creator/{{Funimation}} causing [[TheOtherDarrin everyone from season one being replaced]], and many consider the Funimation cast to be [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks inferior to the cast Geneon had]].

* IdiotPlot: Some feel this way about Season 3, in which the Denizens are simply trying to get out the Flame Hazes' hair by going to a world with limitless Power of Existence. The only reason there is conflict is because the Flame Haze army doesn't trust them to behave themselves and stop eating humans. Moreover, the Flame Haze don't even ''need'' to just trust the Denizens. Since everyone agrees that the Denizens should stop eating humans, [[spoiler: even the Denizens themselves in the end, Snake of the Festival Yuji]] could have simply decided on his own, right from the start, to make it impossible for them to obtain power of existence in Xanadu this way. Thus, the Flame Haze wouldn't have to take the Denizens' desire to reform on faith, and the conflict would have been entirely eliminated. In fact, in the commentary for the final episode of season 3, Cherami Leigh (Shana's English voice actor in the Funimation dub) says this could have been avoided if Yuji explained everything to Shana instead of disappearing at the end of season 2.
* LesYay: Wilhelmina and Pheles are really good friends, but the way Wilhelmina acts when they meet is just a trace beyond that (and Wilhelmina [[TheStoic doesn't emote much towards anyone]]).

* DesignatedHero: To some people, [[spoiler:the Snake of the Festival and/or Snake Yuji]] is a rare antagonist example- he is clearly intended to be a HeroAntagonist who has the noble goal of [[spoiler:wants to create a world where Flame Haze, Crimson Denizens, and Humans can life in harmony]]. But the things he does in pursuit of this goal are rather hard-to-swallow: sacrificing millions of innocent lives, human and denizen alike, in the war, [[spoiler:driving Margery to the DespairEventHorizon]], and outright [[spoiler:[[AndNowYouMustMarryMe kidnapping Shana to have her stay with him]] and holding her down on a bed, all while leaving his other love interests Kazumi and Hecate in the dust]]. Needless to say, some people view [[spoiler:him [[TheBadGuyWins winning]] and reconciling with Shana]] as a prime example of an EasilyForgiven KarmaHoudini.

* IdiotPlot: Some feel this way about Season 3, in which the Denizens are simply trying to get out the Flame Hazes' hair by going to a world with limitless Power of Existence. The only reason there is conflict is because the Flame Haze army doesn't trust them to behave themselves and stop eating humans. Moreover, the Flame Haze don't even ''need'' to just trust the Denizens. Since everyone agrees that the Denizens should stop eating humans, [[spoiler: even the Denizens themselves in the end, Snake of the Festival Yuji]] could have simply decided on his own, right from the start, to make it impossible for them to obtain power of existence in Xanadu this way. Thus, the Flame Haze wouldn't have to take the Denizens' desire to reform on faith, and the conflict would have been entirely eliminated. In fact, in the commentary for the final episode of season 3, Cherami Leigh (Shana's English voice actor in the Funimation dub) speaks this could have been avoided if Yuji explained everything to Shana instead of disappearing at the end of season 2.

** One interpretation is that the more Crimson Denizens (Guze no Tomogara) are in desperate need of resources and thus feeding on humans is their only option, and some Flame Haze are [[KnightTemplar overzealous]]. The former is backed up by the idea the Bal Masque was founded by a god, thus they essentially should have the same authority as Flame Haze (though they are not contracted with Crimson Lords). The latter is partially backed up by the fact that Margery Daw was originally shown as being somewhat of a BloodKnight and cared nothing but {{Revenge}}, thus indicating that there are more violent and less honorable Flame Hazes.
** This became a more viable option in the later light novels (and the third season) when it is revealed Bal Masqué's plan, as well as [[spoiler: their new leader Yuji's]], is to create a utopia called Xanadu where Crimson Denizens will not need to devour humans to sustain their existence, and even coexist peacefully with them. [[spoiler: Considering how the series [[TheExtremistWasRight ends]], The Empire [[TheBadGuyWins wins]].]]
* SeasonalRot: For a lot of viewers the first season was well-received and thought of as a great start to the franchise. However, many felt that as the show went on it got progressively worse. Season 2 was criticized for beginning on a {{filler}} arc that lasted half the season, and not doing much to differentiate itself from season 1. It was the third season where many felt that ''Shakugan no Shana'' began to lose its touch. Many criticisms were aimed at [[spoiler:Yuji [[FaceHeelTurn fusing with]] the [[BigBad Snake of the Festival]] and becoming a much less likable character]], the introduction of many new characters that had no development and added nothing to the show with some [[spoiler:dying in their first fight scenes]], the IdiotPlot involved in the final battle, and the ending that [[spoiler:completely negates any consequences and has the two sides make up [[AssPull out of nowhere]] while Snake Yuji [[TheBadGuyWins wins]] and pulls a KarmaHoudini]]. Not helping matters for English dub fans is the ChannelHop from Creator/{{Geneon}} to Creator/{{Funimation}} causing [[TheOtherDarrin everyone from season one being replaced]], and many considered the Funimation cast to be [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks inferior to the cast Geneon had]].
* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: In the mid and late 2000's this was [[Manga/DeathNote one]] [[Franchise/CodeGeass of]] [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann many]] [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya anime]] that achieved widespread popularity. Newer fans who try to watch this show however don't get what all the buzz was about, as a lot of the tropes that this show popularized are now in tons of anime, causing new viewers to find nothing special about this show. It is made even more apparent by the fact that one of its contemporaries, ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'', still enjoys widespread popularity and acclaim to this day, while Shana herself is no longer the poster girl for the {{Tsundere}} trope as she used to be.

* IdiotPlot: Some feel this way about Season 3, in which the Denizens are simply trying to get out the Flame Hazes' hair by going to a world with limitless Power of Existence. The only reason there is conflict is because the Flame Haze army doesn't trust them to behave themselves and stop eating humans. Moreover, the Flame Haze don't even ''need'' to just trust the Denizens. Since everyone agrees that the Denizens should stop eating humans, [[spoiler: even the Denizens themselves in the end, Snake of the Festival Yuji]] could have simply decided on his own, right from the start, to make it impossible for them to obtain power of existence in Xanadu this way. Thus, the Flame Haze wouldn't have to take the Denizens' desire to reform on faith, and the conflict would have been entirely eliminated. In fact, in the commentary for the final episode of season 3, Cherami Leigh (Shana's English voice actor in the Funimation dub) speaks of the CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot if Yuji explained everything to Shana instead of disappearing at the end of season 2.
* [[HoYay Les Yay]]: Wilhelmina and Pheles are really good friends, but the way Wilhelmina acts when they meet is just a trace beyond that (and Wilhelmina [[TheStoic doesn't emote much towards anyone]]).

** With ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex''. Both are light novels published by Dengeki-Bunko that got published around the same time and have the similar concept of magic in a modern day setting, alongside a male protagonist who is partnered with a hot-headed female lead. It also helps that the anime for ''Index'' aired at the height of ''Shakugan no Shana's'' popularity and even featured many similar cast members.

* OlderThanTheyThink: A non-nonsense girl with black long hair, a bladed weapon, a black cloak and a powerful, deep-voiced demon partner comes to this world in order to hunt down other demons that feed on humans, disguising herself as an aloof highschool student in order to be near her target. She is secretly in love with another OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent who has a more social best friend and a sweet female classmate with short, brown hair who eventually bonds with the main girl as well, and one of their first adventures throws the guy and his classmate into the loop. Finally, among the enemies there is a sultry, scheming red-haired villainess that leads several of the demons. Are we talking about ''Shakugan no Shana'' or the 1989 manga-turned-OVA ''Manga/MakaryuudoDemonHunter'', protagonized by the eponymous hunter Yama? With such a question, the possibility that Yashichiro Takahashi was familiar with that series when he started writing ''Shana'' is certainly hard to dismiss.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: In the mid and late 2000's this was [[Manga/DeathNote one]] [[Franchise/CodeGeass of]] [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann many]] [[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya anime]] that achieved widespread popularity. Newer fans who try to watch this show however don't get what all the buzz was about. A lot of the tropes that this show popularized are now in tons of anime causing new viewers to find nothing special about this show. It is made even more apparent by the fact that one of its contemporaries ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' still enjoys widespread popularity and acclaim to this day and Shana herself is no longer the poster girl for the {{Tsundere}} trope.

* DesignatedHero: To some people, [[spoiler:the Snake of the Festival and/or Snake Yuji]] is a rare antagonist example- he is clearly intended to be a HeroAntagonist who has the noble goal of [[spoiler:wants to create a world where Flame Haze, Crimson Denizens, and Humans can life in harmony]]. But the things he does in pursuit of this goal are rather hard-to-swallow: sacrificing millions of innocent lives, human and denizen alike, in the war, [[spoiler:driving Margery to the DespairEventHorizon]], and outright [[spoiler:[[AndNowYouMustMarryMe kidnapping Shana to become his bride]] and almost ''[[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]'', all while leaving his other love interests Kazumi and Hecate in the dust]]. Needless to say, some people view [[spoiler:him [[TheBadGuyWins winning]] and reconciling with Shana]] as a prime example of an EasilyForgiven KarmaHoudini.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Weirdly enough, it's kind of {{inverted|Trope}} in the final arc. [[GoodVersusGood By the end of the series, it's clear that not only are the Flame Haze and Bal Masque's goals entirely noble]], [[NotSoDifferent they're actually completely compatible]]. The Flame Haze want to make it impossible for the Denizens to get power of existence by eating humans in Xanadu, and the Denizens don't want to eat humans any more anyway. Thus, it doesn't really matter which side wins, [[WinWinEnding since everyone is going to be happy in the end]]... which to many [[ShaggyDogStory makes the conflict feel completely pointless]] because [[IdiotPlot it only happens]] due to both sides [[PoorCommunicationKills refusing to discuss things with each other]].

* DesignatedHero: To some people, [[spoiler:the Snake of the Festival and/or Snake Yuji]] is a rare antagonist example- he is clearly intended to be a HeroAntagonist who has the noble goal of [[spoiler:wants to create a world where Flame Haze, Crimson Denizens, and Humans can life in harmony]]. But the things he does in pursuit of this goal are rather hard-to-swallow: sacrificing millions of innocent lives, human and denizen alike, in the war, [[spoiler:driving Margery to the DespairEventHorizon]], and outright [[spoiler:[[AndNowYouMustMarryMe kidnapping Shana]] [[{{Yandere}} to become his bride]] and almost ''[[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]'', all while leaving his other love interests Kazumi and Hecate in the dust]]. Needless to say, some people view [[spoiler:him [[TheBadGuyWins winning]] and reconciling with Shana]] as a prime example of an EasilyForgiven KarmaHoudini.

** The aforementioned Snake of the Festival or "The God of Creation", is the original leader of Bel Masque. Summoned in ancient times by the Denizens of the past, the Snake tried to create a paradise for them before being sealed in the Abyss. In present convincing Protagonist Yuji Sakai to become his vessel, the Snake retakes leadership of Bel Masque, giving a speech so powerful it gains him the complete loyalty of all the present Denizens. Leading the Denizens in the devastating Second Great War, the Snake oversees the brutal combat to have his body recovered from the Abyss. Returning to Misaki City to create Xanadu, the Snake uses his own body and a member of the Trinity as sacrifices to create his new world. Realizing the Denizen's wish for peaceful coexistence, the Snake completes his mission despite massive opposition and returns to sleep, wishing his vessel success for the future.

* SugarWiki/VisualEffectsOfAwesome: One of J.C. Staff's best animated adaptations in recent years, and the third season [[SerialEscalation simply escalates from there]], culminating in the glorious AnimationBump that comes with [[spoiler:the creation of Xanadu]].

** The aforementioned Snake of the Festival or "The God of Creation", is the original leader of Bel Masque. Summoned in ancient times by the Denizens of the past, the Snake tried to create a paradise for them before being sealed in the Abyss. In present convincing {{Protagonist}} Yuji Sakai to become his vessel, the Snake retakes leadership of Bel Masque, giving a speech so powerful it gains him the complete loyalty of all the present Denizens. Leading the Denizens in the devastating Second Great War, the Snake oversees the brutal combat to have his body recovered from the Abyss. Returning to Misaki City to create Xanadu, the Snake uses his own body and a member of the Trinity as sacrifices to create his new world. Realizing the Denizen's wish for peaceful coexistence, the Snake completes his mission despite massive opposition and returns to sleep, wishing his vessel success for the future.

* MostAnnoyingSound: ''Keisaku Sato's voice'' (his season 2-beyond [[Creator/GregAyres voice actor]] to be exact; the season 1 [[Creator/BradSwaile voice actor]] was better-sounding for him)

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Weirdly enough, it's kind of {{inverted|Trope}} in the final arc. [[GoodVersusGood By the end of the series, it's clear that not only are the Flame Haze and Bal Masque's goals entirely noble]], [[NotSoDifferent they're actually completely compatible]]. The Flame Haze want to make it impossible for the Denizens to get power of existence by eating humans in Xanadu, and the Denizens don't want to eat humans any more anyway. Thus, it doesn't really matter which side wins, [[WinWinEnding since everyone is going to be happy in the end]]... which to many [[ShaggyDogStory makes the conflict feel completely pointless]] because [[IdiotPlot it only happens due to both sides]] [[PoorCommunicationKills refusing to discuss things with each other]].