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|View Poll Results: Shakugan no Shana III - Total Series Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 61. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2012-03-25, 16:01
|Link #1
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Join Date: Apr 2006
Shakugan no Shana III - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating
This thread is to be used for discussing the entire episodes of Shakugan no Shana III ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about Blu-Ray/DVD-exclusive footage etc.
A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:
And so on.
The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:
Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Soundtrack: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Enjoyment: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10
Average = Total Series Rating
Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.
Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun
|2012-03-25, 18:20
|Link #2
Have some salt
Shakugan no Shana was one of the series that brought me into anime. Shana, her telling people to shut up when she slices them and her melonpan eating have been a memorable sight for the last couple of years. Unfortunately, the second season was quite a drag and had soiled the series in my eyes for being a bore and probably one of the worst romantic storylines I've seen in anime. But now Shana and crew are back for a final showdown and a conclusion that will end it all.
I have to admit to being very skeptical despite the decent S OVAs since the first few episodes were a bad sign as it showed of a rusty series that was still stuck in the past. It also had to pick up after season 2 which meant watching the show was going to be a constant uphill struggle. Could the red haired Flame Haze show that she can still compete in 2012 and not be thrown away like yesterday's news? Fortunately, JC Staff shows that they can do something when they're not screwing around and bring the end of the novels to life.
Visuals: 7
"The battleground for the end"
Well, the backgrounds and character designs were very well done and easy on the eyes. I've always liked the character designs, though it proved useful in introducing the wild and wacky hordes of different monsters and flame haze that would appear. The animation got a bit lame in some episodes and a lot of the fights were underwhelming because they'd keep cutting from one situation to the next. Though that might be a fault of the editing. But at least those flames surrounding Shana are cool, and the battle locations are quite nice as well. I'm no animation expert, but outside of the fights Shana III looked pretty good without too many QUALITY issues.
Audio: 9
"Urusai Urusai Urusai!"
In terms of what you hear, Shana has always been exceptionally strong and pleasant in the ears. One of the sole benefits of watching Shana II was the great soundtrack when it came to tense moments, and III builds on this even more, so that the battles feel more epic. They might have overplayed "Art du sabre" a bit too much even if it's one of the best tracks in the series. Though it might have overshadowed the series itself. The first OP was terrible, with the shalallalla crap (Sorry, Kotoko, it didn't work this time) but Mami Kawada shows why everyone thinks of her when it comes to Shana songs in OP2 Serment. Both ending songs are strong as well as the special ones and they were all used exceptionally well in the end of episodes.
But it doesn't stop there. Although I like to bash Rie Kugimiya characters, she's actually a very talented voice actress that should be given more variety in her roles. She did an excellent job as Shana, and unlike the other terribad clones of her, Shana's voice is actually pretty good to listen to. Pigeonholing does suck. Satoshi Hino was no slouch, and did way more than his generic idiot/guy in distress voice as Yuji. Though I wasn't a big fan of Douche-Yuji's snake voice. That just felt out of place. Regulars Shizuka Itou as Wilhemena and Hitomi Nabatame as Margery Daw added their ususal talent to this anime. And let's not forget Marina Inou as Pheles. Oh, and Yuki Kaji's voicing a new character that doesn't suck. And for some reason Houko Kuwashima's (Ahem, Tomoyo from Clannad—well I never said I was fair) in here too voicing Rebecca Reed. Shana's always been held up by these VA's, and season III is no exception
Plot: 5
"A bunch of shit happens"
Characters: 8
"Wait who the fuck are you? At least there's these people I know"
"Wait, what do you mean Archon no longer hates Kazumi?"
Misc. Enjoyment: 7
Shana III was pretty unsteady in this. I was never exceptionally compelled to watch this show; in fact I had stopped following the anime weekly after a certain point. However, I was still usually pleased to see what I saw, though I really wished for better fights.
There is a certain satisfaction in seeing an anime resolve itself though. So many animes would like to leave you hanging. Or they are afraid of the status quo changing. Hell, I've accused this series of the same thing or any other series starring Kugrie. But for "Final" they managed to ditch that fear and took a plunge. It was better for us all to see the show going all the way and not backing out for once, getting rid of one of my gripes with the franchise.
Overall: 7/10
I'm sorta disappointed in some parts, as I expected it to be some kind of epic struggle, which it was, however the concept seemed way ahead of the execution. Still, I can leave this franchise on good terms, and that is something that I can easily take home. I don't regret sticking to the very end for this series. Congrats to JC staff for caring for once. You've alleviated some of my 7 year old gripes, so for that I am happy.
Farewell, Shana. Farewell, Yuji, you dumbass. May there be melon pan wherever you go
Spoiler for A quick definition of the overall score:
Last edited by Archon_Wing; 2012-03-28 at 14:06. Reason: tags are broken, formatting issues
|2012-03-25, 22:00
|Link #3
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2004
The only big problem is having too many new characters, most of whom are poorly developed due to time constraints and sheer number, but the mains got enough attention and took the most important actions, so that it didn't really matter.
The other minor issue is that there's barely any plot since the majority of the show is composed of battles, but it's the end of the series and the two previous seasons covered most of that, so can't really fault it. All the mains have already been developed in the past two seasons, so no problem there either.
Otherwise, the show serves its purpose as the grand finale.
|2012-03-26, 01:09
|Link #5
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Shakugan no shana is amazing. Actually, no I can't find the right words within my vocabulary to say how awesome it is. I've had the best memories while watching this anime, and its been a fun adventure, seeing what happens next and the developing romance between Shana and Yuji. Oh, and not to mention the fight between Yoshida and Shana over Yuji. Everything that made up Shana- urasai urasai urasai!, her determination, her love of melonpan and especially the romantic feelings she projects to Yuji.
Shana has and always been my favourite character of the whole series. I loved her determination and courage to fight and become stronger which made her awesome. Even if Shana approached an obstacle, one that seems hard for her to get out of, she would always come through it till the end stronger and looking more bad-ass. That is pretty much the aspect I love so much about Shana. Sometimes I wish I could find the courage like Shana had.
Anyway, the other characters were unique, but likeable. It wasn't just Shana who had developed- Wilhelmina, Margery, Yuji and the other main characters. They've changed so much to be awesome bad-ass characters. But of course, it was Shana who had changed the most.
The animation was definitely better than the first and second seasons. If you've noticed Yuji eyes were gigantic in the first season but now they look awesome in this season.. except it would've been better if he didn't look like a chinese warrior all the time.
The soundtracks and opening/ending songs are great, because its what makes up the anime. If you listen to a battle soundtrack from season 1, you'll get the memories of Shana and the other characters fighting. The opening/ending songs are all excellent and of course, my favourite one would be the very first one. The first opening song brought great memories of me watching this series for the very first time as it introduced the world of Shana.
Second season was a disappointment, but that didn't stop my obsession over Shana.
Overall, I loved the story the most. Season 1 was the best for me because it introduced the Shana world and the story of a courageous girl who loved melonpan arrived in Misaki looking bad-ass and meeting a torch named Yuji. I will never forget how much the story of Shakugan no shana has changed me, changed the way I viewed things and has touched my heart. It will always stay in my heart as one of the best animes I've seen.
It'll be so hard to find a series like this one, since Shakugan no shana is very unique
|2012-03-26, 14:14
|Link #6
Join Date: Dec 2006
It was... okay. I mainly feel more positive to it because of the well-done end. However, the content in-between wasn't really interesting.
The development of the story itself wasn't bad, but it was rather boring, despite the fact it was fantasy and action. I guess the pacing had a problem?
I know for sure one problem was the sudden great increase of characters. Too many new characters, too fast, no depth. New moves suddenly, as well.
Bear suddenly turns into multi-head Bear! <-- Err.....
The human side was pretty lame, because of so many new characters that honestly meant nothing. You get some 4 god Flame Hazes, but all they did was kill the enemy. So? Thankfully, there were older characters like Kashim that actually made an impact. Thankfully.
On the enemy side, you get the same thing. What was that vampire conductor guy? The couple(?) had a few lines and that was it. Designs sucked badly too. Dark Furby?! Beetleman?! Llamaman?! Lionman?! Just a snake?! Just an eel?! And what was the point of the kid too? You'd think at least one would play an important part of the story, but they didn't really do anything as a character.
Good old professor was the only thing worth noticing. Oh, and I guess lolicon Sydney too, dying to follow his loli to the other world.
And then while watching the supposed-to-be-exciting-but-not story, it ends when a god comes from the sky and opens up a hole to a new world.
Battle ends.
I like Yoshida-san and all, but the whole setting change was disappointing. You say she is gonna die when she uses it and when she finally uses it, you go "Oops, there was actually an excu... I mean, loophole and you actually won't die!".
OP/ED both sucked too. The 1st season song that played in the last episode really made me feel it. Now those were good times.
To be honest, as the seasons go, it was like:
1st season - Wow! *buys novels*
2nd season - Not bad.
3rd season - Well, it finally ended.
Maybe the fire of passion just dimmed after so much time. *shrug* But I guess I felt that Shana's era has already passed.
I didn't feel as much "Thank gosh it ends" like I did with Zero no Tsukaima, but I am happy it is over now.
Hirai-san is back too.
|2012-03-27, 00:13
|Link #7
I can has drinks?
Join Date: Mar 2006
Found it a little nostalgic when Hishoku no Sora played.
... 7 years, what have I been doing with my life? :V
Season 3 really, really did feel like they fast tracked a lot of content. About half way into this season I found myself asking "Why should I care about this plan/these new people again?" but you know what, JC Staff managed to salvage what they could after the shenanigans of the second season and I did enjoy reading up extra on a series that over the years I totally grew out of touch with. Easier than it was back then since you can find all of it in one place now :V It was pretty clear they sacrificed development of most of the introduced characters to speed things along, but that also took away any tension from the buildups to the two major battles. Seriously, I found myself laughing when all the Flame Hazes started to lose their shit after Yuuji announced his plans for Xanadu.
The minuses out of the way, the folks they did choose to develop they did well enough. Looking back to where they started, there was certainly growth with the Shana core. Yoshida wasn't totally worthless this time, Eita decided to choose his own way, and Satou finally finished going through puberty - even managed to get laid in the process. High five. Margery I think was the point of reference to for the kind of grudge all Flame Hazes had. She managed to overcome her PTSD and stuck around long enough for a part in the finale. Shana kinda swapped places with Yuuji from the 2nd, having her own training arc. I liked how the season highlighted her capacity to lead most of all. Her general badassery aside, she still had to sort her own feelings out in the midst of all the chaos. Rather than dwelling on it she clawed her way back. Yuuji was great. Just, great. Being an antagonist with an objective better than the supposed heroes, man, I always love that. SnakeYuuji stayed dodgy for the most of it and was probably the main reason I continued to watch.
The season for me was spotty at best, since I believe an anime should function well enough standalone, not that the other material isn't worth looking into. As a final season, though, it did its job to wrap up this series. For its concluding episode, it was flashy, touching, and sorted out the two major character arcs.
Shana gave us a story about a world that is so fragile that it's literally breaking at the seams, and those that exist to protect that fragility. Your frame, in cliche anime fashion, is one such guardian and a human who was caught up in it. A little bit of overhead learning some new terms/mechanics of this world but is easy to get past. From LN, manga, anime, games, and a movie, Shana was not too shabby for its run. SnS to me is one of the more watchable series out there, fairly accessible in terms of content and could definitely recommend this to people.
Oh, and I dunno about you guys, but this is the scene where I fell in love with Shana.
|2012-03-27, 23:54
|Link #9
Senior Member
Archon's review really was extremely well-written and makes lots of great points, even if I did like Shana III a fair bit more than he did. Just so you know, Archon, I'd rep you for that review if I could.
Archon's right about some of the weaknesses he picked up on - Too many characters (or at least too many given how many were brand new and needed proper introductions), the plot was occasionally hard to follow, etc...
But ultimately, those flaws didn't mean a lot to me, and I'll explain why.
Shana III did a few things particularly well that I think it deserves a lot of credit for. First of all, if I was to use just one word that I think sums up the strengths of Shana III it would be this word:
After a bit of a shaky start, this anime then proceeded to have simply spectacularly superb momentum. From the first time that Shana and Yuji met one another again (way back in Episode 5, IIRC) right through until the end, this anime went at a beautifully bold brisk pace and hardly ever let up (doing so only once when it truly needed to).
This was the core similarity I found between Guilty Crown and Shana III which made them my two most anticipated anime watches during Winter 2012 (yes, I know I might raise some eyebrows with that comment ). Both were consistently compellingly charging ahead, no looking back.
The differences were that Guilty Crown looked a bit better, but Shana III was executed much more smoothly and also enjoyed a better finale.
So this is one area where my perspective is very different from Archon's. If anything, I find modern anime often has a tendency to dick around too much, leaving me wanting its plot to get a move-on already. And when compared to that, Shana III is like a breath of air so fresh it's from a gust of wind left in the wake of a Shana sword slash!
It also seemed like something big, bold, bodacious was happening almost every week on this show. From Shana clashing swords before clashing lips with Aizen!Yuji, to Khamsin donning his Super Robot Ceremonial Garb in order to help the rambunctious Rebecca Reed totally trash Bal Masque's HQ, to Sophia killing a giant Fish of some sort, to the Scooby Van hilariously rushing to the rescue of the increasingly attractive Kazumi, to Professor Dantalion receiving such a humorously poetic end of a great villain career, to the big climax of Episode 24, it was just one non-stop thrill-ride of truly amusing action-adventure!
And it felt epic. And I don't mean just in the more modern sense of the term, but rather in The Lord of the Rings sense of the term. Shana III felt larger than life; it felt like what a War to end Wars should feel like.
And so I happily rate Shana III a 9/10. Due to the flaws well-stated by Archon, as well as a shaky start, I can't give it 10/10. But it does deserve a 9, imo.
Last edited by Triple_R; 2012-03-28 at 15:37.
|2012-03-28, 05:54
|Link #10
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lusitania
Age: 30
Ranting all three seasons of SnS is a difficult thing to do, since all 3 seasons are in different levels: First season was good enough to grab me, second season was a disappointment and the final season was often perfect!
I am not going to state the reasons, Archon made it pretty well above.
The only thing I wish it could have been a lot better was the graphics. I watched Another, Natsume Yuujinchou, Guilty Crown and other series and even though in some of them the plot isn't as good as in SnS the artwork is much better. Sometimes the animation seemed poorly done.
This series deserves an 8/10, though above I voted only for season III.
|2012-03-28, 14:17
|Link #11
Have some salt
Heh, good points, Triple
|2012-03-28, 15:26
|Link #12
~Official Slacker~
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Xanadu
Age: 24
The introduction of so many characters completely made those new characters worthless in most audience views. Since they never got to know them for more then 1-4 episodes, if they adapted Eternal Song before season 3. Then things will fit so much better, also a fix on that gap between season 3's introduction, and season 2's ending.
10/10 here. My reasons you may ask? I intend to keep them a secret
|2012-03-28, 18:35
|Link #13
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Lusitania
Age: 30
Anyway, I LOL reading your comment above!
|2012-03-29, 03:50
|Link #14
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
I have thoroughly enjoyed Shana since I first saw it on a dubbed DVD so many years ago. I don't recall where and why I picked it up, but I instantly loved it.
Memorable moments of Season 1 include Shana learning about kisses, Yuji offering himself to fix the damage during the battle in the classroom, Shana defending Yuji from Wilhelmina's attack during his kidnapping, and Shana and Yuji hand-in-hand as she summoned Alastor (or shot by Trigger Happy, if following the movie). We learned that the initially cold flame haze had fallen in love with this mere Torch.
And though it receives much hate, I liked season 2 as well.
Memorable moments in Season 2 include: Wilhelmina making "medicine" for Yuji's mom, Pheles arriving, Yuji growing stronger and finding his destiny, and Shana-tachi owning Sabrac. Most memorable of all was Shana's smile at the end of the last episode.
Season 3 -- unfortunately, it felt rushed even for someone like me who knew nothing of the light novels. But despite that feeling, it still delivered on the story, the battles, and the love. Yuji, that confused and scared and weak Torch from season 1, became the one to change the laws of nature, who used a god of Guze for his dream -- a dream to protect those he loved, especially Shana. And when I found out that Yuji brought back Hirai, my jaw just dropped -- genius ending! Season 3 was completely memorable; the releases couldn't come fast enough. Again, my only critique is that that Yuji's response to Shana's acceptance seemed under-emotional, and both their responses to his restoration as an existence was so matter-of-fact instead of joyous. Meh. Minor. Saddest thing was seeing the photo on Hirai's attache with Yuji missing. He is "still out there" but few remember him in the world.
And the "S" OVAs were fun as well, especially the soul-switching telescope one!
Gave the series a 10! Definitely in my top 5 of anime favorites.
Last edited by Frostysunset; 2012-03-29 at 04:17.
|2012-03-31, 02:49
|Link #15
Join Date: Jan 2012
Hmm. I'm not totally certain what I'd rank the series as yet, so for now let's talk about what I liked and disliked. Starting with what I disliked.
Too many characters, and too many titles
At first I thought the anime was doing an ok job balancing so many new characters along with a bunch of returning characters, but in the end things got a bit out of hand. This was especially bad with some of the Flame Haze characters, where every character was essentially two different characters, both with long titles, and in some cases more than one title. It was a bit much to keep track of at times, and I also I felt that overall the story was spread a bit too thin in some cases. Sure, there were new characters I enjoyed like Rebecca, but at the same time there were a whole bunch of characters that were just there, ones who felt like they should be important, but were given so little focus that it was hard to really care about them.
The disconnect with the previous seasons
This is particularly bad regarding Yuji's character and actions, and there is a related issue with Bal Masque's behavior. Characters seem to suddenly change, and plot points or retconned, ignored, or given tenuous explanations.
This is also a problem the 2nd season had as well, though not as extreme. Remember how different Hecate was in Season 1 compared to the later seasons? Remember how at the end of Season 1, Bal Masque was acting like the whole "fount of existence" thing was itself their primary goal, and how in the start of season 2 Bel Peol is suddenly saying that it was all done to serve some larger purpose?
Unfortunately for the 3rd season, the disconnect involves Yuji, a much more important character than Hecate. Though at the end I could at least understand why Yuji did what he did, it was a very rough bit of character development, and it wasn't something I would have guessed Yuji would do based on the first and second seasons.
Then you got the issue of Bal Masque, which just compounds the Yuji issue. If Bal Masque had always given the impression that they had a clear goal they were working towards, and that all they were doing was for the purpose of achieving that goal, it might have been easier to accept Yuji joining with them after he realized their goal wasn't so bad after all. But that's not the way they were portrayed. Even with the season 2 retcon about the end of season 1, Bal Masque still seemed unfocused and somewhat scatterbrained in their actions, doing evil just because, rather than a focused "ends justify the means" anti-hero/villain group like they were apparently supposed to be. Which as I said above, made it hard to accept Yuji joining them, especially at first.
I guess in a way, the above issues aren't specifically with the 3rd season. They are in fact issues with the first two seasons failing to lay the groundwork for season 3. Regardless of where the fault lies, these issues affected my enjoyment of season 3.
Plot threads with conclusions but no (or incomplete) beginnings
This is something that hurt the final episodes of the series I think. We got the climaxes of several different plot threads in addition to the main story... problem is, some of those plot threads hadn't really been developed much. Or at all. This meant the ending was a bit unfocused at times I think.
For example, let's consider Sale and Chiara, and their relationship with Mammon and the professor. Now, I know that Sale is an artificial Flame Haze, and the professor is apparently his creator, but I don't even know what "artificial Flame Haze" really means. There were only a handful of lines that even revealed this relationship (some posters missed it entirely), and in the end, Sale killing the professor didn't really have the emotional investment you'd expect from a man killing his creator/father.
And then Mammon... I got the impression that there was some definite relationship between him and Sale/Chiara, but i couldn't tell you what exactly. Overall, though Sale and Chiara were better developed than some of the new characters, at least as far as their relationship to each other was concerned, but it felt like a huge chunk of their story was missing.
Which apparently was the case. More on that later.
Then we get the resolution of the story of the corpse collector, Lamies. Apparently, he was trying to restore a portrait, though some translations, including the official nico nico one, don't make that clear.
But why did he (or I should say she) care about that portrait so much? Umn...
Then we get Pheles and Johann. Well, actually, their story specifically was one where we got the beginning, but when Shahar announces the existence of the "heir of two worlds" to everyone, she brings up all these events involving some ancient Flame Haze and Crimson Denizen that were apparently in love with each other and trying to do something similar, except they were stopped by the previous Flame Haze of Alastor, and this all related to events that we saw very brief hints of in earlier flashbacks, assuming this all involves the conflict that Shiro and Wilhelmina were involved with, and I am completely lost.
Apparently, all these events were explained more fully in the Light Novels. Volume 10 is focused on Alastor's previous Flame Haze, while the majority of volume 15 is focused on Sale and Chiara. Lamies story is told at some point as well, though I'm not sure where.
Ok, but unfortunately, I don't have the Light Novels. Even if I had perfect English translations of the entire series, the anime series should be able to stand on its own, without requiring people to run to the novels to figure things out.
It's easy to blame J.C. Staff and the anime production committee for "butchering" the novels, and indeed that is what some have done, but I don't know all the details that went on behind the scenes of the anime production, how much guidance they were given, and how much is really their fault. But in the end it doesn't really matter whose fault it is, there are issues with the anime that prevent me from enjoying it as much as I would like to.
With that out of the way, let's move onto something more positive. Before I discuss what I liked, let's discuss what I didn't care for one way or the other.
Animation and art, ok.
Generally speaking, if I am invested in a story, I don't really notice things like the animation quality or the visual style, unless they are really really good, or really really bad. I don't recall Shana's animation being particularly memorable, so I guess it was at least ok.
As for art style, I recall finding the CG animation used for the Snake of the Festival as looking a bit odd in a few scenes, and I was disappointed that so many of the Crimson Denizens in the massive scenes were so generic. On the plus side, I liked Yuji's new design, I thought the design of the abyss was pretty cool, and I liked the scenes of Xanadu's creation.
Overall, the visuals did not wow me, but they did not disappoint me either.
Now, onto the things I liked!
Voice Acting
It's hard to judge voice acting in a language I do not understand, but as much as I could tell, the acting was pretty good. I really enjoyed some of the speeches of various characters, mainly Snake of the Festival/Yuji. I like the voice of that one Crimson Denizen, Decariba or whatever his name was, it was really cool. Overall, while the voice acting didn't utterly wow me, I definitely enjoyed it a lot.
Ah, now things are looking up. I really liked the soundtracks of the previous two seasons, and I really liked the soundtrack of this one as well. My favorite song is definitely the one that seems to be the theme of the Snake of the Festival, but there were many nice tracks. I also thought both opening and ending songs were good as well, and liked the way they often would integrate the ending song with the last moments of the episode.
The storyline parts I liked: Snake of the Festival
I complained a lot about various aspects of the plot, but in fact I enjoyed many aspects as well.
I loved the Snake of the Festival and the core twist behind him. You see, I am a video game player as well as an anime watcher, and so I am quite familiar with the ancient god/demon that was sealed away long ago and is revived by the villains to destroy/rule the world. "Sealed evil in a can" this trope is called on tvtropes.
I've always wanted someone to do a twist on it, where the ancient sealed evil is actually a misunderstood good guy. And while I don't think Shana is the first to do that twist, it is the first time I have seen it, and I think it did it very well.
I mean, just look at the SoF. Ancient god sealed by the (apparent) good guys. Ominous appearance, being a snake with black flame. Somewhat sinister and incredibly awesome theme music. Revived by the (apparent) villains. Likes to give grandiose speeches about changing the world, and is voiced by Aizen's Japanese voice actor.
Everything superficial about him screams evil, and at the same time screams "he's so cool I want to root for him anyways." And in the end, it turns out he's not evil. He's not without his flaws, but he's definitely not evil. And ultimately he wins, and helps out everybody.
The "bad guy" wins and it is a good thing. I like that.
Epic scale and intensity
While the many characters and plot threads did sometimes prove too much for the series to handle, at the very least the season did manage a very epic feel. Gods and monsters and the possible end of the world and the creation of a new world. Massacres and wars and the alteration of reality. It definitely had nice scope to it, and it provided a true climax. Some series feel like they are building towards something massive, then end in an anti-climax where nothing much happens. Not Shana season 3. It felt like it was building towards something major, and it did.
This also relates to another good quality of the series: intensity. From the moment we see Yuji take his throne as the new leader of Bal Masque, the series hits you and makes you wonder just what the heck is going on and what is going to happen. And it never lets up, aside from some slight dragging in some fights near the end. Compared to the previous seasons of Shana, which had clearly defined story arcs, the 3rd season was one massive story where you couldn't stop at any point without being driven mad wondering how it was going to all end. I think Triple_R was talking about "momentum", he was kind of referring to the same thing.
Happy ending
Ok, I like sad endings sometimes, but I also like happy endings, and I like happy endings to stories that seem like they shouldn't possibly be able to have one, but do, and still make sense.
From the moment we learned what Yuji was, Shana was basically saying "there's no way this can have a good ending." Even after we learned that Yuji wasn't going to fade away any time soon thanks to the Midnight Lost Child, the more we learned about the world, the harder it became to imagine any truly conclusive happy ending. Yah, maybe they can defeat Bal Masque and kill them all. That won't stop future Denizens from going after the treasure if they learn of it. That won't change the fact that Denizens still consume people's existence, or the fact that the whole world is really screwed up.
And then we get season 3, which tells us "by the way, Yuji's evil now", and it becomes apparent the series is doomed to a tragic ending. Except, ultimately, it ends in a better manner than most could have imagined back in season 1, and it does so well.
In conclusion
One of my favorite authors is Brandon Sanderson, and one of the things he likes to do is reversals and subversions. Take a common fantasy trope or theme, even (or especially) one he's used himself, and put a new spin on it, or turn it on its head.
I felt like that was what the final season of Shana tried to do, and it mostly succeeded. I talked about this a bit earlier with the Snake of the Festival and why I loved him, but it goes somewhat beyond just him. I'm reminded of the scene in episode 23 shortly after the creation of Xanadu, when the Snake of the Festival orders Bal Masque to go to Xanadu and complements them for their hard work and sacrifices, and there's that really awesome and triumphant music that just makes the scene so awesome, and then a part of your brain realizes "wait, weren't these guys the villains?" but you realize it's hard to really think that anymore, even considering the spotty characterization Bal Masque got in the anime.
So I love Shana 3 for what it tried to do, even if it was a bit rough in it's execution. Right now, I'd probably rate the series Very Good, but I'll wait a bit longer and reflect more before deciding for certain.
Last edited by Mad_Scientist; 2012-03-31 at 03:50.
|2012-04-04, 16:05
|Link #16
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2008
Well, just finished the serie.
Oh my... Let's say my feeling about it were QUITE NOT the same than the majority of people here.
SnS, so far, has been a serie about a rather sinister world, with some rare but dangerous demons hidden in the shadows and a few guardians of order keeping them in check. A story of one of these guardian, cold and uncaring, learning humanity with a victim of these demons, and seeing the human life through the eye of a high-schooler.
I expected this serie to somehow follow up in this manner. What I got has been something that could be called "Saint Seyia : the Tomogora Sanctuary". I rarely felt such a disconnect between seasons of a serie, and though the story and characters were the same, I really didn't feel like I was seeing SnS, but rather a weird shônen.
We always saw Flame Haze as very independant, very powerful, self-reliant and autonomous guardians, protecting wide areas and looking for the few Tomogora that would happen to pass by, keeping a low profile.
Now we see whole LEGIONS of them fighting in battle ranks in the open, looking like regular grunt with laser, with a military-like headquarter and organization. I actually went to check on the forum ot be sure it was not some fanfiction take on the world or anime-only invention, because it was so far from everything we saw before that I had a hard time taking it seriously. Many characters were also derailed or retconned, but I think this part is more about problems in the plot, which I'll cover a bit later.
The serie starts at a dreadful pace, about four ep where NOTHING happens. Then it's about 17-18 ep of fight, fight, fight and fight, with something like 2-3 ep worth of breathing room (or at least something else than fighting). Some action is good, but for a serie that was so far thankfully short on the fighting scenes (which rarely took more than half an ep), it was really a complete change of style, and really tiring. In the end, between the terrible pacing at the start and the fight-only rest of the season, it managed to both feel very stretched and still nearly empty.
I'm not really fond about the lack of character interaction neither. The little that happens is significant (one of the good side is that we FINALLY got rid of the atrocious artificial dragging-on of the romance), but it's still far too little. No slice of life and very little "human world" left, it's 95 % of the time either in a Fuzetsu or in a battle somewhere.
The main draw I had to SnS was the characters. Among all the fighting and the "scenario" (I'll get to why I use quotation mark in a second), there was very little of them save for launching big energy beam of yelling at each other.
And now for the big, big problem. The story. The plot. The scenario.
Yuji who, about two hours after having fought against demons and Bal Masqué with all his heart, willpower and anger, suddendly decide to join them. Okay, right. Hu... well, nevermind. I can understand the reasoning in the end, but maybe they should have used a bit of these first dreadfully... EMPTY first episodes to actually set it up and make it believable.
Then... then what I saw was about 23 episodes of what I can more or less describe like this :
Yuji : "I love you, and have a plan that will make everything all right, and I do it mainly for you, but I'm not going to explain it to you because you wouldn't accept it"
Shana : "I love you too, and I've also an idea that will make everything all right, and I also do it mainly for you, but I also won't tell you about it, and I won't ask you what your plan is, because it would resolve the story in two ep and we have a full season to last"
Seriously, I rarely felt a scenario that was more RETARDED, and I put it in cap because that's really the only word I can find to describe it.
Everything could have been solved in five minutes if they just took a bit of time to speak it over, but instead of that, they spent the whole season killed each other for... well, for ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, because of the reason stated in the very beginning of the sentence.
And they don't even have the excuse of hating each other, on the contrary. So all this pointless scenario is just a perfect example of "idiot plot".
Though to be honest, the amount of plot holes, deus ex machina and absurd reactions is rather a staple of this seaons :
Yuji and his "we don't want to fight you" speech while letting his minions slaughter people who have stopped fighting. Err...
Yuji getting mad and fighting the insertion of the "don't eat humans" law, while the very reason he started it all is BECAUSE he wants humans not to be eaten. Hello ?
The very possibility to put a "law" in a world by firing at it of putting an insignia. Seriously ?
The out of the blue Oracle. Yeah, cool. Thanks for passing by.
I'm still scratching my head about the godawful amount of Flame Haze that went to the Tomogora world. What the hell are they going to do here ? Be sure to have still some fights to not forget the old days ?
And so on.
The story was just choke-full of contrived coincidences, contrived reactions, contrived reasonings. The overwhelming feeling I got was essentially that the author wished to have Shana and Yuji fighting each other, and both sides being somehow right, and shoehorned everything to fill this pattern without bothering too much about the consistency and logic of the rest. Also, it was painfully obvious that HUGE chunks of lore and fluff and characters were simply missing. Maybe lots of the plot holes actually had a good explanation in the novels, for what I know. And maybe half of the events that happened would make more sense if we were actually told about them (I still don't have any f-ing idea what Rammie was all about).
It certainly didn't feel "organic" at any moment, and felt very artificial and forced. Like someone who really want a certain scene to happens, and warp, twist and distort the whole story so it's force-fitted into a specific configuration.
So here I ended. There was a few actually good moments (Margery and her boyfriend, cuuuute, the death of Behemoth was moving and a few others), there were actual attempts to hide the huge gap in the plot (often too little too late), but there was nearly nothing left of the SnS I liked from the first season. The setting didn't feel the same, the style certainly wasn't the same, very little character interaction, nearly only fighting and a completely retarded plot full of holes.
In the end, I didn't enjoy this season, and finished it more because I wanted to see it through due to previous investment, and due to a morbid fascination about "what will the next /facepalm will be ?". It was simply not fun, and though the production values are good, I felt rather insulted by the idiotic story and didn't find anything of the good parts I liked in the first and small parts of the second season.
Final score : 4. A very poor experience.
Last edited by Akka; 2012-04-04 at 16:36.
|2012-07-26, 00:57
|Link #17
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2012
This season was a complete and utter letdown for me. I was really into Shana three years ago (S1 and S2 used to be 9/10's for me-today 8/10's), but season 3 was a trainwreck in my eyes.
So many things went wrong. To name some...
-Things make practically no sense, and episode 14 was very facepalming for me. It proved why the (boring) war was completely pointless.
-Adding so many characters out of nowhere, and not even bothering to develop them. Why am I supposed to care about these people? Who are they? Where did they come from? They basically popped out of thin air. I mean Bal Masque went from a couple of people to an entire army.
-The very erratic pacing. It's completely out there, it ends up being really slow, and then decides to be really fast.
-The gap between season 2 and season 3, when I went into season 3, it was a bunch of "What?".
I was going to give the series a 4/10, but then the ending came in, and it was decent. That's the only thing that holds together my 5/10. Really, the only redeemable thing for me in this entire season was the ending.
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3 days 2 nights package without activity on Cozy chalet, Perhentian Island. The package includes, fast boat transfer to and fro, 6 meals and 2 nights accommodation.
Price per person, the difference of the price depend to what type of chalet and sharing do you choose. Whether single (one person in a chalet), twin sharing (2 person in a chalet), triple sharing (3 person) or quad sharing (4 person stay in a chalet)

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Memphis City Council members raised the city property tax rate Tuesday, June 26, by four cents above the recertified tax rate and put the rest of a turbulent budget season to rest.
The approval of the $3.40 property tax rate and city operating and capital budgets came in a council session that ended at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.
The tax rate approved is less than the $3.51 rate Memphis Mayor A C Wharton proposed which was an increase to $3.36 just to get the same amount of revenue the city got from the existing $3.11 rate taking into account property value lost in the 2013 property reappraisal.
Wharton proposed a 15-cent tax hike beyond that to replenish city reserve funds and pay more on the city's bond debt – two important conditions outlined by Tennessee Comptroller Justin Wilson.
Wilson's letter and report critical of city financial practices on both fronts was a critical factor in the council's drive to complete its budget season by July 1. Beyond the July 1 date was the possibility, however remote, that Wilson might use his powers to get the city to the fiscal bottom line he recommended.
The council gave all city employees a 4.6 percent pay raise, restoring a pay cut all city workers took two years ago. It also approved amendments in a plan by council member Harold Collins that pared down plans to layoff 100 city employees to the layoff of 50 city employees as well as cutting 2.5 percent from the Memphis Police Department budget.
Collins was one of several council members who argued the police department could cut its budget – the only one of the city divisions to increase its budget over several years – without affecting police director Toney Armstrong's ability to put more police officers on the street.
The council left in place plans to drop 300 city employees through attrition, a head count reduction that is crucial to the city's ability to made a $23 million increase in debt payments in a future fiscal year.
The employees would probably leave city government over several fiscal years with an estimated $9 million "attrition premium" for City Hall in each of the two fiscal years following the one that begins July 1.
Some operating budget amendments were voted on several times by the council with different outcomes after the council approved the budget proposal by council chairman Edmund Ford Jr., but rejected the operating budget as amended by the Ford plan and then tried to work its way back to reconsidering it.
Ultimately Ford's plan was never resurrected and Collins plan which was also rejected once by the council emerged as the platform around which other budget amendments were attached.
The council considered several times doing away with the city's weights and measures bureau for a savings of $501,000 and actually voted twice to take the action before reversing the action. Ultimately weights and measures remained a part of city government.
Council member Lee Harris tried unsuccessfully to cut the council's $8,000 catering budget for meals on council days. He withdrew another motion to not give the 4.6 percent pay raise to city employees who have had a pay adjustment upwards in the last two years that equals or exceeds the 4.6 percent. Harris withdrew it after Wharton said some of the adjustments were made as a way of avoiding discrimination lawsuits or settling them.
Council member Bill Morrison had a plan to eliminate the 100 layoffs but instead take 105 funded but vacant city positions, most in public safety. But when city Finance Director Brian Collins said it translated to a $3.39 property tax rate, Morrison withdrew it.
Council member Myron Lowery picked it back up and took it to a vote where it failed.
The city's capital improvements program budget or CIP budget was amended to cut $1.8 million from $3.5 million the administration had committed as the city's share of a pedestrian overpass over Massey at Poplar Avenue. The overpass is part of the infrastructure incentives for an expansion of International Paper headquarters.
The council cut the funding to $1.7 million and made it contingent on Shelby County government contributing the other half. The county agreed to pay $300,000 of the cost initially.
The council also approved $1.35 million in funding to the Riverfront Development Corporation as the local share to get $6 million in federal funding for Cobblestones development and the development of several water taxi landings in the Wolf River Harbor.
The council voted down a call by council member Janis Fullilove for $1.7 million and then $1 million for renovation of Southbrook Mall in Whitehaven and the council defeated a call by Collins to cut $1 million in funding for the Crosstown redevelopment project.
Several council members will be the guests on Friday's edition of "Behind The Headlines" which airs on WKNO TV at 7 p.m.
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After having two serious knee injuries, and undergoing three surgeries on her ACL, O'Bryan has come to think of her sidelining injuries in a positive way. After the summer of her freshman year in high school while competing in the Olympic Development Program, O'Bryan tore her left ACL and had to undergo reconstructive surgery which left her off the field during an eight-month recovery period.
"Before I got injured in high school, I had played soccer every day and so once I was hurt, I began to question whether I really wanted to do it anymore," O'Bryan said. "After my injury I got a whole new appreciation for the sport. I don't know what would have happened if I hadn't been injured."
After her first ACL surgery, O'Bryan went on to play a complete season before injuring her knee again and undergoing a minor surgery. The next two years of high school were injury free, but a brace was necessary for O'Bryan to play.
"When it came time for me to commit to ETSU I had a lot of questions, like what happens if I come here and get injured again, but Coach (Heather Henson) saw that my past injuries were not affecting my play now," O"Bryan said.
Just when O'Bryan thought she was in the clear, the unthinkable happened during her freshman campaign. With five games left in the season, she tore her ACL again in a game against Elon. This time her surgery would require she get a donor ligament since her knee had already suffering through several operations.
"If I hadn't enjoyed my freshman year of soccer so much, it would have been a big deal for me to get hurt," O'Bryan said. "Coach was sure I was coming back and I had her support before I had my own."
After having surgery on November 6th, O'Bryan faced another long stretch of physical therapy before she could get out on the field again.
"Coach would find things for me to do, she'd go to my doctors appointments with me and ask the doctors what I could do so I could be working on little things," O'Bryan said. "I would hold the ball under my foot and roll it around or count how many touches I could make and my competitive drive started kicking in again."
Even though O'Bryan was able to challenge herself in her individual drills, she still missed the regular practices with her teammates.
"I went to all the stuff that my team did and all I wanted was to be out on the field," O'Bryan said. "My injuries showed me just how important soccer was in my life. Some people only do it for their parents, or because they feel they have to, but I play soccer because that's who I am. It's what I love."
By May, O'Bryan was finally able to practice again with her teammates, a full seven months after her surgery. She stayed at ETSU over the summer to take classes and to work with a trainer. All her hard work paid off as this season O'Bryan has played and started in all the Buccaneers games.
"I worked so hard all summer and I feel I've earned the spot I'm in today. It makes me feel glad that I went through surgeries and came back able to still compete," O'Bryan said. "My team is very supportive and they never treated me any differently."
O'Bryan is enrolled in the honors biology program at ETSU, thanks mostly to her experience in physical therapy during her injuries.
"I decided I wanted to be a biology major from my knee injury. When I first hurt my knee, I was young and curious. I would always be watching and asking questions," O'Bryan said. "My physical therapy got me involved in what I wanted to do as a career so I came to college knowing exactly what I wanted to major in. I'm planning on going to graduate school and studying physical therapy once I graduate."
On the field, things continue to look up for O'Bryan, who has two goals on the season. The first of came against Gardner-Webb on October 16th and the second against
The numerous injuries, surgeries, and hours of physical therapy have shaped O'Bryan into who she is today, on the field and off.
"So many people just quit after an injury. If you do not have the passion for the sport, it is not going to work. I am a naturally competitive person and I will do anything to compete, "O'Bryan said. "I've learned a lot from this experience and I couldn't see myself doing anything else."


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By Charles Babington
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, June 15, 2004; Page A05
A Democratic congressman plans to file a wide-ranging ethics complaint today against House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), shattering the remnants of a seven-year-old, unwritten ethics truce between the two parties and possibly nudging the House back toward a brand of political warfare that helped topple two speakers.
The complaint, which Rep. Chris Bell (D-Tex.) said he will send to the House ethics committee, accuses the House's second-ranking Republican of soliciting campaign contributions in return for legislative favors; laundering illegal campaign contributions through a Texas political action committee; and improperly involving a federal agency in a Texas partisan matter. The House's top two Democrats raised no objections when Bell told them he would file the complaint, according to Bell's office and party leadership aides.
A grand jury in Austin has been looking into the Texas PAC's activities, although DeLay's aides say there is no evidence he is a target of the probe. DeLay has denied wrongdoing in all the matters cited in Bell's complaint.
"These are warmed-over and factually deficient allegations from a bitter partisan on his way out of office," DeLay spokesman Jonathan Grella said yesterday. "This election-year scorched-earth strategy is doomed to fail, as have all previous attempts of this cynical and sad sort that make a mockery of the process."
A DeLay ally, Rep. John T. Doolittle (R-Calif.), said Republicans "are going to have to respond in kind" by filing ethics charges against key Democrats. From now on, he said in an interview, it's a matter of "you kill my dog, I'll kill your cat." Doolittle said he plans to file ethics charges against a prominent Democrat but would not name the target.
Bell's main allegations have been aired before, but there is no evidence the ethics committee -- formally, the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct -- has looked into them. The panel must inquire into charges made by a House member.
Bell, a first-term lawmaker from Houston, lost his reelection bid in the March Democratic primary after his district was substantially redrawn in a contentious 2003 redistricting process backed by DeLay. Bell's loss was a byproduct, not a central goal, of the Republican plan because his redrawn district is more solidly Democratic than before. Neighboring districts, however, became more Republican.
Bell declined to be interviewed yesterday, but his spokesman, Eric Burns, said: "Nothing in this complaint is going to bring his seat in Congress back. This isn't about retaliation; it isn't about politics. It's about protecting the integrity of the House."
Bell's ethics complaint is the first known to be filed by a lawmaker against a House leader since 1997, when both parties agreed to an unwritten truce to end a long series of ethics charges and countercharges dating to the 1980s. The ethics war helped topple two speakers -- Democrat Jim Wright and Republican Newt Gingrich -- and helped the GOP take control of the House in 1994 after accusing Democrats of institutional corruption.
In recent years, some Democrats outside Congress have said the ethics truce was helping Republicans more than Democrats. Self-described watchdog groups berated the House ethics committee for its apparent inaction in a number of cases of questionable conduct raised in the news media and elsewhere.
Sources close to DeLay said House GOP leaders this week would discuss whether to encourage colleagues to file ethics complaints against Democrats or to keep quiet and assume Bell's charges will amount to nothing. Aides to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) said the two leaders neither encouraged nor discouraged Bell when he sent word of his plans to file the complaint. The 18-page document has three components.
Westar: Officers of Kansas-based Westar Energy wrote memos in 2002 citing their belief that $56,500 in campaign contributions to political committees associated with DeLay and other Republicans would get them "a seat at the table" where key legislation was being drafted. Bell's complaint says DeLay "illegally solicited and accepted political contributions in return for official action," but DeLay has said he did no such thing.
TRMPAC: Bell repeats earlier claims that the Texans for a Republican Majority Political Action Committee, created by DeLay, laundered $190,000 in corporate donations through the Republican National Committee, which sent $190,000 to Texas GOP candidates. State law bars such candidates from using corporate donations. DeLay and other Republicans deny the charges.
Federal Aviation Administration: Bell's complaint says DeLay "improperly used his office" when it asked the FAA to help locate a private plane last year. The plane was thought to be carrying Texas Democratic legislators who were preventing a quorum that Republicans needed in Austin to pass their contentious redistricting plan. DeLay has denied any wrongdoing.


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HARTSVILLE, S.C. – The Coker men's lacrosse team will play host to South Atlantic Conference foe Queens University of Charlotte on Wednesday (Mar.5).
The Cobras come into the match with a 2-2 record overall and perfect 1-0 conference mark after suffering a 13-6 non-conference loss to Mount Olive. The Navy and Yellow are led offensively by sophomore Mike Martiello and senior Andy Campos. Martiello leads the team with 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) and Campos comes in second with 15 points (eight goals, seven assists). Both are among the conference leaders in points, Martiello is third, while Campos is fifth. Junior goalkeeper Tim Ryan will look to keep up his exceptional play between the pipes. Ryan is second in the conference in saves with 51 through four games. He also looks to improve upon his 13.24 goals against average.
Queens comes into the contest with a 2-2 record overall after a close 8-7 victory over Florida Tech. The battle with the Cobras will be the first SAC matchup of the season for the Royals. They are led offensively by Garrett Chan and Matthew Michael who come in with 12 and nine points, respectively.
The game is set to start at 3 p.m. at Byerly Park in Hartsville. Live coverage will be available at www.cokercobras.com
Release written by athletics media relations intern Aaron Beebe '15.


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No. 1 Gonzaga Bulldogs
Record: 31-2. How they got here: Won West Coast tournament. Strengths: Deep and talented, Gonzaga is no longer an underdog. Forward Kelly Olynyk leads a potent team that last lost on Jan. 19. Weaknesses: Mark Few's team might not be as tested as other top seeds after playing a weaker conference schedule in the WCC.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY
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What's in an icon? A lot. Quite simply: it is the single most viewed part of your entire application, and it's a major part of your brand.
So, when I tell you that based on design reviews and user reviews, we've updated icon sizes for BlackBerry® 10, changing from 150×150 to 114×114, you can either take the approach of saying: ok, great, my existing icon will automatically scale down or you can take care to make sure you update your icon accordingly. I recommend the latter.
If you're migrating your app from the BlackBerry® PlayBook™ to BlackBerry 10 smartphones, you'll want to pay even more attention to your icons: you're moving from an 86×86 icon size up to 114×114. Scaling up your images is definitely a much worse experience than scaling down – pixilation looks cheap and to the user, your app will stand out on their application screen as "one of these things is not like the others," but for all the wrong reasons.
For the full details on the new size plus a lot of great tips for design considerations for your icons on BlackBerry 10, check out the updated BlackBerry UI Guidelines document. And hey, when you're done looking over the guidelines for the icons, check out the rest of the document too. It's full of useful tips for making your application look and feel its best on BlackBerry 10.
For those of you with BlackBerry 10 Dev Alpha testing devices, you'll see this change take effect in the November beta OS drop.


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For sports fans, there's nothing more powerful than superstition.
Sometimes we wear the same worn-out jersey every Sunday. Sometimes we put good luck charms in our sneakers. And we never, ever, ever say something that might inadvertently jinx our favorite players.
Unless we're John Madden, who passionately declared in an interview with the Detroit Free Press yesterday that the infamous "Madden Curse" does not actually exist, despite the fact that almost every athlete featured on the cover of EA's popular games has suffered some sort of injury, contract issue, or catastrophic meltdown.
Oh, and he cast an evil spell on Detroit Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson.
"If there was such a thing (as a curse), you couldn't ask for a better man to prove that wrong than who we've got this year," Madden said about Johnson, who will be on the cover of Madden 13 when it comes out later this month.
"He might be as close to indestructible as we've ever had on the cover. Maybe I shouldn't say that... that might… I'm not going to talk about that any more."
Oops. Sorry, Lions fans.
Drew Sharp: John Madden stops by Lions camp to talk video-game curse, Megatron and more [Detroit Free Press via The Verge]


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Supreme's Nephew Calls 50 Cent An Asshole! "You Will Never Be Half The Man. That Your Mother Was. She Mother Would Be Disappointed In You"
"presented by mikey t the movie star supremes nephew calls out 50 cent tells him he won't be half the person his mother was ." - Mikey
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Sorry for the delay but it's been sort of hectic with work, my non-math hobbies, and my latest trip up to DC.
Anyway, now that we've introduced the idea of a metric on a manifold, it's natural to talk about mappings that preserve them. We call such maps "isometries", since they give the same measurements on tangent vectors before and after their application.
Now, normally there's no canonical way to translate tensor fields from one manifold to another so that we can compare them, but we've seen one case where we can do it: pulling back differential forms. This works because differential forms are entirely made from contravariant vector fields, so we can pull back by using the derivative to push forward vectors and then evaluate.
So let's get explicit: say we have a metric on the manifold , which gives us an inner product on each tangent space . If we have a smooth map , we want to use it to define a metric on . That is, we want an inner product on each tangent space .
Now, given vectors and in , we can use the derivative to push them forward to and in . We can hit these with the inner product , defining
It should be straightforward to check that this is indeed an inner product. To be thorough, we must also check that is actually a tensor field. That is, as we move continuously around the inner product varies smoothly.
To check this, we will use our trick: let be a coordinate patch around , giving us the basic coordinate vector fields in the patch. If is a coordinate patch around , then we know how to calculate the derivative applied to these vectors:
so we can stick this into the above calculation:
Since we assumed that is a metric, the evaluation on the right side is a smooth function, and thus the left side is as well. So we conclude that is a smooth tensor field, and thus a metric.
Now if comes with its own metric , we can ask if the pull-back is equal to at each point. If it is, then we call an isometry. It's also common to say that "preserves the metric", even though the metric gets pulled back not pushed forward.


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Lol thanks, Best part is my Dreamcast came home to me today, along with a good list 'o games (not all of em but a good few) So woohoo for me!
Though it would look good on my desk I never use. Entered for Apocalypse and Thor too.
You had to be really bored to find that one.
Hell Yeah Shenmue 2 would make anyone shit da brix!
How did you get RS in the costume?
I hope that's the reason and not something else....
That is the best picture I've seen in a while. xD
You just made my day.
EDIT: I've looked at that picture at least 10 times now, and every single time I can't help but at least giggle.
Was about to watch Tropic Thunder myself because
He obviously wants to eat a batarang sandwich
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DelveInsight's, Kaletra API Insights, 2017 Report provides marketed details and API Manufacturers details across the globe along with the location. The report gives the clear idea on the United States Drug Master File USDMF and Europe DMF filed by worldwide countries related to the drug. It also provides the India and China API Manufactures who are driving the current API Market. The report also highlights the patent, patent exclusivity information and competitive landscape. The research, analysis also presents the global sales data till 2016.
Data Sources
The report is built using data and information sourced from proprietary databases, primary and secondary research and inhouse analysis by DelveInsight team of industry experts. Secondary sources information and data has been collected from various printable and nonprintable sources like search engines, News websites, Government Websites, Trade Journals, White papers, Magazines, Trade associations, Books, Industry Portals, Industry Associations and access to available databases.
Note*: Certain sections in the report may be removed or altered based on the availability and relevance of data for the indicated drug.
A review of the Kaletra based on information derived from company and industryspecific sources
Coverage of the Marketed data of the Kaletra on the basis of MOA, target, dosage, route of administration, molecule type, strength, Chemical type and ATC Classification
Coverage of the United States Drug Master File US DMF, Active Substance Master File/EU DMF and API Manufactures in China India for drug with location details.
Patent Expiry Timeline and Exclusivity Details
Global Sales Figure from 20122016
Qualitative and quantitative assessment of market spaceReasons to buy
Evaluate the marketing status and exclusivity details of Kaletra to exploit opportunities for generic drug development opportunities.
Design effective counterstrategies to gain competitive advantage by identifying the key patent expiry details and exclusivity with respect to Kaletra.
API intelligence over Kaletra and gaining primary intelligence over Active Ingredients manufacturers across the globe.
Uncovering opportunities in the rapidly growing the US market
Stay ahead of competition by understanding the changing competitive landscape
Effectively plan your MA and partnership strategies by identifying drugs with the most promising sales potential
Make more informed business decisions from insightful and indepth analysis of the drug's performance
Original Article: KaletraAPI Insights, 2017 [Updated: 30052017] Prices from USD $425NEXT ARTICLE
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PHP, MySQL, Database Programming in Raven, Virginia (VA)
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text: Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums :: View topic - when i was traveling with my clasmates Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!" FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in when i was traveling with my clasmates Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> The Strange and Mysterious View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message ela2004Joined: 11 Jul 2004Posts: 303 Posted: Mon Mar 27, 2006 7:19 pm Post subject: when i was traveling with my clasmates I remember traveling with my 50 classmates when I was a highschool student. We stayed on an island in south korea for 2days. We were so tired as soon as We enjoyed this travel in a day. When most of the students slept deep at night. But i didn't sleep. I Knew that some students used to play a trick on someone while traveling. It comes true.. some students threw one student's pants in the water. It was wet. Next day, everyone thought that the student peed in his pants.. Naturally, he felt bad and he got angry. It was a bad trick. But it impressed us. I can't forget it. -simon Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums Forum Index -> The Strange and Mysterious All times are GMT - 8 Hours Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Student Forums----------------ComputersCurrent NewsCultureEnglish SchoolsFamilyFilm and CinemaFoodHealth and FitnessHelp CenterHobbiesHolidaysLearning EnglishLiteratureMaking FriendsMusicOpinionsPetsScienceSportsThe Strange and MysteriousTOEFL and Other English ExamsTravel You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forum Dave's ESL Cafe is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling. Banner Advertising | Bookstore / Alta Books | FAQs | Articles | Interview with Dave Copyright © 2018 Dave's ESL Cafe | All Rights Reserved | Contact Dave's ESL Cafe | Site Map Teachers College, Columbia University: Train to Teach English Here or Abroad Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group


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It's a 5 game chase but the vast majority clear in 3 games. We are 5-0 so far with 19 plays to go. Also 5-0 on the double dip.
With Oakland clearing Saturday this system is 7-0. Nice work CKP!
Between both systems, they are 14-0 with 15-0 on the double dip.
Don't need thoughts. Stick with the system. Picking and choosing will alter the results.
Bottom line if you don't want to play it don't.
Best of Luck.
Exactly right.


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The seafood shack of every Southern Californian's dreams for the L.A. Times:
PHOTO by MARK BOSTER / L.A. TIMES
Bear Flag Fish Co. is the seafood wonderland we all long for on idle summer days, a fish market-cum-restaurant where brilliant slabs of tuna glint like rubies and the spindrift of crashing waves hangs in the air. It's minimalism at its seafaring best — Bear Flag understands that often all a fish needs is a satisfying char and the salty rush of a beach breeze.
The restaurant sprouted from between the corporate cracks of Newport Beach's Balboa Peninsula. Since it opened in 2008, owner Thomas Carson, a Newport native who grew up working on his father's commercial fishing boat, has seen Bear Flag blossom. There are those who bemoan lunch lines now, but they inevitably wait it out, patiently eyeing the shoal of fillets being branded by the grill.
Bear Flag is a perpetual beach scene: flaxen hair bleached by days in the sun, skin as golden as freshly fried fritters. There may be talk of Lakers losses or the varying niceties of local cigar lounges, but conversation here always wades back into the water, thoughts on surf, sand and shore. The restaurant is Newport Beach incarnate.
Read the rest here.


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Fastest times swam in 2009-10 include: 50 Freestyle in 25.76, 500 Freestyle in 5:38.73 and 200 Butterfly in 2:13.93 at the Malibu Invitational(10/24) ... 100 Freestyle in 55.31 at the Toshiba Classic (11/19-21) ... 200 Freestyle in 2:05.99 vs. Cal State Bakersfield (1/28) ... 200 Individual Medley in 2:16.76 and 400 Individual Medley in 4:54.23 at the Big West Championships (2/17-20) ... was a member of the fastest relay team of the season in 100 Medley with a time of 50.16 at the Trojan Invitational (10/09-10).
A two-year letterwinner as a member of the Water Polo team (Driver) at CSUN, this is her inaugural season with the Women's Swimming team ... received the Pete Accardy Coaches Award as the swimmer who best embodied legendary Northridge head coach, and Matador Hall of Fame Inductee Pete Accardy's spirit of competition and teamwork ... fastest times swam in 2008-09 include: 50 Freestyle in 25.07 at the Big West Championships (2/25-28), the fastest time of any member on the women's team ... 100 Freestyle in 54.54 at the Big West Championships, the second fastest time recorded on the women's team ... 200 Freestyle in 1:59.88 at the Nike Cup (11/20-22), the third fastest time recorded this season on the women's team ... 500 Freestyle in 5:25.86 at the Malibu Invitational (10/25) ... both the 200 IM in 2:11.63 and 400 IM in 4:39.78 at the Big West Championships, the second fastest times recorded this season on the women's team in each event.
Graduated in 2006 with a 3.87 GPA ... was a four-year letterwinner in both swimming and water polo ... was named a starter in both sports for all four years ... was named captain of her swim team in three of the four seasons... also named captain of her water polo team for one season ... earned MVP honors as a member of the Steelers' swim team all four years ... named to the All-Citrus Belt League First Team all four years ... named to the All-CIF Second Team for water polo in 2006 ... currently holds seven different school swimming records ... scored 124 goals in her senior year for her water polo team.
Born May 4, 1988 ... parents are Linda and Vic Scamara ... has one older brother, Luke ... favorite professional team is the US National Water Polo squad ... favorite athlete is Carson Palmer ... lists Mark Wahlberg and Angelina Jolie as her favorite actor and actress ... enjoys watching "Grey's Anatomy" and the movie "Superbad" ... Vince's spaghetti is her favorite food and will avoid sushi whenever possible ... enjoys listening to Britney Spears and any other band that gives her something to dance to ... chose to attend CSUN because of Coach Molly Barnes and Coach Marcelo (Water Polo) ... considers her CIF game-winning backhand shot as her greatest sports moment ... Jamie Vessey from San Diego State is her best friend from another team (swimming/water polo) ... considers making new friends the best thing about being an athlete ... getting enough sleep however is the toughest thing about being an athlete ... likes to watch movies and listen to music during her free time ... has no superstitions but likes to swim during her pregame ritual ... Facebook.com is her favorite website ... has met Hillary Clinton in person ... would like to switch places for a day with Paris Hilton ... would buy a house if she had a million dollars ... would have loved to have dinner with Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy ... "hard work pays off" is the best piece of advice ever given to her ... encourages others to keep their grades up ... people would be surprised by the number of hours spent in a pool during her everyday routine ... title of her autobiography would be, "Small Size Does Not Matter" ... cannot imagine going a week without sleep and music ... spending time with her friends always makes her smile ... considers her dad as her greatest hero due to his smart, honest, and strong work ethic ... is a rare two-sport letterwinner in both swimming and water polo, was named Academic All-American during her last two years at CSUN, and was named Varsity "N" Athlete in 2008 for water polo ... major is Kinesiology.


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UNITED NATIONS—U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he doesn't see "much prospect of resolution" of Syria's civil war by diplomacy.
At his first news conference of the year, the U.N. chief says, "The calamity in Syria is without doubt our main immediate test."
Ban on Tuesday said he conferred Monday with special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi and that "our shared assessment is that we are still a long way from getting the Syrians together."
The secretary-general says the humanitarian situation in Syria is worsening, with millions struggling to survive in a harsh winter with little food and shelter.
Ban says more than 650,000 people have fled the country.


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McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Whisky
Review: McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Whisky 65/100
a review by Chip Dykstra (Aka Arctic Wolf)
Posted April 23, 2010
The McClelland's Lowland Single Malt whisky is the least typical of the four main expressions of this brand. In fact, it was difficult for me, in a blind taste test, to associate this whisky with any particular region, or should I say style, of Scottish whisky. In the end, I correctly named this a Lowland whisky in a blind taste test, more as a matter of default, than by ascertaining distinct lowland characteristics from the dram. The whisky is produced by Morrison Bowmore Distillers. It is distilled from a distillery in the Lowland region of Scotland, and selected to represent the character and essence of the Lowland whisky region.
In the Bottle 5/5
All of the McClelland's Single Malt whiskies come in attractive cardboard canisters. These canisters each feature a vivid landscape by British illustrator Kathy Wyatt. The landscape reflects the particular region of Scotland from which the whisky was distilled. The bottles themselves are typical slender whisky style bottles with labeling that reflects the same landscape as the canisters. A solid cork topper crowns the presentation. I have absolutely no complaint with the whisky presentation in the bottle.
In The Glass 7/10
This whisky is somewhat of a yellow/golden colour in the glass. When I swirl the glass I noticed only a light oil and very skinny legs on the sides of the glass. The aroma from the glass was unexpectedly harsh. I would describe it as acrid and pungent. I also received charred woody aromas and darkly caramelized sugars. Medicinal scents of sharp alcohol and perhaps light menthol made it difficult to ascertain much more.
In the Mouth 38/60
In the case of the McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Scotch, the "lowland" style in not as apparent as the other regional styles were (see my reviews for The McClelland's Highland and McClelland's Islay whisky's). This is not light and laid back as I expect a Lowland whisky to be. It has an alcohol harshness, with a woody, bitter pronunciation to the taste. Charred wood and sugars are forefront on the palate.
I taste a sherry cask influence with expressions of prunes, figs, and dried currants under the charred and woody flavours. Unfortunately these flavours are swallowed by the woody bitterness. Rather than a laid back expression of lowland malt, this is more of an expression of bittersweet pungent wood tannin.
In My Throat 9/15
The finish is dour and full of bitterness. Pungent spices are pronounced during the exit down the throat. Wood smoke is also present which might have been pleasant had it been able to carry sweeter malty flavours with it.
The Afterburn 6/10
I hardly know what to say here. The Lowland expression of McClelland's Single Malt Whisky disappointed me greatly. It seems to miss the mark on so many levels, that I almost think perhaps that I have missed the whole point of the whisky.
You may read some of my other Whisky Reviews (click the link) if you wish to have some comparative reviews.
Suggested Cocktail
For the McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Whisky I am going to suggest a that we do our best to accentuate the positive. The bitter tastes I noted on my palate will actually work very well in certain styles of cocktails.
3/4 oz cherry liqueur
1/4 oz sweet vermouth
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1/2 egg white
Serve in a cocktail glass
Add lemon wedge for garnish
As always you may interpret the scores I provide as follows.
0-25 A spirit with a rating this low would actually kill you.
26-49 Depending upon your fortitude you might actually survive this.
50 -59 You are safe to drink this…but you shouldn't.
60-69 Substandard swill which you may offer to people you do not want to see again.
70-74 Now we have a fair mixing rum or whisky. Accept this but make sure it is mixed into a cocktail.
75-79 You may begin to serve this to friends, again probably still cocktail territory.
80-84 We begin to enjoy this spirit neat or on the rocks. (I will still primarily mix cocktails)
85-89 Excellent for sipping or for mixing!
90-94 Definitely a primary sipping spirit, in fact you may want to hoard this for yourself.
95-97.5 The Cream of the Crop
98+ I haven't met this bottle yet…but I want to.
Very loosely we may put my scores into terms that you may be more familiar with on a Gold, Silver, and Bronze medal scale as follows:
70 – 79.5 Bronze Medal (Recommended only as a mixer)
80 – 89.5 Silver Medal (Recommended for sipping and or a high quality mixer)
90 – 95 Gold Medal (Highly recommended for sipping and for sublime cocktails.)
95.5+ Platinum Award (Highest Recommendation)
2 Responses to "McClelland's Lowland Single Malt Whisky"
April 23, 2010 at 10:25 am
Hmm, too bad about this one. I've heard it is actually a young Auchentoshan, which makes sense because Auchentoshan is owned by Morrison Bowmore.


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NY Times Published The Pentagon Papers, But Can't Be Bothered To Send Reporter To Bradley Manning Trial
from the not-a-big-enough-story? dept
There have been some ongoing hearings, many of which we've covered, but some folks have noticed an oddity. The New York Times did not send a reporter. It merely ran a single AP wire story. Thankfully, the NY Times' own public editor is scolding the paper for its failure here, noting that no matter what you think of Manning or the whole Wikileaks issue:
The testimony is dramatic and the overarching issues are important.The excuse from NYT Washington bureau chief David Leonhardt seems especially weak. Basically, saying there just isn't that much to the story:
The Times should be there.
We've covered him and will continue to do so. But as with any other legal case, we won't cover every single proceeding. In this case, doing so would have involved multiple days of a reporter's time, for a relatively straightforward story.Apparently, when it's someone else, rather than the NY Times itself... it's just a "relatively straightforward story" not worth a reporter's time.


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Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium opened in November of 1924 with an initial seating capacity of 27,000. Originally comprised of the main east and west stands, DKR has undergone numerous upgrades over the years and stands now as the biggest football venue in Texas, with a seating capacity of 100,119. Future expansions will make it the largest football stadium in the United States.
The Texas Longhorns play their home games at Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas. The capacity of DKR is over 94k, but Texas there will be over 100k fans in attendance at a big game. The stadium has two primary levels, a lower-level and upper-level. There are a variety of desirable places to sit at DKR, but the most sought after areas are:
In addition to stadium suites, there are five areas within DKR for hospitality:
There are also two hospitality areas right outside DKR; the Champions Club (formerly Goal Post Club) and the University of Texas Alumni Center. It is also only a short walk from DKR to the tailgating lots. TicketCity has an exclusive tailgate party for each UT home game just a block away from Scholz Bier Garten. The East Side Club opens two hours prior to kickoff.


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Brystal is such a talker. She learned to say no, but it comes out "na. na." She waves her hand around when she says it too. It is cute now, but it probably won't be in a couple years lol. She just sits playing with her toys and she jabbers on and on. Just talking to her toys. It is the cutest thing ever. She is really becoming her own person. It is amazing to watch. When Sophie was little I had to work full time so I wasn't there like I am now. And I feel like I missed out. I love this stage. Brystal is so independent. It is amazing to watch her do things on her own. I love how she is starting to play on her own and play with her sisters. She loves to play with her sisters. She is always crawling to wherever they are. She has to be with them all the time.
She is also eating more and more every week. We are still trying out the Avent cup. She wouldn't use it for a week or so, but I have been working with her this last week and she is doing a lot better. It is great to see her progress. She is still drinking her bottle, but less and less every day! It is great. She is half on Soy milk and half formula. I'm happy we are finally making some progress. She is seeing her physical therapist once a week and speech/feeding therapist once every other week. We have EB Clinic in February. I can't wait. I have a lot to talk to them about. Brystals PT and I both think she needs braces for her legs. She is pigeoned toed and her legs bow. They say kids normally grow out of it, but Brystal still isn't walking and healthy babies walk at 1 year. I am worried her bones will harden before she can walk fully on her own.
We had family pictures done over the weekend. I am so happy how they turned out. Brendan and I were worried because the girls were being little pains. Lol. But they turned out so amazing. I should have known since our photographer is amazing herself. I don't know if I mentioned this the last time we did pictures but she contacted us once she saw Brystal on the news in Tucson in August. She said she would do our pictures anytime we wanted free of charge. Which is awesome because pictures are so expensive.
I also finally got a start date for school as well. I don't know if I mentioned it in my last post, but I had a lot of difficulty getting signed up and what not. Well I am starting in March and it is all online. I am ecstatic. I should be done with school in about a year and half. I can't wait. Everything is coming together. Not in the exact order I would like, but hey! Everything has a way of working out. Tuesday I took Sophie and her best friend to school. While in the car Sophie was telling her how Brystal was in my tummy and that she got owies because she bumped too much while in there. And that she is an angel so they have to be good. I thought this was the sweetest thing I have ever heard. She loves Brystal so much and is so proud to tell everyone she is her sister.
Brystal is doing well all things considered. We had a couple of weeks of huge horrible blisters. Last week she was crawling and just started screaming. I picked her up and was consoling her. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. The next morning when she woke up she had a massive blister on her thumb. It was so big her thumb looked swollen. She was also blistering so bad right where the top of the diaper sat on her belly. It was not healing. And the wound would stick to her diaper. So every diaper change was horrible and she would scream and bleed all over. It was unpleasant for everyone. Brendan bought diapers last week and they were Huggies new kind and they are amazing! I am so happy they work for her. They are so soft! Her two spots on her tummy are healed almost all the way now.
I just want to thank all of you that read our blog and see what life is like with EB. I know Brystal isn't as severe as some others and that she is doing so well all things considered, but life with EB is difficult and a very long road. Doing bandage changes doesn't get any easier. Seeing your child in pain doesn't get any easier. I am used to the blood and the infection and the SMELL of EB. But what Brystal and all the other babies go through we will never understand.
So I started the above post last month and am now just getting back to it. Things have been so hectic! Brystal started standing on her own as of last night! I am so unbelievely proud of her. She is reaching these milestones so much quicker then we thought would happen. WE are all proud of her. She is still saying NO. And it isn't as cute as I thought it was a few weeks ago lol. Everything is No. Want to take a bath? No. Want to play? No. No! She says it with such demand and force. It is some what funny lol. When she says no we are now saying YES right back to her. She also learned how to climb onto Emilys bed. I have to keep putting up the baby gate because she no darts to her sisters room to climb on the bed. She isn't too fond of the baby gate.
She is back to not eating again. She will chew on food and then spit it out. She is also doing this gagging/choking thing. She will be fine playing with her toys and out of no where she will start choking. She has spit up a few times from it. After seeing her GI doctor last week he thinks she will have to have another upper GI done and this will be the 3rd one in less then a year. The last one we had the doctor was VERY rude and left marks on brystals legs. I know we won't get that doctor again, but I just hate to put Brystal through that.
Brystal didn't for to EB Clinic this month. Her doctors changed it for next month. I hope we get some answers. Her leg just doesn't want to heal. We are going to ask about skin graphs. We think that it might help her out some. I am hoping the bottom of her feet don't start to blister since she is standing now.
I myself have been over stressed out. We were having such a few good weeks and then it felt like nothing can go right. Brystal standing on her own helped me a lot yesterday. I wouldn't change a single thing about Brystal, but her medical stuff has put a lot on us and at times it is more then exhausting. I don't know how some other parents do it. I feel like I am missing something? They all make it look so easy and what not. Some days are a struggle for sure. There are so many things I wish I could do for the kids but can't. Hopefully something good will come our way. I'd take anything right now. I know the girls are all happy and that is great!! As a parent I guess I just want more for them. I want to give them everything. We are looking into me getting a job on the weekends. That is the only time we would be able to have someone watch the girls. I haven't worked in almost a year. It will definintely take me time to get used to and be away from the girls. Being a stay at home mom has been a blessing. OKay, I have to go. I hope I can do another post soon!!! <3
So proud of herself for getting on it!!
Playing at the Doctor!
Love how our pictures turned out!!
My FAV picture <3
Doctor :)
Best big sisters
Look who is standing!
Brayce :)


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Health Services
Health services is just like your family doctor, only right here on campus. With convenient walk-in hours and appointments, Student Health Services can meet all of your health care needs: testing, allergy shots, immunizations, physicals and more.
Tuttleman Counseling Services offers free support for students seeking help for emotional, vocational, substance abuse and other concerns. Licensed psychologists and counselors help students in a safe and comfortable environment with one-on-one counseling, support groups and educational programs. Learn more about Tuttleman Counseling Services.
Wellness Resource Center (HEART)
The Wellness Resource Center (HEART) provides wellness education, resources and prevention services to help you make informed choices about your health. Most services are free or low cost, and all are confidential. Learn more about HEART.