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The first volume of Shakugan no Shana starts off with ordinary high-schooler Yuji Sakai, walking through the city, only to have the world around him stop in time and a doll-like creature attack him. Before he is eaten alive, a red-headed girl with a sword intervenes, killing the creature and returning everything back to normal. We then discover that the girl’s name is Shana and that Yuji’s actually dead, due to circumstances that have yet to be explained in future volumes.

Yuji’s in fact a torch, a temporary being who replaces those who have died at the hands of monsters known as denizens, to gradually remove the person from existence. He’s also surprised to find out that he is a mistes, or a torch with a special item enclosed within him, making him a key target for the denizens. Shana then resolves to protect Yuji, or at least until he ceases to exist, due to the extremely short life span of torches.

Through the course of the volume, Yuji goes through the realization that he has very few days left to exist, making him an interesting character. What makes this character likable are the acts of kindness he performs to gain the respect of others, due to his odd selflessness which only enhances his likability. This is a big contrast to other shonen characters, which usually rely on combat skills, as Yuji has a complete lack of skills related to harming others.

Shana is a basic tsundere character, who is interesting as her lack of knowledge of humans, emotions, and society cause her to get into a few funny scenarios caused by her ignorance. She also views Yuji as an object, and not a human being, resulting in internal conflicts between the two, making the relationship between them engrossing. She is also a flame haze, giving her the ability to summon flames from her sword, allowing her to disintegrate enemies.

The art for this volume is mixed, since action scenes are way too cluttered, resulting in some very confusing scenes that will require quite a bit of study before they can be fully grasped. Character designs look good most of the time, but would’ve really benefited from more detail. The backgrounds lack lots of detail, resulting in some environments looking generic and bland.

Art aside, volume one of Shakugan no Shana is a great start for the series and I will definitely purchase the second volume. Those looking for a manga with an interesting story should pick this up, as the events of this volume have officially left me hooked to this series. A great blend of action and romance, Shakugan no Shana is a great, if visually unpolished, manga that isn’t likely to be forgotten.