Shakugan no Shana (灼眼のシャナ)

- Alastor: A HEARTBEAT THAT LASTS FOR ETERNITY.

LIVES CONSUMED IN SOUNDLESS BALLS OF FIRE.

NO ONE CAN TELL WHEN THE WORLD IS DISPLACED,

AND THE FLAMES OF THE CRIMSON WORLD SWEEP OVER ALL.

( theme music playing )

( woman singing in Japanese )

- Boy: IT HAPPENED IN MISAKI CITY,

WHEN THE CHERRY BLOSSOMS WERE IN FULL BLOOM.

THEY WERE LATER THAN USUAL THIS YEAR.

MY NAME IS YUJI SAKAI.

THE SCHOOL YEAR HAD JUST BEGUN, AND I WAS SETTLING

INTO THE DAILY ROUTINE THAT WAS THE LIFE

OF A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT.

A MORNING NO DIFFERENT FROM ANY OTHER.

NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY.

DAYS LIKE THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO LAST FOREVER.

- ( wind howls ) - OOH!

Yuji: AT THE TIME, I COULDN'T EVEN BEGIN

TO IMAGINE WHAT WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.

I HAD NO INKLING OF THIS STRANGE,

DIVERGENT WORLD I WAS SOON TO ENCOUNTER

OR OF THE FACT THAT I WAS ABOUT TO DIE.

( crashing )

( snarling )

- WHAT'S GOING ON? WHAT IS THIS?

WHAT'S HAPPENING?

AAH!

IT'S YUM-YUM TIME.

AND THEN, I SAW HER.

THE GIRL WITH THE FLAME RED HAIR AND BLAZING EYES.

Yuji: THAT WAS THE DAY MY WORLD

CHANGED FOREVER.

Yuji: THE DAY BEGAN WHEN I MET UP WITH HAYATO IKE,

A BUDDY FROM JUNIOR HIGH.

MY LAST MORNING WAS JUST SO NORMAL.

HEY, SAKAI!

HMM? HI.

IT DOESN'T EVEN FEEL LIKE

I'VE MOVED UP TO HIGH SCHOOL WITH YOU HERE.

YOU KNOW, NOTHING'S CHANGED, REALLY.

- HEY, DON'T MAKE IT MY FAULT. I MEAN, YOU'RE SMART ENOUGH.

YOU COULD'VE GONE ANYWHERE.

- YEAH, BUT I'D RATHER STICK CLOSE TO HOME.

- IT'S A BIT UNFAIR YOU GOT TO CHOOSE THIS SCHOOL

FOR THAT REASON.

I MEAN, MY MARKS WERE BARELY GOOD ENOUGH

TO GET ME IN THE DOOR.

- YOU SAY THAT, BUT YOU'RE THE KIND OF PERSON

WHO ALWAYS FINDS SOME WAY TO GET WHAT HE WANTS.

- MAYBE I'M JUST LUCKY. - MAYBE YOU'RE JUST SHREWD.

YOU REALLY THINK SO?

MY HEAD WAS FILLED WITH THOUGHTS OF HIGH SCHOOL

AND WHAT IT WAS GONNA BE LIKE.

HUH?

YO!

OH, UH, GOOD MORNING!

YOU DON'T HAVE TO YELL.

- WHOA, HE'S JUST A LITTLE STANDOFFISH.

- THAT'S SATO. I HEAR HE WAS A REAL TROUBLEMAKER

IN JUNIOR HIGH.

BUT YOU SEE THAT JOCK NEXT TO HIM?

I THINK HIS NAME IS TANAKA.

ANYWAY, SATO'S REALLY CALMED DOWN A LOT

SINCE THEY STARTED HANGING OUT.

REALLY?

- I'VE MET GUYS LIKE THAT BEFORE.

THEY THINK WE'RE JUST A COUPLE OF BORING HONOR STUDENTS,

NOT EVEN WORTH TALKING TO. - WE'RE HONOR STUDENTS?

YEAH, WELL, MAYBE YOU ARE, BUT I'M SURE NOT.

- WELL, IT'S NOT UNUSUAL TO HAVE ONE OR TWO GUYS IN A CLASS

WHO JUST DON'T FIT IN,

SO THERE'S NO USE WORRYING ABOUT IT.

YEAH.

SCHOOL HAD STARTED A WEEK AGO.

THOUGH IT WASN'T A NON-STOP PARTY,

AT LEAST IT WASN'T A BOTTOMLESS PIT OF DESPAIR, EITHER.

I HAD A NORMAL LIFE, AND THINGS WERE STARTING TO LOOK PROMISING.

THANKS.

THERE WERE SOME PRETTY CUTE GIRLS IN THOSE CLASSES.

FROM A MALE POINT-OF-VIEW,

THINGS WERE DEFINITELY LOOKING UP.

- Teacher: SAKAI? - HUH?

- YUJI SAKAI, RIGHT? - YES, YES, I AM.

- WELL, WHAT WERE YOU STARING OFF INTO SPACE FOR?

READ THE NEXT PART.

- I, UH-- - Boy: BUSTED!

- ( class murmuring ) - Boy: WATCH THIS!

"MY FATHER HAD JUST RETURNED FROM TOKYO.

I WAS TO START ATTENDING THE SCHOOL BUILT

WHERE THE FAMILY STUDY CENTER ONCE STOOD.

AND I WOULD HAVE TO MAKE THE LONG WALK EVERY DAY.

TO GET TO THE SCHOOL FROM HOME, I HAD TO PASS THROUGH A WICKET

THAT WAS BUILT INTO OUR WEST GATE.

THERE'S STILL THE REMAINS OF A GUARD HOUSE NEAR THE WICKET.

A MAN IN HIS 50s LIVES THERE WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILD."

WELL, THINGS WENT ON AS USUAL,

BUT I'M NOT COMPLAINING.

I HAD NO IDEA MY LIFE WAS SO FRAGILE.

ALL IT TOOK WAS FIVE MINUTES

FOR IT TO COLLAPSE AND COME UNDONE.

( maniacal laughing )

Yuji: GOT ANY PLANS?

- Ike: SAMPLE EXAM AT MY PREP SCHOOL.

- PREP SCHOOL? YOU'RE PREPARING FOR UNIVERSITY ALREADY?

- WELL, I GOTTA MAKE MY PARENTS HAPPY.

SEE, MY ALLOWANCE DEPENDS ON IT. AND YOU?

- HMM. I'VE GOT SOME FREE TIME.

I THINK I'LL CHECK OUT THE CDs BY THE TRAIN STATION.

SEE YA.

- Yuji: THINKING BACK, I WONDER

HOW THINGS WOULD HAVE TURNED OUT IF I'D GONE STRAIGHT HOME.

WOULD MY FATE HAVE BEEN THE SAME IF I'D BEEN SOMEPLACE ELSE?

BUT I HAD NO IDEA AT THE TIME

THAT I WAS ONLY A FEW METERS AWAY FROM THE SPOT

WHERE THE WORLD WAS GOING TO BE DISPLACED.

( grunting )

- HUH? - OH.

- HI. I DIDN'T KNOW YOU LIVED OUT THIS WAY, SAKAI.

- NO, I JUST CAME IN HERE TO LOOK AT THE CDs.

I LIVE IN OGAWA CHO. - WOW, ARE YOU SERIOUS?

I LIVE IN AIZAWA CHO. JUST AFTER SHIN MISAKIDORI.

- WOW, THAT'S REALLY CLOSE. - YEP.

- OH, BY THE WAY, THANKS FOR THE HELP IN LANGUAGE CLASS.

- WELL, SOMETIMES I DON'T PAY ATTENTION, EITHER.

- COVER FOR ME NEXT TIME. - YOU GOT IT.

I COULDN'T HELP NOTICING,

IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE IKE'S WITH YOU TODAY.

- NO, HE COULDN'T MAKE IT, 'CAUSE HE'S GOT PREP SCHOOL.

WHAT'S UP? - NOTHING.

IT'S JUST YOU'RE ALWAYS TOGETHER.

WE'RE NOT ALWAYS TOGETHER.

- HEY, SAKAI. I WAS SORT OF WONDERING.

DO YOU KNOW IF IKE HAS A GIRLFRIEND OR ANYTHING?

NO, NOT THAT I KNOW OF.

HMM. I SEE.

- WELL, I THINK I'M GONNA DROP BY THE STATION BUILDING.

OKAY, TAKE IT EASY.

- I GET IT. SHE LIKES IKE.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HOW HE REACTS TO THIS.

( distant shrieking )

HMM?

- ( laughing ) - COME BACK HERE, YOU SCAMP.

HEY, KID, WATCH OUT!

THIS CAN'T BE.

WHAT THE-- WHAT? WHAT'S GOING ON?!

OKAY, I'M READY.

- THERE AREN'T AS MANY AS I FIRST THOUGHT.

BUT THERE SHOULD BE MORE THAN ENOUGH. LET THE FEAST BEGIN.

- YEAH, LET'S EAT! LET'S EAT!

- SO YUMMY. TASTE SO YUMMY!

- YOU MUSTN'T TALK WHILE YOU'RE EATING. IT'S BAD MANNERS.

SORRY.

WHAT'S GOING ON?