Alastor's Anguish (アラストールの苦悩 Arasutōru no Kunō) is the second track and first audio drama of the Shakugan no Shana Assorted Shana Vol. I soundtrack. It is set sometime before episode 18 of the anime series.
Alastor was troubled by something and tasked Yūji with writing a postcard about his worries to a radio counseling program without Shana finding out.
Summary[]
The radio was tuned in to "Dōko Majori's Cheerful Life Counseling" (魔女理銅子の朗らか人生相談), a counseling radio program hosted by the radio personality Dōko Majori and her laughing sidekick Marukoshiwasu. In the program, Majori would read postcards sent in to the show and give the sender counseling. She read the first postcard for that episode, sent in by someone from Misaki City with the pseudonym "I Love Tanaka-kun", and Marukoshiwasu got excited by the idea that the sender was a woman. In the postcard, which angered Marukoshiwasu due to it only being addressed to Majori, "I Love Tanaka-kun" had written that she was a high school first year who was madly in love with someone, but was too embarrassed to confess to them, and asked Majori what to do to get in a relationship with them. Marukoshiwasu suggested that the writer get drunk and force themselves on their love, but Majori whacked him. Majori's advice to "I Love Tanaka-kun" was to confess to Tanaka during the confusion of her local festival. Majori and Marukoshiwasu then proceeded to the next postcard.
Yūji turned off the radio, as something about the program was bothering Alastor. Alastor made sure that Shana, who had just started having a bath, wouldn't be back for the time being, and asked Yūji for a favor. It was something only Yūji could do and Shana couldn't. Yūji was made to hold the Cocytus to his ear and Alastor whispered his request, which was for him to write a postcard for Majori's show about his worries. Yūji found it hard to believe that Alastor had worries, as he thought of him as a Crimson Lord in a cool pendant hanging from Shana's chest who did nothing but act self-important, and this in turn angered Alastor. Alastor confessed that he previously had no worries when he had been fighting with the "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter", but after settling into Misaki City he had become full of worries. He couldn't show Shana his weakness, but Yūji was a Mystes and could be easily destroyed if he were to try revealing Alastor's worries. Yūji was concerned about the threat to his life but offered to listen to Alastor's worries instead of having to send the postcard. Alastor wanted to have Majori hear his worries, and when Yūji figured out that Alastor was her fan, he threatened Yūji again with erasure. Yūji didn't know if he had postcards in his house and couldn't ask his mother because she was out, but Alastor knew that there were some in the cupboard.
Shana was singing in the bath, in which she had put in hot spring essence that Chigusa had bought for her. She was relaxing when Yūji called from outside the bathroom, asking about the water temperature. He told her that she could take her time in the bath and left, and Shana thought it was unusual that he would say such things.
Yūji returned to Alastor with a postcard, and Alastor urged him to quickly write the postcard before Shana came back. The handwriting had to be neat or there would be doubts about Alastor's character. Concerning the pseudonym for the radio program, Alastor would not hide by shying away from his True Name, "Flame of Heaven", but after Yūji pointed out that this would reveal his identity to Shana, he quickly changed his mind. Alastor then suggested the pseudonym "Worrying Ara-chan" (悩めるアラちゃん), which Yūji laughed at.
With the pseudonym settled, Alastor stressed the importance of the opening sentence on first impressions. He wanted it to stand out and reflect himself; passionate yet calm, mature yet still possessing a boyish heart. Yūji wrote a plain opening, angering Alastor, but argued that Alastor was taking too long and Shana would come out of the bath. Just at that moment, Shana entered the room and found Yūji and Alastor suspicious. She had seen that Yūji had been hiding something when he had come to the bathroom. Shana pressured Yūji to tell her what they had been doing and told Alastor to shut up when he tried to defend Yūji. Shana pinched Yūji's nose to get him to talk, Yūji kept telling her that they weren't doing anything, and Alastor silently urged Yūji to endure or he would lose face. Shana then asked Alastor the same question and he lied that he was listening to Yūji's worries. Shana was annoyed that Yūji would go to Alastor with his worries instead of her and offered to hear his worries straight away. Yūji claimed he didn't have any worries but was labelled a liar by Shana and Alastor, who had turned on him.
Shana left the house to buy melonpan, vowing to hear Yūji's worries when she returned. Alastor praised Yūji for enduring the interrogation, leading Yūji to complain about his betrayal. Yūji wanted to continue writing the postcard and asked what Alastor's worries were. Alastor was worried about interpersonal relationships. Previously he had only been with Shana, but now he interacted with "Chanter of Elegies", "Claw and Fangs of Violation", Yūji's mother, and Yūji himself, and the fact that he couldn't carelessly talk in public had built up stress in him. On one such occasion, Alastor had been with Shana in town when a high school girl had said that Shana's pendant was "super cute" and he couldn't thank her, his recollection leaving Yūji unimpressed. Alastor voiced his regrets at not manifesting in this world with a human appearance, with which he would be more popular and have more appearances, but Yūji pointed out that that would be bad as Alastor would be using Power of Existence. Alastor's plan was to receive words of comfort from Majori.
Yūji pledged to write the postcard and began to write about Alastor's worries when Yoshida suddenly opened the door and entered his room. She had come into the house because she had noticed the front door was open, due to Shana not closing it when she left. Yūji unconvincingly stated that the wind had blown the door open. Yoshida had been walking her dog Ekaterina and her feet had led her to Yūji's house. She was convinced that it was due to fate that the door had been open and wanted to continue talking. Yūji pointed out to Yoshida that Ekaterina wasn't present, but she said that Ekaterina was well-behaved and could return home, as she had once abandoned Ekaterina in Aomori only for her to return home after a month. Yoshida began making small talk about Yūji staying at home on a non-school day until Yūji excused himself from the room while holding Cocytus. Outside, Alastor urged Yūji to send Yoshida away so they could finish the postcard. Yūji was also restless of Shana returning to find Yoshida in his room but felt it rude to dismiss her so soon. Yoshida discovered the postcard on Yūji's desk and read it before he could stop her. She thought the worries written on it were Yūji's, as the handwriting was his, and was shocked. Yūji tried to say that they weren't his worries, but Yoshida stated that there wasn't anyone else present who the worries could belong to, unless there was someone dwelling in the cool pendant he was holding. Yoshida couldn't forgive herself for not realizing Yūji's worries, though her self-abasement turned into self-praise halfway through.
As Yoshida started wailing, Shana returned to the house and was bewildered by the situation. Yoshida told Shana about Yūji's worries on the postcard. Yūji remarked that Yoshida seemingly didn't care that Shana was at his house, but Yoshida thought it was just a coincidence. Shana demanded to know why Yūji had confessed his worries to Yoshida and not to her, and he obviously couldn't explain the situation. Yoshida wanted to know what Yūji meant by "interpersonal relationships", going on a tangent and considering things like Ike's glasses blinding him, Ike's hairstyle, or how Ike wore his uniform. Yoshida couldn't forgive Ike despite Yūji never mentioning him, whereas Shana didn't recall who Ike was. Shana said she would give Yūji melonpan if he told her more about Ike. Yoshida had also brought a bento, which she claimed was emergency rations for her dog walking. As Yūji tried to explain the postcard, Shana was yelling about Ike, and Yoshida was trying to feed Yūji, Alastor thought that his worries would continue.
A week after sending the postcard, Yūji and Alastor listened to another episode of Dōko Majori's Cheerful Life Counseling, as it might be read out this episode. The first postcard was Alastor's, which excited him and scared Yūji. Majori read the postcard, which had a postscript asking for Alastor to be called Ara-chan-san (アラちゃんさん) when being comforted. Marukoshiwasu laughed and called him a "shy boy". Majori comforted Alastor by urging him to not lose to interpersonal relationships. Majori quickly turned to the next postcard, written by Ekaterina from Aomori, who wrote that she was a dog who had been abandoned by her owner during a trip to Aomori.
Yūji turned off the radio and asked Alastor if this was good enough, thinking it would have been better getting some advice. Alastor was satisfied that Majori had kindly called him Ara-chan-san and began laughing like a maniac.
Characters[]
- Dōko Majori (魔女理 銅子 Majori Dōko),[1] the "Reader of Postcards" (葉書の読み手 Hagaki no Yomite)
- Marukoshiwasu (丸子師走)[1]
- "I Love Tanaka-kun" (田中君大好き Tanaka-kun Daisuki)
- Tanaka-kun (mentioned)
- Yūji Sakai
- Alastor
- Chigusa Sakai (mentioned)
- Shana
- "Chanter of Elegies" (mentioned)
- "Claw and Fangs of Violation" (mentioned)
- Kazumi Yoshida
- Ekaterina (mentioned)
- Hayato Ike (mentioned)
Locations[]
Quotes[]
- Marukoshiwasu: "Ahhhh! A girl!? Is it a girl!? A gi- ahhhh, ahhhhhhhhhahahahahaha!"
- Yūji (to Alastor): "You have worries even though you're a Crimson Lord? Even though you're in that cool pendant, which hangs from Shana's chest, and self-importantly saying "Hmm" or "Is that so?" is all you do?"
- Alastor: "No, er... I want Dōko Majori-dono to hear my worries."
Yūji: "Ah, you're her fan."
Alastor: "I'll erase you." - Alastor: "Hmph, don't make light of me. I am the Crimson Lord "Flame of Heaven" Alastor. I would never lie about my True Name and hide-"
Yūji: "Then it'll be obvious to Shana."
Alastor: "Please come up with a pseudonym for me." - Alastor: "Er, errr, Shana, hounding someone when you have no proof is-"
Shana: "Be quiet, Alastor!" - Shana: "Nothing but lies!"
Alastor: "That's right, Yūji Sakai. It's not good to keep secrets."
Yūji: "Hey, how can you side with her and say that!?" - Alastor: "Yes, good work enduring it."
Yūji: "No, not "Yes, good work enduring it."! Forcing things on people, joining in to attack me, I didn't think you were that kind of perso-, no, Crimson Lord!" - Yoshida (to Yūji): "Oh, it's fine. Ekaterina is well-behaved, so she can return home by herself. The other day I abandoned her in Aomori, but she came back after about a month."
- Yoshida: "Then whose are they!? Are you saying there's someone dwelling in that cool pendant you're holding, and he's having worries!?"
Alastor (thinking): "Mmm?"
Yūji (thinking): "She's an intuitive girl." - Alastor (to Yūji): "Just having Dōko Majori-dono tenderly call me Ara-chan-san is enough for me-, hmmhmmhmmhmhmhmhmhmhmmhahahahaha, ahaaaahaaaahaaahahahahaha, ahhhhahahaha!"
Trivia[]
- Matake Ogata, who can be assumed to be the identity of "I Love Tanaka-kun", acted on the advice from Majori by confessing her feelings to Tanaka during the Misago Festival in episode 18, and therefore "Alastor's Anguish" must take place prior to it.
Cultural References[]
- In the first radio episode, Marukoshiwasu announced himself as the idol of high school girls (女子高生), whereas in the second, he claimed to be the idol of OLs.
- "I Love Tanaka-kun" had mentioned wanting to be in a "super steady" (とびっきりステディ) relationship with Tanaka, which seemed to be an old-fashioned phrase for the radio show hosts, as they likened it with disco fever.
- Shana's hot spring essence was taken from Kusatsu Onsen.
- When talking about pseudonyms for the radio program, Yūji came up with one for himself, "Manzai Duo: Reiji and Maigo" (漫才コンビ 零時と迷子).
- Yoshida made small talk about recently finding out that "indoor" (インドア) and "India" (インド) have nothing to do with each other.
- One of the dishes in Yoshida's bento was tamagoyaki.