Kaze no Stigma

Genre:
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural 

Duration: 24 Episodes 

Synopsis:
Yagami Kazuma, whose real name is Kannagi Kazuma, was banished from the Kannagi household when he was 12 because he lacked power to become a Fire Mage, the magic specialty of the Kannagi family. As a result, he left and began a new life under a new name. 4 years on, he returns, with powers comparable with those of his father, Kannagi Genma, but of a different element. He is now a Wind Mage. Upon his return, three Kannagi family members are killed, and he is the top suspect, since there are traces the Kannagi trio are killed by elements of the Wind. His father goes on a search for him, and challenges him to a duel. Kazuma wins and his father is hospitalised. Kazuma goes on to prove his innocence by helping his blood cousin, Ayano Kannagi, and his blood brother, Ren Kannagi, defeat the real villains who killed the Kannagi trio. This is just the beginning of the trio’s adventure where they will face many magic users and magi, both good and evil alike. As their adventures unfold, and as they seem to be working together for most of the time, Ayano begins to develop feelings for Kazuma. Kazuma, on the other hand, either has no feelings for love, or has not noticed anything, or simply being ignorant. 

Story:  9/10
This anime is one-of-a-kind, at least to me. This is the first time that I’ve watched an anime, expected something to happen, and it did not, but when I did not expect anything to happen, it happened. I’m talking about the genres. They are very misleading. They are not consistent, but yet, they exist. Strong enough to be included in the genre list, anyway. There are 3 parts to the anime which I notice the genres are somewhat intertwined. The first few episodes have, as I recalled, not the slightest bit of comedy, and I was expecting it, since I wanted to watch this anime because of the Comedy element. There are killings, bloody acts, and more. No laughing matter. Then came the next few episodes, and I was expecting more violence, but comedy and romance took over, just like that. This is the second part I’m describing. The third part refers to the last few episodes, where there are dramatic elements involved, and the bloody killings return. The storyline however, remains intact. The story never really strayed, unless you count the usual romantic and comedy elements like amusement parks and hot springs. Apart from that, Kaze no Stigma focuses on the life of Yagami Kazuma, a banished kid who returns to seek revenge, but instead gets involved with family matters, as if he’s been accepted back into the family line. 

Characters:  8.5/10
There are not many characters to worry about, since there are only a few focused ones. The only ones worth looking out for are basically the main protagonists Kazuma and Ayano, and Kazuma’s younger brother, Ren. Kazuma is a cool and collected character, who always considers well before executing his moves. He has a dark past, and it makes him destructive and violent, at which time almost nobody has the power to stop him. Ayano is a typical girl of an anime where she likes a guy and does not admit it. Her characteristics are that she is serious and aggressive, similar to Kazuma, but she does not calculate her moves before executing them, which almost always results in her acquiring Kazuma’s help in the end. As the story progresses, she develops feelings for Kazuma, and gets jealous easily when other girls are with him. Ren is an admirable character. He looks fragile and weak on the outside. He is, initially. However, he grew in strength when things get personal, and that is when his true powers show. Ren seems to be the only one in the whole Kannagi clan who Kazuma actually cares and worries for. 

Animation:  9/10
The animation is absolutely amazing. The effects that occurred when magi clash together are well animated. The proper use of colour to show different elements of magic helps viewers understand which mage belongs to which element of magic. The effects are, to me, what will keep viewers hooked to the screen. Apart from the effects, the characters are also drawn beautifully with fine details to show their differences. The usual anime sort of animation, and that alone to me, is of a high standard. 

Music:  7/10
The songs for this anime are not very pleasing to me. The opening Blast of Wind, sounds quite slow for an anime with a lot of action-packed scenes. There are two significant endings songs, Hitorikiri no Sora and Matataki no Kiwoku, with the latter being one of my favourite original soundtracks. The former has the same flow as the opening song, and is sung by the same singer. But hey, songs that are not pleasing to me might be pleasing to others, so check them out either way. 

Overall: 8.5/10
The anime, as I have mentioned before, is one-of-a-kind, because the genres are inconsistent. This makes it special, not entirely off-focus. No other anime has made me felt this way that I’ll be pulled from one genre to another fairly quickly and without warning. Viewers can expect multitudes of movement and action, since protagonists tend to fight whenever they meet. So for the action-loving viewers, this is a must-watch.

Lucky Star

Genre:
Comedy, Slice of Life 

Duration: 24 Episodes 

Synopsis:
Konata Izumi is a very enthusiastic girl who has excessive love for animes and video games. Kagami Hiiragi is a straightforward girl who views things in a very realistic way. Her twin sister, Tsukasa Hiiragi, happens to be a blur girl who behaves in an overly cute way. Miyuki Takara is a very intelligent girl, but she has problems focusing on the environment, resulting in mistakes that somewhat make her turn people on. Four friends with different behaviours make their way through their high school life. Listen to them talk about life, debate about the simplest of matters, like how to eat a chocolate coronet, and why some students don’t get to choose to wear either their summer or winter uniforms when they feel like it, but follow the season pattern instead. The four friends will meet many characters along the way, each with their own funny traits. Characters like their teacher Nanako Kuroi, Konata’s cousins Yui Narumi and Yutaka Kobayakawa, and a variety of schoolmates in their high school. 

Story:  9.5/10
Story? What story? This anime does not even consist of a plot. So why do I give it such a high score? It is because of its highly excessive randomness. Probably the most random anime in the market today, Lucky Star promises to bring laughs even to the toughest of tough guys. No kidding. Take a simple matter like imagining a person’s future job. Usually one would think that there are many diverse jobs one can apply for, but by looking at somebody like Konata, all the images she imagines in her mind are all the same; sitting in front of a computer. Watch it, and it will be funnier than me explaining the scene. Another example that grabbed my attention is the part where Tsukasa asks Kagami for advice on how to deal with sleepiness when studying, and Kagami advises Tsukasa to sleep early and wake up early the next day to study. The typical outcome of not waking up at the usual time instead because of the ‘I vaguely remember turning something off at some point’ action is portrayed in the best way possible here. Plot? Storyline? Who needs it when you’ve got this much randomness. 

Characters:  9.5/10
Some people might think that Lucky Star is an anime with too many characters. But the fact that each of the characters has their own traits and how they relate to many people in real life is the main capture point here. Viewers will be surprised at how accurate the behaviours of the characters might fit theirs, and make them feel embarrassed or proud of themselves depending on how their behaviours are shown in this anime. Apart from the four main characters mentioned above, the other supporting characters are no less entertaining. Nanako Kuroi is a gaming teacher who always plays with Konata online resulting in the latter sleeping in class, and Yui Narumi is a comical I-don’t-give-a-damn-about-studies type of police officer who gets pissed off whenever somebody drives faster than her, and gives nonsense advices like ‘If you don’t know the answer, just write something close to it’. Then, there is Minami Iwasaki, neighbour of Miyuki, who is all cool and collected, but she has a weakness of being envious about people with large breasts. There are simple to many characters to talk about, and watching the anime will be the best way to understand each and every one of them. 

Animation:  8/10
The animation is moderate, if I should say. It is not as graphical or realistic as ‘Mecha’ animes or even most action-packed animes, but more like drawn for kindergarten kids. Even so, the differences between each character are very apparent, even though the surroundings seem like they are drawn with sketches. This is a random anime with cutely drawn characters, to put it short. Oh, and if there is a main focus on a scene, like only two characters talking to each other, then the crowd, if any, is drawn as outlines instead. Simple animation at its best, maybe.  

Music:  9/10
There is only one obvious song for the whole series, and that is the opening ‘Motteke! Sailor Fuku’, a fast-paced song showing the characters of the anime dancing and cheerleading. A great song to listen to, especially when you’re feeling down, as many people agreed on. There are also other songs that are included in the anime, and all of them are taken from other animes, some of which are Doraemon and Full Metal Panic. This happens during the ending, when the four main characters are having their karaoke session. The background music, or sounds, is just perfect for this anime, since it is filled with lameness and randomness. I cannot describe the background music, it’s… quite random, if you get my drift. You’ll have to watch the series to listen to it. 

Overall: 9/10
Overall, a great anime, one worth watching with friends, especially those who are into these types of random animes. Great to watch when you’re feeling down, too. Greatly recommended to the anime community. This is one anime not to be missed. You may call it stupid, but to others, and most of the anime-loving people, it’s brilliant.