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.

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