Kaze No Stigma – The Hardcore Airbender
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KAZE NO STIGMA
GENRE: Action, Comedy, Romance, Supernatural
DIRECTOR: Junichi Sakata
MANGA AUTHOR: Takahiro Yamato
NUMBER OF EPISODES: 24 Episodes
YEAR: 2007
COUNTRY: Japan
Kaze No Stigma is a Japanese anime show that follows the adventures of a young man named Kazuma Kannagi from a fire wielding clan that has become the black sheep of the family, leaving after he loses his honor by not being able to wield the essence of fire. Kazuma leaves and makes a deal with the spirit king of the wind, making him a “Contractor” of the wind. He returns to murder his previous clan and gets dragged into the mischief of the Kannagi clan and the future head of the clan Ayano Kannagi, with pay of course.
Here is an easy way to explain Kaze No Stigma, it is a darker and more modern version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Three out of the four elements are covered in Kaze No Stigma, fire and air being the two main elements and earth on the back burner. I honestly think they concern themselves with the earth element for maybe three episodes. The main clan, known as the Kannagi clan, are considered the masters of the fire element and are shunned since one of the sons rejected the teachings of the fire element in favor for the more powerful wind element.
Kaze No Stigma is definitely an interesting anime, even if the entire time I was just picturing a bad ass version of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I thought the animation was a little crude in comparison to other animes with similar styles. I guess that is just Junichi Sakata’s style. I really liked both of the characters, Kazuma was hilarious and Ayano’s inferiority complex made her interactions with him priceless. Kazuma’s younger brother, Ren, is caught between both worlds and that is an interesting analysis of relationships. They did have a weird romantic relationship though, her dad does not need to meddle as much as he did.
I did have a few issues with Kaze No Stigma. The main character, Kazuma , is way too overpowered in comparison to the other characters. Besides the main antagonist, there should be a few characters that are at least close to matching his strength. Again, as I mentioned above. My other issue was the relationship between and Kazuma and Ayano. I was hell bent on thinking that both Kazuma and Ayano were related. I was kind if disgusted that her father was forcing a romantic relationship upon them. Aren’t they cousins? Oh well, I guess it was more accepted back then.
PROS:
- More hardcore version of Airbender.
- Enjoyable characters.
- Analysis of relationships.
- Inferiority Complexes!
CONS:
- Crude Animation.
- Weird possible incestuous relationship.
SCORE: 7 / 10
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Who am I? Just some guy who decided to start writing on the Internet years ago and now operates his own brand and site. Owner/Operator of Modern Neon Media, I make all kinds of niche content to suit my interests at the time. DIY Enthusiast, Brewmaster extraordinaire, and avid freak for geek culture. Follow on my socials for a more “on” version of me.