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REVIEW: Kaze No Stigma DVD


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Otaking09



Joined: 24 Feb 2009
Posts: 637
PostPosted: Thu Aug 06, 2009 11:29 pm Reply with quote
I, personally, liked the first half of Kaze no Stigma.

While I agree that Kazuma is a little too strong for some parts, that was, too me, what made it so interesting.
It's rare for me too see a lead already so powerful in the beginning.
Equally interesting was his backstory: He was weak before, now he's souped up, and is who he is.

I found his interactions with Ayano also intersting. And, while
I do find his agreeing to a "date" weird after constant threats, it just proves he likes her.

I didn't care so much for the action, since I've seen better superpower anime elsewhere (like Speed Grapher).

All in all, it was weak in writing/action, but the characters and the build up between them, was what I found to be the most intersting!
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Big Hed



Joined: 04 May 2006
Posts: 1607
Location: Melbourne, Australia
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:10 am Reply with quote
I'm quite pleased to see a review for this. Now I can definitively remove it from my potential buy list (unless the second half turns out stellar).
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kynoki



Joined: 09 Sep 2008
Posts: 21
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 10:26 am Reply with quote
im sorry but i think this review is off. not to be rude but most of what you sed is your way of looking at the anime. such as Overall (dub) : C+
Overall (sub) : C+ the dub/sub was more like a b or b+. iv wach this in Japanese and eng the cast did very well much better then a c+. all so this show never seems to get boring like others out there idk id say its worth a buy maybe you need to re wach it////////conducive to fan service, it rarely takes advantage of them, instead innocuously sticking in a handful of little snippets such as a long-distance shot of wind momentarily flipping up Ayano's skirt during an action scene//// did you evean wach the end of disc 1 with Misao being very nude is that not fan service Laughing
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iathomps



Joined: 08 Nov 2007
Posts: 68
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 11:36 am Reply with quote
If there was one redeeming feature of this anime, it was Kazuma. In most other fantasy/action anime, featuring a Tsundere heroine, the guy is the everydude and whipped by his superpowered girlfriend. You see this in Yuji in Shakugan no Shana, Saito in Zero no Tsukaima, Shiro in Fate/Stay Night, Sousuke in Full Metal Panic, etc. Guy makes girl angry, he gets hit by her, repeat ad nauseum. and she gets away scot free for this pscyho behavior because its cheap physical humor. Ugh.

Now, all of the aforementioned characters do end up becoming somewhat bad-ass and have their own moments of awesome, but its still clear who wears the pants in the relationship.

In this context, having an anime character with "Steven Segal Syndrome" is like a breath of fresh air. Kazuma decides "you know, I am NOT going to let myself get hit and bossed around by my hot tempered cousin" and not only that, but actively enjoys pushing Ayano's buttons, and its great.

Its also kinda nice seeing a protagonist that doesn't rely on Training and Heroic Resolve to always come out on top. Almost all shonen protagonists rely on Heroic Resolve, Determination and Ideals to win battles, but they always win, and continually get more and more powered up and the show progresses. Having a main character who is a more anti-hero and already powered up (the training takes place in brief flashbacks) like, say, Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, is welcome in my book as well.

But yeah, the writing is weak, the plot never really goes anywhere, but the characters are great.
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youngavatar



Joined: 28 Nov 2007
Posts: 28
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 12:57 pm Reply with quote
iathomps wrote:
If there was one redeeming feature of this anime, it was Kazuma. In most other fantasy/action anime, featuring a Tsundere heroine, the guy is the everydude and whipped by his superpowered girlfriend. You see this in Yuji in Shakugan no Shana, Saito in Zero no Tsukaima, Shiro in Fate/Stay Night, Sousuke in Full Metal Panic, etc. Guy makes girl angry, he gets hit by her, repeat ad nauseum. and she gets away scot free for this pscyho behavior because its cheap physical humor. Ugh.

Now, all of the aforementioned characters do end up becoming somewhat bad-ass and have their own moments of awesome, but its still clear who wears the pants in the relationship.

In this context, having an anime character with "Steven Segal Syndrome" is like a breath of fresh air. Kazuma decides "you know, I am NOT going to let myself get hit and bossed around by my hot tempered cousin" and not only that, but actively enjoys pushing Ayano's buttons, and its great.

Its also kinda nice seeing a protagonist that doesn't rely on Training and Heroic Resolve to always come out on top. Almost all shonen protagonists rely on Heroic Resolve, Determination and Ideals to win battles, but they always win, and continually get more and more powered up and the show progresses. Having a main character who is a more anti-hero and already powered up (the training takes place in brief flashbacks) like, say, Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star, is welcome in my book as well.

But yeah, the writing is weak, the plot never really goes anywhere, but the characters are great.


I agree 99% except for the part about great character i just couldnt stand the female lead character. their was nothing special about her.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:25 pm Reply with quote
kynoki wrote:
im sorry but i think this review is off. not to be rude but most of what you sed is your way of looking at the anime. such as Overall (dub) : C+
Overall (sub) : C+ the dub/sub was more like a b or b+. iv wach this in Japanese and eng the cast did very well much better then a c+. all so this show never seems to get boring like others out there idk id say its worth a buy maybe you need to re wach it////////conducive to fan service, it rarely takes advantage of them, instead innocuously sticking in a handful of little snippets such as a long-distance shot of wind momentarily flipping up Ayano's skirt during an action scene//// did you evean wach the end of disc 1 with Misao being very nude is that not fan service Laughing


First off, you need to actually make an effort to use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in future posts. Those are forum standards.

Second, use [quote] tags when you're talking about a quote from the review. Don't use ///////.

As for the content of what you said, keep in mind that the Overall ratings are just that: overall ratings. They are not ratings just for the quality of the dubs. Yes, the dubs were better than that (I'd probably give them a B grade) but the overall production wasn't.

As for the scene you reference: I had forgotten about that scene, but it's still only one scene. It is an exception rather than the rule, hence the "rarely" tag still applies.

The rest is just difference of opinion, so I won't bother to comment.
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Lemoncookies23



Joined: 02 Aug 2008
Posts: 355
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 1:59 pm Reply with quote
Good review. I liked it enough that I'll probably buy it, but I realize that it has its fair share of problems. I suppose this is one of those shows that you don't really have to think much about it to enjoy it.
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 2:47 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
If you want to see a much better series with a girl wielding a sword and flame magic at its center, check out Shakugan no Shana instead.

I gotta agree with you there since I really hated Ayano both personality and looks. Factors accounted, Ayano not fit to be the main heroine of Kaze no Stigma.
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Roguespider



Joined: 21 Jul 2005
Posts: 45
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 3:56 pm Reply with quote
Interesting review. I've heard a lot about this series and I'm still eager to check it out.

Is the dub currently available for viewing on any of the normal streaming websites (Funi.com, ANN, Hulu, etc)?
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egoist



Joined: 20 Jun 2008
Posts: 7762
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 4:46 pm Reply with quote
Roguespider wrote:

Is the dub currently available for viewing on any of the normal streaming websites (Funi.com, ANN, Hulu, etc)?

I doubt that since the dvd just came out.
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Setis



Joined: 05 Jun 2007
Posts: 25
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:35 pm Reply with quote
iathomps wrote:
In this context, having an anime character with "Steven Segal Syndrome" is like a breath of fresh air. Kazuma decides "you know, I am NOT going to let myself get hit and bossed around by my hot tempered cousin" and not only that, but actively enjoys pushing Ayano's buttons, and its great.


When I watched this, I immediately thought of Dave and Maddie from the old Moonlighting TV series (and I just showed my age). Watching Kazuma push Ayano's buttons o-so-easily is half the fun for me Smile
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Taiyz



Joined: 16 Aug 2005
Posts: 202
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:10 pm Reply with quote
iathomps has already stated everything I could possibly attempt to say, and I kind of agree with youngavatar.

Normally when you've got an anime like all those previously stated (Zero no Tsukaima, Shakugan no SHANA,) the development is all in the male lead while the girl basically stays the same for the entire time, as a character who knows the world the guy has haplessly fallen into. I like how this sort of flipped the stereotype around, with Kazuma already being as developed as he needs to be, while Ayano continues to get more involved with the world of magic as the series goes along, not to mention that try as she might, she rarely, if ever, can beat Kazuma in a battle of mouthing off.

Shakugan no SHANA always had a bit of mystery surrounding Shana's actions, as we were seeing the series through Yuuji's eyes and we were never told the whole story. In Kaze no Stigma, I think the series gives a much better perspective from Kazuma's side; he does have some personal issues to hide, but the series does a much better job of explaining how the series is going to work. I suppose it might jump the gun a bit due to this and some of the details come across as forgettable, but the ride is much smoother for the rest of the trip.

Finally, when it comes down to it, I would never recommend to another human being to watch Shakugan no SHANA over this series. That's just cruel and unusual torture. After 48 episodes of the stuff, the series doesn't even feel like it's resolved a single problem since the outset. Characters are introduced, relationships begin, antagonists appear, but nobody changes, nobody resolves anything, all these bad guys are still running amuck and the characters are too indecisive and wishy-washy about everything. Even if they try to change something, the writing chickens out and another bad guy interrupts the new developments.

Kaze no Stigma actually told its story and the characters definitely mean more at the end than they did at the beginning; it isn't the most unique anime, but I found that everything done in it is performed deftly and the conclusions are solid. I can't say the same for any other anime in its same genre.
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kynoki



Joined: 09 Sep 2008
Posts: 21
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:44 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
First off, you need to actually make an effort to use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in future posts. Those are forum standards.
ya sorry im a bit slow when it comes to all that i dont understand how its standards but whatever you still got my point so i dont see the prob fact is i dont talk on forms much and after this the way you make it sound i rather not post anymore you seem like you got a stick up your butthole
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berry1223



Joined: 07 Aug 2009
Posts: 1
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 6:53 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Is the dub currently available for viewing on any of the normal streaming websites (Funi.com, ANN, Hulu, etc)?


Yeh, you can watch it on Veoh.com, but the sound is off. So i would recommend youtube, but each episode is split into 3 parts due to youtubes rules on no video being longer then ten minutes. But saying that, its in high quality!! Very Happy

BTW, i like kaze no stigma! i like how its got stand alone episodes and how the male lead is cocky and cool. Its what makes the show and makes it exciting in a way. I think the character development was great too...the fact that you know that the male lead has a past and that carries on all the way to the end. Although the female lead was a little annoying, its also one of the best dubs I've heard in awhile. Smile
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18503
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Fri Aug 07, 2009 7:43 pm Reply with quote
kynoki wrote:
Quote:
First off, you need to actually make an effort to use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation in future posts. Those are forum standards.

ya sorry im a bit slow when it comes to all that i don't understand how its standards but whatever you still got my point so i don't see the prob fact is i don't talk on forms much and after this the way you make it sound i rather not post anymore you seem like you got a stick up your butthole


All right, let's be absolutely clear about a few certain points here.

1) I am a Moderator, so it is my responsibility to police the forums and maintain forum standards. That means it is part of my responsibility to tell people when they're doing something wrong, and you were doing things wrong in your original post, whether you realized it or not, whether you cared or not.

2) That you don't "understand how its standards" and "don't see the prob" with what you are doing is irrelevant. Understanding why we have long-established standards in these forums is not as important as accepting that we do have them. These are clearly spelled out in Teh Rules in the appropriate forum. By participating in these forums you are agreeing to abide by the rules and standards, whether you agree with them or not. Those standards do say that making a reasonable attempt at proper grammar (which you aren't doing) is required. If English is not your first language then let us know and we can give some leeway, but I'm hard-pressed to think of any common alphabet-using language which doesn't at least use capital rules. If you really don't want to follow these rules then there are plenty of other anime forums you can grace instead.

3) Concerning your last comment, I suggest you not continue in that vein if you ever want to be able to post in these forums again. Insulting people like that who can auto-moderate you is not a wise idea.
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