Ranked #927

Kaze no Stigma

Kaze no Stigma is a fun anime if you're interested into this genre. Battles, magic, comedy, kick-ass moments, KnS has it all.

Story
The story is fair, not really impressive since for me it was predictable towards the end. The "main" plot starts later in the series as the first 3/4 is filled with random missions and somewhat fillers like hotspring episodes and so on. Even though the lack of main plot overall disappointed me, I found the story overall satisfying.

Art
The characters are very nicely drawn, you can clearly see this is a 2007 anime. Effects are good, from flames to wind and other unleashed powers; plus the characters are drawn good enough for any fan to enjoy the art. Even though it's no better than other 2007 animes, it clearly has it's own attractiveness for me.

Sound
Not much to comment on this area, the sound is fair enough, soundtrack fits the mood all of the time and the opening song is quite catchy once you listen to it. I liked the idea of two ending songs/sequences since it changed with the atmosphere of the episode. Overall it was fine with me.

Character
The characters were great, I loved them. KnS has it all: the tsundere, the athlete, the rich lady (from America, though speaks English like hell), the lolita and so on. To my surprise, the guys have cool personalities as well, the main lead taking the title of one of the most kick-ass characters, you're gonna like his style. Nothing else to say here, the characters are probably the strong point of this anime.

Enjoyment
Well, as I said, unless you're into magic, combat and ecchi shots from time to time, you're probably not gonna find anything interesting. However, if you like magic battles you'll find this anime cool, plus the characters and some of the situations make the 24 episodes worth the time. I really enjoyed this anime.

Overall I rounded up to around 8. I think it was pretty great and I don't regret seeing it. The main lead remains one of my favorite characters. It's a good thing they have an open end so I really hope for a sequel. That's about it. read more

I started this thinking "alas, another predictable action anime which I may end up dropping" but it had me sucked in to the very end. The reasons? I'll try to explain:

Storyline: 8.5/10
Most action fans would see the storyline as very cliched and predictable, having seen it all played out before. It's storyline does lack, with some filler episodes (such as amusement park visits and hot bath days), and random bad guys which pop up, get defeated, and so moves on to another scenario. However, even though it does lack originality, it's done well and to a good enough standard to enjoy watching it all unravel.

Art: 7.5/10
In one angle, the characters are done well, as your average anime. Not brilliant, but not too bad either. However, sometimes the backgrounds (such as on a busy street) are at a stand-still which is noticeable.

Sound: 7.5/10
Again, your average action themes running though it, which aren't brilliant, but not too bad either. At the very least they don't get annoying or anything, and stay well positioned in the background.

Character: 9.5/10
At this point, you're probably thinking why the heck you should watch this anime. Well the secret to it all, which sets it apart from others and keeps you watching, is the characters. The characters themselves are likeable and fit in with the general mood of the anime (some-what cute comedy moments but gets serious when they need to). In one angle they do seem a bit cliched, the average stubborn bad-tempered in-denial girl with the cheeky cold-yet-nice guy but has a dark past, plus the extra nice-but-serious-when-needs-to-be little guy. But the development of the characters, and the development of the romance between the two main protagonists is what really sets it apart. You are kept glued to the screen and get awarded appropriately in the little delightful developments in every episode, and you grow to love every minute. Not to mention the various twists and turns as well, (with added drama) which keep you on the edge of your seat.

Enjoyment: 9.5/10
Sure it's all been done before, sure it's not mind-blowingly good, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was a secure anime to watch and enjoy ~ having everything from love triangles, nice friendships, happy-happy-days-of-fun, comedy moments, love; but also drama, action: all balanced perfectly.

Overall: 8.5/10
Overall, it was a good watch, and those who are into romance/action types will surely enjoy this. read more

A somewhat decent Action, Romance with demons and the 4 elements. This anime is enjoyable to watch but it really lacks originality. ^_^

From the very first episode, the story is really easy to understand because there is nothing all that new about the premise. It is just the typical story of a boy and girl that team up to defeat the bad guys that randomly show up. From here it continues with the random mini adventures and it doesn’t really try to do anything special about it, so hardcore anime fans will feel like they have seen it all before. You may begin to wonder why you should even continue watching this anime if it is just like this however the story does kick off, in the latter half of the series. Even the pointless episodes are really fun to watch but what’s better are the little developments in some characters, though the ending is somewhat predictable.

For the characters we have Kazuma Yagami, a sort of anti-hero who became incredibly strong after being disowned by his dad. He is probably the most interesting character in the series; because he is a very understandable, with a distinguished personality that is brought out by the superb voice acting. And this cannot be an action romance anime without the typical "Tsundere", Ayano Kannagi. There are more characters but they are really insignificant that they can be easily overlooked.

The quality of Kaze no Stigma’s animation is pretty hard to judge. At one stand point we have: some well animated fight scenes, some well-placed CG and good ecchi moments. Yet half the time the animation looks cheap with: some poor character designs (mostly bad guys), tacky effects and no movement coming from the background.

The music is really weak and there are only a few notable tunes that allow it to redeem itself. Although during the fights, or even in normal conversations, there is two female characters that can be both funny and annoying to listen to (Ayano & Katherine).

Overall this proved to be a very enjoyable anime with plenty of laughs, most of those laughs are thanks to the great odd couple. Nevertheless there is nothing about this series that allows it to stand out, in the action romance category; unlike the popular Full Metal Panic! or the Shakugan no Shana series. But don’t let that deter you from watching this anime.

^_^ read more

Kaze no Stigma I believe had a lot of potential. It started off interesting, not entirely compelling but interesting. Then it went downhill faster than I could write this review. There was also another thing that bothered me, which was the way they handled deaths. When someone not particularly important died, the main characters just shoved it past their shoulders and act like nothing happened. Human life doesn't seem to hold much importance here(particularly to the heroine). Then again what was I expecting? It wasn't entirely an disappointment, I didn't expect much from it but I didn't expect it to be this bad.

Story: 3/10
It doesn't exist. There was a few tidbits of potential at the story but I have to say it just dragged on to different story lines that ended predictably.

Characters: 2/10
Kazuma to me was the only likable person there. If I looked past the fan service and pretty art, he was the only one remotely interesting. Everyone else seemed like filler characters.

Ayano to me, was extremely annoying. Whenever something went wrong, it was automatically Kazuma's fault. Especially at the first episode when she disobeyed orders and followed Kazuma which had two people killed. She is irrisponsible, short tempered and incredibly flawed. I did not find a single redeeming factor about her character. And really, screaming Kazuma at pretty much every single episode was not an attractive trait what so ever.

Ren is someone I wanted to like, and I admired his peaceful personality in contrast to Ayano's. But he ended up somewhat annoying with his seriously childish antics, and the only time I appreciated him was when he was being useful.

Sound: 5/10
Average, the OP and ED were truly nothing special. I could forget them and not miss them one bit. That said they weren't that bad, could be a lot better but if it had been any worse, I might have started crying.

Art: 6/10
Probably the highlight of it all, and even then it's not that entirely impressive as it lacks personality. Shiny art is shiny, but shininess doesn't mean it's amazing. Like a higher quality of a mediocre show. While the characters are pretty, the backgrounds are really unmemorable. The action scenes are visually pleasing but not very engaging.

Enjoyment: 3/10
I really did not enjoy it very much. It lacked so much that even if I didn't take it seriously, it was still rather bad to me. The execution of the story was terrible.

Overall: 3/10
I would not recommend it. That said I'm sure a lot of people would enjoy this type of anime. It has magic, romance and all the shoujo elements that tweens would like. It just wasn't my cup of tea. I couldn't take it seriously and even the funny parts weren't all that funny, I found myself smiling at best but most of the time I was just waiting for the episode to end. read more

Kaze no Stigma is exactly what you expect from a new age adventure anime.

Story: 7
The story itself is a little lacking, it starts off with a little randomness where each episode is its own small mission. The true story begins later in to the series. It's a satisfying plot and doesn't leave an overwhelming amount of unanswered questions and is well prepared for an encore season.

Art: 8
It's a recent production and it's obvious to see. There's solid detail that is shown especially well in the fight scenes. The fighting styles use natural elements which are well shown through the art.

Sound: 8
For me, the only way to truly have a satisfying soundtrack is if I don't notice it all that much. That rule only applies to invideo music of course, the sound effects and transitions should be smooth enough that nothing is noticed. As for the themes, the opening theme is pretty good, it's enjoyable but doesn't exactly get you pumped for the episode. The Ending themes are actually really nice and the music fits perfectly with the art that is shown in the ending.The 3 songs also serve well to give closure on the episode.

Character: 9
I personally really enjoyed the characters. I thought that they were well developed, and showed some emotion. People will say that the characters were your average adventure folk but that really doesn't matter, obviously if you like the genre enough you will realize that all characters are basically the same. As predictable as it is, the characters are still enjoyable and worth following through their adventure.

Enjoyment: 9
The series is a very enjoyable set of episodes. It's a great representation of a classic adventure series. It's a must see for any adventure fan, and of course it includes its spa bath trip as any modern anime does. If that doesn't entertain you than I don't know what does.

Overall: 8
The series was well done and nicely put together. It's one that I got into and decided to watch quickly, I watched in with original subs and then re-watched a few eps with dubs, personally I recommend the subs. It's a solid series and I would recommend it to others.

Any feedback about the review is welcomed, also any other comments or questions you have I will openly field. read more

"Eyes as blue as the azure sky... that is the symbol of the Contractor, entrusted by the Spirit King of the Wind by the powers of his domain. I bear this mark: the Stigma of the Wind."

A purely enjoyable show, Kaze no Stigma is an anime that lets you explore elemental powers with a modern twist and comedic touches without providing too much depth.

The story was split up into separate arches that did not tie together to form a solid plot. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though. I enjoyed each of them even though they weren't connected. A few fillers were installed here and there, but they were good and gave a little bit of character development. The action caught my attention because of its usage of magic and nicely coordinated fighting. A little bit of drama didn't hurt, either.

Character designs were fresh and crisp. I enjoyed looking at them from a decent distance. When the camera panned out from the characters, detail lacked. Facial expressions were sometimes awkward with them frozen in place or misshapen. Also, sequences such as Ayano calling forth her Enraiha and Katherine conjuring Metatron were reused several times. However, flame and wind animations were excellent. Backgrounds were okay.

The opening was great. When my brother and I first started watching the show (this one being one of the first for us), we rocked out secretly to the full version. The soundtrack playing in the back was fairly unnoticeable but did its job. The two endings were fair, and I liked how they alternated. I watched the Funimation dub, and Kazuma's and Ayano's voices fit well with their characters. The supporting cast was fair enough.

Characters were the strongest asset to Kaze no Stigma. Kazuma was portrayed superbly, and Ayano gave us a unique illustration. Kazuma and Ayano were both polar opposite personality-wise. They created an impressive relationship through little moments and I savored every second, wanting more. They were certainly the deepest characters and the strongest part of the anime. Supporting characters were above average and performed their roles well.

I love watching anime. I rarely dislike watching a show. Kaze no Stigma certainly did not disappoint. An enjoyable story and lovable characters made for a good time in my book.

I wouldn't recommend passing this one up. As one of the first anime I had watched, it encouraged me to explore more of this new world. It might not blow you away, but it will certainly light up your day. read more

Kaze no stigma is an Action/fantasy anime that got some of my attention, but it has some flaws.

Story (7.2) - Not amazing. Its just an average story. In my opinion lacks originality, as this story is very cliche. It has some fillers, some episodes with no sense at all that appear out of nowhere and where nothing important really happens. In the final episodes, it gets a little better in this aspect, but still story is not an aspect that got my attention.


Art (8.4) - The characters are well designed, and the effects are pretty good. You can see it when the characters use their powers, the flames and wind, and other powers, its really nice. Not the very best art from all times, but still is a nice aspect this anime has to give.


Sound (7.0) - Another not so impressing aspect. The sound sure give some atmosphere and isnt anoying, but its definitively nothing great. Just and average in my opinion. Enough to keep some interest in this anime.

Character (8.9)- I liked this aspect. Well develloped characters and looking cool.
The main character, Yagami Kazuma is definetively very good, it gave an extra interest to this anime. Another aspect i liked was the variety of characters this anime have, where you clearly see many differences between them, and their relations with each other, that keeps the show interesting during some moments where the story lacks.

Enjoyment (8.0) - A fine anime, not the best, but a good one to watch and pass some time. It has a lot of action in some moments, also we you can find romance and comedy in this anime. A nice way to spend time, in my opinion.

overall (8) - For a tittle that didnt said much to me at start, it was really a nice surprise. Ok, its not fantastic, but surely is a good anime and if you like magic and battles stuff, then you should give it a try.


read more

Alrighty, here it goes, my second review:

*Story* 8/10
The story for Kaze no Stigma (KnS) in my opinion was going to be stereotypical: cool awesome guy, possible love interest girl, his brother, a vengeance type plot relating to his family, etc etc... save the world and the anime gets 5/10... however after watching the anime can i say wow... sure it had some plot holes, for example the Stigma of the Wind is never really explained, and Kazuma's past seems rushed, however this does not really matter, because the story has enough twists and turns to keep you watching, and of course the usual love/romantic side story between characters always adds a comedic side, overall i found that although it was a bit stereotypical, i thoroughly enjoyed this solid anime.

*Art* 7/10
Artwork in KnS was solid throughout the anime, wind was a major highlight of this anime, and the way the effects were done for the wind was a highlight, nothing really defied the laws of physics, and the wind seemed realistic. The main problem i had was with the fire artwork, to me it seemed as though the creators got lazy with fire and decided to just re-use the same boring fire image all over again, a bit a variance and realism would have been nice. However what really uplifts this anime is the character artwork, Kazuma looked cool, Ayano looked great, and ren looked loli-shota =P In my opinion the character artwork was above average for a 2007 anime.

*Sound* 7/10
The special effects sound was ok, i felt that something was missing in the fight scenes however, the anime needed more of a boom factor, and at times it seemed as if was lacking in BGM as well as the needed sword clashing sfx. The seiyuu's in this anime were fair, nothing outstanding, however well done to the Fujimura Ayumi, her voice acting for Ayano was one of the great things in this anime.

*Character* 8/10
The characters are the highlight of this anime, although it may seem stereotypical, it is their construction that really outshines anything else. Kazuma's dark past really gives his character a Light Yagami sort of feel and i thoroughly enjoyed it, Ayano and Ren were great to, Ayano was a great tsundere/moe type character and the Ren side story really moved me close to tears, it reminded me of the FSN ending ;(.

*Enjoyment* 8/10
Need more be said? The characters pulled this anime through, and even though the sound wasn't anything new and the story wasn't all that amazing, i stil thoroughly enjoyed this anime.

*OP and ED* 8/10
The OP was constant for all 24 episodes, and it was a bit bland at times, but not to the extent that i had to skip it. The ED's on the other hand were on opposite ends of the scale, the first ed Hitorikiri no Sora was in my opinion dull and boring instead of reflective, the second ed Ayumi Fujimura Matataki no Kiwoku was far better, and in my opinion a great ED to remember. However one song struck me, and that was Kanako Sakai Tsuki Hana no Inori, the ED for episode 12 and also an insert song... that one song has made my list of most memorable reflective songs after a significant event rivaling songs such as Hikari by Jyukai.

*Overall* 7/10
A nice solid anime, not a must see, but one you should definitely take a glance at. The ending is very enjoyable, and it is worth the watch, the climax in the middle of the anime is fantastic, and like i said before the characters are great.

~Savage the Fate/Stay Night Otaku~ read more

When I read the summary of this anime and saw the characters, I thought it was going to be a ripoff of Shakugan no Shana or Zero no Tsukaima, two excellent anime in their own right. Well.... to be truthful, this is a lot like both of those anime. And to be frank, the red-haired tsundere in this anime (Ayano) doesn't measure up to the leads in the others. She's not nearly as badass as Shana and not nearly as adorable or lovable as Louise. However, it's Kazuma, the other lead, that really makes this show fly. It's really refreshing to watch a show where the main lead is a total freaking badass and the conflict is not him trying to become more powerful, but rather struggling with his control of it. There are so many cliches his character could have fallen into but it never happened. The first test was when he faced his dad in battle a few episodes in. The cliche would have been for him to lose only to beat him later. NOPE! Kazuma took that old guy out! I won't spoil anything more (although it's hardly a spoiler. Their battle lasted like a minute.) but Kazuma is the reason to watch and really enjoy this show and he never disappoints. The ending was garbage as far as the romance goes (a warning for you out there looking for magic-girl romance), but the rest of it was satisfying and there's good reason to hope for Season 2.

Solid anime. I would recommend it to anyone. read more

Imagine an anime where certain people have discovered how to magically control fire, wind, earth and water. One of them is Kazuma Yagami, a former member of the Kannagi clan, a group that uses fire. After being abandoned by his family, friends and clan for his inability to use fire, Kazuma returns to his clan, now a wind magic user. Believing him to be a traitor for his use of wind magic, the clan falsely accuses Kazuma of killing off members of their clan. It is now up to Kazuma to clear his name and hopefully regain the trust of his family. Add this story with a voice casting of screaming people, storytelling that leaves you with pointless information, the most unlikable cast of characters seen on the screen and you get the wretched project known as Stigma of the Wind, Junichi Sakata's latest entry (and failure) in the anime library.

While the story starts off with an interesting premise, it takes a nosedive after the third episode. It unfortunately tries to be a mystery, romance, drama, action, horror and comedy at the same time, causing lots of confusion and missed plot opportunities. Whether it be some random guy pretending to be an angel (I'm serious), or a guy licking wine off of someone's cheek, the show seems to reject anything normal in favor of complete chaos and anarchy. This wouldn't be a problem, except that nothing about these moments are funny. It's just insulting to the viewer's intelligence, since they paid the insane price of $50 for part one of the first season.

The characters are annoying and overacted, with the exception of the main character, Kazuma Yagami, who is calm and collected. A perfect example would be Ayano Kannagi the truth. Ayano reluctantly becomes an ally of Kazuma. Unfortunately, the first few lines in the pilot episode is her shouting, "I hate the wind!", giving the viewer a clear indication that she is going to be overacted in every possible sense of the word. Kazuma's relative, Ren Kannagi, is also a bit batty, but it's shocking when the viewer discovers halfway throughout the series that he is in fact a boy. Everything that Ren does, from the way he looks, to the feminine personality he has, gives you the false impression that he is a girl in the first place. Top all of this off with the fact that each character has their own annoying voice, making this one of the worst gang of animated characters ever to grace DVD.

If there is one aspect the series gets right, it's the artwork. Each frame of animation is extremely polished, with impressive animations, solid character design and a very clean look. Unfortunately, it doesn't do anything remotely unique, which is a missed opportunity, as the clean animation would have allowed plenty of successful innovation.

Stigma of the Wind isn’t the worst anime I have seen, but it sure is a messy one. The director really should have spent more time developing each character. Instead we get characters that scream at each other for no reason, constantly whine annoyingly and act in an incredibly illogical manner. It's not like this is cheap entertainment either, as it cost $100 for the first season, stopping me from ever recommending this to anyone. Please stay away, as dissatisfaction is the only result that will occur after wasting money on this lamentable product. read more

Well, I first found out about the anime through Funimation's YouTube page, and I was very interested. I watched the first half of the series via the YouTube page, but then I stopped watching for it for some reason or another. I did buy the DVDs, and I started it from the beginning again. So... let's talk about the actial points now, shall we?

Story
The first 12-15 episodes reminded me somewhat of Naruto in the effect that if focuses on arcs... not the best, but certainly not the worst. However, once you get to the Pandemonium Arc (as I am dubbing it), you get sucked right into the story. At least that was what happened to me. Then I thought "Why didn't the first half start out this epic?". I have to say, I am overall satisfided with the story. Besides the first episode and the first arc foreshadowing, the rest of the story didn't allude to the last arc which was a disappointment.

Art
The art was good... certain short clips were perhaped overused which reminded me of overused transformation sequences often used in Magical Girl genres. However, the use of the effects with the magic made it interesting and realistic.

Sound
The sound was the greatest disappointment in the series. They used the same songs over and over with the same OP and ED. Nuff said...

Characters
I enjoyed the characters very much. Especially Ayano's anger issues... Even with the serious scenes, I was able to laugh because Ayano was going nuts. Besides that... Kazuma's backstory could have been alluded to more (as said under story). Ren came off as a main character to me, but he should have been developed more if he is going to appear in almost every episode.

Enjoyment
Enjoyment was a perfect score. Despite the lack of certain things, I was able to enjoy the anime a lot. I definitely would recommend this anime to anyone who even thinks this anime could be interesting. read more

If you go into this anime expecting to be surprised by the plot or drawn in my the characters, expect to be disappointed. However if you are tired of watching anime that get too deep and just want to kick back and watch a solid reliable anime with some neat fights and good animation, then you could do a lot worse than Kaze no Stigma. This is an anime that does very little that is original but it presents itself well and hits all the right notes. It doesnt deserve to be called great but to call it anything less than good just isnt fair.


Story:

Without spoiling anything let me just say that I am not convinced that the original writer (I am assuming like most anime this started off as a manga) knew where he wanted the story to end up when he began. The ending, while fun and as close to epic as this show can get, doesn't seem to connect back to the beginning much. The rest of the show is told in short story arcs that usually only last about four episodes with the occasional single episodes that are more for comic relief (like the hot springs episode which nearly all animes are now required to have by law). You have your random assortment of baddies that have little to no connection to each other (for the most part you could actually see a show in the middle and pick up most of the plot). This sounds lazy and dull but it actually works well in this show. The enemies are for the most part fairly interesting and you usually end up with an entertaining battle. One final point to address with the plot. Everyone and their dog, cat, and goldfish, knows from the beginning that there is going to be a relationship developed between the main characters by the end of the show. To the show's credit it doesn't go through the usual cliche phases of the main heroine spending most of her screen time agonizing over whether she likes the guy or not. Instead the relationship is developed slowly until near the end where it speeds up a bit too much to be realistic even by anime standards. There is a humorous subplot near the middle with a character trying to play matchmaker but I wont spoil anything. 6 out of 10.

Art:
You have to give this show credit, it looks good. The backgrounds are fairly standard but better than most animes. What really sells the art here are the character designs. All the characters look good and are distinct enough to be immediately recognizable which is something some animes fail to do. The animations are pretty well done to and someone got creative with the battle effects during the fight scenes. Also one final thing to note, this show LOVES panty shots and I mean LOVES them. If you took a drink every time the heroines delicates are seen through the course of the anime, you will die from alcohol poisoning. The funny part is I think there are only a few times when a character seems to notice, like when they realize high kicking in a skirt probably isnt a good idea. 8 out of 10.

Sound:
Not much to say here. Like Art this show does a very good job with its sound. Everything from its music to the voice acting is great. I have seen better but not very often. Nothing to complain about really so lets move on. 8 out of 10.

Character:
As I mentioned before the characters are not especially deep. Only the main character's back story is ever explored in any detail and even then there are some fairly big holes left by the end. Even so all of the main characters are entertaining to watch and have a clear and distinct personality and I dont recall them ever acting out of character in the show. All of the main characters are somewhat stereotypical types on the surface but really they get their jobs done well and thats really all they need to do. Still a little backstory for the main heroine at least would have helped this show out a bunch. It also would have helped if this show had some more interesting minor characters. Other than the grandfather and the heroine's two friends, the rest of the supporting cast, including the main rival (which oddly enough is an American, because all people from America have blond hair, blue eyes, and an annoying laugh right?) are forgettable at best and get in the way of the plot too much. Luckily they dont do this enough to be grating but the writer could have done a bit better in this area. 7 out of 10.

Enjoyment:
Let me be clear, if you enjoy most anime, then you will enjoy this one. It wont leave you feeling like you just witnessed something amazing but if you are just looking for a decent solid show then this one will not disappoint. 7 out of 10.

Overall: 7 out of 10. read more

Kaze no stigma is like your typical demon exocising anime,you have different families that excel in different forms of excorcising,like flame,wind and so on.The story focuses on a boy who was to be heir of one of these families forsaken and the female heir to the same family,along with his little brother they have a bunch of misadventures.

The story is nothing special. I have seen similar plots like this before, so its a bit clique. It's your typical action kind of anime where each episode definitely has one monster or something like that. It does have an underlying plot which draws people in to some extent but it is still not captivating enough, the action in myopinion was very suttle and the attacks are the same. Also the lead male character's past is not brought out very clearly so its a bit confusing, you'll keep wondering like who is that girl and what are these contractors.

The art was good i guess, nothing bad but also nothing exceptional either.

Sound had nothing special either, no insert songs to bring out the mood so i don't really find that the studio did their est for the sound department of the anime.

The charaters have a little depth as you get to see the past of the characters to grasp a better understanding but the lead male's past as mentioned earlier is a bit confusing and unclear. There is very little romance in the show, but its not really a romance anime so that doesnt really matter, but i was constantly hoping that they fall in love or something along that line.

It was enjoyable to the extent that it did make some effort to add comedy to the show and to see the female lead get all flustered over the male lead which is why i wish they would have added more romance into the show.

Overall, the show is worth atching for those action and fantasy genre fans but do not have too high expectations for this show because its not one of those animes that will keep you glued to the screen or blow you away its just normal... read more

This is my first review so i might be a little bias. I really like the series so much that i watched the series three times.

Story:
If you look at the core of the story you'll see that its not that bad. Maybe not original but its not bad. One of the problems i find with the story is that their are too many fillers. I say about a third of this series is fillers. Another problem is they don't try to create much suspense or cliffhangers. If you watch just the first episode of the series and analyze it you can tell a lot about the characters and story. The makers of the anime really knows how to squeeze in 3 or more episode worth of story into just one. The first episode doesn't really hook you in and make you want more since you already know most of what you want to know. For example the reason why Kazuma was exiled is pretty much revealed in the first episode. I think if gonzo did a better job in execution by leaving cliff hangers and more mysteries that actually make us go crazy because we want to know than this series would be much much better. The story could also be stretch out a little more for us to soak it all in. Then they wont have to have all those fillers.
5/10

Art:
The art is good. It isn't bad but then it isn't absolutely gorgeous with little to no eye candy. There is some fan service in this. I personally don't mind it. The fan service isn't really over the top so it won't annoy a lot of people.
8/10 Art wasn't good yet it wasn't bad

Sound:
OP and ED not really special. Again it isn't bad. I haven't watch the dub before but for the sub the voice actors do a pretty good job. I think the voices represent the characters in a good way.
8/10

Character:
I love the characters. They are generic but i still love them. The main character Kazuma is pretty much a badass. The very reason why i watched this three times is because how much of a badass he is. I was getting tired of the repetitive formula most action anime main character goes through. Meet villain, Fight, Struggle, Win, Get stronger. I wanted to skip the struggle and get stronger part. The other characters like Ayano (Girl main character)
and Ren (little bro of kazuma) might annoy you and they might not. Ren though he is a boy he acts girlish. Well this is an anime so that is normal. Ayano is like a tsundere so if you can't stand a lot of yelling for no reason then she might annoy you. The other characters are pretty generic. I also loved the characters because you know a lot about them if you think about it. I thought we could've had better and more of a character development for each character though.
7/10 Characters are good might annoy some of you but their not bad

Enjoyment:
i loved it. I am a fan of the genre and it had everything i wanted. Fantasy, badass character, tsundere, assholes, pretty much everything i want in an anime. The little thing that bugged me was whenever Ayano pulled out her sword their would be this magical transformation like scene that gets played over and over throughout the series. Some people might enjoy this series like i did others might not.
9/10

Overall:
i loved it. They could've presented the story better and had better character development though.If gonzo did a better job with execution they could've stretch this anime into 4 seasons at most and made it way better.
6/10

i would recommend this to everyone since i loved it but if you love magic and fantasy and a badass character watch it. read more

Kaze no Stigma for me has a near to perfect setting to how the male protagonist is shown...starts weak, banished, but then returns as a badass master that rivals the best.

Art and Sound:
I liked the explosive sound effects for the powers being from Kazuma's power up wind ability to the explosive crashes of buildings sliced in halve. By the same token the look of the magic used especially the elements of fire make it awe inspiring to watch...nearly artistic in my opinion

Characters:
What made me fall in love with this anime series is the english dub for the Kazuma and his choice of sarcastic words, very commonly main protagonists that have super power but either look clueless or dumbfounded when a situation occurs and rely on luck to pull through; however Kazuma's character I think is perfect since I like how he teases some of the other characters, pull off some awesome attacks and still have time to show a heart to those he cares for....despite his sarcasm

I loved it all and I hope there are a few more like it out there in the anime world
9/10 read more

i dont understand why everyone is giving it bad ratings! i really enjoyed it, kaze no stigma had it all, action, comedy, romance, cliches and yes, fillers. but there is no such anime without cliches and fillers...but i personnally loved it and would like to re-watch it. the art is good (with extreme colors like blue and flaming red hair) the sound is good too, the wind and fire, the voice actors really did a good job and the director chose the right people to do the right job. the only negative point i can see in it is that there could hae been a bit more romance and the end was a clif-hanger...but i highly recomand it to the people who like both shounen and shoujo at the same time, those who are crazy about fighting and thirsty for blood, this isnt the right anime for you, go watch bleach or something! its not for pure shoujo lovers eather, this isnt a lovy-gouvy-duvy anime, go watch kimi no todoke or something. oh, and the yuri/yaoi fans,i think you should go to another field of search... read more

Overall a very well done anime. Very good story and great plot lines however, I was not satisfied with the way the series ended. They should make a second season. Bernhardt did say that they would meet again, so they already have a way to start the second season. Plus they need to finish the development of Kazuma's and Ayano's relationship, which they left open to interpretation. It looked like things would work out, but then it ended with Ayano chasing Kazuma with Enryha (?) and I am not satisfied with that ending. If they don't make an entire second season, they could make several OVA episodes and make it more complete. read more

Story
It's your usual frequently abused themes like the need to sacrifice something for happiness or becoming stronger to protect everyone, result justifying the means and etc.
While I'm complaining about it, without these parts I think it won't be your favourite old shounen.

Art
I was surprised to learn that it is Gonzo's work. I sometimes put higher rate for their series just because of visual but this is not the case. It's not bad per see, just nothing to wright home about. In one of the episodes I was stupefied to hear phrase about haven't seeing this face on main char before. I was wondering how could she tell the difference as it was the same only with little more closed eyes.

Sound
To my embarassment I don't usually notice background sound, unless it is phenomenal (Gits, Ghost Hound). OP and EP didn't make me want to download it but the cast of seiyu is enjoyable.

Characters
When I heard main lead saying "who do you think you are talking to, stupid bitch?" it made my day. If you are looking for any characters development - look somewhere else. Just few immature brats acting immature)

Enjoyment
Kaze no Stigma is predictable but not boring, maybe it won't become really memorable or favorite but you won't get the urge to drop it halfway. Series like this are most enjoyable when your brain is tired and you need somethig to fill it without overloading. read more

Storyline: 8/10
Few filler Episodes such as the Amusement Park and the Hot Spring, but nothing really to ruin the flow of the Series. The first half of the series are just assignments and later on in the series is where most of the major plot elements begin. However, I would have liked It If they have gotten deeper into Kazuma's past because It seems like they don't explain as much. Overall, the story of Kaze No Stigma kept It interesting till' the end.

Art: 7.5/10
I'm overall impressed with the Artwork for a 2007 Anime, but the animations and/or effects could have been better. Mainly, where Ayano uses her fire magic and It seems like the creators just kept re-using those scenes rather than changing It up a bit.

Sound: 7.7/10
Music is impressive, effects are decent. For this portion of the Review, I would like to say that I watched the dub version than the raw version. In any case If you wish to watch the dub and thinking whether or not the English Voices are done well, I will talk about It here. Now, I am impressed on how well this anime was dubbed. My favorite one would be Kazuma's voice actor because of his ignorant and jerky attitude really suits him quite well. Ayano's voice actor is high pitched, It can be an annoyance sometimes, but that's pretty much Ayano's personality for the most part, so I can't really say much about the pitch of her voice. Ren's voice actor is also decent. It suits him pretty well, I can't complain anything about that. Just overall, the Dub isn't that bad.

Character: 10/10
Gotta say, I love the characters introduced in this series. My favorite would be Kazuma. I just love his personality. He is funny at times and of course his jerky attitude. Ayano is also another interesting character to point out as well as Ren.

Enjoyment: 9.5/10
Considering this is my first time entering a new genre of Supernatural or "magic" animes, I gotta say that I enjoyed Kaze no Stigma.

Overall: 9.0/10
Overall, Kaze no Stigma is one interesting anime. It has a mixed of Comedy, Action, and depressing moments. Pacing is decent, not too fast, not too slow, just in the middle. But If your the type of person who decides to look into more anime that have superpowers, Kaze no Stigma won't be a disappointment. read more

Ok, I'm not going to describe every part of the anime in individual paragraphs... I'm just going to give to you in one.

For starters, I give Kaze no Stigma an overall score of 5/10
The beginning story was great. It drew me in right away. However, soon after the beginning, it totally lost my interest. After about the first 5 episodes (give or take...) I only watched it hoping that I would get to see some good fighting action. The story could have been sooo much better! I did, however, love the anime's version of magic. ((because every anime's magic is a little different)) BUT, I was sooo confused about the two main characters! Ok, I totally got that they liked eachother and everything, but it was sooo lame! NOTHING EVER HAPPENED. Seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if someone watched this and didn't understand that Kazuma and Ayano were supposed to be love interests. I didn't like Ayano at all and I barely like Ren. Kazuma was probably the only character I really liked.
Ok, I know I've been saying how awful this anime is, but there were, admittably, some good things about it. The art was pretty good, except there was some pretty stupid 'fan service' that was slipped in there every once in a while. For me, 'fan service' isn't horrible in every anime, but I definitally don't love it. I think the reason it annoyed me in this anime was because it just didn't fit into the flow of Kaze no Stigma. This is probably the only thing in this anime that I truley liked: the action. There wasn't much of it, which was really dissapointing, but when there was action, it was awesome. The drawing of Kazuma's wind and Ayano's fire was really good, which made the fighting scenes all the better.

I might recommend this to people, but I would warn them of things I thought weren't all that great first.

RECOMMENDATION: I didn't watch the subbed version, I watched the dubbed version. Therefore, I don't know how good the subbed version is, but the dubbed version is TERRIBLE. The only good voice is Kazuma's and Ayano's is really bad... really really bad. So, even though I haven't seen it, I RECOMMEND THE SUBBED VERSION.

Hope the review helps. :) read more