Kaze no Stigma Episode 12 – Confession Under the Moonlight

Ren’s arc has finally reached its climax and ends with this action-packed episode. How will our protagonists stand a chance against both Kureha and the majuu, and will this story conclude with Ayumi’s life at stake?

Screenshots

Ayano and Kureha’s battle continues, with Kureha having full confidence that Ayano is no match to her and won’t hinder her plans. Kazuma, Ren, and Ayumi hurry off to meet up Ayano, but ends up escaping through the top of the cave as Kazuma destroys the sanctuary’s pillar of support in the process of saving Mayumi. Kazuma easily takes notice of Ayano’s presence as she is indiscreet with her attacks as usual.

Along the way, they come across the Tsuwabuki’s clan head Iwao who’s been turned into a mass of rock by no one else but his daughter Kureha, begging them to put an end to her plans. Back to Ayano, who could simply defend herself against Kureha’s attacks and could barely hold her up, impatiently waiting for Kazuma’s return. She once again lets out her usual “I’ll kick his ass when he comes back” line and vents up her anger as she welcomes Kazuma with a kick, which he easily dodges and fights back with a sarcastic comment instead, “You shouldn’t be kicking someone while wearing a skirt; biologically speaking, it shows how cheap of a woman you are (at the ‘fag end’ of being a woman, so to speak)”

Despite the fact that both Mayumi and Ayumi have been saved by Kazuma, Kureha feels confident that the Taisai will be successful since she simply has to get them back and acts all proud that it’s the Tsuwabuki’s ‘mission’ to seal the majuu, but Kazuma blows off her cover and reveals that her true intention is getting hold of the entirety of the majuu’s power instead, which he heard from her father Iwao before he died. The Taisai is necessary for the realization of this plan, which will allow Kureha to take control of the majuu’s ‘ki’ in the process of casting the seal.

Kureha longed for power because she was born an incompetent Earth-user (same as Kazuma) but what she hasn’t realized is the fact that she’s being used by the majuu all along, the only plausible reason behind why she hasn’t undergone any transformation compared to Yuuji who became a monster when bestowed a fragment of the majuu’s power. Kazuma also deduces that the majuu must have sealed off her Earth abilities from the time she was born, making a puppet out of her as she longs for its power which will benefit nothing else but the majuu’s revival.

The majuu known as Zenon is sealed within the crystal Kazuma destroyed to save Mayumi, releasing it from the seal and takes back the power it lent Kureha the moment it crawls out of Mt. Fuji, causing her to faint. Ren assures Ayumi that he’ll certainly come back alive, then teams up with Kazuma and Ayano to fight the majuu but all their attacks prove to be useless against the barrier of ‘ki’ that it has.

Kureha becomes filled with rage as she blames the majuu for everything she’s been through, releasing her Earth power which has long been sealed within her and confronts the majuu out of desperation, taking away her life right at that instant. Ayumi could no longer bear seeing Ren fight with all his might while putting his life at stake, and decides to do her part by performing the spell to cast the seal on the majuu, weakening its barrier and makes it susceptible to attacks. Ren knows well that Ayumi’s life is in grave danger because of what she’s doing, but Kazuma reminds him that Ayumi herself decided to do this because she wants to live with him, making Ren realize that he has to do his part and fight against the majuu alongside Ayumi, together with both Ayano and Kazuma as well. They manage to defeat the majuu with their combined effort, but this puts much strain on Ayumi’s body who has used up all her energy despite her frail state.

Ren runs after Ayumi while Kazuma stops Ayano from following, knowing how the situation is helpless. Kazuma already knew that things are going to turn out like this because there’s no way Ayumi’s body will be able to survive for long considering that she has been forced to the growth of a 12-year old with the pixie’s egg. But despite this, he didn’t stop Ayumi knowing well that there’s no way they can defeat the majuu if not for what she did. Ayano can’t accept that Ayumi will simply die because saving her is one of the primary reasons why they actually fought the majuu in the first place, and vents our her frustration that Kazuma himself couldn’t do anything despite his contractor powers. Ayano didn’t mean to sneer at Kazuma, she was just frustrated that for not being able to do anything for Ayumi as well, and cries in his arms as she gains the desire to become stronger and be able to protect the ones she love next time.

Ren finally meets Ayumi, delighted that she was still able to see him. Ayumi’s last wish is for him not pity her because she’s going to die with no regrets. She was able to live with Ren the way she wanted and was able to do things out of her own will. Ren smiles back and praises her for what she’s done, while Mayumi also realizes her cruelty to Ayumi and asks for her forgiveness. Ren bursts into tears as Ayumi starts turning into sand, but tries his best so smile just like she wished, and confesses his love to her. Ren cries his heart out as he grieves over Ayumi’s death.

The following day, Ren spends some time alone by the beach thinking about what happened, and Kazuma assures him that Ayumi was able to live in bliss because he allowed her to live as a human and not the clone she was thought to be. For Ren, Ayumi still lives deep within the depths of his heart, as he remembers the words of love she told him before she passed away, “I love you too Ren”.

Thoughts

This was such a touching episode, and the ending certainly brought me to tears (despite the fact that I knew it was going to turn out this way). It was a bitter-sweet ending yet everything turned for the best. Ayumi may have sacrificed her life for the sake of protecting Ren and everyone else, but she actually did this for the sake of wanting to ‘live’ together with the person she loves.

Although it’s sad that Ren’s first love is fated to end like this, it was nevertheless great for his overall character growth. He can now be said to have experienced the same thing as Kazuma, who lost Tsuoi Rin a few years back (though of course that was even more tragic, and not yet ‘closed’). Both Ren and Ayano were able to learn how having strength will allow them to protect the people they love, which Kazuma has been doing for them in the past. And the last scene at the beach was but fitting to show this feeling of hope after all the tragedy that has happened.

It’s great to see that GONZO finally decided to show us the softer and more sensitive side of Ayano (considering that they’ve been omitting much of these similar scenes in the past (due to time and budget constraints?) ). Seeing Kazuma divert from his usual sarcastic and mischievous side to this warm and gently person who comforts Ayano was a refreshing change, since they rarely have these sweet serious moments together. Kazuma has gone through the same experience so he knows just how Ayano feels about not being able to do anything to save someone, which is probably what prompted that change of his attitude towards her that time.

Kureha can be considered the most tragic out of all the characters in Kaze no Stigma so far, considering how she was played a fool ever since she was born. She was despised by her own father because of her lack of abilities as an Earth-user, and thought that seeking power will help fill this gap in her life, yet in the end, she simply died without having the chance to actually start her life anew (unlike Kazuma and Misao).

Mayumi on the other hand was shown to be sleeping throughout the episode and wakes up realizing the cruelty she’s done against Ayumi, which she said was something Kureha told her. Even people who haven’t read the novel will find this strange, since this couldn’t have possibly happened within the episode since Kureha wasn’t quite in her sanity all throughout the course of the events (hint for plothole / inconsistency due to stuff omitted from the novel :p).

Another inconsistency worth noting is the fact that the excitement Kazuma showed in episodes 9 and 10 wasn’t quite evident in what he has shown in this last episode. Kazuma mentioned before that he wanted to see the look in the Tsuwabukis’ face (particularly Kureha) the moment they find out that their plans for their acclaimed Taisai is doomed to fail (as he’s going to take the very treasure necessary for its realization), and will crush them in that very moment of their despair. This was actually shown in the novel (with what Kazuma did to Kureha), and the reason behind why this wasn’t shown in the anime is because of its gore and darkness. Nevertheless, if they won’t show this side of Kazuma, then they shouldn’t have shown that power-hungry lunatic side of him in the first place o_O

(on a side note, I felt disturbed with the amount of fanservice in this episode… Ayano panty shots and shaking boobies =__=”’ )

And… aren’t you wondering what happened to all the other Tsuwabuki’s…? I don’t think we’ve seen the bodyguards and other members of this clan wiped out like the Fuuga clan, right? And also, what has become of Yuuji? How has his relationship with Mayumi progressed? All these questions will be answered in the deep frying below:

On the novel differences

Ok… time to discuss the missing stuff in this episode…

Kazuma’s Cruelty and Gore (and Kureha’s Real Tragic Death)

It’s worthy to note that the novel is consistent in portraying Kazuma’s cruelty and evilness, an image which the anime has certainly changed (and I have no complaints against that). The anime however became inconsistent when it suddenly showed this dark side of him in episodes 9 and 10, as we see Kazuma looking like a lunatic with all those plans he has against the Tsuwabukis. Now that I believe is something the anime shouldn’t have shown anymore, because it adds more inconsistency to the already inconsistent portrayal of the ‘real’ Kazuma.

Part of the cruelty Kazuma showed that was omitted in the anime is in the scene where they escaped from the top of the cave. The novel states that Kazuma killed most of the Tsuwabuki’s men as they get hurled into the wind he used in the process of escaping, and he couldn’t care any less for these strangers. As Ren questions Kazuma with regards to his actions, he simply explains that this is the fastest means for them to get out. (So, that explains the disappearance of the Tsuwabuki men who weren’t shown in the episode anymore)

A far crueler Kazuma can be seen in how he treated Kureha. Kazuma’s sentiments with regards to wanting to see the Tsuwabukis in despair is shown in how he sort of ‘brainwashed’ Kureha into thinking that all her plans have failed. Kureha couldn’t believe this to be true, so Kazuma cuts her body in half as he ‘offers’ to take her to the majuu so she can ask it herself. Kureha however doesn’t die at that instant and comes to believe everything Kazuma said to be true, and reacts the same way she did in this episode (with her body cut in half x__X), as she also tells Mayumi (who’s wide awake and “on screen”) how fortunate she is for having been loved compared to her who has no one by her side to love or protect her. Kazuma finds this annoying and chops her body into pieces with his wind blades, believing that it’s certainly impossible for someone to simply wait and be loved, he/she has to do her part and live even on her own so that she’ll be loved in return (Kazuma’s speaking from his own experience). Talk about cruelty… ><’’’ I can understand why this part was cut, coz it’s really really dark… but nevertheless the anime should’ve just omitted Kazuma and his evil laughs in episodes 9-10 because they have no plans to show this side of him after all.

Now for a further look at Kazuma’s cruelty…
It was stated in the novel that the Kazuma himself isn’t completely sure of the deductions he made about how Kureha became a puppet of the majuu. Kazuma used his being a smart-ass in coming up with this explanation, but he holds no proof for this. The anime simply added the “Zenon takes back the power it bestowed Kureha” scene, and the “Kureha unleashes her Earth abilities after the seal has been released” scene, just to give proof to what Kazuma said. I actually liked the way the anime added these scenes to give truth to Kazuma’s deductions, but once again becomes inconsistent with the evil Kazuma we saw in the first two episodes of this arc.

Ren reprimands Kazuma for what he did since it was his words that brought her into such desperation, but Kazuma sarcastically replies that he never thought Kureha would buy all that he said =___=’’’’ Ayano calls him a coward since he once again did some dirty tactic to finish off the enemy using the most efficient means possible, and Kazuma says his principle of “Losers are always in the wrong (or “Might is Right”).

On a lighter note, Kazuma provides more entertainment in the novel as well, with this cynical remark he gave when he saw Ren embracing Ayumi’s [miko] clothes (after she turned into sand), “What the heck are you doing? You already have a fetish for mikos at such a young age?” :p

On Mayumi (and Ayumi)

Unlike in the anime, Mayumi was wide-awake throughout the battle with Kureha and the majuu. GONZO just decided to cut her off because of the lengthiness it’s going to add in the episode, but it could’ve shown much of the gradual (and realistic) change in her, in contrast to the one shown in the anime where she already woke up realizing all her sins (which couldn’t have possibly been done by Kureha =___=’’ )

Mayumi woke up the moment Kazuma went down to check on Iwao, who tells her everything Kureha has done. Mayumi confronts Kureha regarding what she has done, calling her a traitor as she blames her for the death of their father. Kureha scorns at how she’s defending their father who actually attempted to even kill her before, and makes her choose between a useless death as she kills her right then and there, or become a sacrifice and lay down her life for the fulfillment of her role as a Tsuwabuki. Mayumi of course chooses none of these and even attempts to attack her, but proves to be no match for Kureha. Mayumi becomes even more enraged as she finds out that Kureha was the one who managed the facility for making the clone and toyed with her cell. In the middle of this catfight, Kazuma remains calm and even lights up his cigarette ^^;;; and then tells Kureha about destroying the crystal and eventually revealing his ‘deductions’ regarding Kureha and the majuu. Mayumi who sees how her sister was killed couldn’t help but feel shocked, unable to remain calm and happy about her death despite her hatred for her.

Mayumi was shown to be a weakling as well, since she was hurrying off to run away with Ayumi while Ren, Kazuma and Ayano are fighting the majuu in all desperation. Ayumi stops her from doing this and convinces Mayumi to cast the spell to weaken the majuu and help them out. Mayumi was initially against the idea because she doesn’t want to die, but after seeing Ayumi seriously wanting to save Ren and able to live with him, she joins her in casting the seal (which Ayumi was really thankful for). In the end, Ayumi was still not able to take the strain on her body and ends up in the same way as the anime…

The epilogue (Ren’s Graduation and the Tsuwabuki ‘Aftermath’)

The epilogue shown in the novel was different than what was shown in the anime (but it was great nonetheless). In the novel, Ren wasn’t able to hear the words Ayumi whispered to him as she was disappearing right at that moment… As such, Ren didn’t feel assured about Ayumi’s feelings towards him because she wasn’t able to give her answer to his confession. Now comes his graduation day, and he still thinks about Ayumi… when suddenly he hears the voice of Ayumi from the skies telling him, “I love you too, Ren”… and Ren was finally able to close this chapter of his life

The Tsuwabukis were able to live a peaceful life after that… they were able to recover from everything that happened. Mayumi takes the position of being the clan head, with Yuuji as her aide

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