Despite my long KnS-silence, I still kept myself updated with the series behind-the-blogging-scene (among the rare few KnS fans out there in the English-speaking blogosphere too). I read chapter 9 of the manga about 5 months back, then I no longer heard of any updates, until recently. Chapter 10 came out in the April 2008 issue of Dragon Age (and I only got to read it last month), much to my surprise that it marks the end of both the Misao arc, and the entire KnS manga too My hopes to see the Ignition novels in its manga form has been crushed. ;___;

But oh well, no use moping about it now. Perhaps the mangaka also found the succeeding arcs to be a trainwreck, and decided that ending the manga with the novel’s best arc would be best.

the “inner cover” of the manga, which I nearly missed out on had I not removed the manga’s outer flap

With all that said, here goes this KnS manga post, in memory of this trainwreck yet memorable series. Kazuma x Ayano <3 Quite some time has passed since I first wrote this post and now I have the manga tankoubon of volume 2 in my hands <3 (I still owe the KnS fans out there the novel reviews, I know, sorry for slacking off… this will do for now ^^; )

Take note that my intention with this post is to enlighten existing KnS fans about the manga, so you have to know happened in the Misao arc to fully understand what I’m talking about here. I’ll just be pointing out the differences I found in the manga (compared to the anime and novel), and my overall impression of it. The manga also assumes that you have some KnS knowledge since the manga’s story takes place sometime after the first Kaze no Stigma arc, so if this review will ever convince you to plunge into the KnS world, I suggest checking out the first few episodes of the anime (or read the first volume of the novel), at the very least.

Because I am such an Ayano pimp

I only have one word for the KnS manga: AWESOME <3. I really love it; even the novel author praises the mangaka Nekomiya-sensei, for making it live up to the novel, despite all the changes he did. Aside from its awesome artwork and level of details (which can be seen way back my first post on this), the manga also boasts awesome fight scenes, and more Kazuma x Ayano antics. Nekomiya made Ayano all the more tsundere, yet less annoying and more cute & sweet Kazuma was also made even darker, though still fitting to his image and not OOC.

First, let’s take a look at how the “battle” went between Ayano and Kazuma in episode 6 of the anime where not much of a battle really happened. To refresh your memory, it’s the scene where Ayano challenges Kazuma to a fight, unforgivable as she found it to be that Kazuma let Misao escape on purpose, defending a supposedly criminal.

Compare this “fight scene”:

with this:

…not even worth comparing right? The anime sticks closely to the novel for this one. Props to the manga for daring to change this portion of the story, showing us a semi-berserk Kazuma as early as this arc.

For fun here goes more piccies from this battle, featuring the grim Kazuma and Ayano at the brink of death.

After the horror of this life-and-death situation, it’s but natural for Ayano to fear Kazuma, moreso fighting against him yet again.

In the end, Ayano remembers how she vowed to use her power to protect the people she treasures, and gains the courage to face Kazuma, dragging along Ren with her this time

“By this scar, I swear to defeat you!”

As Ayano and Kazuma comes face to face in battle, she gives this GAR speech which both Kazuma and Ren weren’t able to take seriously lol.

Unlike the anime (we’re now covering episode 7), there was no fancy “Flying from the Moon” entrace for Kazuma in the manga (same with the novel), hence the Kazuma x Ayano confrontation went a little different as well. There was no “Ayano ends up in Kazuma’s arms” scene, but still, I liked the manga’s rendition better. I’m a sucker for pretty pics, so sue me. I also liked the additional Kazuma teases featured throughout this chapter. And… the SD Ren is <3!! X3

As I’ve mentioned in a previous deep frying post for episode 7, there was supposedly [yet another] fight between Ayano and Kazuma after the Ren barrier scene (lol), and again, the manga made it EPIC WIN.

After this, Kazuma starts his countdown, awaiting the “happenings” between Misao and the Kannagis who were out to get her. They hear an explosion and heads to where it came from, only to find Misao who already slaughtered his father and some of his henchmen.

The details about Michael Harley’s brainwashing of Misao, which were left out by the anime, were also discussed in the manga. Michael knew well that there was no way the kind and gentle Misao could kill anyone for the sake of revenge, and hence he sort of sealed away that “gentleness” aspect of her temporarily, through hypnotism perhaps. That explains how he managed to turn her into Dark Misao.

Ayano’s sympathy for Misao, and her questioning as to whether Misao would be better off dying now that everything was taken away from her, which were in the novel (details of which I also mentioned in my deep frying), remained intact and beautifully expressed in its manga form.

The succeeding battles, Ayano fighting against the Vritra like a war machine ready to die in battle, and the final tag-team EPIC battle, were all great as well.

And to highlight one of my ultimate favorite Kazuma x Ayano scene(s) in the entire KnS (the HUG scene), which started out with Kazuma saving Ayano’s ass from her reckless fight, leading to this really sweet antic between the two lovebirds

With Kazuma and Ayano’s powers combined, they form one of the coolest couple tag-team EVER, and defeat Vritra with the power of love.

All’s well that ends well, as Misao gains a renewed sense of living, thanks to Kazuma.

Days after the incident, Kazuma and Ayano visit Misao, who surprises them with her decision to become a priest(ess). Kazuma also reveals why he wanted to save Misao so much, which was rooted to his scarred childhood past and how Misao helped him out once. The manga showed that Ayano understood full well what Kazuma felt, how he could be so thankful to Misao for that single act of kindness, which gave a glimmer of hope to his contemptuous life.

Before bidding goodbye to Misao, Ayano gives Misao some hard slapping, her unique gesture of cheering up Misao, which at the same time signifying her “challenge” of not losing to her (against Kazuma, most likely x3)

Kazuma and Ayano walks off, and Ayano becomes all deredere as she tells Kazuma that she would’ve done the same thing Misao did, if she was present during the time when he was bullied.

Ayano was certainly brought in a better light by the manga, as they showed her to be more mature, and not the annoying dense little girl she was in the anime.

So, to all Kaze no Stigma fans, as well as haters, even if the anime was a trainwreck I still suggest you go check out this manga. It ends with the BEST ARC, and retains the elements which made KnS such a memorable series.

So my computer suddenly went all tsuntsun and kept on restarting. I thought it just needed a little rest so I turned it off for a little while, about two hours, but alas, the problem still persisted. I suspected there was something wrong with my power supply, but thankfully, it was simply an MS OS crap error which I wasn’t able to find out because I can’t even enter Windows to diagnose the problem. I had to reinstall Windows and other programs I need again though, due to not relying on the power of Ghosts. So there, goodbye wasted hours for download, on the busiest day of the week. I still have to download KimiKiss, Persona, Shigofumi, True Tears and KimiAru! sigh… >_< In times like this I really wish I had a faster broadband... =__=

If this happens again, I think I'm really gonna go Linux, particularly Ubuntu, where I can have a sip of WinE instead of dealing with a crappy OS, and feel the power of Compiz Fusion.

*end of rant*

I was saving this post for later, but since I am still pre-occupied with other concerns at the moment, I guess it won’t hurt to opt for this instead :3

teaser pic, for less casualties.

The title should be enough hint that this has something to do with another ab(d)onimable man I posted about the other day. Curious to see the entirety of the picture? Then read on.

WARNING: Do not proceed if you don’t want your image of the GAR Kazuma to be tarnished

And the moment of unveilment…!

Honestly, I don’t know what gotten into the illustrator (Hanamaru Nanto) when he drew this… o__O

The GAR Kazuma has now become… GAY. D:

A little “present” before I go to sleep~

I’m all hyper today because I just got my package with the latest KnS Ignition novel, volume 5!! ^___________^ Thank you hmv for the speedy delivery~ <3 I bought some other stuff which delayed the shipping of my order, but it only took 2-3 days delivery. It's like I paid for Amazon JP’s economy shipping (which is no longer available for international orders, btw) but I get the express shipping instead! :DDD Minus the DHL bullcrap as well. So here goes another online shop I’m gonna frequent, aside from yesasia. I only order through Amazon JP when I have friends or officemates in Japan to whom I can send my packages. Err, sorry, I got carried away… >__>

Black vs White Kazuma~ otanoshimi~~~

As the title suggests, this is merely a “teaser” to the latest Ignition volume, which I still haven’t read. Yes, I know I’m getting excited over the wrong thing, because I’m supposed to be doing my write-up on Ignition volume 4 (with the Ayano matchmaking session) just like how I got excited over the upcoming 2008 Spring Season (with quite a number of shows catering to fangirls) instead of the 2008 Winter Season… >__>

But fret not because I shall do my best and finish that Ignition 04 post as soon as possible (just don’t expect too much, ok?). I’m gonna re-read Ignition volume 4 again before I jump to this volume, so I can go finish this backlog of mine. Hopefully, I won’t get tempted to go read volume 5 ahead, especially as I see the Black vs Kazuma picture, as well as *ahem* this *ahem*

News Regarding the Author (Takahiro Yamato)

I wasn’t able to mention it in detail before, but our dear KnS author was diagnosed with leukemia, which is why he has been recuperating for about two years now. The good news is that, he has recently been discharged from the hospital! yay~! He is still not completely cured from the sickness however, so when he’ll be writing the main arc of Kaze no Stigma again is still uncertain. Let’s all pray for his recovery~

The “Tsun” Side

Kaze no Stigma started out as a potential epic. We have an antihero as the main lead, once regarded as a weakling by his very own family, but comes back with a vengeance, as a powerful Wind Contractor stronger than anyone ever imagined. Early on, we see hints of his tragic past, but we never saw him delight in angst (that is, until the last “arc”). He learned from all these experiences, evident in the very principles he imparted to both Ayano and Ren early on in the series. I remember Tj praising Kaze no Stigma when it first started, pointing out the GAR Kazuma as one of the biggest factors which makes this series enjoyable.

All was great at the beginning. In the Fuuga arc, we see the topic of elementals and principles of power being delved upon, how the weak wind can surpass the supposedly strongest elemental of flame, how the strong feeds on the weak. In the Misao arc, the appearance of Michael Harley proved to be a nifty foreshadowing to the tragedy that befell Kazuma’s lover Tsuoi Rin. But just when you thought everything was going all smooth… you suddenly see a humongous turtle make its appearance in the Tsuwabuki arc.

I have no complaints about the turtle, no matter how random that creature’s appearance was. What I disliked most about this part of the series is how it didn’t contribute to the plot development at all. There is not a single connection between the Tsuwabukis and the Almagest, or the death of Tsuoi Rin for that matter, which simply shows how this entire arc was solely intended for showing Ren’s character development. I don’t have anything against Ren, but I really think the anime could’ve done without the episodes focused on him.

After this, the animators decided to take a break from the main plot, and switched to short-stories filler mode, which proved to be enjoyable, albeit butchered. They could’ve spent their time wisely in the course of the episode fillers, like devising something ingenious to correct the flaws of the novel, but no they didn’t. They decided to stick to the original novel’s plot, with Wernhard and Tsuoi Rin, and never succeeded in gaining back the glory it had at the start. The topic of elementals was sort of forgotten as well, as we see the series focus on the world of the Pandemonium and real-life RPG.

A Deeper Look at the Novel

Having read the novels, I’d say Kaze no Stigma isn’t fit to become an anime, not unless major changes are done to the storyline, particularly the Tsuwabuki arc and onwards. From what I can see, the author himself had dilemmas in devising the entire plot, uncertain as to what direction it’s going to take the series, after the Misao arc. GONZO likewise suffered from the same dilemma, and even worse. It was confused right from the start, avoiding showing all the gore and the dark Kazuma, butchering them together with the exciting parts of the book, yet “sticked” to the novel’s overall plot up until the end. As such, it made the not-so-outstanding series, even more lackluster and crappier.

The “Dere” Side

After all this badmouthing, you’ll find it hard to believe that I still love Kaze no Stigma. I guess I owe that to reading the novels? The series has its flaws, made even worse by the anime which didn’t give it justice, but it also has its “moments”, which will forever be engraved in my mind. The entire ride with this series was pretty bumpy, yet despite how it turned out a mediocre series with an unresolved ending, that didn’t ruin my enjoyment for the series. This brings me back to what Owen also mentions at the start of his 12 Days of Christmas post, highlighting the difference between people who read or watch series for the “moment” rather than the “resolution”.

Despite its mediocrity, Kaze no Stigma is definitely not forgettable. I remember reading an article on the net mentioning how he/she found Kazuma x Ayano as a typical anime couple, and the show forgettable over all, which completely differs from my opinion (the site isn’t available anymore, the last time I checked =| ). They might seem like your stereotype couple, with the tsundere Ayano and the cool Kazuma, but as we’ve seen throughout the series, their antics prove to be one of the most refreshing and unforgettable aspects of the series.

The author might have failed in terms of delivering an epic story, but it certainly succeeds in bringing out the chemistry between these two. This couple has found its way to my “greatest couples of all time” list, whom I regard as the most kickass and powerful couple, ever since Fullmetal Panic’s Chidori x Sousuke, whose antics are something I look forward to every time (which is what I love about the Ignition short story novels, Kazuma x Ayano antics <33).

Aside from these two, the author also managed to bring life to the other characters in the show, that even the side characters Yukari and Nanase grew to become endearing characters.

I still am, and will forever be a Kaze no Stigma fan~ :3 Having read the novel immensely contributes to the overall enjoyment of the series, otherwise the anime is very much "incomplete" in itself.

If I were to rate the anime, I'd give it a 3.0. Deduct a 0.5 if you don't like Kazuma x Ayano or the emo-turned Kazuma, and perhaps another 0.5 if you didn't like the filler episodes.

For some KnS updates… the 5th Ignition novel has been released last December 20, with more interesting Kazuma x Ayano-centric chapters (like this chapter with a Black Kazuma vs White Kazuma). I have yet to get hold of this volume, but I have to go make a review / summary of Ignition volume 4 first… =[

I recently did some random search for some Kaze no Stigma stuffs around the net, when I stumbled upon this. A huggable pillow cover with a butchered and almost stripped Ayano =___=;;;; When will they ever stop ruining Ayano’s image?? She’s not a slut!

First we had this hideous-looking Ayano figurine with the same set of ripped clothing, and now this pillow cover… with Ayano looking even more stripped =___=

Kazuma hasn’t even laid a hand on Ayano, but now sukebes are given the chance to delight in their fetishes >.>”’ Oh well… I know this isn’t surprising but, couldn’t they have at least given Ayano some decent clothing?

Lapis once again mentions some twisted principles Wernhard taught him, with a smile painted on her face. She didn’t say anything about wanting to become human, or becoming like Tsuoi Rin for that matter. Kazuma could no longer tolerate Lapis saying all this wickedness with Tsuoi Rin’s face and voice, to which she sneers at how he seems to perceive Rin as a saintly being who’s not capable of being this wicked. I’ve also mentioned about this in a little deep frying I did in the last episode, where Kazuma says that he doesn’t really see Rin as a saint, but firmly believes that she’s not the kind of girl who delights in people’s mishaps. Lapis heeds Kazuma’s request, since the sacrifices needed for summoning Belial have been completed.

And well, Lapis successfully deceives them, after she denies what Ayano mentioned about her doing all this simply to buy some time. She actually said sorry for lying to them (or for her mischievousness rather), and sticks out her tongue in a playful manner. “I tricked you this time”, she says, smiling like an angel under the tutelage of a demon, according to the novel. Seeing how Lapis is able to smile, I believe Kazuma really did saw her smiling during their first encounter. We also see much of her other expressions in the novel, may it be sad, happy, or lost… which should’ve made Lapis seem a more 3d character than she was portrayed in the anime. She was pretty much an expressionless girl in the anime, even in that scene by the fountains where she was gazing at the moon.

On the Ayano vs Lapis Battle

As the summoning of Belial commences, Kazuma decides to attack Lapis, thinking that it’ll put a stop to this. The same sequence of events happen where Kazuma gets distracted by what Lapis said, and Ayano attacking her in his behalf. There were just some differences in how the fight went about, since I’m imagining the fight in the novel as a one-on-one fight between the two girls similar to how it was in their previous fight. Kazuma didn’t step in the fight to help Ayano. Instead, after a few exchange of blows between Ayano and Lapis, he puts Ayano’s hand in shackles. He carries her like some luggage, dragging him away from Lapis as he senses the presence of Belial looming from the depths of the underworld. He takes Ren as well as both Yukari and Nanase up into the air as they prepare to attack Belial.

Oh, and the “last words” scene between Ayano and Kazuma before attacking Belial is an anime-only scene, which isn’t really worth all the other antics they omitted, in my opinion.

More on Ayano’s Sensitivity

Before attacking, Ayano remembers one little detail the anime didn’t really paid much attention to, and that is, the fact that Kirika might still be in the grounds of Central Park. It’s just a little detail but it makes you have more respect for Ayano who actually thought about the welfare of Kirika that time. Kazuma assures Ayano that Kirika is in a safe place, outside the premises of the park. In the same way as she thought about her friends’ safety in all aspects, this all the more shows her sensitivity with regards to other people.

On the Battle Aftermath, Novel Version

After the “battle” with Belial which lasted only for a few minutes, Wernhard congratulates them for this “victory”, and so Kazuma takes back the cliché remark he gave Lapis since he’s been deceived (yet again). Similar to the anime, he tells them not to fret since he doesn’t have any intention of fighting them. Genma however wasn’t in the scene as was shown in the episode so it’s quite puzzling for Wernhard to tell them that he’s not confident that he’ll win against them, when in fact, his opponents are now out of energy to fight back. I’m thinking that perhaps Wernhard feels that it won’t be a “grand battle” if he fights against Kazuma and the others right then and there in their weakened state, or that he really thinks that they are so powerful and have this hidden strength within them that’ll be triggered if he fights against them…

Wernhard also tells them, “…allow me to escape with the data gathered from the experiment, since everything turned out good [for you] after all. All the seeds have died, Pandemonium is obliterated, and the mastermind has fled the country. The matter is resolved without any problems, all is fine and dandy.” I don’t know if Wernhard simply said this to taunt Kazuma or what, since having the mastermind escape doesn’t resolve the matter at all. To think that the gathered data will be used Wernhard later on, for whatever gimmicks he has in store for them next makes this all the more worse. Up until this point, the real intention of Wernhard behind all this is yet to be unraveled.

Before leaving, Kazuma demands Lapis to tell him what Tsuoi Rin’s last words are, to which she teases him first by saying “I’m not telling you” before finally revealing what those last words are.

On Kazuma and Ayano’s Private Moment

After the fight and everyone heads home, Kazuma first spends some time alone in the garden by himself, contemplating about Tsuoi Rin. How he wanted to protect her, but wasn’t able to. How he wasn’t able to repay anything for much of the things she has given him. Tsuoi Rin, the 12-year old girl who saved him from the abyss of despair he was in. The same girl whom he allowed to die in the fits of despair as well. He thinks of a similar incident that happened to Ren, with Ayumi. Contrary to Tsuoi Rin, Ayumi died with a smile on her face… that’s why he really commends Ren for what he did. “You did a great job [Ren], a thousand fold better than what I did”, Kazuma thinks. He wasn’t able to do anything to Tsuoi Rin up until the end, and he can’t help but think of the “last words” that Lapis said.

Deep in these thoughts, Kazuma contemplates on what he should do the next time he meets Lapis. He finds this answer in himself, but what really bothers him if Lapis / Tsuoi Rin really is capable of killing him… While Kazuma is all dazed, Ayano pulls on his sleeves, making him get back to reality. She stutters for a second, trying to find words of comforting to tell Kazuma. Until finally, she tells him, “I’m sure it’s a lie. If that [Lapis] indeed bears Tsuoi Rin’s feelings, there’s no way it can kill you Kazuma. That’s why…”Ayano gives the answer to the question Kazuma was pondering about earlier, as if she read his mind. Kazuma knows well how much it took for Ayano to say all this, simply to make him feel better. He thinks of how he’s going to react to Ayano, whether to tease him about becoming kind to him all of a sudden, or to become sweet to her and thank her for her comforting, and then kiss her (just to tease her even more).

After Kazuma tells Ayano about how his powers were awakened after what happened to Tsuoi Rin, there were more of Kazuma’s thoughts revealed in the novel. How his powers were awakened when HE was the one in the brink of death. How he secretly thought “I don’t want to die”, which is said to be what roused his hidden powers, as opposed to his thoughts of not wanting Tsuoi Rin to die. Kazuma believes this is a clear proof of how he valued his life more than Tsuoi Rin that time, and he can’t help but despise his miserable self back then.

We see the same scene in the anime afterwards, where Kazuma tells Ayano that he’s not thinking about getting himself killed by Lapis, since he decided to embrace his past and protect Ayano and everyone else that he loves, a decision he has already made before (way back in that fight with Geho I believe).

Instead of giving Kazuma a slap however, Ayano supposedly lunges a kick at him, which he easily evades. Ayano was about to lose her balance and fall onto the nearby pond so Kazuma’s instinct was to grab her foot (which he says is the “nearest” part of her body he can reach to that time) to keep her from falling. He finally lets go of her after some little banter, and Ayano pours out her feelings with regards to her desire to be of help to Kazuma. He was dumbfounded, a reaction Ayano rarely sees from Kazuma, but then that’s not the response she wants from him. Ayano turns her back from Kazuma, while he continues to stare at her.

Minutes passed and they simply stayed like this, turning out into some match where the one who makes the first move loses. Until finally, the wind breaks this silence as Kazuma leans closer to Ayano, caresses her hair and delivers a kiss upon it. Ayano was stunned. Afraid to move an inch, knowing well that some change is bound to happen if she reacts to this. (And Ayano is most likely thinking of *that* relationship… she really is still naïve and innocent)

Ayano was dazed in thoughts, completely befuddled as to how she will respond. Having fully enjoyed himself with the supple feel [of Ayano’s hair], he finally let go. (This is what the novel literally stated… it sounds so wrong when translated into English LOL ^^;;;; Kazuma seems like the hair-smelling-freak in Charlie’s Angels this way).

Kazuma break frees from the pressure he weighed upon himself thanks to Ayano who cheered him up, as he was filled with thoughts of Tsuoi Rin and Lapis earlier. As Kazuma thinks about it, Ayano has already saved him a number of times (in the Fuuga clan arc with Geho, as well as that time with Misao… it was just not apparent in the anime). Ayano, the one who freed Kazuma from his past, is not a weak little princess who needs a knight to pledge his life for her, and Kazuma knows this well. This makes Ayano all the more suitable for Kazuma (as mentioned in the novel as well).

Having accepted what Ayano was insisting on, he gives him the innocent butt pat as he acknowledges her as his partner, leading to the same result as what was shown in the anime. Ayano jumping out in surprise and ends up landing on the pond.

On The Amusing Bits Missing in the Ending Scene

Much of the difference in the ending scene comes after the butt-pat, since in the novel, Ren comes into the scene as he wonders what the commotion was about. Soushu and Kirika follows after him. Seeing the state Ayano was in, Ren infers that Kazuma was the one who did this to her. “What were you thinking?! I don’t know what nee-sama told you… but for you to get so mad and push her to the pond?!”, said Ren. Kazuma reasons out that he didn’t do this, in a rather feebly tone because of the sticky situation he’s in, as he has incurred the wrath of Ren and Soushu (well, sort of).

Ayano leaps out of the pond filled with rage, set out to beating the crap out of Kazuma for harassing her (or so that’s what the butt-pat appeared to innocent Ayano ^^;; ). Further negotiation is futile at this point, and so Kazuma tries to seek help from the surrounding people. Much to his surprise, Ren, Soushu and Kirika steps aside, as if letting Ayano do as she wants, reasoning out that they don’t want to get involved in this mess. Ren even tells Kazuma to move someplace else since the entire house will get scorched in the current position he was in.

Ren: Nii-sama is the one at fault, no matter what angle you look at it. Please just turn yourself in and allow yourself to be hit with just one blow.
Ren: I’m sure it’ll be all right if it’s you, nii-sama… well, probably.
Kazuma: You guys…!

And well, Ayano chases after Kazuma with her Enraiha. Soushu calls out Ayano for a second, making her pause to listen to what his father has to say…

Soushu: Ayano. I’ll protect the house, so don’t hold back and give it everything you’ve got.
Kazuma: Jeez, how unbelievable this old man is…. Whoa?! *gets attacked by Ayano*

…Just imagine the ending scene in the anime that goes after this :p

If you think you’ve seen the last of me and my KnS crusade (novel and manga-wise), well, think again

The Kaze no Stigma anime has ended (or at least, the first season?), but that won’t be the last of my blogging of KnS :3 And as usual, here comes yet another deep frying I have as a follow-up for this recently ended anime series. As I’ve also mentioned in my summary, the anime ended similar to the novel, where lots of questions are still left to be answered (since the author is said to have an ailment and still can’t continue with the main arc). Given that, don’t expect me to narrate a conclusion shown in the novel, because there’s none as of now. I’ll just be doing some backtracking and once again fill in some missing tidbits omitted in the anime, particularly in the last two episodes. Major changes abound here like some lost Kazuma x Ayano antics and missing scenes in the confrontation with Lapis. The amusing remarks by our beloved characters in the end, one of which is Soushu’s cheer which I already mentioned in my thoughts on the last summary, is in part 2 of my deep frying.

On The Seed Players’ “Doomed Fate” (and the Game Metaphors)

Contrary to what was shown in the anime, not all of the seed players were annihilated by Kazuma. The ones who were left behind the pack didn’t fall prey to his vicious wind. Now after the Kazuma vs Ayano duel, they head on to their destination, believing that the race is still on. Foolish as they were in their youma-possessed state, they were all too blinded by their desire for power to notice that they were simply being tricked. One of the players arrives in Pandemonium and becomes the “winner” of the race, that is, being the first “live pork chop” (who die a horrible grisly death) to be fed to Belial. The other players were clearly out of their mind that they follow the same doomed fate of this “winner”, like some lemmings >suicide scene, as Kazuma also mentions in the novel. Ren lets out a little complaint against this rather cold remark of his brother, but Kazuma simply ignores it. Kazuma is even thankful that they are bringing this upon themselves, since they can simply focus all their energies on confronting Lapis and Wernhard.

Seeing the situation the players were in, Ayano remarks on how they can’t simply enter Pandemonium from the front entrance or they’ll suffer the same fate as the players. Kazuma gives her a doubtful look and asks, “You’re going in?”, thinking that it’s no longer necessary since she can just burn the place and they won’t have any more problems. “It’s not like this is a game, where we have to go all the way to some dungeon and find the big boss for a one-on-one fight”, adds Kazuma (showing how the author is really fond of adding these game-related metaphors). Ayano reacts the same way in the anime, since he forgot about her two best friends who were caught up in this mess because of him ^^;;

Kazuma x Ayano Antics Before the Lapis Confrontation

A scene was (again) cut in the anime, with Kazuma creating a new opening into Pandemonium as he leads the way. Ayano is quite surprised that he will be the front line because knowing Kazuma, he would rather be choosing the most efficient and safest means (for him) possible. That is, to make Ayano go ahead first to ensure everything is safe before he proceeds And the conversation went like…

Kazuma: Why, you seem to be taking me for a cruel bastard…
Ayano: Oh, did you hear that Ren?
Ayano: It seems like this guy has forgotten who he is (and even glosses over his misbehaviors).
Ren: …Uhm… (caught in the ‘dispute’ between the two XD)

Ok, now here goes some HUGE omission the anime did last time… Remember how Kazuma became pissed at Ayano asking him if he can fight against Lapis? Apparently, things didn’t just end with Ayano going silent and Kazuma ignoring what happened. Kazuma supposedly stares at the sad-faced Ayano who was filled with guilt because of what she said. A few seconds pass and Kazuma’s expression changes to his usual mischievous smile as he pokes Ayano on the forehead to make her face him. He presses her on the forehead to take a peek at her teary-eyed face…

Kazuma: Well, shall I leave it up to you then?
Ayano: W-what are you talking about?
Kazuma: Being Lapis’s opponent. I’m pretty sure you want to take your revenge over your shameful loss last time.
(Ayano’s ego was bruised with this, since she actually stood a chance against Lapis)
Ayano: Wh-what shameful loss?! I almost won if you didn’t interfere!
Kazuma: I see… Well you can say anything in a hypothetical.
Ayano: Argh! This guy really gets on my nerves!
Ren: Niisama… Neesama… let us not get into a lovers’ quarrel here, please?
Ayano: Wh-What lovers’ quarrel are you talking about?!
Ren: S-sorry!

On Utsumi’s Bloody Cut-off Screen Time

and literally… we see some gory “cut off” here… so beware

Kazuma, Ayano and Ren heads into the gates of Pandemonium, and was supposedly have been given a “warm” welcome by Utsumi accompanied by his now-turned puppets, Yukari and Nanase. He tells them to call him “Grand Mage”, regarding himself as an almighty being who is far beyond their reach. Ayano then demands Utsumi to give Yukari and Nanase back, and was about to lose her temper when he just sneers at her ‘request’ since both her friends won’t listen to anyone but Utsumi’s commands. Kazuma steps in between them and prevents Ayano from attacking Utsumi first, saying “I don’t care if you’re into playing meido (or role-playing maid-and-master), but all I want to know is where Wernhard is.” ^^;;;

Utsumi then boasts about how he has killed off Wernhard and that now he’s the master of Pandemonium. The “fight” between Utsumi and Wernhard wasn’t mentioned in the novel anymore, but I’m thinking that Wernhard faked his loss and just escaped afterwards. Utsumi was even foolish enough to think that Wernhard and the other seed players simply existed for completing him – the Ultimate Homo Superior, the Original SEED (with the original youma). Kazuma could no longer stand hearing all this crap and just slits through his face to make him shut up. Utsumi loses all the ego he’s been showing as he hides behind the chair he was sitting on, ordering Yukari and Nanase to protect him (what a wuss :P).

His last hope for salvation however was taken away in an instant, as Kazuma renders Yukari and Nanase unconscious and takes them back to their side (as was also shown in the anime). Utsumi cowers in fear and gets into panic mode as he draws out all his powers in that desperate situation. Kazuma stays calm and collected (like usual), and well… chops off his head >.>’’ The head actually pranced through the air, according to the novel… and blood comes spurting out of the now headless body afterwards. After that rather gruesome scene however, Utsumi still tands tall and proud, alive and headless. Lapis makes her appearance and kicks the live head, ordering headless Utsumi to get a grip on his own head, which he follows obediently, much to his surprise. (no wonder they decided not to show this… it’s nowhere as creepy as what happened to School Days, but it does stray out of the not-so-evil vibes the anime has been maintaining [in a not-so-consistent manner] in the past).

On Some Additional Scenes (and Revelations) with Lapis

With his head now back in its place, Utsumi’s system gets restarted (it’s the term the novel used), and voila… he is able to talk again. After much of Utsumi’s “screentime” in the novel, he finally steps back and hands the floor to Lapis. She gives the guests a late welcome and passes the message Wernhard has for them – an apology for not being able to greet them personally, and the confidence that they’ll meet again. Wernhard is already on his way back, according to Lapis, which Kazuma doesn’t find surprising because of the cliché scene used in this part of the setting (with the big boss avoiding face-off first, leaving it for some other time as he comes back with a grand entrance). Kazuma figures out that Lapis was the one who wrote this “scene”, because there would’ve been more twists if Wernhard was the one behind it (like in the scene with Utsumi, where Kazuma thinks that he’ll turn a Hulk of some sort (a bizarre idea by Ayano which she didn’t think he would actually agree with)) And they get into this rather “friendly” talk:

Lapis: Is that so… but I’ve tried my best to do this.
Kazuma: Well, it seems that you still have a lot to learn.
Lapis: Yeah… I have to keep on practicing.

(Seeing how these supposedly enemies have turned chums, Ayano of course can’t simply accept the fact that she’s being ignored)
Ayano: Hey now! Why the heck are you acting all friendly towards an enemy! Do you even understand the situation we’re in right now?!

Amusing as this could have been, I think it would’ve made the anime version much more anticlimactic than it already was. It’ll affect the build-up of action in the final episode as it’ll ruin the serious mood. Ayano vs Lapis fight was supposed to be the better fight scene in the last episode after all.

Ayano’s words brought Lapis into thinking that being consoled by her enemy is indeed out of character for a villain (the “role” she’s supposed to be playing), and so she gets a hold of herself to live up to Wernhard’s expectations. Her next action wasn’t exactly villain-like however, as she asks Ayano, “Well then [in order for me to act like a villain], I’m thinking of revealing the details of our plan with much pride, but I wonder if I can do it…” ^^;;; And well, this is supposedly a climactic scene, and Lapis is not at all helping in making it any more exciting… so Ayano finally snaps and prepares to attack Lapis, thinking that she must be buying some time to let Wernhard escape. Lapis however says there’s no need for this, since her master is already someplace that even a wind-user like Kazuma can’t possibly find.

Ayano demands an answer as to why she has to say all this, and Lapis reveals that it’s because of the promise she made with Wernhard – that she as the villain should reveal the secret with all pride just before the climax. *sweatdrop* Ayano can’t help but stare at Lapis [with a smile on her face], seeing how she has become all senile, from her supposedly cool and calculating self (and wonders if it’s the effect of the land they are in, since Pandemonium has now changed its location ^^;;; ). Lapis didn’t take this remark offensively and even saw this “change” as a good thing. (She thought that Ayano was actually praising her for having undergone this change) It’s in this part of the scene that Lapis expresses her desire to have a heart, feelings of her own which lie beyond what was given her (or programmed in her system), such as her faculty of judgment as well as her feeling of attachment to Kazuma.

Lapis then confides the twisted principle of Wernhard which he taught her, that a person should not simply focus all her energies in doing her mission, but to have the luxury of enjoying what she does. She should not also concern herself with the plight of anyone, because it will hinder her from achieving “true free will”, according to Wernhard. After this, we’re given this quite long sequence where Lapis explains the truth behind Wernhard’s plans, not the Utsumi version. This revelation should’ve been shown in my opinion, because it clears up some plotholes with regards to what really happened to Utsumi.

First is that the youma inside Utsumi, just like the rest of the seed players, is just a clone of the original one. The “original youma” is supposedly Belial which still hasn’t been summoned. The more surprising revelation is the fact that the real Utsumi (or Utsumi’s personality) has long been devoured by the youma which possessed him. Lapis gives several evidences to prove this – Utsumi remained in his human form despite having the greatest powers of all the seed players, and he hasn’t laid a hand on both Yukari and Nanase when his original self would not have hesitated to do so. Utsumi is a perverse maniac after all. All this is because the Utsumi now is simply a virtual being, programmed to become a decoy for luring Kazuma and Ayano into Pandemonium. It was mentioned in the novel that they lured Ayano, knowing the high probability that Kazuma will make his move if Ayano makes her move as well.

As Lapis mentions, a virtual being doesn’t feel lust or any sexual urge, which is why Utsumi never did *such* a thing to the girls, much to Ayano’s relief. This remains consistent in the issue raised before, where Ayano concerned herself with this danger of a woman in captivity. Utsumi completely loses his sanity after coming to terms with this bitter truth and cries out in despair, while Lapis watches the scene with gleam in her eyes. Kazuma scorns at how she’s enjoying this, similar to the anime, with some difference in the situation. There wasn’t any mention about Lapis cutting Utsumi in half in the novel… He lost his sanity after that striking revelation and became like a lifeless doll afterwards o__o

Second part of my deep frying goes here…

Kaze no Stigma finally comes to a close (though not quite) with this episode, where Wernhard’s plans behind Pandemonium is finally revealed. With the seed players killed in the previous episode, their souls become sacrifice for the summoning of this great demon which Kazuma, Ayano and Ren have to face. This final battle, together with other revelations (and possibility for a second season?) as well as the much awaited Kazuma x Ayano moment (for K x A supporters), and more in this final episode!

(I seem to have gone into trigger happy mode with this one… so many screenies @__@)

Screenshots

Summary

The episode starts with a flashback of the Tsuoi Rin tragedy. Kazuma arrives on the scene with the sacrificial ritual already being instigated and was still too powerless to stand a chance against the head of the Almagest Arwin Leszars and save his beloved. “Let me show both you and your sweetheart the meaning of fear and desperation”, exclaims Arwin with all joy and pride as he continues on with the ritual without remorse. Tears well up from Tsuoi Rin’s eyes and screams Kazuma’s name as though her very soul is being torn apart, while Kazuma can’t do anything but screams in despair.

Back to the present, Kazuma, Ayano and Ren has infiltrated into the Pandemonium. Ayano asks Kazuma if he has any plans in mind, specifically how they’re going to fight Lapis, worried that he won’t be able to fight against her who used to be her lover (in the person of Tsuoi Rin). Before Ayano can finish what she was saying, Kazuma punches the wall, brushing dangerously close to her face, instantly silencing her. Kazuma retorts that there’s no way the impostor Lapis can be Tsuoi Rin. Lapis might look like her, but she doesn’t have her heart. And that’s what sets them apart. Tsuoi Rin has died right in front of his eyes, and he himself should know that better than anyone else. Ayano becomes filled with sadness as she hears all this from Kazuma, and refuses to say any further.

They head inside the gates and get greeted by Yukari and Nanase who are both in their cosplay-looking costumes (Yukari in her meido outfit, and Nanase in her S&M-like outfit). Both of them are safe and sound but are still not in their conscious selves. Lapis comes into the picture, welcoming them to Pandemonium in behalf of Wernhard who’s already gone back to his country now that his mission has been fulfilled. Ayano demands her to hand over Yukari and Nanase, to which Lapis agrees without a fight, since both these girls together with Utsumi were simply used as decoys to lure Kazuma.

Yukari and Nanase steps in front, explaining the meaning behind this Pandemonium project (as well as Wernhard’s plans in general). Pandemonium was built to create a breed of “homo superiors”, a cross between human and demon. The seed players were used as guinea pigs for researching on how to make this fusion possible. Lapis on the other hand was sent by Wernhard to beget Kazuma’s anguish and despair. Kazuma doesn’t find this surprising since he knows well that Almagest is a cult which delights itself in these kinds of crimes for pleasure.

Lapis then finishes the rest of her task as she kills off Utsumi with a swing of her sword, whose soul is the last one necessary for summoning the great Demon Lord Belial (with the soul of the other seed players already fused into it earlier). “What do you think of this “scenario of despair” master has written?”, Lapis asks with a wicked smirk on her face. Ren can’t believe how Lapis will do all these wickedness when in fact she used to be Tsuoi Rin. Lapis becomes filled with sadness as she tells them that she wants to have a heart, knowing well that she’s simply a doll made out of the last memories of Tsuoi Rin (Kazuma quivers upon hearing this). Unfortunately, Wernhard corrupted her mind into thinking that getting amused over cruelty to others will fill her emotions and allow her to attain this.

Ayano can’t help but be disgusted of this twisted thinking. Lapis continues on, telling Kazuma that even her feelings of attachment (being drawn) to him is simply but a feeling given her (and not her own). “I want to be welled up with [my own] genuine consciousness and feelings. I want to be human, for me to become Tsuoi Rin” Kazuma refuses to hear any more of this insolent talk and was about to kill her with his wind, when she suddenly blurts out “Are you going to kill me again, Kazuma?”, distracting him in his attack. With Kazuma daved out for a moment, Ayano takes his place and faces Tsuoi Rin in battle, determined to defeat her and put a stop to the summoning as well.

Yukari and Nanase shields Lapis from Ayano, and Kazuma takes his turn to attack Lapis while saving both Yukari and Nanase in the process. After an exchange of blows with their sword, Lapis changes her tactic as she creates this illusion of crystal while concealing her real self in one of them. Kazuma uses his wind to find out where Lapis is, and was about to deliver the final blow to finish her off when the grounds start to shake as the summoning of Belial has finally began.

Lapis makes her escape, “assuring” them Belial’s powers are far incomplete to be able to bring the entire world into destruction, since the number of people sacrificed for summoning this demon doesn’t suffice for that. At this rate however, Belial is powerful enough to destroy the entire Tokyo, and Lapis expresses her anticipation of seeing Kazuma in anguish in the midst of his devastation. Kazuma ignores what Lapis said and soars through the sky with his wind, taking Ayano and Ren with him. They look down on the summoning ground brimming with enormous amount of power as Belial crawls out of the depths of the underworld. Despite knowing that his contractor powers combined with the Kannagi’s Divine Flame can’t match up to this demon, Kazuma looks at this as a challenge and exclaims with all confidence “Looks like we’re left with no choice but to fight it head on!”

Kazuma advises Ren and Ayano not to think about anything else but focusing all their energies in a single decisive blow against the enemy, determined to go all out in this battle with a kamikaze attack. Ayano takes one last look at Kazuma’s face, asking him for any last words he has for her. Kazuma smiles back and tells her to make him taste some of her own cooking some time, to which Ayano refuses. Belial rises out from the depths of the underworld and Kazuma calls out on the Wind Spirit as he was once again reminded of how Tsuoi Rin was devoured by youmas that time. Kazuma once again feels regret over what happened and thinks “If only I had this power back then”. But Kazuma himself knows well that this is but an impossible wish in his past, and what really matters now is the present, with the people he has to protect.

A spiral fusion is formed with Kazuma’s azure wind, Ren’s golden flame and Ayano’s crimson flame as they combine their powers to defeat Belial. Maintaining this equilibrium of powers as they face the enemy with a head-on clash, they manage to defeat the great demon and save the city from obliteration. The three elemental users survive the attack and the entire city of Tokyo sees the gleam of hope as a new day begins. Wernhard greets them for this victory, exclaiming his surprise that they were able to achieve this feat. “Stopping Belial from being fully summoned is humanly impossible”, he says. Wernhard still hasn’t left the country as Lapis said, as he doesn’t want to miss this spectacular scene.

Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren have already exhausted all their powers with that attack against Belial, and there’s no way they can win against Wernhard at this state. Wernhard assures them that he’s not going to fight them because he’s a wimp, and won’t head on to battle unless he’s sure of his victory. Kazuma then sees Genma within the premise, the enemy Wernhard is referring to. “The power of the Kannagis is indeed terrifying”, says Wernhard, who finally bids them farewell, filled with confidence that they’ll meet again in the near future. Before leaving, Kazuma demands him to reveal what that last memory of Tsuoi Rin was, the last message she wanted to convey to him that time. Lapis then divulges this information as she tells him “I want to kill you”, which came as a great shock to Kazuma.

Ayano leans close to comfort him, and Kazuma embraces her tight. They head home to the Kannagi house, where Ayano and Kazuma spends some private time alone by the pond. Ayano tells Kazuma that what Lapis said must be just a lie, since there’s no way Tsuoi Rin could’ve thought of wanting to kill him. Kazuma however thinks that it’s likely to be true, since it’s natural for the girl she wasn’t able to save to bear a grudge against him. Ayano thinks that it can’t be helped, since his powers still weren’t awakened that time. Kazuma confides that his powers were awakened after the tragedy with Tsuoi Rin, which Ayano finds to be an orthodox pattern. “But nothing happened after Tsuoi Rin was killed. I felt so miserable that I couldn’t even laugh”, says Kazuma.

Ayano looks at Kazuma and can’t help but worry at how he seems to be thinking about getting himself killed by Lapis. “Don’t think about getting yourself killed by Lapis! You’re here now. Didn’t you choose the present over the past?!”, exclaims Ayano, to which Kazuma says there’s nothing for her to worry about. He decided to embrace everything in his past, and face both the present and the future that lies ahead, protecting her and everyone else. Contrary to the reaction he’s expecting, Kazuma earns a slap from Ayano. “I never asked you to protect me! I don’t know what happened in your past, but don’t you feel any hurt or pain?! Can’t you at least depend on me during that time (of pain and sadness)?! Don’t carry all the burden by yourself! Am I that unreliable?! “Just what am (exactly) I in your life?! Just an excess luggage? A drag?! Someone who hides behind your back to avoid being a hindrance (in battle)? Then after the battle is over, gets an embrace or a kiss (in return) as a sign of thanks?! Stop kidding me!! I can help you out (even a little) you know!”, Ayano tells Kazuma as she pours out all her feelings and tears well up in her eyes.

Kazuma was too dumbfounded by Ayano’s words to say anything, and a gust of wind blows whisks Ayano’s hair. Kazuma draws near, caresses her hair and gently kisses it, sending a tingle down to her spine as Ayano’s face becomes painted with a furious blush. After a still moment of bliss, Kazuma finally lets loose Ayano’s hair. He smiles and tells her, “Well, I leave things to you, partner” as he gives Ayano a pat on her butt. Innocent as she is, Ayano is still not used to this kind of gesture and jumps off to the pond in surprise. Ayano fumes with anger and takes out her Enraiha, ready to attack Kazuma at any moment. Kazuma tries to negotiate on discussing the issue in a peaceful manner, but Ayano refuses to listen and starts attacking him.

Ayano and Kazuma revert back to their battle mode, with Kazuma running away from all of her attacks. Soushu comments on how troublesome his daughter is, and apologizes to his guest for making them see such a shameful sight. Yukari and Nanase assures Soushu that they’re already used to this usual scene, and Kirika comments on how Kazuma is going to have a hard time dealing with this. Ren could simply sigh as he sees how Ayano and Kazuma are once again back in their childish selves. Ayano’s chase continues and finally lunges a final blow with her Enraiha.

- the end -

Thoughts

Being the final episode of Kaze no Stigma, it turned out to be quite an anticlimactic ending because the final battle we see with the hailed great demon Belial turned out to be such an easy boss which our heroes and heroine defeats in a whim. The fact that the final boss (Wernhard) is still at large also contributes to that. I don’t really have much complaint against this because things ended similar to the novel, but I’m thinking it would’ve been better if the anime improvised this final episode and ended it with a closed (or a more closed) finale. Intense and full of action as this last episode has been, having Kazuma, Ayano and Ren have a face off against Wernhard would’ve been much more exciting than seeing them defeat a great demon lord (despite the fact that this demon is much more powerful than Wernhard). It wasn’t much of a battle, since we’ve only seen the wicked claws of Belial and the next thing we know, he’s been obliterated.

The battle between Kazuma and Ayano in the last episode was actually even more exciting than the battle in this one, in my opinion. And it’s making me think about what would happen if they shifted some of the events here. Like… having Kazuma first kill off Wernhard before Ayano faces him. That perhaps after killing this boss, he’s still in his berserk state and Ayano knocks him down the way she did in the previous episode… I’m thinking that could’ve made this episode more worthy of being the “finale”…

But then it’s also good to have left things as it is, if they have any plans on making a second second of the series once the author gets well and gets back into writing the main arc again. If they never intended to make a sequel of this, I was thinking it would’ve been better if they already killed off Wernhard, or at least made them have a deathmatch / face off before leaving the country. Wernhard turned out such a lame villain, in my opinion… a twisted lame villain, together with the entire Almagest.

As for Lapis, I was thinking she’ll become a 3d character as she gets to have a heart which will allow her to realize her own consciousness, and have her go against Wernhard as she fights for what she believes in (principles that are right and just). When I saw the picture in the novel with Lapis looking all sad, I really thought she decided to break away from the clutches of her master and find her own identity, but looks like it wasn’t so. She has become twisted like her master (looks like that’s what became of the ‘heart’ she was wishing for), and I don’t think she’ll realize what it really means to become “human” (not become an insane person like her master) unless some events will lead her to realizing that humanity (in the far future, if the author has plans of making this happen).

The revelation of Tsuoi Rin’s last memory came as a really unexpected surprise for me. There’s nothing mentioned in the novel to ascertain if Tsuoi Rin really thought of killing Kazuma that time and we don’t really know enough about Tsuoi Rin at this point to dismiss this possibility. I do believe that it’s possible for someone as saintly (?) as Tsuoi Rin (or so how she was portrayed) to have this kind of evil thoughts, considering the farfetched promise she made with Kazuma. Quoting myself in the comment I made in my thoughts about that promise between Tsuoi Rin and Kazuma, “…the promise Tsuoi Rin asked Kazuma will certainly result to hurt and pain sooner or later. I mean, the girl asks the guy to promise to protect her no matter what. If the guy fails to do so, the girl will most likely feel betrayed (in a way), because the guy wasn’t able to fulfill his promise.”

Seeing Tsuoi Rin being sacrificed for Arwin’s selfish motives is really such a heart-wrenching scene. Kazuma was helpless in the state he was in, and we can see how remembering what happened to the girl he loved can bring him into his berserk mode. But nevertheless, I would’ve really admired Tsuoi Rin if she was still able to smile at Kazuma despite the pain she was going through, and tell him not to blame himself for what happened to her. (But it looks like Tsuoi Rin is but normal, that the anguish she felt that time was indeed unbearable)

Given that Tsuoi Rin really did feel betrayed during that time, it’s most likely certain that she was filled with thoughts of either, wanting Kazuma to die with her, or kill Kazuma for his inability to save her. But these thoughts would most likely be a spur of the moment kind of thing… thoughts which plague people at the depths of despair. What’s done is done and Tsuoi Rin has died. The fact remains that she never did anything to take away much of the guilt from Kazuma, in the flesh or in spirit.

Ayumi was much more admirable, because even at that dying moment, she left Ren with a message of hope, to become happy even if she wasn’t around anymore. Ayumi’s feelings was so strong that Ren felt her presence even after her death (during his graduation, where he saw her like an angel). But of course, Kaze no Stigma wasn’t written that way, and I’m just happy to see Kazuma paired up with Ayano who’s far more strong-willed and can handle herself more than Tsuoi Rin.

As I’ve also mentioned in the previous episodes, Tsuoi Rin inevitably played a great role in moulding Kazuma as he is. But given the tragedy which happened, I’m just thankful that now there’s Ayano for Kazuma. I really like the brief and serious moments of sweetness they have, seeing Ayano comfort Kazuma that time Lapis revealed that info about Tsuoi Rin’s last memory…

Ayano was indeed admirable with what she told Kazuma in that private moment they had in the Kannagi residence. In contrast to Tsuoi Rin who asked Kazuma to protect her, here comes Ayano who tells Kazuma that she doesn’t want to be protected. It’s not a matter of pride, but rather that she doesn’t want to become a burden to Kazuma. She wants him to rely on her, for her to be of help to him. I like how the novel puts what Ayano told Kazuma, “…I’m not telling you to entrust me with your problems… but I want to be of help (even a little)”, showing how she herself knows that she’s still lacking in many aspects. More of Kazuma’s thoughts are unveiled in the novel (like usual), where minutes pass after Ayano confides all her sentiments to Kazuma and he can just stare at her.

Kazuma knows well what Ayano meant with what she told him. That she’s not weak… that she’s not some weak princess (damsel in distress) who needs a knight to devote his life for her (unlike Tsuoi Rin). And this is what really sets Ayano and Tsuoi Rin apart, in my opinion. At the start of their conversation in that pond, Kazuma actually pondered on how he should reply to Ayano who was consoling him about Tsuoi Rin (and what Lapis told him). He thinks for a while… if he should act all sarcastic and tell her, “Why are you comforting me all of a sudden? You must be coming down with a flu”, or if he should be honest (and sweet) and tell her “Thank you. I’m happy that you care about me” and make her blush, or that perhaps he should lightly kiss her just to make her mad (^^;;; ). In the end, Kazuma’s reaction was none of the above, and it’s what we saw in the anime. It’s great to know that Kazuma pondered on how to react to Ayano… the thank you reply he thought about especially shows that it’s some sentiment he had that time…

I think this also ascertains the fact that he enjoys seeing all these reactions of Ayano, tsundere as she is. He knows how Ayano’s going to react to him, and he just does things to make her react the way he wants, at any given time (poor Ayano ^^:;). Ayano just catches him in surprise at times, when she becomes all sweet:3

Now with regards to that hair kissing scene, there’s actually a deeper meaning behind it. In the novel, it was mentioned that when Ayano’s hair swayed towards Kazuma, it was as though it was reaching out to his heart (in contrast to her body which is ‘stiff’ and has its back turned against Kazuma). Now when Kazuma caresses her hair and kisses it, I believe it’s a symbol that he accepts her feelings, and reciprocates it ^-^

Some stuff in this Kazuma x Ayano scene went slightly different in the novel, which I’ll just be discussing in my deep frying. But what I was hoping the anime included was that comment by Soushu regarding Ayano and Kazuma’s fight. In contrast to what was shown in the anime, Soushu actually cheered Ayano to give her all and kick Kazuma’s ass, as he tells her “Ayano, don’t worry about the house (I’ll protect it), so give it all you’ve got” Kazuma can’t believe how he would say this and could no longer react any further as Ayano lunges her attack That would’ve been a more amusing ending.

Afterthoughts

Overall, I found this series a rather enjoyable one, despite its flaws and lack of excitement in some other aspects of the show. Up until now, I still think that what made me stick to this anime and have interest in this series is the Kazuma and Ayano antics which will forever be immortalized in my the minds of people who have grown to love this pairing. Despite its WTFudge ending, and many plotholes and untold stories behind events in the past (the events tying Kazuma and/or Tsuoi Rin to the Almagest, how Kazuma got his Contractor powers, etc), I still liked it. Even from the start, it wasn’t really made out to become a great epic kind of story… but simply for fun and guilty pleasure (at times). The principles of “power” and “protection” it conveyed to the audience, cheesy as it might seem, really got me into thinking about these things. We’ve seen the characters grow throughout the series, especially Ren and Ayano (if you read the novel, or the deep fryings). Yukari and Nanase already played quite a vital role in making this series entertaining, as they’re usually the comic relief and source of amusement :p

Some people might have been disappointed at how Kazuma’s character turned out to be, but I just like to say that even at the start, he wasn’t the almighty undefeatable Yagami Kazuma he was portrayed in the anime. I mean, even at the start of the novel, despite how strong and invincible he is, the readers get to see this side of Kazuma who’s confused and doesn’t really have any direction in his life. As such, I don’t think he became out of character. When he came back to Japan, he was still a lost sheep. He just hid all this and concealed it with this ‘mask of invincibility’ (but the readers of the novel had the opportunity to see through this mask), and all it took was a Lapis to make him once again remember all these bitter memories and come face to face with this past. Others might not agree with me on this, but I’m glad to see how Kazuma was able to become more humane than he was made out to be at the start.

And now for some last words… I really hope you enjoyed this adventure with KnS as much as I did ^-^ I think this is a great time to express my thanks to all people who faithfully followed through this blogging adventure of mine, as well as the deep frying adventure. it was such a fun ride Thanks for sticking up with me, despite the backlogs I had :p Kaze no Stigma is what made me get into reading novels (which I thought I still won’t be able to do), and it’s because of this (and more) reason that it has a sentimental value in my life. Ok, too much emo…

Hope I’ll still provide more KnS fun with the manga and the novel, now that the anime has been wrapped up~ Till next time!

Ayano’s Divine Flame and Kazuma’s Real Thoughts & Feelings

As Ayano wields her Divine Flame, it made Kazuma snap a little from his daze and got him into thinking “What’s going on?” The question of “Why?” continues to run through his mind… “Why can’t I finish off Ayano? …Why (or How) did Ayano become this strong? …Why should I kill her?” A battle happens in Kazuma’s mind as his mind as he starts to question what he has done “…to kill anyone who gets in my way” “But why?” “I’ve decided… to kill Wernhard and destroy Lapis. It’s for that reason alone.” Kazuma is still filled with doubts in his mind, when Ayano shouts at him, “Wasn’t it you who taught everything [about this]?!”

Ayano’s words penetrated Kazuma’s mind… which once again got him into pondering, about why he longed for power. “For revenge?…For protecting people? What about the people who [I] wasn’t able to save? For what purpose should I use this power which I gained when everything I had was already lost? I have already exacted my revenge. To kill Wernhard will just be some sort of ‘side trip’, just a way to take care of the mess that’s left (the remains?) If that’s the case, then it won’t matter if I kill off Ayano right here, right now.”

And then Kazuma looks at Ayano who’s burning with much anger at that moment. He gazes at her crimson flame and Kazuma is mesmerized…With this, he was reminded of that time she wielded this same flame during that fight with Ryuuya.

Kazuma was enthralled by Ayano’s very own flame, which mirrored the radiance of her soul. For the mere girl known as “Soushu’s daughter”, whom he didn’t regard any respect for nor interest with, to be able to wield such a flame… he was charmed beyond doubt. Kazuma never told anyone, but he secretly named that flame “Kouen” (Crimson Flame), and thought that the name “Prominence” suits Ayano well. (lots of cheesiness, but I love it nonetheless :p)

And now Ayano was again able to wield this divine flame, which is far more refined than her flame that time (now in its “well-honed form”). Kazuma realizes the truth behind Ayano’s words, that it was indeed he who taught her all this (how to fight). He then looks at his wind – turbulent and rough… such a hideous wind indeed. It’s like he didn’t put much thought in its ‘sense of harmony’ that it even inflicts much damage on the surroundings, with a great loss on his part as well (since much of his power is used up). With this, Kazuma resigns to the fact that he can’t possibly win against Ayano with this wind of his. He was prepared for Ayano’s attack, and thought that perhaps he�