Kaze no Stigma

[Shadowflame]

I wonder if that beating scene was meant to have a more light atmosphere of girls harmlessly slapping a dude, but with the baseball club and everything it took a turn that made it feel more like one of those scenes where mafia is beating the shit out of somebody. Still, the guy was so creepy and pitiful that I didn't mind. He had it coming.

Bolded for emphasis, as I felt exactly the same way. I mean, yeah, he was a sick pervert, and he very well should have been expelled and arrested (cameras in the locker room?!). But the beating made those girls lose the moral authority IMO. If he had stolen one of their bras, would they have cut off his hands?

Much too early to say anything about the mystery girl yet. But perhaps she's someone from the times when Kazuma had just run away from the fire clan. It would make sense that whoever helped (other otherwise interacted with) him back then could have had the greatest impact as he probably didn't have such a thick skin yet.

I don't know why, but I got the feeling that something deeper than what we saw there is happening, like we were only seeing it through Kazuma's eyes. It reminded me of X-2 with that little girl. I'll have to watch it again; I usually only comment about stuff after seeing it a couple of times.

[David75]

For the beating, nanase (I think) stated that it was impossible to have a legal action greater than 3 days out of school to prevent the girls from being exposed to the public (pics, story and so on).
So they took the direct vengence path, which this show has been about from the start... no one seems to care about national justice and so on...

[Vash72]

It's funny because whilst I usually don't believe in vigilante justice, I sometimes wonder if schools treat harassment of any kind as seriously as they should. I can understand why the girls were irked at a 3 day suspension for someone who had stalked and harassed them and placed cameras in their changing room………

Not to mention the possible shame of having said photo’s become public by the time the school decided to intervene. The bat was a too much, but he deserved his beating……....

[Kraco]

Looks like AniYoshi got back from their vacation and released episode 15. I hope they will soon catch up so that I won't need to dowload all the future episodes two times...

Episode 15 - AniYoshi

[shinta|hikari]

The bat was a joke. I think they used that only because they suck so much at inflicting pain that anything else would have only tickled the bastard. I mean, after being beaten by a bat he comes back after three days without any serious injury? Even a kid can kill with a bat. If they broke his legs or something, that may be too much, but they didnt.

[Kraco]

Unfortunately this is, along with Claymore, the series whose episodes I mostly anticipate each week. Thus, it wounds me when they are taking they their time to appear:

Episode 16 - AniYoshi
Episode 17 - AniYoshi
Episode 18 - AniYoshi

I have been actually watching SHS releases just because of the statement I made before those links. I'll archive AniYoshi, though.

Episode 18 - Shinsen

Edit: AniYoshi's game of catch up seems to be succeeding.

[Kraco]

The terrible secrets of the hidden mansion:

Episode 19 - Shinsen

Edit: The recent trend of lack of Ayano-Kazuma interaction just doesn't seem to lessen. That's too bad because basically this series has very little other content than Kazuma's character and that character is often at its best with Ayano around. Now we are treated just with some plot development, but honestly that's not at all where the strength of this series lies. I hope it won't continue like this for long or the shine of this show will dim.

[Darknodin]

I disagree... I really liked that episode (well, the end of it anyways). I don't actually think Kazuma is more interesting with Ayano around, and i actually really like Ren's character (he's a bit like Kazuma if you think about it, just a little less sure of what he should do).

[Kraco]

Oh, it's not like I'd have disliked this episode. It's just that the reason why I like this series so much is Kazuma being such a kickass pimp character. And obviously he and Ayano belong together.

Ren, Kazuma and their dad are all very much alike, which is an excellent detail as such. They all just have somewhat different circumstances and settings (though we know little of their dad's backstory). That difference gave them their personal nuances.

[David75]

At first I thought Kazuma was a little darker and had a real grudge towards his former familly.
I thought he would hold his bitter character and kick asses, having wraith and revolt inside him.
However, this show isn't heading this direction, rather it's a bit a fanservice and cheap pseudo romance with ep18 hitting the bottom with that awful girl...

I've not seen last ep as of yet, it's on my comp, but I'm still wondering if I'll watcht it. I feel a
bit betrayed from what I was waiting for after watching the few first eps. It seems I had
build ideas about this show that were totally out of tune with what I was to be.

c u

[Kraco]

At first I thought Kazuma was a little darker and had a real grudge towards his former familly.
I thought he would hold his bitter character and kick asses, having wraith and revolt inside him.

I'm glad he doesn't seem to be like that. Honestly, we have had enough series with bonehead immature main characters seething with rage for whatever reasons. And how does that help anything, eh? Kazuma could hate what his former family/clan did to him, but his little brother still is living happily there, and nothing seems to be more important to him. And you can't blame him. No doubt in the past he wanted to be able to live like Ren is doing now. It would be his last option to go and wreck the place and destroy Ren's life.

I feel a bit betrayed from what I was waiting for after watching the few first eps. It seems I had build ideas about this show that were totally out of tune with what I was to be.

You expectations betrayed you, not the series. I'm still happy with this, though I had hoped things would proceed further between Kazuma and Ayano, but this is a shounen show, in the end, so that's not really likely at all.

Episode 20 - Shinsen

[animus]

I must say, that it's god awfully annoying to watch Kazuma portray typical cliche-male lead niches. When he saw Tsuo Rin, I was just like this is pathetic.

[Darknodin]

Yea i agree... I really thought when ep 19 ended, that he would have just smiled and ripped the doll to shreds...

[Kraco]

While it was in a certain sense believable what happened, but still I need to agree with you. This is Kazuma we are talking about so despite the fact he was all in love with the girl in the past, still he could have acted in a different manner and not in the 100% cliched way. I guess they felt the need to underline how they had such a history together. Still, based on how #20 ended, we do have reason to believe Kazuma is still able to kick more ass than anyone else.

And I'm always hoping for more Ayano-Kazuma confrontations. They are jolly good with Kazuma humiliating Ayano to a degree yet ending up saving her. Though seeing how he's in a bit cracked state who knows what will happen.

[David75]

True, my expectations fooled me

Ep20 was a bit bitter, so that's ok with me.
I shouldn't stop watching this show, not after 20 eps.

[David75]

[Q-R] released ep21 (it's a raw)
http://www.mininova.org/get/863407

Will watch it in 20 hours or so, I need to go to sleep now

Edit: Sorry, It's a raw, I wasn't cautious enough

[animus]

That's a raw, btw. Q-R (Quantum Raws).

[Kraco]

Damn... Got my hopes up and everything...

I wouldn't mind watching Kazuma kick some serious ass again, with Ayano fuming in vain.

[David75]

I put a warning telling it's a raw, I couldn't just erase the post after your answers. I'll be mor careful next time. Sorry.

[Kraco]

Well, to correct your misguided ways, Shinsen released the ep 21:

Episode 21 - Shinsen


- - - -

Edit: Now we are back to business! Kazuma kicked ass like no other, even if the opponents were hardly worth mentioning. But it was all good because he kicked their ass no less despite them being totally defenceless before him. It's their own fault they are so weak, after all. Heh, it was also good to learn that this isn't anything new for Kazuma, either. It's a good question why he was all calmed down when he arrived at Japan at the beginning of the show, but apparently the way he is right now is exactly what he was before settling down in his old home town.

I kind of wish we would get an OVA depicting the past events in London and elsewhere where he massacred people...