Sometimes it seems that when you come across a particularly themed anime, it feels almost too familiar to something you've seen before. In the case of Kaze no Stigma, elemental users get together for some big battles. Fire versus ice, wind versus fire; it's all been done before many times over. Seriously, with so many shows out there utilizes people with elemental abilities it's no surprise that this one in particular doesn't stand out in a crowd.

A short while ago we checked out the first part of Kaze no Stigma. This show from 2007 came from Gonzo and lasted for 24 episodes. With twelve episodes the first release of the show gave us a strong look at what it's all about. I suppose that's both a blessing and a curse because, quite honestly, it just wasn't very good. The characters were shallow, there was little in terms of development, the pacing was shoddy, and the story all around was just kind of average. Adding insult to injury was the fact that the production of the show was minimalist at best and seemed to be budget all the way through. Why a story like this couldn't have been tightened up and brought down to 12 or 13 episodes is anyone's guess, but here we are today with the second half of the series.

In case you missed it, Kaze no Stigma takes place in an alternate world where elemental power users run amuck and control everything. There are some powerful families, but in this day and age it seems there are few quite as powerful as the Kannagi family. The Kannagi Clan utilizes fire as its main element, and within the context of the show they kicked out Kazuma, who was inferior to his cousin Ayano. Years passed and Kazuma has returned, along with some new icy powers. A string of deaths also appears with him, but there's more to the story than meets the eye. The first part followed this particular storyline further and expanded upon the database of enemies. The second gets more involved with elemental battles and love interests aplenty.

At the start of this volume Ayano and Kazuma are more or less pushed together in a romantic fashion. Though they are cousins, they seem to like each other and even Ayano's father is involved in it somehow. In one particular episode they go to an amusement park under the guise of a mission, but some of the commentary belies deeper meaning. There's also a stint at a hot springs resort, which has many humorous and awkward moments.

Throughout the second part there are new enemies that are introduced and slowly, but surely, we receive a glimpse at the big picture. Just who is pulling the strings behind everything is revealed by the end and it all leads to a mad dash towards the conclusion with Kazuma, Ayano, and Ren teaming up to take down the big villain. Unfortunately along the way there are several bumps in the road and the show never feels quite right. It's rushed at times, too slow at others, and elements of the story are never explained as well as they should be. This is kind of the same problem I had with the first installment, though I suppose I shouldn't have expected the series to miraculously right itself after half the show was done.

Ultimately Kaze no Stigma is a middle of the road kind of show. It's not necessarily terrible, but it's not exactly outstanding either. The series just has a very disjointed and underwhelming feel to it and there's no one particular area where it suffers the most. If you enjoyed the first volume you can expect much of the same here, however, if you haven't seen the show I'd call this one a rental at best.

Kaze no Stigma is presented on DVD with an 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer. As mentioned the show was recently produced by Gonzo and as you'd expect there are some takeaway benefits from that. The art design is pretty good and the show is quite vibrant with its dynamic use of colors. Unfortunately the animation isn't quite up to par and leads one to believe there were budget constraints. As far as the transfer is concerned the quality is decent with a slight amount of grain in darker scenes and the presence of some interlacing now and then. These flaws are relatively small, but noticeable enough to mention.

The English language track for Kaze no Stigma comes with a 5.1 Dolby Digital presentation, while the original Japanese track his our shores with a 2.0 stereo offering. The dubbing quality for both is pretty good, though in this case I felt the Japanese language was by far the better of the two. Technically speaking the quality was decent all around with the English track offering more bravado on the soundstage and a good use of the rear channels at times. The Japanese track felt a little flatter by comparison, though the overall sound clarity was perfectly fine.

Some trailers and textless songs are available on the disc, but there's also another episode of the feature called "Ayano's House Call: All-You-Can-Eat Cakes". It's entertaining enough and the voice actors are quite fun to watch, but it has little to do with the show itself and really just feels like a fluff piece that was tacked on as an afterthought.

Kaze no Stigma isn't exactly up to par with what we'd expect from a Gonzo series. The show's animation is of poor quality and the fact is that the series just isn't that unique or interesting. The theme is too familiar, the pacing is disjointed, the characters aren't very deep or well-developed, and ultimately the ending just kind of fizzles. I was hoping that the series would have come around and improved dramatically for its second half, but that wasn't the case. Because of that, this one is a rental from start to finish.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!