"Kazana Was Right" the Movie
Welcome to my +Anima Sailand arc rant. We're going to talk about trauma, slavery, and dumb canon. Also this bird man. A lot about this bird man.
TW- slavery (heavy focus on slavery apologism), child abuse, trauma, fantasy racism, manipulation (more explicit in this rant than canon)
Two Minute Crash Course
So because this is a rare fandom, I'm gonna assume only I know who these characters are and what their world is so-
+Anima is about people called +Anima, who can use the power of animals for self defense. They only get one animal species, determined by whatever is skittering nearby during a traumatic experience in childhood. This power- also called a +Anima- disappears when the person is safe and loved. +Anima are discriminated against, so most keep their powers into adulthood.
The main characters are three children and one teenager. Their names are Cooro (crow +Anima), Husky (fish +Anima), Senri (bear +Anima), and Nana (bat +Anima).
Cooro was born with his +Anima due to shenanigans, making him more comfortable with it than other characters. He is also my blorbo- very squishable. Nana does not like her +Anima much at all, and is the most fashion conscious member of the group (yes girl but she can also sew which is cool). Senri is heavily traumatized and is generally quiet with a heart of gold. He also a member of the Kim-un-kur, a Native American-esque group who worships +Anima. Husky is a boy who looks like a girl and easy to anger. He is also a prince of Sailand.
Kazana is not part of the regular cast. But I will not describe him here because you're about to hear his life story.
There are two countries in this setting, separated by a mountain range where the Kim-un-kur live. One is Astaria, the setting of 70% of the manga. The other is Sailand. The main difference between them is- in Sailand- slavery is legal and +Amina/Kim-un-kur slaves are common.
The Sailand arc is about three issues long and is set entirely in Sailand. It contains backstory stuff for Husky and Senri. But we're not here to talk about that in-depth (though I will discuss what's relevant for Senri).
Got all that? Good. Time to move on.
Wish Upon a Star
Kazana became a hawk +Anima through unspecified means. He carried the ability into adulthood. Since he's a +Anima in Sailand, he was inevitably enslaved. At least one of his owners is known, and it's this bitch.
Bitch Lady Crystala owns one of multiple caravans in Sailand. To help her run the caravan, she owns a lot of slaves. The manga will bend head over heels to convince you she's a "nice" slave owner and her slaves are "happy" under her rule. Yuck.
Kazana was once one of her happily brainwashed minions. But after overhearing a particular conversation, he learned Crystala is the king's sister. There is some mumbo jumbo about succession which prevents her from ruling, and her relationship with the king is strained. But she still has his ear, and is in the best position out of anyone in the manga- save the king himself- to abolish slavery.
But instead of doing that, Crystala perpetuates slavery under the guise of being a "good master". She can- at any time- release her slaves. She chooses not to. Even twelve year old me knew something was up with this. Adult me- with more adult understanding- is honestly disgusted.
Understandably, Kazana is hurt. He's somewhat betrayed, too, as he thought Crystala really cared for him and the other +Anima under her ownership. This moment proves that not only doesn't she give a shit, but she is actively ignoring her ability to play the right fiddles and make some progress.
So Kazana takes matters into his own talons. He runs away and forms a group called Wish. These +Anima aim to end slavery, with Kazana also hatching a plot to assassinate the king and stage a coop. Upon becoming king, he plans to free slaves from their bondage. It is implied he would also take his rage out upon their former masters. I never said the man was perfect. But he is justified in his resentment.
All good stuff, ruined by a few things. We don't get to see much of Wish's membership outside Kazana. This essentially dehumanizes them. Yes there's a cool lizard guy, but what's his name? We also don't know how close Kazana is to his subordinates. Is he a strict ruler? Do they laugh together? Is he kind but closes his heart?
My headcanon is "a mix of the three, mostly the last one". Kazana has charisma- enough to attract followers- but I don't see him being very open after already being bitten once.
The aforementioned glorification of Crystala also becomes an increasingly large issue as the story progresses. And this is where we bring the protagonists in.
There's a lot left unanswered with Wish. Twelve year old me made a whole ass OC to try and find answers but never followed through. Maybe I should revisit my rat boy. But that's the subject of another rant.
Makes No Difference Who You Are
The four main characters are in Sailand to reunite Husky- however briefly- with his mother. Shenanigans get Cooro and Nana separated from Husky and Senri. The latter two are captured by slavers. But let's follow Cooro and Nana for now, as they enter a town and find +Anima everywhere. This is not common in Astaria, so the naive children get to believe for a second that they will be accepted.
They also wind up chased by slavers. Luckily, a coyote +Anima named Daisy spots them. Unluckily, she's one of Crystala's pets, and her owner is nearby. The two develop a ruse, locking Cooro and Nana in collars to trick the slavers. It works! Yay! But when Cooro attempts to return his collar...
As a blanket statement for everything that happens after this- I don't blame the main four for gushing over Crystala. They are children, and see no reason not to trust her. She not only bailed out these two, but saved Senri in the past (more on that later) and is directly related to Husky. They are too young to understand anything past "nice lady helped us". Senri has an extra wrinkle we'll discuss later.
Cooro and Nana travel with the caravan to try and rescue their friends. It happens to stop in a town where Senri is being sold. And this is where Wish makes its move.
Wish uses a notably non-lethal and barely harmful method to get attention. The translation says it might be mustard, but since it has an equal chance of being hot sand and hurts no-one long-term, I'm going to ignore that.
Kazana attempts to rally the +Anima to join him. The manga tries to warn us of him, as he says +Anima have powers superior to humans. But this is a statement of fact. Kazana's flight and talons give him an edge over ordinary humans. There's also the niggling worry he might use those powers to hurt humans. And he probably will.
But the manga forgets something important. Kazana is still a man. An angry, hurt man, who has seen a lot of evil. He had to have suffered greatly to become a +Anima to begin with. The one person he trusted saw him as yet another slave- not a human being worth freeing. He is wounded. And in his mind, abolishing slavery/becoming king is the only way to heal that wound.
As this is just a demonstration, Wish retreats the second things get ugly. This includes Senri fighting to protect Crystala. Remember I mentioned she "saved" him? Senri carries a book to help with his fractured memory. It contains a flower that reminds him of Crystala, who kept him with her caravan when he was a child. In her "debt", he attacks Kazana.
But Kazana does not retreat until the town guard gets involved. Kazana taunts Senri, sure. But perhaps deep down, he saw who he once was. A man with nowhere to go, who believed Crystala's empty words.
Kazana offers Cooro and Nana a spot in Wish. They decline as they still need to find Husky. He warns them of Crystala, with what limited time he has left in that town. Because he knows he can't force them to come with him. That would make him no better. And yet, he holds out hope that Cooro and Nana can add two plus two and flee.
Before it's too late, and they also feel hurt.
Anything Your Heart Desires Will Come...
Kazana does not reappear until later. With Husky freed and armed with knowledge of the palace's inner workings, Kazana offers to help out. He asks Husky about the king's most likely whereabouts (though he mentions guards, they are not his main concern). Husky- suspecting nothing- tells him. Kazana helps the kids sneak in to see Husky's mother, then departs on his own mission.
Using his new knowledge, Kazana ambushes the king and attempts to assassinate him. Unfortunately, Crystala happens to show up. She tries to get Kazana to stand down, and he refuses.
Though Kazana claims Crystala will take over if he kills the king, this is just a ruse. He just wants her out of the way. And he knows what she desires- power. Why else would she willingly continue to keep slaves? Why would anyone? And so he fights on, the crown in sight, and- hopefully, too- the end of his suffering.
What must be rushing through his mind in this scene? The children he used? His allies in Wish? The younger man curled up inside him, writhing and screaming in rage? Perhaps not even a man, but a child- a little boy who once cried out in fear. In the sky was a simple hawk- his only salvation, and also the key to his doom.
With this one murder, he can save thousands. Perhaps he can save himself.
But just as Kazana knows Crystala is a snake in the grass, she knows him. She had to know him- to an extent- in order to gain his trust. And she is his downfall, easily defeating him in combat, striking weaknesses he might not have known he had.
Because that's how dangerous people operate successfully. They sink under your skin, until you don't own it anymore. They tattoo themselves under the nails, where they'll never truly leave.
These panels haunt me, because you can just see everything slipping out of Kazana's talons. He will never free his kind, and he will never know peace.
Crystala pulls another gambit, faking Kazana's death to prevent his execution by the authorities. Sadly, he ends up right back where he started. You see, Crystala has a nice little plantation...
Yes that is the fucking word the English translation uses.
Now that you're done puking in your receptacle of choice, the plantation contains- you guessed it- more +Anima slaves. Who supposedly lose their +Anima while working there. Recall that the only way to lose one's +Anima is to be in a safe, loving environment. While we can't confirm if the plantation really does make people lose their +Anima, it still uses slaves to operate. That sounds like the exact opposite of safe and loving.
It's a return to the very hell Kazana gave up everything to end.
Bottom of the Abyss
I admit part of this issue is +Anima's format. It's supposed to be about four kids wandering the world together, looking for their place in it. There's little room for huge political epics like this (that's why it's an arc). This and the characters being children inhibits how deep the author can go into things.
That being said, we're still left with an agonizing snarl. Not only has the problem of slavery not been solved, but Kazana is presented as a villain whose rule would unfairly subject humans to torment. He is seen as human enough to spare death, but only to "teach him his place". He has fallen, becoming an example to those who step out of line. One can easily assume that Wish disbands without its leader. Who knows how long until anyone challenges the law again?
The only good thing about this situation is the story forgets about Kazana. Though there is a mini comic showing him on the plantation, I refuse to believe he stays there forever. The sky calls. Sooner or later, he must leave. Do I think he'll stage a coop again? Unfortunately no. He's too hurt and too humbled. But I have a wish of my own- that he leaves that damn slave farm and finds his own place, wherever it may be.
I won't get it in canon. But I can daydream.
