Kanon (2006)

I usually warn people to not have too high expectations of any anime, like don't expect an anime to change your life, because if you do it will ultimately fall short of such expectations. Since "Clannad"(2007) is more popular than "Kanon"(2006), know that the anime are about the same, but also quite different, it's likely you've seen "Clannad" already. Be sure to remember the more you blow something up the more likely it is to fall short of what you want. That Said... a Kanon is a type of music, stemming from Germany, that employs a single simple rhythm, as the song progresses new instruments are added harmoniously playing the same rhythm, creating layers of music. I'm sure you've heard one, you just don't know it. Story: 10/10 A compelling tale of an ordinary young man surrounded by the extraordinary. The story is nothing if not one of experience. It is propelled by Yuuichi's hero complex, that is, his need to help others, and is kept enjoyable by his sarcastic and often times delinquent style of humor. The plot is complex, uncharacteristically so for a love story, and employs twists that are above it's genre. Overall the story is well layered, as the title suggests, and beautifully expressed. Art: 9/10 The visuals in this show are satisfying. It is almost always in snow, and the scenery is wonderfully drawn. The characters are well drawn, the male ones anyways. My only problem with the art is the females are all identical, which is typical for an anime portraying a host of female leads, but it is still sloppy. The eyes are so massive on the females that no room is left on the face to express differing traits. That said, they are rather charming. Sound: 10/10 Both subbed and dubbed voices are good, I suggest dubbed though, since there is no real visual dissimilarities between the females, the voices vary much more in English than in Japanese, which makes it a bit easier for the viewer. Both opening and ending themes are well choreographed and fit the anime well, not my thing though. The opening is a rather sad song which reflects the overall feel of the show. The background music is perfect for this anime, it amplifies the scenes well. Character: 10/10 This show features a Great, well-developed cast. While the families of the characters remain an overall mystery, they are unnecessary. The story employs stand alone characters which adds to the overall sad feeling of the show. There was a single, noticeable, apparent inconsistency at the very end concerning Ayu's family. Though whether it was an inconsistency or a simple misunderstanding on my part eludes me. Enjoyment: 10/10 I usually don't go for the sappy kind of shows, but "Kanon" is a new breed of sappy, enlisting mystery, darkness, and a healthy dose of lighthearted comedy, this show truly is in a league of it's own. The running jokes are not overused, and there's even some nice action! But like I sometimes say, ok maybe this is the second time, Go in expecting to change your life and you'll be disappointed, but go in just willing to have fun and open minded, and you'll love it.

A boy named Yuuichi is moving to a town where he spent his winter vacation seven years ago. But he doesn't remember anything about back then. There he meets a lot of girls that he had known and left them there. All these girls have tragic stories that involve his actions seven years ago. In my opinion, he changes a lot of destinies when lefting this town. STORY: 9 This series has a great story. As the Anime continues you'll find out new moments of Yuuichi's life seven years ago. You're introduced to different girls and after that you find out their stories one after another as the plot is presented. Each of these girls have tragic stories that changed their lifes, involving Yuuichi's participation. I liked that these series included some funny moments, some tragic moments and some love moments; these moments were very good combined , which formed a brilliant ansamble. ART: 9 The animations in the series is awesome. All characters are well-detailed (if you it in 720p or 1080p you'll notice this). The environment looks very good, also the lighting in scenes that involve sky is also well-made. And also, environment colours suit very good the situations that pass at that moment. SOUND: 10 The music in the Anime is great. It worths downloading the Soundtrack. If you enjoy the piano themes suiting moments, it means it's for you. The OP & ED themes are interesting, but I liked them only after the 2th episode and at the end they began to piss me off. But, I repeat one more time, Music in this series is Magnificent! The characters' voices suit them very well. Seiyuu had done a great job. I recommend you to watch this series with Japanese audio, so you can listen to characters' real voices. CHARACTER: 10 The main character Yuuichi is a very good example of a gentleman. He treats girls very good. Helps them when they need it. The worse part of him is when he was a child. He made some mistakes. I'm sure you'll notice them. The girls' have their own character/personality that suit them in their own way. Though you'll not some of their behaves, you'll get a good impression of the most of them. OVERALL: 10 I'm sure you'll enjoy these series, if you like Key's work an especially Jun Maeda's. If you enjoyed such series as AIR and Clannad, You'll enjoy and this. The ending of this series leaves you a good impression and feeling. It doesn't leave you with a depressed mood. Everything is revealed and all questions are answered. What can I say now? Summing all this I can tell you that this is a must-watch/have MASTERPIECE series. If you watched series of this nature, or not, I'm sure you'll like it!

EDIT AS OF 3/21/2011: This review has been updated to include my thoughts on the Japanese dub. [EVEN LATER EDIT: Some of the things I printed here represent opinions of mine I no longer believe. The text will still remain the same, as a historical reference, but note this: when I first watched Kanon, I listed it as a 9. If you look on my actual list now, it says 10. In truth, it's really 9.5/10 in my book.] Kanon's a pretty popular franchise amongst Japanese Pop culture enthusiasts; it was originally a visual novel for the PC (with hentai scenes, yes, go ahead and snicker if you want) and was first adapted into an anime series in 2002 by Toei. It was later remade in 2006 by Kyoto Animation. Most fans seem to disown the 2002 version and go with the 2006 version instead. I came into this show knowing it was a love-it-or-hate-it series; the fans say it's an emotional rollercoaster ride that is very much worth your time. The haters say people only like it because it has moe girls and tons of emotional pandering. Well, short version: I love Kanon. It's not perfect, but I love it. Story: Yuichi is a high school student who's come back to live in a town he hasn't lived in for 7 years. He can't remember much from when he lived there back then, but whenever someone's in need, he's always does his best to help them out. This is not an action romp; this is a slow and deliberate character study. That could turn away some people. However, it's all very well written and intriguing at the same time. 9/10. Art: In one word; incredible. This is easily one of the best-looking animated tv series I've ever seen. The characters are beautifully illustrated, the backgrounds are meticulously detailed, the animation is fluid, and just the way everything is rendered is just beautiful. Just watching this show is a feast for the eyes; its artwork is almost as good as an animated movie. 10/10. Sound: The background music does it's job; it's decent, but nothing special. The opening and closing songs are nothing to write home about. The Japanese dub is . . . well, Yuichi sounds good in Japanese, but most of the girl characters are forcing the moeness too much in Japanese. Imagine teenage girls sounding like five-year olds; hey, you might like that, but it sounds jarring to me. The English dub by ADV on the other hand is solid. Yuichi sounds different, but whether played by Tomokazu Sugita or Chris Patton, he sounds perfect, but the real reason I favor the English dub is the girls actually sound like real teenage girls. Not only that, but Nayuki and Akiko have beautiful English voices . . . but yeah, they suit the characters better. The only dubbed voice I didn't like was Sayuri's; there's something about her delivery that sounds off to me, but in all honestly, even though it is an unpopular opinion, Kanon sounds better in English. 8/10. Characterization: They say characterization is the most important element to good storytelling, and it's obvious the makers of Kanon took this to heart; the show has one of the most memorable casts I've ever seen in an anime. Yuichi is affable, funny, and can be mean at times, but he's also very sensitive, and very selfless; more guys should be like him in real life. All the people he meets are memorable in their own way: Nayuki is a sleepyhead, Akiko is a doting mother figure, Ayu is childish, Makoto is a "tsundere", Mai is quiet, and so on. The thing is, almost all of the characters are very fleshed out, and transcend their quirks. Sure, most of the teenage girls are perhaps unusually sweet, but most of the characters feel like real dynamic human beings. Everyone is charming in their own way. Oh, also, if you'll permit my saying, Nayuki, Ayu, and Makoto are just adorable! (Consequently, Makoto is now on my list of favorite anime characters.) 10/10 Enjoyment: Only two things bogged down my enjoyment. One, the first three or so episodes were rather slow. Granted, the series is establishing itself at this point, but the show didn't really hook me until episode 5 or 6, around that range. Also, I feel the ending could've been more effective. It's not a terrible ending by any means, but I feel it could've been more satisfying at the same time. Other than that, I really enjoyed this: it was funny, it was cute, it was heartbreaking, it was heartwarming, it was romantic, and it was all around a feelgood story done right. 9/10 So then, in the end, Kanon was worthwhile. The girls weren't flat moeblobs like, say, a good number of the characters in Lucky Star. There were a lot of soap operatics too, but it didn't feel contrived. Just one word of advice: watch Kanon only if you're not afraid of indulging in your feminine sensitivities. If that's not an issue, then watch it. You won't be disappointed; if anything, I hope it'll be something you remember and cherish as time goes by.

This is one of the most Anime I liked that combine between the dramatic and comedy side, some parts of the story are based upon "What if (.....) Could be happed", The dramatic sides of it, Specially the turns of events that could be made from a simple wish of a lover. The graphics were excellent, They used a good variety of colors, It's type of graphics that would intrigue you to look at it, Whatever you loved the series or not. I liked the music because they are Deep and Pure specially the opening Song. The character of the series was one of the most things that I liked, With half of the girls has their own Prefixes they use intentionally\unintentionally, UGO~, AUU~, AHAHA~, My favorite character here is Kurata Sayuri, She is so levely that sometimes I like to have a friend like her, The Main Character, Aizawa Yuuichi, Is just like Fujibayashi Kyou from Clannad, unlike most anime boys who are always tend to girls, He do some teasing that make him looks more natural\funny. They have made a good use of the characters, Like the ending theme where Auy-Chan run on the snow, a KAWAIIIII scene Which you would stay looking at it for a while after finishing an episode. The story is nothing you may be able to guess from watching a few episodes, You would always have some wondering, while they switching you between Comedia\Drama from time to time, Shortly, I recommend anyone to watch this Anime, Even try to make someone who hates Anime for it's excess of Drama watch it, That would may change his\her mind.

The town that hosted the young boy's future. (May contain spoilers.) In 1999, Kanon's release marked the begining of a beautiful story in the history of visual novels; one that would inspire that company's future and would also inspire the hearts of many. After AIR having a huge success, KEY wanted to see their first project have a new light after the 2002 anime which was probably outdated by 2006. The 2002 adaptation wanted to recreate the visual novel's story. The 2006 adaptation inovated the story. One boy, by the name of Aizawa Yuuichi, returns to the town that he made plenty of memories with 7 years later. However, he can't remember anything that happened throught that time. Meeting the new people(specially girls) in town, Yuuichi would embarck on a journey to remember those lost times and the girl with wings. I still consider Kanon as one of the best stories that KEY has ever made. There's a good balance between the pain and suffering and the happy and wholesome moments. If you liked AIR, Clannad or Little Busters!, you're going to love this one; they're almost identical. But what makes Kanon special? Well, i think its how well you can connect with the characters. Take Ayu for example; she's always running around doing idiotic stuff and always yelling uguu~(like 70% of the time she's on screen) and yet by the end of the series, you're going to cry for her. Makoto, Mai, Shori; Sayuri; Nakuyu their stories are very tragic and executed perfectly with the visual settings and the beautiful music composed by Jun Maeda. The said characters also have their charm and funny moments; specially Makoto since she's always seen doing goofy stuff and Nayuki with her being always sleepy when its morning. With that said, if you haven't checked out Kanon yet, you're missing a lot. Not only this is a tribute to the visual novel but it enchaces it by adding in a few extras. Sure, its not 100% faithful from the source but its a solid work on its own, almost as if you're getting the whole package.

Kanon 2006 is definitely worth a watch. I am yet to watch Kanon 2002 but I doubt it could be as good as the newer version, seeing as I found it to be wonderful. Story: 9/10 The only reason I'll give it a nine out of ten is that the ending was a bit confusing - but honestly, I am very close to giving it a perfect score. The story is laid out beautifully, you get to see how Yuuichi's relationship with the female characters unfold, and it is wonderful. Art: 10/10 Perfect. The characters' expressions, their tears, their joy - you can see it in their faces so well it almost becomes real. The detail in the scenery is extraordinary, it's nice to see the little touches. Sound: 9/10 The music you get to hear throughout the series is lovely to listen to. It is one of my favourite things about Kanon. Characters: 9/10 I am only giving it a 9/10 as I didn't like Makoto, apart from that, I adored all of the characters, Mai, Nayuki and Ayu in particular. Enjoyment: 9/10 They manage to drag a fair few emotions out of you in this anime. Although I didn't cry, it did make me feel quite sad. Of course there were times when it made me extremely happy, too. Overall: 9.5/10 I know, I'm being particular, aren't I? I hoped this review helped.

This is my first review, so bear with me... Story: Whilst complex and sort of confusing at times, ends with such a crescendo, you don't know why you were so confused to start with! Due to the fact that all the answers are there in each episode, you just never look at the subtle clues or subtext which gives would you a hit of realisation when the ending of Kanon tells you what you've been missing out! The story is also very enjoyable and funny, whist having 'mild' romance, which in my opinion, is the perfect middle area. Though, i'll 'only' give this a 9, as the ending was -slightly- anticlimatic, almost as Key was too hurried to tie the knots off at the very last episode, to make it all fit into 24 episodes. If it wasn't for the -slightly- anticlimatic ending, it would be a solid 10. Art: The eyes just look straight through you. While it perhaps, isn't as realistic as clannad or the later Key animes, the type of graphics is so fitting for the storyline, and exceptional for 2006. 10 Sound: Very melancholic background music, catchy OP and ED, what more is needed? 10 Character: Perhaps the best feature, all the characters are all so intriguing and entirely unique. They all have easy names to remember (!) and are all so like/loveable too. While they all have their good and bad points, you can't really have a favourite... Enjoyment: Again, see 'Story' for why this isn't a 10. Albeit the rest of the story is a solid 10 for enjoyment. Has the correct balance of humor, sadness, reflection and drama so it's almost certain you'll finish this with a particularly warm afterglow. Overall: The story arcs are intriguing and are really enjoyable. The only bad thing i can say about this is that there is no season 2, and there is no point in watching this without subs and if it's not the middle of winter outside. I.e. It is COMPULSORY to watch this anime WITH subs and in the middle of winter only, in order to feel the full effects and its warming afterglow...

**Note: Possible spoilers! Beware!!** Kanon is about Yuuichi Aizawa who has come back to live with his Aunt and cousin after seven years. He always visited there when he was younger however he does not remember anything. Story: 9 As usual, the story starts out like a normal harem. Something simple, in this case, Yuuichi was transferred to the school his cousin goes to. It's normal hey? That's completely normal. You start meeting the girls who are possible lovers. Get this, it ain't a normal harem. The pacing is slow at first, making the series somewhat boring but once you get into it it's just one BAM thing after another.Like I said before, because the pacing was slow, the story got incredibly rushed at the end to the point that I was anxious whether the story actually had a proper good ending. Onto the actual story, this is the most I've cried in any anime. Even more than Clannad and Clannad in my opinion is the absolute best (that includes After Story). I have cried non-stop just watching it. Kanon is such a tear jerker. It had it's funny moments though however the anime faced more to drama and tragedy. I couldn't believe at everything that was going on all at once. The overall story was just great. The plot was just incredible. I loved it though the pacing was somewhat bad, earning it a 9. Art: 10 I'm not surprised. KyoAni gives you the best of the best. Though KyoAni has improved in art (impossible but they did it!) over the years, the art was truly the best of 06. You can go through all anime released in 06 never finding one with as much detail to it than Kanon. Now KEY's productions are usually set for a certain season. For example, Air was set for Summer and Clannad for Spring. Kanon is obviously set in Winter. KyoAni has done a damn good job of executing the season. Every single thing was just beautiful. Since I've bought the DVD of the dub version (luckily it included the Jap version as well and subs), the quality was greatly downgraded. Because of all the whiteness from the snow and the brightening that FUNimation had done, it was incredibly hard to see. The colours were not rich and you couldn't see the outline. However if you look at an original episodes being fansubbed, though maybe pixelated (is that a word??), you can see everything. It's unfortunate not to be able to view the series with great quality but I am definitely more than happy just to have watched it. Sound: 8 The sound was definitely not Kanon's strongest part for me. I never actually liked the OP and ED. The BGM has never stayed with me. It was just there fitting to the mood. Sound, for me, wasn't outstanding. I've heard better. Seiyuu however was great. The voices for each character fitted them perfectly. The catchphrases will forever stay in my heart. However seiyuu can speak in such a cute form and say the cutest catchphrases will always be a mystery to me. Sound was good overall. nothing too special. Seiyuu gave it a boost otherwise it would be a seven. Character: 10 Characters are another strong point of Kanon. Each character had their own story to how they are now. Their reasons are reasonable. I liked most of the characters, Mai and Makoto being my favourite, but a few others were slightly to whiny for my taste. But hey, that's what we do, whine and whinge until we learn. Everybody changed, most for the better. The main cast for Kanon cannot be forgotten. There's Ayu with her 'uguu~'; Nayuki with her heavy sleeping; Shiori with a love for sweets and 10 metre snowmen; Makoto with her 'auu~' and her failed pranks and Mai with her demon slaying sword. Each character is individual and real. That's what I find important in characters. None of these characters did anything dramatic...well some may have but they had their reasons. You know. But I do feel that some character's weren't explored deep enough. I would've liked for Kanon to have continued on a few more episodes to look into some characters a bit more. You'll know what I mean when you're finished with watching Kanon. All in all I loved each and every character though I did find some annoying. I've never actually liked a character who wasn't the main main character. Like how in Sailor Moon, there were a ton of other main characters but Sailor Moon was like just the main character that you liked? Well that's what happened for me anyway. Loving a different character is really nice. Enojoyment & Overall: 10 & 9 Don't think I'm emo or anything, I'm not, but I really do love anime that make me cry. Kanon was the most that I've cried in though I Clannad is still the best for me. I guess Kanon would come in second or third considering there's After Story. It was funny at the right time and it was just a work of art. Kanon is truly one of the best anime that you can get. I must warn you though, it is a very sad anime. It's very tragic. So you'll be needing a box of tissues. It will come in handy later on.

Before reading any of my reviews, please keep in mind that I am a VERY harsh critic. I do not hand out 10's easily and anything I rate 7 or higher I consider recommendation worthy. In my opinion it is necessary to watch BOTH Kanons in order to get a full appreciation of the series. So I will give my review for BOTH at the same time, comparing and contrasting what I believe to be the key advantages and disadvantages of each. I will be rating them separate however. Please keep in mind that one series is primarily drama while the other is primarily comedy. Because of this it is very difficult to accurately compare the two. Chances are that if you see people saying they liked one much more than the other, then they probably like that GENRE much more than the other. Story 5/10 Despite popular opinion, it is actually the original story that has the better storyline. The stories of Nayuki (8/10 & 4/10) and Shiori (9/10 & 2/10) were not done very well at all in the remake. Neither was Makoto's (10/10 & 8/10) as they attempted to make her story ending seem light, happy and even cute which significantly lowered the impact of it. Ayu's story (8/10 & 9/10) was probably done a little bit better in the remake, though I liked the way they handled the story about the hair band in the original more. Mai's story (4/10 & 10/10) was obviously done better in the remake, and is the remakes biggest attraction. The main thing that the original story lacks is humor, which Kyoto Animation makes up for with interest in the remake, giving depth to an otherwise flat main male lead. The original series started slowly due to the lack of humor, unlike the remake. However, the ending was done better in the original because they did a better job with Nayuki as well as added more importance to the accidents, which the remake glossed over a bit. A nice touch in the remake is the incorporation of Pachelbel's Canon in D as a minor theme for the series. As for the story in general, it wasn't really that original of an idea. Main male character returns to a town he lived in as a child, but he can't remember anything about his time there because of what appears to be a tramatic experience he had 7 years ago. He ends up spending part of the series trying to regain his lost memories of the time he spent there, and who he spent that time with. It's pretty much all been done before, but I strongly believe that something doesn't necessarily have to be completely original to be good. And Kanon was good, though you need to see both in order to better understand exactly what happened 7 years ago, and to understand why certain characters are the way they are. In other words Mai in 2006 and Nayuki and Shiori in the original, both Ayu and Makoto lack certain bits of important information in each series. Like it's predecessor, AIR, Kanon is at times very emotional. They don't call them "cry games" for nothing. There will be times when you will laugh (especially in 2006), there will also be times when you will cry (especially in 2002), and if you appreciate a good drama then you should find the series to be enjoyable from beginning to end. If I had to rate the overall story, then I'd probably have to rate it 8/10 for the original and 5/10 for the remake. Unfortunately the butchering of Nayuki and Shiori severely hurts my rating for 2006, otherwise it would have been 8/10. The original would have been 9/10 had Mai's story been done better. Also, Kanon had a more obvious haremish feel to it than AIR did, and had less flow between character arcs, though it didn't really affect my rating it may have if the review system worked with decimals. Art 10/10 I don't think there can really be any debate here. The art for 2006 was much, much better than the original. The original had a very obvious h-game art style. The characters had very rough designs, though the detail was good. The backgrounds were dull and flat. Overall it seemed very early-90ish, which is a bit hard to handle considering it came out in 2002. Overall I'm being generous when I give it a 4/10. You would expect them to do a better job than they did. However, Kanon 2006 was extremely visually pleasing. The art is very reminiscent of AIR TV which is a very good thing. I love the way the background art was done. The scenery was spectacular, the skies were amazing. The attention to detail was stunning with an excellent choice of colors, color techniques and appropirately placed CG enhancement. As with AIR, the thing I liked most was the eyes. The way they combine CG effects with contemporary art to make the eyes shine like that is beautiful. Kyoto Animation gets full marks from me for art, 10/10. Sound 10/10 The sound is pretty good for both shows, but 2006 definitely has the edge. The BGM were good for both, though I give 2006 the advantage in the theme song department. I loved Ayana's songs. Last regrets was powerful and beautiful and Kaze no Tadori Tsuku Basho was extremely catchy and uplifting. Flower and Floresence just didn't stir the same kind of emotions in me. The voice acting was good in both, the edge again going to 2006 mainly because of the one change they made from 2002 to 2006. The decision to change Yuuichi's seiyuu to Tomokazu Sugita was pure genius. His highly sarcastic tone was a perfect fit for a Key leading role. His interaction with Ayu's and Makoto's characters was pure magic. However, Makoto in episode 9 of the original was much better done than in the remake version. Overall I give the original a 8/10 and 2006 10/10 once again. Character 8/10 The characters follow some of the typical Key stereotypes. Plenty of moé provided by Ayu (very similar character to Nagamori in ONE, only difference is Ayu's moéness) and Makoto (sort of a cross between Nanase from ONE and Michiru from AIR, similar hairstyles too, again with added moéness), the quiet and seemingly unpersonable Mai (nearly identical to Akane from ONE in personality and looks almost identical to Nanase from ONE also), the childhood friend (in this case a cousin) Nayuki (sort of like Misaki from ONE personality wise) and the seemingly cheerful girl with a dark secret Shiori (similar to Kano from AIR) and of course the highly sarcastic (in 2006 anyway) main male lead Yuuichi which seems to be a Key trademark. I made no comparisons with CLANNAD, because unlike ONE and AIR it came after Kanon and thus had no influence on the series whatsoever (even though Jun wears a CLANNAD t-shirt in episode 13 of the original series, other things to watch for are ONE's Nanase making several cameos in episode 17 and 18 of 2006 and a Moon poster seen in the theater in 2006). Stereotypes aside though, they were great. Some were done better in the original (Nayuki 9/10 & 2/10 and Shiori 7/10 & 3/10), other were better in 2006 (Mai 7/10 & 10/10, Makoto 8/10 & 9/10, Ayu 8/10 & 9/10, Yuuichi 2/10 & 10/10). Overall I rate both an 8/10. This is due to the fact that the highly humorous nature of Yuuichi, Ayu and Makoto (as well as Akiko at times) in 2006 made it easier to watch. However, the characters in the original (despite having the same seiyuu) seemed more dramtic to me and better portrayed the more serious elements of the series. Entertainment 8/10 The entertainment value for both series are high. The original's main source of entertainment is the more dramatic elements of the story, while 2006's main source of entertainment is the more humorous elements of the story. Depending on which you prefer it will drastically affect your opinion on which series is better. Also, a lot of people tend to like 2006 more because of Mai. As I said earlier, 2006's main shortcomings arc-wise were Nayuki and Shiori, who aren't nearly as popular as Mai. It is these 2 factors, combined with the difference in art, more than anything else that I attribute to 2006's much higher rating than the original. Maybe it was because I saw the original first, but I found that the story in the orig…

This is one of my favorite animes! Reasons: Story~ This story is a really touching story. I liked how we begin to learn about the characters' pasts during the story, how their pasts begin to unravel...First it starts off like any kind of slice of life story about two high high school students who are cousins. They wake up, eat breakfast, go to school, go to club activities,go home, eat, sleep..etc.. However after Yuuichi meets a few girls, it all changes... Art and Sound~ I like the animation company a lot...I think that the characters' looks really match their personnalities. Also when the characters are suppose to look alike, they look alike. For example, Nayuki and her mother, they look alike a lot. Sayuri and her brother look alike. However, Nayuki and Yuuichi look nothing alike and they're suppose to be cousins...For the sound, there's not much to say, except that I think that the voice actors' voices match the charactes voices. I hope I'm not giving out any spoilers so far... Characters~ I think that the animation really match the characters. It's cool how all the main characters' personnalities are so different and so it makes them all unique. The number of girls is a lot higher than the number of boys. That's it. The main characters: Ayu: the more childish one (she's actually 17 years old) Mai: the anti-social girl who is isolated by her classmates Nayuki: the kind one Shiori: the polite one Makoto: the one who likes to pull pranks Yuuichi: the boy who is surrounded by all these girls This is only what I think of the characters... Oh, and sorry this review probably sucks, but I really don't know what to say here except that YOU SHOULD TRY THIS ANIME!! That's all. This is also my first review, so...I appologize that it's seriously lacking in some parts xP

* zero spoiler * but at the end of my review a MAXI spoil + my personal alternative ending ... ( sorry, English isn't my first language, I tried my best ) Kanon notation first part solid 8 and then fall fall fall end with a 3 ... Kanon is the perfect exemple of a good pitch who could become very good anime. BUT, BUT, BUT it's an incompatible mix of styles with an over use of easiest trick to create emotions and what to say about this ending coming from nowhere ... the ending really kill the anime story because it's just an absurd episode , ruins the drama as if the author was forced to make a fan service episode . I don't regret watching Kanon. LIke for many anime, I wish I could give 2 notations on animelist : one for the first part and one for the second. I'would give 8 and 2 to second part. not because the first part was better than the second, it's because the 2second part had nothing to do with the first ... the Makoto arc is nice but it has nothing to do in kanon serie , it should be a independent short story OAV. Kanon have some really good side and I really enjoyed the first 13 épisodes, far from perfect but it has his style , his own univers, main character who is not a total baka with harem. The second half ( after 14 ), all no senses of Kanon story and realization, support characters apparitions and disparitions became impossible to ignore and it's getting worse and worst ... with a final episode from nowhere ( I swear, when watching it , I taught it was an alternative ending ... ) I felt like author was shitting on me an yelling : "You want an happy ending ? take that !!! "... It forced me to change my Kanon notation from 5 to 3 ! The main problem on "Kanon" is : 4 story mixed in one anime, but can't manage the dev all together, even when protagonists are living in the same house: global story fail. The fail is so big you wonder what's the relation between them... Also , the author over use what i call "easiest emotional trick" ( this no spoiler part... I would say nothing ;) In the Animelist information they should have set "one main" character in Kanon, all others are support ... and put Drama twice or in first position and remove slice of life because this is a total fiction ( it take to much time to understand how much it's total fictive world ) about art, I'm not fan of gigantic eye, character design are average and basic animation but it's ok for 2006. I like Nayuki design, the fact she is really tall with a look who is used for small character. it's a minor detail but this catch my attention many time :) about character, I don't care if they are cliché, there's no super annoying support character , the main is ok not with kindda complex personality and we understand quickly his past story is a central key of Kanon. also his personality is coherent with the "harem" and romance. it's light version of harem, not ecchi at all, but there's only 1 support guy ( not gay for once :) and there's some funny interaction . --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ULTRA SPOIL-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First : I like the perception change of the main character, Yuuichi, from strong mind who take care of people but in fact he is a running away, selfish guy, with trauma as excuse, for once the king of harem wasn't a total perv baka or shy. he use second degré joke and reactions. i wish we have more anime slice of life, harem, ecchi, romance, etc male character like him... about story : I guess Kanon's author had some serious trauma with death ( the lost of mother, or friend etc ) or something like that ... I really regret the author have this Bambi syndrome and like to kill the nicest character ... and the death rate level around the main Yuuichi is : Satan curse maxx ... everyone around him have to deal with death treat ... Kanon is the game of throne anime : "you like this character ? of I'll will kill him ! or look life is beautiful let ruins all with something really sad and traumatic" Even if there're lot things I hate in Kanon, I was curious to see what will happen next . Kanon is my new very nice exemple of the bad serie but you have to see what will happen next till final After ep15, I start to make lots fast forward (to much flash back , blabla , slow action) but I kept watching because I want to know if every girls were spirits or died ... of course I was very very disapointed, the ending is just a huge joke ! worst it transform all kanon serie into very bad serie. I'm sure this is the biggest happy ending coming from nowhere I ever saw anime or movie ! literally many miracle fix it all the end ... The worst of kanon : the mother kaiko accident ... Why, why and again why author need to do that ? it bring nothing to the story and on the next episode it was like it didn't happen. for emotion ? this is the level 0 writing skill, killing the super nice character for shocking to the audience ! This is so easy, it's cheating. oh yeah she didn't died : the way she getting hit by the car, Dr need a sponge to collect the corpse ( it was so much, I laugh ! ) but on the next episode tatam miracle it's like nothing happen ... and what about her daugther Nayuki ... This an other problem of Kanon: dramatic under use of Nayuki, the cute sleeping ghost, you can remove her from the anime, it would change absolutely nothing ... it would be ok if wasn't a central character related with all arc but she quickly fade like a ghost ... at least it's very uncommon to have such a cute character with centrale relation with the real main character Yuuichi and stay that much away from story and relation. Also still don't understand WTF the real makoto miracle apparition ... ok it's old love , memory dedlic and maybe an other spirits from the past or else ... intriguing white appartement etc lot of elements for nothing ... memory déclic and she is gone ... I hate when style change that much in middle of story, it felt like watching " all audience" video for kids and in middle, without pg+21 warning, you have a porno rape scene ending with masse murder ... Kanon is the only harem anime with selection by death !!! At one moment I was sure they would all die and the main Yuuichi would marry the survivor :) At one moment the story had so many no sense , weirds thing , I taught all that was a Yuuichi's dream, but no, the author didn't write that It gave me this idea of ALTERNATIVE ENDING : What if it was Yuuichi was the one who fall from the tree because ayu asked him to climb ? the all story should have been Yuuichi coma dream Spent 7 years in coma in hospital instead of Ayu and remember his pet Makoto the cat , forget this forest fox abandon the demon fighing with Mai could be coma nightmare, and beating them help to wake up . Ayu who felt responsible for making him climbing the tree kep visiting him and related with his dreams, etc I would buy this ending much more than the multiples miracles and ayu still alive, alone since 7 years and waiting for yuuishi to wake her up after 7 years coma ... no no no too much easy emotionals tricks in one serie :( I really wanted to write about Kanon because I wanted to give a 8+ and it' s like I had to explain why I gave a 3 to a serie I watched in 2 sessions only ! At episode 13, I would never imagine it would drop to 3 ! once again sorry for my English , I tried my best also this is my very first review

I finished this show back in 2008 but i don't know why i rewatched this and i can say, i got the same emotions i got back then. Story: Now this is what surprised me most in this show, i tryed to predict a lot of things in this show but i couldn't, it always left me without a word and i would just think can this be more perfect.Last couple episodes got me hooked up on this anime even more, plot twist was brilliant. 10/10 Art: Art is beautifull without a doubt, character design, backgrounds, town, everything in this anime was perfect. 10/10 Sound: Now sound is what i give 8/10 cause they could put more music in some scenes that feelt like they needed some music to bring out more emotions.And also voice acting is great. Character: This is best thing in this anime. Yuuichi, always cherfull,friendly, take quite time to adapt to people he talked in past. Bringing his soft side as story develops is jack pot. Tsukimiya Ayu, also known as Ayu Ayu :) small energetic cute girl, girl that loves taiyaki. Mysterious, she bumps every morning in main protagonist of series. And when they 2 colide you know what that means? Awesomeness :) 10/10 Enjoyment: I mean i wouldn't rewatch it after all these years if it didn't have great enjoyment, prepare to cry,laugh,feels emotions that you through you never would. 10/10 Overall: 10/10 This is one of those shows that you want to forget as soon as possible so you could watch it again. Pure satisfaction in every episode of this anime is what will speak for itself. 10/10 Watch it, you won't regret it.

Wow! To be completely honest, no doubt about it, this anime is outstanding! The story is so emotional and really develops on each characters very own story. It all starts when Yuuchi goes to stay with his cousin, Nayuki, where he meets a bunch of new people who change his life immensely. <3 I highly recommend this anime to anyone who loves "slice of life" anime, especially to those who have given Clannad/AS high ratings on MAL. Firstly, I watched Kanon and it was my very first 20 episode anime. I'm usually one for shorter anime (12-13 eps) but when I came across this I was starstruck! I can't possibly find any negative comments about this show; as I said, the story is outstanding, the art is very good, the sound is extraordinary, the characters and their development is great, as well as the development in their relationships too. I thoroughly enjoyed the anime and all of the emotion it brings. I won't give away any spoilers, but I did shed many tears throughout. From beginning to end. Also, there was not a character I didn't like, they all had the most amazing connection with Yuuchi. My favourites, especially, were Ayu, Sayuri, Makoto and Mai. Yuuchi had the most amazing connection with these characters, therefore I love this anime very much. Many points made me smile too, as well as cry as I said previously. Overall, I give this a 9/10 - it was close to a masterpiece. Absolutely remarkable!

Moe has been a big trend in anime for the past decade. It has become one of the most recognizable, and most common staples of the media. Anime fans just can't seem to get enough of cute girls doing cute things, and the trend has spawned successful series such as Clannad and Air; as well as other series like The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star, which lovingly poke fun at the trend. Kanon, along with Clannad and Air, is one of the most successful of its kind, and just about epitomizes most of what the moe trend has to offer. This of course makes the show an ideal specimen to examine all the ups and downs this trend brings with it. After seven years, Yuichi Aizawa is returning to the city where his cousin, Nayuki Minase, lives. Furthermore, he is actually moving in with Nayuki and her mom, while he attends high school; attending the same school and ending up in the same class as Nayuki. Although he visited Nayuki often and wandered around the city when he was young, he can hardly remember those times. However, Yuichi's memories begin to return in bits and pieces after he meets Ayu Tsukimiya, whom apparently is one of his childhood friends. He later meets an odd sick girl who hangs around his school named Shiori; a couple of strange senior girls, Mai and Sayuri; and a girl with no memory of her past or knowledge of who she is (though later she remembers her name is Makoto Sawatari). As Yuichi learns more about these girls and helps them through their troubles, the memories of his forgotten childhood continue to return. Now, what we have here is an interesting set-up. The fact that Yuichi has no memory of his time in the city, and that multiple girls are somehow tied to his past, whether they know it or not, grabs the viewers' attention instantly. Throw in some mysticism, and the show has effectively hooked the audience if for no other reason than they want to know what the heck is going on. Luckily, Kanon also has a healthy helping of comedy and drama (melodrama actually... calling it drama is an understatement) that will make the viewer want to stick around. This is actually very important, because the many of the revelations as to why these things are happening are quite silly, or even ridiculous when you apply logic to them. The comedy and drama go a long way to make Kanon enjoyable, and are actually the series biggest draws. The show can have you laughing at one moment, then tug on your heartstrings in the next. If the deal with Yuichi's memory and the mystical elements of the story seem gimmicky... well, that is because they are. Majority of the cast in this show are female, with only the exception of Yuichi; the resident comedy relief character, Kitagawa; and a few other very, very minor roles being male. This is one of the major staples of the moe trend. So is the odd personality quirks the girls posses, such as Ayu acting like a child despite being 17, Nayuki's drowsiness, Sayuri referring to herself in third person, etc. These traits are, of course, the show catering to anime fans who want to ogle at cute girls doing cute things. While there is nothing per say wrong with this, the uninitiated will be left wondering why the girls are acting this way. For his part, Yuichi makes a fine lead, countering otherwise unchecked cuteness of the girls with quick witted snark, adding more flavor to the show (especially its dialogue). Kitigawa is also a likable goof-ball but, like most of the cast here, is not all that uncommon in the sea of moe-centered anime characters. This show is produced by Kyoto Animation and those who are familiar with that studio's work will be getting exacly what they expect, some high-quality, gorgeous visuals. The animation is more fluid than any slice-of-life anime that came out before KyoAni appeared on the scene, the character designs are always on model and will please moe-fans, and the backgrounds are absolutely beautiful, probably being the best thing in the package. That said, the direction here is woefully unambitious. Really, the only thing that sets it apart from other slice-of-life anime is its high quality, and if you take other KyoAni projects, Kanon doesn't really stand out (well, there is one point where two characters are fighting invisible demons, which is cool... but that is only a small part of the show). It still is a sight for sore eyes, however. Similar can be said about the music in Kanon. It is all well composed, sounds wonderful, and is amply used to support the emotion of every scene. Unfortunately, it neither sounds or is used differently than most other anime. Kanon has strong technical value on all accounts, but a general lack of creativity hold it back from reaching true technical grandeur. Kanon is a fine example of the moe trend done right. There is a lot of comedy, drama, and cuteness to be enjoyed here. Of course, therein lies the problem. Kanon is a great moe-fest, but not a great show. The plot is, to be honest, a mess. The characters, while likable in there own right, are easily lost amongst the rest of the moe crowd. All this considered, Kanon is still worth its time. This show might not leave the longest lasing impression, but it is sweet while it lasts.

Kanon (2006) is a re adaptation of Kanon (2002). It is one of the best animes I&rsquo;ve ever seen (personally) and it made me laugh and cry throughout the masterpiece until the very end. The characters were brilliant, fun and each one has a unique personality. The main story line was with Yuuichi which i felt was good and made the anime complete. When i first saw this anime, i felt "This animes going to be a boring romance anime with a lot of memories" but i was mistaking. It was brilliant and the memories came at the right moments..not the flashbacks that are found with animes these days. The remake totally shadows over the original series, especially in sound and art. I enjoyed this series and i wish it could continue. However thats not going to happen unless a 'miracle' happens ^_^.

I just couldn't bring myself to give this show anything less than a 10. Awesome story along with great character development plus beautiful music and art makes this a must watch for Key fans as well as people that just want to get teary eyed...even if it's just a little teary eyed =). I highly suggest this show to anyone looking for something good to watch and or to make you feel fuzzy inside =D

Ah Kanon..... well, this series was the one that got me into romance animes and showed me kyoto animation team, and boy, it is awesome The story was top notch, maybe slightly predictable in a few places, but overall had you on the edge of your seat through out the show. Also, a major tearjerker in many parts; this was the closest ive ever come to crying watching TV :). The art was amazing. Quality is typical Kyoto Animation, which is perfect. There are almost no noticeable lapses in quality. Sound is where it was a little weaker. Not bad, but could have been much more dramatic at times. Still, the choice of tunes for the most part was great. Characters. My favorite part of the show. Moe fans will especially rejoice. The characters are extremely likable, you are bound to find at least one character that suits your taste. Each one also develops a very unique personality as the story progresses, and with so many, its a very impressive feat. I throughly enjoyed it. All the way through. Comedy was mixed in amounts that added a light atmosphere when needed, but never overdid it. Would have given it a 10/10 if it wernt for me not like one of the characters lol. Overall, an excellent show to watch, even if you are not a moe fan, or romance fan. The quality, everything was excellent and top notch. One of the best animes i've ever seen :)

**Spoilers** I can't believe what I just watched. This has to be the worst addition to the clannad,air genre of anime. Yuuichi is one of the most detestable protagonists I have ever encountered. Now you might be asking why,well it's all thanks to two problems. His lack of memory regarding his trip to the town 7 years ago. Also how he is a massive asshole to the women in his life. So let's start off with the first girl we see,Makoto. So she is supposedly the reincarnation of a fox that Yuuichi helped out when he was at the town last and had to leave behind when break was over. Now she is a person and is in love with Yuuichi. So already we're using the sad animal card which is just incredibly lazy and obnoxious. After a while her form begins to deteriorate and her mental state begins to degrade as well. So Yuuichi loving makoto decides he's going to stay with her until she "dies" and he does. He stays with her skipping school and only making sure she is happy. What a nice guy,right? So on one of her final days she remarks she wants to marry Yuuichi. On her final day Yuuichi takes her to the hill they meet and does a little wedding ceremony. Nothing mind blowing but a nice little story. Immediately afterwards Yuuichi is FIGHTING DEMONS IN SCHOOL AT NIGHT! What the hell?! So his classmate mai can see demons and he decides to help her fight them. A bunch of stuff happens (some really nice looking fight scenes) and both mai and sayuri end up in the hospital after the "demons" are expelled. Not once does Yuuichi go to or is it implied that he went to the hospital to visit them after the initial visit. Keep in mind they were in there for months. Next is the sickly girl Shiori,after a lot of hanging out Shiori and Yuuichi go on a date and things really progress from there. So this already feels greasy and the whole Makoto thing which wasnt long ago at this point. So Shiori kisses him on her last night that she is able to move freely because after that night she will be in the hospital and most likely die. Very sad but Yuuichi really loves her so he's ganna support her. Nope. He never once goes to visit her as she is DYING! Instead of visiting his dying girlfriend in the hospital he elects to start showing interest in this annoying girl called ayu. She's your generic moe loli and generally obnoxious. So they end up kissing as his GIRLFRIEND IS DYING IN THE HOSPITAL! And of course ayu is some spooky specter and says she cant be together with Yuuichi anymore. So after what feels like any endless amount of flash backs to this goddamn bench he remembers that seven years ago SHE FUCKING DIED IN HIS ARMS! WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE FORGOT ABOUT THAT?!?!?!?!?!?! I dont even understand how this is a thing. He forgot his friend died in his hands. For Christ sake there's a line of stupidity and this show left it wayyyy in the read view mirror. So some more stupid bullshit happens and we arrive at the last episode. Turns out spooky ghost girl is actually just in a coma and wakes up when Yuuichi finds out about it. Also Shiori the sickly girl is all fine now. Great. Also the two girls that got fucked up by the demons are fine now too. Wonderful. And the show explains the spooky ayu as a illusion Yuuichi did himself so he wouldn't be a sad panda. So what about all the people ayu interacted with? Is my boy Yuuichi actually itachi in disguise and put them all in his genjutsu? In conclusion Yuuichi is a piece of shit and I hope he tackles a train. This show is trash,you'd be better off watching clannad.

I will start by saying that this is in my top 3 most favorite anime list. The things i loved the most are: The storey and howcapturing it is and how every episode is important to the overall understanding of the storey. I dont think a single episode is irrelevent to the jigsaw of the main storey. I love the character art and how detailed they are as well as the weather and environment art like snow fall and busy towns, it adds a sense of reality to the scenes rather than having a barren wasteland resemblance. The sounds in Kanon are great. The characters voices really suit them well. Eah character have their own theme, which play everytime they appear. characters in the background will have their own conversations rather than just being quiet which again is a mirror of reality. The characters are arguably the cutest, funniest and most different to each other i have seen so far in an anime. Yuichi multiple times which is funny to watch and adds humor to the "darkness" of the storey. All characters seem to have sad (or in one case, life threatening) misfortunes or pasts which makes you feel for them. The enjoyment of this anime was through the roof! I looked forward to every episode so much and wish i could rewatch it (whilst forgetting what happens). Overall i give Kanon a rare 10/10 because, as the rating describes it: A masterpiece! I certainly recommend watching it.

Background Info: Key visual novels have invariably been held in the utmost high regard for their intricate, unforeseen and ingenious take on the maudlin and sappy infamous genre labeled as harem romance. Fortunately their anime adaptations generally tend to carry these distinctive and dignifying traits, albeit with inevitable constraints and alterations. Subsequent Toei animations distasteful blunder Kanon(2002), Kyoto Animation was fortunately given the opportunity to reconcile and accommodate for this complication due to antecedent triumphant Key adaptations, and produced a magnificent, majestic and commendable remake. Story: At first glance, Kanon inadvertently, unexpectedly and perhaps even unintentionally presents itself to be just a mere addition to the abounding and excessive list of trite harems. Don’t be deceived and swayed by any imprudent first impressions, for Kanon is more extensive, intricate and not to mention calamitous than early impressions can convey. Regarding Kanon’s story, it’s rejuvenating just how avant-garde and ingenious the fundamental layout genuinely is. The plot is effectively and elegantly distributed into divergent story-arcs practically, yet still all coalesce into a specific conclusion. Each respective arc is crucial and utilized for divulging each character’s unique intricacy and complexity originating from their rather deplorable pasts. Typically when multiple diverging story-arcs are designed to be incorporated into a solitary plot, one would logically infer such a precarious and perilous endeavor would indubitably disintegrate under its own staggering design impediments. Yet miraculously rather than emerging as a convoluted and jumbled anime that leaves you with an inadequate conclusion, it’s quite the opposite. In fact, each subsequent arc emerges more spectacular and riveting than the preceding, each consisting of distinct varying themes throughout. Themes: For Kanon, Kyoto Animation emphatically possessed a fanatical aspiration to attain greatness for the series, and they certainly did, in fact it almost reaches near perfection. The manner in which the varying themes are incorporated and integrated together is quite ingenious and inventive in practically every aspect. The style in which the themes consummately support one another is profound and wondrous. No individual theme is prominent or prevailing during any point within the progressing plot. The comedy is hilarious and convivial, especially since it’s always unforeseen, without being incongruous and contrived. Drama in addition to the Slice of Life elements were magnificent and remarkable despite some overdramatizing. Unfortunately, the Romance tends to be frivolous and scanty at times, albeit for the predominant duration still manages to be distinguished and meritorious. Characters: Each character is riveting, captivating, and very dynamic, with imperfections and shortcomings, as well as unique strengths. They genuinely resemble real people evolving rather than static and stable characters with facile archetypical personalities that are being dragged along by the story. The seiyuu cast chosen for Kanon was indubitably superlative, seasoned professionals that were very enthusiastic as well as devoted to contributing their utmost for this astounding adaptation, and by no means disappointed. Their near excellence is in part a direct result of a predominant majority re-voicing their character roles, or previous contemporary work with Kyoto Animation. Art: The landscape and background art is serene, vibrant, and angelic with a surreal radiant tonality emanating. Motion animation is where Kyoto Animation excels so it’s no surprise that every miniscule motion is awe-inspiring. However when KyoAni gets aroused and is eagerly awaiting to flex its glamorous technological muscles onto your screen, you will immediately be blow away with breath-taking sensations and likely defecate. Sound: Overall the music throughout Kanon, whether it be the exhilarating and omnipotent OP and ED songs or the serene, sublime BGMs, are exquisite. Message: The imperative and essential message in Kanon is conveyed in a rather obscure and roundabout manner, likely overlooked by the passive viewer. As our fellow protagonist Sayuri Kurata acutely and adequately proclaimed while listening to Canon, “It would be nice if life changed slowly but surely, while being seemingly unchanged from day to day”. This statement within Kanon itself is very ironic since the bewildering title itself originated from composer Johann Pachelbel’s Canon. Canon is merely a melody and crescendo that gradually repeats itself, in a beautiful and peaceful manner. Enjoyment: Kanon is an inventive and well executed senimental anime that consists of an abundant variety of admirable qualities. It audaciously dares to venture where no previous harem romance has gone before, and exceeds expectations in the taxing process. Yet despite all its intricate, groundbreaking and sophisticated characteristics, gallant effort and innovative, not to mention superbly clever augmentations just simply weren’t enough to bring Kanon to perfection. Wistfully, in the end, Kanon is still hindered and handicapped by its premise and fundamental origins, a mere adaptation that desperately aspires to differentiate itself from its origins. Though it still achieves in making a notable/distinguished name and reputation for itself among the list of very remarkable, outstanding and meritorious anime. Despite all of Kanons unfortunate deficiencies, it still is a truly excellent and accomplished anime that was certainly well above its competitors and kindred alike that deserves more praise than it’s frequently given. In addition to my conclusion I would like to take this time to thank seiyuu Tomoko Kawakami-sama for all her glamorous and fabulous work she did for anime. While struggling through several harrowing years of cancer she unwillingly had to sacrifice what she loved doing for the remainder of her life. Kawakami sadly passed away in 2011 despite several extensive surgeries, may she forever rest in peace, she will certainly be missed. Any feedback would be sincerely appreciated, will readily listen and discuss any opinions concerning the quality or layout of my reviews as to better future reviews. These reviews are designed to assist the viewer, not to merely state my opinions of it just for fun, thanks!