Kanon (2006)

I never thought an anime would come close in rivaling Clannad for me, in terms of pure character drama and emotional value, but Kanon managed to do that. I'm man enough to admit this got me more than twice, which is a feat that only four other anime can claim, Your Lie in April, Anohana, Clannad AS, and Assassination Classroom. Media that can make the viewer emote along with the characters is no easy task, and this series managed to rope me in this time.

The way the story is weaved together I love, while I absolutely love Clannad, I will admit I would have liked ... to see bit more continuity, and while yes I know it is adapted from a visual novel with different paths so it would be hard to do such a thing, Kanon is adapted from a Visual Novel as well and does it perfectly, every single thing feels important and adds to the character of Yuichi. I initially thought I wouldn't like some of these characters, such as Makoto or Mai, but without spoiling, the way their arcs were crafted in a way I never saw coming, and adored.

If I had any complaints at all, while the visuals are great for the time, it does feel mid 00's, but I do admire the period and it would be my heart was about to give out from all the emotion that I felt throughout this series, that's it. I'm usually one to find fault in everything I see, but with this series, I can see next to no flaws. If you didn't care for Clannad, then you likely wouldn't like this as it falls into the same format, but if you did like Clannad or haven't seen it and want to experience it without prior knowledge of it, I highly recommend it.

Sound:10/10 (The music used throughout is beautiful, along with the great voice cast)
Art: 9/10 (Some would definitely disagree on that giving it was made in the mid 00's, but I love the style of this anime, it truly does look beautiful for what it is)
Story: 10/10
Characters: 10/10
Overall Enjoyment:10/10

In a café, Sayuri and Yuuichi each have a coffee as classical music plays in the background. Sayuri asks Yuuichi whether he knows the tune being played, and it is Canon by Pachelbel. She describes how the melody recurs and with each repetition, adds more music to make it sound fuller and prettier. Sayuri wishes life were similarly like that.

Kanon is an adaptation of an adult visual novel. This show, like its predecessors, Air and Clannad, is mature and sensitive. The characters are lively but not overwhelming, and they provide amusement rather than annoyance. It is moderate and balanced, with themes of memories, promises, and ... miracles. The characters are adorable and yet we can identify with them as real people. The imagery is clever but not boastful, and the humor is well-balanced.

It uses the usual shorter story arcs per character, and a story that extends over all 24 episodes. The narratives are usually tragic, and the tone is melancholic. Though it does have some glimpses of joy and victory, the melancholy can become suffocating, and often doesn’t carry the desired emotional weight.

The animation is beautiful and the embodiment of Kyoto Animation’s style. The backdrop, character designs, lighting and attention to detail are all of the highest standards. The winter scenes are particularly beautiful.

The soundtrack is perfect with every piece of music perfectly enhancing the mood. Voice work is also effective, with nicely developed characters and a variety of emotions.

Overall, the characters in Kanon are memorable and human, with a good balance between quirkiness and relatability. While it is enjoyable, it doesn't always evoke emotional engagement. The animation and sound are excellent, but it falls short of greatness. Fans of similar anime will likely enjoy it, but those looking for a profoundly moving and thoughtful tragedy may be left wanting more.

* 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 .


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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