Kanon (2006)

Bottom Line: Heartwarming series, incredible remake, and an awesome classic. Its must watch!

Kanon (2006) is simply a masterpiece. I can confidently say it is my favorite series of all time. Produced by the infamous Kyoto Animation which also introduced international hits such as The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Full Metal Panic series, you wouldn't expect this series less than awesome. Kanon (2006) certainly lives up to that expectation.

Story: The episodes of the anime are basically separated into "arcs" for each girl. Each girl has her own background story associated with Yuichi either 7 years ago or early on in [the episodes] the current timeframe ... of the series. Each girl struggles through her her story whatever it may be with Yuichi and grows closer to him, and ultimately a miracle takes place.

Outstanding plot and synopsis. The flow from arc to arc was a bit rigid, but still excellent nonetheless. Kyoto Animation did a incredible done job on using the several scenarios and each girl's path and combining them together into a single story that can move an audience into tears. Kanon touches on several themes such as Memories, Miracles, the Supernatural, and of course Love. The series does have great light-hearted and comical moments as well often bringing a smile or a chuckle to your face as well.

The moving plot earns a 10/10 from me.

Art: Excellent work by KyoAni (abv. for Kyoto Animation for the rest of this review). The design was simply beautiful and a great leap up from its first version (Kanon 2002). The backgrounds were incredibly detailed and well-drawn. The character designs were well-done as well, though Yuichi stuck out a bit too much compared to the rest of the large-eyed cast. But its not a very significant factor.

The overall presentation quality is top-notch and it gets a 10/10.

Sound: The Soundtrack contains a mix of classical instrumental music (such as Canon, hence the series name: "Kanon"), composed music from the original game, a few techno songs (Such as the Last Regrets Remix Insert Song and the ED song). The only complaint I had was that the OP song was a bit tiring after a while and seemed much too long.

Although the OP got on my nerves for a little, it gets a strong score of 9/10.

Character: The cast is truly unique. Probably one of the strongest points of Kanon is its lovable cast. Each is character is filled with emotions like real people. Over the course of the show you begin to develop sympathy for the majority of the cast, if not all of the cast. The only problem I having is choosing my favorite girl from the main cast.

This awesome array of incredible characters earns a 10/10.

Enjoyment and Overall: Really I enjoyed this series from start to finish. The story, the characters, and the flow was moving. I've rewatched the series several times and I still love it as much as the first time. It is an outstanding series, and I recommend it to anyone, even if you are not fond of drama/romance. This is definitely a series you should check out.

As I said at the beginning, it is my favorite series of all time and still is, it earns a 10/10

"We don't remember days- we remember moments. The richness of life lies in memories we have forgotten" -Makoto Sawatari

I have never before felt so ambivalent about a show, or writing a review for one. Generally speaking, by the end of the show, my opinions on it have solidified, and it's fairly cut and dried whether I liked it, disliked it, or really couldn't care less one way or the other.

...Then I saw Kanon.

There are so many things that Kanon gets right, and at the same time, many other things that it does wrong, and that I just have a very hard time forgiving. Perhaps ... I'm guilty of thinking about it too hard, but we shall see.


Artwork and Animation: 7

When you mention Air or Kanon, sometimes people will look at you funny, like "You actually watched that Toei produced trash?", but this is the Kyoto Animation version. You can clarify which one you saw very easily by saying, "It's the one with the bug people", and everyone will instantly know.

Yes, those enormous, compound eyed girls are back! They take front and center in Kanon. I even went into photoshop and took the area of Ayu's eyes divided by the area of her face, and 16.7% of her head is eyeball. 16.7%!

Jokes aside, the artwork in Kanon is good. The show is nearly 10 years old, and it holds up well against modern productions, while retaining the signature Kyoto feel. Expect a lot of nice natural backdrops (in the snow, no less- an excellent Christmas break anime) and cityscape. The characters always maintain a great level of detail, and everything is fairly well polished.


Sound and Voice Acting: 10

I'm going to be honest here; I think Kanon probably has one of, if not THE best written dialogues I've ever heard in an anime series. The outstanding performances of the totally aside, the writing is a star in its own right here. The dialogue, while cheesy when appropriate, actually feels like real people talking to each other, conversing, throwing snide comments at each other, being indignant, the emotional highs, crushing lows, and everything that the characters go through that comes out auditorily hits every bit of the mark.

My hat is off to Chris Patton (Greed, FMA/B) for his portrayal of Yuichi. I don't think I've ever before identified with a character as much as Yuichi. Everything about the performance is fantastic. I don't mean this in a fan-rant kind of way, as this is my first exposure to Patton as a main character, but the nuance and feeling he put into the role is admirable. Yuichi really feels like that sarcastic, smart mouth friend. The delivery and timing of the jokes is impeccable as well- again, an excellently flowing dialogue that has few peers in the anime realm.

Brittney Karbowski appears as Ayu- and also does a great job portraying the immature little genki girl whose innocence and naïveté know no bounds. It's an endearing performance, for a little twit that started off as the annoying little sister character.

Even Greg Ayres, as smoked out as he always sounds, showed out in a smaller supporting role. ADV did an outstanding job with both casting and direction of the performances.


Characters : 9

When I said above that I didn't think I'd ever seen a character that I identified with as much as I did with Yuichi, I mean that the character of Yuichi is almost a direct transplant of my own personality. Watching Kanon was almost like watching a show with a self-insert protagonist, and easily allowed me to empathize with Yuichi.

Yuichi is that kind hearted jerk that you just can't help but like. He's always armed with a snappy comeback and sometimes takes his caustic jokes too far, but he always means well, even when mercilessly mocking his cousin Nayuki or friends. No one is safe from the snark, and Yuichi lets it fly.

Despite his seemingly uncaring outward facade, deep inside, Yuichi is a very caring and devoted friend. The conflicts of the show revolve around the rough times that happen to him and his little group of friends, and each time, he's there for the affected party, and tries his best to be able to be sympathetic, but without being obsequious or fake. He's not a sycophantic slave boy to this collection of attractive girls he befriends; but rather a concerned and dependable brother type figure.

It goes without saying that the hero has to earn his happy ending (especially in a Key written Visual Novel, and Yuichi is put through a lot throughout the course of Kanon.

As for the other characters in the show, there are stronger ones, and weaker ones. Each has their distinctive arc in the story, and far be it from me to spoil the results of any of them, but I found the ones with Shiori, Nayuki, and Ayu to be among the stronger ones. It also helped that they were stacked more at the end of the show than the beginning.


Story: 5

Again with firsts, I think this is the first show that I've assigned a near perfect score to characters, and a poor one to the story, but there's a very good reason for this, and my biggest gripe about Kanon in general.

Magic.

I understand that the show is based on the idea of "miracles can happen", and it's built on a cycle of character buildup, ensuing relationship, and then some kind of heartbreaking event for the characters involved. It's been used in an uncountable amount of media- some of the greatest films and literature pieces of all time use it to great effect, and it's one of the tried and true ways to make a heartfelt or tearjerker drama when done correctly.

The only addition to this formula that Kanon makes is the addition of a supernatural element.

Like, they could just swap out "this character isn't human and is dying because they can't maintain their human form" for "this character has an incurable, rare hereditary disease and is going to die" and it would work ABSOLUTELY perfectly without changing anything in the show- not even the dialogue. I just cannot for the life of me understand why it has to be a supernatural cause for the illnesses of the characters.

I hated this device in Air, and I hate it in Kanon. All they had to do was just make the characters have a scientific/medical reason for why they're ill and be done with it. It's realistic, it's tragic, and moreover, it might actually make me feel something.

It's not as though the writers at Key (or even Kyoto, if they changed details somewhat) are ABOVE using the "incurable illness" as a plot device, either, because it appears in this show too!! And guess what? I actually felt something. I genuinely felt bad for the character, and you know what? The other characters in the show did too. To a much more believable degree than for the 'shapeshifting' character, certainly.

I cannot feel ANYTHING for some spiritual being pretending to be a person that was never human to begin with. It completely removes the all-important HUMAN element. I don't even know that the character is capable of feeling human emotions/moods/or complex brain chemical reactions known as "love".

-~-

Kanon is one of those shows that, on the surface, is very sweet- but falls apart pretty quickly once you start thinking about it.

The next issue it has, and it's one I'm willing to overlook not only because it's so centric to the story, but because it's also one of the best parts, (but I feel it needs mention,) is an illusionary/wrong memory of a character. Another aspect of the conflict of the show is that Yuichi has lost his memories of his time spent in the city where all of this takes place, because the last time he was there 7 years ago, a traumatic event occurred, and as a result, he repressed his memories of his old friends and the times they had and spends the story recovering them.

I absolutely refuse to believe that EVERY person in the story went along with Yuichi's delusions of the existence of this character, for several reasons.

There is physical evidence that this character exists, not to mention that other characters speak directly to this character. It's not like a movie where the main character believes that someone else is with them and performing the actions for them while they spectate, no, other characters besides the main character interact with this person.

There cannot be two of this character, due to the fact that (for the sake of the ending of the arc) this character appears again (difficult to describe this point without spoilers). As Shiro Emiya once said: "People die when they're killed". Also, how Yuichi manages to find an item that was apparently not given to the character as he falsely and incorrectly remembered, yet other characters comment on this character having said item.

There is no way anyone could go along with such an elaborate lie, unless (from an unseen perspective) Yuichi also acts out as the character he's hallucinating about, period. Yuichi explaining all the personality quirks and mannerisms of this illusory character in such an extreme detail to anyone who would have had any bearing on the story and "remembers" this character is just ludicrous to imagine. Again, this is where thinking about it too hard really causes Kanon to fall apart.


Enjoyment and Overall: 7, 7

I can't hate Kanon- I actually really want to like it, because the main character is the anime incarnation of myself, and the plot has several sweet moments that were rather touching; but it's just so hard to overlook the screwy plot devices in the story.

Kanon has, simultaneously, one of the best written comedy dialogues I've seen in an anime, and one of the absolute worst plot devices, ever. There are some beautiful moments and cute characters in it- I can see why it's held up as a classic heartwarming tale for the cold winter months. It definitely has an emotional appeal to it that a lesser show would have to kick two kittens and kill a lot of little moe girl characters to achieve, all while managing to be a cohesive, flowing tale. (adapting 5 routes of a VN in 24 episodes is no mean feat- especially considering Fate Stay Night is on pace for around 80 episodes for three.)


Recommend?

Yes. Where I disliked Air for the misuse of supernatural and a tangential, tacked on plot that goes nowhere, Kanon refines this and brings it back down to Earth. It's a much better paced, has much more interesting characters, and a sweet story that makes it easy to watch and hard to put down.


Tl;dr

+ Great MC, especially for fans of the deadpan snarker
+ Outstanding dialogue and comedy writing; among the best

+/- Mixed story arc appeal- some are much weaker than others, especially as far as believability goes

- Misuse of "magic" when it could have easily been substituted out for legitimate scientific/medical reasons.


Thanks for the read, feel free to drop me a comment when you feel that fanboy/girl rage building up- or say something nice.

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.

I will try to be brief and point out, in my opinion, the main advantages and disadvantages

So "Kanon" made by studio "Key" in 2000, visual novel gets a new show in 2006, well let's look at it.

A boy named Yuichi arrives in the city of his childhood, after 7 years. Also he does not remember anything and gradually, in this city, he meets girls "from the past", which involves a lot of tragic stories and helps them.

To be honest, the show is very dramatic, but it banality. Like all the rules of the studio "Key" and what they have always been strong, we have ... a school and a number of different women with different stories that are revealed in the process, and we learn about their dramatic fate. The problem with all of these ideas is that after the story of a girl, the story abruptly switches to another character, and that in the last series was still a major, it moves into the background, If not disappear from the frame at all.

It begins pretty standard, we show several women, but did not disclose their stories as if they are present, as ordinary characters. At first glance, it may seem that this is a standart "slice of life", but the story progresses at an early stage, the dream, as it were, takes us to look beyond story. And yet, in all this story is based on supernatural powers - that is, miracles, and I will not say it's bad, because that was a miracle, we must believe in it.
As for the characters, they are good, for each character, made a separate character stories associated with them.

Of course, like all works of the studio "Key", after about 8 episodes, the viewer becomes interested in the fate of the protagonist and supporting characters, and here is no exception. Kanon attracts attention better and better with each episode and certainly causes a lot of emotions.

And most importantly, in my opinion, in this show, it's a music. Each series has a musical name, such as "Songs without Words" or "The Nocturne of Farewell ." A lot of beautiful piano in the background, which plays almost constantly. Maeda Jun - music genius, skillfully plays on the feelings at some point in the series (Not surprisingly, because he has always been good in the genres: music, drama and school).

The conclusion to this series is a subtle point, since in spite of a good idea and excellent execution of it, the anime does not avoid the banal situations that are based on standards, which, in turn, are not an experienced viewer can not see. However, Kanon fine plays on the feelings that course and is required by the genre drama, fans of this genre (Drama and Harem),will love it, because it is made at a good level

Kanon - it's a drama, performed at the highest level, but only within the limits of the genre, but in any case it is worthy of attention and interest the viewer.

In the world of music, a canon is contrapuntal composition that employs a melody with one or more imitations of the melody played after a given duration. In the anime Kanon, which uses this term as a sort of foundation for what they create, they use Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D a number of times to highlight what the term means, and it’s a musical piece that is ultimately as enjoyable as the anime that draws its name from the term.

Story: I won’t go into the story of Kanon too deeply, but it’s basically about a young man, Yuichi, who moves in to live ... with his aunt and cousin, and thus returns to the town he used to visit as a kid. It’s been seven years since Yuichi was last at the town, and he has no memories of what occurred before. Throughout the show, Yuichi will meet a number of young women who are important to his past, and for whom he holds the key to their present. Kanon is based upon an adult visual novel and subsequent all age versions for the PC, and it revolves around individual arcs for the main female characters in the show. Normally, this type of setup doesn’t work particularly well for a full season of anime, as you’d tend to lose interest when the show jumps from one arc to another. It’s a testament to how well Kanon was done that when the show makes these transitions, they’re incredibly smooth and it seems more like life is simply going on, as compared to the jarring shift you might see in other shows based on this kind of formula. Another surprising thing about this show is that Kanon has all of the basic elements to be both a “Harem” and predominantly “Moe” show, but somehow manages to sidestep truly falling into either of these pitfalls. The characters are cute, vulnerable and all have a desire in some way or form for Yuichi, but at no point do these factors ever take over the show, they are simply characteristics that add to the whole package. While it does start out a touch slow, Kanon’s storyline quickly speeds up, and is helped along by a great deal of genuinely funny moments that don’t require fan-service and cheap gags to make you laugh. As each of the arcs slips into the next, the show builds upon itself, and truly pays homage to the idea of the musical canon for which it draws its influence.

Characters: The cast is what ultimately makes Kanon such a wonderful show to watch. The protagonist Yuichi is so vastly different from most male characters in his role; it was incredibly refreshing to see. Again, he finds himself in a fairly haremish type setting, yet instead of being that lovable loser that are so often pushed into this role, Yuichi has strength about him from the beginning. He’s kinda of an ass at times, and that’s part of what makes him such a successful character. He’s not one of those timid type of guys you always see who spend the whole show trying to overcome some intense shyness just so they can speak to the ladies of the show, since from the beginning, Yuichi never really has a problem stating his mind, often rudely. That’s not to say he’s always the ladies man, as in many situations even he’s taken aback and unsure of himself, but only in the way that’s natural for someone in his situations. Yuichi is actually incredibly strong and emotional, always wanting to help others, which is a key factor in him helping the women he comes across throughout the series. He’s got his own emotional baggage, so he’s not a perfect character by far, but his flaws are human, as is his strength and that’s why we can empathize with him so much. As for the ladies of Kanon, they’re all quite enjoyable in their own right. I found it rather amazing that I wasn’t annoyed with any of them as the show progressed. Some of them quite “Moe” by nature, but with the emotional baggage you know these girls are carrying around, that’s not really a bad thing. Again, the idea of Moe is simply creating a connection by which the viewer feels a need to see the character protected and kept safe, or at least that’s the most common definition that I’ve seen. With that in mind, this is a show that revolves around you investing your time in watching Yuichi help these ladies as they struggle with their pasts, themselves, or the environment.

Presentation: It’s been said before, but Kyoto Animation really impresses with the visuals of Kanon. The characters are well done, even if all the girls tend to have the super big eyes that are rather cliché amongst anime. But there’s a reason, as animators have always used bigger eyes on their characters to display a sense of innocence, and that’s something that’s useful in a show like this. The scenery is amazing to behold, with snowfall and sunsets that are among some of the more beautiful scenery pieces I’ve seen in anime in a very long while. There’s a specific scene of a water droplet, where the moonlit background is reversed in the water as compared to the scene behind it, it was a visually stunning scene, and only one among many in this show. The artwork was something that really caught me by surprise, and it was a very, very pleasant surprise. The music for the show is incredibly fitting, as you won’t find a lot of catchy J-pop songs here. There’s not much on the soundtrack that you’d really listen to outside of the anime, with the exception perhaps being the opening, but even that’s rather melancholy, but it’s perfect for the mood of the show. Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D is used in a few scenes, in order to try and continue to bring the viewer more into the show. These soft, melodic pieces are throughout, often during many of the more emotional scenes, and I can’t say enough about how well the music was used to highlight this particular series. Music is one of those things that can either distract from a scene, or add to it. It’s obvious here that the creators were at their best in using the music for Kanon in a way that makes you feel more attached to each scene, as you can hear it, but it’s only one of the many layers of depth to any given scene that makes you care.

Enjoyment: I will be honest when I say that the main reason I picked up Kanon was because of various anime forums. In most forums, there’s always a thread about what anime made people cry the most, and Kanon repeatedly pops up, so my curiosity got the better of me. I’m truly happy that it did, because I enjoy virtually every aspect of this show. I’m not the biggest fan of most romantic comedy/harem shows/shoujo but I can enjoy them in their own rights. With Kanon, I simply loved the show from its earlier comedy antics, to the later parts where you are invested in the characters. There were also a handful of truly shocking and surprising scenes, and I can say that Kanon was one of the first times I had to pick my chin up off the floor, as I was caught completely by surprise by a scene; it’s been a long time since that happened. There was a point when I thought the creators were pushing the line a little bit with how much they throw at the viewers, as I thought they were beginning to do things for the sheer value to see how much emotion they could draw out of the audience. Just when I had considered it going too far, they pulled back at the right moment and the show was ultimately not cheapened.

Overall, I really can’t suggest Kanon enough. It’s officially the first true drama of its kind that I’ve given a rating of a 10, so that speaks volumes about how much I enjoyed this show. It’s not particularly action oriented, so the hard-core Shonen fans out there probably won’t enjoy it was much, but perhaps even they will find the cute girls here enough to keep their interest. For anyone else who enjoys a good fantasy/drama/harem comedy with a lot of truly enjoyable characters and a show chocked full of emotion and heart, you definitely can’t go wrong with Kanon.

Now, I guess I should mention this is my first review on MAL.

Story 10/10
Kanon 2006. Remake of the original Kanon series. A guy named Yuiichi goes back to a town he visited in childhood. Throughout the series, he starts to meet different girls from his past, all unique in their own way. Because Kanon is made by key, there is loads of sad and emotional parts.. If you're sensitive you might just cry your eyes out in this whole seires. Kanon is better than most harem Animes, which is why I prefer it over most harems. The Anime of kanon is very beautiful and ... unique.

Art 9/10
I don't really know what to say about the art / animation in Kanon. It's decent, I guess.. I liked the kawaii bug eyes. A common thing in the kyoto animation Animes. This art style is pretty, which fits in with the beautiful, emotional plot of Kanon, making the art and the Anime unique. Different to some Animes.

Sound 10/10
There's not much to say about the sound in Kanon, like with the art. I liked the beautiful soundtracks in Kanon that fit in the sadder moments.. I liked how calm, relaxed and beautiful the opening to Kanon was. Which is one of my favourite Anime openings of all time. I found some soundtracks quite catchy. Or is that just me?

Characters 10/10
When Yuiichi discovers more of the girls from his past, you get to find out more about their stories. Because Kanon is a slice of life Anime, some stories may be relatable to some people watching. This makes people fall in love with the characters instantly. You could get a growing attachment to these characters throughout the seires. Making you really get into it and feeling their emotions.

Enjoyment 10/10
Kanon is one of my favourite Animes of all time. Because of the character development and how relatable some parts of Kanon were, I really enjoyed this series. I love the soundtracks too which is why I love Kanon so much.

Overall 10/10
I rate Kanon a 10 - outstanding. Because of the beautiful plot, characters, soundtrack and how relatable Kanon is. If you like other works from Kyoto animation then I'm sure you'll enjoy Kanon. I'd recommend Kanon to anyone..

A compilation review from the HTWA!

"I love Kanon (2006). It has a nice blend of laughter and tears.
All the girls have their own story to tell and each of their stories have an element of drama in it. Not sure if i can say the same for Kanon (2002) cause i haven't watch it yet." - icemachine

"Wanna ask about the difference between Kanon and Kanon (2006) besides the ratings for the latest one is higher. If anyone has seen both versions, should I just watch the 2006 version because its better or just watch both because they're different stories" - shoxk

"Kanon (2006) remakes, embellishes the ... original story, and it is the easier series to find. So, really you can kind of leave the original behind if you want." - zewho

"I think one is enough, as 2006 is the remake.
Anyway, Kanon (2006) is a masterpiece." - shadowzephyr

"As you can see in my profile, Kanon (2006) is in my Top-5.
From the line of Key series (AiR - Kanon - CLANNAD), this anime made me cry the most often. Stories of "strange girls" are touching and sad.
I liked Kanon's atmosphere of winter, because I live in cold Siberia and I really like this season :]. Wonderful soundtrack fits excellent." - Buran-kun

"Kanon is very intresting I can't say I heard the original in 1999 but I seen this remake & heard alot of it the story & directs are very time skipin wise since you seen the past of every girl & to see Yuuichi along with the choices he makes good story but the visuals are even more impressive since this is the same pro. company that did Air, CLANNAD, & Haruhi got to say if you in to Air you'll love this" - Otarocka626

"Kanon 2006 is a bittersweet anime. It has bits of everything, a great cast of characters and a mysterious plot. I loved every moment of this outstanding anime, and it is one of the very few anime that I gave a 10\ 10." - Midori-tan

"When I've watched Kanon 2002 for the first time, I fall in love with this production. The story was holding my heart tight from the beggining to the end. Only Yuuichi was looking a little bit girlish but it was a different drawing style.
In the year 2006 I saw new Kanon and it was like a thunder. When I thaught that I love this anime very much, it smashed my brain and sucked the rest of tears from my eyes making them dry.
For me Kanon 2006 is the best Kyoto Animation title. Even CLANNAD (which was great) is the second after K2006 in my "The best anime" list." - Ruhisu

"Finally an anime I can comment on too !! Kanon is just lovely. It's the kind of anime that gives you WAFF (warm and fuzzy feeling) !!

Someone mentioned that its a sad anime - I disagree. There is a some sadness, but this is not a tragedy like you may think. Kanon is a heartwarming story that finishes on a nice note. It's a spoiler if I say too much on that, but rest assured, this is a good one.

What's your opinion on the dub folks ? I watched the sub first, but I perfer the dub. (for no better reason that it's a dub. It's not too bad and I don't like reading subtitles)" - chronodekar

We hope you have found this review useful!

"Do you know the title of this song? It's Canon. Pachelbel's Canon. It repeats the same melody and crescendos gradually, peacefully, and beautifully. It would be nice if life changed like that: slowly but surely, while being seemingly unchanged from day to day."
— Kurata Sayuri

Kanon 2006, if you don't already know, is the second attempt at adapting Key's 1999 visual novel into the anime format. I've not yet seen the original 2002 anime, but the visual novel was actually my first visual novel ever, and since reading it, I've watched the 2006 anime twice. Needless to say, I wouldn't have watched 48 ... episodes of anime if I didn't like the story. So why the relatively low score? Well, MAL's suggested rating scale calls 7/10 "good," so there's that, but why not a 10/10 masterpiece? Read on, and I'll explain myself.

MAL suggests 5 categories for judging in reviews: story, art, sound, character, and enjoyment. So first off, I'll discuss the story. You already have a synopsis written for you on the anime's page, so I'll just boil it down to "17 year old boy moves back to the town he left when he was 10, doesn't really remember anything, acquires harem of girls, drama ensues." Now, the anime improved pretty greatly on the visual novel in some areas, which I'll get to later, but the story suffered a bit from the adaptation. In the visual novel, there are five different story routes, one per heroine, and the choices you make decide which route you follow. Each route takes place primarily in the month of January, and has its own dramatic and romantic happenings that don't usually bleed into other routes. It works very well, and the stories of the individual routes (or character arcs, in the anime adaptation) are generally quite good. Two routes in particular -- I won't say which -- stood out above the rest, in my eyes, in the visual novel, though one of those two (the one that affected me most in the visual novel, unfortunately) suffered a bit in the anime. The other is still phenomenal, and I still teared up at one point despite having already experienced it twice before -- the first time, I have to admit, I bawled my eyes out >.> And that wasn't the only time, either. If there's one thing Jun Maeda is good at, it's creating very emotionally moving drama.

The biggest problem with the anime adaptation, though, comes from trying to connect those five independent routes from the visual novel in a coherent way. KyoAni did the best they could (the best anyone could, really), but it still wasn't quite good enough. For one thing, it's kind of...drama-overload at times, if you know what I mean. In the visual novel, they're separate stories, but in the anime, you basically end up getting five stories' worth of drama packed into one. And it doesn't help that so much of it is so similar -- half the characters suffer from plot-device amnesia, and/or "Key AIDS." On their own, each dramatic happening is very well done, but all in a row, it feels a bit excessive. Some of it just isn't even necessary -- there's one particular moment in one of the later episodes where a bit of drama just slams right into you out of nowhere, and I actually laughed out loud at how sudden and unnecessary it was. The romance aspect suffers from adaptation decay, perhaps even more than the dramatic aspect. There's a point in the series where Pimp Daddy Yuuichi gets the cutest kiss ever from one girl, and you're all "awwwwwww :'3," but then literally one episode later, he's kissed by and confesses his love to a different girl who had barely even appeared at all in the previous several episodes. I was re-watching it with my girlfriend, who'd never seen nor read it before, and I believe her exact words were "whoa, what? Sudden!" I had to shrug my shoulders and say, "just pretend he hasn't been involved with any of the other girls and roll with it." The last problem with the story that arose from adapting all the arcs into one linear story was the final episode. I won't spoil anything, but it's rather forced and confusing. People say that about Clannad After Story's ending, but this is significantly harder to swallow, in my opinion. It doesn't ruin the whole story, but it does cost it yet more points.

Now, onto art! As I mentioned earlier, the original visual novel came out in 1999, and the art for it was...less than stellar. Frankly, I don't think it was any worse than the art I've seen from the 2002 anime, but it's still pretty ugly. The 2006 KyoAni art, though, is MUCH better. Yeah, okay, their mouths and noses are still almost comically tiny and in the very center of their faces (except for the males), but it definitely looks good if you aren't bothered by that aspect of the style. The animation isn't always completely fluid, but it's definitely much better than average. Even if it's 2006 KyoAni, it IS still KyoAni we're talking about here.

Sound is definitely a strong point of Kanon's, and of everything Maeda does the sound for. His compositions set the mood perfectly, 100% of the time. Well, other than the ED song, maybe, which is sometimes jarringly bright and cheery after a dramatic cliffhanger episode ending, but I won't hold that against it. The OP is fantastic, and every background track is perfect. The voice acting is solid, as well, in the original Japanese. Not a fan of the English dub, due to uguu, auu, etc. 10/10 sound.

Character...This is a bit of a tricky category. On the one hand, the bulk of the cast are little more than one-dimensional moeblobs, but on the other hand...they are SO MOE. I'm not usually a "moe" guy, but geez. Maeda knows how to write some moe waifus. Frankly, the romantic aspects of certain routes -- particularly the h-scenes in the original visual novel -- felt a bit awkward to me, because not only do many of the girls look incredibly young, but they also *ACT* incredibly young, often giving off less of a "girlfriend" vibe and more of a "pet puppy dog" vibe, if you know what I mean. It's not a huge deal, since ultimately all that matters for the viewer, in this case, is that he or she becomes attached to the characters and wants (Yuuichi) to love and protect them, and I think most viewers would agree that Key was successful there. Some people might find the characters to be "obnoxious moeblobs," but most will adore them. My girlfriend thought Ayu was annoying at first, but it didn't take too long for her to fall in love with her :P

Enjoyment is the trickiest category, I think. I mean, typically, if I gave the other categories high scores, I'd give this one a high score, and if I gave the others low scores, I'd give this a low score, you know? But I can't just average them together and call that my enjoyment score, because for me, it was more than just the sum of its parts. I criticized the various failings of the story earlier, but when I first read the visual novel years ago, I adored it. I knew the art was bad, and I knew the plot depended on too many conveniently forgotten memories and "Key Magic," but I didn't care. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me gasp, it made me sigh...It just moved me, emotionally, more strongly than most anything in fiction. I really enjoyed it. I didn't enjoy the anime quite as much, but the visual novel might have made me slightly biased compared to a viewer who's never read it. That doesn't erase the flaws in the story that I described earlier, but they might not bother new viewers as much as they bothered me.

So to sum it up, Kanon is a VERY emotional, though somewhat flawed story, with solid art for its time, lovable characters, and the perfect musical score. It's not perfect, and viewers less tolerant of forced drama, moeblobs, and "Key Magic" will probably tear it apart, but I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who thinks they might be interested. Watch it in the snowy winter, with someone or something to hug when things get serious. I think you'll enjoy it.

Kanon is a very special anime. I enjoyed it a lot despite the obvious major flaws it has. The flaws are so big that they would ruin almost any other anime. Kanon endured it.

The story takes place in some small Japanese town in the middle of winter. 17-years old Yuuichi Aizawa comes to the town with an intention to study at local high school. His cute blue-haired cousin accommodates him. It's been 7 years since Yuuichi had last visited this town. Strangely, he doesn't remember anything from 7 years ago. During his stay in the town, he befriends several girls: hyperactive Makoto, lonely Shiori, ... quiet Mai and immature Ayu. As he is helping them with their struggles, he starts to remember his previous stay in the town. Little by little.

The good:

The reason why Kanon is held in such high regard is by far the emotional impact. The anime floods the viewer with emotions in every single episode, especially in the last few ones. Another really good aspect of the anime is the art. In fact, it looks beautiful. As the anime is set in winter, most of the time we see the snow falling, but even such common scenery can look delightful. The afternoon scenes were even prettier; the sunlight was done neatly. Character art was solid, too. Perhaps their eyes could be a little smaller, but that's a nitpick.

Every anime of course needs a good soundtrack. And Kanon has it. The music is tranquil all the time, you won't find any fist-pumping tunes here. It's for the best, though, as the music perfectly fits the story and art. Let's move to the bad now.

The bad:

I have a lot to say about the bad aspects of Kanon. First and foremost, Yuuichi sucks. His relationship with every girl I mentioned above seems like a relationship of two lovers. But then he helps the girl and moves on to another one. The one he helped before is completely forgotten as he is helping another one. Then in the end, he decides that he loves just one of them. They fall in love almost instantly without so much as a few episodes for their relationship to evolve.

That also shows that the pattern of the series is not done well. As with most anime, it's divided into arcs. In each arc, the main characters are Yuuichi and one of the girls. The pattern is like this: Yuuichi and the girl meet --> the next few episodes are about Yuuichi helping her --> they get extremely close --> Yuuichi remembers some of his memories --> problem is solved --> move on to another girl and forget about the previous one.

Another flaw is the unreality. I don't even mean the supernatural actions that occur here and there. What I mean is that for a slice of life anime, the characters don't act like real people at all. Yuuichi's total amnesia is quite stupid as well. He doesn't remember a lot of important things.

And finally, the most appealing trait of Kanon is also what it drags down. The emotionality is overblown. It's too melodramatic. The characters get teary-eyed because of sentiments. Certain emotional scenes are repeated too much. All in all, it could be done with less tears.

Conclusion:

It probably looks like I hate this anime but no, I genuinely like it actually. It just has those flaws that are impossible to overlook plus I really wanted to comment on them. Kanon was not an easy anime to watch, but when i finished watching it, I couldn't help myself. The emotional impact was big and that's what it's supposed to be about.

PS: note how I wrote this review without mentioning Clannad.

Oh my,, just finished this anime, and my pillow has never been so wet with tears =).
In the beginning I had a hard time with the characters. They sort of felt strange and not believeable at all. As the episodes went by they sort of grew up and you start to understand what is happening and suddenly everything from the start to the end is like a beautiful dream that comes true. If you have a lot of tears to spare and can cope with the first episodes you will have a great time with this anime series!

Kanon '06 - a remake of a romantic drama based on a popular H visual novel. As a fan of shonen mecha and action series, I really had no business checking Kanon out, but my friends' constant recommendations and KyoAni's good reputation forced me into it. Now that it's over, I can confidently say that Kanon was a ride that was worth taking.

Story -- The overall story can feel a bit slow at times as it gets heavily involved in character development, but every second of airtime is meaningful - nothing is wasted here. The arcs for each individual main character all contain some excellent ... plot twists, and are well-coordinated - each one is more interesting than the last, and the final arc crescendoes into some of the most breathtaking human drama I've yet witnessed in anime.

Art -- Fantastic on every level. The characters are all drawn very attractively, and the animation captures all the subtle aspects of their personalities. The girls of Kanon can seem unnervingly real at times. In addition, the snow-covered backgrounds are beautiful and add a lot to the romantic theme.

Sound -- The music is all very appropriate, enhancing the mood without distracting from the scenes at hand. A piano theme that played during certain key moments was a particular standout, although I wasn't so fond of the OP song. Voice acting was great throughout, with the voices of Yuuichi, Ayu, and Shiori being the standouts.

Character -- An anime like this has to rely on its characters - they are the story, so there's no room for faults. Fortunately, Kanon comes through. Every character stands out with a unique style and personality, and the main characters genuinely grow and change throughout their stories - especially Yuuichi, who transforms from a rather plain protagonist into a strong and charismatic hero. I truly cared for the entire cast, although I found Makoto and Kaori difficult to like.

Enjoyment/Overall -- The quality shines through. Although Kanon was a far cry from my beloved Gundam and Bleach, it won me over in the end. I won't forget the vicegrip feeling in my chest that I experienced as I watched those powerful final six episodes, and scenes from throughout the series will be burned into my memory for a long time. I'd recommend anyone who hasn't seen this series to pick it up and stick with it - trust me and KyoAni.

Having already watched, and thoroughly enjoyed, Air (which is from the same people- Key) I was fairly confident coming in I'd probably like Kanon too. As it turns out I ended up liking it even more than I liked Air. Kanon, for me, is a very special anime. It's gorgeous and endearing in just about every way and I frequently found it outright heartwarming. While just about every anime these days has, at very least, *some* elements of multiple genres, and you could argue that's true to some extent here as well, at the end of the day Kanon is a very pure Slice of ... Life experience and your enjoyment in viewing this show will likely depend heavily on your general feelings toward the genre. Action/combat here is bare minimum, horror/gore entirely absent and sexual scenes/fan service aren't here either- it's just very pure Slice of Life with a sprinkle of mystery on top.

Strong points of the show include extremely likable, developed, believable characters with distinct personalities and quirks, charming interpersonal interactions from start to finish, excellent voice performances from male and female leads Chris Patton and Brittney Karbowski respectively, beautiful and consistent animation with frequent artistic and poetic undertones, a pleasant and very pretty soundtrack and an excellent balance between the individual arcs/the day to day goings on and the bigger picture plot and its mystery.

I don't think there are too many huge weak points here, and I loved my experience overall, but objectively I could list off a few weak points of the show. I'd say it was a slow starter with the first arc being a bit on the boring side at times, dragging on for too long and being the weakest of the three main arcs by a considerable margin. I'd also say the twist at the end of that first arc felt closer to "wtf" and "out of nowhere" as opposed to magical and satisfying as the conclusions to the other arcs did.

I'd also say there were a couple very minor instances of inconsistency, possibly due to translation errors, with the English dub. For example, the cat they find and take home with them is initially referred to as "her/she" but later is referred to as "him/he". Another example would be when main character Yuichi states "This is the only home I've got now" but then in the very next episode he calls and talks to his parents, they're alive and well and their relationship is just fine and there is absolutely no reason for us to believe he could not go live with them if that's what he wanted to do. I think in this particular instance the sentiment they were going for was more along the lines of "This is my home now" or "There is nowhere else I'd want to be", but with the wording they chose it came off a bit weird and stood out to me.

None of that was enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of the show. Once I got beyond the initial mediocrity of the first several episodes it was a ride that just got better and better and by the time I neared the end I was super invested in the characters and the story and I was genuinely emotionally touched by the resolution of the final arc. Rarely do I use words like "touching" or "heartwarming" when describing an anime program, but that's what Kanon was for me. I'm too proud to tear up at something like this in front of my wife, but I was definitely fighting it, especially in episodes 24 and 25.

Overall this kind of show isn't for everybody. It's completely character and story driven, it's deeply emotional and it is very artistic and you either like that kind of thing or you don't. I LOVE that kind of thing, so for me Kanon is a 10/10 and an absolute must watch for like-minded people.

OBJECTIVE RATING- 9.5
PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 10

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE ENTIRE ANIME.

Kanon (2006)

It’s really hard for me to put words down to this show. It’s more difficult than it should be, but that’s an issue of mine.

I guess we can start with the aesthetics of Konan. I love the art-style. I love how the eyes look like they’re painted on the faces, I love the way the art is rendered/drawn, I love the minor details that are shown. The girls are all cute, the setting is pretty. The colors used are in a more realistic sense, nothing ever seemed to be vibrant in anime only ways, ... which I feel suits Kanon really well.

We can start with the opening used for Kanon. It’s one of the best songs I’ve ever heard in my life. It’s the perfect song for Kanon. The animation that goes along with the song perfectly captures Kanon and its story. If the only thing I liked about Kanon was its opening, I’d honestly be okay, it’s that good.

So….a lot happens in Kanon and I’ll try to write down the parts that stood out most to me. Since the opening used sounds very sad I was expecting the anime to start off on a low key moment, building tension over time, but it starts out quite happily. We meet Yuuichi and Nayuki. Yuuichi is a funny character, who can be quite sarcastic and is good at being blunt with his words, an unexpected quality from a main character. The most important “thing” to arise from the episode is how Yuuichi can’t remember any events from his last visit in the city. Shortly after, we’re introduced to Ayu, an old friend of Yuuichi’s. She’s without a doubt a favorite of mine. Her “ uguu~” is just so cute and she’s an adorable character. Right after Ayu, we’re introduced to Makoto and it’s around here that Kanon shows its true colors.

From Episode 5-10 the story turns to Makoto and her arc. It’s during these 6 episodes that the story goes from a happy and blissful-like tone to one that’s somber and sad. Having met Mai, the demon hunter, we learn more and more about Makoto, through her interactions and how both Yuuichi and Makoto open up to each other. From Mai we meet Amano who helps Yuuichi out during Makoto’s final moments. Learning about how Makoto is a Youko and what a path like that entails is heart breaking. Throughout the arc we see Makoto slowly regress mentally and physically until the only thing Makoto can say is “Auu~”. This absolutely hurt to watch, I cried so much. Writing this up is bringing those emotions back up like a torrent of raging water. When Yuuichi decides to marry Makoto and they spend the last day together on-top of Monomi Hill is beautiful; as he plays with Makoto to the very last second, Makoto gets tired and sleepy, then she disappears in his arms leaving behind only her bells, this absolutely hurt me. I wouldn’t be able to handle such a situation. Just watching broke me down. The story about Youko is incredibly sad. To be put through all those emotions and then to lose it all so quickly, insane.

Episodes 11-15 then focus on Mai (Shiori too) and her demons, but it’s so much more than that. The relationship between Mai and Sayuri is envious. They share a beautiful love between friends and learning more about Mai and Yuuichi is devastating. Mai’s backstory is unfortunately sad, but at least it had a good outcome. Learning that Mai actually had supernatural powers to repair/fix issues is amazing. It’s just so unfortunate that people had to make fun of her and ostracized her forcing her to be alone. Seeing how Mai reacted to Sayuri get hurt was both intimidating and heartbreaking. The fierce determination to destroy the demons during the ball was scary, but at the same time, entirely understandable. The realization that the demons are actually Mai’s supernatural power was an unexpected twist. The fact that Mai believed so hard that demons were actually going to appear was really out there. It’s as if the demons were an excuse to keep Yuuichi from leaving the city back when he visited the first time. Seeing Mai understand this revelation and attempt to take her own life was daunting. Everything about Mai and Sayuri played perfectly.

Shiori’s plot takes place in many of the later episodes, with 16-18 having the most story to them. Shiori and her health issues are an incredibly sad topic to switch to, but the way Yuuichi handles it all is amazing. I think it’s the perfect way to handle a situation like that. Instead of always thinking about it and having it loom over everyone’s head, don’t think about it and try to have the best time of your life. Learning about Kaori either from Shiori or Kaori herself was some messed up stuff. I know that I would never be able to ignore someone like that in my life and the way Kaori does it is scary cold. Yuuichi does a fantastic job of making Shiori’s last week as best as it can be, but with Kanon, I already had a feeling things wouldn’t be so happy and fun for long. I’m glad that in the end, Kaori opened her heart up to Shiori and tries to mend the problems she inadvertently caused. It’s unfortunate that Shiori had to change the mood at the end of her birthday. Spending time alone with Yuuichi and talking about how she wishes she never became close friends with anyone hurt so much to hear. The way she disappears absolutely ruined me, as it did for Yuuichi.

Ayu and Nayuki’s plot sort of intertwine. Though Ayu is a focus for the entire show, Nayuki is left off to the side for most of Kanon. I always knew that Ayu’s plot would be really sad and seeing how she was a part of so many episodes, she’s probably the most important character to the show and Yuuichi. Although Nayuki and Yuuichi are cousins, I always felt sad for her; because it’s pretty clear she had/has feelings for Yuuichi. Unfortunately, Ayu was the girl that Yuuichi fell for. The way Shiori’s plot ends leaves Yuuichi feeling real down, thinking that she has passed away. During the 19th episode we see just how much Yuuichi and Ayu care for each other. Speaking with one another, Ayu brings up her mother and how she left her; while speaking about the moment she asks Yuuichi if he’s ever felt something similar to that (A sense of total abandonment). The rush of memories for Makoto, Mai and Shiori hit Yuuichi hard, as if he hasn’t taken the time to reflect on everything that’s happened, this all forces Yuuichi to almost cry in front of Ayu. During this bittersweet moment, the two share a kiss and it feels magical to witness this turn of events. Ayu’s plot though, is complicated and it’s not easy for Yuuichi to sift out what she’s missing or who she really is. The way we get flashbacks to Ayu really start to open up her story. I personally knew that Ayu was missing the doll, I had a feeling she fell of the tree, that moment was obvious, but even though it’s obvious, I could never prepare myself to watch it happen.

The last 3 episodes are when Kanon gets into maximum drama mode. Nayuki’s mother Akiko being hit by a car was straight up torture. Seeing how Nayuki breaks apart as a person and forcing blame on herself really hurt to watch. When Yuuichi realizes who Ayu is and what happened so long ago was nigh on depressing. The revelations that occurred during the end were intense.

The 24th episode was absolutely adoring. After being slayed to watch essentially 20 episodes of sad and heartfelt moments, one good episode was necessary. When we learn that Ayu didn’t die, but was in a coma for seven years, made my heart skip a beat or two. Seeing how everyone was getting better, Mai and Sayuri, Kaori and Shiori (This was truly touching, I honestly thought that Shiori died, seeing her alive and well made me so damn happy), Akiko and Nayuki and lastly Ayu and Yuuichi. I couldn’t have wished for a better ending. The last frame with the tree bud on top of the cut down tree and fox walking in the background, everything really did end on a good note.

In the end, I think there are a lot of ways to describe Kanon, but I think the Opening and Ending act as a great allegory for the entire show.

Throughout the entire show, I had an emotion/feeling occur within me that I’ve never felt before. I don’t know the word to describe it, but I can summarize how it felt. “As if my chest is being squeezed against, my heart being punctured over and over and over again”. I cried so much during Kanon; I’m really glad to have watched it.

Warning:My reviews contain high doses of black humor,naughty language and some other shit.
Oh yes yes yes...Another over-fuckin-rated anime..After having watched Air i seriously thought that this was gonna be one and the same..And i wasn't far off..

First off..I watched the original before this and i thought it was like watching my 99 yr old granny masturbate.It scarred me for life.Animation was shit,story was shit,characters were shit,every single thing about Kanon was an absolute pile of dog mess..

And what they did with this remake?They made it better by making it even worse..Let me explain..The original even though it was wayyyyyyyy too rushed it had some important ... details i would like to watch in this one..But i didn't..They took every good thing from the original and threw it out of the window..Not that there were any good points to start with...Especially when u take into account that they force feed you the drama burger..After the introductory first,let's say 7 eps i think,everything is a freakin ride to despair land..It even has a sign "please drive through our village only when full with antidepressants".

This is basically at heart a harem anime..This means that it has Moe school girls that dig the MC but the MC is a big hairy pussy and can't decide who to bone unlike,say,every real school kid who would have fucked the shit outta them..What made me hate this show was the cutesy overload crap.They ditch every aspect of decent storytelling,drama,internal conflict just to put in their place all the noises the girls make when u punch them in the fez.

So let's see all the characters...The MC has amnesia..It is explained later but in such a way that it's like sitting there in your face mocking you for being such a massive idiot watching this shit.All the other characters are ONLY girls and only serve the purpose of dating him and then die a miserable death.That's all they're for..Basically meat waiting to be fucked and tossed dead in the curb.Most of them die or have some disease and are supposed to die but then by miracle they don't because the love of the MC made their incurable disease go away or one is a ghost of a girl in coma...NOT DEAD!!!IN A COMA...Makes sense?Even his cousin likes him...And just when u think he's gonna give her some cousin candy...Guess what...He goes after the coma girl who is still drooling after the 7 year sleep.

I seriously believe that the show had nothing to start with..The made it lengthier to explain things that aren't explained in any way at all..They just drag the whole thing just to fit all the frickin "AGUUUU" and "AUUUU" and all this cutesy moe crappoli..On one episode only i thought that one girl didn't know Japanese and just made sounds...A whole episode full of AGUUUUU...Oh give me a break..This is the epitome of a good anime?Really people?

Animation this time round was good...Not bad not great just good enough and consistent.The acting was fine,although all the little “cute” sounds(UGUUUUUUUUUU)got overwhelmingly annoying at times.

To sum up..It is horrible..The plot and characters actions defy all logic.I bet u any money that those who watch these sugary bullcrap anime just fantasize that they are the series protagonist and fuck every living breathing thing in a 20 mile radius just for breakfast.

At first glance, this anime may seem a typical harem. However, Kanon is actually an unique drama anime that rivals Clannad (both made by Kyoto Ani) in its own way.

Story: 9
The plot of this anime is superbly done. This anime revolves around the daily life of Yuuichi and 5 girls. In the ordinary setting, extraordinary story unfolds. Each one of the 5 girls in Kanon has her own sad tale to tell, and all of their tragic past has something to do with the protagonist, Yuuichi. Although Kanon is not really a tear-jerker like Clannad, the revelation of the past for each girl is ... so powerful that it moves the audience.

Furthermore, supernatural elements are added to the plot in a plausible way. Every arc of the story comes together in a way that makes me astonished.

Art: 9
Kanon has good animation and art. The animation does not leaves out tiny details like brushing off the snow from the coat. The motif of snow contributes to the romantic atmosphere of the story.

Sound: 10
Well, this anime's title and each episode's sub-title is based on names of types of music. The sound tracks used for this anime do not disappoint. Classical piano pieces serve as interlude during emotional scenes.

Character: 9
At first, all the girls in Kanon seems odd because they have weird habits that are definitely not normal. At the end though, everything that they do is for a reason that has to do with their past. This aspect is extremely well done, and adds to the awesomeness of Kanon.

However, the (female) characters is where Kanon can still improve. The girls all have somewhat similar personalities, only slightly differing in the types of dere they are.

So why did the characters still achieve a score of 9/10? Well, our MC is one of the funniest characters in existence. It comes as no surprise, then, that he can "get all the girls", so to speak.

Enjoyment: 9
I had a lot of fun watching Kanon. Even though I didn't really cry even once (come close to though), the story contains a lot of emotions and catharsis. In my opinion, the best thing about this anime is that the revelation at the end of each girl's arc would shock the audience with the sheer epicness of the plot.

Overall: 9
I would recommend Kanon to people who like drama anime. I would recommend people watching it in a language that one is familiar with (ie. if you don't speak Japanese, watch dub).

*Review is rewritten

Well this is my first anime review that I have ever written and felt that if anything, this had to be the first one I'd write. Kanon 2006 has a special place in my heart that no other anime could hope to fill. Clannad tried but fell just short in comparison to this masterpiece of emotion.

Right I'll do this commenting on each of the bits it told me to rate.

The story is nothing short of astounding, it may seem a bit cliche or predictable at points but that is half the fun the anime provides. I guarantee if emotional anime is your thing you will ... find yourself laughing and crying as the story progresses. Two points in particular spring to mind but you will see these as you watch. So I had to rate the story a perfect 10.

The Art in this like all of Key's more "recent" work is very polished and pretty to look at. If you watched Kanon 2002 first like I did and was sucked in by that plot, then this will make your eyes water as it's so much crisper. The characters and backgrounds look very good and not out of place. It fits the mood of the anime well and adds to the impact of the series very well. So I give it a 10 as well, it really couldnt have been animated any better.

The sound as in the emotional soundtrack really plays on the feelings of the watcher as the story progresses. Alot of the series soundtrack is a direct lift from the Visual Novel which was released in 1999 so some of it perhaps sounds a little dated. However some pieces in this anime, you will never forget and can provoke a tear or two with too much intense thought. I rate the sound a 9!

The characters, especially the main female ones are all very well played and unique in their own way. I've seen many anime where a catchphrase said repeatedly by a character is extremely annoying (Naruto and Believe it anyone lol) but this doesn't happen here. The VA's for the characters are pretty much bang on perfect with Yui Horie performing what I rate as her best character in Ayu Tsukimiya. You will find yourself loving and sympathising with each of the characters as the story progresses. So the Characters get a 10.

You string the above things together and you get a very enjoyable anime, this is the best in it's genre and Key have done a fantastic job creating this masterpiece. It's one of those anime that if they re-adapted it again with the same basic plot, I would still watch it again. I find myself rewatching specific episodes if I want to do something like force myself to cry or something. Hey it works too, so much that I love this anime. Enjoyment gets a 10.

So there you have it, a godly piece of animation that all lovers of a good story and characters should defintely set aside some time and some Kleenex for. Take my advice and watch this show, you will NOT be disappointed.

My Rating Overall: 10/10

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.

Summary: A beautiful fairy tale of miracles and a group of high-schoolers waiting for spring.

Who should watch this- People who like fantasy, drama, romance, harem, really nice animation.

Who shouldn’t- People who hate Key Animation, want tons of action (there are actually some fight scenes in here, but not a whole lot), are sick of highschool haremy stuff, hate bunnies, like cohesive plots, don’t like fantasy.

Story- 7

It’s pretty hard to keep a cohesive plot going when Yuichi needs to have relationships with about five different girls, and KyoAni only partially succeeds.

My biggest complaint about the show is that the stories seem really disconnected. Yuichi will ... have a relationship with a girl, and then we never see or hear about her again. Even in arcs with really heartbreakingly sad ends, Yuichi moves on to the next girl as if it’s no biggie. Or when two of the girls are in the hospital, he visits her once and then it’s as if she vanishes off the face of the earth until she reappears ten episodes later. Story arcs are really distinct from each other, which isn’t really a good thing.

Instead of tying the whole show together with a cohesive storyline, the various arcs are tied thematically, be echoing themes of dreaming, miracles, love, and hope. All of the themes are wrapped up at the end, leading to a conclusion that is satisfying thematically, if not plot-wise. I do think the last episode seemed a bit rushed, as characters that had vanished for about 7 episodes suddenly reappeared, and the episode blitzed through months of time, moving way faster than the entire rest of the show. It was as if KyoAni was like “crap! Last episode, we need to finish!” I think Kanon would have benefitted a lot from maybe 2 more episodes, or better time allocation in the story.

Also, because girls only get a limited number of episodes, we miss out on some interesting character development. A great example of this is Amano. She could have been a really interesting character, but she only appeared in about 3 episodes, and then totally vanished. I think the disconnected arcs bear a lot of the blame for why many side characters seem uninteresting, and more like mannequins to advance that arc’s plot than actual people (Kuze anyone?).

Despite all of this, the stories within each of the arcs are well told, dramatic, emotional, and often very sad. It’s just that when one of these great stories ends, it feels as if you lurch into a whole new show.

Animation-10

Kyoto Animation lives up to their usual high standard, and the animation looks absolutely gorgeous. Character design is beautiful and backgrounds are also very detailed. My only real critique is that some of the clothing is really weird. Yuichi wears some of the oddest clothing I’ve ever seen.

A vital part of the animation is the town that serves as a backdrop to the whole show. The town seems to be in a perpetual winter, and its snowy charm really helps the show. Maybe I just find snow really pretty, but the mystical and slightly surreal snowy wonderland certainly sets a terrific fantasy mood.

Like in other KyoAni works, the animation goes the extra mile in important scenes, such as the Mai/Yuichi dance scene. CG effects are noticeable, but don’t really detract from the enjoyment of the show at all. Overall, the artwork dramatically adds to the quality of the show, and so merits a ten.

Sound- 8

Kanon has a pretty good soundtrack. Interestingly, all of the episode titles are various musical forms… which often seem to have nothing to do with the episodes. Um, ok.

It’s also weird that in a show called Kanon because of it’s similarities to Pachelbel’s Canon, they only play the Canon twice in the whole show. I expected it to be some sort of recurring theme, like “Lillium” in Elfen Lied. Nope.

That aside, the soundtrack is solid. All of the girls have their own themes which is nice (Mai’s is especially good). Both the OP and ED sound very good, except that the OP ends on a discordant note, which is very strange. Other than that, the soundtrack is unobtrusive and enhances the show, but it’s hardly memorable.

Voice acting is quite good. Many of the girls have their own “catchphrases” (for lack of a better term) and there are a ton of nonverbal uguu~s and the like. All of the girls sound distinctive and emotions are conveyed well.

Characters-8

Kanon is somewhat of a harem anime, so there are a bunch of different girls and only really 1 central guy (Yuichi). Actually, Yuichi appears to be virtually the only guy in this town. It’s as if some plague has wiped out all the males in the area or something. I mean, you don’t even see guys walking around in the street, or in school hallways, or anything. I believe there are a total of 3 male characters with lines in the whole show. Fortunately, this allows Yuichi to build his harem with no competition whatsoever.

As for the characters themselves- Given that there are so many girls, I’m sure each viewer will love some girls and dislike others (personally I loved Mai, disliked Shiori). Yuichi is basically Kyon version 2, albeit a bit blander, so if you liked Kyon you’ll be a fan of Yuichi. Frankly, all of the girls are more interesting than him anyway.

As for the girls, they are all quite distinct and have their own unique personalities. Kanon manages to avoid repetition through character diversity, and the girls tend to be likeable, interesting, and well developed, with some unfortunate exceptions (Sayuri and Nayuki both come to mind). Most characters besides Yuichi and the main girls are forgettable.

Overall-
Kanon is far greater than the sum of its parts (to use an incredibly cliché phrase). Its component elements “work” well together.

For example, much of the show is fairly surreal. But KyoAni managed to keep surrealistic events a constant in the show, as opposed to being random and annoying. By fluctuating between the real world and the mysterious surreal world while keeping them subtly distinct, Kanon handles its fantasy nature extremely well. And this perpetual mystery surrounding characters and places actually enhances one’s enjoyment.

I think that is why the OP starts the way it does- with no lyrics and just shots of sunlight, trees, and snow. Because that’s what the show is really about. It is a fairy tale about a group of students trapped in winter, with the hope that spring is coming, a miracle is coming, and they can begin living again.

It's hard to put this anime in to words, so I pick one, incredible.

what starts out to look like your generic run of the mill harem anime, turns in to a story of love, happiness, sadness and loss. somehow they were able to pack so much character devolopment in to 24 episodes that most stories can't do in 200.

This anime will make you laugh, it'll make you cry, you will really feel for them all. It tugs at your heart in every way imaginable. from Yuuichi's carefree sarcastic behaviour, Mai's silent but cool attitude, or Ayu's irresistible cuteness and her trademark all famous ... line 'Uguu~!"

I don't think you can call your self an Otaku or an Anime fan if you don't see this.

This is a must for any fan of anime, weither or not they like the Genre or not a true masterpeice.

I hardly ever give an anime a perfect 10, this is one of few that I do.

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