kanon 1
Categories: anime, episodic review, kanon
Tagged: kanon
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Gearing up for 24 episodes of sad girls in snow. I’m suddenly depressed.
Abstract
Yuuichi returns to the town of his youth and is reunited with his cousin Nayuki after seven years. We’re introduced to various members of the cast as Nayuki shows Yuuichi life around the town with great affection, which isn’t always returned. Yuuichi, though, starts to recall his prior time in this town… along with a girl named “Ayu.”
Notables
The beginning is slightly changed from the 2002 edition. Most of the dialogue is still intact, though Nayuki doesn’t give Yuuichi a can of coffee, but now Yuuichi (in full Kyon mode) guesses Nayuki’s name for great justice. The 2006 incarnation lacks the foreshadowing where we see the sick girl in the hospital.
(Whatever school makes their female students wear mini-skirts in the dead of winter is definitely a top notch educational institution. Any female wearing said mini-skirt without feeling cold in the dead of winter is definitely superior material.)
Yes, the animation has been greatly improved, but if it’s just going to rehash the original’s plot, I’m going to be bored. I feel like I’m playing yet another Dynasty Warriors sequel.
The OP is an exercise in sad girls in snow. Very different moe mode than costume raping. 2002 edition skipped the OP for the first episode. In any case, superior animation to be a downbeat song more akin to Disillusion than Minami Kaze. If my old English professor is reading this, he’d kill me for using so many sentence fragments in a row.
2006 has Yuuichi waking up after the OP. 2002 had Nayuki show Yuuichi around a bit, meets MILF Akiko, and starts unpacking. When he does unpack, he finds Ayu’s headband and has a flashback. So far, 2006 hasn’t had any foreshadowing– just straight plot– which I find disarming considering how much Kyoto jumped around with Haruhi and Tess OVA.
First significant non-production improvement: in 2002, after Yuuichi helps Nayuki find her school uniform, they literally exchange ten words before she changes and comes out. 2006? Slightly more realistic timing plus fanservice, yo.
(Added bonus. It’s the blue version of this bra.)
Sounds like a setup for a doujinshi. 2006 Yuuichi is busy shoveling snow the wrong way. I’ve shoveled my dad’s driveway for ten years, so I know that the fastest way is just to shove the snow rather than lift it. This is also probably why I live in Sunny California now. 2002 Yuuichi lounges around the house, has Akiko inspect the headband, and leaves to pick up Nayuki.
I’m not sure if I prefer Nayuki’s 2006 zombie hug or Nayuki’s 2002 emo-laden flashback more. I’ll go with the flashback. It would make a great reboot of Kanon… the Watanagashi no Fuyuki arc!
I enjoyed the montage of Yuuichi and Nayuki around town. Nayuki seems to punch like Mikuru.
Also liked the random camoes… this one fit well just because they’re outside the hospital.
No eyecatch for Kanon ’06.
Enjoyed the introduction of Kaori. She’s the LOL FANG-TAN of Kanon. If she doesn’t put on a good show, Oharuhi-sama help this series. Notice how neither Nayuki or Kyon denied that they’re on a date… oh fudge… what’s the over/under that I’ll mistype “Yuuichi” in this post? Ten?
(Gopher comment? Pure Kyon. Same self-satisfied smile too.)
Maybe I should just start calling Nayuki “Ms. Magoo”…
2006 version of Nayuki leaving Ky… Yuuichi to go shopping is cuter. She looks like she’s fleeing a bank heist in the 2002 version… which cues to the infamous…
How do we know that they just didn’t replay Horie Yui’s lines from 2002? We don’t. Exact same, except Ayu has an extra chorus of “Outta my way!” in 2006. Animation quality in 2002 reminds me of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni… not a compliment to either art departments. Kyoto is godly with details.
In 2002, Ayu and Yuuichi hide out in AMPM checking out NBA fantasy advice magazines. In 2006, Ayu and Kyon end up in a non-meido cafe.
Ayu looks like she lost some weight these four Kanon-less years. My, how did we go four years without a Kanon remake? Anyway, this time around, Yuuichi makes Ayu apologize to the taiyuki vendor and doesn’t get a taiyuki this time around. Is this equivalent to K1 giving the doll to Rena instead of Mion in the Watanagashi arc?
Watching Ayu spin around trying to see her backpack was great. Just random cute moment. For people who haven’t seen the original series, I’ll give you a hint: under what circumstances would a girl not know what she has on her back? Bigger hint: why wings?
Nayuki’s pillow’s color is different? Sulking Nayuki = cuter than the Sad Girl in Snow Nayuki we’ll start seeing a lot of once Yuuichi starts spending more time with Ayu. Ayu is like Nemu. Nayuki is like Kotori. And sadly there’s no Yoriko equivalent.
Nayuki’s infamous alarm clock fetish. How can you not like a girl who has an alarm clock fetish? Nayuki’s pajamas even have the same print design, down to where the prints are.
Different alarm clocks. Yuuichi responds in 2006 with a simple, “Thank you.” In 2002, “You don’t mind parting with this one?”
Loli Nayuki is t3h kawaii.
Kyoto’s version better ties into the circular nature of the episode. Looks like Kyoto is waiting for the next episode to show Ayu’s pinky promise… so the pacing is about the same as before. Consideing that this Kanon would be twice as long as the previous run, does it mean we’ll get more sidestories or a reboot into Nayuki’s path? (I’m guessing side stories. Great for Mai and Shiori fans. Bad for Nayuki fans. You can probably ascertain by now that I’m a Nayuki fan.)
Kaze no Tadorituku Basho was the second ED to the original series. Both feature Ayu going from right to left as well, though I’m glad to report that she doesn’t have copter legs in the 2002 version.
I’m still perplexed as to why Kanon needs a remake. I’m always in favor of new plotlines over old, and it looks like Kanon ’06 is going to take Ayu’s wild ride one more time. There’s very few differences between the scenes from ’02 to ’06, and the seiyuu work could even be copy and pasted. Yes, the animation is light years better, but there’s a lot of superior series that could use animation spurcing up– Urusei Yatsura, Lupin, Kodomo no Omocha, et al.
I think, by the end, people will be disappointed by this series. There’s too much hype and not enough new substance. I don’t think Kanon has the level of conflict to keep people engaged like Shuffle or humor like Mahoraba for a full season’s worth of episodes. The stories are all fairly dating sim vanilla, and only the fanatical fanbase seems to appreciate it while casual fans are indifferent. I just don’t think “Oh, we want Yuuichi to look less like Jay Leno and show off Nayuki’s bra” is going to carry a series. Oh well, enjoy the resurgence of sad girls in snow while keeping in mind that a top notch studio is basically re-inking an old series instead of pumping out new material like Continuing on My Own, more Mikuru fanservice, or launching a new franchise.
48 Responses to “kanon 1”
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lul
Maybe they’ll add sex scenes…
XD
Now seriously, unless KyoAni does something drastic, this might be just a little bit enjoyable…
Oh Jason, could you consider blogging Sumomomo Momomo (did I miss a “mo”?) when it comes out: just to compare it to Mama Onimaru. :P
After viewing the trailer, I concluded that KyoAni (or at least Kanon) is going to come in for some serious hate from Meloncholy fans. The guy is Kyon, period. He may not have the sarcastic lines, but you can’t look at him and hear the voice without going “Kyon!” Worse, a couple of Ayu’s mannerisms were direct copies of Mikuru’s: the “classified data” and how her mouth looks as she starts to freak out.
KyoAni is probably kicking itself right now. They probably said “Hey, we’ve got this hot property called Kanon and it’s got to be great since it’s a remake! We want the animators to be right on target with the character designs, so let’s have them practice in this other show first…what’s it called? Melancholy of something or another? Nobody’s ever heard of it and it’s probably not going to be more than a filler for its time slot, so the similarity won’t matter, even if anyone notices…”
The main parts I’m expecting to be extremely fleshed out are the conclusions to all the various arcs. In Toei-world, they tended to be extremely rushed and sort of just glossed over entirely. It does bear repeating that this really is made for fans of the series already in place, and with the insane, rabid following it has in Japan, that’s more than enough to make a killing. I’m sure KyoAni could pretty much care less what the West thinks of Kanon since that isn’t where their profit margin is coming from.
And besides, the last show to only go a few years before a remake doubling the length of the show without actually adding any new content was Hanaukyo Maid Tai, and we all know how that turned out. It’s a little early to be calling it either a waste or wonderful. It’s fanservice at the highest level for one of the largest fanbases in Japan so *shrug*, so long as they’re happy, I don’t think anybody else has anything to worry about.
heh, I actually never got the hint ur a Nayuki fan until you mentioned it.
And at what point can we consider this to not be “seiyuu copypasta”? do we really want the lines of key important scenes to change? I, for one, noticed large amounts of material that was not there before – material that perhaps at this point, may not be necessary, but truly benefits the delivery of the mood and story as opposed to the rushed feel the first time.
it really is too early to decide KyoAni’s direction on the story. in the same way they did with Air, nothing much really happens in the first episode in terms of real plot, and it’s really a brush through all the girls and the whole setting, before we really dive into the thickness. for this episode, it’s just to relax, enjoy the beautiful scenes, get familiar with/remember what it’s like to be in the snowy town.
bra link is broken btw
Mai’s voice = Rika in crazy prophet mode
I know the urge to compare is impossible to stave off, and it’s probably a necessary thing for those who have seen the 2002 version. But I just hope Jason will devote some parts of his discourse on the merit of this version alone — cover the story as if it were original — for the sake of those few of us who are seeing this story for the first time, so that we won’t be missing out on many of his witty analysis of the plotlines that I’ve enjoyed so much for the other animes.
YAY NAYUKI FAN :DDDDD Seriously all I can do is cross my fingers and pray they’ll take the Nayuki route.. Or at least do her some justice (well, they DID draw her beautifully this time…) XD I like the pace KyoAni is taking, because I’m a sucker for slice-of-life XD I hope you continue the comparisons with the Toei version, makes me appreciate the remake more LOL
I admit that I watched the first episode due to the hype the show has gotten, and beyond the fantastic artwork, Kanon is a slow and serene piece of work. It doesn’t have the exploding actions that, say, Ouran High School Host Club or Zero no Tsukaima had, which I appreciate more. I think I’ll barely follow the series, just enough to know the plot as it progresses through the episodes.
Serene is not really a word I would use to describe Kanon. Deceptively cheerful might be a better description.
-_- I feel like I’m part of the 1/100 poeple who has never played this game or seen the original animation.
So going into this show from a fresh point of view I don’t see anything wrong yet. And I’m actually really excited, after loving Air, I’m hoping to get the same great feelings again.
Though I have to totally agree, it’s Kyon, and I will never be able to remember any other name for him.
PS. I love the comparisons to the old series, ^_^ if I can find comparisons the whole thing through I won’t need to watch the 02 version right after the 24 episodes of sad girls in snow.
I’m sure there is a limit to how many SGIS you can take before you turn out like Piro.
i think the only reason they had a kanon remake was because gazillion fans emailed, lettered and phoned KyoAni begging for a remake after Air, and KyoAni goes “hi, this could make big buck” (and they are not wrong), so here i am
this is a remake, not a spinoff, so i’m guessing kyoani is going for “how can we do this better” instead of “how can we do this different” and stick the original plot.
so far i’m pretty impressed, but i do worry about the 24 ep thing (it is the first extra season show kyoani produced, hopefully doesn’t become all star break for papelbon), but i’m guessing extra side story also, not really a fun of mixing pathes
To the people who intend to gripe about the existence of Kanon over the next six months or so… Maybe you can look at it this way. Kanon is going to make money for KyoAni. Money which can then be used by KyoAni to fund higher-risk projects in the future.
The rest of us meanwhile, are going to get high over it and embrace this remake, because we love the story behind it. It’s like… watching Tim Burton’s version of Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, even though we have seen the previous movie version before, because we want to see Tim Burton’s twisted humour in what was meant to be a twisted tale in the first place.
So yeah… we want to see KyoAni’s touch in Kanon.
so far there are about 20 diff chinese fansub of Kanon ; ; prob even break 30 after this weekend
Ragz>>>i think the only reason they had a kanon remake was because gazillion fans emailed, lettered and phoned KyoAni begging for a remake after Air>>I’ll give you a hint: under what circumstances would a girl not know what she has on her back? Bigger hint: why wings?
Oops, I shouldn’t use the “>>>…>>i think the only reason they had a kanon remake was because gazillion fans emailed, lettered and phoned KyoAni begging for a remake after Air
I’m pretty sure it was a gazillion people calling on Kyoto, because of Air’s quality, to remake Kanon. (A remake of Air by the studio that made Air after very little animation improvements would just be weird.) I find it nice that a studio listens to fans. Do most or all studios/companies do this?
Ragz>>>so far there are about 20 diff chinese fansub of Kanon
Why do Chinese people sub in rmvb?
jason>>>I’ll give you a hint: under what circumstances would a girl not know what she has on her back? Bigger hint: why wings?
She has a split personality that turns into the souped up version of Sailor Moon?!
–under what circumstances would a girl not know what she has on her back
Answer: Hunchback.
Jason says, “Bigger hint: why wings?”
~~~~ ~~~~
Because she drinks Red Bull.
>>>im in the 1/999999999…(yeah it will keep going) who probably wont watch this tell several months later….
>>>Jason says, “Bigger hint: why wings?â€
shes a cardcapter sakura clone….?!!??!? hey it could happen
btw: when do the shuffle R1(im asuming those are the right ones ^^;)come out?
if i got it wrong please correct me…im well…stupid…
The first episode of this version was still way more enjoyable than 200 episodes of Naruto. Beat that dub-Naruto America.. haha
>>Why do Chinese people sub in rmvb?
my guess would be slimmer file fit chinese crappy broadband and smaller harddrive size better (1 ep 100mb~ vs. 250-300mb)
vast majority of chinese video are in rmvb format, with exception of DVDRip which are generally mkv or avi
Kyon the Lesser, err…Yuuichi was a bit of a let down, much less sarcasm this time around. I hope for a decent delivery until Haruhi-sama rides again.
>>under what circumstances would a girl not know what she has on her back? Bigger hint: why wings?
The bag was cover for her demon wings that she got from Escaflowne, or is because she needs some extra lift to move her carcass due to Taiyuki fat?
Personally, I’m finding it far more enjoyable. Last time, I just couldn’t find any interest in it and I haven’t had the chance to play the game. Maybe I just pay too much attention to the animation of a series… and the girls weren’t cute enough last time around. Yuuichi pulling Ayu around reminded me so much of Mikuru getting pulled around..
“Anamesis wrote:
btw: when do the shuffle R1(im asuming those are the right ones ^^;)come out?
if i got it wrong please correct me…im well…stupid…”
Shuffle, Air, Kanon, and shows of the like. Don’t normally get liscenced by the US. From what they’ve told me at cons. They see it as an untested market, and find it’s to much extra work/money thanks to the extra legal issues due to being based off of a game.
This same logic sadly affects hirameki-int as well, so any game that gets turned into an anime, will probubly NEVER get officially liscenced and brought over here.
So in other words, you will not see these games or anime based off of them unless it’s made with a US company in the mix at the beggining. Like Fate/stay night, and Tsukihime anime Geneon has Liscenced. The games though are still in the bench. -_-
I was actually able to watch the original 13 ep version mainly due to the fact that SINCE they only get 13 eps to work with, the pacing is significantly faster… I’m not sure if I would be able to stand this show going at half the pace of the original, updated art or not.
And did anyone who saw the Utawarerumono omake find it hard not to think of the Aruru headbutt when Ayu slammed into the lesser Kyon, or is it just me?
Maybe I’m just coming down off my Higurashi high, but why did everyone loli in this episode remind me of a loli from either Higurashi or Meloncholy.
That brief shot with Rika…er…Nayuki doing the creepy smile, half eye shot Higurashi is famous for. Ayu, and the scene where she says fight on.
i afk fansubs (strato) definately has the best translations.
SS and eclipse has better contrast and image quality and have good animations for the op and ed.
i am going to watch afk’s still although its somewhat dissappointing due to the great production quality having to be sacrificed by a slightly washed out raw.
Well, with 24 episodes (instead of, what the original 12-13), I’m counting on the show having a well-developed stoty line. Did anyone else think of Mikuru when we say Kyon..Yuuichi draging Ayu back to the taiyuki vendor? I wonder if the Haruhi Suzumiya show was just a warm-up for Kanon.
Oh god… I just watched Otoboku. Horie Yui isn’t allowed to be Ayu and a Trap in the same season. This isn’t fucking fair.
All I wish for this one is that they don’t shaft Nayuki’s story like Toei did.
I saw a few mannerisms from Haruhi in this one too. Nayuki bopping her head ala Mikuru/Imotou-chan after she failed to get the fox, Ayu being pulled by Yuiichi like Mikuru was pulled by Haruhi when she was first costume raped, Mikuru’s bra ending up in Nayuki’s wardrobe but dyed blue, Yuiichi just being Kyon (albeit a toned-down version, but I could still feel the sarcasm)… like Jason said in a previous blog of Haruhi, I’m also waiting for Ayu to toss snow at Yuiichi, only for the wind to blow it back into her face. Or maybe Mai dropkicks Yuiichi at one point, that would work too. :3
>>>Atashi: I admit that I watched the first episode due to the hype the show has gotten, and beyond the fantastic artwork, Kanon is a slow and serene piece of work. It doesn’t have the exploding actions that, say, Ouran High School Host Club or Zero no Tsukaima had, which I appreciate more. I think I’ll barely follow the series, just enough to know the plot as it progresses through the episodes.
That’s mainly a difference in approach IMHO. Ouran High and Zero were meant to be told with more action. Kanon’s a completely different animal, and must be approached at a slow pace lest it seem too rushed.
the first ep is great, but it’s only first ep, we will get a hint if this is for real after first month, but only know for sure after watch last ep (least they pull a gonzo and ruin the series at second half of last ep — which blade)
ignore typo — witch blade
>> Continuing on My Own
I want that series on the way next year… we need more FMP
Yeah… I know, but still love this series very much… now I only need Negima!? and my month is done…
>> Continuing on My Own
>> Yeah… I know, but still love this series very much…
Dancing Very Merry Christmas for an OVA(4 ep would be perfect) or a single season with side stories, then a 2 season with Continuing on My Own, Burning One Man Force, Gathering Make My Day round round it up (assume the novel ends after make my day) would be perfect
KyoAni is rolling in Key dough right now so I doubt they’d really care that this is a straight rehash of the 20002 game. I think we’re bound to be disappointed with some of the storylines considering Kanon was one of the the most popular bishoujo games around and lotsa others copied and improved on its concepts. The stories would naturally feel thin.
As jason pointed out, I am sorta a little disappointed with the lack of foreshadowing in this ep. Hopefully the headband will make an appearance soon.
Hey, what do we know, maybe KyoAni will take the Shuffle route and throw everyone a curve ball by having Yuuichi NOT end up with Ayu (yes, I realize the OP and ED wouldn’t make sense if so, but you never know)
Just watched finished the original Kanon, and I must say that I’m still looking forward to the new Kanon after watching the first episode.
I think the first episode of Kanon 2006 still have its fair share of foreshadowing, since they did show glimpses of Yuiichi’s memories and the scene with Nayuki in the forest and the fox. The original series just sorta throws it in, especially halfway through the episode.
While I already know the basic plot of the series, I still would like to see how it turns out. The original Kanon felt too rushed, especially how they resolved each girl’s episode pretty fast near the end (except for Mai’s, which took like 3-4 episodes). With more episodes and room to breath, KyoAni can finally give this series the proper adaptation that the game deserves.
I wonder if KyoAni will go the Ayu route again? Not that I mind, but it’d be an interesting deviation if Yuiichi chooses otherwise.
Reading a few other blogs on the new Kanon got me thinking: is a remake of Kanon that lamentable? It’s not like it hasn’t happened before with other media, and half of the manga series that gets adapted into anime you already know what’s going to happen, especially if you’re a fan of the original manga work.
Despite knowing what’s going to happen, I take pleasure in comparing the new series with the old – the sense of familiarity with a good story/series, and the little moe/funny touches that KyoAni has added to the original story.
The headband comments are quite curious to me… Sure, it was in the anime before, but it was never in the original game. KyoAni stated that they wanted to be as faithful to the storyline of the game as possible. So far, I believe they’ve done a good job with that. Now I’m sure they too will add their own deviations from the original storyline as well. (They already have with introducing every single character of the series in the first episode.)
For us old time Kanon fans, it’s a nostalgic walk through a game we simply loved…
zero says, “As jason pointed out, I am sorta a little disappointed with the lack of foreshadowing in this ep.”
~~~~ ~~~~
LACK of foreshadowing? Are we watching the same first episode?
..) Yuuichi’s comment on his dislike of hospitals, not knowing the reason why.
..) The graphical metaphors surrounding Ayu, and I am not talking about her wings, but her running into the light for example.
..) Speaking of which, Ayu not knowing why there are wings on her backpack.
..) The dream of red snow, which also contains the point about promises.
..) Ayu’s reason for loving Taiyaki so much.
..) Ayu not having money.
These are just SOME of the foreshadowing in the first episode alone, and I was just focusing on Ayu alone. There were also other foreshadowing of future events relating to the other girls.
KyoAni has a habit of inserting subtle hints and foreshadowing without being too blatant about it, unless the viewer already knows the story inside-out and can immediately point out these foreshadowings.
For a first-time viewer, most of these foreshadowings are going to fly over their heads, as it should, until they go back and rewatch from the start when the series ends.
Cheers.
Ah heck, I’ll list out some more since the other girls need loving too.
..) The mention of barley fields.
..) The dog that Mai was feeding.
..) Shiro’s presence near the hospital.
..) The fox on the hill.
..) Nayuki’s need for so many alarm clocks. Yes… even this is foreshadowing, because newcomers will not know why she needs so many immediately.
..) Yuuichi’s black & white flashback, with crows included.
Cheers.
Cool one Skane, I was watching ep1 so many times the pass few days just to see every detail that KyoAni is hiding, so many foreshadows appear now and then in just one ep.
oh, and Skane, its Shiori not Shiro
Heh heh. You hit it on every point, Skane, but I’m glad you didn’t go into spoilers. Heh heh.
Nayuki is so silly! It was a wild fox! She needed to use her Pokeballs!
I wanted the remake end in a harem. Yes, Kanon is the show that I don’t want the main character to pick just one.
…I wonder if KyoAni will put in some EFZ or Dogma refs just for kicks?
Oh well… Thank god I didn’t watch Kanon until the re-make came out. So I guess I won’t have anything to worrie about acept the fact that OMG IT’S KYON!!!…