kanon 14
Categories: anime, episodic review, kanon
Tagged: kanon
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A birthday surprise gone horribly wrong. Maybe that’s the surprise. Kanon 14.
Ayu is having a bit too much fun rocking around in that chair. She couldn’t be… nah.
“ã™ã”ã„!”
I think each jar represents an ex-husband and/or lover. Did we ever come to a real conclusion about the jar’s contents? Is this jam bit in the game?
Akiko. In the kitchen. With the mystery jam-mu. I think this setup could be a great scenario for the next Phoenix Wright game.
After seeing the jam-mu, Nayuki finally wakes up. I think this is the most alert that she’s been in a few episodes, and it’s roughly as alert as I was this morning after drinking a cup of “special Sumatra blend” of Starbuck’s coffee. Nonetheless, Nayuki’s and Yuuichi’s reactions towards the jam-mu is a great example of animal survival instincts for self-preservation. It’s now a reflex for them.
Reminds me of a horror-slasher flick, only instead of the tastefully-named Jason wielding a chainsaw, it’s Akiko with a spreading knife. And, honestly, this scene is scarier. Mmm… if the Kanon characters were starring in a teen survival horror-type movie, how would I want them to die?
- Ayu: Jam-mu actually alien eggs. Eventually the eggs hatch and explode out of her stomach.
- Makoto: Chainsaw. Massacre. First to die.
- Nayuki: Survives. She oversleeps and misses the field trip to the deadly campgrounds.
- Mai: Run over by a zamboni machine.
- Sayuri: Escapes and survives when Mai sacrifices herself to the zamboni.
- Yuuichi: Rips out own throat.
- Jun: Eaten by zombies.
- Shiori: Stabbed through her throat after she tells yet another Ondore-class lie.
- Kaori: Electrocution.
- Class President: “Hi, welcome to the Sonozaki residence! I hope you enjoy your stay!”
Coming up with this list was strangely cathartic. Morbid too.
The eternal question: how do you make a girl more girly? After reading this week’s TMQ, I think that this approach is the wrong approach. Mai is already hawt and is open to threesomes involving Sayuri. If Mai adds to her repertoire the NFL, World of Warcraft, Keroro Gunso, heterojunction bipolar transistors, and classical cooking knowledge, I don’t think she’ll have any problems attracting traditional males. (Okay, maybe I’m a bit biased with the heterojunction bipolar transistor portion. But you get my drift.)
I hope that this scene isn’t paving the way for Kyon and Itsuki in bunny outfits + Speedos this Fall. OH GEASS NO!
Such a comfortable looking pillow.
And you wonder why Smell-o-Vision never caught on.
“Yep! The Save the World by Overloading It with Fun Haruhi Suzumiya’s Brigade.”
Can we get Kyoto Animation to remake Cowboy Bebop next? It’s been 10 years! That’s twice older than the original Kanon! Can’t wait for “Ballad of Fallen Angels” to be re-animated by Kyoto only with Kyon’s seiyuu for Spike and Itsuki’s seiyuu for Vicious, and, of course, new homoerotic overtones between the two. Aya Hirano, of course, would take over for Ed and perform an a capella version of Tank!.
Yuuichi just stands there, does nothing, and blocks all of Mai’s attacks? Reminds me of One Piece, DBZ, and every other Toriyama-styled anime that had a $500/episode budget.
If you saw “chance to be spanked by Mai with a bamboo pool” on eBay, what would your opening bid be? $20? $40?
(Note to self: Wife Material Sayuri requires ice and cold climates for trip and fall moe mode.)
Sayuri looks very serious, but there’s holes in her defense. And her offense. This must be the Oakland Raiders school of swordswifematerialship.
Mai makes Sayuri cry and run away? Bad plan Mai. One thing in life I hope most people realize is that if you really care for someone, lying to them or concealing your true feelings is a pretty bad idea. Mai hasn’t realized this, and she’s stuck in the Oakland Raiders school of intimacy. Okay, enough ragging on the Raiders for this post.
Ahahaha~! Random Sayuri day-to? Yuuichi has surpassed Sam Malone and Ginko. He’s still 9,994 before surpassing Wilt the Stilt.
Saloli? Bah. Nothing can top “Lolilaika.” Why even bother?
The backstory with Sayuri and Kazuya is interesting because Sayuri actually comes off seeming fairly mean and not very wife material-like in her treatment of Kazuya. More of an evil stepmother or any generic mother-in-law. This backstory also doesn’t feature Yuuichi, and, if I remember correctly, one of the minority of girls who Yuuichi didn’t mack on when he was six.
But Sayuri eventually realizes that what she was doing was wrong. No two people are the same, and everyone has their own needs and circumstances. With Kazuya, because he didn’t have long to live (btw, the mortality rate for family members in anime is tremendous), it’s probably not a good idea to keep nagging him all the time. Eventually, Sayuri realizes how silly it was to deny herself and Kazuya basic, childhood joys… it was just-in-time. Still, the story parallels Makoto’s earlier storyline with Yuuichi and shows the difference in treatment between Sayuri and Yuuichi.
Ahahaha~! I’m always amused by people who address themselves in the third person as they usually have an ego (see James, LeBron), but I’m more amused by people who address themselves in the fourth person via a random nickname (see TMQ). The fourth person is great if one needs to kick a sentence up a few notches of pretentious, haughty air. At least AoMM thinks so.
(Third-and-a-half person, of course, would be someone who addresses themselves with a given nickname, like if George W. Bush called himself “Double-u.”)
But what makes me giddier than the third-and-a-half person? An anime that refers to itself by name during the series. Higurashi did it. And now Kanon has done it. I’m giddy:
“It’s Kanon. Pachelbel’s Kanon. It repeats the same melody and crescendo gradually, peacefully, and beautifully.”
Mmm… repetition… sounds better suited for Higurashi than Kanon. Only minus the gradual, peaceful, and beautiful parts.
If Sayuri and Kazuya were like Yuuichi and Makoto, would Mai and Yuuichi be more like Lucy and Kouta? Shion and Satoshi? Or Haruhi and Kyon? Oh, well, have to settle for Ayu still trembling over the jam-mu. So when’s the alien exploding out of her stomach again?
I like this Nayuki outfit as well. As for the plot, Yuuichi makes a blunder in getting ancy and not waiting for Sayuri’s phone call this sparking the following confusion. This should be a life lesson: GET A FRICKIN’ CELL PHONE! The lack of cell phones in Modern Kanon is even more of a stretch than Makoto’s foxy nature or Ayu’s, uh, story, but this is Japan! Kyoto should really have reworked the story to give the characters cell phones. If they can animate in a Toyota Prius, they can animate in cell phones.
(Or least at least tossed in something like “Well, since I have Cingular, I can’t get coverage here… there… or anywhere!”)
Plus with Kyoto’s Animation’s known use of Macs, they should have tried to work in an iPhone for Yuuichi. That would top the Pizza Hut/Cheese-kun Code Geass promotion by a landslide.
(And the Minase household seems to lack a computer. What is this? 1970? Get an Intellivision or Apple IIe in there at the very least, but I think a MacBook Pro for Yuuichi would be more fitting. Yuuichi should be on AIM with Sayuri while he’s holding a Skype session with lonelygirlshiori while Nayuki is posting camwhore tease images to her MySpace account.)
Sayuri and apron is as good of a fit as Siegfried and Roy.
…
AoMM wants to see someone try to cosplay this version of Sayuri at Anime Expo. Complete with mutant anteater and bonus points if someone else is cosplaying the anteater.
Reminds me of Keiichi Maebara right before he ripped his own throat out. There’s still time for this to happen!
OH NO! We all know something bad is going to happen, and unlike Akiko’s jam-mu, it’s not a good kind of bad. It’s a bad kind of bad. Kinda like going for it on fourth-and-eleven with the score zero to zero.
I don’t have a word for Mai’s expression here. It goes beyond a simple “catatonic.” The closest comparison would have to be Brad Pitt at the end of Seven.
OH SHI-
(We’ll be seeing this hospital a lot more from now to the end of the series. You have been warned.)
Is this what passes for an emo facial distortion nowadays? *sigh*
Berserker Mai is fearsome! Talk about property damage. Though I can’t blame her for letting out steam for Sayuri, she’s not helping the situation by causing random wanton destruction. You head of road rage and ‘roid rage? This is Sayuri rage.
ZOMG! Berserker Mai is awesome! If only Mai had an Unlimited Blade Works technique, that would rule.
Classical Heero Yui-styled move. Berserker and emoness moves Mai up AoMM’s Kanon haremette standings, but she still can’t top Zombie Nayuki.
Reminds me of Shirley with Lulu at the end of Code Geass 12, but Mai’s tears are definitely epic. I’m no psychology expert, but it’s not healthy trying to pent up emotions after tragic events. A good cry is cathartic and is the beginning of the healing process. It feels like we’re right with Mai as she goes through this… definitely kudos to Kyoto for not ruining a wonderful scene.
(But leave it to AoMM for interjecting a, “OH REALLY? KEKEKEKE.”)
See, isn’t Mai’s arc better than seeing a brain dead Makoto? They should have made Mai’s arc the last one and made her the chosen girl. If you think that the Ayu ending is going to top Mai’s and Sayuri’s story (and possible threesome finish), you’re kidding yourself. Sad girls in snow, indeed.
45 Responses to “kanon 14”
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>>the mystery jam-mu
I swear I hear Akiko say the word “toxic” when she whips out the jammu
>>Oakland Raiders
Well, at least we’ve got the 49ers
*opens bottle of Jim Beam and starts to cry*
+100 to awesome for the Cheers reference! :) I loved this episode simply for the fact that Sayuri got more screen time than ever, with a pretty good Nayuki and Ayu injection. I’m looking forward to the Ayu and Nayuki arc because I feel uguu~ withdrawals.
> >>Oakland Raiders
> Well, at least we’ve got the 49ers
> *opens bottle of Jim Beam and starts to cry*
At least baseball season is coming soon. Go A’s! I’m slamming back the Jagermeister because of football AND basketball.
Yeah, “The Jam” is a running gag in the game too. It even made it into Eternal Fighter Zero as Akiko’s desperation move.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbkDlNC3pUc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6ypEkJvXks
And as an aside, Sleepy Nayuki (she has an awake version too) uses strawberry jam to power up her attacks, so it’s definitely prevalent in the Kanon continuum as it were.
Ayu’s arc may surpass Mai’s arc( especially since they cut out a lot of Mai’s story… AGAIN) if they choose the less taken road. ^^; It will upset a lot of Ayu fans, but it will strength the emotional potency of the overall Kanon story.
Narf.
This episode was amazing, it had everything from humor to sadness to action & storyline development.
>>(Or least at least tossed in something like “Well, since I have Cingular, I can’t get coverage here… there… or anywhere!â€)
Lol cingular eh? I was thinking the same thing about my sprint service before I saw this sentence, and besides the computer at one point I had totally forgotten the house had a tv, it reminded me of going camping in one of those small houses in the countryside, but, in the city, with sad girls surrounding you.
As far as storylines go, I haven’t played this game but I doubt there will be a better arc than Mais’, I love how it ends.
Superb episode! Even Tom Brady can make the same…. loe the NFL references….
Damn it! Mai is soawesome, but Yuuichi go and choose Ayu…
Yukari Tamura made Mai fucking awesome, I had to keep in mind it is the same woman who voiced Ni Pah and Nanoha.
It is sad that Mai arc felt way too short overall. No offense to Makoto fans but Au’s last episodes felt like dragging over and over.
>>> “ZOMG! Berserker Mai is awesome! If only Mai had an Unlimited Blade Works technique, that would rule.”
*spoiler of some sort*
Why would you need Unlimited Blade Works when you have something that would make the characters from the JoJo universe envious?
*end of spoiler*
>>if the Kanon characters were starring in a teen survival horror-type movie, how would I want them to die?
After Akiko got *** by a *** in the previous show, I pretty much wanted them all to die in similar ways. Except for The King.
>>Aya Hirano, of course, would take over for Ed and perform an a capella version of Tank!.
Srsly, this is why I still read this blog.
>>ZOMG! Berserker Mai is awesome! If only Mai had an Unlimited Blade Works technique, that would rule.
She has a loli Stand. I think that’s good enough.
>>See, isn’t Mai’s arc better than seeing a brain dead Makoto? They should have made Mai’s arc the last one and made her the chosen girl.
Yes, but no. Mai’s backstory is one of the weakest, her powers are vaguely explained, and she is so emo that she tries to commit suicide more than once. No haremette should even consider that, let alone proceed with it.
Seriously, when I watched the 2002 version, Mai was clearly my favorite girl, but that only lasted until her arc concluded. The same happened to me with this remake, I’ve been giddy with this arc all the time, but after episode 15 I’ve been left with an empty void that I can’t seem to fill. In contrast to Makoto’s story, which made me cry before and even made me cry again on this remake. And left me feeling… fulfilled. Makoto’s arc felt better paced than this one.
At least this arc wasn’t for naught, we got loli Mai. But then again, Nayuki > *
@AC:
Akiko is pure H4X in EFZ. No one can stop me when I beamspam with her food missiles ^^
Sayuri should win. As of now, next to Ayu (given that I already know her story) she’s the most interesting character.
hahaha excellent post, I was laughing throughout… but the hardest when I saw Sayuri on the floor.
Ok, mayb I’m a sadist.
Who want to see Mai and Sayuri trying on Akiko-san jam-mu?
/me raise my hand
Did anyone notice how big those tear drops are? They’re bigger than their mouths!
i gonna do something extremely boring…. and say the jamu is made from red ginger -.-|||
Well, the Mai storyline is the epitome of realistic Japanese storytelling: they just love loose ends. It is true, Mai’s “talents” are never really explained, which makes them look like nothing but a plot device, and, unfortunately, we’re the kind of people who like to have everything explained, clarified, and sometimes digested for us. Too bad live doesn’t work like that, huh? Life’s just like Mai’s story, full of things you can’t properly explain, just accept and love or hate.
I do agree I’d have loved Mai’s arc as the last arc. I was left waiting for Yuuichi’s and Sayuri’s roleplaying, as well as for Yuuichi legendary confession to Mai.
“We’ll always together!”
“We can live together!”
“Of course, Sayuri-san can be with us, too!”
Pure, epic-level win. Game Yuuichi actually achieved the dreamily threesome ending, even if it was called the Mai Ending. I’m sure of it.
Anyway, with Mai’s arc over, I guess now everything goes straight to hell, uh? I’m already shuddering at the perspective of Akiko-san……
@sagematt:
“Akiko is pure H4X in EFZ. No one can stop me when I beamspam with her food missiles”
You seem to forget I read this blog. I’m actually hurt by that sentence.
@TripleA:
It vaguely reminded me of Ghibli films for some reason.
>>chance to be spanked by Mai with a bamboo “pool”
Well someone’s bound to notice anyway. Might as well do the honors. >///>AoMM wants to see someone try to cosplay this version of Sayuri at Anime Expo. Complete with mutant anteater and bonus points if someone else is cosplaying the anteater.
This seriously and literally made me laugh and (as abused as the term may be) quite giddy. *giddy* I think someone… somewhere… might’ve heard this plea and is already sewing the finishing touches to her green, Sayuri-ish, checkered ribbon with “Ahaha~” goodness echoing through every fiber.
>>Can we get Kyoto Animation to remake Cowboy Bebop next?
Okay, I think I may be at fault if ever this was brought up before… But was there a poll of any kind as to which ‘old’ anime KyoAni should revive? Why don’t they expand their company so that they could at least do ‘more’ projects ‘faster’ and ‘better’ anyway? >__>;
>>(We’ll be seeing this hospital a lot more from now to the end of the series. You have been warned.)
I haven’t watched the original series before, and unfortunately I was one of those who have been graced with the spoilers here (obvious hints on Ayu, Shiori, etc.). No, I don’t blame AoMM, I blame my curiosity which could have butchered an innocent kitten by now.
>>Plus with Kyoto’s Animation’s known use of Macs, they should have tried to work in an iPhone for Yuuichi.
Talk about coincidence, our class was just discussing stuff about this pricey gadget. Seriously, anime advertisements will be the next hawt thing and spoofed in-show brands will be a thing of a past.
>>“It’s Kanon. Pachelbel’s Kanon. It repeats the same melody and crescendo gradually, peacefully, and beautifully.â€
Talk about ‘another’ coincidence, right before this scene was shown, my friend was asking me what Kanon’s title was about. @___@
………………..
Giddy indeed~
So… this is really a pretty direct remake of the previous Kanon anime? There’s not much hope of a divergence? I’m not sure they can really make viewers care about Ayu, though I guess they do have 9 eps left to work with…
Anybody noticed the cut-scar on Sayuris left wrist at the cafe-scene right after the “flashback”?
Loli Sayuri is Loliyuri! Does that beat Lolilaika?
after seeing the giant anteater, i’ve decided that Sayuri should use it as a finishing move in EFZ. so it is written, so shall it be considered.
>>> So… this is really a pretty direct remake of the previous Kanon anime?
no
this is a pretty direct remake of the original game, within limitations
>>> after seeing the giant anteater, i’ve decided that Sayuri should use it as a finishing move in EFZ. so it is written, so shall it be considered.
Sadly Twilight Frontier had not updated/patched EFZ for a while.
It is a shame because, gameplay-wise, it is the best doujin fighter I’ve ever played. Even beating Melty Blood where the game system had been screwed up in such a way that it boil down to “sit in the corner while mashing the jab attack and hope to score one hit to follow up with your bread and butter combo”.
Just for the record: Georgie DOES refer to himself in the third-and-a-half-person. I was just reading Newsweek, wherein some writer was going on about getting invited along on the president’s secret Baghdad trip, and he noted that W said upon entering AF-01, “POTUS is on board!”
Hey, acronyms count!
Another incredibly solid post…
>> OH NO! We all know something bad is going to happen, and unlike Akiko’s jam-mu, it’s not a good kind of bad. It’s a bad kind of bad. Kinda like going for it on fourth-and-eleven with the score zero to zero.
As bad as not going for it on fourth and 15, down by 3 as the game ends? (Don’t mind me, just another tortured Philly fan…
> Did we ever come to a real conclusion about the jar’s contents?
akiko’s girl cum preserveâ„¢. you know i’m right.
Dammit, it’s the Ayu ending, the one I really didn’t want. I guess I can always wait for KyoAni to remake this. Oh wait…
>.
You should do a poll about who would make the best wife. I think Kaede would. Errr… minus the box cutter.
no, she keeps the box cutter. why? would you want your wife material going out into the depraved world that is represented in anime (see hentai) unarmed?
i didn’t think so.
>>> Can we get Kyoto Animation to remake Cowboy Bebop next?
Hmm, let’s try something harder. What can Kyoto Animation do if they tried to re-animate the anime series with highest recorded rating ever, Touch?
>>> You should do a poll about who would make the best wife.
Maybe somebody should run a tournament on this theme.
I think Sayuri may be the only character I know of who’s aware that she’s speaking in third person view and actually EXPLAINS why she does it… and again, the sight of her carrying that ardvark doll is too cute.
On the other hand, what the heck is a zamboni machine?
Zamboni is a machine that resurfaces the ice surface, especially found in a skating ring. Usually to smooth out the ice again after numerous scratches on the surface due to skating blades.
cingular does suck and there’s never reception when you really need it
Yes, Ayu is small, brunette, slightly irritating (maybe moreso for non-Ayu fans) but her story is great. Enough Ayu bashing, how about talking about how retarded Nayuki is? How about AUUUUUUUUUU!! How about “I’m sick but I’m still sitting around in the snow everyday and making no sense whatsoever and oh yeah, can we sat jailbait?”? How about… well, Mai’s just friggin’ awesome, even more so in this version…
*sigh* So yeah, take it easy on the poor Ayu-chan, huh? Don’t hold a grudge against her just because KyoAni is saving her story for last. If ya’ll notice, every story thus far has ended pretty happy/hopeful. u_u
And no, I’m not saying this because I’m short and brunette and have no boobs and I’m kind of a spaz… *glare*
Arbaal- I totally didn’t notice that!! Thanks for pointing it out.. I think I missed it when I was sobbing my eyes out… I
By the way, where are my Toei comparisons??? I still want to see some more KyoAni ownage.
Didn’t Yuuichi ask Ayu for her cell phone number in one of the earlier episodes? And now he doesn’t have one?
>> Didn’t Yuuichi ask Ayu for her cell phone number in one of the earlier episodes? And now he doesn’t have one?
Please refer to Lucky☆Star vol 1 for explanation of usage of cellphones as stationary phones. (Lucky☆Star:Kyoto`s next project, wasn`t it?)
>>Mmm… if the Kanon characters were starring in a teen survival horror-type movie,
Please come to Japan. Let`s start an animation company!
>>So when’s the alien exploding out of her stomach again?
We`d make lots of money. Need to start from making galge first. You do the scenario, I`ll do the rest.
>>Such a comfortable looking pillow.
I can`t find it. Can someone repost the picture with the said item circled red?
So much innuendo… I never realized until it was too late.
>> You seem to forget I read this blog. I’m actually hurt by that sentence.
Actually, I might have said it because of that reason :P
Sure, you are skilled enough to evade them with Akane, but even then I’ll just make Akiko roll her broom to stun you, go to the other side of the screen, rinse and repeat.
Wow… I do feel dirty when playing Akiko ^^
>> Pure, epic-level win. Game Yuuichi actually achieved the dreamily threesome ending, even if it was called the Mai Ending. I’m sure of it.
Sure, I’d pick Mai’s game ending anytime, but this is not the game. Yuuichi is not getting any threesome here, and that’s one of the reasons I don’t really like Mai’s conclusion in both shows ^^
>> though I guess they do have 9 eps left to work with…
Eleven, actually. Confirmed.
>> Anybody noticed the cut-scar on Sayuris left wrist at the cafe-scene right after the “flashback�
I immediately played my Crawling ringtone. I never leave home without it :D
>> Saloli? Bah. Nothing can top “Lolilaika.†Why even bother?
Bah, you should always count Mai in whenever you think of Sayuri, and viceversa. Consequently, Loli Sayuri x Loli Mai >>>>>> Lolilaika.
>> after seeing the giant anteater, i’ve decided that Sayuri should use it as a finishing move in EFZ. so it is written, so shall it be considered.
You are a couple of years late for asking that.
Making her whole team of bodyguards shoot the hell out of an opposing loli is the next best thing, though.
>> it is the best doujin fighter I’ve ever played.
Immaterial and Missing Power would like to have a word with you.
ps. Jason should seriously consider playing Eternal Fighter Zero.
>> Immaterial and Missing Power would like to have a word with you.
I do play Immaterial and Missing Power (I love Sakuya, I mean it), it is too different from the usual doujin fighter (those with the traditionall jab, medium, fierce + 4th button (for something else) setup) to make me consider comparing it with EFZ and Melty Blood. It’d be like Yuki said “unique”, in its own league.
While I can say I like EFZ better than MB, gameplay-wise. I can’t say I liked IaMP less or more than EFZ.
It is a shame that ZUN was a prick with Twilight Frontier and like forced them to pull the plug on IaMP. I’d liked to see Reisen, Eirin, Mokou and Keine in action.
Sayuri
Sayuri is love.
I am enjoying this show GREATLY.
60$
Mai’s arc was awesome. Sayuri is awesome. Kanon is awesome.
And on an off topic note, where might I find these doujin fighting games you are all talking about…
Heterojunction BJTs huh? If you keep giving out these hints I might some day be able to figure out where you work! Bwhahahahha!~
Well… I’m actually too lazy and can’t even remember what transistor property you were nyoro~ning about back in SHnY so I guess I’ll have to stop my stalking career before it begins… I guess I was just delighted to discover that my favorite anime blogger was a fellow EE.
And yeah, too bad about those Raiders… I’m pretty happy I grew up in Maine and live in Boston, but we’ll see what happens tomorrow.