That was just a incredible episode. Kyo is doing a great job of handling this remake that it leaves me speechless time and again. Mai's rage scene may have been alittle over the top with the superhuman feats, but it was done in such a incredibly beautiful way that it left my jaw hanging open hah.
Wonderful VA jobs...Wonderful animation...Incredible drama. Just another great addition to such a lovely series.
Now if only if itd get a proper release over here id pay out of the ear to show my support for kyo's work on this one.
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No matter what enemy. No matter what ally. Mowing everything down with maximum destructive power.
A wonderfully emotional episode. I pretty much share much of the thoughts of the board. KyoAni is tops in handling it the way they do.
I also noticed the shot of Sayuri's wrist after her telilng of her past this ep. I also remembered from Ep. 13 that she was rubbing her left wrist in the flashback looking outside a school window to when she first met Mai. I think from remembering that I inferred about a possible suicide attempt when they flashed the shot in Ep. 14.
Well-executed comedic beginning. Outstanding sparring animation. Excellent emotional buildup. An entire AIR sequence in 5 minutes. A discourse of many layers on the title of the anime. A small comedic sequence to loosen the tension for the next sequence. Heart-pounding drama. For the first time, a truly, thoroughly human Mai. And a final showdown that sets the scene and whets the audience's appetite for the next episode.
Final conclusion? A straight 10. 'Nuff said.
Some lighter thoughts:
1) The looks on Yuuichi's and Nayuki's face, coupled with the "impending doom" BGM, makes me think of something.
Spoiler for not really, just to keep my ridiculous thoughts tidy...:
I get it. Akiko-san's jam......is really the Kanonverse's version of......the Death Note.
Consume it, and you're doomed. Don't believe me? Makoto ate it. Look what happened to her. Mr. Minase, if he existed, probably ate it. Where is he now? Which means Nayuki, Ayu, and gasp, Yuuichi are all doomed. Doomed, I say!
And what about Akiko, who's the one who made the jam? Why, she's really the shinigami in disguise! For every victim her jam claims, the victim's remaining lifespan is added to Akiko-san's. No wonder she looks so young for a mother of at least 35...as long as she keeps killing, she will never grow old, much less die.
RIP, Makoto. It's been nice knowing you, Yuuichi, Nayuki, Ayu.
2) With that kind of speed, Mai can easily match the Rurouni Kenshin Himura blow for blow. She even uses his phrase of, "You're too slow." O_O
3) 07:59. You guys want a Misuzu cameo? There's one right there for you.
4) 09:36-09:37. Yuuichi's laugh is creepy. Sugita-san certainly should take on a villain role next. >_<
5) 09:52, we see KyoAni's patented moe headknuckle again!!! Let's see, Nayuki did it, Sayuri did it....who else did it that I've missed?
6) The demi-AIR sequence of Sayuri's story is told SO well. I almost couldn't recognise Sayuri's voice from her narration. Props to Kawakami-san!
7) I was almost hoping for Yuuichi, when he got home, to say to Ayu, "What, you're still alive?"
Wow. Simply wow. That was superb, Sayuri's flashback, Mai's breakdown, and the self-referential café scene with the fantastic description of Kanon D-dur by Sayuri... and the resolution. A ten from me, again for Kanon. This show is dragging them out of me, it appears. There were only two things I disliked within the episode - the detail on Mai & Sayuri's hair when they were eating, and Yuuichi's final crack before the credits; I didn't think the episode needed the line about a beef bowl. Ah well.
Next week's Kanon anticipation level is, indeed, rather high
Oh, and incidentally...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vexx
The German spelling is, in fact, "Kanon" so... yes. The weaving of a simple melody with overlays until it becomes a complex uplifting totality.
Johann Pachelbel's Canon in D (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pachelbel's_Canon)
If someone feels professional, they might add a note to the wiki in the popular section about the connection of Kanon to the piece.
Done. ^^
-Andiyar
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"Any good that I may do here, let me do now, for I may not pass this way again"
Ep14 was emotionally-draining. My ears hurt from holding back all the tears. The following entry will contain spoiler tags. The information contained within the spoiler tags will not be direct spoilers, but they will contain text that may or not may spoil you if you are good at reading the contextual clues.
Random Thoughts on Kanon(2006) Ep14
The opening scene was nicely done. The sounds effects, the visual effects, and the spiritual BGM that is usually played during death/funeral scenes.
Only in Kanon, can jam be sinister.
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KyoAni seems to love their Oba-sans. We had a smiling Oba-san when Makoto was trying to assault Yuuichi futilely in their initial meeting; and now we have a terrified/horrified Oba-san walking past Yuuichi as he proudly wore his bunny-ears.
It just adds to the comedy value.
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Bunny-girl flashback! Yay! The setup to a later scene. I look forward to it.
Spoiler:
If you pay attention to the BGM that starts as they show the flashback, you should be able to figure out easily on what is going on. Kanon's BGMs are very useful in revealing the links between the clues and the answers. See the OP if you want to know more.
More padding for the crackpot theory that Yuuichi has a S&M fetish. When it comes to physical punishment, I don't think any other girls have done what Mai has dished out so far.
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Yuuichi's guttural laughter after his first beating is reminiscent of his VA role in Ep20 of Inukami, where he voiced the underwear-stealing master. Of course... if he did steal Mai's panties in the next scene, his butt wouldn't just smoke, it would incinerate( along with the rest of his body).
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Piano rendition of Mai's signature BGM as she brushes off Sayuri.
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I wonder how many people, who have been comparing Sayuri's scenes to scenes in Air, know that Misuzu's VA is Sayuri's VA? It might be KyoAni's nod to their earlier Key-game adaptation, or it may not.
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I am starting to understand why they did Mai's arc before Shiori's arc, but that is only if my speculation is correct.
Spoiler:
Sayuri may play as a mediator in Shiori's arc, since she can be a role model for elder sisters. I hope this is the case, because it would greatly expand Sayuri's role.
Cute touch to have Piro at the dinner scene.
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I liked this scene.
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Alright, KyoAni... time to animate more on what Toei left out in Ep15! Mai's story got so badly shafted in that version, it mutated into something else. Let the real story begin!
I really think that Mai's subplot can go an additional two episodes, wouldn't you agree Skane? However, the ending to 14 doesn't seem to suggest it. They probably won't devote any more episodes to her after 15, and instead just go back to it every now and then like they did with Makoto in episode 12.
I say that it could go two episodes more because for Makoto, we had one episode to reflect about what happened seven years prior and then an episode after that to face the consequences. We've barely delved into Mai at all; just action and her thought process in the present day. I hope they don't rush the subplot through.
i like this episode of Kanon
a ten out of ten for me!!
but towards the end of this episode i felt like doing what Mai was doing
i was very shocked on what had happened to Sayuri in this episode and she"s one of my favorite characters in this show too!!
oh and by the way i"m a first time watcher of this series and its pretty good so far!!
Ep14 was emotionally-draining. My ears hurt from holding back all the tears.
I dont know how your ears can be hurt from holding back tears.
Anyway, another fantastic episode. A straight ten from me as well. I had tears welling in my eyes too during sayuri's flashback, but somehow hold it back. Man I do hope the rest of the series dont get any sadder.
I wonder how many people, who have been comparing Sayuri's scenes to scenes in Air, know that Misuzu's VA is Sayuri's VA? It might be KyoAni's nod to their earlier Key-game adaptation, or it may not.
Fyi, both AIR and Kanon animes have the original seiyuu from the console games, at least for the main ones (except Yukito in the TV series). So yes, Kawakami Tomoko voiced for both.
Quote:
I am starting to understand why they did Mai's arc before Shiori's arc, but that is only if my speculation is correct.
Spoiler:
Sayuri may play as a mediator in Shiori's arc, since she can be a role model for elder sisters. I hope this is the case, because it would greatly expand Sayuri's role.
I really think that Mai's subplot can go an additional two episodes, wouldn't you agree Skane? However, the ending to 14 doesn't seem to suggest it. They probably won't devote any more episodes to her after 15, and instead just go back to it every now and then like they did with Makoto in episode 12.
I say that it could go two episodes more because for Makoto, we had one episode to reflect about what happened seven years prior and then an episode after that to face the consequences. We've barely delved into Mai at all; just action and her thought process in the present day. I hope they don't rush the subplot through.
I do believe that it will take two more episodes too. One for the revelation, and one for the finale. The problem in the Toei's version was that there was NO revelation to first-time viewers, and so Mai's arc was horribly mangled, compared to the other girls.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Forever
I dont know how your ears can be hurt from holding back tears. ~
When I reviewed the raw print to get a feel for the show before working the script, watching Mai this time around just made my jaw drop. And punch a hole in the concrete.
Spoiler for comparison between Kanon Ought-Two and Kanon Ought-Six:
ToeiAni's Mai showed enormous restraint, but still, she was shocked. This time around, we see her experience abject horror! And my $DEITY, what a tantrum she throws! Not to mention, Tamura Yukari turns in a wonderful performance for these scenes. And frankly, unlike Kisaichi Atsushi's Yuuichi, I think Sugita Tomokazu's Yuuichi was spectacular in this scene as well. While he was horrified as well (as well he should be), he pulls out all the stops to get Mai back to being grounded in reality. This stuff needs to be printed on good film stock!
Misuzu and Sayuri connection is pretty easy to make, if you compare Misuzu's "nihaha" with Sayuri's "ahaha" the resemblance is uncanny.
Now the real question is, how many people could actually tell the connection between Mai and Michiru?
An even harder one would be to compare Mai to Nanoha.
The phone booth somehow reawaken memories of Higurashi in me... just somewhat. It's not QUALITY animation this time around though... and the jam really seem to spell doom afterall.
I have almost forgotten about how adorable Sayuri looks with that anteater on her back. The events following in the episode however completely overtakes the image in my mind.
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It would be enough for the depressing things in life to only exist in reality.
It is because that I think the birth of a story... is from people dreaming of a happy ending. ~Misaka Shiori
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