Kanon - 2006 - Episode 11 Discussion / Poll
 

Welcome to the discussion thread for Kanon, Episode 11 (one louder).

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It looks like we're returning to the way it was when Kanon first started - a mix of the girls, humor, and a touch of seriousness. We definately saw Ayu and Mai in the preview of the last episodes. Will there be others? Who's to say. It does, however, seem like Mai will be more in the spotlight than everybody else and with good reason. After going through something as surreal as magic foxes, I suppose Mai would be the next person on Yuuichi's list to investigate. After all, Amano did state that Monomi Hill is a place where the mysterious foxes and demons originate (in general, they're called "Youko").

I recall episode 5's prelude when Mai stated she was a demon slayer. Did you notice that Yuuichi was literally pushed to the side of the wall? Problem was we didn't see who pushed him. But he definately looked and felt pushed. Apparently, only Mai can see the Youko. I wonder why that is. I also wonder why she is the one fighting them all. Perhaps for the good of the school? Perhaps some kind of penance for something tragic that happened in the past? We'll find out.

Ayu is genki as usual. I look foward to seeing her too. But Mai... Mai demonstrates a level of fushigi (strangeness) that captivates me more than Makoto did (it's probably the sword heh). Enigmatic, concise, looks healthy for somebody who doesn't seem to sleep. I look foward to hearing all about Mai.

I'll be really impressed if we see "residual effects" of Yuuichi's emotional tragedies documented onscreen. You can't go through that kind of stuff and just slough off to the next sequence. Perhaps a random scene where he visits the hill and remarks "I see why Makoto liked it here." ... you know... something that reflects what he has been through, something that simpler stories often lack: reflection or remembrance.

Mai: no apologies, I just love that type -- quiet, earnest, succinct, no wasted vocabulary, capable (even if they have tragic flaws that trap them). Mai, Motoko (LH), Sakaki (AzuDa), even Yuki is a close cousin (SHnY). Getting my popcorn ready for her story focus....

True. Stuff like this doesn't or shouldn't just get shrugged off overnight. Looking at what we've seen so far, Yuuichi certainly was attached to Makoto. I wouldn't forget someone like her. But I don't know about randomly going back to revisit old memories as the episodes progress. On the one hand, they could very well put an episode or half an episode to recap things that's transpired since the beginning of Kanon plus reveal a few things Yuuichi had thought about since those events but never revealed on screen (if that makes any sense). On the other hand, we could be forced to take literal the statement Yuuichi made in epsiode 10, that his specialty is to stay Yuuichi and not let events hurt him in any way. If we have to accept the latter, I can see this as a double-edged sword in terms of entertainment and character progression.

I'd like to see Yuuichi grow as an individual, but at the same time, I don't want him to mature too quickly because by the time we get through all the girls, there wouldn't be much room left for him to progress. = |

I agree with you here Vexx - I hope that KyoAni aren't just going to drop the effects that say, the Makoto arc had on Yuuichi and reset him to the episode 1 character again. The buildup of the drama across character paths is something that Kanon has a great deal of potential to display, especially how it resonates in character interactions... so here's hoping ^^


-Andiyar

Yeah, I'm hoping for some residual effects that lead to further character development in Yuichi. I'm also hoping that it rubs off on Ayu as well. She hasn't really developped yet either. This is a perfect chance imo to see a sad Ayu.

MAI!

Kanon 2002 hit its peak with the ultra-cool Mai arc; if it had stuck with her it could have been a really awesome show.

This is the moment I've been waiting for. Please, KyoAni, don't disappoint! Give her the chance to shine above the rest, like she did in the 2002 version... and let her become the first person to truly capture Yuuichi's heart.

Toei Animation didn't spend too much time on the Mai arc at all. They just rushed it through. This may be the reason why I didn't get into too much of her character and she was dead last on my list of the 5 main Kanon girls. Here's hoping that Mai's story will be handled much better, and since I believe that Kyoto Animation did an excellent job with Makoto's story, I don't doubt they will do an excellent job as well with Mai.

Your fanboyish disappointment is inevitable.

Especially since his first date was with Ayu and this is an anime title. ;) If she had gotten a first kiss out of him, it would have been a moot point by now imo. ;) :heh:

Ssssh. Let us deluded fanboys have our fantasies while we still can. :heh:

Mai!

In his case, I think that a little reality check reminder of past episode events is necessary once in a while. :) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Seriously though. Say for example my favourite girl in Kanon was Makoto. At this point, obviously, her storyline is over (at least, it seems that way) and those of us who know the story of Kanon know that this is how Makoto story is. Should I now be going around in saying "Ah screw this, Kanon sucks like crap, my favourite girl didn't win at the end, I hate this show, yo!" If I had that kind of attitude, I shouldn't even be watching Kanon.

Example from my own anime viewing experience....

Thank you. One of the more annoying phenomenom is the fanboy numbnut "horserace" analysis of the worth of a series. "My girl didn't win so the story sucked" ... ... ... doesn't exactly endear the speaker to anyone who has minimal skills in story assessment.
Do the characters make believable choices based on the information they have? Do the characters make choices that illuminate their character or does it look like the writer is pulling them out of their ass or a polling group?
Sometimes I'll pull out the Love Hina example because its easy to follow: (spoilered in case someone under a rock doesn't know the series outcome)


I find that the types of characters I like in these romances rarely "win" .. apparently my tastes don't parallel either the authors or the sweaty little polling groups they seem to use. So I go into these looking for well written entertaining stories. Even though Kanon comes from an ero-game, I find it hard to think of as a harem story. To me, its a mystery with surreal fantasy aspects. Whether anyone actually connects up in the end is almost irrelevant, though looking at all the tracks, only two endings really make sense in terms of a written or animated story: (spoilered)


So, I'll say "Mai FTW" ... though its really for my own personal win rather than what is most appropriate for Yuuichi.

Truly understand your point of view, but...



I also secretly root for Shiori, in addition to Ayu. ;) Other character types, quiet smart females, that I root for never seem to win either. :sad:

Episode 11 screencaps and summary

Please tag spoiler like that, even if that's from 3 years back...There's still people who haven't seen it, I don't know how many times I have been spoiled about that. Nice to know you liked it, but please be considerate that others can too ;)

A very balanced episode. Now that there's one less person to cover, we have more time to devote to the rest of the characters without the feeling of constant scene changes.

Anyway, content wise, this episode is probably best described as a transition episode from Makoto's route to Mai's route. Personally, I think it occured quite naturally. With Mai's connection to Makoto, it's reasonable that Yuuichi would approach her next, hoping to learn more from her, as well as about her. (How to go from Mai's end to the next route is still a question for me though) But it's kinda sad that Mishio is probably not going to show up anymore, considering Yuuichi got along with her so well by the end of last episode.

Yuiichi has actually been affected by the turn of event regarding Makoto, and he shows it in such a subtle way.

There are so many things that are happening in this episode, be it the subtle emotions of Kaori, the rapport between Mai and Sayuri to Ayu asking about Makoto-san. Although it is a transition episode, it doesn't feel like a filler to me.

I am really looking forward to next week.