Kanon - 2006 - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Pinion]

10/10

Animation Quality: 10
My eyes were pleased. Thumbs up.

Voice Actors: 9
Well with 2 of the girls saying wierd stuff like auu and uguu, it is cute - but sometimes it was just too much.

Script: 9
I was surprised Yuiichi suddenly 'forgets' about Shiori and Mai.

Adaptation from Game: %

Editing: 10
I enjoyed every little bit of the show. The cliffhangers, the songs etc.

[DJ_RockmanX]

^ I'm surprised that you dropped Air, but rated Kanon a 10/10.

[Pinion]

^
It is just a matter of personal taste. But now I think more about it, Kanon shouldn't have 10, but a lower score.

[teelotes]

Originally Posted by Pendevous

I gave it a 10. I've never loved an anime so much. Fact is, I stopped watching animes 7 years ago, but returned to it thanks to this. Best ever.

There can be no compliment more appropriate for this series than this.

[Giggi]

I just finished watching the last episode ç_ç
Uguu... (ops, sorry) it's amazing.
I found it really wonderful and i have no complains, except maybe

Spoiler:

that i feel Makoto is been kept out of the anime after his arc finish (she appears in the 23th episode, ok <.<). I really liked her and loved her story, especially how it ended. Maybe she could have more impact on Yuichi?

A small question:

Spoiler:

I don't get how is it possible that "another" Ayu existed while the original was in a coma.. was the other one an angel or something? o.O

[kyoulover]

Originally Posted by Giggi

A small question:

Spoiler:

I don't get how is it possible that "another" Ayu existed while the original was in a coma.. was the other one an angel or something? o.O

Ah...just now i remember that something's lacking in this anime...

despite the greatness of kanon..what i don't like is how we should connect every unanswer things to miracle -_-a

[Giggi]

But every other mistery is solved... except that one :/

Spoiler:

She is either an angel (her backpack... the doll..) or she's created by the original Ayu's dreaming while she's in the coma.

[Kobukson]

Animation Quality: 10

I have to admit, I'm a bit of a sucker for Kyoto Animation. Everything looks so crisp and well-drawn to me and the deepness of the characters' eyes always astounds me.

Voice Actors: Japanese: 10 English: 8

The English VA for the protagonist doesn't quite come across with the same sarcastic power as his Japanese counterpart.

Story: 9

Story is alright, though it drags in a few places:

Spoiler:

The death of Makoto took WAY too long for me.

The only real problems is the ones generated from the fact its from an H-game in that he solves each girl's arc and then happily moves onto the next while the previous girl slips into the abyss. Best arc in my opinion was the Mai arc.

Adaption from Game: Not sure. Never played it, but from the descriptions on wiki, it sounds like the story is near the same, just with the adult scenes cut out.

Editing: 8

[CCYoshi]

Originally Posted by Giggi

But every other mistery is solved... except that one :/

Spoiler:

She is either an angel (her backpack... the doll..) or she's created by the original Ayu's dreaming while she's in the coma.

Spoiler:

I think the latter one is the correct theory ... I'm not sure how it works, but I'd guess it has something to do with the angel doll, the third wish, and how badly Ayu wants to be with Yuuichi.

Or vice versa! There's really got to be some theory about how Yuuichi is the one going crazy here and seeing Ayu everywhere. After all, she never appears when he isn't there (or at least close), and how else would she have the hairband that she never technically recieved?

But then again, how would everyone else interact with her if it's only Yuuichi that conceptualized her.

Ah, this is why I like Kanon in that you can debate the finer points in it. Although it's really too vague and confusing sometimes... an issue to be solved for the R1 rewatch! XD

[chrono92]

Just finished watching this series, and I give it a 9/10 rating.
Character focus:
Makoto was one of my most favourite characters ever ~Auu~, so I felt quite disappointed because somehow I feel she's not getting the coverage she deserved. I mean,

Spoiler for makoto:

everyone gets to live except Makoto, and that's not quite fair for me : (

Somehow I dislike Ayu, her "uguu" charms didn't work on me. Maybe it's because of the confusing arc of hers,

Spoiler for ayu:

why there is one Ayu while the real one is in the hospital?

Nayuki is so pitiful, she's just like a side character in the series... Even in the Nayuki two episode-arc Yuuichi is still finding Ayu.. she deserved more.

But wow, the girls are really pretty, and the colours are fascinating.

[raikage]

Originally Posted by Giggi

A small question:

Spoiler:

I don't get how is it possible that "another" Ayu existed while the original was in a coma.. was the other one an angel or something? o.O

Originally Posted by CCYoshi

Spoiler:

I think the latter one is the correct theory ... I'm not sure how it works, but I'd guess it has something to do with the angel doll, the third wish, and how badly Ayu wants to be with Yuuichi.

Or vice versa! There's really got to be some theory about how Yuuichi is the one going crazy here and seeing Ayu everywhere. After all, she never appears when he isn't there (or at least close), and how else would she have the hairband that she never technically recieved?

But then again, how would everyone else interact with her if it's only Yuuichi that conceptualized her.

Ah, this is why I like Kanon in that you can debate the finer points in it. Although it's really too vague and confusing sometimes... an issue to be solved for the R1 rewatch! XD

Do we still need spoiler tags in this thread? It says "total series rating" in the title.

But anyway..

Spoiler:

I figured Ayu was coma-Ayu in spirit form. When spirit-Ayu dissipated, she returned to her real body, and while she may not consciously remember all the events of the series, somewhere deep down she is aware of them. If it were any other way (Yuuichi's Power of Imagination given life) the real Ayu would have had a different personality.

Ayu definitely was not made-up. If nothing else, she helped unpack Yuuichi's stuff way back in the beginning eps. She had to have a physical form in order to do that.

[Ahasuerus]

Do we still need spoiler tags in this thread? It says "total series rating" in the title.

Yes, we do, because there are a lot of people buying the DVDs who have yet to see the series. Not everyone has downloaded them

The only real problems is the ones generated from the fact its from an H-game in that he solves each girl's arc and then happily moves onto the next while the previous girl slips into the abyss. Best arc in my opinion was the Mai arc.

I thought that the interweaving was handled better than in Air, where each girl's story ended so abruptly. In Kanon, you get to see "cameos" of most of them in the other arcs, thus keeping a sense of wholeness to its world.

I also like, as in Air, the ability given by the creators to allow for different interpretations, aside from that alleged creator's "demand" that Air be viewed in only his way (see "Ending of Air" thread).

Also, regarding Ayu's appearance...

Spoiler for presence:

As far as her "never appearing except when through Yuichi's eyes", she did on several occasions: for instance, when she had arrived early for breakfast and Nayuki's mom had let her in and was entertaining her, and also when she tended to her while Yuichi and Nayuki were at school.

Facts and fantasy...

Spoiler for separation:

Since Kanon is so realistic, that might make it harder for some to realize that it's a fantasy as well... or is it? Do, or can, you believe in miracles?

I feel (at this point) that Ayu's presence outside of her room is a combination of a manifestation of her will to get out of her dream and accept her own reality, and Yuichi's absolute determination to deny his memory of her, and what he did and didn't do with her (the little angel, the red headband, etc), and so she appeared the only place she could: in his face, until both of them resolved their unfortunate pasts.

Really, this anime, like Air, is so deep and involved, that rewatching it again is almost mandatory to understanding the story. It's not a gobble-up-and-move-on-to-the-next-series kinda story, but rewards patience, thought, and empathy. On the second and any subsequent viewing, you WILL pick up things you missed the first time through

I think the key lies in simply accepting it as just a Story, and allow the miracles, the memories, and the revelations to exist in it, just as a magical fox might appear on a spring-like hill in the winter

If you can manage to watch it in as few sittings as possible, and just give yourself up to it, it can't help but affect you. And that's the magic of a good story. I do believe that it's my favorite story, and I'm not really into bare-bones "love stories". It's more a story about Caring, IMHO.

But Love... yeah

[chrono92]

IMHO

What does it mean?

[Skane]

Originally Posted by chrono92

What does it mean?

In My Humble Opinion.

Or if you want to be snarky... replace Humble with Haughty, Hysterical, Honest, Happy, Harsh, Hilarious, etc...

Cheers.

[Ahasuerus]

Quote:
IMHO

What does it mean?

Sorry, I figured IMHO was universally-known

Just to leave no room for misinterpretaion (or lame-ass snarkiness LOL), I meant it to mean "humble". I didn't want to force MY feelings about Kanon's "meaning" onto anyone, or presume that my own idea of it ought to be everyone's.

That's all

[raikage]

Originally Posted by Ahasuerus

Yes, we do, because there are a lot of people buying the DVDs who have yet to see the series. Not everyone has downloaded them

But why would you venture into a thread titled "Overall Series Impressions and Total Series Rating" when you've only seen, say, the first four eps?

I would think it's generally assumed that when you walk into such a thread, you expect that everyone's seen the show. Especially when the year of publication is part of the title.

[Ahasuerus]

I would think it's generally assumed that when you walk into such a thread, you expect that everyone's seen the show. Especially when the year of publication is part of the title.

I guess that since in the first post there isn't any specific "no-spoilers" remark that it's okay, but just to be safe it's probably a good idea not to say who dies, what the ending reveals, and so on. It's just considerate to those who might only want a general idea of the overall quality without anything critical being shown.

But then maybe it's just me I guess you can't really discuss this series without major spoilers being revealed. Adding spoiler tags can't really hurt

For instance, I missed Claymore and wanted an idea if the whole series was worth watching, so I popped in to that "overall" thread to glance at the ratings. While I resisted the urge to read beyond that, others might not be so strong Last night I watched through episode 8 and would have been spoiled had I read much further into the thread, I'm sure.

But I do get your point; it just seems considerate of others to hide the critical developments, as a general rule of thumb.

But as long as the OP or other mods don't care, I guess it's okay

[Deathscyther]

I gave the series a 10/10

The story was great, the animation was superb and I really liked most of the characters. Shiori was the only one I didn't like somehow. Ayu and Mai were my favourites though. The story could be really funny sometimes, while serious and sad a minute later. The story really pulled me in and kept me at the edge of my seat.

Spoiler for ayu and Yuuichi:

I'm happy that Ayu and Yuuichi were reunited in the end. For a while I thought that we were going to get a sad ending. They fit together perfectly in my opinion and I would have been sad if they wouldn't have been able to be together.

[Gotank]

Animation Quality: 9
Nothing wrong with it. Of course, this is not an action series, so the chance to display spectacular animation worthy of a 10 is hard. Otherwise, the animation is fine. The art style is very much to my liking, and background to the scenes are beautiful as well.

Voice Actors: 10
Absolutely no complaints about the voice acting. Each character's voice fit the personality perfectly in my opinion. The uguus~ are internet meme worthy.

Script: 10
The ending is very touching in my opinion. The foresight to set the whole plot twist up right from the beginning of the series results in a very compelling story. I especially liked the change Ayu takes during episode 20. The background story to the characters are all well done.

Adaptation from Game: N/A
Haven't played the game, so I can't score on this one.

Editing: 9
No complaints here either, but nothing terribly memorable about the editing. The background music fit the theme, but I've heard more memorable OSTs.

Overall, I gave the series a 10. What really hit things home for me about this series are the characters and plot depth.

[revive4563]

8/10

Well, I played the game version of Kanon several years ago, I thought it has very literary style than I expected. Because frankly, it was Visual novel H-game , though it was not the thing that usable for such a purpose. Well... Then i cried actually... I was really surprised that I cried with the H-game. I'm a cat lover so that Makoto's scenario is a nuke for me...

And, I saw kanon06 for the first time several days ago. In conclusion, it was better than I expected, again. that reason is the same as above. this is great work, undoubted.
But as i said, Kanon was a visual novel game, originally. Therefore some important plots are missing in anime.

Spoiler for some important factor about Makoto:

For example, both rookie girl Amano & Piro cat is the form which Makoto's mother fox transformed, in reality, though Makoto didn't know that. seems the mature fox can transform, anytime. Besides, she is the fox that Yuuichi met on the hill in EP7. I think that some true love was necessary for an 'extravagant miracle'... In the end, because Yuuichi desired a miracle earnestly, Makoto was saved. so Makoto appears again as a genuine human being when spring comes.

BUT I think these plots are hardly understandable for anime only viewers. If anything, it's almost impossible to read those factor from anime. Actually, because Makoto doesn't appear after Episode10, except illusion. so everybody asks "so... Makoto was dead? or alive?". ...this is flaw, unfortunately.