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of Porsche
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pasadena, California
Age: 39
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What's this about having 26 episodes!?
In any case, this episode's pasing was a little too fast the first time I watched it. I think the first half was decent; the second half was a flood of information and not enough time was spent on the visual details. However, when a translation was made and after I rewatched it, I think it was done suitably well. A little faster than I would have wanted it, but sufficient enough now that I know what they're talking about. lol
Just a little one-on-one time
This is the kind of episode that you don't see a lot in anime these days, especially when they consist of the harem genre. I've seen Utawarerumono, Lamune, Ai Yori Aoshi, and Kono Minikuku mo Utsukushii Sekai. Each one, there's hardly any alone-time between the male protagonist and one of the females. Somebody's always interupting the conversation, interupting the first kiss, interupting particularly good, dramatic moments and it bugs me to hell. However, in episode 15, you will notice just a handful of characters. In fact, the only characters were Yuuichi, Yuuichi when he was seven, Mai (the seiryuu voiced her younger self too O_o ), and her mother. This is what I've been wanting for a while. I don't need or want others to ask the guy or girl in question how they feel about each other. Their feelings for each other - romantic or professional - should be discovered by interacting exclusively with themselves or with their seemingly romantic partners.
A lot of anime just have to have a whole slew of co-stars, and I just don't think that's necessary. That's why I'm particularly happy with the structure of episode 15. It was literally just Mai, Yuuichi, and the demons for 24 minutes. They fought together, talked together, and helped each other with their problems without a whole slew of other people getting in the way. This produces a much more intimate, delicate, and a more dramatic atmosphere - the kind of stuff I'm looking for. I've failed over and over to find the perfect romantic anime to watch. Although Kanon isn't exactly romance since Yuuichi's tastes shift from girl to girl, it's pretty close to it. This is because half the time, the girls don't ever get in the way with Yuuichi's other affairs. I guess in that sense, it was bound to be good from the start.
Comparing current arcs
As a comparison between the Makoto and Mai arc, the latter is obviously more interesting to watch. Both were equally surreal in terms of content, but for Makoto, the pacing felt slow and unimpressive and therefore difficult to watch. Nothing I felt for Makoto was "Oh wow! Are you serious!?" aside from the fact that she wasn't human. She never really changed at all; she was just a nuisance that wanted her wants met. This kind of character doesn't suit me but it might relate to others better; as a result, I speak very subjectively about her.
Mai, however, had to come to terms with apower she possessed and loathed. This theme alone rings a better bell to my ears. As a person, she was unusual from beginning to end and that helped reinforce my desire to watch her with each episode that premiered. The difference in unusuality between Makoto and Mai is that: one is too stubborn to change herself; as time goes by, she gets dumber and dumber to the point that any hope of character progression is futile. The other speaks in riddles, assuming she chooses to speak at all. But she is aware of some of the most basic things that mean a lot to her. I get the impression that Mai indeed wants to change herself; how to do it is beyond her means. That's why she looks to Yuuichi for support and growth. I get a better mystery quality from Mai than Makoto, and the story was far more complex. I think that's why I can tolerate Mai better.
I think it also helped that each episode was a bigger revelation with higher-reaching consequences than the previous. In episode 12, Mai caused havoc in the school dance; what would become of her, who could say. In episode 13, we learn that the demons are actually after Yuuichi. In episode 14, we're left with a cliffhanger uncertain as to whether or not they will succeed or fail. All the cliffhangers for Makoto seemed pretty mellow. Didn't make me feel all that excited to watch the next release.
Answering Mai
Episode 15 answered all the questions I hoped it would. Although, there were additional new wierd phenomenons that we had to literally take at face value, it certainly wasn't unbelievable given what we've already seen of Mai.
Indeed, Yuuichi and Mai were childhood friends and Yuuichi didn't have any qualms to Mai's unique strength. I guess that can be reason enough for Mai to love him (children can love others for some of the most unexpected and simple reasons), and when Mai created a lie in an attempt to keep her friend around, it took physical manifestation using the power she possessed, calling them demons (I wonder why five, though). Ten years is also a lot of time to misinterpret a memory, and Mai presumed that he ran away, just like all the others scared of a power they do not understand.
Interesting analogy is, if the demons were something that Mai created, her desire to kill them probably meant that Mai disliked her powers. Doing so was a mean of inflicting pain on herself because she didn't like what she was (evident from the strange bruises on her arms and legs). If this is the case, is this also why she and Sayuri relate so well...?
This kind of "slitting your own wrists" led the demons to seek Yuuichi out and ask him to help wake Mai to her senses. Reclaim lost happiness, if you will. If she hadn't, she would most certainly have destroyed herself. This would explain why the demons errupted in full force ever since Yuuichi arrived in the city. This also explains why it didn't tear Yuuichi to pieces in the courtyard as it did to Sayuri. As for why Sayuri took the brunt of the damage, perhaps the power that Mai had would only accept Yuuichi and no one else. This is an interpretation left to the viewers; I'm only suggesting what I think might be the case.
Would you think that Mai has a secret crush on Yuuichi? Dunno. The episode ended before she could say any more words. Will we get around to it in future episodes? I certainly hope so. At least Mai's still around unlike Makoto. Now that two friends are reunited after all this blood and fighting, it would be a shame to let it go.
Final comments
Foxes taking form of humans, a gifted child with an unpredictable level of power. I wonder if Mai will continue to demonstrate or use it or not. It'll probably be at a minimalistic level but at least she no longer has to fight it.
All the strange phenomenons that have tied everything together in Kanon have ended. No more demons, no more sword swinging, no more roaming foxes. It would seem to suggest that life for Yuuichi is about to become pretty normal now (not if Mai can do something about it). But don't take my word for it. If the wings behind Ayu mean anything in the Kanon OP, then I don't think we've seen the last of the wierd and spectacular.
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