TAB: Tom's Anime Blog

One of my favorite genres of anime is conversions of Bishoujo games into anime series. At least three series I consider great fall under this category: Mizuiro, Da Capo, and Kanon. I'd also consider those three to be romantic animes, in a way that I wouldn't consider other conversions, like Comic Party. I'm reviewing series as I watch or re-watch them, and I just finished re-watching Kanon, so here's a review of this great series.

Just because I call a series great, doesn't mean it's for everybody. I call a series great if it's something that I really enjoyed, even on a second watching, and if it's better or as good as everything else in its genre. But some genres may not appeal to you, so consider that when deciding what to watch based on my recommendation.

Kanon is the story of a boy, Yuichi, who returns to a town he hasn't been to in seven years. He's lost his memory of everything that happened seven years ago, but in the first few episodes he runs into (in some cases literally) five girls that he met back then. Kanon is basically the story of his renewed relationship with these girls, as well as the various other people in his life.

I use relationship in a broad sense here, as the non- or semi-romantic relationships he has with Mai, Makoto, and Shiori are just as interesting as what he has with the other two. (This is a very clean show... the farthest Yuichi gets on camera is kissing.)

Each of the girls has her own problem that involves them and Yuichi, and perhaps some of the other characters, and usually involving something Yuichi did in the past that he can't remember. Despite being a jerk at times, he's a fairly nice guy at heart, so he helps them out when he can.

Kanon features interesting character designs that are highly-stylized, even for anime. The characters have truly huge eyes, small mouths, and giant chins. It takes about half an episode to adjust to this style from that used by other anime, and as such I recommend marathoning Kanon, as opposed to intermixing it with other shows. It's interesting to note that the last five episodes aired as 60- and 90-minute specials, something that also recommends a marathon.

Kanon starts off slow, introducing the characters. The first half of the series isn't something to write home about, as we're introduced to characters in an almost mundane way. We grow to like the characters, but not all that much happens to them.

What makes Kanon great is the endgame, which consists of the last six episodes of the series. Episodes 8-10 resolve the stories of three of the girls one at a time, while 11-13 take care of the stories of the other two simultaneously. In these episodes, it's like the creators of the series took all of the limiters off. Everything is placed on the table: Death, sacrifice... you name it. And Kanon goes from fluff to a really interesting series that keeps you wanting to know what happens next.

Despite having a few fantastic elements mixed in, Kanon is primarily a character-based series. It serves us up a smorgasbord of interesting character placed into dramatic situations, and once the endgame starts it doesn't let up until the series is over.

I call Kanon a great series. If you have even the slightest interest in bishoujo games turned into romantic animes, watch it. It also probably will interest some MegaTokyo fans, as it's the source of names like Piro and MegaTokyo.

Kanon also spawned a special OVA called Kazahana, which was only made available to people who bought a large amount of Kanon merchandise. Kazahana is set during the ending of the last episode, and show what all the (surviving?) girls are up to at the moment.

If you're a Kanon fan, Kazahana is worth watching, even if it doesn't rise to the standard of the end of the series. There's a limit to how much character development one can or should do in a very short OVA that the general public isn't allowed to see. Still, all of the girls get interesting bits, even if it's hard to reconcile Makoto's segment with her ending in the series. I'd consider Kazahana to be good but not great, and not really canon (pun only sorta intended).