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+---- Thread: [Review] Kanon (2006) [Anime] (/showthread.php?tid=3249299)
[Review] Kanon (2006) [Anime] - Eminent - Feb 10, 2013
Review and format by Eminent
Kanon (2006)
![[Image: 24463.jpg]](https://cdn.myanimelist.net/images/anime/9/24463.jpg)
Notes:
N/A
Summary:
As a young child, Aizawa Yuuichi had often visited his cousin in the city. However, something drastic happened to keep him away for seven long years. Now, Yuuichi returns, his memories of those days are simply gone.
Settling into the wintry town, Yuuichi comes across several young girls, all of whom are connected to his past. As he befriends them and continues to interact with them, the long forgotten memories from his childhood begin to resurface...
Information:
Episodes: 24
Aired: Oct 5, 2006 to Mar 15, 2007
Genres: Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, Supernatural
Stream: AnimeFreak • AnimeUltima • CrunchyRoll
Download: Nyaa.eu
OP/ED:
OP
Spoiler (Click to View)
ED
Spoiler (Click to View)
Trailer:
Review:
Plot:
The plot to Kanon was very interesting. The way the plot was performed was painful, but masterfully done.
The main character had lost his memories from 7 years ago. The story basically went through him regaining his memories, and fixing the problems that he had made. The great thing about shows where memories are missing, is that you never fully understand everything, leaving you constantly guessing at what will happen next. That being said, that's also the terrible thing about shows where memories are missing, because personally, I can't stand it when I have no idea whats going on.
Something I didn't particularly like was that the story seemed to jump around a few times, almost as if there were several mini-arcs in the series. In each arc, the main character would almost always be with one person, ignoring every other person in his life. I really wish he could have balanced his time with his friends/family more, rather than how it was done, but it's not a huge deal.
I also was a bit iffy on how much the supernatural aspect of the show was emphasized. For slice-of-life/romance series, Clannad proved that a little bit of supernatural is completely fine, but this show took that a bit too far, in my opinion. I believe that the same emotions could have been stirred even if everything was realistic.
Now, I have been complaining a bit about the plot here, but don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad. I have a habit of pointing out the negatives, assuming people know everything else is positive (which usually leaves people thinking it's terrible). Besides those couple of things I mentioned above, the plot was done excellently, it was paced great, it stirred lots of emotions at key times, and it was really just great.
Characters:
The characters in this show were great.
The main character was a very funny guy, always bringing some humor to a situation, with the ability to read the mood seemingly perfectly almost every time. He was very strong in tough situations, almost unrealistically so. Every time he lost it, or cried, it was justified, because I was losing it and crying, too.
The secondary characters were all pretty good as well. There is one complaint that I would make and it is that there was a habit made of something really bad happening to everyone around the main character. Now, I know, without all of that, the emotion would be pretty much gone, but my heart really couldn't handle it.
Each character involved in the series was involved in the main character's past a long time ago, and each held a key to unlocking his memory. In that sense, every character had a distinct purpose, helping another character. But rather than only helping the main character recover his memories, each had a very painful past, which added to the "Feels Meter".
Any complaint about the series would be that every character besides one (excluding the main character) was female. I'm not trying to complain about lots of women, but it seemed almost unrealistic.
Thoughts:
This series was very comparable to Clannad. From what I know, it was made and animated by the same people, which would explain a lot.
Imagine the art style of Clannad, mixed with part of the story from Toradora!, performed in the style of ef - A Tale of Memories. All that, with unique characters, and added plot. Seems pretty good, right? It was.
The "Feels Meter" for this show was off the charts. In fact, I would dare to say that it rivals that of Clannad. Coming into the series, I asked a friend if it was sad, and he told me no. Biggest lie I've ever heard in my life, leaving me completely unprepared for what awaited me. I'm sorry if this comes across as a spoiler to anybody, but some people may prefer series that aren't sad, so I thought I should give a fair warning. Either way, you'll love it.
The art style was a big nono for me though. For the most part, it was really just the faces that I didn't like for this style. The eyes were overly large, the mouths were tiny, and there were a lot of moments when it just made a few characters look retarded. I'm sure some people prefer this style, but I personally didn't.
The soundtrack for this series was also done pretty well. It wasn't something that stood out and made me say "I really should get this on my iPod," but it fit the mood perfectly, and added to the story indirectly. The opening song was not my favorite though.
To conclude, the series was great. It was filled with emotion in every episode. If you weren't crying from sadness, you were probably busting up laughing. This show combined great humor, incredible sad parts, great romance, great character development, and threw it into a big mixing pot. Anyone who enjoys slice-of-life or romance will enjoy this, and even people who don't usually go for that genre would probably really like it.
My Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ 9/10
MAL Rating: ★★★★★★★★★★ 8.44/10
* - Aberrant - Feb 10, 2013
Excellent review, I would have to say Kanon is one of my favorites. :) Continue making more of these reviews, getting better each time!
* - Nathann22 - Feb 10, 2013
Dang.
That's a pretty high rating coming from you Eminent.
I'll for sure have to check this out, very nice review!
* - Kamigoroshi - Feb 10, 2013
I still luv this old kind of drawing for anime:3
It seems interesting but i gotta finish lots other anime before i watch it;(
* - KinGxKeV - Feb 10, 2013
Wonderful review for a wonderful show :P 👍👍
* - Eminent - Feb 11, 2013
(Feb 10, 2013 10:01 PM)Mirai Nikki Wrote: Wonderful review for a wonderful show :P 👍👍
Thanks :D
And yeah, I really enjoyed it.
* - Senior Sherlock - Feb 11, 2013
I honestly dropped this one episode in, I have always heard it compared to clannad. I have to say I may watch it past episode one this time, but I can't seem to find the draw... - Rat ツ The Sadist
* - Yuuko - Feb 11, 2013
Just started Watching. Loved your last reviews anime! Have some good expectations for this one also!
* - ~Para - Feb 11, 2013
A tearjerker for me. Great series.
You should watch this first before watching Clannad imo. After you watch Clannad your feels become a little bit locked up.
* - Eminent - Feb 11, 2013
(Feb 11, 2013 07:51 PM)Anthony- Wrote: A tearjerker for me. Great series.
You should watch this first before watching Clannad imo. After you watch Clannad your feels become a little bit locked up.
I agree. After Clannad, I didn't watch another sad one for a few months, because I knew it wouldn't be the same :p
* - FamousMassacre - Feb 11, 2013
One that really made me cry was "Ef ~ A Tale of Memories".
Well, I only watched romance(except Elfen Lied and K-On!) and they all made me cry...
* - Aliosin - Feb 12, 2013
Nice review. I'm gonna definitely give it a try ;)
* - Cystomatic - Feb 12, 2013
Nice review! I would like to see more reviews from you!