Kanon 2006 was a remake of another anime of the same name from 2002, both of
which are based off of an H game. So naturally its a bishojo anime
where the main character acquires a harem, but unlike most harem anime,
our hero gets the girls at beggining and then loses one them by one until he's an
emotional wreck all alone in the snow. Still have no fear, due to the
source material, the anime still has a happy ending. :)
The Hero
(kyu)Yuichi
Yuichi is the protagonist of the story, he is a boy from a warmer
part of Japan who has moved to the snowy town of our setting to attend
a fancy High school. He is staying with his aunt Akiko and cousin
Nayuki. For some mysterious reason Nayuki's father is never mentioned,
perhaps he ran off to a warmer place, like Canada. Anyhow, Yuichi
quickly settles in and assembles his harem. Now I should mention that
Yuichi isn't the typical moronic harem lead, but actually has some
character development. As the series moves on he loses them one after
another until the climax where he's left all alone in snow. An odd part
all the girls is that, except for Shiori, they are connected to Yuichi
in the past, however Yuichi has blocked out his memories of his time in
the snowy town and even of those short times when the town is green and
warm. This mystery from Yuichi's past is central to the story and
unfortunately Yuichi's lack of memories and his absence for seven years
has had a detrimental effect on all of his acquaintances from that
time, thus laying the groundwork for the majority of the conflict in
the story.
Enough about our hero, this is supposed to be a story about sad girls
in snow so...
The Heroines
Mokoto: Annoying Foxy girl.
Mokoto attacks Yuichi one evening as he wanders home from school, and
then promptly passes out because she hadn't eaten for a long time. Now,
for advancement of the plot Yuichi does the slightly odd action of
carrying her home. Now, it's only slightly odd because Mokoto is alone
and has no ID, so the only other option would be to take her to the
cops or dump her on the rode. Since neither option is particularly
good, both in general and for the plot, Yuichi choses the lesser of the
three evils.
It turns out that Mokoto like our hero, can not remember her past
except for the fact that she is very angry at Yuichi. And with no where
to go and with no one looking for her she moves into a spare bedroom in
Akiko's large house. Mokoto takes out her anger by attempting to play
several pranks upon Yuichi almost all of which backfire in entertaining
ways. Yuichi eventually wins her over with manga and pork buns, which
naturally is the sign for things to rapidly go downhill.
[spoiler]
Yuichi
learns that Mokoto is the injured fox he helped seven years ago, but
had to chase away once he left for warmer climes. It seems that she was
so distraught that when the fox saw Yuichi return to the frozen town
she gave up her memories and life in order to transform into her
current form. However her unnatural state can not last forever and soon
she starts degenerating and soon barely speaks or move. This is dragged
out over two and half episodes which becomes rather distressing for the
viewer. I may not particully like Mokoto, but I wouldn't wish that she
spend such a long time degenerating. Yuichi does what he can, even
going as far as to grant her fondest wish to not be parted, so he has a
small ceremony where he marries the fox girl. Soon Mokoto's time is
expanded and she vanishes even though it seemed somewhat dragged a bit,
your touched by the foxes' tragedy.
[/spoiler]
Mai:Laconic Magical Girl
Due to the concerns of the story, yuichi only has an episode to grieve
before he gets deeply embroiled with the sword swining Mai he haunts
the school at night fighing invisible monsters. This story is in many
ways simpler than Mokoto's story and moves faster as well. In order to
get over his unhappiness with mokoto he starts eating lunch with Mai
and her equally odd friend Sayuri. Sayuri laughs oddly and is
inseparable from Mai during the day. Mai is an oddly fascinating figure
for Yuichi due to her laconic style and demon hunting hobbies. He
wonders if she were more connected to her fellow classmates if she'd
open up more, and so asks Nayuki how one would make a girl popular.
Nayuki suggest that he take her out to the school ball and so he does.
Naturally the dance goes well, for a time, and Mai makes quite a splash
with her dress and dancing. however, this wouldn't be an anime if a
monster didn't show up and attack a gal. Which is exactly what happens,
one of the monsters shows up and attacks Sayuri, causing Mai to whip
out her broad sword and start smashing things.
This convinces Yuichi that the monsters are real and must be
stopped at all costs. So hestarts to actively train to help fight the
monsters and we're treated to a humorous training montage. Sayuri tries
to join in and is swiftly and cruelly rebuffed due to Mai wish to keep
her safe. Later our hero has a chat with Sayuri about her sad past, and
how Mai's been able to make her smile again. Plan proceed to acquire a
Giant Stuffed anteater for Mai's birthday.
[spoiler]
Naturally
things go horribly wrong when Sayuri takes the anteater to the school
during Mai's midnight Demon hunting. She is rather viciously attacked
and end up in the hospital. Mai goes emo, and breaks lots of stuff.
Yuichi and Mai have a showdown with the demons. After killing a demon
Mai becomes injured, hinting that the demon's have more than an
incidental connection to her. Later after a nifty action sequence,
Yuichi is enveloped by one of the monsters and learns their story.
Surprise! It turns out that Mai is one of those magical girls who can
heal people, such as her dying mother. Unfortunately people though Mai
was some kind of freak and so was outcast by the conformists of
scociety. That is until a little Yuichi played with her in a barley
field, but then Yuichi had to go back to his less snowy home, even
though Mai claimed that he had to stay to fight the demons in the
barley field. Later the high school was build on the spot, and Mai's
been hunting the Demons she created there ever since. Once Yuichi
understood, he confronted Mai with the truth. Mai had only one only
honorable option left open to her which was to stab her self with her
broadsword. Luckily she was a magical girl and did not perish from the
foot of steel shoved through her chest, but instead is now a roommate
of Sayuri in the Hospital with lots of time to rethink matters. This
conveniently gets her out of the way so the other girls can be in the
limelight.
[/spoiler]
Shiori:Cute Sickly Girl
Shiori is the unfortunate girl who didn't know Yuichi when he was
knee high to a beanstalk. After Ayu and Yuichi realize that they've
been reunited after seven years, Ayu attempts to hug Yuichi, but
instead hits a tree, causing a large amount of snow to fall on poor
Shiori, who just happened to be passing by. After some humorous
apologies, they part. However the next day, Yuichi notices Shiori
waiting out in the snow. She claims that she's been absent from school
because she's ill, but that she is waiting outside because she was
hoping to meet someone at the school. However she refuses to say who,
or to explain what kind of sickness would allow one to stay home from
school but enable one to wait all day in the snow. This continues day
after day while Yuichi whiles away his time with the first two girls.
Then after Mai's arc finishes and he has extra time, Yuichi decides to
take Shiori out on date. [spoiler]During the date, Shiori finally comes
clean regarding her fatal illness and that the person she was waiting
for was her sister Kaori.
Unfortunately, Kaori can not face up to her sisters impending
death, and so has completely blocked her out of her life, refusing to
acknowledge her existence. Surprisingly the next day Shiori shows up at
school as a normal student and asks yuichi to hang out during lunch.
This was a lucky break for Yuichi, since he'd lost his former lunch
mates to the hospital and so he's saved from having to eat lunch with
his cousin. Sadly Kaori, still refuses to acknowledge her sister and
even storms out of class when she shows up. She got some issues, and
normally you'd refer her counseling, but it seems that they don't have
any shrinks in Japan.
With only a week left to live Shiori decides to spend it at school.
Not what I would choose, but she has a good time in her own way. She
maks lunch for Yuichi and just generally trys to enjoy her last days as
a normal girl. Meanwhile behind the scenes Yuichi entreats Kaori to
come out of her defensive isolation and realize that even though
shunning Shiori now is easy, it not the best thing to do and she'd
regret it later.
Yuichi throws a nice birthday party for Shiori and eventually Kaori
shows up and grants her approval of Yuichi's relationship with her
sister. Afterwards they head off to a fountain where Shori confesses
that she tried to kill herself the night after she met Yuichi and Ayu.
However, she couldn't go through with it because she kept thinking
about how funny their meeting was. Then it's time for a goodbye kiss as
the clock strikes midnight and Shiori turns into a pumpkin... (well
actually, she runs off not to be scene till the last episode.)
Naturally Yuichi is distraught, but luckily for the plot he is now open
to Ayu's charms, such as they are.
[/spoiler]
Ayu: Loli Promised Girl
Ayu is the main sad girl in the snow. She is also the girl the
voice overs in several dream sequences during the beginning of many of
the episodes. Seven long years ago she met Yuichi after her mother died
and Yuichi ditches Nayuki to cheers her up. They then agree to meet
downtown to do fun stuff all the time that yuichi is around. In the
present Yuichi notices several odd things, such as she doesn't go to
school, doesn't seem to have a home and otherwise is just an odd girl.
[spoiler]Often the episodes starts off with a girl dreaming sad dreams
about being in the snow, and it is revealed that the sleeping girl is
Ayu. After Shiori vanishes Yuichi is very distraught and Ayu is there
for him. Unfortunately for Yuichi, Ayu's not quite a real girl and
after trying to show Yuichi her school she vanishes into thin air.
Triggering Yuichi to finally remember what happened 7 years ago.
Ayu and Yuichi were hanging out at a clearing in the forest with a
giant tree. Naturally, Ayu being a Tom boy, is perched high up in the
tree. Earlier he'd granted her three wishes, such that he'd do anything
in his power to grant them, and Yuichi wanted Ayu to use the last two
wishes before he returns home. Tragically, while pondering her wishes
she's knocked out of the tree to fall to her doom. Yuichi, powerless to
do anything for her, leaves town and blocks everything about the snowy
town from his memory.
[/spoiler]
Nayuki:Neglected sleepy Girl Next door
Nayuki is Yuichi's cousin. She likes running track, sleeping and
cute animals. She almost always taken advantage of by Yuichi in order
to further his relationships with the other girls. She gives Yuichi
money to buy Ayu stuff, gives him Ideas and bunny ears in order to make
Mai more popular, helps take care of Mokoto when she's ill, etc.
[spoiler]
Nayuki
really has terrible luck, she's infatuated with Yuichi, but he only has
time for other members of his harem. She tried to express her feelings
for him 7 years ago, but unfortunately chose the moment after Yuichi
had just left Ayu in the hospital, needless to say she was shot down.
In the game is seems she escapes from this rejection into a dream
world, which is why she was always snoozing. Luckily the Anime version
is more capable and her sleepiness is just cute trait. Tragedy strikes
however, when her mother Akiko is struck by a car while picking up a
strawberry cake for her. This devastates Nayuki, not only does she
blame herself, but she feels completely alone, which only Yuichi to
lean on, but after all the times he's neglected her, she can't put her
faith in him.
[/spoiler]
[spoiler]
Conclusion:
With his harem gone, Yuichi is left to wander the streets in a
blizzard, until he's rescued by a girl, who used to live next door to
Nayuki, (and the girl he incidentally named Mokoto after) She takes him
home and treats his hypothermia. In addition she lends an ear for him
to cry into and he discovers what he has to do. Find Ayu and make his
peach with her. (And continue neglecting Nayuki, but she made it clear
that he's of no help to her) He goes back to the tree and meets Ayu
again, and they have a sweet parting where Ayu makes her final wish.
Afterwards Nayuki, who had been jolted from her depression by her
Friend Kaori. They then hug anyway and agree to support each other. :)
Personally would have been very happy if this had been the last
episode, since it left things open. You didn't know if Akiko or Shori
lived or died and Ayu seemed to be dead and gone, but all was not lost
because Yuichi and Nayuki had finally come to an understanding and you
get the impression that things would work out. In some ways you can pretend that this was the Nayuki ending by fogetting the last episode.
In the Final episode, which is more of an epilogue, everyone (but
mokoto) is ok and they find Ayu in the hospital. life is good. This is
true to the game, and a happier ending. It's also very nice to see
Yuichi and his harem stopping by to help Ayu while she's still in the
coma. You get the impression that she wakes up due to their love. It
just seems to be a less powerful ending, but I've heard that the theme
of kanon is that miracles happen.
Miracles such as a fox becoming a girl to see her rescuer, A magical
girl overcome her demons, a dying girl lives on, a girl wakes up from a
coma after seven years, and a lady recover completely from a horrible
accident.
[/spoiler]
The Good:
Excellent animation, I've never seen snow animated so well. Character
development of the hero is very entertaining as he moves from
sarcastic, but care-free guy to one broken by the loss of his harem,
all alone in snow, to his happy ending [spoiler]with Ayu.[/spoiler]
The Bad:
Too much time spent on Mokoto, not enough time for Nayuki. :(
Also find the romance between Ayu and Yuichi to be a bit forced. I mean who would pass up Nayuki for Ayu? Even if your find Nayuki's cousiness to be too much of hurdle there is still Mai and Shiori?
In case it's unclear my preferences go Nayuki,Shiori,,Mai, Ayu and finally Mokoto.
