Redefining the term “snow bunny” Ever read the book Where’s Waldo, or maybe Where’s Wally? Do you remember how you felt when you played it? That’s kind of how I feel when I watch Kanon (2006). For those of you who have never read these books, hopefully I can explain it well enough [...]
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What a good episode to watch after a hard day at work. The animation in this episode is as beautiful as last week's. Having said that, I think the ending is a bit inconclusive. If it's viewed as it is now, I would say that this is another sad ending similar to Makoto. However, I seem to recall reading a spoiler about her fate in one of the comments and that is completely different from this one. So now I wonder if Kyoto Animation decides to take an entirely different route from the game. Either way, not everything about this episode is depressing. I think the dancing sequence between Yuuichi and Kitagawa is hilarious and reminds me a bit of Hare Hare Yukai. I get the impression that the dance is just something that Kyoto Animation for Suzumiya Haruhi fans. It makes me wonder what Kyon from that series would say if he ever spots Yuuichi doing that stupid dance.
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While my original estimation of 484 might have been a bit off, I think it’s safe to say we’ll reach 100. Episode 16: 4 Episode 17: 1 Episode 18: 2
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Yuuichi Why would Shiori ever have cause to cry when she is with me? A part of me still feels like it is a waste of time to work on a girl whose lifespan may be limited, but at the same time, I would hate for a valuable resource to go completely unused- even if the worst [...]
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Yuuichi returns home to be greeted by Piro and Ayu, and notices that he doesn’t look well, but heads up straight to his room. Lying in bed, he remembers how Kaori told him that Shiori won’t live to see her birthday, but even if she did, she won’t last long. Kaori has told anyone about Shiori [...]
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Rating: 9.4/10 Impressions: I’m liking Shiori’s arc more than both Mai’s and Makoto’s at the moment (don’t kill me) mainly because Shiori’s problem is more natural. Makoto, being a fox spirit, is too erratic for my liking, as were the demons that terrorise the school during Mai’s arc. Shiori’s arc reminds me a lot of Hanbun [...]
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The Shiori arc is nearing its end just 2 episodes in with one of the longest pre-OP sequences I've ever seen. They say stars burn their brightest just before death, perhaps that's why I think Shiori's moe level just kicked into overdrive: Kanon 17.
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*melts* After a really slow start, the Shiori arc is fully underway, and as if the above screencap isn’t evidence enough, it’s excellent. The pacing for this arc seems to be going really quickly though, we might see the end of it next episode, followed by the typical half episode clean up after that. Failing [...]
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It’s time for me to write something for Shiori already? I guess that’s not too surprising. Whether the Shiori arc ends next week or not, which I think it might, it will have to end soon considering Ayu and Nayuki’s arcs will probably need ample time. They’re supposed to be the main girls after all. [...]
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Technically the episode is awesome. The animation and design for the episode is probably amongst the best the series has seen so far. However, story-wise this one feels a bit flat. There aren't that much comedy to be found and the plot doesn't seem to be moving at all. My guess is the episode is meant to show Shiori enjoying her life with Yuuichi prior to her demise but I don't feel that it's as strong as when Yuuichi did it with Makoto. On the plus side, it was a good idea on the writer's part to connect Shiori's current plight with Yuuichi's memory of Makoto. Although this apparently doesn't happen in the game, it would have been strange in this version if Yuuichi doesn't feel a sense of deja vu when he heard about Shiori's condition. I also like that instrumental piece that always gets to be on the background everytime someone has a sad or tragic revelation. I hope that will be included in the soundtrack.
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Yuuichi I think I have exhausted all the possibilities that Mai and Sayuri have to offer me; our late night encounters were fun, but really, how long can a man go without sleep? I must now turn my attention to a quieter and more easy to please woman; perhaps Shiori, since she may be dying soon, [...]
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Rating: 8.3/10 Impressions: Wow, I never thought that Shiori is gonna die. I don’t doubt that she will die, since characters dying aren’t problems when Key is involved. The way Kaori revealed it seemed a bit to sudden to me, as did the entire episode which I hear delved straight into Shiori’s arc. I guess it’s not [...]
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Although I have already watched this episode a few days ago, I had to fork out another of my precious 30 minutes to rewatch the episode and then write a review. Despite I know the fact that proxy internet users (including yours truly. Streamyx sucks) aren’t able to leave a comment in Livejournal blogs without a proper livejournal account, I couldn’t help but lose the motivation I used to have when I started this blog around 5 months ago. I used to have a small condition in whatever I do, and that is none other than “appreciation”. At the start, I used to supply Full Moon wo Sagashite episodes to hughwong and ask for nothing in return. All I want from him is to appreciate whatever I give him. I was happy because he started to like the anime and asked for more. Back on topic. In this episode, Yuuichi went through a lot of trouble to make sure that Mai wasn’t expelled by the President of the Student Council of the school after she made a mess in the dance party. If I hadn’t watch episode 15, I would have said that it wasn’t Mai’s fault that the party was messed up, since it has been done by some invisible “demon”. On the other hand, remembering that the following day is going to be Mai’s birthday, Sayuri brought Yuuichi with him to choose a birthday present for Mai. "The student council president is furious and is saying he's going to get her expelled."The episode started with Yuuichi and Nayuki who saw Kitagawa rushing to school to attend a meeting about the dancing party (Kitagawa was a committee member) with the student council. Yuuichi was able to sense trouble that he immediately left Nayuki and Kitagawa behind and ran over to school. "Windows broke before Mai took up the sword."It seems that the meeting had already started when Yuuichi reached the student council room, and it was a debate between Kuze (the president) and Sayuri. Sayuri was defending Mai all the way, by saying that the windows had started to break by itself and has nothing to do with Mai. On the other hand, Kuze insisted that it was Mai who was ultimately swinging a sword around. "It's my fault that it slipped out of the program list."Yuuichi barged in and said that the sword play was supposed to be an attraction. Kuze couldn’t accept the reason, and he added that it wasn’t on the program. This is when Kitagawa arrived at the door and said that it was his fault that it wasn’t added into the program list. "You're a good guy after all..."Later on, Yuuichi and Sayuri went over to Kitagawa and thanked him for his help. Kitagawa blushed as Sayuri grabbed onto his hand, and Yuuichi commenting that that Kitagawa was a good guy after all. (After all, all we have seen all along was him following Kaori faithfully like her dog. How did he actually fell for Kaori in the first place?) This was when Mai arrived in school, and the two told her the good news. Sayuri. What she has in mind no one knows.After class, Yuuichi went to see Shiori at the same place they have met for the past few days. They briefly talked about the dance party, and Yuuichi said that he was glad that she hadn’t gone there. Yuuichi then asked Shiori about her Misaka surname, and that he knew someone with the same surname in his class with the name “Kaori”. “You know my sister?” was Shori’s response. Yuuichi then told her that Kaori had denied having any siblings. Shiori simply replied that there’s another person with the same name as her sister. The bell rang. Shiori bade goodbye to Yuuichi and started to walk off. Yuuichi then offered to spend a day in the near future with her to make up for the dance party. Shiori happily accepted the offer. From afar, Kaori and be seen monitoring the two.Mai warning Kuze not to hurt Sayuri.After that, Yuuichi had lunch with Sayuri and Mai. That lunch could have been the last together if Mai were to be expelled. After lunch, Kuze appeared from nowhere and said that Sayuri won’t go unpenalized if she were to continue to defend Mai in the future. Mai turned onto Kuze with a black face and glared at him. He was frightened, and then he left them. Yuuichi's training didn't went as smooth as he had expected.After school, Yuuichi was seen with a wooden sword which he had borrowed from the Kendo Club, swinging it around on the roof of the school. Suddenly, a bucket came flying towards him and he wasn’t able to avoid it. It was Mai who threw it at him. He got up, and told Mai that he plans to join her in fighting the demons. As he was talking, suddenly a fire extinguisher came flying towards him again. This time, he was able to hit it and it burst. Mai left the roof while saying, “You’re hopeless.”Taiyaki. Is it really that nice? I guess so, or else why would Ayu like it so much?Once again, Ayu is seen eating a taiyaki. Where are all of the FTG fans out there?! After Makoto, this time, Yuuichi wanted Ayu to follow him to school at night to look for demons (as well as Mai). Note that Ayu’s afraid of ghosts, but nevertheless, she followed him. "uguu!" Ayu looking around for ghosts.At night in school, they were having biscuits. It was so quiet that even the cracking of the biscuits would echo. Scary, uh? *crack* As Yuuichi made fun of Ayu, she got to herself and looked at Mai. She then asked how many demons are there. Mai showed her five fingers, and that means that there was 5 around. Yuuichi then asked whether Mai can find Ayu’s lost item, like how did she knew where Makoto was. Mai said that she couldn’t.Mai patting Ayu just like how she did to Makoto.Yuuchi then asked Ayu to go home by herself as he had to be by Mai’s side. Ayu, being afraid of the dark, said that Yuuichi was being cruel to her. Mai just walked to Ayu and started to slowly touch her hair, as she calmed down."Please don't say thing that only you'll understand!"Mai said that Ayu is a good girl, and that she is still waiting. Yuuichi became mad and asked her not to say something that only she herself could understand. Suddenly, a demon appeared, and Mai gave it a strike of sword. However, she was bounced back. Yuuichi then, with his wooden sword, tried to attack the demon. He missed, but Mai got to herself, and then finished the demon with a strike. Mai told Yuuichi not to do anything but instead, Yuuichi’s anger became worse. He said that Mai didn’t know what he and Sayuri had been through to protect her. He started to talk harshly towards Mai, admitting that he was stupid, stupid for protecting someone who does not know how to appreciate others. As usual, Nayuki floated as she walk to school with Yuuichi.The next morning, Yuuichi and a still-sleeping Nayuki slowly walked their way to school. "If you want, you can also feed it with my bento."In school during lunch, Yuuichi kept quiet while looking at Mai. Sayuri noticed the unusual atmosphere and couldn’t help but get worried. Yuuichi said that he was in a midst of a fight with Mai, while Mai had no response. Yuuichi had a hard time trying to explain everything to Sayuri while keeping what actually happened a secret. Yuuichi was the told the whole story of how the two girls met, from how Mai fed a dog which she had chased away to how they ended up eating Beef Bowls together. Sayuri then asked Yuuichi to stay behind after school...Yuuichi carrying the huge doll...After school ended, Sayuri told Yuuichi the reason she wanted him to stay behind: She wanted him to follow him to choose a present for Mai, as the next day was going to be Mai’s birthday. Yuuichi suggested they buy her a doll, a big doll, the biggest doll in the shopping district they were in. They end up with… a 1:1 scale grey coloured anteater doll. Sayuri, boldly, decided to take it. Due to its size, they decided to bring it to Mai’s house after school the next day. Looking at Sayuri carrying the anteater, its tail waved behind her and it looked as if the tail belonged to her…"Don't be reckless."At night, Yuuichi went to school as usual to meet Mai. Demons appeared. They started to attack the demons with Yuuichi stalling one while Mai take on one. In the end, Mai finished one while the other one managed to flee. Mai discovered a shocking fact: The demons are after Yuuichi. “Who are you?” was the last words of Mai for this episode. (the answer is revealed in episode 15) Kitagawa looked like a total idiot when he apologized to the committee members about a mistake which he had never done; well he did nothing after all in the dance party. He’s never serious. How did he actually got elected to be in the committee?! Oh and, at the start, Yuuichi planned to get something girly for Mai. What does it take for someone to find an anteater girly? =_=; Well again, I can understand Sayuri’s feeling at the moment she chose to buy that ugly doll. I used to stumble upon the same condition. It’s funny that people do do something that they haven’t planned to, right?
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Well, after some restless night with Kanon, I decided to get the OP ED Single “Last Regrets” by Ayana. Actually the opening and ending themes has been released a while now and only the single is new. The single contains a total of 6 tracks with 3 different versions for each OP and ED. All [...]
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Nayuki returns home to find out that Yuuichi and Ayu have gone to the hospital to visit Mai and Sayuri. Sayuri says that she heard everything from Mai. Worried about the damages to the school, Yuuichi tells her that everyone thinks it’s a prank by some wicked-minded group of kids. With Sayuri talking about thinking of [...]
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Goodbye Mai, you will be missed =( And so concludes Mai’s arc, meaning she’ll be pretty much non existent from now on, barring a graduation scene of some sort. Such is my only gripe with Kanon, characters get a massive surge of screentime only to be stuck with cameos for the rest of the series. [...]
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Woah, I never expected Kanon to be this good, no kiddin! I was never bothered about the show since I thought it’s going to be another childish series. I began to look into it after I read a post on Danny’s Novastorm blog where he rated Kanon 10 out of 10, which is terribly good [...]
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I'm sorry for the late entry for everything today. I've had one hell of a busy day at the office and probably won't get much done until 2-3 hours later. Sometimes I get lucky and can find the time to screencap things but not today unfortunately. Anyway, this is probably the first time the series really feel like a dating sim game. All of the scenes where Yuuichi goes out with Shiori for some reason feels more in-game than Yuuichi's scenes with the other girls. By the way, if you play the game, can you still date the other girls and still get the girl that you want towards the end? Because that's the impression that I get from this anime. Although it's clear which girl Yuuichi will choose, that doesn't stop him from interacting and flirting with other girls like Shiori.
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