Aaron's Review: Kanon
This is the closest to liking moe I’m ever going to get
Guys, Gals, & Non-Binary pals, this is Animated Aaron’s review of Kanon (2006)
! Background !
The show focuses on Yuichi after he moves in with his cousin and aunt to begin his new school year in a town that’s always covered in snow. As he gets more accustomed, he starts to befriend and aid girls at his school with their problems. Just as well, he remembers little details about his own childhood when he spent summers there.
! Story !
If you’ve ever played an RPG, then you have a general idea of how this anime works. Honestly, it’s even paced like a good one. Yuichi gets introduced to all the people he’s going to be interacting within the first three episodes. So when their arcs begin, it doesn’t seem forced. Lots of exposition in the form of casual conversation that pushes the plot forward.
The situations Yuichi finds himself in range from getting to know an old friend to helping a random girl with amnesia to standing beside a magical girl as her powers go haywire. Yet somehow…none of this seems forced.
I think it’s because there’s a scene or two in each episode dedicated to another girl that he’ll interact with in the future. The show plants the seeds beforehand and while not all of them are subtle, they make sense within the world Kanon creates. If not a little pretentious. Or in the case of the ending, very pretentious.
! Characters !
Yuichi manages to be a good protagonist for the show. Usually, the main male character in shows like these are boring nice guys or complete jackasses. He manages to find that grey area in-between. He loves throwing shade at people who do stupid things but it’s never to the point where it’s astonishing that he’d do something nice. Or even go above and beyond for friends.
I could get into the details for all the girls, but there’s too many. Here’s what you need to know. You’ll never get any of them confused even though they all have the same face. They start out bland and one note but do get developed as the show goes on.
My least favorite is the ‘emotionless doll’ character, but if you read my other reviews, you’d know that.
The two main female characters are Yuichi’s cousin, Nayuki, who is sort of the bubbly space cadet that overworks herself. And Ayu who…ugh. I don’t ‘hate’ her. The voice actress gives her a lot of life and she’s not annoying in any regard which is a miracle.
Why?
! The Show !
This is where my statement at the beginning of this review comes into play. The aspect of ‘moe’ is honestly one of the worst things I’ve ever had the displeasure of coming across in anime. I usually hate a show that tries to implement it in their anime. Basically, get an audience invested through a character being ‘cute’. The problem most anime have with this concept is that they forget to give the characters a personality. Thus I’m looking at an empty shell that acts whimsical with no reason to be.
Kanon manages to introduce the characters as characters that have a role in the story before giving them a dime store quirk. My problem with Kanon is the same as my problem with Ayu. I’m not annoyed, but I’m still observing a character with a dime store quirk. They’re still using tactics that are overly used in anime. Like designing an 11-year-old but saying she’s 16.
When the series gets darker toward the end, I wasn’t gripped like they wanted me to be. Thus, I’m only getting invested enough to care about happens. Congratulations, you managed to keep my attention. And nothing else.
I’m not going to praise a show for not tripping over a bar that’s only 1 centimeter off the ground. Especially since it has one of the worst endings I’ve ever seen in a show.
! Grade !
Kanon is the only one of the Key trilogy (Clannad, Kanon, & Air) that I think is any good. It could easily be a live-action show, but I do like the shading and art style. It’s a show that’s not hard to watch but wants to be an emotional roller coaster. If you’re not into slice of life dramas, then you might fall asleep watching this. If you are…you’ll be entertained. That’s all I can say.
Grade: B-
Final Word: One of the best uses of moe in anime I’ve seen…which isn’t saying a lot.
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