Kanon (video game)

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For other uses, see the Japanese story.
Kanon (video game)
File:000905 l.jpg
GenreDrama, Fantasy, Romance
Video game
DeveloperKey
PublisherKey
GenreVisual novel
PlatformPC, Sega Dreamcast, PlayStation 2
Anime
Directed byTakamichi Ito
StudioToei Animation
Anime
Kanon Kazahana
Directed byTakamichi Ito
StudioToei Animation
Anime
Directed byTatsuya Ishihara
StudioKyoto Animation

Kanon (カノン) is a popular Japanese visual novel which was published by Key in 1999. The original version, available only on the PC, contained adult-only content of a sexual nature. The following year, a version intended for all ages was released and ported to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2.

Kanon is not celebrated for its gameplay, which (like most games in its genre) is highly linear, but rather for its intense atmosphere, relatively intricate plot, and cute characters.

The title is generally believed to be derived from the musical term canon.

As with many popular games, Kanon has made the transition to other media, including anime (as a 13-episode TV series plus one episode of an OVA, Kazahana), manga, drama CDs, and novels. It has also inspired a vast corpus of dōjin works, including unofficial music CDs, manga, and dōjin games such as Kanon RPG and the parody Kanoso. Characters from Kanon appear in many works not directly based on the game, such as the fighting games Eternal Fighter ZERO and Glove on Fight.

The work's relative popularity in Japan has led to a considerable amount of interest from Japanophile communities in other countries. Unofficial fan translations of the game have been released in Chinese and Korean, and an English version is currently a work in progress.

Plot

Template:Spoiler Returning to the town he lived in as a child, Yuuichi encounters a number of girls who knew him then. Though he doesn't really remember them, they are all familiar with him, and he begins to uncover a past hidden to himself.

Characters

File:Kanon nayuki screenshot.jpg
Conversation with Nayuki Minase.

The story circles around Yuuichi as he meets several distinguished individuals. Yuuichi is friendly and outgoing, though as nice as he is, he needs to learn the sensitivity of a woman.

Mishio is not so much in this story, but she seems to know something about Makoto that others do not. She has experienced the same thing that happened between Yuuichi and Makoto.

Mai is a third-year student of the same high school that Yuuichi goes to. He met her standing alone in the school building at night, with a sword in her hand. She apparently takes it upon herself to fight and defeat "monsters" (which may just be demons) at night while the school is deserted. Because of this, she is constantly blamed for accidents because she never denies them, being too sincere to say anything. Her best friend is Sayuri.

A friend of Yuuichi's who sits behind him at high school. Viewers do not see a lot of him in the anime. Jun has a crush on Kaori. He's mainly just there for character development, as well as to add in one of the few male characters with a name.

Sayuri is Mai's only friend (unless you count Yuuichi). She is the daughter of a wealthy family, and always tries to smile and help others. She uses Japanese honorifics for Yuuichi when she addresses him. Sayuri cares very deeply about Mai.

Akiko is Nayuki's mother and Yuuichi's aunt. She works and takes care of the house. She is very important to Nayuki since she does not have her own father.

  • Nayuki Minase (水瀬 名雪 Minase Nayuki) (voiced by Mariko Kōda)

Nayuki is Yuuichi's cousin. She has always been in love with him, but his heart belongs to someone else. She loves strawberry sundaes.

Kaori is Nayuki's best friend, Yuuichi's and Nayuki's classmate, and Shiori's sister. She is very smart, though seems to be sensitive when it comes to Shiori.

  • Shiori Misaka (美坂 栞 Misaka Shiori) (voiced by Akemi Satō)

Shiori is a first-year student. She suffers from an illness since birth that has caused her to become very physically weak, and is constantly absent from school because of it. She loves drama.

  • Makoto Sawatari (沢渡 真琴 Sawatari Makoto) (voiced by Mayumi Iizuka)

Makoto attacked Yuuichi out-of-the-blue in the middle of town. She was then carried back to Yuuichi and Nayuki's house, where she seems to live as a guest there, though she apparently has lost her memory and cannot remember much about herself, but is sure about her grudge against Yuuichi. In reality, Makoto is a fox that Yuuichi found on Monomi Hill that had been injured in a bear trap. He took it back home and nursed it back to health until it was capable of running, and then he released it. The fox, wanting to be with Yuuichi again, reincarnated into a human. However, in order to do this, foxes must give up two things; their memories, and their life. Makoto took her name from the name of Yuuichi's first love, Sawatari Makoto, though Yuuichi only realized this after Makoto died.

  • Tsukimiya Ayu (月宮 あゆ Ayu Tsukimiya) (voiced by Yui Horie)

Ayu is a strange girl that bumped into Yuuichi during the first episode. They soon become fast friends after she meets him a few more times. Yuuichi ends up falling in love with Ayu, who returns his feelings for her, but her sad story interrupts their relationship.

Kanon Anime Remake

Kyoto Animation, the high quality animators of another Key game-turned-anime (AIR), has announced that they are doing their own Kanon TV series to air fall 2006 on BS-i.

In a magazine published interview, studio producers state that the primary reason for considering a Kanon remake was largely in part due to Kyoto's AIR anime being well-received by viewers. Consequently, Kyoto Animation also received numerous phone calls from viewers expressing their desire for the studio to animate Kanon.

The 2006 Kanon animation will feature the same seiyuu cast as the original version released in 2002. The remake will also be longer, 24 episodes of 24 minutes each. Unlike the original anime, the actual theme songs from the Kanon game will be used for the new anime's intro and ending. A preview can be found in WMV format at the BS-i Kanon website. A second preview is also available. The new anime remake will begin October 2006. [1]

Theme songs

Songs of the game and the anime remake

  • Last regrets - opening theme
  • Kaze no Tadoritsuku Bashyo (風の辿り着く場所) - ending theme

Songs of the first anime

See also

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