Kanon

Based on a popular dating sim video game, you would be forgiven in thinking that the anime that used it as it's source material may not be that great. Surprisingly however this is not the case, Kanon is a wonderfully poignant story of love, loss and forgiveness that inspires a warmth that is ironically in direct contrast with it's snow covered winter back-drop.

Yuuichi is the protagonist in this drama, he transfers to a distant town where his cousin and aunt live - it's a quaint location, midway through the winter season where a thick blanket of snow covers every surface. Yuuichi is no stranger to this place though, he has visited before when he was younger, and the events that occurred then would now on his return begin to fully transpire.

A Criticism squared at Kanon is it being too formulaic, and this is more or less the case, a vaguely familiar pattern emerges after the second arc or so. The major characters that were introduced quite early on all have their own dilemmas - often the root cause being something that happened in the past. However regardless of this flaw, the anime as a whole doesn't really suffer for it. The real draw is the fleshed out characters - mannerisms, eccentricities and sheer personality all intertwine to form a group of people that you really genuinely care about. It's nearly impossible to not be charmed by such a winning combination.This all lends itself to undeniably it's greatest strength, because you can emphasize so well with them the moments of harrowing sorrow are all the more moving. So as a result it's almost guaranteed that you'll tear up watching this - only complete un-interest in the genre or a lack of pulse are any reasonable excuse not to!

Kanon is a thoroughly engrossing drama with an emotive pull that is almost unparalleled,sumptuous relationship based progression make this stand out amongst it's field as well as making it highly memorable to the viewer. To some though, the charm and cuteness may at times be too sickly sweet - which is really encapsulated by the strong Moe style that the show uses, which can it must be said take some getting use to. The narrative is consistently strong however; with sufficient pacing and variation that this is quickly forgotten. The only drop in momentum comes towards the end of the series itself where some loose ends get tied a little too conveniently. But don't allow this to deter you from watching this spectacle - beautiful in both animation and narrative Kanon is essential viewing for anyone interested in the genre. A whimsical Winter Fairy tale that will melt even the most concrete of hearts.

Each branch line in the story is handled naturally and can also be intertwined with the same theme. Thanks to the powerful change ability of Kyoto Animation, the audience can get different emotional experience from another form of expression without losing the tone and core of the original work. With the experience of the adaptation of the previous film "Green Sky", and the increase in the number of episodes, the rhythm of this film is controlled to feel relaxed and relaxed, the story is spread more leisurely, and there is more space to shape the image, and the audience has more time to "make friends" with the characters, which can be more deeply moved. In addition, the performance of animation also adds a lot of points to the atmosphere. My favorite is the scene of the four seasons exchange at the end, which is very good with the soundtrack. The background of this work is the story of a limited number of protagonists in a relatively limited geographical space in a small town that Ma Zhizhun is good at describing. At the same time, it is still very moving. However, compared with the previous work of pure tragedy, this one can bring more warmth to people. However, there are also some minor defects. The story of Yayouxian in the Moon Palace is explained a little quickly, and I feel a little abrupt.

One of the things I find interesting in any anime made by Key, is that nothing is as it seems at first, and yet they throw it in your face without you even realizing it. There is always, a deeper story within the many stories throughout their animes and Kanon is definitely one of them. Here you have a boy returning to a place he has very little memory from, and runs into girls from his past who he helps in order to place all the pieces together. Cliché maybe in terms of most animes made by Key? Maybe. What separates Kanon from other productions however is the use of amnesia and dreaming as a way of coping with many different things in terms of family, suicide, death, love and many more. What I loved about the anime itself are the relatable characters as well as the colorful personalities of all the characters. What I also liked, and this goes for all of Keys animes, is the music. I love the music, and I love the scenes each song is played in. It fits the mood so well, and definitely gives you that emotion you are supposed to feel during difficult and memorable times. There are some elements that might turn people away from this drama, such as supernatural moments and situations, but they are a crucial part of the entire story and I think it tied the ending extremely well. Needless to say, as said above, nothing is as it seems. Ever. And that can either be a good thing, or a bad thing depending on how you look at it. However one thing is for certain, you will not be disappointed in this anime. I recommend this to basically everyone, even if you're not a huge fan of drama animes, give this a shot. You'll find that you might really like it.

This anime is one of the only animes that actually managed to make me burst into tears. It also made me laugh plenty of times. This anime is both funny and sad at the same time. Yet, as sad as it was at times, I was hooked. I could not stop watching. Every situation had me hooked, and I had my eyes glued to my TV, wanting to know what happened next. Each character is very interesting, and very unique. Sometimes, I felt I could actually relate to them. Overall, I had a very great time watching this anime. And trust me, all the girls in this anime are very cute, and very nice. So if you like funny moments, sad moments, romantic moments, and cute girls, this anime is for you! It's a great show; I definitely recommend it. 10/10 stars

This is a fairly melodramatic anime but it is also touching and very rewarding if you stay with it. Yuichi comes back to his aunt's home after seven years. However, he doesn't have any memory of the last time he was there. He meets people that just come into his life which you surmise must have some link to the past. It is winter almost throughout the anime, which perfectly mirrors the sentiment of the characters. Every episode, there are 24 in all, feels onto the next extremely well and the plot is very adult when it comes to themes of love and loss. You'll ready want to watch this to the end to see how the story evolves. Nothing else to say other than highly recommended.