Kanon (video game)

KANON is also the name of a men's cologne first marketed in the late '60's and again in mid-2000's.
Kanon is also an enemy from the Nintendo game Donkey Kong Country 2.

Conversation at school with Kanon character Nayuki Minase.

Kanon is a popular Japanese ren'ai game 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 OAV, 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.

Anime

Plot Summary:

Changing schools is something Yuuichi is accustomed to, due to his parent’s profession, and with their recent venture to Africa, he is returning to his aunt’s home after 7 years. The time that has passed since his last visit has faded his memories of the people he knew, and the ties that bonded them to him, including his cousin Nayuki. Slowly those people, coincidently all being girls, find their way back to him. However, time has passed and things have happened in their own lives that sets the tone for the series. Secrets that are coming to surface, and memories that are returning to not only Yuuichi, but to those surrounding him. A very heartwarming tale that touches upon a spectrum of emotions, mystery, and the supernatural.
Yuuichi is a 16-17 year old boy who has lived with his parents for a while, but in order to go to the high school he goes to, he moves to his aunt's house, in a completely different town. The only thing he remembers is that he left that same town 7 years ago. Soon, Yuuichi finds himself entangled in a many problems. He barely remembers what he did with his cousin, Nayuki, and the relationship they had. Then, more and more people (all of them girls) come to Yuuichi with their own secrets of the past. Many of them eventually leave Yuuichi forever. A very touching anime, dealing with very true emotions.

Additional Information

13 episodes (13x23)
Age Rating: Older Children (May contain mild bad language, bloodless violence)
Genres: Drama, Romance, slice of life, Supernatural
Opening Song Theme: "Florescence" by Miho Fujiwara
Ending Theme: #1: "flower" by Miho Fujiwara
Special Ending Theme (Ep. 13): "Kaze no Tadoritsuku Bashyo" by Blue Velvet

Characters

Aizawa Yuuichi 相沢祐一 (voiced by Kisaichi Atsushi) The story cycles Yuuichi as he meets distinguished indiviuals. Aizawa is a friendly and an outgoing person. As friendly as he is, Aizawa needs to learn the sensitivity of women.

Amano Mishio 天野美汐 (voiced by Sakamoto Maaya) Amano is not so much in this story but she still needs to be credited for helping Yuuichi.

Kawasumi Mai 川澄舞 (voiced by Tamura Yukari) She 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.

Kitagawa Jun 北川潤 (voiced by Seki Tomokazu) A friend of Aizawa who sits behind him at high school. Viewers do not see alot of him in the anime. Jun has a crush on Kaori.

Kurata Sayuri 倉田佐祐理 (voiced by Kawakami Tomoko) She is Mai's only friend. She is a daughter of well-off family. She uses honorific words for Yuuichi when she speaks.

Minase Akiko 水瀬秋子 (voiced by Minaguchi Yuko) 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 father.

Minase Nayuki 水瀬名雪 (voiced by Kouda Mariko) Nayuki is Yuuichi's cousin. She falls in love with him, but his heart belongs to someone else.

Misaka Kaori 美坂香里 (voiced by Kawasumi Ayako) She is Nayuki's best friend, Yuuichi's and Nayuki's classmate, and Shiori's sister. She is a smart student.

Misaka Shiori 美坂栞 (voiced by Satou Akemi) She is a first-year student. She has been ill and absent from school for a long time.

Sawatari Makoto 沢渡真琴 (voiced by Iizuka Mayumi) She struck Yuuichi out of the blue in the town. She said she lost her memory, but she knows she hates him.

Tsukimiya Ayu 月宮あゆ (voiced by Horie Yui) Ayu is a strange girl that bumped into Yuuichi in the first episode. They soon become friends after she bumps into him a second time. He ends up falling in love with her, and she loves him back, but her sad story interrupts them.

On an unrelated note, Ayu has been featured as a playable character in countless doujin games. She has more apperances outside of her original game than any other anime or ren'ai game character.

External links