That could have something to do with it. I doubt the Japanese like it when their stuff goes OOP and disapears forever into lala-land. So they might make it clear the title needs to stay in print for x amount of time or something…although I doubt this is the major reason, it is worth looking into…
So, I finished up this series the other day.
I have to say, I was rather impressed with it.
I walked into it, thinking it would be similar to Clannad (which I don’t really like) and I guess in essence, it slightly is, however it’s rather different and much more appealing to me.
This is definitely going on my list of things to get in the future.
If you want the singles I’d not hesitate 5 is not getting easier to find for less then $40.00. You can find the whole set of singles on ebay for about $130.00. Funimation’s set I believe is missing a extra or two.
The Funimation set completely stripped all the extras. I’m not even positive if it had the clean opening and closing. The only way to get all the extras is to go the singles route.
I have the first Funi thinpack, and yup no extras. And yeah i didn’t see any clean OP/ED, although those are completely useless to me anyway…but still be nice for those who want them. Not on these disks tho (unless I missed it?).
I own the first 5 volumes with ArtBox ADV Films releast and The 6th Funimation volume.
Yeah, that was definitely the best way to get it, especially as the artwork on Funi’s release couldn’t hold a candle to all the covers that ADV put out.
I was just musing…
It’s been almost 4 years since the JP BD boxset has been released…
FUNi really needs to step up and release this series on BD before the license expires.
And if FUNi is just going to sit on this series until the license expires, Sentai really needs to grab this when it does and release it on BD (particularly if it retains the ADV dub).
Especially since they have such a good relationship with TBS and this is a TBS series.
Funimation would have to renegotiate for bluray rights, since ADV likely didnt acquire them when the license was picked up. Also, the licensing announcement was in 2007, so Kanon should be nearing the end of its life at Funimation. They would have to renegotiate for the show regardless.
I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Funi let this lapse at some point in the future. There is also the possibility that TBS may not let them renew it, particularly if Sentai wants it. I guess we will have to see what happens.
Wasn’t this show the “failed forerunner to Clannad”?
I don’t remember good things about the dub. It might not be a bad thing for it to be lost to antiquity (except in principle).
More importantly, is this a bona-fide blu ray or is this some BS bluray like, say, Black Lagoon.
You mean the JP BD?
It looks really good from what screens I’ve seen.
Suspension of Disbelief (Kanon)
I’m not sure about you, but the reason I watch and love anime so much, is because it breaks from the Hollywood norm. There are, of course, a lot of great motion pictures that come from Hollywood. Some of which are the stanard stories, but are done in such a way, as to become modern day classics. However, almost every anime I watch, to some extent, seems to be imaginary and, the better ones, poetic in some way. The standard motion picture is about 90 minutes or so. The normal anime episode is roughly 24 minutes. If you subtract the opening and closing credits, as well as the spoilers, you’re looking at roughly 20 minutes. Anime series/seasons usually have 12-26 episodes each. In this way, anime has a distinct advantage to tell a deeper story. In that extra time we are able to become even more emotionally attached or involved.
Kanon follows Yuichi, a 17 year old high school student, who is coming back to his cousin’s town for the first time in seven years, but what happened seven years ago? Yuichi slowly remembers more and more of his past, and in particular, his connection to five girls in that town. Originally created as a visual novel adult game by Key, who also created Air and Clannad, is a censored anime interpretation of that game.
This 24 episode season starts with Yuichi waiting for Nayuki, his cousin. He waits by a bench near the train station. one that should hold significance, but doesn’t seem to ring any bells. Yuichi has come back to attend high school while his parents are away, but instead finds himself trying to help a few girls make sense of their lives, and tie up some loose ends. This series had 24 episodes to develop each character, and did it well. At times you find yourself rooting for Yuichi, and at other times you find yourself cursing him, but in the end, it’s not the characters that fall short, it’s the number of episodes. Let’s face facts, it’s hard to end a story. Creating characters we care about, a story interesting and different enough to hold our attention, have viewers not be disappointed the story ends the way it does, and then to tie everything together; it’s not easy. Unfortunately Kanon does the former well, but on the latter, falls well short.
This next part may be a bit of a spoiler.
Spoiler
The main girl that Yuichi is involved with for the majority of the story is Ayu. I remember learing about suspension of disbelief when I was a child in elementary school, and anime has tested the limits of my understanding on the subject. Creating a world, characters, and emotions that you want hold on to and say, “Yeah, under those circumstances, that could happen”. It’s what we love about the imigination of anime. The better ones allow you to carry that disbelief all the way to the end. Kanon does too…almost. So I can believe the story of Makoto. “Sure, under those circumstances, that could happen.” I can believe that Mai is cute, can wield a sword, and has special powers, that’s basic anime stuff. Shiori? Yeah, she makes it through, absoluetely. Yes, I can even believe that Nayuki had a crush on her cousin. However, I cannot believe that Ayu, who interacts with all the characters, is actually in a coma, when there is no explanation as to how she is able to appear to them all. Especially since we find out that Aunt Akiko and Nayuki seem to know it from the start, but just ignore it as if it’s normal. Let me give a perfect parallel, that held my disbelief…Clannad (Clannad spoiler alert). Yuko was also in a coma, and she also appears to, and interacts with everyone, but it is tied together because there seems to be a magical aura where everyone who learns of Fuko, also seems to forget about her, right when it’s most important to her and her sister. Is she really a ghost, is she just a hope and love so strong, that it materializes? There is a mysterious allure about it. A disbelief that can be carried onto the next sub-plot.
Kanon seems to have it all. A hero we want to believe in, cute heroines all over the place, lost, then found memories, sword play, and even magical foxes. Everything, except…
No, 24 episodes wasn’t enough. We needed just one more episode, between 23 and 24. To allow us to understand, to continue that disbelief, just long enough to allow closure for Ayu’s sake. To allow closure to an otherwise great story.
Let me know what you think, maybe I’m missing something, or you see it differently.
n u n o .
(I wrote this for a small Yahoo! Group I’m in, so I copied it here).
Why Did It Take Me So Long to Watch Kanon (2006)?
Dec 19, 2023 10:00 AM CST
From Auu to Uguu and everything in between