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Rating: 9.3/10

Impressions:

Wow, I never thought that Shiori is gonna die. I don’t doubt that she will die, since characters dying aren’t problems when Key is involved. The way Kaori revealed it seemed a bit to sudden to me, as did the entire episode which I hear delved straight into Shiori’s arc. I guess it’s not so sudden after all as Shiori did appear a lot throughout the series. However, that also makes me question why a sickly girl like her who is about to die is fine with being in such cold whether with little clothes on. And I don’t think her getting 0 on the mole-hitting game did her any justice. It kind of made me sad…The date sequence is excellently executed though, with the Last Regrets Xmas Floor Remix playing in the background. It really is a happy moment, which significantly increases the shock value of the final scenes for those of us who have no idea what’s going on. Speaking of the last scene, it’s the first time KyoAni has used such a dark yet brilliant scene set. I thought they would reuse some old backgrounds and lighting, so this really surprised and impressed me. KyoAni is just incredible at these things!

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Rating: 9.9/10

Impressions:

Holy shit, chibi Mai is by far the cutest of all the young versions of the girls in this show. Too bad she turned out to be the opposite as she got older. Seriously, this episode makes me think that the girls should just stay small. The Mai arc would be so much better if Mai herself has her hair down and doesn’t act like a doll. What happened to her super cute voice? And wow, Mai didn’t die? Holy crap! Have I said before that I think everyone is either dead or will die in Kanon? I’m sure I’ve said it before lol. I was also surprised that Mai’s mother lived in her flashback. The fact that the demons were only representations of Mai’s true power is a bit too farfetched in my opinion. I can appreciate the healing ability, but that developing into physical beings that can trash and destroy the school? It hit me that the school must have been built on the field Mai and Yuuichi played in, which is why the demons only attacked there. And of course, this is also why the demons were looking for Yuuichi specifically.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Rating: 9.9/10

Impressions:

I really do love flashback/backstory scenes. Sayuri’s backstory is good enough to be its own series. It’s deeply touching and made me love Sayuri that much more. Her getting hurt was not surprisingly but painful nonetheless. Mai’s reaction was expected as well, but I thought she would vent her anger on Yuuichi or blame him or something. Mai’s voice during that scene completely changes though. She sounds much better going all emo like that rather than her usual, submissive tone. Her crying face is rather cute as well. It looks like things are going to be more or less resolved in the next episode with an upcoming, epic battle between Mai, Yuuichi and the demons. However, I prefer the type of drama and emotion-filled episode such as this one over those with fighting, such as the school dance one. Sayuri’s backstory, her melancholy, as well as the all the drama and tragedy involving her injury and Mai going psycho; it all builds up to an excellent episode – the best one so far in my opinion.

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Popularity: 9% [?]

Rating: 9.2/10

Impressions:

Ahaha~ (mediocre Sayuri impressions) So now, why is this post like a week late almost? Well I could just say holiday celebrations and the whatnot as a reasonable excuse, but the absolute truth is obviously my addiction to Pangya hehe. Oh and I won’t bother with a summary, as there are enough out there anyway. Anyway, Kanon 13, the follow up to the awesome episode that was 12 with the dance ad sword sequence; how does it fair? Well, pretty good. The animation could have been a little better by KyoAni style. Story-wise though, it is a lot more captivating this time around with the incredible development. Ayu’s meeting with Mai provided a lot of clues as to both of their stories. Right now, by Mai’s words, Ayu is still waiting, probably for Yuuichi, while Mai could not wait and decided to take action. The question now remains as how literal this is. It could that Ayu is waiting for something perfectly normal, while Mai could not wait to take up kendo and started practicing early. Of course, that’s not true (it was just an example), though the level of normality is still unknown. I personally still think Ayu is dead, or near death.

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Popularity: 8% [?]

Rating: 9.5/10

Impressions:

Now I understand why last episode was at unusually low level of quality, which was to save money for the awesome dance and action sequences this episode. I’m pretty sure Mai won herself a few extra fans, while existing ones would have been delighted at such an awesome episode. However, I have just realised myself what makes me love Kanon. And it’s become conclusive; it’s Ayu. Yes that’s right, Ayu! Her flashback kicked me back into my old Kanon-loving state when it had just started. I really love seeing Yuuichi’s past with Nayuki and Ayu. Present Ayu is also essential for me too, which is definitely why I felt the last of the Makoto arc episodes were a bit lonely. I’m glad everyone’s getting an appearance now, except for Amano. And of course new problems and puzzles present themselves this episode, and the familiar perplexity of Kanon once again returns. Mai will probably gain focus as her story is delved deeper into. It will probably end like Makoto’s arc as well, where she and Yuuichi become the main characters, and maybe Sayuri as well.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 9.7/10

Impressions:

Ok, so I went braindead after reading Darkshaunz’s NGE post and took an hour nap. Even now though, I feel very sluggish and drained, the feeling you get when it’s 40 degrees celcius and you just can’t rejuvenate your energy no matter how much you sleep. So yeah, my new theory is that Ayu died when her parents went on vacation. I’m pretty sure she’s a spirit, so that would also explain why she suddenly ‘forgot’ about her parents. BUT, I find it much easier to just enjoy the show, instead of thinking too deeply about what the deal is with everyone, since everyone’s starting to act up. Kaori somehow made her line important too, when she says that miracles don’t happen so easily. Garten also mentions that Nayuki is dangerous and he’s afraid for Ayu for sleeping with her. Hmm, I dunno about that; either something happens in the future, which I obviously wouldn’t know, or I missed some significant indication in the past. But what does this mean? Does she go psycho from jealousy of Ayu being friendly with Yuuichi or something?

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Rating: 9.7/10

Impressions:

It doesn’t really get more emotional than this. Surprisingly though, it’s not as sad as I expected, and that scene at the end with Makoto and Piro sleeping together, which represented the hope that Yuuichi had for a miracle, actually made the mood (for me) far happier. Or should I say, more satisfying? Since Makoto definitely gets a satisfying end, having spent all that time with Yuuichi and receiving such love from him. It kind of makes her apparent absence from now on less ‘empty’. I have to say that Amano is really cute in this episode, more specifically toward the end when she opened herself right up to Yuuichi, her new ‘friend’. The way she says that he’s her friend makes it seem like she’s never had a friend before, which is kinda sad. Amano is surprisingly flirtatious and playful, which made me fall in love with her. Now I’m really sad as she probably won’t get much screen time from now at all. I wish her character could be developed more, though seeing as I don’t know how the game turns out, she might appear to gain some more important roles in the future. Anyway, everyone says the next arc will be Mai, though I’m pretty sure Kanon won’t jump straight from one arc to another.

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Popularity: 7% [?]

Rating: 9.4/10

Impressions:

I was expecting Makoto’s arc to conclude this episode, but I’m glad it hasn’t. This prolonged occurrence of her reverting back to her fox form, or dying, is excellent material for arousing people’s emotions. This episode is rather sad, and who’d have thought, bright sunshine makes it sadder than rain. I’ve been thinking about how the mood of the episode would be if the setting had been a rainy day, and I feel the nice weather actually makes things more surreal and depressing. It gives the sense that ‘anything can happen, even on a day like this’. Yuuichi is probably the one who’s suffering the most, as I doubt Makoto is actually feeling any real pain. She is completely unaware of what is happening, so she at least can enjoy the rest of her human life in peace. Yuuichi, on the other hand, tries to remain strong, managing to spend the little time left with Makoto with a smile. His desperation makes this episode even more morose, if I must say, since his façade emanates that common sense of dread. Seeing Makoto slowly deteriorate is also quite hard, though for people like Akiko and Nayuki, this makes her past a little easier to believe. Although there’s no way a sensible person would believe such a story so readily like Akiko, if that’s how the plot goes then so be it. I don’t want to complain; no, I have no reason to. I am thoroughly enjoying this wonderful show.

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Popularity: 6% [?]