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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.

Speaking of Sayuri, I can’t get enough of her ‘ahaha’. It’s just too moe for me to handle. Now every time she appears I’ll be expecting a random ‘ahaha’ regardless of what situation she’s in. And can you imagine the pain I felt when she was flung into the wall?! That was insanely painful, and I’m sure Sayuri fans felt the same way. Why can’t she be the main character in this arc? And likewise, if I have someone I love, there must be someone I hate. And obviously, the villain of this arc is Kuze, the school council president, who’s a really big dick. He’s so stuck up himself that he concentrates all oh his effort into accusing Mai for the damage she caused, rather than giving any attention to a girl who had just been flung into a wall! I really hope Yuuichi gives him a bashing later. Again, this triggered Mai to retaliate with utmost fury, for her best friend had just been hurt. It’s really sickening now to think that Mai’s gonna get in craploads of trouble. Still though, this doesn’t reveal anything new about Mai, so we’ll have to wait and see what the real climax is.

This episode makes me wonder exactly how many characters are actually alive. I really can’t believe I didn’t notice that Shiori and Kaori have the same name until now. Kaori’s notion that she doesn’t have a younger sister seems genuine enough, so it’s probable she somehow forgot. Either that or she really hates Shiori for whatever reason. Then there’s also the more supernatural possibility that Shiori is an older sister who died at a young age, but has come back as a spirit. I don’t really like that idea though, as I prefer Kanon to be more on the believable side than supernatural side. This also makes me think about how much of the story is taken up by spirits and the like. Mai is obviously wrapped up a lot in this, since she can see/sense demons. The preview also suggests that the demons aren’t targeting Mai, so my guess is that they are targeting Sayuri. Her past is still unknown, and Yuuichi, having just moved, is least likely to have any reason for being targeted. The good thing about this is it means Sayuri will have a much larger role than I thought. Banzai!

Plot Outline:

- In a flashback, Yuuichi is trying to get a specific doll from a toy machine for Ayu
- Unfortunately he keeps failing and runs out of money
- With that, Yuuichi wakes up and gets out of bed while it’s still night
- He runs into Ayu and the two head onto balcony and talk
- In the morning, Ayu and Yuuichi drag Nayuki to the breakfast table but she remains asleep even though she hits her head on the table
- Nayuki heads out first since she needs to get to school early for a meeting
- Yuuichi walks to school and meets up with Sayuri and Mai
- During free time, Yuuichi treats Shiori to ice cream again
- When he returns to class, he finds out from a girl that Shiori’s last name is the same as Kaori’s last name
- In class, Jun shows off his outfit for the dance and hopes to dance with Kaori

- Kaori, however, says she won’t be going and walks out of the room in a bad mood
- Yuuichi catches up with her and tells her he saw her sister before, though she claims she doesn’t have a sister
- When Yuuichi returns home, he falls asleep and his dream from earlier continues
- After nagging Nayuki for 1000 yen, Yuuichi runs off to the toy machine again and manages to get the angel doll Ayu had wanted
- Of course, he immediately takes this and gives it o Ayu, and Nayuki probably never got the money back
- After waking up, Yuuichi realises he is late for the dance and rushes back to school
- He meets up with Sayuri and Mai, before dancing with Mai as everyone else looks on in awe
- However, demons come to ruin the party and start trashing the place
- Sayuri is hit into the wall, which makes Mai furious to the extent that she completely disregards the students around her and starts fighting the demon
- She is then accused of causing all the damage by the president of the student council

Preview:

Next episode – #13
Another Mai-centric episode?

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