+| N ǿ v ά ś ŧ o я м |+ » Kanon: Episode 18

Kanon: Episode 18

February 03rd, 2007 at 6:43 pm | Category: Kanon

Rating: 9.3/10

Impressions:

And so…Shiori’s arc is finally over! Or something… Well, I’m not too enthusiastic with this ending, as it’s not nearly as emotionally strong as the last two arcs. In the end, I have to say I like Mai’s arc more, however, Shiori is better as a character. I don’t find Shiori’s arc eventful enough, and severely lacking any sort of climax. The Kaori x Shiori moments needed to be far more emotional, and not in the public, while her death needed to be focused upon IMO. I know that it’s still unknown whether she truly dies or not, and the real conclusion is yet to come, though I prefer something like Shiori dying with perhaps a desperate Kaori by her side, which has far more impact.

Although Makoto’s arc is a lot more impacting and emotional than Shiori’s arc, I didn’t like the former due to the female lead; Makoto. I really did not want to see a human degrading like that, and it was very sickening for me. I also hated how isolate the arc became, with only two people really involved in the entire arc. I’m expecting Makoto to reappear, perhaps as a fox, at the end of the series. This will make the show with that kind of sad-yet-happy ending, which is what Air had (another production of KyoAni and Key). However, seeing Makoto as a fox wouldn’t be very comforting for me…

Mai’s arc is obviously longer and more eventful than Shiori’s arc, and Mai herself has a powerful and highly touching back story. The only problem for me is that I don’t like Mai as a character, which is what brings her arc down slightly. Mai’s arc also involves quite a few characters, especially the wonderful Sayuri. And also, I’m predicting they get some final closure at the end of the series, perhaps when they get out of the hospital. Likewise, Shiori will probably be either confirmed dead or alive some time later as well. I strongly hope that she is dead though, otherwise the impact o her arc would probably be reduced to near nothing for me.

I don’t like how things turned out with Kaori. It’s made to make us believe that everything is good and OK when Kaori decides to call Shiori her sister, when it’s clearly not. I need to see Kaori crying and screaming out her apology desperately when Shiori is near death. It would give the episode a lot more vivacity. The emotions would swell and the entertainment heightened greatly. If you can’t exactly tell, I am rather disappointed with this episode, but the sheer quality of it makes up for a lot of it. I still like the episode though; it is good in its own right. The only thing is I think a lot more could’ve been added to it.

I’m still really questioning what the last few shots of Shiori and Kaori together are (the scenes still shots depicting Kaori and Shiori having fun together). Is that meant to mean Shiori survives and spends a lot of quality time with Kaori? Or perhaps it’s meant to represent Shiori’s own wish for spending her days with her precious older sister. Even with this though, you can’t tell whether Shiori really dies or not. The shots might only depict Shiori in her last days before passing away, or it might suggests she lives far longer than anyone expected. And Yuuichi isn’t in them…I guess Yuuichi doesn’t really fit in, since Shiori isn’t even a girl from his past.

So finally, it is time for Nayuki’s and Ayu’s arc. Originally I thought their arcs are one in the same, but it looks like I’m wrong (I think). And apparently, the Toei version left out most of the Nayuki version. So then, only the game players and those who have spoiled themselves should know what will happen with Nayuki. I really hope the two arcs are shown parallel to each other, instead of with distinct endings and beginnings, unless it’s impossible, such as events clashing with each other. I would have never guessed that Nayuki would get an arc for herself if I had never read about it many times before. She doesn’t seem to even be that important, so it seems that’s gonna change.

Plot Outline:

- Yuuichi meets Shiori during lunch again and tells her about the party that he is throwing for her
- He invites Kaori, who after a lot of thinking, decides to attend the party, which becomes a huge success
- In the end, Kaori acknowledges Shiori as her younger sister and lets her spend the rest of the day with Yuuichi
- Shiori and Yuuichi go around town during various activities, before arriving at the fountain they occasionally visit
- When the clock strikes midnight, indicating that Shiori has lived to this birthday, she disappears, leaving a goodbye note in her wake

Preview:

Next episode - #19
The start of Ayu’s and Nayuki’s arcs?

Popularity: 14% [?]

15 Comments so far

TedFox February 3rd, 2007 6:52 pm Number of comments posted: (38)

So no more shiori?? I was left wondering what happened to her.

I think the images represent wishes as you said.

I thought the pacing of the episode was interesting. I felt that the tension evoked was pretty good, except the ending was a little was too weird. Did it end or not, or is there going to be more summary in the next episode
ewok February 3rd, 2007 8:18 pm Number of comments posted: (92)

Shiori is as proverbial cat in the box:
she can be alive, dead or very annoyed and scratching ^^
TripleA February 3rd, 2007 9:07 pm Number of comments posted: (16)

Shiori’s arc is cut short, just like her life to make way for Nayuki and Ayu… Personally I wouldn’t have minded if they shortened Makoto’s dying by an episode or two to make room for Shiori. I didn’t really like Makoto anyway.
Tim February 3rd, 2007 10:24 pm Number of comments posted: (16)

TripleA: It wasn’t cut short, it simply hasn’t ended. Shiori’s fate is discovered in the game only once winter has ended and spring has begun; it thus occurs well after all the heroines’ stories are complete.

More generally, I am willing to bet my house that Shiori survives, simply because KyoAni has been very, very faithful to the game thus far. This is important because:

Show Spoiler ▼

The player can make choices in Kanon that lead to Shiori either surviving or dying, but pertinently, her death ending presents itself as more of a game over screen than a true ending - it is what is received if the player makes errors during the course of the story, and it is made to feel like it. Shiori’s death ending provides no closure, but feels extremely abrupt and inconclusive. This is simply because Shiori is meant to survive.

Kanon’s primary theme is the notion that miracles do happen if they are desired badly enough - or, occasionally, if a price is paid for them. Ayu is able to sustain a physical existence separate from her comatose body, Makoto to incarnate herself in human form, Mai to manifest supernatural powers, and Nayuki to bring her mother back from the brink of death.

Shiori’s miracle is her survival. Her entire story is constructed in such a manner as to make way for her miraculous recovery. Her attempted suicide underscores not only her deep depression and the ultimately illusionary nature of the strength she projects to the world, but also serves to create a contrast between the Shiori that was and is. Fundamentally, prior to meeting Yuuichi, Shiori does not really want to live all that badly. She has given up on life, resigned to never being able to realise her dreams. Yuuichi changes that by making her dreams come true, and in the process, he instills in her the desire to survive. Consistent with the other girls’ stories, and Kanon’s themes in general, her survival from that point on is a formality.

It’s for that precise reason that Shiori’s ‘bad’ ending in the game is so abrupt and inconclusive; it’s little more than a game over screen. Shiori is not _supposed_ to die. She’s supposed to live.

On that note, I also believe Shiori’s survival is inevitable simply because KyoAni has gone with all the game’s ‘happy’ endings thus far, and it is inconceivable that they will do any differently for Ayu (Nayuki does not count, because it is fundamentally impossible for her and Ayu’s stories to exist in tandem with one another, hence it is logical that KyoAni would have to give her a substantial rewrite). Hence, if Shiori did not survive she would exist as the only character who was given her ‘bad’ ending instead of her good ending.
Tim February 3rd, 2007 10:25 pm Number of comments posted: (16)

Geez - really sorry, man. I put in spoiler tags, but for some reason they don’t seem to be showing… I can’t edit the entry, but anyone who reads, beware the above post. Spoilers abound.
Danny February 3rd, 2007 10:37 pm Number of comments posted: (425)

TedFox: endings left open are quite common in anime, though it seems her fate will be revealed some time later in the story

ewok: lol really i prefer the dead part, as i have said in the entry

TripleA: i didnt like makoto either, she never really does anything to win me over…

Tim: oh shit i read through the whole thing. Oh well i’ll just pretend i still dont know what the hell is going on and continue with my previous speculations on what’s happening in future posts….sigh
Tim February 3rd, 2007 10:40 pm Number of comments posted: (16)

Danny: Really, really sorry. I swear I put the tags in, but for some reason they didn’t show… >_>
Shirukii February 4th, 2007 4:37 am Number of comments posted: (48)

Poor Danny, spoiled again D=

As for Shiori’s arc, I’m pretty sure they’ll revisit it in the future, leaving us poor viewers to speculate for now. I’m hopeful and almost certain that she’ll end up surviving, but I doubt we’re going to get an emotional catharsis from Kaori any time soon =\
retsgip February 4th, 2007 5:35 am Number of comments posted: (126)

danny is prone to spoiling. He would have read it even with your spoiler tags so don’t worry. This episode didn’t really do it for me but I was kind of left with a smile on my face after Shiori runs off after the kiss. oh wells.
Danny February 4th, 2007 9:51 am Number of comments posted:

Tim: dont worry about it

Shirukii: i thought that kaori making up with shiori would be the pinnacle of the arc, yet that moment presented in this episode is incredibly lacking…and yeah, it seems the true ending will come later on

retsgip: no i wouldnt -_- and hmm, i was disappointed since it was only on the cheeks…sigh
FlameStrike February 4th, 2007 10:44 am Number of comments posted:

It was a pretty good arc. Animation wise Shiori was good but it was too short imo. Makoto’s death was dragged onnn and I don’t really like Makoto much haha. But what we get is what we get I guess. I can’t wait to see how Ayu’s and Nayuki’s endings will go, but I bet KyoAni’s going to do the good endings and let Yuiichi keep his giant harem lol
Tabrelial February 5th, 2007 8:38 am Number of comments posted: (1)

In a way, I see the stories surrounding the girls reflections of their own personalities. As with you, the Mai and Makoto arcs were highly emotional for me, only to be brought down by the characters themselves. Shiori as a character, on the other hand, feels more “real” with a more subtle personality. The emotional elements were subtle and subdued, but in of themselves no less potent than what I saw with Mai or Makoto. I felt the lack of excess emotional outbursts quite fitting. I would rate this as one of the most touching episodes thus far, second only to Makoto’s last episode.
bakavic February 6th, 2007 6:50 am Number of comments posted: (1)

Reading Tim’s spoiler (yes, now I wish I hadn’t read it T_T) about the true meaning of Kanon and the miracles, suddenly made me think that maybe the title could be linked to Kannon (Guan Yin in Chinese), the Buddhist Goddess of Mercy.

Yes, I know the spelling is different, in both English and Japanese, and that the title most definitely refers to “Canon in D”, but it’s just a bit of food for thought… A translation of His/Her name is something like “one who hears all”, and whose task is considered to be “to witness/listen to the prayers and cries (sounds) of those in difficulty in the earthly realm” (quote from here).

I can’t help but feel some connection between the plight of the girls, and the miracles that happen. Plus factor in that Japanese culture is a Shinto/Buddhist mixture…
ewok February 6th, 2007 7:57 am Number of comments posted: (92)

All in all, for personal reasons, I’m feeling most moved by Shiori/Kaori arc. But Mai is still my favourite Kanon girl…
Danny February 6th, 2007 7:35 pm Number of comments posted:

flamestrike: yeah i agree with makoto, her deterioration was a tad too slow, and just one episode too long IMO

tabrelial: i tend to like real things over super natural things in shows with a normal setting…so yeah, thats why shiori’s arc appeals to me

bakavic: ah yes… tim’s spoiler xD sigh

ewok: ah lol, exact opposite of me!