Kaze no Tadoritsuku Basho
April 16, 2006 | Television | Haruhi, Kanon
I’ll admit, this whole Haruhi vs. Kanon debate is silly. After all, aside from the fact both are being animated by Kyoto Animation, they have absolutely nothing to do with each other. Haruhi is Haruhi. Kanon is Kanon.
I’m not so much a fan of the original Kanon TV series as I am a fan of Kanon itself. It’s for that reason that I’m truly excited about the coming remake. And, to be honest, I don’t even like to refer to it as a “remake”. After all, it’s not like we’re getting the first TV series, retouched and reanimated. Much like how the Ah! My Goddess TV series has relied on material ignored by the ancient OAV series, or the X TV series expanded on a story previously crammed into a (horrid) theatrical feature, the “new” Kanon looks to be a matter of original material finally receiving the treatment it so properly deserves. It’s not so much a remake as it is a “do-over”.
Will the “new” Kanon outdo the first TV series? I should hope so. The first series has no shortage of fans, myself included, but one has to admit it glossed over (or plain ignored) much of the rich story found in the original game. With a length of 24 episodes, KyoAni’s Kanon is more likely to explore the original material to greater depth. And, of course, there should be a dramatic difference in animation quality. That much is a given.
When all is said and done, will anyone remember the first TV series? The hardcore Kanon fans will, I suppose. But, for most, it’ll probably be forgotten - overshadowed by the newer, more complete, more stunning version that came along four and a half years later. That’s where the excitement comes from. That’s why Kanon fans have reason to be happy. The first TV series may not have gotten the job done, but that no longer matters… because, if all goes as expected, the “new” Kanon will.
Some things deserve a second chance.
I still need convincing on Kanon’s merits.
I liked Air a lot; it was beautiful and had a touching story, even if it was rushed. However, from what little I know about Kanon a) there are many more girls and b) the male lead isn’t anywhere near as interesting as Yukito was. Is there anything you can say to make me excited about the show? I know it’ll look great, and I’ll check it out just for that, but it’ll have to be as interesting narrative-wise as Air was to keep my interest; is it really just Sad Girls in Snow?
If you want something different, check out ‘Saiunkoku Monogatari’.
Yuuchi is no Yukito, that’s for sure. As for the girls, I’d argue that Kanon has the more “depressing” stories and, unlike Air, each girl receives a fair amount of attention. Granted, Ayu and Nayuki stand out, but the remainder of the girls have their fans. My favorite, for example, is Shiori.
I also think the Kanon stories benefit from being a bit easier to follow, with less reliance on the supernatural. I guess you could say it’s a little more “down-to-earth”. It also does a better job containing its secrets and surprises. With Air, Misuzu’s “identity” was pretty obvious from the get-go; Kanon, on the other hand, does a better job of springing things on you when you least expect it.
Basically, the narrative in Air has always struck me as being very “Japanese” - that is, convoluted and esoteric. The Kanon narrative, despite having more layers (in my opinion), feels a lot tighter. The first TV series did a decent job with the most important stories (Nayuki excepted) in 13 episodes, so I would think KyoAni could cover pretty much everything in 24. I do wonder how they’ll get certain stories to reconcile with each other, however.
This is so 2000. You do know when Air came out every fan was comparing it with Kanon … You know, just because KyoAni is doing both, Air is Air, Kanon is Kanon.
Personally I am partial to the old Kanon anime. It did somethings really well, even with its failures. Unavoidably if you take the rubric of game adaptation KyoAni did with Air and apply it with Kanon, you know what will happen. All the more it just means that if the original series was 24 episodes long, it probably wouldn’t have largly deviated from what KyoAni might be doing.
And you know the episode count often has nothing to do with the source material…
Then again, Air wasn’t that long. Or rather, because it isn’t, I don’t really have any hope that Kanon’s remake will really topple, in my mind, what the original TV series was to me.
I’m awfully fond of the first Kanon TV series… I don’t plan to sell my R2s any time soon, at least. Had Kanon never been revisited, I would have been perfectly happy. BUT, the fact that it IS being revisited makes me happy as well. It could be I’m just excited for Kanon in general… that is, if KyoAni’s approach is fresh enough, it’s a chance to fall in love with Kanon all over again.
As for episode count, I’m a big proponent of 13 episode series - I think it’s just the right episode count for most shows - but, I think Kanon would benefit from a longer run. Air, I don’t know. It was rushed, yes, but KyoAni managed to get the point across effectively in 13 episodes. Kanon, on the other hand, has so many characters and so many stories that the first series was essentially an exercise in subtraction… not compression. Personally, I’d like to see those missing pieces animated this time around, and if that requires a 24 episode run, so be it.
But hey, had KyoAni announced a 13 episode series with plans of focusing on Nayuki (in much the same way the original series focused on Ayu), I’d still be happy. Happy, happy, happy.
I’m excited for the new Kanon, but not as much of a Kanon fan. I enjoyed the original series, but I put it on the same list I put other good, but easily forgettable series. I think most of my interest in this stems from it being a series from KyoAni more than it being Kanon or Visual Art’s/Key. I credit KyoAni for turning a promising, but fairly boring, Full Metal Panic! series into one of my favorite franchises. I am confident that they’re capable of doing the same with Kanon.
Shiori was the best though, I fully agree. With her around, I can’t see how anyone else is even worth noticing…
I like Haruhi, I really do; but I also like Kanon, and the thought of KyotoAni doing Kanon makes me squeal with fanboy glee.
My favourite Kanon girl is Mai, and I was a bit disappointed by the lack of explanation on her background story in the original TV series. I will be looking forward to see how they flesh out her story this time. :)
I had to read up game spoilers to get the full stories on most of the girls, because I just kept getting this feeling that something was missing from the anime series, and hoo-boy was I right. After reading up the spoilers, the anime series made much more sense.
Nayuki was also pretty shafted in the original. Here’s hoping that she gets a real chance to shine this time around.
Cheers.
I didn’t care much for Kanon when it first aired. (Haha, that was a pun). I didn’t really like the art nor the animation. Seemed like a generic show to me, but I didn’t know the background. I didn’t know the background for Air either, but I thought the show was pretty awesome. I guess it must be because Kyoto animation did it. I have high hopes for the Kanon remake. At least it will have awesome backgrounds. “Prettier than real life”
A few questions borne of curiosity - Why do you say that 13 episodes is the best length for most anime? Also, why do you think “Japanese” plots become convoluted and escoteric?
>>I had to read up game spoilers to get the full stories on most of the girls, because I just kept getting this feeling that something was missing from the anime series, and hoo-boy was I right. After reading up the spoilers, the anime series made much more sense.>>
This is EXACTLY the exact same problem I had with the first series. If it weren’t for these seemingly “plotholes” which were actually flaws in adaptation, I’d have given Kanon a perfect score in my book. Thus, I anxiously wait with suppressed excitement for KyoAni’s telling of this masterpiece.
I love Haruhi as well, but for now it seems to be more of a superficial type anime (we shall see if that remains true). Kanon is much deeper IMO, but in any case i think both deserve a fair share of attention from KyoAni. It’s too bad one must be sacrificed for the other if that’s true.
o and one more thing, I absolutely love your blog. even more now that u’ve eloquently explained why a Kanon remake is worth it. There are too many ppl out there who think this Kanon remake is a waste of time, and you’ve effectively conveyed why we should be holding our breath for this new one.
There’s every reason to remake Kanon. Just like Rose of Versailles…….
Seriously, I think Jal is just estatic out of his minds. On one hand he says “woo the new one is bettar!” then on the other hand he says “but I luuub the old~” and in the end it’s probably only exciting because 1) it’s more Kanon and 2) KyoAni is good, and we can’t wait to see what will happen next.
Haruhi is rather deep already, by the way. All it takes is attention to detail, ability to think in terms of theme, and have some clue as to what the show is about. And I say all this without taking episode 3 into account :p
I believe KyoAni’s Kanon would no doubt speak for itself come Fall. Given that Kanon has a more coherent source (wrt AIR) combined with the studio’s track record, I have faith we gonna have another winner on our hands. I’m in total agreement with Skane and kei-done here. I lament Mai’s story arc in Toei’s Kanon and am really looking forward to seeing justice done to her tale.
Btw what a loving defense of Kanon with the passion of a fanboy and logic of an mathematician. :)
Omo’s right… I’m just cuckoo for Kanon.
Well I think why people are so up in arms about Haruhi was the shock factor of how well it has turned out so far while being somewhat unknown to the English speaking community. I feel that the situation would be the same if the series were reversed. Some people would be outraged that a fantasic new show would followed by another fantastic series that is being redone regardless of title, as would the old school fanboys would fiercely defend the rich history the older series has enjoyed and would sneer at the ‘noob’ factor of the new one. I eagerly anticipate both series with hopes that they could make additional seasons of both if possible.
That being said, I’m totally smitten with Haruhi as the series hit me out of nowhere like a freight truck coming out of hell… On the other hand, Kanon deserves a remake regardless of how well the first one was done on the basis that it is made up of 110% of pure awesome.
I hate playing both sides. KyoAni, don’t make me choose!
Im pretty choosy with my animes but this one enraptured my curiosity in anime for the new season!!!
Man i feel inspired i gotta write something!
My favorite Characters out of Kanon were Makoto and Ayu (lol too much cuteness). Makoto really did get a fair amount of attention, but it was really sad how she left. Then again the whole storyline is about sad girls in the snow, so yea. I think 13 episodes is too short though. On anime nfo and anime news network, it says that they’re gonna make 24 episodes. is this true? that’s soo awesome. btw ur blog IS awesome. thanks.
hey, did anyone know which is the illusion one and the real one?
But, i think the artwork and the main story is very great ^^