Is it October yet?
For anime fans, this is the year that just keeps on giving. Kyoto Animation’s Kanon remake should be a winner - that much is practically a given - but, even so, I feel a little like a kid on Christmas morning every time something new about the show is revealed. A little nervous, a little excited, very anxious… rarely do I get this way about a show this far ahead of time, so I might as well twist the fanboy dial up to eleven and enjoy the hell out of it.
So, now that the Kanon Prelude is out, providing us with our first detailed look at the show, what’s the verdict? Looks pretty damn nice, if you ask me. Stunning animation? Check. The old gang? Check. Original OP+ED? Check. Sugita Tomokazu? Check.
OK, so that last one was one of the wild cards to worry about. Opinions will differ, no doubt, but I’m happy with Sugita-san’s take on Yuuichi. Honestly, I’ll admit to having been worried about the change. I had feared he’d show up on the first day of recording to a chorus of “give us Kyon!”, and, let’s face it… Yuuichi ain’t Kyon. But, no, we got something new. Not quite Kyon, not quite Mayama, not quite Rin, not quite Hideki (that would’ve been a riot!). Nope, it’s Yuuichi.
Everyone else sounds about the same as I remember. Shiori sounded a little more mature, I think, and Ayu didn’t sound quite so much like a walking, talking, taiyaki-munching Horie Yui doll, but beyond that, it was a nice trip down memory lane. Of course, as was the case with Air, the original background music and original OP+ED from the game are utilized. I have a minor complaint with regard to the the TV-size arrangement of “Last Regrets”, however: the way the drums kick in at the very end makes little sense musically. They should have either brought them in earlier or not brought them in at all.
As for the animation… well, I shouldn’t really have to say anything about that. It’s KyoAni. It’s Kanon. Draw your own conclusions.
42 days and counting…
Yuuichi definitely is no Kyon/Mayama/Hideki. We’re either going to be hearing a new side of Sugita, or Yuuichi will have a different personality, more resembling Sugita’s previous roles perhaps?
i can’t wait for this! uguu~~
Watching the OP makes me all teary-eyed… Q.Q Arrggghhhh! How I wish I could forget about what I know about the story so that I can be shocked again.
~uguu~
Also… even though Mai only said two words in the prelude… I still get the tingles from hearing her voice again. :) Very much looking forward to seeing how KyoAni will treat her storyline.
The only worry I have is Yuuichi’s voice. To me, the voice association with Kyon is simply overwhelming. My immersion was quaking everytime Yuuichi talked in the prelude.
Cheers.
I personally would love to hear Sugita doing another Mayama-like character. That laugh he gave on episode 8 of Hachikuro 8 was quite creepy. Totally worthy a stalker character like Mayama. But I assume Yuuichi is not like that….
How many girls are actually in this series anyway? Or does that count as spoiler?
If you are referring to the main girls( aka romance candidates based on the game), then there are five. Which five though, I’ll leave that up to you to find out( although the OP is pretty blatant about this part). :)
If you are referring to all of them; there are eight girls, and one mother.
Yuuichi’s kind of weird in that he’s a bit of a smartass, but a caring smartass. In the Toei version, he comes off sounding awfully aloof… almost a prick at times. Based on the promo, at least, Sugita’s version sounds a lot more empathetic. Given the overall tone of the story, I have a feeling a softer Yuuichi works better. That’s why I’m optimistic about the staff change.
As for the number of girls… nine, technically. Five are especially important. The remaining four have important roles in the story, but only in ways that relate to the five most important girls. And, when all is said and done, two particular girls stand out from the crowd.
EDIT: Ah… Skane beat me to it. I went ahead and counted Akiko (the mother), which is why I ended up with nine.
Uguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!! \o/
42 days seem so far away! I’m really looking forward to this, as much as I enjoyed Toei’s version four years ago, it was too short to fit everything in. So with 24 episodes to work with this time around, I’m expecting more of the story to be in it, which is always good; and its by KyoAni!!! looks great. :D~
8 girls 1 mom = 9 girls in Jeff’s book.
I think I’m doing everything in my power, at this point, to not feel excited about this show. Part of it is because there’s no reason to hype my expectations up (as fun as it may be) and risk feeling worse about a good anime for no good reason. The other part is just, well, I just don’t have any energy left to be excited for another 40 some odd days 24 weeks or something crazy.
Just like how Suzumiya Haruhi surprised a lot of us, I want Kanon to do the same.
That’s a lot of girls. I kind of suspected it from the trailer but I didn’t realise there are that many (5 is quite a lot). I am also trying to not get hyped up because I don’t want to be disappointed again like I did with Fate/stay night.
He totally needs to play him like Hideki. He’d see a sad girl in snow and then scream, and then someone next to him would be like “No really, what’s the big deal with sad girls in snow?” Then Ayu needs to say “Pantsu kudasai” instead of “uguu”. I’d actually watch that Kanon.
I’m kind of glad the Prelude came along when it did. I actually stopped thinking about Simoun for a few minutes.
Anyway, I hope we get more Shiori this time around… she’s my favorite clinically depressed girl in snow. And Akiko’s a MILF, so she has to count.
I’ll be honest, I really didn’t like the game (besides Nayuki, who I loved) and I hated the Toei adaptation, but maybe the KyoAni version will surprise me. At least the animation will be pretty like Air.
I like that the voice cast is back, though Horie’s Ayu is still incredibly annoying (I think that I might have turned off voices while playing through her scenario…). Tomokazu Sugita will be a fitting Yuuichi, though he sounds a bit too much like a softer Kyon, but that’s not such a bad thing.
And yeah, Akiko’s hot.
Would you recommend watching the original/first version of Kanon before watching the remake if you haven’t seen the series yet?
Metric, I would strongly advise against watching the original version at this point. Kanon’s story is dense and full of surprises, and thus has less and less impact with subsequent viewings. For that reason, my enjoyment of the remake will be somewhat tempered. Those who have yet to see the original version (or play the game) are best positioned to get the most out of the remake. Consider yourself lucky!
I saw the first episode of Kanon at TBS Festival last weekend. I was still blown away with the Kyoani version despite going in with really high expectation after getting used to the high quality which Koyani delivered in their last 3 works (FMP:SR, AIR, Haruhi), and this is coming from a person who had completely finished the game. It really reminded me how much impact the game had on me, which the Toei version never quite managed.
Sugita is a very fitting Yuuichi. I fired up the game again just to go through the dailogues, and yes, the smartass quality of Yuuichi is coming through alright.
Expect another big shockwave being sent thru the ani-sphere once the first episode airs on free to air TV (and torrents ;) )
I really like this two vidéo and I search the lyrics.
I wait impatiently the exit of the série.
I have seen the Toei original and I honestly felt it was a bit short. However, I haven’t played the game.
I’ve also heard that the KyoAni version will dive deeper into the backstories that the Toei issue never had the time to. What are your thoughts on that particular position? If I were to say more, it would likely spoil those who’ve not seen the 2002 Toei version.
–Ian.
So how much of the original cast returns?
All except Yuuichi, who this time is voiced by Sugita Tomokazu who also voiced Kyon in a previous Kyoto Animation production, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (also known as “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya”).
–Ian.