It’s epic. What else can I say? Kanon 15 is up there with Melancholy IV, Shuffle! 19/21, AIR 11, maybe. Perhaps I’m biased a bit as it’s my favorite character’s arc, but to put it in an ambiguous way, Mai hits fast and hits hard. Both plot, and as you can see with the whole “action pose” thing, physically as well.

That’s another interesting thing about this arc as Kanon takes a turn for the action-y side during Mai’s arc, showing that yes, KyoAni can do fast-paced motion in addition to snow, sunsets, and slow-motion taiyaki eating.

It’s really surprising how many good shots you can find when you pause the action, to be honest.

Anyways, it’s time to get this episode underway, as although there’s not a large amount of spoilers per se, there is a large amount of Very Important Stuff – in addition to the occasional moe meltdown – in this episode that needs to be covered. (spoiler-safe through Kanon 15)

So, for now, one more time: WAI FOR MAI~~~
Read the rest of this entry »

And now, after that scary post from yesterday, let’s return to the family-friendly, wholesome Eternity blog that only cracks jokes about Mai x Sayuri. …Actually, let’s not.

This episode actually is suprisingly, at this point, more of a Sayuri-driven episode than any other, so, yay for side character development! After this episode it’s easy to see why Sayuri is such a popular and well-fleshed-out (as some might say, unfortunately only in story) ’side’ character, coming in probably tied with Akiko and years ahead of Kaori and Amano (who doesn’t even get to be called by her first name) in the Completely Unofficial Fanbase-o-meter, based on whatever I last read on the forums.

So, this episode is plot and awesome, as is standard for Kanon. Those of you who also know the other standard for Kanon should be investing in Kleenex stock about now.

As standard for us (and by us I mean me and that one other guy from The Otaku Spot who reads my posts. lol advertising, fail), this episode does contain spoilers for Mai’s arc, through Kanon 15. This is 14, in case you can’t count. Luckily we’ve gotten to the point in the arc where everybody else dissapears, so there’s no all encompassing huge ground-breaking spoilers here. You want those? Go check out some of the streets ’round your neighborhood at night.
Read the rest of this entry »

(my 2 cents: not every title like that is meant to be a Haruhi ripoff, okay?)

It’s funny that I don’t have any ideas for an intro to a blog post. And so I’ve gone to the lame and typical idea about talking about how I don’t have anything to talk about. And now I’m talking about talking about not having anything to talk about. Want me to go for one more loop?

But seriously, have a list instead. Ideas rejected for intro to Kanon 13…
1) Talking about how I’m not blogging Shuffle! because 18 is EPIC (win? fail?), again
2) Rabid Mai fanboying
3) SaYURI (x Mai) joke, followed by getting self shot
4) Random pictures with amusing captions.
5) Rampant Mai fanboying
6) None at all because I’m a lazyass who wants to go watch Lucky Star 9
7) Ridiculous Mai fanboying
8) A list. OSHI~

What’s that? Get on with the episode recap. Alright. Spoilers through the end of Kanon’s 24 episodes as always, since there is a good job done at mixing the character’s stories and developing them all a bit at a time.
Read the rest of this entry »

Yes, that cheesy title, as always, is in both senses of the word. First of all we get chronological time warp, as in Double Ayu Ayu Flashback Bonus. Secondly, the pop-culture Time Warp, as in 007 agent Yuuichi and Mai dance. And it’s damn awesome.

You want me to say it? I’ll say it.

Wai for Mai~

Carrying on, the halfway mark for Kanon contains a lot of important plot points, plot hints, or plot omissions, not just for Mai’s arc, but for many others as well. The storytelling’s picking up a bit with the intertwining of many character’s stories; or at least the parallel exposition of them.

Uh, you know the drill, spoilers through Kanon 24 (end of series) after the jump, so, uh, be forewarned or something. Also, lots of Mai after the jump. Be forewarned for cute^infinity.
Read the rest of this entry »

Kanon 2006-11
Harem x 4

YUUICHI START!

Also, Sayuri.

Next!

The one major flaw of Kanon, to me, is how the girls are shuffled in and out of Yuuichi’s Number One Harem Member slot. Makoto’s arc took up the majority of the last 8 episodes, and definitely near the end it had major tear-jerker power.

And so it’s done, and we call in our next candidate, Mai Kawasumi. I’ve got absolutely nothing bad to say about Mai, but sometimes I wonder how Yuuichi moves on so fast from one girl to the next without pausing for downtime or at least a ‘meanwhile’ episode a la the Mayumi/Nadeshiko episode in Shuffle!. Then again, we have no time to spare in Kanon. Wink wink, nudge nudge.

And neither do I, with the arrival of More Import Japanese Stuff for Crazy White Otaku Man (i.e. Initial D Special Stage. also, Haruhi and Shuffle!Memo is burning a hole in my compy) so jump. Now. How high? Don’t give me that idiocy. Just click the link, as long as you’ve completed the Kanon series; with the start of a new arc we’ve got new spoilers for the entire thing. Or at least Mai. Wai for Mai~ (catchphrase’d/10)
Read the rest of this entry »