Comparing this to “Clannad” is unfair, seeing as this is Clannad’s predecessor (thus “senpai” ~ older colleague), but it’s a fact that the parallels to “Clannad”, but also other Key anime, are extremely obvious. Where “Clannad” seems to start off in spring, where “Air” is set in summer, “Kanon” is the wintery counterpart. These shows aren’t copied off each other, but for an experienced Key viewer (who watched all other Key anime before, take out “One”, which I can’t seem to find anywhere), this show evokes definite nostalgia.

Story -- If you’ve watched “Clannad”, you probably know not to expect one stringent storyline… at least not right from the start. Things get tied up and resolved at some point, but at the beginning, it’s just a set of several substories. A bit disappointing? Wait till you got through the anime.

The storyline can be pretty predictable on some of the substories; that doesn’t mean it’s bad however. Tear-jerkingly poignant (I didn’t cry, but I know a lot of people who did, some of which will probably hit me over the head for putting this down), suspenseful, romantic, sad, deep, and heart-touching. A sense of mystery, supernatural/surrealism, and hidden detail also helps the gears turning and hints at a bigger picture, AKA some complexity. Slow, yes, but that makes it easy to follow and all the more emotive; and the end does pack some substantial twists and a whole lot of sentiment.

You probably know more or less what’s coming if you’ve watched other Key anime (Clannad, Clannad After Story, Air, Angel Beats!, or -maybe- One); seeing as the main draw of all of these lies in emotional entertainment value however, I don’t think it’s going to disappoint Key viewers; and those who’ve never watched Key before should prepare for some heavy emotional impact if they decide to watch.

For the experienced Key viewers, something that definitely sets this series apart is the fact that not only the anime itself, but also every episode is named after a musical term (kanon, ouverture, nocturne, requiem, etc.). If you have any knowledge whatsoever in the musical department, this brings about yet another level of complexity, and also makes the whole thing all the more interesting. But that’s only a side note ;)

Characters -- Now the range of personalities is pretty much standard, but nonetheless fairly enjoyable. The creators don’t exactly go overboard in terms of psychological design, but some deeper conflicts are hinted at, and the back-stories to each character fit and have their touching points and messages. The main guy is a little inconsistently characterised at times, but his moments of sarcasm bring a refreshing change after Clannad. Main problem for me was that, again, some female characters lack common sense. (After Clannad, where it was painfully obvious as there were relatively many of those charas, I’ve been keeping my eyes open and still getting a feeling there’s no helping that in Key anime. Now if only I could get my hands on “One” and if that proved me wrong… The chance’s low though. Sigh.)

Relationships -- Okay now, there is pretty much an overall sense of harem, what’s with all the sub-stories. It’s something that usually leaves me squirming, simply because the main guy’s always or almost always characterised in a way that makes the whole setup impossible to ever work for real. Besides, two-timing or multi-timing guys don’t exactly have my sympathy. Take out that absolutely personal bias however, and taking each relationship as a standalone one, the relationships are interesting enough, and character interaction is sure to get across both emotion and info about the characters well.

Dialogue -- Emotive with some comedy, with overall pretty good flow and script. It’s not Clannad’s style of “exaggerating completely”, rather a mixture of slapstick comedy, snarky comments, silliness, and insult exchanges (siiiigh), but it actually works with the characters and atmosphere for the most time. Some jokes are repeated throughout, but I guess there isn’t any changing that.

The sub and dub for once are pretty similar in terms of voice acting. The English script is a little loose compared to the Japanese (or rather the fansub) at times, and the fact that Sayuri is constantly using her own name instead of “I” (something that’s standard in Japanese but simply doesn’t work in English) can be pretty annoying, even if the reason’s cleared up later on. Other than that, however, there's no problem with either the sub or dub.

Music -- Pretty standard, especially compared to other Key anime. It works with the setting, it’s peaceful enough not to disturb any given scene, but neither does it stand out nor does it amplify the experience all-that-much. To me personally, the ending theme was the one that still offered the most in terms of atmosphere; that theme is without a doubt beautiful.

Artwork -- No doubt: it scores. There’s a pleasing character to the wintery scenery, especially snowy settings. (Not like there was much else besides snowy settings once the camera leaves the inside.) Colouring and shading is pleasantly done. A lot of character designs stop just short of cutesy overkill (see the wings on Ayu’s backpack? now c’mon), but if you like that or don’t let it get to you, it’s fitting enough. That there’s no ecchi also helps the emotion.

Animation -- Might not be the most recent 2012 style, but excellent it is nonetheless. No particular hiccups, fits the scenes, and together with the HQ art style makes for pure relaxation for the eyes.

Entertainment -- So the sense of humour definitely won’t fit everyone, but the emotion’s sure to get to you. It might be known and more predictable to those who’ve watched other Key anime before, especially Clannad, but the emotion still gets across, and it hits pretty hard. Mystery/suspense and humour work together effectively, drama and snippets of romance are sure to tug at your heart, and quality visuals only make it better.

As any Key anime, it’s not suited for the masses. Whoever is out for ecchi, action, or even fast-paced intrigue is at the utterly wrong place. For those who know what to expect, however, “Kanon” is sure not to disappoint. Look behind the apparent moe fad, and you get a touch of surrealism, some mystery, suspense, romance, some heavy drama, an approach of “miracles”, a slow yet beautiful story, overall emotion that’s sure to capture the viewers’ hearts, and last but not least something that ultimately makes you appreciate friendship and your loved ones anew.

I watched this the last out of all five Key anime available on this site (note: counting Clannad and Clannad After Story as two different anime right now), so I might not be as hyped as I was when I started off on the bandwagon, but “Kanon” still was a heart-touching experience to me. Recommended to especially fans of Clannad, as this is highly similar (maybe focuses a little more on drama and less on comedy), but even putting that aside, “Kanon” is highly emotive and definitely out of the ordinary. Think you’ll like that? Look no further. (show less)

This anime has similar concept with clannad but i has its own charm and this anime is mostly about miracle and each girl's story have their own touching point and certain value to talk about.More elaboration in the next paragraph.

Its strongest point will be story,it is one of the most beautiful story i had ever seen.Although,each girls have their own story but they are all beautifully done and are touching also.Collectively,it is a really beautiful story,but it may requires a certain level of mental maturity to truly enjoy this anime,sadly,some i am able to,while some are not.I felt that this anime'story is beautiful is most likely because although it may seemed sad at first but in the end it is quite happy and fulfilled story.*side note* this mostly of this paragraph applied to clannad also.just that clannad is more elaborate type of kannon.but they have their own charm.

*Little comment on the anime*each girl will be hurts in some way or another but do not worry,in the end it will be happy.And another thing is that........ you will find another fuko(clannad character) here ^^ really unexpected and i go like WTH! really reached the climate in the last few episode.

Second point is,animation,i think the drawing suits each characters and they are nicely drew and it is really smooth(provided that you watch the HD version of the anime ;) ),I felt that its setting really suits the story and the mood really well,winter and song.

Last point,entertainment, do not feel that is anime is all about teaching values or having touching story only,any story will have a certain level of entertainment.I am going to lump dialogue into this point as well,because it comedy parts comes from what they say rather that facial expressions or actions,each episode has a good amount of entertainment this is really good as it makes the story more lively.

The bad points are, well .......like i said it requires a certain level of maturity so it may not suits the masses and the setting at starting is a bit slow so you may have dropped this anime in the early stage.

In conclusion,It has really Beautiful story that moves at a right and smooth pace,as it is a touching anime so pacing is really important.Very befitting setting and animation to suits the story, and a good balance of entertainment,In overall it should be able to keep you going.If you feels that you are prepared for what is coming you really should try this out.you surely should have observed that i keep on relating this to clannad,well is because they are really similar,so if you happens to find this anime enjoyable you should really try clannad as well,but clannad is more elaborated at some points and has more complex story .Just try both of them OK? (show less)

This anime, Kanon from 2006 is different from the one produced in 2002, and has about thirteen more episodes than the one in 2002. This anime is amazing and breathtaking. The characters are special in their own way, and you just can't hate any one of them. The music is very peaceful and beautiful and touching. The characters have their own 'theme', as in the soundtrack, so it's quite special, as each of them are beautiful pieces that cannot be compared to other music. The anime is very touching, and brings tears to your eyes. The story is also very unique, and is one of a kind. The episodes are very realistic and very excellent indeed. I recommend anyone who loves a touching and romantic story to watch Kanon. It is the best anime ever, and the best work of Key! I also recommend this to anyone who has watched AIR or CLANNAD from Key to watch this, as those three are classics of Key that cannot be missed! Kanon, in my opinion is the best of them, since it carries a very deep and touching story, and the characters are much better in my opinion. Kanon is the best anime ever!!!!!!! (show less)

This was the 2nd anime that I watched that was by Key. I loved every bit of it. Seeing that it was done by Key I had high expectations of Kanon already and I wasn't let down. There is enough humorous parts in here to keep you entertained plus the story is very good. I watched Kanon in the dubbed version and the voice acting in it was very good, each voice fit each character very well i thought. All in all if you have watched Air or Clannad and haven't seen Kanon then do yourself a favor and watch this NOW, you won't be disappointed. If you haven't seen any anime by Key then i suggest you watch one; Kanon, Air, or Clannad. (show less)