[An analysis on Code Geass's Lelouch]

6 minutes ago, DarkZedge said:

Well there are many ways to go about things like these, all of them legal of cours.....*cough, COUGH*

I wasn't implying anything....put down the phone....don't turn me in just yet!!

 

You'll never catch me alive pigs!

 

#NOREGRETS 

 

Ps: I never watch dubs, always subs. For me there is no question about it, original voices are the best way to go and the only one as well.  

Well on another Note: I can't imagine Kate Higgins doing C.C. justice.  At least, acknowledge that this is a voice of a waifu lol.  Seriously though,  I don't think of Kate voice as hot sadly and I'm sure if we're to watch it in English, it would probably cut into my enjoyment of C.C. there.   Kinda like how I don't like English Saber voice as they needed a real British Girl to be her voice or something to make her sound hot lol.

[An analysis on Code Geass's Lelouch]

23 minutes ago, DarkZedge said:

I am, I really need to get to it. For some reason I always ended up forgetting about it

Good luck trying to find it legally as I didn't see it on the funimation network the last time I was on it.   Fansubs on the other hand should no problems and I prefer the Japanese voices myself.

 

In this case, I rather take a Lelouch that plays his role straight than have it be played hammy like they did in the English dub supposedly.

[An analysis on Code Geass's Lelouch]

7 hours ago, Clephas said:

Mmm... to be honest, I think you are over-analyzing... especially since Britannia is straight-out the British Empire, since America just happened to inherit its globe-trotting resource-plundering from them in our world.  That unique combination of colonization by conquest, mercantile excess, and aristocratic paternalism and privilege are... obvious.  The social elements involved are pretty blatant, and when you include later installments, such as the Akito story, this 'countries of the past in the future' theme is also present, with the EU very much resembling post-revolution pre-Napoleon France, lol. 

 

 

  I'm actually glad that you pointed out that The Britannian Empire is truly representative of the Imperial British Empire if it never ceased to be a super power. I admit to failing to see that in my analysis yet, I feel that Code Geass embraces the alternative history subject matter as to avoid the controversy of making the United States a true antagonistic force.  In this case, I feel it was really creative to run the whole ten yards with the idea and make a thrilling story that at the same time feels very relevant to the time frame it was released in.  
 
  Furthermore, I wouldn't mind discussing the Holy Britannian Empire with you more as I feel myself to be lacking in the department of fully understanding its nuances.  As I wrote this analysis to sort my own thoughts, I still feel that there are things I could touch up on and learn more about Code Geass.  There's also the problem I have yet to see the Akito OVA's or read the Nightmares of Nunally.  I feel it’s a fascinating world that I would like to further immerse myself in and I still have a ways to go before I can feel satisfy with my feelings on it.  
 
Other than that, I also hear that Code Geass has a lot in common with the Legends of Galactic Heroes and one person told me that it did the themes of Code Geass better.  This certainly piqued my interest and I may just have to watch it to find out for myself lol.

3 hours ago, DarkZedge said:

I haven't seen Code Geass yet though I was told to many times, I gotta get to it. 

I definitively recommend it on a level of a must watch for anime fans.  I really love the characters in the sense that the vast majority of them actually do act the teenagers they are aged to be and it delves into real interesting themes.

 There's also the cool gimmick of Geass and if you liked Death Note's rivalry aspect, you see it in here too.  It's a lot of fun overall and there's really good mecha fights too if you're in to that.

1 hour ago, solidbatman said:

I like the part where that one girl masturbates on a table 

I'm sure that this is very memorable for a lot of the guy viewers but oddly enough, what Nina did often comes up in Japanese manga/Vn's/anime to where I'm thinking it must be a common occurrence.  At least, something that girls been caught in the act of doing but that's still so crazy to me as you never hear that happen in the West and in my case, the United States.  Maybe its more a hot thing that artist depict as something wrong yet enticing at the same time.
 
  Moving on, the most interesting part about Nina doing that though is not the act itself but she's thinking of Princess Euphemia and makes me think, does Nina have homo to bi-sexual tendencies?  You never though see her interested in another guy or girl other than Euphemia.  On another note though, Code Geass was actually a bit pro-Yuri in that it did show Nina infatuated with  Euphemia and that there was that one extra girl saying she wished to confess to President Milly Ashford.  Maybe Nina does have romantic attractions for Euphemia and I respect Code Geass at least paying some lip service to love outside heterosexual pairings.

1 hour ago, Novel21 said:

I have missed you Yoyo and very good analysis

I have just seen little bit of Code Geass long time ago but it was not my cup of tea

It's nice seeing you again too Novel21. By the way, are you part of the facebook group for visual novels too as I swear I seen your name there also.  I’m the guy with Kyubey avatar there if you are. 
 
Moving on, That's a shame that Code Geass isn't your cup of tea as I'm of the opinion that if you don't like Code Geass, you don't like anime in general.  I mean it though as Code Geass is a show that has Mecha's,  Over the Top English Names (Like Lelouch, Euphemia, and Schneizel for example,  Special Power gimmick's, talk of being ALLIES of JUSTICE, Angsty teenagers, and everyday school life all wrapped into one nice package.  Where I do think Code Geass has wide crossover appeal like titles such as SAO does, I would think that not liking Code Geass would be tantamount of disliking 80 percent of the anime out there lmao.  Of course, I'm a bit exaggerating as a fan of the series but I do think you should reconsider to try watching it again.  

 

[An analysis on Code Geass's Lelouch]

Preface:  I love this picture from the Picture Dramas of Code Geass with everyone smiling and enjoying school life at Ashford academy.  Even C.C.  looks to be cheerful for once and it's probably because she finally got to be president of the Pizza club.  I can't help but to show a smile on my face every time  I see it.  Truly, its such a sad dream of what never came to be.
 
  Long time no see everyone.  I doubt that much of anyone missed me but I appreciate that you're taking the time to read this.  I was asked by a friend, in real life, why I haven't written another thought piece in such a long time (he didn't realize though I wrote all the Kanon threads here at Fuwanovels though lol)  and from that resulting conversation, here I am again with another analysis.  As for the focus of today's topic, it's about Code Geass.  I hope you all will enjoy reading and will post comments below, if only to humor and say I suck lol.  That said, let's begin.
 
  Code Geass, for those that don't know,  Is a show from the mid-2000's (2006 and 2008 to be precise) that was released in the full swing of the "War on Terror" years phase of American involvement in the Middle East. Despite being an anime produced by a nation that had no real involvement in that theater of the world, I feel that Code Geass is a rather exemplary example of the kind storytelling that dominated that era.  You see in the show huge military interventions, terrorism, masked resistance fighters, and the blurring of the lines of friend and foe.  The differences from the then Western shows, however, would be that the show has Japan be proxy for the conflict of the middle East and has the protagonist be the Hero of the show's resistance group.  

 

 Moving on, The setting of Code Geass is an alternative world where Japan is conquered by the "Holy Britannian Empire" who serves as the stories parallel to the United States of America.  As for why the Britannian Empire does this, Japan is world leading producer of a special energy source called "Sakuradite" and nearly 70 percent of the world's supply is produced there.  This is very allegorical to the idea that the United States really invaded Iraq was for Oil and not for disarming Weapons of Mass Destruction.  In this case though, Britannia doesn't seek to justify its actions outside obtaining the monopoly Japan has for the glory of the empire.
 
  Talking of the Empire, the main character is a discarded Britannian Prince by the name of "Lelouch vi Britannia" and at the start of the story, is assuming the identity of a normal student name, "Lelouch Lamperouge".  In some ways, Lelouch is very similar to the infamous terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, as Osama was a well-regarded Saudi citizen that was considered to be royalty by proxy due to his closeness with the royal family of Saudi Arabia.  In Lelouch case, he's actually is a prince but he's 11th in rank and 17th in succession.  This makes him relative nobody in the royal family political affairs and even more so with his mother's death as she was a common born peasant that rose in rank due to her marriage to the Emperor.  However, what Lelouch and Osama they both share in common is that they are both exiled and disowned by their homeland.  
 
  Continuing on, Lelouch missions, in his life, are to get his revenge on the royal family for killing his mother and making a better world for his sister, Nunnally, who was blinded and paralyzed during the same assassination attempt that took his mother's life.  If I were to sum this up in another way, Lelouch motivations in other words can be summed up as, "This world can be put to rights."  He wants justice to be done for his mother's death and create a world that would allow Nunnally to live freely without worry of being killed like his mother was.  In a sense, he lives to reject his father's creed of, "The Survival of the Fittest" as the current world wouldn't allow someone handicapped, like Nunnally, to live and enjoy what life has to offer.   

 

  I suppose though that this may bring to mind again the analogy with Osama Bin Laden despite my thoughts that the creators didn't quite intend that.  Still, it's eerie to think that if one were to think empathically about Osama, what he wanted was the removal of western influence from the Middle East.  I imagine that in his eyes, conflicts like those of Afghanistan in the 1980's were results of western meddling and would become a formative experience on how to best help his fellow Muslims. This then in turn would escalate to ever amounting violence to achieve these goals despite whatever well-meaning intentions he may have had.  With all this in mind, he's a lot like Code Geass protagonist and it could play to the intentions of the creators for putting Lelouch to be in the moral gray area with the audience.  
 
  However, A better analogy to Lelouch than Osama may be actually Kiritsugu Emiya from Fate/Zero.  Despite the latter being published after Code Geass and having its anime adaptation not be made until several years further, I feel they're concurrent characters in that time of Japanese storytelling as the prologue of Fate/Zero was actually finished before even Fate/Stay/Night.  This would make Kiritsugu as a fleshed out character predate Code Geass's Lelouch but that's story for another time.  The point is here is that both are characters motivated by righting the world's wrong.
 
  In the case of Kiritsugu, he chases a miracle that's the Holy Grail  and would stop at nothing to obtain it.  He does so because he wishes an end to suffering and believes whole heartedly in such an ideal.  Lelouch's wish I likened to be the same way as there is nothing obviously wrong about making a world that's kind outside having to kill to make it happen.  Like Lelouch, Kiritsugu believes that any sacrifice would be worth any cost as the results would outweigh them.   This would be especially true for them because of how unfair they perceive the current system to be.  For Kiritsugu and Lelouch, if the current system is a failure, it would be wrong to accept things as they are without doing anything to change them.
 
  This then brings to mind the power of Geass that Lelouch obtains in making a contract with C.C.  The power of Geass is referred to "The power of Kings" and while it may not be the omnipotent wish granting device that's the grail, Lelouch's new ability gained from the contract is still a miracle in itself.  His newfound capability, of enforcing the absolute obedience of one command, grants him the power to finally be able to challenge his father and by extension, shape the world to his liking.  This of course firmly puts him in the path of challenging the world's strongest Superpower and starts the story of Code Geass in earnest. 

 

   Now to cite another character to Lelouch's situation, Light from "Death Note" comes to mind in how he wishes to change the world too with his new found power.  In Light case, he uses the power of the Death Note to murder criminals around the world and cultures the resulting fear from his action to deter future crime.  This in turn makes Light public enemy number one and makes the world's law enforcement agencies work together to stop him.  Unlike Lelouch though, Light had no prior tragedy or formative experience that would shape his actions other than coming from a family of Law enforcement.  If anything, Light shares more in common with Lelouch's older brother "Prince Schneizel" in both their approach to doing what's right and thinking how's their action is justifiable.  
 
  Speaking of Prince Schneizel, he serves as an could have been of what a possible Lelouch future if he wasn't struck with his mother's tragedy.  Where Lelouch is always thinking of a better future and is constantly reminded of the sacrifices that had been made along the way, Schneizel thoughts operates on the "End's justify the Mean's" mentality.  Having suffered no personal calamities, Prince Schneizel observes everything only through an objective observer point of view and always makes impartial decisions.  This is at odds with the mindset Lelouch, in the course of his life, have come to developed.  The reason being Lelouch, seeing the tragedies around him, always had placed the well-being of those he cared about at the forefront of his mind and, his resulting actions always have been motivated because of this as to avoid the prior disasters of Lelouch's life.        
 
  Prince Schneizel and Light on the other hand, use their cold, calculating brilliance in pursuit of a goal they think will save the majority of people.  They're both always looking to the now and enforcing peace rather than putting trust to the future.   Light and Prince Schneizel also lack the empathy that Lelouch has, despite their same level of prodigious intelligence,  as they're detached on emotional level and feel that this lack of involvement makes them the better objective judge of what's right.  This in turn makes them makes them have a lower opinion of the rest of humanity and in their actions, makes a grand assumption on the behalf of everyone despite voices of dissent.  With Prince Schneizel, it's the use of the Aerial Fortress Damocales, and its Fleija arsenal, to bring fear of annihilation to the world over if anyone one was to resort to conflict.  

 

  This subjugation through fear, however, would be denying of a kinder world and making of life a happy adventure as everyone would be under the threat of Damocales.  If anyone was to step out of line, then obliteration would be the result.  Though then the world then would be without war and bloodshed, the humanity would fall into stagnation as there would be no hope and therefore, no future as you can't have one without hope.  It's because of this Lelouch seeks to stop Schneizel on the same grounds that he stopped his father, the Emperor.
 
      Bringing up the Emperor, his plan was nearly the same as Schneizel in that he sought universal peace but the details lay differently from his son.  Instead, the Emperor had made plans to slay the collective unconscious of humanity and eliminate the walls of separation of everyone thoughts.  In other words, he was taking a page out of Gendo Ikari's playbook in EVA and bring forth Human Instrumentality.  And for those that don't get the EVA reference, the emperor pretty much was going to have Humanity be of one mind and end individual persona's so that there would be an end to conflict.  On a side note though, Gendo and the Emperor share the trait that they're an awful parent to their respective son but I digress.   
    
  Progressing on, the Emperor is also motivated like Gendo in seeing their past love ones again and they're motivated in obtaining what they lost.  They no longer care about the present as Gendo and the Emperor think all will be made right by their actions.  No matter what lives are lost or suffering made, it will be made irrelevant once everyone souls are united as one.  Of course though, in both stories their respective son rejects their plans and while I don't remember Shinji's explanation [Writer Note: I seen end of eva like ten times and I still can't be bothered with Baka Shinji conversation with his Mom/Rei as I stop paying attention at that point] why he rejects instrumentality, I really love Lelouch's dialogue and explanation in rejecting his father's plans.

 

 To quote Lelouch, "I've fought for all the things I've wanted to protect. [To His father] I don't acknowledge you or your way of thinking.  Why do people lie? It's not to just create conflict.  It's because they have purpose.  Change doesn't happened in an exposed world.  That's not called living.  Turning a world full of memories into an equal, complete and closed world.  That's not what I want.  You two believe that's a good thing.  But you're pushing kindness onto people.  It's no different from Evil intentions.  [The Emperor:  The future lies beyond the Ragnarok Connection.  The kind world Nunnally spoke of.] No.  What you're talking about is a world only kind to you!  But I'm sure what Nunnally wanted was a world where people would be kinder towards other.  [Emperor again: Even if that's true, what can you do?.... You can't win against God with the Power of Kings.]  Even so, I want a future!  I still refuse your world."   
 
  I find this to be magnificent reasoning on Lelouch's part as to embrace the future, believe in the people around him, and most of all, rejecting an false salvation that ignores the happiness of people.  This definitively pulled on my heartstrings and I felt it’s a scene, for me, that was only matched by both Kiritsugu decision to reject the "Third Miracle" towards the end of Fate/Zero and, Madoka's wish to give hope to all magical girls by eliminating the concept of witches, at the cost of her existence, in the end of Madoka Magica.   In all three examples, the common theme tying them together is the fact they all reject the idea that only a cruel fate lies ahead of them and they accept the consequences that come with them.
 
  In Kiritsugu's case, he loses his family and eventually his life due to the curse of the grail.  For Madoka, she can no longer co-exist with her family and friends as she turn into a concept that lives to ensure the prevention of witches.  Lelouch on the other hand, has to deal with a New World Order that's about to be instituted by Schneizel and of which, brings the topic again full circle.  This now though finally brings to the conversation of the person that needs mentioning if we're to discuss Lelouch in full, Suzaku.

 

  Suzaku occupies a special place in Code Geass as being the foil and rival of Lelouch throughout much of the series.  He is Lelouch's first friend and yet the same person that would every time come to interfere with his plan.  The reasoning behind this for Suzaku is that they have come to opposite conclusions on how to change the world.  In Suzuaku case, he is the one that actually kills his own father because in his mind, this would save the most about of Japanese lives.  The reason why he thought this was because his father had been the Prime Minster of Japan and he was committed to the idea of Total Resistance against Britannia's Numerical and Technological superiority.  Suzaku logic, in this case, dictated that without his father's leadership, all resistance would falter and a swift peace would come to be despite the ensuing humiliation the Japanese will feel at being conquered.   
 
  This then comes to be true after Suzaku's resulting assassination of his father.  He then up to the start of Code Geass seeks atonement for having committing crime of murder and joins the Britannian army as a Honorary Britannian.  In doing this, he already sets himself apart from Lelouch in that he seeks to change the world for the better by joining hands with the system despite knowing the unfairness of it.  His catchphrase, "The results obtained through the wrong methods are meaningless," is a prime example of his mindset of what he believes to be the correct course of action.  This is the total opposite of Lelouch wanting to tear down the system and rebuild anew.
 
  For Suzaku however, if he had choose to be like Lelouch, that would mean he would be rejecting the point of killing his own father and making that sacrifice meaningless.  To put it another way, the results of his actions would come to mean nothing and rather than forsaking his path, he would rather follow it to its bitter most conclusion if need be.  This is very evident in Suzaku actions as he's reckless with his own life and seeks death often in an attempt to assuage his own survivor guilt from murdering his father.  

 

  However, this starts to change for Suzaku as he would makes friends with Lelouch's childhood love, "Third Princess Euphemia" and in some ways, starts to again believe in himself.  I would say that his development here in his mentality is that, "To have no choice but to kill is the worst way!  No one can be saved like that!,"  to quote Keichi from Higurashi.   You can see the major difference in Suzaku, from Lelouch, is how vastly he holds the sanctity of life compared to his old friend.  Furthermore, you can see Suzaku tragedy had made him an idealist akin to Shirou from Unlimited Blade Works who also wishes to see the everyone happy/saved. They both also happen to share similar cases of Survivor Guilt and their operatus morendi revolve around no one having to suffer like they had to.   This is unlike Lelouch who seeks a more selfish desire of retribution and acts more pragmatically, in regards to the world, but, it's at least not to the extent the Emperor or Schneizel do.
 
  Going back to Suzaku,  I feel he's also a great example of, "It takes pain to know kindness," in action.  Another perfect analogy for him, along with Shirou, would be Yukinoshita from "SNAFU" as she's too a trouble individual that internalizes her pain and seeks to help others out with the empathy of similar circumstances.  Shirou sums up the three in his quote, "I don't want to regret anything.   I want to make all the tragedies that happened into meaningful things by believing my path is right."  Of course, Suzaku and Yukinoshita are on the unbalanced side of things, with Suzaku the worst off of the three, in handling their own suffering.
 
  Still, Yukinoshita serves as a good comparison in understanding mindset even with the comparably less tragic backstory.  All we have to look to is in her debut scene with the main character Hikigaya, of SNAFU, in her conversation when she says, "It's because he doesn't recognize his own problem.  [Hikigaya:  What's with all this telling me to change?  I don't want anyone telling me who to be.]  That's what we call running away. [But changing would be, "Running away from the current situation," wouldn't it?  Why can't you accept someone is now and was in the past?] Because then… Because No worries would get resolved.  No one would be Saved!" 
 
  If we were to tweak the conversation a bit, this could have be construed to be one of the many conversations Suzaku has with Lelouch as Zero.  In some ways, Suzaku and Yukinoshita can come off as self-righteous, which in many cases turns out to be the case in each respective series, but it’s a mindset formed from wanting a earnest desire to help others so they can save themselves despite, never admitting it aloud.  Those that preach of saving others often are the ones most needing of being saved and in Suzaku's case, it's the definitively the case as his memory of murdering his father still plagues him well into Code Geass story.
 
  Unfortunately though for Suzaku,  what overwrites that painful memory for him is another greater tragedy in losing Euphemia and worst of all, it was his best friend was behind her death (Note: we later find in season 2 that it's actually V.V. doing).  This of course has him face off with Lelouch and at the end of it, succeed in capturing him at the end of season one.  I would go on about this development but honestly, Suzaku becomes more of a side character in season 2 as Lelouch comes to bring the world against the Britannia.  The resulting actions there on makes bigger roles for the Emperor and Schneizel that Suzaku role slowly shrinks that of a witness to Lelouch's actions though, he becomes an instrumental ally for Lelouch at the end of the series.  In the end though, it doesn't replace the fact that Suzaku isn't as integral to the development of season 2 as he was in the first and therefore, a lot less interesting to analyze him in it.  
 
  Overall,  I hope you enjoyed my analysis.  I tried my best in making this as interesting as possible by offering as much of my own insight as opposed to just recapping the story of Code Geass.  This in turn though made this Analysis way longer than I originally intended and spent far more time in its creation than I liked.  Still, I'm quite happy with this finished piece and having done so, fulfilled my friends request.   Please if you have any comments or your own analysis to add, please post below.  I'm looking forward to any and all your responses

 

[Kanon: Mai and Sayuri Analysis]

On 6/10/2016 at 11:16 PM, Zalor said:

Regarding what you said before this (about the conversation that Yuuichi had with Sayuri), I always saw that as cancelled out by the very ending, the CG. Which, as you know I associated with a clinging to her past, and despite trying, not being able to successfully overcome her traumas. But I have to say, you've convinced me. I think you are right, she is thinking about not only Kazuya in a positive manner, but truly has found him in her relationship with Mai and Yuuichi. 

Also, your habit of finding more fun sinking your teeth into the subtitles of a work than the actual process of reading I can very much relate with. I really liked the Kanon 2006 anime, and it was the first anime I watched that got me interested in the mediums of anime, manga, and VNs. In a very real way, I feel that the Kanon changed my direction in life. Through the interest in anime I got from Kanon, I later found an interest in broader (and more traditional) Japanese culture, and from there started learning the language. And the Kanon anime was really the starting point of all that. 

So because the Kanon 2006 anime held such a special place in my heart, I felt obligated to read the VN. So Kanon was my first VN, but too be honest with you... While I think the story of Kanon is very good, I think the anime presents it in a much more interesting and fun way. The VN really is kind of a bore a lot of the time. (And it was actually my second ever VN, Yume Miru Kusuri, that got me hooked on VNs during my teenage years). So I understand you when you said, "I learned to love it", lol.

However, the issue of enjoying analyzing more than the actual reading, is something that I have a lot more for books. I don't enjoy the process of reading actual books so much, but I love thinking about their contents. But for a long time, VNs used to be the only written medium that I actually really enjoyed the process of absorbing. Admittedly, while VNs were the only written medium that I actually ever found fun, only a handful of VNs I found were good enough to achieve this. In fact I can list them for you now, (Swan Song, Symphonic Rain, Narcissu, Yume Miru Kursuri, Sayonara wo Oshiete). I've read a decent amount of VNs, but those were the only ones that I really had a special affinity for. 

Furthermore, I think my loss of enthusiasm for VNs really came when I started college. I like to enjoy VNs by reading them in practically one sitting, all at once. And once I started college, I no longer had time for that. And without the luxury to read a VN all at once anymore, I just gradually lost interest. Another reason I think I lost interest though is because around a year ago I put a ban on myself from reading translated titles. The purpose of this was to improve my literacy of Japanese through a semi-immersive environment. And while good study practice, it felt more like work than fun. During those times I probably spent way more time looking at my electronic dictionaries than the actual VN. Sayonara wo Oshiete was the only untld VN that I truly finished, and that was because the story was so fascinating that I eagerly worked through it with a dictionary to find out what happened next.

As somebody who started out learning Japanese from a literary and perspective, but then later on took actual classes. I recommend at least taking a year of classes before tackling VNs (this advice isn't necessarily geared towards you, just me venting a bit, lol). A lot of people in the VN community promote the idea of "Study Japanese grammar, then read VNs with dictionary assistance". But doing it that method as I started out is painfully slow and honestly dull. By taking at least a year of classes first, you can then read manga, VNs, etc without having to constantly look up the most basic shit. You will still read super slow with a dictionary, but at least it will be more tolerable. Also, by taking classes, you can learn to actually speak the language too. Which is necessary if you actually want to communicate with Japanese people irl. 

Sorry for that little rant. But anyway yeah, having been a part of Fuwa for a while, and also having lurked on other VN sites. I think most VN fans find more fun in the actual reading than in the analyzing, which is why I think there exists relatively few analysis of VNs. And one thing I'm sure that you've learned from this, is that once you are done with writing the analysis, you have read and reread scenes in the VN so much that you become kind of sick of them. For all of the VNs I wrote analysis of, during the process of writing the piece, I would reread scenes over and over again to make sure I knew what I was taking about. Also to find to key quotes. And by the time I finished, I couldn't stand the VN for at least a week. But after a month, my love for the VN completely recharges and I appreciate that I went through the effort of writing my thoughts down.  So I think it is totally worth it, but it is definitely a difficult process.   

 

 

I'm going start with a bit of correspondence before I get back to talking about Sayuri and how she relates to my now new experiences with Air.
 
  I want to say that, for me, Kanon was the anime that brought me back into anime as it came at a special time I moved back to my hometown though I'm sure I must have said this earlier elsewhere.  The thing I may have left out, however, I was prior in a japanese culture rejection phase as I was really big into, at the time, western comics and animation.  I'm sure it was fueled by my former home forum apathy towards stuff release here in the west and my futile attempts in convincing them to give them a chance.  Regardless though of that, it was a great many years had I finished an anime in its entirety and despite even then having felt the story was a bit sappy, I really fell in love with it.  I say it was my second anime coming though wouldn't really get big into it maybe a year or two later.  
 
  Moving on, I read only two of the stories (Narcissu and Swan Song) of what you suggested but I'll agree with you there that they are masterpieces.  In Narcissu case, I actually read your analysis of them and I had been quite a long time a fan of yours because of them but it's only now that I can tell you lol.  If anything, I been wanting to either to cross examine your analysis or just write one from scratch from my perspective.  The only problem though as been all my writing efforts been put into Kanon and that my last re-reading of it was last year.  I felt that if there was a time for it, it would had been then when my memories were really fresh.  I just may have to if only to talk about how much I love Himeko, as a person I feel has a significant impact on my own life as someone living and breathing, but it probably has to be after I finished Air.

 

  As for Swan Song, now that's a book so deep that made me lose my faith in humanity aha.  It's the book I would accredit my current sense of wanting to be an ally of justice as to prevent such tragedies.  In all seriousness though, I really love that book but it was so intense that I had to take a massive break for a long time reading dark stuff.  Its only now that I feel enough time has passed that I can reread it this year during the winter.  The reason being, I do want to just reread it but also to see if I got the true end.  I don't think I was such a noob back then not to consult a walkthrough but I heard you had to get a bad end before getting the true end.  I'm curious if the end I got where the MC passes out in the church when the sun starts to show is the true end.   You can tell me if it is or not as it might save me some time in the long run lol.  
 
  Other than that, I have to say I actually place a high enjoyment factor in the reading of visual novels outside the anxious feelings I get sitting still.  I love having a soundscape as it drowns out any lingering mental noise I have and just adds to the immersion factor.  My most real problem however is trying to read more than one visual novel at a time.  It irks me to have a setting clash like a horror story like Higurashi be read after something like Air as it cuts into my immersion factor.  I suppose it’s just me to want to fully concentrate on one thing as to not miss out on the details.    Overall though, I say the vast majority the books that captured my imagination (Like Tsukihime, Steins;Gate, Saya No Uta, One, and even F/S/N despite my mixed feelings) are considered to be popular choices yet, I feel part of the fun in reading them is to connect with the community fan base.  I suppose this in the long run has kept my enjoyment high with visual novels as I'm able to become friends with other fans and in the case of Key works like One and Kanon, I actually immerse myself in playing their doujin fighting game "Eternal Fighter Zero".  It's quite fun really even if I haven't net played but I suppose I'm just a big fighter fan to say.
 
  Moving on, I feel like all the time I spend listening to Japanese music like the Vocaloids and the themse songs to anime along with watching Anime in subs, I definitively could have learned the language and enjoy them even more.  I love the language itself as it sounds distinctive and beautiful to my ears in a way my parents first language, Spanish, doesn't.  Maybe because it's in Spanish that you have to be able to Roll your R's that I gave up trying a long time ago to learn that makes me want to learn Japanese as it doesn't sound like you would do that often.  Even if the case isn't like I imagine it to be, I love it enough to want to learn it so I can enjoy the culture more.  It’s a shame though I can't take classes where I'm at as the local colleges don't offer it as a course.  I maybe instead of watching anime, I should just use the time to look up lessons lol but I digress.
 
  Now to back to discussing Sayuri, that's cool that I was able to convince you.  Where there was not much to Sayuri's indiviual story, I do feel that it was a nice job of Key to give her some time of her own and to give us the reader the answer to why Sayuri wrist was weak after we learned from Mai during the kendo training.  I wonder though, with that in mind, if Key would have maybe thought to do something like that with Kaori as she was the one I wanted to date most lol.   Regardless though, I did certainly feel a connection with Sayuri and I wonder if Key thought they could do something more with Sayuri themselves.
 
  I say this because I been reading Air and Misuzu, I'm guessing the main girl of Air, reminds me of the mannerisms of Sayuri.  I could be just be imagining things as they share the same voice actress and its obvious there will be some overlap.  But still, I feel the way she goes about talking is practically Sayuri if only that she doesn't refer to herself.   Then again, I do see a lot of Nayuki in Misuzu also she shares the same laughing quirks and just acts in a way I imagine a more childish Sayuri would that wasn't plague by losing her younger brother.  Of course, please don't spoil if you know if its defintively is or not the case as I'm only 2 days into the story of Air xD.
 
  Overall though, it's been great having these discussions with you and I feel you've been the only person that has ever really quite kept up with my analysis.   Not in like the comprehension level but being able to intellectually correspond an answer back with your own insight.  I'll be the first to admit though that I have had not joined places, prior to here, that prides itself on intellectual prowess either xD.  Still, I'm glad I was able likewise to made your acquaintance and I hope to hear a response from you soon.

[An Analysis on the miracles of Kanon and the idea of an True Route]

On 6/14/2016 at 9:26 AM, Zalor said:

Sorry it took so long to respond. But don't worry, I haven't forgotten. 

I think your point about Ayu never having met Makoto and Mai, was very interesting. I always assumed that because both Mai and Makoto possess miraculous powers of their own, that Ayu's was not needed. But the fact that they never even met Ayu is another good reason why her miracle wasn't used on them. And I think this is an interesting deviation that the VN has from the 2006 anime. The 2006 anime seems to imply that Ayu's last wish, was Yuuichi's last wish. So what ever he wished for, is what would happen. But in the VN, the wish is more clearly based on Ayu's desire. Hence why it only happens to people she met.

As you seemed to conclude, Yuuichi really is the catalyst for all the miracles in Kanon. And what makes this so significant, is that he is unaware of this. Not only is he unaware, but he is very much presented to the reader as a normal guy (almost a self-insert). But if we take Mai's words to heart, there is something special about Yuuichi. But it seems that only the Heroines are able to see this. And because the story is in first person, we, much like Yuuichi himself, do not see what is so special about him. To us, it seems that these miraculous things happen around him. But perhaps there is something miraculous about him.

In fact, the miracle of Ayu's ghost did not manifest until Yuuichi returned to the town. Ayu may have been desperately waiting for Yuuichi for years, but it was not until Yuuichi physically returned to the town that her ghost appeared. Theoretically, if the power for her to create a ghost of herself sub-consciously was all hers, then she could have done so at anytime. She could have had the ghost manifest and wander around the town for years, waiting for Yuuichi in the real world. But it is only when Yuuichi returns, that she is able to create this ghost. There are only two possible explanations. The most common interpretation (the one the anime implies), is that her desire to meet Yuuichi again was so strong, that she could sense his presence. Thus subconsciously she knew that Yuuichi was not in the town, so she didn't put the effort to create a manifestation of herself to search for him. That is, until she sensed his return.

But the other possibility, is that she was unable to create a manifestation of herself to search for Yuuichi, until he returned. This reading suggests that Yuuichi carries some sort of miraculous aura around him, that gives birth for the opportunity for these miracles. Or if I were to further define what I mean, I think Yuuichi is like a conductor (like an electronic conductor) for miracles. He is incapable of creating any himself, but he has the ability to enhance the power of those who are capable. 

In the case of Ayu, she clearly holds the power of the miracles that relate to her. The Ayu that everybody sees is clearly a projection of her subconscious. But the ability to project such a realistic version of herself, may have to do with Yuuichi's presence enhancing her power to do so.

In Mai's case, it is established that she has the power to save life, and to even create demons. But she is only able to unlock the ability to use her power to save herself through Yuuichi's presence.

And lastly, regarding Makoto. Makoto's power was to create a temporary human form. But through her own raw power, she could only create a form of herself that would get weaker, die, and disappear. But because of Yuuichi's presence, her power is made strong enough where she can be reborn.

So to conclude, I think there is something miraculous about Yuuichi. And I think this subtly is overlooked in the 2006 anime adaptation.

Once again, I am so sorry that it took this long to respond. Simply put, I did not have the mental energy until now to write a thought out and articulate response to your response. I hope that the wait has not been in vain.

PS: Code Geass is a really fun ride, hope you enjoyed it ( you have probably finished it by now).     

 

Before I start, I'd like to offer my own apologies in replying late too.  In the meantime between your two posts (which I will reply to in the other thread in due time) I have written actually two analysis but just posted for Facebook.  I wrote one for Nisekoi as at the time rumored to been ending soon and Code Geass which I had just finished.  I haven't posted them here as it was more for my friends on Facebook to read but I plan to repost my Code Geass one here with some touch up.  It was a great show btw and I wonder if you would read my analysis on that.
 
  The other reason for my delay has been that I been trying to read Air despite saying I was going to finish Moon.  I figured because its summer that it would be an appropriate book to read but I've been making slow progress as its been WAY TOO HOT lately to want to have a laptop resting on me to read it.  I will say though I really do love Misuzu,  based from what little I had read, as she reminds me of a much more interesting Nayuki and on a visual level, I just love the long bangs she has like Mai did in Kanon.  I plan to write a analysis once I finish it but that may be a long way off.
 
  Now going back to the subject of Kanon, I like how you refined my observations on Yuuichi to liken him to be a conductor for miracles.  While I can approve of that, I feel that it's written in a way that still supportive of Ayu being source of miracles.   I still find myself rejecting that notion on the basis because of the circumstances Ayu and Mai has with Yuuichi.
 
  For example, Ayu throughout much of Kanon is the one that meets and departs Yuuichi.  You see this in the first flashback Yuuuichi has where she bumps into him crying and in the present time line where she's running away with the Taiyaki.  This is the complete opposite when it comes to Mai as Yuuichi is the one that always visit's her and then leaves after their night is over.  I find this important as its Ayu always involving herself in Yuuichi's life while with Mai, Yuuichi makes it his business to be by Mai's side.  To clarify, Ayu's fate is one of being drawn to Yuuichi and its Yuuichi's fate to be involved with Mai.   If there was to be a miracle for Ayu, I would think it has to be one where she comes to be with Yuuichi than having a power for herself. 

 

  Furthermore, Ayu has a remarkable circumstance that is near exactly the same as Mai.  The reason she even meets Yuuichi is because she's crying in grief over her mother's passing away and is roaming the town.  If we were to take this event literally, Ayu failed, unlike Mai, to use her power to save her own mother's life.  Looking at it another way, Ayu may not have a power of a miracle to save lives or change fate.  Kanon may not give us specific details on miracles but I find it odd that Ayu isn't shown to be special like either Makoto or Mai through her own backstory.  If there was a time to sow the seeds of her being unique, I think it would had been during this time.  
 
  Continuing on, we know that Yuuichi, Before moving away for seven years, that he makes a promise with Ayu to play again.  The scene following that in the flashback talks in detail how he purposely made an illusion of being able to give a gift to his first love and how happy she was in receiving it.  He then goes on to say that he chose to reject reality and accept this story as to not damage his heart even more.  What I find amazing, in his monologue to himself, is that Yuuichi here reminds me REMARKABLY similar to Mai's rejection of her powers.  I find myself here, because of this, believing that maybe's Ayu's dream is Yuuichi's hope he had seal himself in his heart.   This isn't any stretch of the imagination either as Mai was able to make a seal space also for her power and cherished place.  I can see this easily being the case with Yuuichi too with Ayu. 
 
  Talking of comparing Yuuichi to Mai, I can see similarities of Mai's dilemma in Ayu's route but with Yuuichi facing the problems Mai has.  In this case, it's Yuuichi the one struck with a tragedy and rejecting a part of himself.  It just comes to be that, for Yuuichi, there's someone else that convinces that part of himself to come to terms.  This makes me believe even more that Ayu is really a normal girl and that for the other routes ending such as Nayuki and Shiori, the other major correlation is that YUUICHI himself is very much invested In those two people.  For Nayuki happiness, it's for her sake that Akiko recovers from the accident and with Shiori, that she is able to overcome her illness so they can spend their lives together.  
 
  Overall, I suppose my argument here is that Yuuichi is more than a conductor miracle but rather, a source of miracles himself.  In Ayu's case, it would the make sense that her wish would come to be as Yuuichi also wants to be with Ayu.  This would then also support the implication in the anime that Ayu's last wish is Yuuichi's wish too.  Furthermore, it would explain why Ayu goes away In the other routes as Yuuichi heart goes to focus on a new love and is no longer bounded to Ayu.  Ayu's then last wish then can be explained literally by Shiori's ending statement, of her route, that Ayu's last wish really was a gift for staying that long within the dream because of Yuuich's power keeping her there.
 
   In the end though, I might just be in the mindset of denying Ayu's power but I rather believe that it's because Yuuichi making his own miracles.  The story makes Yuuichi to be a special person and all the developments relating to Ayu can be traced back to him.  Where at first I was thinking it was because of Mai's power helping him, I think Yuuichi always had a power like Mai and IT COULD BE THE REASON that Mai's power mark him as someone capable of accepting her.  In this case, Yuuichi is Mai's boy counterpart that uses his power to protect himself rather than self-destructive means.  Regardless though, his potential for miracles could be the reason why he can accept Mai to begin with as he's unique like her.  
 
  So now to bring things to conclusion, its Yuuichi potential for a miracle that Ayu is able to tap into one and make herself reconnect with him.  I could be distracting myself though with analogies with Mai and that Ayu just has her own different miracle but,  the events in the story always has Yuuichi playing some part in her miracle.  Even the third wish, the one that is used to change a cruel fate, is based on the promise that he makes to her that's limited to what he's capable of.  I would find it to be a major problem story wise if its because of a supposed Ayu's innate power that a wish is granted when it should be Yuuichi doing so.  With that said, I find it easier to believe that Ayu was blessed with Yuuichi to be in her life and there lies the miracle that becomes the foundation for everything else that follows.

 

[An Analysis on the miracles of Kanon and the idea of an True Route]

On 6/6/2016 at 8:07 AM, Zalor said:

Haha, I can totally relate in reading perhaps too deeply into Mai's route. And while I do disagree with you on your "True route argument", I definitely agree with you when you said "Mai's route is the most in-depth and complex of all the routes". This is certainly true, and Mai's route has fascinated me for quite a while. 

Mai's route is certainly isolated from the other routes. That fact that you could never even meet with Mai once if you read the other routes only emphasizes this. As you pointed out, she is a precursor to Ayu. But I do not see how the two are connected at all. Furthermore, if there were a "True Route", I don't see why it would not be Ayu's. Most of the endings in the VN are connected to the last miracle she grants (Nayuki, Shiori, and of course Ayu herself). 

However, while I can't buy the argument that Mai's is the "true route", I don't feel it matters whether her route is or not the "true one". What is true, and what we both agree on, is that hers is the most interesting and has the most complexity to it. And I would agree that while Mai is an incredibly tragic character, Sayuri is even sadder (If you are curious about why I think this, I elaborate in my analysis of Mai and Sayuri). At least Mai can get a happy ending, even in Sayuri's side route, she has no happy ending if you think about it. But what I find even more fascinating than that, is that both Sayuri and Mai are fundamentally intertwined.  

What is most tragic about Mai, is how she is destroying herself. She fights the Demon's out of denial, and more than anything, self-denial. She hates herself, and feels that she is irredeemable. And it is in this horrid depression that she and Sayuri are fundimently connected. They both hate themselves, but love the other. But neither can make the other truly happy, as they are sub-consciously connected by their self-loathing. Only with Yuuichi's intervention can Mai ever attain happiness again. And only with Yuuichi's involvement will Sayuri even begin hating herself less.

 

Back on point to what you were arguing. If I understood it correctly, you were saying that Mai wanted Yuuichi to achieve a sense of closure with Ayu so that he can then emotionally dedicate himself to Mai. At least, that is how I understood this sentence that you wrote

" Mai's power, in this case, may allowed Ayu  a chance to reconnect with Yuuichi and give him a sense of closure so he can be better equipped emotionally to help Mai. "

But I think this is forgetting that Mai is completely self-involved. She would never think of something so elaborate like that, because she is too busy self-loathing to involve herself with other people. Infact, that is the very essence of the tragedy of Mai. That she is too busy hating, and destroying herself, to involve herself with anybody (and this includes Ayu or any of the other heroines). The only person (other than Yuuichi) that she is capable of involving herself with, is another individual who hates herself just as much. 

   I first want to first off discuss the ending routes miracles a bit more in detail in relation to Ayu.  It's Shiori route that she gives a genre-savy and slight 4th wall breaking dialogue to Yuuichi about how the life they can be living is a dream of someone. To quote her, "Like, somebody's dreaming about me, about us,  and they can have one wish granted, anything.  Only within the dream, obviously.  Well, of course she couldn't just have a wish granted for no reason.  Like, when she first started living in the dream world,  she couldn't do anything but cry.  But if she kept waiting in the dream, forever and ever… Then maybe she'd have a chance.  Maybe it would be given to her, kind of like a present, after she'd been waiting so long.  So she can have any wish she wants granted.  Absolutely anything.  Like, say… Maybe she could help someone who was really seriously ill with her one single wish."
 
   In this quote, Shiori doesn't say anything about the power being Ayu's but rather, something given to her.  Ayu's small miracle, if we used this also for the basis of Nayuki's route ending, is only within the dream to ask for a wish to be granted opposed to granting a final wish.  This is very much in line with the third wish that was promised to her by Yuuichi.  I find this to be an important distinction as it doesn't make Ayu particularly important other than sharing a fateful encounter with Yuuichi.  At least, not special the way Mai and Yuuichi (which I will explain coming up later why so).  

 

  Moving on, we know that all the heroines have a concurrent history with each other.  This means that everything prior to Yuuichi return did happen like Ayu's accident and Makoto being a fox he took care of.  The divergence point though is when he does arrive and Kanon becomes a bit like Schrodinger's Cat.  I figure all the routes are all legitimate ends and they all do happen but, it's how the player makes the choices that it proceeds to arrive at a heroines end.  If this is really the case, the chances of Key setting apart a true route and leaving it to the player to delve deeper into the story to realize one look slim.  Yet, there are some things to keep in mind why the possibility remains.
 
  For this example, I'll use Tsukihime as it's a contemporary VN, to Kanon, that was released just a year after Kanon's release.  Tsukihiime has five heroines just like Kanon and has a main character, Arcueid, whose route is the true end.  Yet, we find all the major background information of why the events of Tsukihime happen the way they do in the last route. In this case, Tsukihime and Kanon share the same in common in that their last route you can gleam why there stories evolve the way they did. 
 
     In the case of Tsukihime, it's in Kohaku's route that you find she's responsible for releasing the main villain from his imprisonment and corrupting his thoughts so that she can gain her revenge on the Tohno family.  Yet, you're not able though to reach her route and find this out until you played through all the other heroines route.  The way I find the two similar, Kohaku's and Mai's route, is in how relatively isolated Mai's route is from the other girls along with, being the route that is thematic opposite of the main girl.  Very much like the same way Kohaku's arc goes about a different direction from Arcueid the Vampire Princess action story,  Mai's route differentiate itself by being a moody, thriller compared to the slice of life, fantasy of Ayu's.  The point being here is that the routes accomplish different goals from the main route by being thematically different.  

 

   To return the story back to Kanon, Mai's route show's miracles happening.  Because all the stories are concurrent, we know that the world of Kanon is a miraculous place though I suppose you can learn the same from Makoto's route.   The difference here though from Makoto's is that Mai's power explains what Mai's miracle really is to Yuuichi.  The conversation goes as followed with the [----] areas being where Yuuichi says lines.
 
  Mai's power Sat. 30 January:  [Is that your answer or that of the Mai right now?]  Both, we've always needed you [Why, even though it was such a short period of time] … That's her power. [Power?] … Yes, Mai's true power.  Her ability to say, 'He's the one' and trust in him.  [….And that's me…?]  …Yes.  That's why you came back, Yuuichi… To the place we can no longer visit… Yuuichi, you were called, I'm sure of it, because of Mai's power… I was born on that day, from her, an honest prayer…  Since, I couldn't stay with Mai no matter what...  Her hope… The hope that somewhere in the world there would be a person who could teach her to like herself. [But everything had started here….Now, everything is over…isn't it?...] … But we can start over from that time… Even ten years of time can be taken back… because Mai is still the little girl  from back then… So, Please take care of future Mai.  If you meet her again, she'll think the same thing. That you are the one.  Okay? [Yeah]  Then. Let's introduce ourselves. [To whom?]   And promise.

 

  Mai's power here reveals to him that the power behind her miracle is that of how earnestly she can believe.  This would also back up in the flashback her statement about believing her mother wouldn't die/will not die as she cites herself as wishing it with all her heart.  Furthermore, this establishes as a past event the creation of a wish resulting from Mai.  This in turn shows that it’s a concurrent happening with the rest of Kanon and that it co-exist with Ayu history with Yuuichi.  
 
  Thinking deeper, I want to bring up is that, if we are to take Mai's power literally where she says, " 'He's the one" and trust in him"; then, Yuuichi had all along Mai's blessing ever since their meeting in the wheat field.  I feel this to be true in a broad sense but the lines immediately after can only be taken in the context of Yuuichi being summoned to Mai's cherished place.  The point remains however that Mai had always believed in Yuuichi despite denying her power.  And just by believing, Mai is known to create miracles.  These phenomena shouldn't stop just because she's denying her power.
 
  Moving the conversation back to Yuuichi, this would set him apart not only just in Mai's eyes but as someone special within Kanon.  I wouldn't though say that he can actively tap into a miracle the way Mai can.  I feel it's more that he's the one that can make thing happens.  In the case of Ayu, he makes a promise to play with her again and the miracle is that it does happen.  I feel Ayu is only in the dream as to make true on the promise Yuuichi made.  Furthermore, the third wish is only important as "who Ayu knows." 
 
   This is an important distinction as Ayu never meets Mai or Makoto in any route.  Where I said before it could be because they're capable of their own miracle, it may just be that she doesn't know them to think on their behalf to make a wish. In all the other cases, she made friends with Nayuki, Akiko, and Shiori to justify in making one last wish for them.  Had she known Mai, she may have wished that she doesn't die from bleeding out and with Makoto, make a wish that she could stay a human with Yuuichi.  In this case, I feel it's Ayu that's a selfless and kind person to think of others before herself.  That's why in the other routes, she doesn't think of using that last wish to leave the dream.    
 
  When it comes to Ayu's own route,  Yuuichi makes a surprising statement saying, "No matter what miracle it was from, Ayu and I met in this city." This is, by the way, said after he realizes that Ayu shouldn't been able to meet him because of past circumstances but still did anyways.  Continuing on, I find this to be of interest because of the background wish Mai has about Yuuichi.  Where I'm not so sure now how much active influence this actually has on Yuuichi, I feel that Yuuichi himself is special person even without it.  After all, Mai's power sets apart Yuuichi as someone capable of accepting her.  This could be because he may be unique in a way similar to Mai and Kanon, as a story, down plays it lest it takes away from the heroines stories.
 
  With that Yuuichi's statement in mind, I feel that the story is acknowledging that the miracle responsible for Ayu could be anything or anyone, not just Ayu herself.  I also feel it becomes more profound when you think of them in context of some Ayu's last words, right before she disappears, of, "I wanted to be with you longer, Yuuichi…  Is it mean of me to make a wish like this?" There's no mentions after these lines that Ayu is focusing on making them come true.  She's just confiding, albeit very heartbreakingly in a very feels worthy tender moment, what her wish would be and how much she wants to be with Yuuichi.
 
  On another note, Ayu breakdown there reminds me of the situation Shiori has when she confesses to Yuuichi how scare she was.  They're remarkably similar circumstances brings me to think again that Ayu is not responsible for the miracle as in her own route because she's desperate for one herself.  The one thing they do share in common is that Yuuichi is the one they confide in.  
 
  Now to bring everything I discussed together, I feel that Ayu is not responsible for the miracles and it's not necessarily Mai's power either.  Where I do think Mai's blessing has influence on Yuuichi,  I feel now that it's because of Yuuichi that miracles happen.  At the very least, it would knock out  Ayu as being a definitive true route book wise and goes to reinforcing my original point that she's not responsible for the miracles in Kanon.  It’s a shame though that my further discussion of the matter near extinguishes Mai's route possibility of being a true route based on just in-text evidence.  I suppose though that the biggest winner is the protagonist and he doesn't even realize it except for in Mai's route.
 
  Other than that, I mention this in your analysis but I think you undersell Sayuri's catharsis and inner qualities the same way she does about herself  lol.  I feel the subtext to her route is that Sayuri is stronger than she lets on to others and herself.  She also says in-game to Yuuichi that she finds it surprising that she even harbored such self-loathing back then.  This shows by the time Yuuichi shows up and her friendship cemented with Sayuri, she has progressively moved away from just being defined by her depression.   I find though your thoughts to be accurate about Mai.
 
  In the end though, that's just my opinions on both matters. What stands out clearly however is that I care too much about proving my points and I doubt the time spent researching/discussing my points was justified lol.  I hope at the very least you see some merit in what I had to say and reconsider some things from my PoV about Kanon.  If failing that, at least be thoroughly entertained by this analysis.  
 
Some Afterwords: While  I do eagerly await any response, though its Zalor that I wrote this for in expectation of his return thoughts,  I feel that I'm very near in reaching my closing chapter of my life with Kanon lol.  I really want to move on to something new and I actually had been binge watching Code Geass R2 to serve as a palate cleansor.  The change of pace that show provides gave me the motivation to stick a little longer with Kanon lol but I can't wait to return to Moon, the other pre-Key novel.  I feel that book is their most psychological and in-depth story.  It makes wonder if they will ever make another story like it.   Anyways, I'm looking to the comments.

[Kanon: Mai and Sayuri Analysis]

17 hours ago, Zalor said:

Hey man, don't worry about responding a bit late. Especially with me, as I am no longer as active as I used to be. 

Also, your criticisms about a lot of the article having too much summery is completely justified. At the time I wrote this, I wanted people who had not read Kanon (but didn't care about spoilers) to be able to understand it. So I included a lot more summery then I should have. Also, I wanted people who hadn't obsessed over Kanon as much as I had, to remember the key points that I would be referencing. In any case, this was my first serious analysis of a VN, and I my over inclusion of summery was admittedly a key fault. 

Regarding the rest of what you said, particularly about Sayuri. I see how you could see her ending as happy, especially with her last words. But I think what makes the ending particularly complex, is that the final CG does contradict a happy ending. She claims to be looking forward to the future. But we see no proof of this. She still refers to Yuuichi formally (if I remember correctly), and her last thought, is of remembering her brother. Thus showing that while she claims to be looking towards the future, in reality she is still hindered by her past too much.

Another crucial point, is that Sayuri can not be happy with only Mai, or only Yuuichi. She requires the two of them. And this seems to be true of Mai as well. In both of their respective endings, all three of them end up together. Mai and Sayuri have an inseparable relationship, but they are incapable of giving each other true happiness. Yuuichi is needed for them to all finally be happy. But unlike Sayuri's ending, Mai's is very clear that she has found her path to happiness. While Sayuri's route contradicts her well meaning words with the final CG. 

This is all I have to say for now. Unfortunately it has been a while since I have last been able to seriously close read Kanon. But I'm glad to have run into you. You are probably the only other person I have met who loves Kanon to the same degree I used to. And at this current state in time, you have probably surpassed me. As over this past year, I have lost a lot of the enthusiasm I used to have with VNs. But it will remain a story that is close to my heart, and it is really nice to know that there is somebody else out there that loves it enough to write thousands of words about it.  For the longest time I used to be alone in this obsession with Kanon. I honestly do feel that it is the strongest work by KEY (even better than Clannad in my view).  

  Right after Sayuri says "This is my goal," she continues to explain to Yuuichi, "Sayuri has still a long way to go.  Sayuri will do her best.  So please, wait a little longer."  I feel this provides ample evidence that she's acknowledging there is a problem and is reassuring Yuuichi who asked, "I can't replace Kazuya but, can you at least treat me the same?" Where I can see why you point out Sayuri is clinging to the past, there's evidence here that shows that, despite the three years she had with Mai, she's only barely still getting started.  Of course it would seem like she's not letting go because of this but in her defense, most of us don't in real life, and the best we can hope for is coming to terms with our sad moments like Sayuri does in Kanon. 
 
  Moving on, Yuuichi's immediate thoughts upon hearing Sayuri words are: "I couldn't say anything.  I couldn't even blurt out an apology.  I felted ashamed for not understanding it earlier.  Maybe it's something Mai doesn't even know.  Those unspoken words." As a first party observer witnessing Sayuri's story, he provides primary commentary within Kanon on how insensitive and thoughtless it was asking Sayuri to treat him the same as Kazuya.  I take this as an indirect way of Kanon telling readers that Yuuichi's been under estimating how far Sayuri has come and how hard she works knowing she can't live that way forever.  I feel that it would be unwise to ignore this subtext in determining her ending as it's evidence of coming to terms with Kazuya.
 
  Furthermore, Sayuri follows up to Yuuichi thoughts and says, "Someday, I'll use those words.  Though, Sayuri doesn't even know when that will be.  But someday, surely…. (She then says here to imitate a greeting) Morning, Yuuichi-kun. Like that."  Though she admits that doesn’t feel comfortable yet to dropping the politeness with Yuucihi, she provides the proof of concept of when such a day will come.  Yuuichi, in her eyes, is very close in crossing over the threshold of being familiar with Sayuri and she is telling him here that it’s a definite possibility she will start calling him the way she does Mai.  Yuuichi response here after that is a simple, "Don't worry, I'm in no hurry.  Just take your time."

 

 With all this in mind, I actually have to disagree with you that the ending CG is contradictory to a happy end.  The subtext in the previous conversations provide a strong reasoning why we shouldn't look at it melancholically.  Furthermore, the literally last words of Sayuri, "Isn't this… what I always wanted?   The happiness I've been searching all this time," I feel is ample evidence that the CG is a happy one.  If we're literally following her line of thought, she's thinking that all she ever wanted to do with Kazuya, she's obtain with Mai and Yuuichi. This is a line of interpretation that's powered by the subtext of how she emerged, with the knowledge of how to be happy, from her depression, by becoming best friends with Mai, and the current every day happiness she's experiencing.   
 
  To look at it another way, I definitively think that Sayuri is thinking about her brother.  THE MAJOR difference however is that she's thinking of him in a happy manner.  The thoughts of him there no longer pains her and she can think back on him now, after becoming friends with Mai and Yuuichi, cheerfully.  Just because Sayuri still has feelings for him and remembers him, it doesn't mean that its cruel fate that shackles her to the past.  If anything, I think it's giving her strength now to continue happily forward much as for his sake as her own.  
 
  Other than that, I don't see too much significance that Sayuri's happiness is tied to Mai and Yuuichi.  I feel what's more important is that her miracle of happiness is achieved through them.  She saves herself through them and that's what is crucial about her ending.  Furthermore, there is the fact the Sayuri is a supporting actress to Mai's story and Yuuichi, in being a decent human being, can't ignore Mai for Sayuri as he'll have to turn a blind eye to the night fighting at school.  In this case, it's literally, "Love unlike justice, which cannot lose, DOESN'T have to WIN."  A Yuuichi that chases a love that involves Sayuri could only end badly for Mai.  I imagine Sayuri wouldn't do that to Mai like she says at the end of Mai's route. [Edit:  It’s a lot like the case of Toradora where Mai's voice actress Tamura plays the character Minori.  Minori has obvious feelings for Ryuji but sees her best friend Taiga loving him just as much, if not more, and decides to let Taiga have him as she needs his company more than her.  I feel its likewise in this case for Sayuri.] 
 
  To further clarify, Sayuri is plenty happy as she is and I don't see that as a tragedy.  She doesn't need Yuuichi the way Mai does nor does her rasion d' tere for living revolve around being accepted like Mai.  Sayuri's miracle here is that she actually does find people she can make happy and therefore bring herself to be happy too.  In summary, Sayuri has been longed saved way before Mai was in my opinion. It's just that her tragic past still clings closely to her and still has its influence.  Just not enough though, to me, to justify saying that Sayuri isn't happy or doomed because to it.  On a side note, I suppose she can be less self-deprecating to better signify better the happiness she is living in.
 
  Overall, this is why I think Sayuri isn't a tragic character nor is her ending.  I just wonder if my line of reasoning and evidence is compelling enough evidence to convince you.  I'll admit though to having feelings, in trying to prove my own analysis, that I'm selling short the misery Sayuri did experience.  But, I think Sayuri's route is complex enough, despite the 30 minute playtime, to intellectually dwell on whether if she is or not happy at the end of Kanon.  I'm just on the opinion she is.
 
  Now ignoring the talk of analysis for a bit, I can understand the feelings of not being enthusiastic for visual novels like you used to.  I took like a year and a half to finish the last VN before Kanon for me to finish.  For me, I get restless siting in one place and visual novels I feel are a very passive hobby that doesn't distract me from those anxious feelings.  That's why I took a long break as I just sick of using my free time looking at a computer screen despite enjoying the stories very much so.  
 
  In the case of Kanon,  I felt I was driven to have a primary experience of the story after watching the anime.  Every step of the way though it felt like a tedious chore and a homework I gave myself.  In other words, I really didn't enjoy my time with Kanon lmao despite more than 8k words I dedicated to the story.  I have my OCD about following a creators work chronologically and being a completionist about finishing what I started to thank..  
 
  As for all my posts, I decided to write everything I did so that in my discussions with everyone, I can sort all my feelings on the matter Kanon lest I want to start reading from page one again.   I rather have fun in showing someone else my interpretations  and learning something new from another person view point than go over the same boring material.  I say boring in this case as I read the book so much that I'm sick and tire of it lol.
 
  Overall, yeah I feel you lol and that I'm not very active part of a community either.  I just decided to join Fuwanovel's in hopes that someone here actually read Kanon.  I used to be a big forum goer back in the day however.  That's why I'm so used to writing these big posts as I had ran the debate tournaments, RPG sections, and writing forum.   Sounds like a lot of work, and it was, but I felt I was more satisfied writing and talking  about subjects than actually reading or watching the stuff people brought up in conversation lol.  I suppose this made me a boring conversational partner that could just talk about nothing forever lol.  Anyways, I'm looking forward to your response. 

Afterword: I realized that I forgot to talk about your reasoning about why the Analysis is the way it is.  I don't think the information dump on what occurs in Mai's route is the problem but, its the lack of one 

Afterword: I realized that I forgot to talk about your reasoning about why the Analysis is the way it is.  I don't think the information dump on what occurs in Mai's route is the problem but, its the lack of one to one ratio of your own supplemental insight.  Not to say that you should make everything balance but, I feel it would add more for the primary reader's enjoyment to hear more of your own thoughts than what just Kanon/Yuuichi says about Mai and Sayuri.  That said, it serves as a good refresher and it accomplishes that goal well. 

  Now for some off topic stuff, I have now written more on the discussion of Kanon than I have for my love of Type-moon, Monogatari, and freaking Madoka Magica.  All three of them I own stuff of and seen their animes countless times.  I love them a whole lot more than I did with Kanon, especially Madoka Magica which I think is Flawless, but, I feel Kanon just became one of those stories I worked to love like I did Elfen Lied.  

Now, that's a story I know I liked but wasn't in love with, Elfie Lied that is, but ended up wanting to have a complete understanding of it.  So like with Kanon, I read the whole manga and discussing it at lengths with friends that matched the intensity of my Type-moon and Madoka Magica love. I suppose , in these cases, that both works are like cats  in that it takes effort to love and that's what makes the love more special than what comes naturally. 

[Kanon: Mai and Sayuri Analysis]

On 7/30/2014 at 2:15 PM, Zalor said:

Well it's finally done. In side the spoiler contains a literary analysis of Mai Kawasumi and Sayuri Kurata from the visual novel and anime Kanon. I explore the complexities of their friendship through analyzing them as individuals. I don't want to say any thing more because of spoilers. Speaking of spoilers, if you have not watched the Kanon 2006 anime, or read Mai and Sayuri's routes in the Kanon Visual Novel then you have been warned. However, if you read Mai's route without reading Sayuri's, I personally wouldn't stray away from this paper as Sayuri's route is only around an extra 30 min - 60 min of original text. So I don't think you would be spoiling yourself from much, but in the end it's your choice. This paper does not spoil any other character routes.  

 

A few notes about how I incorporated quotes: 

 

1) Non-Directional Translations created the English patch for the Kanon visual novel, so my quotes are of their translation. 

 

2) After I finish a quote I cite the character's route by writing their name, and then I include the in-game day that it was said. For example: if Mai said "I like Usagi-san", and the in-game day was January 15th. I would write it like this: Mai said, "I like Usagi-san"(Mai, Jan 15). This is significant because... (It's not).

 

 

 

Hidden Content

 

Before I begin, I like to first take a moment in offering my apologies in taking a long time to give you a response.  I know it was in my analysis that you posted your thoughts but, I thought it would be more appropriate tell you my thoughts here on Sayuri x Mai dynamic first.  Furthermore, the reason why I took so long to respond was that I really was mentally exhausted from writing back to back Analysis and review of Kanon (It was well over 8k words and probably 20 pages worth of material) that I needed a small break away from Kanon to decompress.  With that said, here's my input.
 
  First off, I enjoyed reading your analysis but I felt it was almost retelling ad verbatim of what Kanon says about their characters.  There was very small original content of your own thoughts and research to supplement the material and it felt weak at parts because of this.  To put it another way, I felt like I was reading Mai's route again but having you tell me what the book says as opposed to Yuuichi saying it via dialogue or inner monologue.  I think the analysis could, in this case,  definitively use more analogies, comparisons, and insight to be of interest to those that already read the route.  As it is, the analysis feels like it would be better suited to telling readers that never intend to read Kanon why you like them so much.  I hope though that you see this more as constructive criticisms than an attack on the analysis itself.
 
  Second,  I agree with 95 percent of what you said in your analysis. I would have to disagree though on some of the dynamic points on Sayuri though.  For example, I believe that Sayuri not to be so tragic as you make her out to be (though she's pretty tragic no doubt) and that I have a different take on their relationship.  The way I see it, Sayuri's precious person is Mai but,  Mai sees her as a best friend though, to be fair, Sayuri uses the same terminology for Mai.  In this case, Sayuri is already on the road to moving away from her brother's death by a step but it's Mai that stays as she has been.  Though they have a close bond, Mai didn't offer to tell her about her power.  Sayuri, on the other hand, told her about the attempted Suicide she had. 
 
  Furthermore, Sayuri says in Kanon in the defense of Mai to the student council, when she broke the school window,  that despite only knowing Mai for a short time, she knew that Mai to be important to her.  Sayuri may say she looks at things objectively and lives her life of a detached third party but, she's still plenty capable of feeling.  I say in this case that Sayuri here proves that she can love again but it only really works when both parties are involved. I feel Mai drops the ball here a bit with Sayuri because of this and, that's why they need Yuuichi's help.  
 
  Going on to discussing Mai, I feel you're right about that she's happy that Sayuri accepts her and that's why their best friends.  The problem here though is that Mai doesn't set apart Sayuri way she does the boy in her memory.  I don't fault her either for that as her miraculous power, in her eyes, lied about someone being there that would accept that power.  Being that even a child that her power, that's so special because it saved her mother's life, said surely would accept her would reject her in the end, there would be zero chance, to Mai, that anyone else could accept that about her.  Not even her Best friend Sayuri and yet, Sayuri was able to believe this to be about Mai.  On the flipside of this, the child in Mai's memory is the person she sets apart most because he represented her hopes being crushed and there's no way Sayuri in their normal livelihood will replace that relationship.
 
   Moving on, Sayuri's route I feel to be bittersweet but not tragic as you implied it to be.  To quote her, "I really wanted to make her happy.  That was what would make me happy. I realized this by the warm feeling that spread throughout my body.  A person can make themselves happy, by making others happy. I've spent three years together with her, living in happiness.  Being a bad sister to Kazuya taught me a very important lesson.  When we give each other happiness, we all can be happy.  So do your best to become happy.  (Sayuri) That's my goal in my life."  There's nothing wrong in having shame or regrets about your decision but, its only when you forsake that you path that's been set on that becomes the problem.  I imagine that in my viewing of what Sayuri says in her route that, I'm an optimist at heart and that the words she says sound sure of someone that found their path to the miracle they seek.  In Sayuri's case, it's moving on and making Kazuya proud.  This doesn't sound like a tragic character to me as a person that carrying on past their tragedy. [Edit:  Izumi Akazawa from Another, now that's a tragic character.]
 
  To further quote Sayuri: "This is Happiness.  Being with Mai and Yuuichi-san together. All of us eating and talking together.  Isn't this… what I always wanted?  The happiness I've searched for all this time."  These are her literal last words of her route and they don't sound melancholic nor does the voice actress in this scene.  I feel in this case that the last CG you see is a lot like that of Makoto at the end of her route with piro. For Makoto, It's either that she came back alive via another miracle or that its symbolizing a happy thought.  I get the feeling in this case that Sayuri and Key are imaging a happy story in much the same way Shiori talks about, "Humans made fiction so they can see a happy ending."  I'm paraphrasing that by the way lol but the message is practically the same.  My argument here though is that it's not Sayuri not clinging to the past but imaging a happy what could have been.
 
  I suppose my overall point about Sayuri is that I feel you're selling the mini development a little short of the catharsis she experienced.  She's found happiness and an stable path in maintaining it.  That's why I don't feel she's a tragic character as a person to look up to.  I also feel that it wasn't a lack of trying on Sayuri's part to save Mai as she been defending her all three years at school.  Mai just needed another push and Yuuichi provides that.  One could also argue that it would have been impossible for Yuuichi to help had it not been for Sayuri presence.  Remember, she's the one that offers him to  have lunch with them and provides Yuuichi opportunities to get closer to Mai.  On a side note, I will say however that Sayuri's backstory is more tragic than Mai's and maybe par with Shiori and Ayu's.  
 
  Other than that, I feel Mai is a prime example of, "It takes pain to know Kindness."  That's why I feel Sayuri to have been attracted to Mai when she was letting the dog bite her hand.  It's not because Mai's in pain from being bit but because Mai is emphasizing with the dog's hunger.  Knowing that he's only on edge because he's hungry, Mai lets him take his frustrations in a controlled manner of letting him bite her hand; as opposed to rampantily attacking everything he sees.  Sayuri, despite being depressed, is able to pick up on how really nice and kind Mai really is even though she does it in a manner that isn't the norm.  The kindness here, by the way, that Sayuri always wished she could have showered on Kazuya.  It goes to show that even in the middle of her destruction, Mai still treats the world the way she wishes to be treated and that's speaks wonders for her character's complexity. 
 
Overall though, this is what I would supplement and incorporate had I been the one to write their character dynamic analysis.  I feel still your writing here is still the bible for explaining their relationship though.  I may also feel that I maybe too opinionated on see Sayuri in a positive light but then again, I could title my analysis "A Rebuttal:  The Light that is Sayuri at the End of the Tunnel" and have it be legitimized as an analysis that way lol.  In the end regardless, it was wonderful to discuss Kanon with you.
 
Afterwords:  I felt that I should have gone more into my thoughts on Mai side of things but I would just be retreading my review and miracle analysis.  If I was to write my own version of their character dynamic, I would definitively would have included it but as it is, I don't feel the need to as you read them.  I just wonder still if it’s the right call though.  But even if it is or isn't, this response took like a hour to make and I'm quite satisfied with the way it came out.   I'll judge the need to see about writing about Mai from your response. Other than that, I still plan to respond to your post on my thread.  Look forward to that.

 

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

45 minutes ago, Okarin said:

But Makoto is a tsundere done right. Her attitude is even justified by her backstory, and then leads to drama and feels. Most tsunderes are tsun just because, why not?

You're not wrong but I mean the case of Moon's Haruka.  She reminds if anything of Kaori in Kanon and the book 'One" kind of skips having a character like her.  As for Makoto, She seems to me like if she was a more childish Nanase.  That's my take though

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

14 minutes ago, Novel21 said:

Of course I love Key VNs, who don't love Key VNs in the first Place.

I would really like to play Little Busters again but I'm waiting for Perfect Edition to come out

You're ahead of Me as I haven't read Air and I'm not even finish with Moon.  Which reminds me,  I feel I see a lack of Moon discussions and that book I feel is the most Raw Key novel ever.

Like, it's the Anti key Feels lol.  Like imagine all that sappy "Shot right through the Kokoro" and "Unlimited Feel Works" of all their stories then have it be flipside upside down to where you lose your faith in humanity lol.

On another note, I feel it stands out too just because how modern the character tropes still feel from a story back from 1997.   I suppose the concept of a tsundere was probably well established as Asuka Langely Soryu was already a popular character but,  one of the girls reminded me of more later Tsun like Rin.  That's my take though.

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

43 minutes ago, ittaku said:

Yui Horie is such a perfect Voice Actress that almost any anime she's in goes up a rating or two just by her presence. Glad you noticed how important she was to bringing Ayu to life (coincidentally her voice acting in Love Hina which you mentioned is THE reason I became addicted to anime.)

I feel Yui was the reason I was able to finish golden time as the scond half SUCKD big time and was such a disappointment being it was maker of Torodora.

 

So Yeah,  Anime does get better with just her presence.  I should mention Though that it's her Tsundere B that's second to None as her Naru and Koko (Kaga? I forget the name from Golden Time) were prime examples of what I mean.

On a side note, Had Monogatari (I'm actually really behind as I haven't watched Tsuki OR past that) let Yui be black cat mode for all conversations,  she be best the best girl even with the likes of Maaya Sakamoto and Chiwa Saito.  This reminds me,  I should definitely one day make a favorite Voice actress thread and ranking to finally sort my own thoughts on whose the best of all time.

40 minutes ago, Novel21 said:

Good said Yoyo and I never have played One, but I might give the VN a try one day

Trust me that past the late 90's PlayStation era CG's,  the book is great.  I practically love all the girls in it (wasn't much a fan of the mute girl and the middle schooler but that's another story) and they rank as some of my most favorite routes of any book.  To put in perspective, I like 4 then more than I do Saber and I freaking have a wall scroll over the door of my restroom of her (The front going in side for those that have dirty thoughts xD).  Saber is literally the first face I wake up to use the restroom.   So yeah, the girls are awesome and well written if they can compare to Saber.  Plus, it's more of Key's writing if you like them.

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

17 hours ago, Novel21 said:

You are very welcome

the truth it's at I start play Kanon 3-4 years ago or so, right after I finish watch Kanon anime and after I played little bit, I didn't feel motivated to play anymore and I stopped playing Kanon.

I tried to play Kanon again one years after that but I still didn't feel motivated to play it.

But I know this would be different since I feel more motivated to play it again.

It could say it was you so motivated me to play Kanon again.  

To be fair in my case, it actually felt like homework of sorts as I had no motivation either but I'm big key Fan.   I felt I should get a primary experience on all their works to better understand the stories they make.

 

In This case,  I really enjoy how their writing style evolves with each book they made.   It's a world of difference in just comparing One and Kanon, for example, as Kanon I feel is the major label debut with a much more polish story and art.

 

Where I still I like One's dating more and it's heroines,  I feel Kanon is league's better with its refinement and polish of the story telling.   Its the book I feel first really captures their trademark style and "One" was the practice or rough draft for their ideas.

14 hours ago, Okarin said:

To be honest, I only played my favourite heroines: Ayu, Shiori and Makoto. The game feels so very ancient today. Awesome opening music though, and my favourite "The fireworks of winter".

I think that the anime is easier to watch, the pacing and structure are good.

I feel you on the the old school look but its still a huge step up from One visually.  I also think the Background CG also does great job of holding up to test of time but I did at times craved more modern styles.  It's at least better though than most Nukages released even now lol.

 

Other than that,  I feel I'm more moved by the ideas behind a route more than sometimes a character.  That's why Mai wins best girl for me as the plot really captures my interest as opposed to Ayu who I really love but don't like her route as much.  So I dont fault you for sticking with the girls you like but I'm OCD with 100 percent and I also stick around for all the girls route if I like the writer.  I wouldn't be playing Fate/Extra to 100% now if wasn't a fan of Now for example xD

 

Fire works of winter I agree is a great track.   I think the OST in general is superb but I'll be the first to say that there's probably only two or three tracks that's amazing to be iconic to me.  Remants of a dream and Waiting for the wind would be the other two (aside Fireworks) but City in sunshine I give honorable mention as its Ayu's de facto theme.

 

Finally about the Anime,  I love it and it's good recommendation but I myself don't like telling people to watch it unless their Key fans.   I couldn't give you exact reasons why I came to feel that way without rewatching it but,  you cNt go wrong either in watching it I suppoose lol.

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

2 minutes ago, Novel21 said:

This was very amazing review and you was very honest with it, you make me want to play Kanon again.

I agree at Ayu it's very cute and beautiful girl, I love her very much myself.

I love Ayu voice myself 

The funny thing about Ayu is that whenever she got mad, I thought to myself, "Okay Hanekawa, Enough with the lecturing xD" as she's also the cat in Bakemonogatari.  I actually much prefer though Yui in the role of Ayu as I love how sweet she is there while in Bake, I dislike how fake Hanekawa comes across though I suppose it's more the writing than Yui fault.

 

Other than that,  thanks for reading and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[Overall thoughts on Kanon and each of its routes.]

Hello everyone again, I'm the new guy that had posted that huge text dump of an analysis about the miracles of Kanon the other day.  I definitively recommend reading the analysis, if only to humor me lol, as there tiny amount of crossover with this post.  Not enough though to ruin your enjoyment of this post you do decide go ahead this one first. With that said, the post here is a summary of my thoughts on Kanon as a whole and goes through each route respectively.  There will be spoilers but not majors one in my opinion.  In case you haven't played Kanon and you're reading this now, I suppose that my post here can count as a review of sorts.  Now that we're done with introductions, let's begin. 
 
  First off,  I think it's only appropriate to start off this overview with the main heroine Ayu Tsukimiya.  Despite her name brining up imagery of the moon, she's clearly representative of the Sun's Warmth with her beaming personality and happy go lucky nature.  With these traits in mind, I find Ayu to be the most charming heroine in Kanon and I can see how, in real life, it wouldn't be all that hard for a person to fall in love with someone like her.  In my case, I really enjoy the type of people that can light up a room with their smile and Ayu definitely ranks up as one of them.  

 

 Furthermore, Ayu's voice actress, Yui Horie (who happens to play another main character that makes a childhood promise in the harem comedy Love Hina), performance here in Kanon really out does herself in portraying such a sweet and innocent girl.  I especially loved how you could hear, in her voice, every little emotions Ayu has.  This could not have been that easy of a feat as Ayu's quite the energetic character and though out the story, she's quite literally running and jumping into people. Moreover, I would go so far to say that Yui's acting is one of the prime reasons I like Ayu so much as she does that great job with her. I'm glad in this case that Key casted her to be Yui and it was great to finally hear her second major voice role.
 
  Now going onto describing my thoughts on Ayu's route,  I feel its well-crafted with genius moments of comedy and her story does a great job of selling how charming Ayu is.  My problem with it, however, is that I feel all the flashback sequences with Ayu and Yuuichi in the past made the story feel sappy.  In Kanon's defense, I may have enjoyed Ayu's  story more if I haven't watched the anime and being able to compare her route to everyone else's.  In this case, I definitively feel that you probably get the most feels out of her route when you don't have any expectations.  I did though find the idea of pinky promises to be very cute though.

 

 On the positive side of things, Ayu is incredibly fun to be around and her dates with Yuuichi are some of the best in Kanon.  My more memorable moments with her include: Yuuichi's first meeting with Ayu where she has him running away from the Taiyaki stand owner, the baking cookies incident and, going out to watch a horror movie with Yuuichi.  In all three cases, it's Ayu's puppy dog excitement and enthusiasm that really wins me over as I couldn't help but love these things about her personality. Had Ayu's route the whole way been like this, I probably would rank it higher than I do.  I would currently place it third above Makoto's and Nayuki's route.  
 
  Overall though, Ayu's has a great but not perfect route to me.  I chalk it up to maybe a matter of taste though because despite how much I praised Ayu, she shares in the same problem Saber from Fate/Stay/Night has for me.  They're two people I'm especially very fond of but they don't make my heart skip a beat the way the other heroines do. In their cases, I see myself supporting of their love and I can root for them but when it comes down to choosing,  there're just other girls I like more (Rin and Mai for F/S/N and Kanon respectively).   
 
  Moving the discussion to be about Nayuki now, I really had high expectations for her, at first, because of the interaction she has in the prologue with Yuuichi.  Having seen the anime, I know the emotional arc's in her story revolved around that of Unrequited Love.  To put in perspective from my PoV, the majority of my favorite girls in anime (Yamanda from "Honey and Clover" and Ami from Torodara in particular) come with backstories that has their feelings for another character not being returned in kind.  I have a strong emotional attachment to such characters as I can totally relate with them being that, the story of my life has been one giant unrequited love story.  With this in mind,  Nayuki, being a prime example of the above, I thought would really shoot up in my listing by the time I finished her route.

 

  I ended up disappointed, however, as I realized her character didn't have a lot of substance beyond playing the butt monkey of Yuuichi's banter.  Like at first, she was really entertaining in how she interacted with the main character. This dynamic started to wane though as the route progressed.  She then becomes boring, to me, as Yuuichi's developing feelings for Nayuki has him laying off teasing her. This loss of comedy then has Nayuki fall back on her three gimmicks of:  Saying and getting excited by cute things' Being really sleepy; and talking in that really s-low (emphasis on slow) quirky manner of speaking.  None of which really perks my interest in the least.
 
  Out of the three gimmicks though, there is one that actually elicits a response from me but, it's not a positive one.  To be precise, I can't stand whatsoever the slow speaking mannerism gimmick at all.  As I'm the type to listen to voice clips a couple time and enjoy the dialogue, it becomes a pet peeve of mine when characters are made to speak slowly.  I feel it’s awful storytelling to have to sit and wait for actor to deliver their lines for a short amount of dialogue. To give another example other than Nayuki, I despised Sakura in Fate/Stay/Night during her route for this as it made a page of Dialogue take five minutes when it took me half a minute to read. Nayuki on the other hand though, wasn't as bad as Sakura but she didn't change my mind either on how much I dislike that mannerism.  
 
  It’s a good thing though that I did like her voice actress performance as I feel she did splendidly despite the role's shortcomings.  In this case, I feel that her character Nayuki failed to really show off her talent.  I suppose though that this is the one time that I liked the Dub of Kanon's anime direction more with Nayuki.  The american voice actress there still has her sound sleepy and speak with a low voice but it's not noticeably slowed down which I really liked.  In the visual novel's defense though, Nayuki's Japanese voice actress didn't fail to deliver when things really mattered in the story and she made the ending of Nayuki's route a pleasure to listen to.
 

  Talking of Nayuki's route, I felt it was a mixed bag as her date scenes were very meh to me and uninteresting.  For example, the café scene with the strawberry sundae's is pretty much Nayuki gawking over ice cream and Yuuichi just taking it in. I don't find that to be fascinating for one but, the real problem for me here is that Kanon relies too much on her gimmicks to try to win you over.  In the vast majority of these dating scenes, I feel Nayuki's route lacks conflict or drama to make them attention grabbing or memorable.  I'll admit though that I was very fond of the study sessions she had with Yuuichi in her route.  They're the only time in Kanon that its canonical to a route where Yuuichi actually studies as a student like he's supposed to lol but I digress.  
 
  I will say though, on the upside, that Nayuki's route was made worth reading with the eventual Yuuichi's and Nayuki's confessions to each other.  Their scene on the balcony and the Train station, during the confession, gave me goosebumps upon seeing how romantic their speeches and dialogue were to each other.  That was the kind of stuff I wish, in real life, I would find myself situations in and actually be smooth enough to come up with speeches like that to say.  Then again, I might be just as embarrassed as Yuuichi is at the end of her route after saying all that lol but I digress. The point is, I loved how everything was beautifully executed and how Nayuki's unrequited love story resolved in the end.  The payoff here really saved the route for me but, I still have to say that her route as a whole is the weakest one in Kanon and ranks last place.
 
  On a side note though about Nayuki's relationship with Yuuichi before I continue to discussing Makoto; I'm very  understanding of the way the Japanese use the romance between cousins as a unrequited love plot device.  It's very simple way of making a potential couple's love be frowned upon and yet, have the characters be far enough apart, for the audience, to entertain the notion of a romantic relationship between them.  So generally speaking for me, I don't mind this story trope as I suppose most westerner's like myself would normally be. 

 

  Now bringing back the discussion to that of examining Makoto, I actually enjoyed the Asuka from Eva look alike as I like Tsunderes on a whole.  I especially enjoyed her opening lines to Yuuichi as it made Makoto seem to be more epic than a girl her age would suggest.  This made me think that if there's something to Makoto character,  subtlety wasn't one of them.  She was definitively more likeable to me than Nayuki because of this as she made things happen.  It’s a shame though that in the course of the story she doesn't interact with Ayu.  I definitively would have like to see both their energetic nature play off each other, with Ayu's sweetness and Makoto's reckless abandoned, for some great comedic moments. 
 
  Continuing onto Makoto's backstory, I was definitely charmed of the idea behind Makoto's miracle.  There's obvious parallels to that of "The Little Mermaid" with a character wishing to become human but, I like the spin Makoto's route puts on the idea in that she was first a Fox that he raised as a child.  In this case, I found Kanon's take here interesting enough for me to be more emotionally invested because; there's actual history involved between the Makoto and Yuuichi.  I also really enjoyed the idea that the fox would want to reunite with her owner after their force separation.
 
  I'm sad to say though my thoughts on her route are not as positive. I admit it does a great job of setting you up to become fond of Makoto, with her childish antic's and mischievousness, to only then break your heart with her routes ending as she slowly withers away.  This sounds great on paper, even to me, but I really don't like story routes that has the MC act like a parent figure and has his love stem from this guardianship.  I had very much disliked this storytelling in Key's previous work in "One" where the main character, Kouhei, does pretty much the same thing with another character called Shina.  Repeating the same concept here for Makoto didn't change my mind on the matter but, I do feel that it was handled much more tastefully in Kanon.  Maybe if Makoto was his age I wouldn't have minded it as much or if Nanase was there to buy her a whole lot of Nikuman (That's a One reference for you guys xD).
 
  Overall though, I did enjoy the whole of her route more than Nayuki's and she ranks 4th place in the cast for me.  The one pleasant surprise I think I should mention about her route though was the character Amano.  For someone that's a minor character, I keep thinking about her, "Why does this girl have such a beautiful voice?"  The whole time she was speaking to Yuuichi, I couldn't shake the feeling that I knew voice actress.  Turns out it was Maaya Sakamoto of  Oshino Shinobu fame of Monogatari and Ryougi (Freakin) Shiki from Kara no Kyoukai.  I recommend if you ever play through Makoto's route (again for those that read it) to pay attention to that quiet girl.

 

Moving away now from Makoto, I found the next girl in Shiori to be the most refreshing in the cast in how relatively normal she was.  While I suppose she's actually slightly more eccentric than Ayu, I feel Shiori in comparison to the rest of the characters was made to be the least moe.  She doesn't have vocal quick like Ayu and Makoto nor the personality gimmicks of Nayuki and Mai.  The best I can think of about her that stands out is having a catchphrase of, "I dislike people that say/do such things." 
 
  As for Shiori herself, I really liked how Key uses her as a mouthpiece to commentate on the situations of her route.  She's very genre-savvy and uses this knowledge to better sell her more emotional moments in the story.  Prime examples in this cases are when she first meets you outside the school saying (I'll be paraphrasing), " Seeing a missing girl after long case of Illness is something like out of a TV drama," and at the park, "I think this part in the drama would be the kiss scene."  In these cases, the conversations really helped make her route more unique than the previous three heroines in that it respects your intelligence as a reader.
 
  With that in mind, I also feel that Shiori's emotional payoffs are more intellectual in nature and in general, she strikes me as much more clever girl than the rest of the cast.  Where she isn't as charming as Ayu, I feel she more than holds her own, against Ayu, in how she keeps Yuuichi off balanced with her quick wit and unpredictable nature.  This made Shiori for me standout, in a positive way, as a character I looked forward to reading about despite being a personality type I'm not normally fond of.  I suppose that if you didn't like Shiori, she can come across as a smart Alek but I'm glad in my case that she strike me as someone likeable.

 

Continuing forward, Shiori is the only girI feel that was able to go toe to toe with his antic's and kept you guessing what she will do next.  To put it more frank terms, she's easily the most independent of the girls and isn't so reliant of Yuuichi's interaction to move the story.  I really appreciated that about her and it kept me interested the whole way through her route  This is unlike the previous three routes where I found myself at times tuning out of Makoto's, Nayuki's, and Ayu's story events.  I suppose that because of the way her character is, it avoided for me the pitfalls of the other routes despite the low hype ceiling her date scenes had.
 
  Talking again of routes,  I feel that Shiori's is a excellently written and well executed soap opera in visual novel form.  Where the other routes, with the exception of Nayuki's, go into lengths about how special happenings that can't happen in real life, Shiori's is surprising grounded in believability.   I like though how in Kanon  her route subverts the normalcy with having Shiori being the soundboard for the exposition dumps of what a miracle is.  The thought experiments she tells Yuuichi reminded me a bit of Fate/Stay/Night and Kara No Kyoukai, of Type-Moon fame, even if they were on the light side compared to them.  
 
  The best parts of her route for me though actually doesn't concern her but that of her sister Kaori.  Where Kaori is a character you see often in the common route and tag along with Nayuki in others, I really liked her break down scene she has with Yuuichi in Shiori's route.  I also liked how she serves as the 3rd party dealing with Shiori impending death and she really brought a layer of depth to the route helps the route succeed.  
 
  It's such a shame though for me that she isn't a dateable character in Kanon.  She's easily the girl that I most wanted to go out with and she even has Saber's voice actress to boot.  Ayako, Saber's and Kaori's voice actress, really does bring her Waifu best into the role.  I have to say though it's much more akin to her earlier role as Lafiel from Crest of the Starts.  So for all you Saber fans, you're not going to hear her be all pouty and have that stick in the mud personality type she's famous for lol.  In my case though, I actually saw "Crest of the Stars" before Fate/Stay/Night and I actually prefer her previous famous roles performance being applied to Kaori but I digress.

 

Overall, I really enjoyed Shiori route and her character. I would rank her story as the second best in Kanon due to how solid the writing was.  I feel though that Ayu's route was more enjoyable at times than Shiori but, it’s the lack of negatives in Shiori's that I give her the place over Ayu.  Ayu though does give her a run for her money on just sheer force of personality and its only barely that Shiori wins.  I suppose it’s a testament how good the route is for Shiori and it goes to show that you don't have to go for broke to succeed.      
 
  Going now to discussing the final story, Mai's route is, without any doubt in my mind, the best in all of Kanon.  I say this because, it’s the most thematically complex as Mai's story combines all the narratives of all the other heroines into one route.  Furthermore, This amazing depth to her story makes for a magnificent read that long holds up, like Zalor says in his Analysis on Mai, on the intellectual level after all the emotional feels start losing their impact.
 
  I'll start with my thoughts on Mai. I have to say, at first, I was very much set against Mai as her taciturn personality reminded me of Rei, from EVA, whom I hate with a passion.  I'm typically not a fan of characters that show no emotion as I very much prefer lively character as I'm attracted to the exaggerated.  For example, I really like Ayu because her character totally fits the billing, of being exaggerated, as she's very over the top in sharing her affections and showing her emotions through her audio quirk "Uguu."  Mai, on the other hand, is the total opposite of Ayu as she only speaks when spoken to and when she does, it's in a small burst of words said in a low voice.
 
  The reason though I decided to give Mai the benefit of the doubt was because, I strongly believe in my main man Spike Spegiel, of Cowboy Bepop fame, words: "I like (a girl full of mystery and) a woman who can kick my ass."  In Mai's case, an enigmatic girl that roams the school at night and, does it carrying a sword really fitted both Spike's and my criteria of a good time. I then resolved myself to ignore the Rei comparisons in my head and give Mai a fair chance.  I'm glad in this case she didn't end up disappointing me, unlike Nayuki, and by the end of her route, she had become my favorite heroine.  I suppose though that Mai's long black hair, flowing front bangs, and green eyes also really helped in winning me over as I'm a sucker for that look. 
 

 

Talking more in-depth about Mai, I really did enjoy the payoff in seeing Mai progressively open up, bit by bit, from her quiet shell.  In this case, I really loved seeing how, from her humble beginnings of only answering Yuuichi with a single word, Mai would eventually able to carry small conversations with him however brief they maybe.  This character evolution I felt was unique to her route and while it's not my favorite mode of developing a character, it lead me to be far more fond of Mai, even more so than Ayu, as I felt that Yuuichi and me worked to gain that special relationship with her.  Everyone else I felt remained the same person with the exception of Makoto and that wasn't exactly a positive in her case as she devolved.
 
  As to now discuss Mai's route, I really enjoyed the change of pace the route provides from the rest of Kanon.  A good example are the night meet ups at the school where Yuuichi and Mai fight the demons. I felt the atmosphere behind those scenes to be a much more Feels based Tsukihime adventure which, to me, is a huge compliment as that's my second favorite Type-Moon story after Fate/Zero. I also feel the comparison to be appropriate as the major turning points and resolutions of their stories revolve around the secretive night battles only the main characters know about.  The major difference between the two though is that Kanon is a lot less action packed than Tsukihime but, it still does a great enough job to be satisfying with the fight scenes.

 

  Now shifting directions to talking about the day route, I really like Sayuri as the supporting actress to offset Mai's lack of interaction at school.  I felt she was a much more mature Ayu and I wish, like with Kaori, she would have had a route even if the book had to cut Makoto's or Nayuki's route.  That's how much I liked her and the voice actresses behind her as she's Tenjo Utena from (freakin) Revolutionary Girl Utena.  That's amazing that someone of her talent would be in the role of supporting actress but, she definitely brought her money's worth to the role of Sayuri.  I suppose though that Key would later rectify this as casting her as Misuzu in Air but I digress.  
 
  Going back to discuss the day route proper, I really liked the Sayuri and Mai dynamic.  I would go into further lengths why I like them but I felt everything I could say, Zalor already did an amazing job in explaining why their relationship and backstories are so great in his analysis.  I would be just retreading what he said if I tried to explain here and it most likely wouldn't be as good.  So, I'll instead just talk about some key moments I really enjoyed about them.
 
  One, I really enjoyed the (Tri?) date they had at the ball.  Where I appreciated in Nayuki's route Yuuichi actually studying since he's a student, I love the idea that he actually involving himself in school life.  We also get to see a heroine actually dress up for an occasion and Mai really looked good.  I suppose though I have a lot of feels revolving the event as it’s the only part in the anime that I can re-watch time and time again.  The other part for my fondness of the scene I suppose is that Mai looks so much like Nanase in the ending of One and I see it thematically, for Nanase, she got her dance in.  On another note, I feel the same way about Ayu getting Tayaki as Akane in One goes on a wild goose chase and she never eats one which is the biggest tragedy in that book lol but I digress. 

 

The other key moment isn't all that important but it through me in for a loop in that, it was the only route that had any Yuri CG in it lol.  As a Yuri fan, I don't read books like Kanon or One to fall in love with a waifu.  I actually just read them because they come highly recommended but, I live my life thinking about the fiction I read,  "Why do I want another guy outside myself getting the girl?  If the girl is the main event of any book for guys, why not have two to double the enjoyment?"  So imagine my surprise when, in my mindset that there wouldn't be any, Key dropped in that Yuri fan service lol. It was surprises like this that kept me engrossed in Mai's story and, the reason why I rank it the best (even without the Yuri) as none of the other girls route had that X factor.
 
  Other than that, I should talk about Mai's story as a whole.  I feel that I just love everything  about it and I can't really cite a negative thing about it.  That's how good it was for me and this with the mindset that I don't like Rei-like characters.  So if there would be skeptic to question the quality of Mai's route, it would had been me.  Had Kanon had been just Ayu's and Mai's route, I felt I would have been gotten my money's worth as that's how filling and great Mai's route is.  I mention Ayu though as I felt that Mai route is still a story that best plays off the experiences you have with another girl to subvert your expectations.
 
  Now, if I were to go into details about what I liked about it, I would have to cite my previous analysis on Miracles and Zalor's Mai/Sayuri analysis as they provide many of the reasons why I do.  Being that this Overview of Kanon is already huge as it is, I'll only go into some of the details that I felt we didn't cover in those analysis.  I still recommend  checking out the two analysis to be more understanding why I like Mai's route the best though.
 
  First off, I really enjoyed the romantic payoff to Mai's route.  To be precise, I love the dialogue between Mai and Yuuichi right after he gives her the bunny ears.  That was on par with Nayuki's route confession and in some ways, more was more satisfying due to how much more Mai's story was tragic than Nayuki's.  I also really enjoyed the parts after she stabs herself and he has that simulation run in his head had she lived past graduation with him.  It was those imagined, small bits of happiness that struck a chord with me and, his near decision to only live in his memories brought flashbacks to One's "Eternal World." Which, by the way, would reinforce my points in my analysis on how Mai's is the thematic successor to One but I definitely have to digress here on that.
 

Second, I found the story of Mai as a child at the hospital to be the most heartbreaking of all the heroines.  I mean no one dies in it and successfully resolves but, it still tugged at my heartstrings more than Ayu's route who I feel was created with the exact purpose to do so.  It's definitely the reason why I side with Mai more than any of the other girls even if it means their death, which would be in the cases of Shiori and Ayu if he ignores them to go on Mai's route,  as I feel sympathize with Mai's dilemma.  Not to say that I have personal experiences like Mai but, I just really feel for the mother and, I can't help but think what If I were to be in her shoes with a child.  That's why I guess I feel the most for Mai's route as its parent going to leave their child rather than a kid losing a friend.
 
  Oh, there is also one thing I think I should mention about the hospital scene.  I wonder if Mai's power is a thematic successor to the "Invisible Power" that Key's Creative Team used in the visual novel, "Moon" as its only useable by girls and, by being exposed to extreme stress.  If and when I get to finishing the book, which seems will be a long while at the soonest as my current play will hit a bad end sadly, I probably write my thoughts on whether Key maybe reused the idea for Mai.
 
  Third, I just like how the route gives off that aura that Mai's is special and not like the way other heroines are.  I mean it as like she's truly a child of destiny linked by fate to Yuuichi.  More metaphorical way might be to describe Mai as Moses to Yuuichi being Aaron who in the bible is the one that actually performs the miracles that lead the Jews out of Egypt.  In this case, Mai is the person the story sets apart but its Yuuichi that is literally the hero, as in more than just a protagonist,  as he is the one that embraces the miracle.  This is opposed to the other routes where he just enjoys the results of them and it speaks more to me romantically that he's proactive in this case.

 

  The fourth and last thing I would want to talk about Mai's story isn't the narrative itself but the voice actress, Yukari Tamura.  She really nails her performance in playing her in real life friend Yui Horie "Ayu's" foil.  I'll admit that it was a shock to me to hear not be so bubbly and be my voice waifu ( I'm particularly fond of her Jibril and Amane Suzuha roles)  but I got accustomed to her take on Rei so to speak lol. Where Yui Horie will always be one of my girls, err favorites lol, I had always more been a Tamura fan as she typically exemplifies that exaggerated acting that I really love.  In this case, she still proved her acting chops to me in performing in a role that's the complete opposite of what I know her for and it was refreshing to see that. 
 
  Not to say that you don't see her trademark acting style in Kanon.  The time you see her act more like herself is at the end where she plays child Mai.  I also wouldn't put it past Yukari to have gotten the role of Nanoha because of the work she did here I can easily imagine being great resume material.  Regardless of if that being the case, I would suppose that the bigger significance, of her child voice acting, here would lay the groundwork of her voice of Rika from Higurashi Naku no Koro Ni.  Rika is practically the evolved concept of Mai's power and I find it fitting that Yukari has that role in Higurashi.  I further find it appropriate that she play Rika as I remember reading somewhere that the maker of Higurashi cites Key as his biggest inspiration.  I find it amazing in this case that the influence of Mai, if what I read is true, to carry over into Higurashi in Yukari's voice acting.

 

With all that now said, I like to congratulate you, the one or two people that actually bother reading this to the end aha, to the place "Where the Wind Reaches" to quote the ending theme of Kanon.  I'm very appreciative of the time you took to read this and I look forward to your comments, even if they were to say I suck lol.  Overall though, I'm just glad that this post is finally done as it took the entire weekend and then some to finish.  In this case, I definitively did it for Mai as I honestly didn't love the other characters enough to warrant writing everything I did.  It just happens that I feel Mai stories is best viewed when you experience all the other routes first and that's why you see my thoughts on all the other routes.  All I just need is that meme now that has the photo frame with a couple pictures of her to make this complete xD.  Anyways, Thanks again for reading and I hope there will be some of you that would discuss Kanon with me.
 
[Some Afterwords:  I added the "girl full of mystery" part in the Spike quote in ( ) because its actually Shiori line when you meet her at school.  I just find it cooler to say when you combined both of them together.  The problem though is that I can't say Shiori Is my main guy because she's not and neither is she my main girl lol.  So to make the quote sound much cooler and avoid the clunkiness of having to quote Shiori, I decided it would be better to credit her in the afterwords.
 
Also, I want to give some last words to people that skipped straight to the end and read this here.  This Overview was not worth the weekend spent writing it xD but, It made for good writing practice.  Though I really do hope that people will take the time to respond, I'll be fine as it was good practice in getting back to writing shape as II was real rusty xD. I suppose though looking at it another way, definitively sorting my thoughts on Kanon will stop me from thinking for a long time in wanting to reread it xD and I can use my time for more useful things…. Like sleep lol)

[What are you playing?]

I'm technically done with reading Kanon but I'm still revisiting the ending of Mai's route as to give a final review of the book. 

After I'm done with that, I'll either resume Moon or start Air.  I'm thinking Air as its summer but I hate leaving things unfinished though.  So it's most likely going to be Moon but regardless of what I choose,  I'll be taking a small anime break before either one as to palate cleanse my mind lol.

[An Analysis on the miracles of Kanon and the idea of an True Route]

You might be right about Kanon predating the idea of true routes yet Tsukihime was only released a year after and it has one.

If anything though,  I'm pretty sure that all of Kanon's routes are all Canon just like the way Fate Stay Night is.   

The only problem that would arise from this I see is if Key ever would make a sequel with the setting.  If there ever was one,  I'm sure it would keep the details of One vague kind of the way White Album Two did about One yet,  I think there would be the pressure to give some background details of what happened with the original cast.

 

Other than that,  I had omitted by accident a key paragraph in my paper.  I edited it in now and it's:

I'll admit though this a big stretch of the imagination and much simpler answer is that Ayu just has her own power limited to herself. What this doesn't account for is that during Ayu's time with Yuuichi, he gives her three wishes that are supposedly limited to what he's capable of doing.  Ayu only happens to uses two and provides the backdrop of miracle that would be the third wish.  What I would make argument for is that, "What if through Mai's power, Yuuichi is able to grant a miracle despite Ayu and even Yuuichi not knowing that?"

 

Please read it in context of the paper 

[An Analysis on the miracles of Kanon and the idea of an True Route]

I seen the anime no less than five times and I mention that the anime combines everyone's story for a happy end. 

My problem with using the anime is that its a adaptation crafted to fit all of the routes of Kanon.  Like for example, I found it jarring as a experience to have Mai's route be concluded second even before I read the book.  What I'm getting at is that the Anime in trying to placate both anime only viewers and novel readers who want to see their girls route are treated to what I feel is a out of order sequence of routes.

In this case,  Ayu I feel is definitively the route one should play through first as to a customize themselves to the type of book Kanon is and the themes it will be presenting you from then on.  I also feel several routes bank on you having playing through Ayu's route first.

 

To be exact, it's Nayuki's and Shiori's route as you wouldn't get the full of their stories without comparing it with Ayu.  In Nayuki's case, it's the story of unrequited love that Ayu tradegy interfered with and ruin her chances seven years ago.  With Shiori, you have someone that's powerless in stopping her eventual death so she lives to fullest in the meantime.  This supposed to serve in contrast with Ayu as there was sense it as could have been prevented but also having no time to have react unlike the weeks Shirori has.

Mai's, on the other hand, I feel is best experienced playing everyone elses first and having everything turn on its head when it comes to her.  By having Ayu be the last route,  you intentionally make both Heroines weaker as the audiences noticed Mai is much more complex character yet she gets second billing and makes Ayu story look sappy as the audience compares it to Mai's story.

So as to the anime being the definitively take, I quite disagree with that despite how much I liked what the creative team did to make the plot work together.  

 

Its like having Kohaku story in Tsukihime be shown midway  in its entirety and then shown Arcueid arc at the end.  There would be a weird, uncomfortable disconnect as Kohaku's story is that of the behind the scenes happenings yet they would be missing their impact as you didn't have the feeling of a vampire princess taking you on a wild ride beforehand.

 

Overall,  I stand by my analysis but I appreciate your time taken to respond 

[An Analysis on the miracles of Kanon and the idea of an True Route]

Hello all, I'm a first time poster here at Fuwanovels and I'm glad that you're taking the time to read this post of  mine.  As I have just finished the novel of Kanon, I really wanted to take some time to discuss some of my thoughts of general story and what I think can be considered to be the true end.  I'm looking forward to any and all comments due to my low expectations for a discussion because how old the source material is lol but I digress.

 
First off, I want to talk about the powers of miracles in Kanon.  Though the story never really goes in-depth on how or why they happen, we know that they do occur.  The most recognizable of these is Ayu Tsukimiya route where we find out that she's been in a coma all along yet she was able to talk to Yuuichi despite being so when he returned.  She's been dreaming seven long years awaiting his return and for someone to notice her.  In this case, the dream gave form to a miracle.
 

Outside her route, Ayu's dream can be considered the method that she delivers her last wish to Yuuichi to perform a miracle on his behalf.  In Nayuki's route it's for Nayuki's mom, whose in critical care in the hospital, and in Shiori's route; it's to save Shiori from dying from her terminal illness.  Its only in Mai's and Makoto route that her dream doesn't reach a conclusion and it might because these two are well capable of preforming their own miracles. 

 
Now as for the reason why I bring up the subject of miracles is because, I have a sneaking suspicion that maybe Ayu's dream/Miracle isn't because of her own innate power.  I think it's because of Mai that she's able to use a miracle.  The reason I say this is because of Mai's route.  In it, Mai is the only one who is proven to have a miraculous power and also shows it to affect another person outside of the main character influence or presence.  In the first case, its Mai's mom that is recipient of the miracle as she's practically brought back from the dead from Mai's wish.  Then the matter where she would show up on TV for that ESP/Psychic show.

 

Moving on, Mai power is shown to be understanding of Mai's inner desire to come to terms with her own abilities as it's a source of her sorrows yet also, the one thing that saved her mother's life.  As Mai moves away to a new town, her power/miracle prophesizes that there would be a one that will accept Mai for who she is as it's her greatest wish; that of hope.  I believe that because of this wish, the story as a whole is shaped by Mai's desire despite not being the main heroine.  In the context of Kanon,  the miracle/wish just does what it needs to do without explanation within the story on how it does so.

 

To give a precise example, I think Mai power may have intentionally brought Mai and Yuuichi together in that it made Yuuichi get lost in the first place and to find himself in the wheat field.  This is something though that can't be proven as Kanon is very vague on the full abilities of Mai's miracle.  An equally valid explanation could be that the power merely predicted where a person that could love Mai would be at in both location and time. Yet, I wouldn't believe such a thing to  be such a fateful encounter if Mai's power didn't have an active hand in joining them together.  A third explanation  would be a combination of the two: In that maybe knowing Yuuichi to be lost, Mai's power lead Yuuichi to Mai which to me as valid as the first explanation. 

 
Overall though, the most important part of this to consider is that Mai's and Yuuichi meeting occurs a full three years before Ayu's meeting with Yuuichi.  Yuuichi, having to leave because of Summer vacation being over, is called by a frantic Mai on the day of his departure about how Demons were going to destroy their cherished place and have to fight to keep them away.  As Yuuichi tells her that he can't, Mai says that she promises that'll she still be waiting for him as she hoped that this will make him stay.  Of course he doesn't; yet, her wish that he would still come still manifested itself because of her power.  The obvious result would be the "Demons" she now fights at the school that her cherished place used to be but, my question though is that, "Does the wish simply end there?"  

 
The "Demons" in this case provide a reason for Mai to stick around in Kanon for Yuuichi to find her at the school at night.  But that in itself is a passive way to look at things.  Thinking more abstractly, I think Mai's miracle works in a way that makes things be so.  I maybe misinterpreting the conversation Mai's power has with Yuuichi at the end of her route but, I remember her practically saying that her miracle is achieved through Yuuichi.  In order for Mai to again meet Yuuichi,  I feel that her power has to be a influence then on in his life after their meeting as he's Mai's hope.

 

This then comes apply to whenever he meets the other heroines and why miracles happen when he's around.  With Ayu, I believe her short meeting with Yuuichi was able to establish a connection with him and in the light of her tragic accident, her dream was able to form a bond with him.  Being that Yuuichi is linked to Mai's power, Ayu sincerest wishes may been given form because of this.  Basically, she's piggy backing on Mai's miracle as they both want Yuuichi.

 
I feel this to be a justifiable as Yuuichi is devastated with Ayu's tragedy.  I'm thinking that Mai's power may have been forced to help Yuuichi overcome his grief if he is able to help Mai.  Mai's power, in this case, may allowed Ayu  a chance to reconnect with Yuuichi and give him a sense of closure so he can be better equipped emotionally to help Mai.  This would also account for when Ayu's dream is able to save Akiko (Nayuki's Mom) and Shiori in routes outside her own.  She would be in those routes returning a borrowed power to make Yuuichi happy and would be in line with the objectives of Mai's wish. 

 

I'll admit though this a big stretch of the imagination and much simpler answer is that Ayu just has her own power limited to herself. What this doesn't account for is that during Ayu's time with Yuuichi, he gives her three wishes that are supposedly limited to what he's capable of doing.  Ayu only happens to uses two and provides the backdrop of miracle that would be the third wish.  What I would make argument for is that, "What if through Mai's power, Yuuichi is able to grant a miracle despite Ayu and even Yuuichi not knowing that?"

 

This in turn leads me back to bring the discussion back to Mai.  Where Ayu name may bring up the imagery of the moon with her last name being Tsuki, she's clearly the sun's warmth in the story with her cheery personality and happy go lucky attitude.  Mai, on the other hand, is clearly the opposite of Ayu with her quiet, stoic demeanor and taciturn personality.  She would be the cold darkness to the bright light that is Ayu.  This isn't so special in itself except that it provides thematically why Mai would be the true end of Kanon and the foundation of Ayu's miracles.  

 
With Ayu, you are presented with an idealized version of her that’s basically a "what if she never fell into a coma?"  The results of this is that you find a very enjoyable and lovely heroine that makes for a sweet romance with the main character.  If you dig further into her character though,  you'll start to realize that her biggest emotional draws are the ones that are tied down to the past she shares with Yuuichi. Thinking more about, you see Ayu's existence binds Yuuichi to a cruel history if one was to observe her pragmatically as she would serve as a specter of what could have been and, a sad reminder of his powerlessness to do anything to save her.  I suppose though one could make the argument that Ayu's route is the first and truest example of what Shiori says in her route, "Maybe people made fiction so that they can write happy stories (paraphrasing now: because life is often too cruel)." Ayu's route can be then basically summed up as using a miracle to overturn a painful tragedy.

 

This is fine and all but let's compare that to Mai's story.  She's clearly been hurting for ten long years and solely living on a wish she made to see again the only boy that accepted her.  Where's Mai dilemma is nowhere near as tragic as Ayu basically dying; one has to consider because of this that Ayu, for all intents and purposes, to be of the dead barely holding on to the dream of being alive; while with Mai, she is slowly killing herself metaphorically in her pursuit of her made up demons and literally as she slowly dies bit by bit as she slays each demon.  Where Ayu is the sad story of life cut short, Mai story is that of a promise that's both keeping her alive and yet what will eventually kill her if things are to continue. 

 

Now, If you were to play all the routes prior to Mai's, you see that the this is subversion of the single most important theme in Kanon;  that of how dreams become the foundation from which miracles are made.  The tragedy here then in Mai's story isn't one of broken promises or cruel circumstances (cancer for shiori and short life for Makoto and Ayu) but of how the dream in its desperation became twisted and hope turn into despair.

 
 I would compare this to the contract system of Madoka Magica.  The problem doesn't lie in the wish itself or even sacrificing  to obtain a miracle; it's when the system destroys the point of which the wish is made.  Where in Madoka Magica it’s becoming a witch that goes everything against a magical girl stands for that is the problem, Mai's miracle becomes the vehicle to which she denies the world as she only needs her hope and the memory of the one that understood her.  This is a counterpoint to Ayu's wishing to reintegrate herself the world and the biggest embracer of a miracle to make things right.

 
So in nutshell, Mai's route is most fundamentally at odds with Kanon key themes and I would say the most deserving of being corrected.  To further drive this point, Mai even uses Yuuichi's confession, that he delivers in Nayuki route to Nayuki, to Yuuichi himself and shortly attempts suicide. With this Iin mind, nature abhors a vaccum and in the case of Mai's route;  I feel the majority of the narrative force in Kanon goes to making things right with Mai as to bring it in line in the rest of Kanon.  Because of this, I feel Mai's route to be the de facto Heaven Feels true route to reference Fate/Stay Night in this case.

 

But as to further reinforce my points as to why I think Mai's route has the making of being the true route,  there's an lack of the "Remnants of a Dream" theme that is the marquee song of Kanon.  You hear it in the prologue and at the climax of all heroines route EXCEPT Mai's.  What you do hear instead is the theme, "Girl's Prison" for Mai whenever you see her.  This plays throughout all her major scenes; starting with her appearances at night in the school and all her major school events like the Dance ball and her breakdown after Sayuri is hurt.

 
I take this to be an admission from Kanon that it's indirectly telling the reader Mai's story is unfolding in real time and there is no past for the main character to be tied down to.  The past being referred to here is Ayu as her only remaining part of her in the world is the dream she has to be with Yuuichi.  Moving on back to Yuuichi, he learns at the final fight with the demons that he has met Mai long before his return; yet, he only feels responsibility in seeing Mai become like that happy girl she was once before as he loves her now.  This is unlike in Ayu's route where Yuuichi feels he needs to make things right because of the feeling that it was wrong of him to have forgotten her.  To elaborate, Yuuichi's goal in Ayu's route is about reconciling with the past; with Mai's, he is striving to build a future with Mai.

 

I find this to be important in the scope of Kanon as the narrative lends itself to living in the now and having a future based on hope.  You see it with Makoto's route where he promises Amano that he will remain cheerful; in Shiori's , Yuuichi tells her that miracles do happen and makes Shiori promise if that one does happen she owes him lunch; and finally, Yuuichi in Nayuki's route, that in his acknowledging he can't make a miracle, promises he will do all that he can do in being her strength and always being there.  What makes Mai's route special above all the rest, however, is that combines all the other routes themes into one narrative.  I'll admit though that I don't remember what's Ayu climax narrative point was other than than I care for you.  Then again, it could be proof Ayu's route is just the intro route to set you up with the true route that is Mai's but digress.

 
 Other than that, I have one more thing to mention in why I think Mai's route could be the true route.  I believe Mai to be the true inheritor of the thematic themes of Key's Visual creative team previous work at Nexton in "One: To the radiant Season."  In "One", there is a plot device called  "The Eternal World" where in course of the story the main character ends up in due to a wish he makes as a child after his sister passes away.  Where the details of what "The Eternal World" are vague, the wiki for ONE sums it up as, "an alternative space that Kouhei created out of his want for a place which nothing ever changes." 

 
In Mai's route, you see that Mai's power brings him to that place ten years ago that he meets Mai and there he meets the current hurt Mai as her ten year old self.  This seal spaced, where they meet, was created out of Mai's wish to be with Yuuichi in their cherished place and is quite similar to the eternal world of One except that, the uses here in Kanon are a lot more noble and romantic as it brings two people together rather than separating them.  Still, the original intention for the creation of this seal place was out of grief and angst of Mai's supposed thoughts of being abandoned by the only person that understood her. What makes this concept  works so beautifully in Kanon though is that, from this place of bittersweet memories, Yuuichi is able to bring back Mai to the present.

 

Now as for the visual side of things, child Mai brings up more the imagery that kid Nagamori (the Mascot Heroine of One) did more so than Ayu who can be considered the expy of Nagamori for Kanon.  I find this to be an important distinction as the child guide in One was symbolic of the wish and miracles of the story.  In cases of Kanon, Mai's power served in this capacity as a guide for Yuuichi to reconnect with the Mai that wished to love herself and be loved by someone that would accept everything about her.  No other character, with the possible exception of Nayuki's with imagery of her kid confession, can boast that in their route. 

 

This gives further credence to me that Mai's route has the at the spiritual blessings of being the successor to One and therefore, more weight in the eyes of creators as they would have to spend much more intricate time in crafting the narrative either intentionally or subconsciously.    My point in making this statement is that, why go to such lengths in the route you're setting apart if not because you feel the strongest for it?  My conclusion would be because this would be the defining route or at least the most conceptually purest form of the narrative they tried to create.  Everything of which I find to be the recipe behind most "True Routes" for stories.

 
In the end however, all of what I say may be just a whole lot of conjecture and ultimately, reading too deep into Mai's route.  If I were to be more modest in my analysis, I would compromise to say that Mai's route is the most in-depth and complex of all the routes as opposed to a "True End or Heroine".  Furthermore, the anime of Kanon combines all the routes so that all the girls can be happy therefore rendering moot the idea of a true route.  Still though, my point in all this is that Kanon, in all its themes, paints Mai as the one most needing to be saved and, the development of the story, outside of Nayuki's unrequited love, can be seen logically progressed in attempting to achieve this. 

 
In conclusion though, all of Kanon is up to interpretation and the happiest of endings would probably be the anime like I said before. Another point to consider too is to pull a Fate/Stay/Night and say all the routes are Canon (which I find to be totally fraudulent on Nasu part to give us that weak excuse as to make everyone happy but I digress).  But whatever the case,   I just wanted to share with all of you what my personal take would be the conclusion of Kanon with my reasoning on why so.  I hope you all enjoy this massively long read which took me over 6 to 7 hours to composed.  I look forward to any comments and discussions as to why you would agree or disagree with me. Thanks again for your time.

 
P.S.  I didn't know where to fit this in but I had wanted to make some point in the story that Ayu had her chance at life again and it be far sadder to me if Mai was to either die fighting the demons or live the rest of her life tearing herself apart in exchange for Ayu being able to come out of her Coma.  Part of me says this as a Fan of Mai's character but also just personal beliefs in that the present belongs to the living and not the dead.  Ayu is pretty much dead or at least on the border of it.  If I were Yuuichi, I would reconcile myself to learn from my mistakes of Ayu to not repeat them with Mai.  In this bittersweet case for Ayu, I would say just be happy with the miracle that you could live again if only for short while. Just my thoughts on that.