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Kanon 2006!

I've noticed that KyoAni tends to do one TV series at a time (plus few OVAs). Also according to the translated interview I've posted (under a different screenname ), these guys will give the new Kanon much attention as it needed. Though it would be one interesting experience since they're doing 24 episodes.

Yuuichi looks completely different then the older series. The girls stayed almost the same, except for the ill-girl with the blanket, her eyes are blue now.

I must say, I was slightly disappointed, although the episode was certainly not a bad one.

My first and chief complaint is the very first scene in the series (or at least, the first scene in the game), when Nayuki finally arrives after Yuuichi is sitting in the cold waiting for her. In the Toei version, it was a very powerful and moving scene, even with the poor quality animation, and moved at a slow and relaxing pace, projecting a feeling of calamity. The KyoAni version seems to slightly rush through this scene, in which the characters' lines come right after another's, whilst in the original, there was a necessary silence between each line in order to keep the scene at a calm pace and really made it a powerful and moving scene (in fact, one of my favorite scenes in the whole story).

I also have some nitpicks with the seiyuu work. Kouda Mariko seems to be approaching Nayuki's voice in a slightly different way. In the Toei version (and the game as well) she delivered a very characteristic and lazy sounding voice. In the remake, she seems to switch to a more conventional sounding voice, which seems to change Nayuki's character as a whole. Whereas Nayuki was previously a slow, naive, but caring and kind girl, she now seems to be someone with more assertion and possibly slightly more outgoing as well. I am pretty sure I'll get used to her voice eventually, but I'm not sure I really like the change in character of Nayuki. Kouda's new approach to her voice is not entirely a bad thing, but I must say, I really, really enjoyed sleepy-sounding Nayuki in the original.

Sugita Tomokazu, although a very talented seiyuu, doesn't provide the same kind of feel for Yuuichi than Kisaishi Atsushi did. Yuuichi is quite an outgoing character, serious occassionally, but other times is somewhat sarcastic and playful. Now, we know from Suzuharu that Sugita is perfectly capable of injecting sarcasm into his voice (in fact, he is very good at it), but the playfulness seems to be lacking a bit. Also, I can't get used to the fact that he is actually Yuuichi; I am always hearing a Kyon/Rin out of him. I don't know whether logistical reasons or merely a decision on KyoAni's part caused Sugita to replace Kisaishi as Yuuichi, but I personally thought Kisaishi was a better fit for Yuiichi.

Horie Yui was absolutely fine as Ayu. No bones to pick about her.

I also wasn't quite fond of the pacing. The very first scene seemed to go by too fast for me, and the transitions between scenes didn't feel entirely smooth. There never seemed to be a reason given for Yuiichi's staying at the town, whereas in the original version (and I believe the game as well), it was immediately revealed why he was to stay at the town. IIRC, Ayu is introduced earlier in the remake than either the original or the game, and I thought her introduction was somewhat premature. I really liked what the original storyline did, which was to generate a good feel for Nayuki, her life, her friends and classmates, and Yuuichi's personality before introducing another character.

Now, onto the aspects I enjoyed. First is the animation, which is nothing short of wonderful. Backgrounds are lush, detailed, and gorgeous, and character designs are really good as well. Colours are vibrant and the whole vast world is absolutely stunning. A huge step up animation-wise from the original (no Yuuichi chin of death anymore!).

OP and ED themes were both really good. OP and ED animations also fit very well with the song, and I especially enjoyed the slow but somewhat synthetic feel of the OP. Also, it was nice to see an Ayu featurette in the ED. Background music stuck faithful to the original game soundtrack. The music played in each scene is nearly identical to the music played in the corresponding scene of the game, and really fit with what is going on. Seeing as how the game soundtrack is excellent, keeping all the original tracks was definitely a good move on KyoAni's part. My only slight gripe is that one of my favorite tracks from the original series, "Nayuki's Theme," is no longer there, but the wonderful game soundtrack more than compensates.

I really liked the subtle hints and foreshadowing done throughout the series.

spoiler[Just about every integral character involved in the story is introduced in the very first episode, in a way that if it was your first time being exposed to the Kanon storyline, it would probably fly by your head. Mai and Sayuri were featured right before the scene of Nayuki showing Yuuichi around town, Shiori was featured walking right past them. Another character was subtly (or not-so-subtly, depending on how you look at it) hinted at with a certain featured symbol. Although, I would have liked it more if Ayu was featured like the others were in the first episode, and then fully introduced in the second.]

I was incredibly disappointed in the very beginning (mainly because of the very first scene), but became less so as the episode continued on. Some scenes were done incredibly well. The Ayu-wing-turn-around was more hilarious than ever, the childhood "flashbacks" more touching than ever, and the happenings between Kaori and the blonde boy (I can't seem to recall his name) were quite interesting. Overall, certainly not bad, although I would definitely prefer Kouda's old voice acting style and Kisaishi back. Great animation and music really brings Kanon to life!

Yuuichi looks completely different then the older series. The girls stayed almost the same, except for the ill-girl with the blanket, her eyes are blue now.