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To buy: Kanon or Shuffle?


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joshuafer



Joined: 03 Jan 2006
Posts: 262
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:33 am Reply with quote
I am trying to decide which of the 2 series I should begin collecting. I know that both are harem anime, and I prefer mine with a bit more comedy and less on the drama. I liked Love Hina more then Ai Yori Aoshi, for example. I was wondering if someone that has seen both could let me know which had less drama, angst, and more laughs. I try to stay away from the serious stuff. Usually I just collect action and sci fi, but sometimes I like to mix things up a little.
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angel_lover



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 645
Location: UK
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:40 am Reply with quote
Best look here before making any decisions.
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abunai
Old Regular


Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 9:48 am Reply with quote
joshuafer wrote:
I am trying to decide which of the 2 series I should begin collecting. I know that both are harem anime, and I prefer mine with a bit more comedy and less on the drama. I liked Love Hina more then Ai Yori Aoshi, for example. I was wondering if someone that has seen both could let me know which had less drama, angst, and more laughs. I try to stay away from the serious stuff. Usually I just collect action and sci fi, but sometimes I like to mix things up a little.

Well, they're both based on games, yes, but there is a certain difference in style. Kanon is based on a nakige, and as such, it plays very heavily on pathos, attempting to get you to shed a tear over the drama (and succeeding, more often than not).

Shuffle, based on a more straightforwardly erotic game, starts out as more of a traditional harem anime, with an outright struggle for the protagonist's affections by several girls. As the story develops, it too goes into dramatic mode, and while the first part is very fluffy, indeed, the series culminates in a not-too-shabbily executed tense drama.

Overall, Kanon is far better in terms of animation quality -- but if you find the "harem" element important, you should pick Shuffle, because this is underplayed in Kanon.

Of course, no matter which one you pick, you'll get the wonderfully sarcastic voice of Sugita Tomokazu as the protagonist, and that's not bad at all.

I'd pick Kanon, but that's just me. They're both worth the price. If anything, Kanon has the advantage that it moves right into the first story arc from the start, whereas Shuffle is a slow starter -- so if you're buying the first DVD separately, this gets you into the action faster, and allows you to form a keep-or-drop opinion right away.

- abunai
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Furudanuki



Joined: 29 Jul 2006
Posts: 1874
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:45 am Reply with quote
Just one thing to add to abunai's excellent (as expected) summation. If the amount of fanservice in the series would have an influence your decision, then you should know that there is quite a lot of it in Shuffle!, whereas there is almost none in Kanon. So if you want ecchi you would probably prefer Shuffle!, if you do not then Kanon is the better choice.
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FUNiRepBlue (disabled)
Company Representative


Joined: 26 Oct 2006
Posts: 66
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:20 am Reply with quote
I'd say Shuffle but I am biased since that is a FUNimation title Smile
I just double checked and we still have the first 2 episodes on the site you can watch for free (as well as the trailer).

Personally I am a big fan of Ken Akamatsu, and I love Love Hina and Negima.
Ai Yori Aoshi is good but it's more sweet.
If you like the crazy stuff that pops up in stuff like Love Hina then you'd probably like Shuffle.
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stormcrow22



Joined: 17 Feb 2007
Posts: 97
Location: Long Island
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 11:28 am Reply with quote
I thought Kanon was one of the titles that was removed from ADV's list. Figured that meant they were canceling distribution...?

Would be nice if that weren't the case.

Yeah, I'm pretty psyched about Shuffle! I pre-ordered it several months ago. Very Happy
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abunai
Old Regular


Joined: 05 Mar 2004
Posts: 5463
Location: 露命
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 12:11 pm Reply with quote
FUNiRepBlue wrote:
I'd say Shuffle but I am biased since that is a FUNimation title Smile

It doesn't say anywhere that it's morally wrong to actually like the company's products, even though you're paid to represent them. Personally, I prefer it when it shows that sales reps genuinely care for the product. At the first whiff of false enthusiasm ("I love this product because I am paid to do so!"), they lose my interest, of course.

FUNiRepBlue wrote:
I just double checked and we still have the first 2 episodes on the site you can watch for free (as well as the trailer).

For lengthy series, this is such a great practice -- it really gives the consumers a chance to decide what they're buying before shelling out for a DVD.

FUNiRepBlue wrote:
Personally I am a big fan of Ken Akamatsu, and I love Love Hina and Negima.

I'm not quite as keen on Love Hina as I am on Negima (the second version, preferably). It seems to me that Love Hina, while still charming (and definitely a landmark in "harem" manga/anime), is somehow beginning to show its age. I don't know if that's a fair assessment, but it's how I feel.

FUNiRepBlue wrote:
Ai Yori Aoshi is good but it's more sweet.

It's one of my favourite romance anime -- and one of the rare examples of the male lead in a romance not being a spineless loser.

FUNiRepBlue wrote:
If you like the crazy stuff that pops up in stuff like Love Hina then you'd probably like Shuffle.

I think that's a correct estimate, and I'll second that.

- abunai
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Ultenth



Joined: 02 Oct 2007
Posts: 229
Location: Washington State
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 1:20 pm Reply with quote
Personally between the two I'd definitely go for Kanon. I found it far more entertaining myself, because of the humor involved in the show (don't know how the humor will translate over into an english dub though, but it was very funny to me watching the sub). Shuffle isn't a bad choice at all, but it definitely is much more of a straightforward harem where everyone goes after the male lead for no real reason. He's the stereotypical harem "nice guy" lead, that doesn't really have much going for him other than being nice to several girls that of course all fall for him because of it (haha, if only real life worked like that). The main character in Kanon is much more confident and playful and actually is one of the few male leads in a harem type romance where I could imagine lots of girls falling for him because he has a great personality. If you like less drama though, and more focus on the harem aspect of multiple girls clamoring for a guy and doing some ecchi stuff, I'd say pick up Shuffle.
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Demontaco



Joined: 26 Jan 2008
Posts: 14
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 3:11 pm Reply with quote
Furudanuki wrote:
Just one thing to add to abunai's excellent (as expected) summation. If the amount of fanservice in the series would have an influence your decision, then you should know that there is quite a lot of it in Shuffle!, whereas there is almost none in Kanon. So if you want ecchi you would probably prefer Shuffle!, if you do not then Kanon is the better choice.


Understatement, i'd say.

the ONLY fanservice moment i remember in ALL of Kanon was in the first episode where we see Nayuki's bra as she changes.

i haven't seen shuffle yet, but i can say that Kanon is amazing in terms of plot. By the end, i was incredibly surprised (and touched) by the story. It's a bit confusing until the very last episode, where everything just falls into place.

meanwhile, i'll be picking up Shuffle! for myself, now that its been recommended.
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Zin5ki



Joined: 06 Jan 2008
Posts: 6680
Location: London, UK
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 4:34 pm Reply with quote
Demontaco wrote:
By the end, i was incredibly surprised (and touched) by the story. It's a bit confusing until the very last episode, where everything just falls into place.


Much of the content from episode 8 onwards falls under the "bring your own box of tissues" category, but in a good way. I myself have no tissues however.
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7994
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 6:42 pm Reply with quote
I've seen and enjoyed both series and plan on picking both of them up which is/would be my solution. If you only want one go with Kannon though as it's a little more solid of a series. Shuffle is also excellent but takes longer to get going. On the other hand if you like more humor go with Shuffle as it's for the most part more comedy oriented...at least until the second half of the show.
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Monsieur Pink



Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 141
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 7:21 pm Reply with quote
I'm probably not part of Shuffle!'s target audience because I absolutely hated it. I thought there were simply too many issues that prevented the show from even being enjoyable, I also found the first 12 episode too be quite painful to watch and even if it does get better, it never becomes great and it absolutely can't make up for all that went wrong. So yeah, Kanon. But I'm biased so I guess it doesn't count.
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qtipbrit92



Joined: 25 Dec 2007
Posts: 37
Location: San Diego
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:01 pm Reply with quote
As another voice who can likely talk with little bias, I'd say that I wouldn't be able to recommend either, without knowing your tastes.
Kanon would be a much better choice if you're looking for something for emotional, dramatic, but not overly so, and will likely tear you up at the very least. As said before, there is very, very, little fanservice in the series; maybe one or two ecchi-like scenes at most, and even the character designs lack the accentuated "female" features that are often prominent in typical harem animes. Its presentation is more straightforward than Shuffle!'s, but there's a good deal of comedy as well, enough to bring you back into good spirits before shattering you again.
The last thing to be said of Kanon is its amazing animation quality; as expected from Kyoto Animation, every scene is detailed to a fault, and the whole series flows better because of it.

Shuffle! is a much more comedic series, very upbeat, resembling many common harem animes like Girls Bravo, Love Hina, Ichigo 100%, etc. early on, and transitions smoothly into a more dramatic feel. In comparison to Kanon, there is much more fanservice in Shuffle!: accentuated features (read: breasts), many panty shots, and even mild nudity (including Lolicon.) Shuffle! will likely be more entertaining than Kanon if you're looking more for something more cheerful that can still grip you emotionally at times, so go for Shuffle! if you can't handle the tears.

As for the dubs and such, I personally think that the Shuffle! dub is better overall than Kanon's; the voices fit the characters better (Asa's genki voice, Primula's softspoken-ness), and generally flow more, while many of Kanon's English voice actors lose the innocence of their characters through more mature voices, and Brittney Karbowski's uguu~ is far from meeting Yui Horie's legacy. (Tiffany Terell's Auu~ was quite fitting, though.)
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TheAnimeJudge



Joined: 19 Jan 2008
Posts: 85
Location: WORST TOPIC MAKER =D in Chicago!
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 8:16 pm Reply with quote
Hey i got 2 easy words to explain this to you, Love Harem?!?
Go for Shuffle!
If you love a freaaking good anime then go for Kanon 2006... xD
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F_urn



Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Michigan
PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2008 10:10 pm Reply with quote
I kinda had the same situation a while ago and I started watching Shuffle. If it is humor you are looking for, I found the first few episodes of Shuffle to be pretty funny. I can think of a few instences where I stopped and rewound to watch parts over and over again. Of course I have not finnished yet, nor have I seen Konan. But the view from someone who picked Shuffle is that I have enjoyed it.

abunai wrote:

Of course, no matter which one you pick, you'll get the wonderfully sarcastic voice of Sugita Tomokazu as the protagonist, and that's not bad at all.


Ahh I completly agree =)
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