Kanon (video Game)
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''Kanon'' is a Japanese
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
developed by Key, a brand of
Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
. It was released on June 4, 1999, for
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
as an
adult game An ''eroge'' (, ''eroge'', or , ''erogē'', ), also called an H-game, is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were crea ...
. Key later released versions of ''Kanon'' without the erotic content, and the game was
ported In software engineering, porting is the process of adapting software for the purpose of achieving some form of execution in a computing environment that is different from the one that a given program (meant for such execution) was originally desig ...
to the
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
,
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
,
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
and
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
. The story follows the life of Yuichi Aizawa, a high school student who returns to a city he last visited seven years prior, and he has little recollection of the events from back then. He meets several girls and slowly regains his lost memories. The
gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...
in ''Kanon'' follows a branching plot line which offers pre-determined scenarios with courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters by the
player character A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional Character (arts), character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters tha ...
. The game once ranked as the second best-selling PC game sold in Japan, and charted in the national top 50 several more times afterwards. ''Kanon'' has sold over 300,000 units across several platforms. Following the game's release, ''Kanon'' made several transitions into other media. Two
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
series were serialized in ''
Dengeki Daioh is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in ''tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comi ...
'' and ''
Dragon Age Pure was a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. It was first released on January 30, 2006, and was initially sold quarterly. Starting with the sale of the fourth volume on April 20, 2007, the magazine was sold bimonthly unti ...
''.
Comic anthologies A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...
,
light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...
s and
art book Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind ob ...
s were also published, as were
audio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...
s and several music albums.
Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
produced a 13-episode anime television series in 2002 and an
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(OVA) episode in 2003.
Kyoto Animation , often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1985 by husband and wife Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who remain its president and vice-president respectively. Kyoto ...
produced a 24-episode anime series in 2006. The 2006 anime was licensed and dubbed in English by
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gr ...
in 2008, but the license was given to
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after ADV's closure. The 2006 anime plays on the association between ''Kanon'' and the musical term
canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...
by using
Pachelbel Johann Pachelbel (also Bachelbel; baptised – buried 9 March 1706) was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ schools to their peak. He composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contrib ...
's ''Kanon D-dur'', or '' Canon in D major'', as a background piece at certain instances throughout the series.


Gameplay

''Kanon'' is a
romance Romance may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings ** Romantic orientation, the classification of the sex or gender with which a pers ...
visual novel A visual novel (VN) is a form of digital interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with static or animated illustratio ...
in which the player assumes the role of Yuichi Aizawa. Much of its
gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game. The term applies to both video games and Tabletop game, tabletop games. Gameplay is the connection between the player and the game, the player's overcoming of challenges, and t ...
is spent on reading the story's
narrative A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether non-fictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travel literature, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller ...
and
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
. ''Kanon'' follows a branching plot line with multiple endings, and depending on the decisions that the player makes during the game, the plot will progress in a specific direction. There are five main plot lines that the player will have the chance to experience, one for each of the heroines in the story. Throughout gameplay, the player is given multiple options to choose from, and text progression pauses at these points until a choice is made. To view all plot lines in their entirety, the player will have to replay the game multiple times and choose different choices to further the plot to an alternate direction. After Mai's scenario is completed, a replay of her route will offer an additional choice to play through Sayuri's
back-story A backstory, background story, background, or legend is a set of events invented for a plot, preceding and leading up to that plot. In acting, it is the history of the character before the drama begins, and is created during the actor's preparat ...
.
Jun Maeda is a Japanese writer and composer. He is a co-founder of the visual novel brand Key under Visual Arts. He is considered a pioneer of nakige visual novels, and has mainly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the ...
, who worked on the scenario for ''Kanon'', commented in March 2001 that the Japanese public may have fallen under the impression that Key makes soothing games because of ''Kanons influence, but Maeda affirmed that there was not one person who worked on ''Kanon'' who thought that. In the
adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...
versions of the game, there are scenes with sexual CGs depicting Yuichi and a given heroine having sex. Later, Key released versions of ''Kanon'' without the erotic content. The versions that include the adult content have one explicit sex scene in each of the five main story routes, in addition to one fantasy scene. Outside of these, there are two scenes with
nudity Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. While estimates vary, for the first 90,000 years of pre-history, anatomically modern humans were naked, having lost their body hair, living in hospitable climates, and not ...
.
Yūichi Suzumoto is a male Japanese novelist originally from Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Japan, though he now lives in Osaka, Japan. As of 2006, he works for Aquaplus, known for being the publishing company of Leaf. Before going to Leaf, Suzumoto worked at the publish ...
, a scenario writer who worked on later Key titles, commented that the sex scenes in ''Kanon'' are very self-contained, and can be easily removed without altering the story. Maeda remarked that the sex scenes were not written with
reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. There are two forms of reproduction: Asexual reproduction, asexual and Sexual ...
in mind.


Plot


Setting and themes

There are several important locations featured in the ''Kanon'' story, though the location names are seldom mentioned explicitly in Key's works. The events of the story occur during winter, and since it often snows periodically over the course of the entire story, the city is always presented covered in a layer of snow. The
shopping district A shopping street or shopping district is a designated road or quarter of a municipality that is composed of retail establishments (such as stores, boutiques, restaurants, and shopping complexes). Such areas may be pedestrian-oriented, with ...
is featured throughout the story when the characters go into town, and especially whenever Ayu appears in the early story. The high school where Yuichi and the other main characters attend, including the school grounds, is shown predominantly in Shiori's and Mai's stories, and is otherwise a general setting where Yuichi interacts with other characters. There are recurring themes that appear throughout the story. A music theme is present, as the episode titles from the 2006–2007 anime have parts in their titles related to music, such as
overture Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") is a music instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed overtures which ...
and
introit The Introit () is part of the opening of the liturgical celebration of the Eucharist for many Christian denominations. In its most complete version, it consists of an antiphon, psalm verse and '' Gloria Patri'', which are spoken or sung at the ...
.
Miracle A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divi ...
s play a large part in the story; ''Kanon''s plot line and characters are influenced by various instances where miracles occur. The act of promising and keeping promises is found throughout the story. Yuichi eventually makes important promises to the five main girls while at the same time fulfilling past promises he had made with four of them when he used to visit the city as a kid. One of the motifs in the story is
amnesia Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
, or memory loss; three of the main characters—Yuichi, Ayu and Makoto—suffer from amnesia in varying degrees; this is used as a plot device to advance the story. Another motif deals with the favorite foods of the five main heroines. ''
Newtype USA is a monthly magazine originating from Japan covering anime and, to a lesser extent, manga, voice actors, science fiction, , and video games. It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985, and has since been released i ...
'' stated in an article on ''Kanon'' that "it's when the characters are eating something really tasty that they seem most beautiful and alive", despite the somber setting and overall tone of the series. These five foods of choice are:
taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is anko. Some shops even sell with , gyoza filling, or a sausage inside. Smaller, differently shaped ve ...
(Ayu), strawberries (Nayuki),
nikuman Baozi (), or simply bao, is a type of yeast-leavened filled bun in various Chinese cuisines. There are many variations in fillings (meat or vegetarian) and preparations, though the buns are most often steamed. They are a variation of '' man ...
(Makoto), ice cream (Shiori), and gyudon (Mai).


Main characters

The player controls Yuichi Aizawa, the game's protagonist and a cynical 17-year-old high school student. He is known to play jokes on the girls his age he knows and interacts with throughout the story. Despite this, Yuichi is very loyal and will go to great lengths to please others, even at the expense of his own time and money. He generally has a selfless personality and does not ask much from others in return for what he does for them. Ayu Tsukimiya, the game's main heroine, is a short, strange, and mysterious girl immediately recognizable by her winged backpack, red hair band, and tendency to refer to herself with the masculine first-person pronoun . She has a fondness for eating
taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is anko. Some shops even sell with , gyoza filling, or a sausage inside. Smaller, differently shaped ve ...
, and is notorious for her nonsense
catchphrase A catchphrase (alternatively spelled catch phrase) is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through word of mouth and a variety of mass ...
, , which she mutters as an expression of various negative emotions such as frustration, pain, and fear. Yuichi's first cousin Nayuki Minase, another of the game's heroines, has been in love with him since childhood, and must learn how to deal with her feelings, especially with the threat that he may fall in love with one of the other girls. Nayuki talks noticeably slower than those around her, and has constant trouble waking up in the morning except on a few occasions when she is up before Yuichi, much to his surprise. Yuichi is accosted a few days after arriving in the city by the third heroine Makoto Sawatari, a young
amnesiac Amnesia is a deficit in memory caused by brain damage or brain diseases,Gazzaniga, M., Ivry, R., & Mangun, G. (2009) Cognitive Neuroscience: The biology of the mind. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. but it can also be temporarily caused by t ...
girl. Despite this, she is sure that she holds a grudge against Yuichi from when he last visited the city. Makoto has a mischievous side and constantly plays pranks on Yuichi. She has an affinity towards the spring and once wished that it would stay spring forever. Yuichi coincidentally meets Shiori Misaka, another heroine and first-year high school student suffering from an unexplained illness since birth. Her affliction has caused her to become very physically weak, and she is almost always absent from school because of it. She tries to be strong in the face of her condition, and gets along well with others, even though she does not know very many people her age due to her condition. The fifth and final heroine of the game is Mai Kawasumi, a third-year student of the same high school that Yuichi attends. She has a cold attitude towards almost everyone, but despite this, she is actually a very kind and caring person; she "punishes" someone who makes a playful joke about her by giving them a light
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
chop to the head.


Story

''Kanon''s story revolves around a group of five girls whose lives are connected to the same boy. Yuichi Aizawa is a second-year high school student who had visited the city where the story takes place seven years prior to ''Kanons beginning. The story opens on Wednesday January 6, 1999 when Yuichi arrives in the city and is very detached from it and its inhabitants. Prior to his return, it is decided that he is to stay with his first cousin, Nayuki Minase, and her mother, Akiko. After his long absence, Yuichi has forgotten almost everything except minor details of what happened seven years before and is in need of being reminded of what he left behind. Nayuki initially tries repeatedly to jog his memory, but is unsuccessful. Throughout the story, as he learns about the supernatural undertones of the city, Yuichi is reminded of the events of seven years ago. On the day after Yuichi's return, he is out with Nayuki who is showing him around the city. Nayuki remembers that she has to buy things for dinner, but Yuichi is reluctant to go into the store with her. Moments after Nayuki leaves him waiting on the sidewalk, a strange girl named Ayu Tsukimiya collides with him with little warning. Upon recovering, she drags him away to a nearby café and confesses to inadvertently stealing a bag filled with
taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is anko. Some shops even sell with , gyoza filling, or a sausage inside. Smaller, differently shaped ve ...
after being accidentally scared away by the salesman before she had a chance to pay. They decide to meet up again another day and Ayu scampers off. A few days after he has been in the city, Yuichi is accosted by a girl named Makoto Sawatari who has lost her memories, though still remembers that she has a grudge against him from when he last visited the city. After she collapses in the street, he takes her home and learns about her situation. Akiko gives her permission to live with them for the time being, which is against Yuichi's plan to hand her over to the police. Another girl who is connected to Yuichi's past is Mai Kawasumi who attends his high school as a third-year. She takes it upon herself to fight and defeat
demon A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including f ...
s at night while the school is deserted. Due to this, she is constantly blamed for accidents because she never denies them, being too sincere to say anything and knowing that no one will believe that there are demons in the school. Yuichi coincidentally meets a fifth girl named Shiori Misaka who he gets to know along with the other four heroines in the story. She has suffered from an unexplained affliction since birth which makes her weak to the point of missing school because of it. Yuichi starts to talk with her more after noticing her in the school courtyard one day. It turns out that Shiori stands outside on the school grounds nearly every day because she wants to meet someone dear to her.


Development

Most of ''Kanon''s development staff originally worked for the visual novel publisher
Nexton is a Japanese Software company, software publishing company specializing in the publishing and distribution of Eroge, adult visual novels for 23 game development brands that Nexton is partners with. The company is located in Osaka, Japan. The ...
under the brand
Tactics Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to: * Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks ** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield ** Chess tactics In chess, a tac ...
. After the release of the brand's third game '' One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e'', most of Tactics' staff left Nexton to pursue work in another publishing company where they could have the freedom to produce their next game. Itaru Hinoue, who had previously worked at
Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
once before, introduced Key's founding members to the president of Visual Arts, Takahiro Baba. Baba gave the developers the freedom they desired, and they officially transferred to Visual Arts where they formed Key on July 21, 1998, and started production on ''Kanon''. The planning for the visual novel was headed by
Naoki Hisaya , born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel '' Kanon'' while working under Key. Additional works ...
who was also one of two scenario writers with
Jun Maeda is a Japanese writer and composer. He is a co-founder of the visual novel brand Key under Visual Arts. He is considered a pioneer of nakige visual novels, and has mainly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the ...
. Hisaya wrote the scenarios for Ayu, Nayuki and Shiori, while Maeda wrote the routes for Makoto and Mai. Art direction was headed by Key's artist
Itaru Hinoue is the pseudonym of a Japanese artist from Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan, who is one of the founding members of the visual novel brand Key (company), Key under VisualArt's. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga ''C'' by Shō Kita ...
who worked on the character design and computer graphics. Further computer graphics were split between three people—Dinn, Miracle Mikipon, Shinory—and background art was provided by Torino. The music in the game was composed by
OdiakeS OdiakeS (born March 22) is a Japanese composer from Tokyo, Japan who has worked for a variety of visual novel companies. His first work was on the game '' One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e'' under Tactics. When the staff of ''One'' left Tactics to create the ...
,
Shinji Orito is a Japanese musical composer originally from Hyōgo, Japan working for the visual novel brand Key under VisualArt's. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf where he contributed to four games. After leaving Le ...
and Jun Maeda. ''Kanon'' was the first and last visual novel developed by Key that two of the main staff—Naoki Hisaya, and OdiakeS—worked on before pursuing a similar line of work in other visual novel studios.


Release history

''Kanon'' was released as an
adult game An ''eroge'' (, ''eroge'', or , ''erogē'', ), also called an H-game, is a Japanese genre of erotic video game. The term encompasses a wide variety of Japanese games containing erotic content across multiple genres. The first ''eroge'' were crea ...
on June 4, 1999, in limited and regular editions, playable on a
Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...
PC as a
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
. The limited edition came bundled with the
remix album A remix album is an album consisting of remixes or rerecorded versions of an artist's earlier released material. The first act who employed the format was American singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson ('' Aerial Pandemonium Ballet'', 1971). As of 200 ...
''
Anemoscope An anemoscope is a device designed to show the direction of the wind, or to indicate a change of wind direction. The name is usually applied to an apparatus consisting of a wind vane above, connecting to a building below by some kind of coupling ...
'' remixing background music tracks featured in the visual novel. Key released an all ages version on January 7, 2000, for Windows. An updated adult version called the ''Kanon Standard Edition'' was released on November 26, 2004, with added support for
Windows 2000 Windows 2000 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft, targeting the server and business markets. It is the direct successor to Windows NT 4.0, and was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RT ...
/ XP as a
DVD-ROM The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
. The ''Standard Edition'' incorporates the extra graphics added to the earlier all ages version of the game, and other technical changes such as more save slots. An all ages version of the ''Standard Edition'' was released on January 28, 2005. An updated all ages version of ''Kanon'' compatible for
Windows Vista Windows Vista is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was the direct successor to Windows XP, released five years earlier, which was then the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft W ...
PCs was released by Key on July 31, 2009, in a box set containing five other Key visual novels called Key 10th Memorial Box. Another all ages updated version compatible for
Windows 7 Windows 7 is a major release of the Windows NT operating system developed by Microsoft. It was Software release life cycle#Release to manufacturing (RTM), released to manufacturing on July 22, 2009, and became generally available on October 22, ...
PCs called ''Kanon Memorial Edition'' was released on April 30, 2010. The first consumer console
port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...
of the game was released for the
Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...
on September 14, 2000, by NEC Interchannel. A
PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...
(PS2) version was released on February 28, 2002, also by NEC Interechannel. The PS2 version was re-released as a "
Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...
" version on December 22, 2004. The PS2 version was bundled in a "Key 3-Part Work Premium Box" package together with the PS2 versions of ''
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
'' and ''
Clannad Clannad () were an Irish band formed in 1970 in Gweedore, County Donegal, by siblings , and (Moya) (in English, Brennan) and their twin uncles Noel and (Duggan). They have adopted various musical styles throughout their history. Beginn ...
'' released on July 30, 2009. An adult version playable as a
Blu-ray Disc Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of ...
was released on December 16, 2011, by Asoberu! BD-Game, a brand of Visual Arts. Prototype through VisualArt's Motto released a version playable on SoftBank 3G mobile phones on October 27, 2006, and another version playable on
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mobile phones in December 2006. A
PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...
(PSP) version of the game was released in Japan on February 15, 2007, by
Prototype A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototype ...
. The first release of the PSP version came with a special DVD featuring a message from five of the voice actors and a recompiled opening video from the video game version. The five voice actors on the DVD included:
Mariko Kōda is a Japanese actress, voice actress, J-pop singer and radio personality. She graduated from Kasukabe Kyōei High School and went on to major in Communications at Tamagawa University in Machida City, Tokyo, graduating in 1990. Kouda has had at ...
as Nayuki Minase, Akemi Satō as Shiori Misaka,
Mayumi Iizuka is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and disc jockey who was born in Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment and her label is Lantis. She is an instructor at the Stay Luck training school Follow-Up. For her singing ...
as Makoto Sawatari,
Yūko Minaguchi is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Bunkyō, Tokyo. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. In 2012, Minaguchi took a nineteen-month-long hiatus from acting in order to study abroad in the United States. This resulted in Sh ...
as Akiko Minase, and
Tomokazu Sugita is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and author. He mainly plays young men and is characterized by his "deep bass voice," and he often performs ad-libs and imitations. He is best known for his roles as Gintoki Sakata in ''Gintama'', ...
as Yuichi Aizawa.
Yui Horie is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with VIMS and Starchild. She has been affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans. She debuted as a voice actress in 1997, releasing her debut single "''My best friend''" on . Since then, s ...
as Ayu Tsukimiya voiced the short introduction of the DVD, but was not featured in the contents of the DVD itself. A downloadable version of the PSP release via the
PlayStation Store PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital distribution service for users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via PlayStation Network. The store offers a range of downloadable content both ...
was released by Prototype on November 9, 2009. A version playable on
Android Android most commonly refers to: *Android (robot), a humanoid robot or synthetic organism designed to imitate a human * Android (operating system), a mobile operating system primarily developed by Google * Android TV, a operating system developed ...
devices was released on November 30, 2011. An adult version for Android devices was released in January 2013. A version playable on
iOS Ios, Io or Nio (, ; ; locally Nios, Νιός) is a Greek island in the Cyclades group in the Aegean Sea. Ios is a hilly island with cliffs down to the sea on most sides. It is situated halfway between Naxos and Santorini. It is about long an ...
devices was released on April 4, 2013. In the original release, there was no voice acting for the characters, but in the later versions produced for the Dreamcast and PS2, full voice acting was included. The only exception was Yuichi, who was not voiced in either version. However, the PSP release features voice acting for Yuichi, provided by
Tomokazu Sugita is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and author. He mainly plays young men and is characterized by his "deep bass voice," and he often performs ad-libs and imitations. He is best known for his roles as Gintoki Sakata in ''Gintama'', ...
. Prototype released a
Nintendo Switch The is a video game console developed by Nintendo and released worldwide in most regions on March 3, 2017. Released in the middle of the Eighth generation of video game consoles, eighth generation of home consoles, the Switch succeeded the ...
version in Japan on April 20, 2023. Visual Arts and Prototype announced a Windows release for ''Kanon'' distributed via
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
with English, Japanese and Simplified Chinese language support, which released on June 20, 2024.


Adaptations


Light novels

Five
adult An adult is an animal that has reached full growth. The biological definition of the word means an animal reaching sexual maturity and thus capable of reproduction. In the human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social an ...
light novel A is a type of Genre fiction, popular literature novel from Japan usually classified as young adult fiction, generally targeting Adolescence, teens to Young adult, twenties or older. The definition is very vague, and wide-ranging. The abbr ...
s written by Mariko Shimizu and published by
Paradigm In science and philosophy, a paradigm ( ) is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. The word ''paradigm'' is Ancient ...
were released in Japan between October 1999 and August 2000. The cover art and internal illustrations were drawn by
Itaru Hinoue is the pseudonym of a Japanese artist from Osaka Prefecture, Osaka, Japan, who is one of the founding members of the visual novel brand Key (company), Key under VisualArt's. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga ''C'' by Shō Kita ...
, the artist who drew the artwork in the visual novel. The basis for each novel was one of each of the five heroines and had titles that were taken from the musical themes pertaining to each character in the original game. The first two released were and in December 1999. The third was released in April 2000 and the fourth novel was titled ''The Fox and the Grapes'' (Makoto), released two months later. The final novel titled was released in August 2000. Paradigm re-released the five novels in conjunction with
Visual Arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics (art), ceramics, photography, video, image, filmmaking, design, crafts, and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual a ...
under their VA Bunko
imprint Imprint or imprinting may refer to: Entertainment * ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series * "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror'' * ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film ...
, which removed the erotic scenes, starting with ''Yuki no Shōjo'' on June 27, 2009, and ending with ''Hidamari no Machi'' on December 26, 2009. To make up for the missing erotic content, Shimizu wrote additional content for each volume. A sixth novel titled for the supporting character Sayuri Kurata written by Shimizu and illustrated by Zen was released on March 31, 2011.


Trading card game

Following the release of the original visual novel, Key collaborated with TI Tokyo to release the Kanon Trading Card Game. The game was showcased through Comiket, with the original beta cards and promotional materials appearing in winter 1999. This release would also be expanded to include the Air Trading Card Game, based on Key's followup visual novel, ''Air'', alongside several expansions to the core game.


Drama CDs and radio shows

A set of five drama CDs were released between September 29, 2000, and April 27, 2001, with each volume focusing on a different heroine. A set of five anthology drama CDs were released between December 22, 2001, and May 25, 2002, with each volume again focusing on a different heroine. A
radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production, or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netw ...
to promote the Dreamcast port of ''Kanon'' titled broadcast 13 episodes between October 6 and December 29, 2000. The show, produced by
Movic is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate (retailer), Animate group. Anime involved in *''Oh My Goddess!, Ah ...
, was hosted by
Yukari Tamura is a Japanese voice actress and singer affiliated with Amuleto. She released her debut single "Yūki o Kudasai" on March 26, 1997. Biography Born in Fukuoka Prefecture, Tamura gained fame as an advocate for the Lolita fashion movement, wear ...
and
Tomoko Kawakami was a Japanese voice actress. She was also known by her pen-name Tomozou (とも蔵), and her Christian name Cecilia (セシリア). Having graduated from the Toho Gakuen College of Drama and Music, she was a member of Production Baobab. Ca ...
, the voices Mai Kawasumi and Sayuri Kurata, respectively. A
radio drama Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatized, dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the liste ...
titled broadcast 53 episodes between October 6, 2001, and October 5, 2002. The show, which was broadcast on
TBS Radio TBS Radio, Inc. () is a radio station in Tokyo, Japan, the flagship radio station of the Japan Radio Network (JRN). The company was founded by the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS, presently named TBS Holdings, Inc.) on March 21, 2000. TBS Radio ...
and Radio Kansai, was hosted by
Yūko Minaguchi is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Bunkyō, Tokyo. She is affiliated with Aoni Production. In 2012, Minaguchi took a nineteen-month-long hiatus from acting in order to study abroad in the United States. This resulted in Sh ...
, the voice of Akiko Minase, and narrated by
Atsushi Kisaichi is a Japanese Voice acting in Japan, voice actor and narrator currently affiliated with Aoni Production. Filmography Anime ;1992 * ''Crayon Shin-chan'' as Yuji ;1994 * ''Shoot! (manga), Aoki Densetsu Shoot!'' as Tooru Endo * ''Slam Dunk (manga) ...
. The voice actors from ''Kanon'' were also featured as guests. Five CD compilation volumes containing all of the show's broadcasts were released between August 30, 2002, and April 26, 2003.


Manga

The first ''Kanon''
manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
illustrated by Petit Morishima was serialized in MediaWorks' manga magazine ''
Dengeki Daioh is a Japanese shōnen manga magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) under the ''Dengeki'' brand. Many manga serialized in ''Dengeki Daioh'' were later published in ''tankōbon'' volumes under ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Comi ...
'' between the February 2000 and July 2002 issues. The individual chapters were later collected into two separate ''
tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...
'' volumes published by MediaWorks under their ''
Dengeki Comics is a manga publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks (publisher), MediaWorks) and is aimed at a male audience. Aside from the main Dengeki Comics label, there is the related Dengeki Co ...
'' imprint released in September 2000 and on July 27, 2002. There are six chapters in total, three in each volume. Aside from the
prologue A prologue or prolog (from Ancient Greek πρόλογος ''prólogos'', from πρό ''pró'', "before" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is an opening to a story that establishes the context and gives background details, often some earlier st ...
in volume one and the
epilogue An epilogue or epilog (from Greek ἐπίλογος ''epílogos'', "conclusion" from ἐπί ''epi'', "in addition" and λόγος ''logos'', "word") is a piece of writing at the end of a work of literature, usually used to bring closure to the ...
in volume two, the other four chapters concern four of the main heroines. From chapters one through four, the main heroines presented are: Shiori Misaka, Makoto Sawatari, Mai Kawasumi and Ayu Tsukimiya. To make up for Nayuki not getting a chapter of her own, the story is altered in that Nayuki is in most of the scenes Yuichi is in. The first manga is different from the visual novel in that Shiori's, Makoto's, and Mai's stories are not told in their entirety. Near the end of each of these girls' stories were originally intended to give the viewer the remaining answers, but the manga version ends these girls' stories prematurely. This was due to the manga putting more focus on Ayu's story. The second manga illustrated by Kinusa Shimotsuki, under the main title with the subtitle ''each regret of Kanon'', was serialized between volumes two and seven of
Fujimi Shobo , formerly , was a Japanese publisher that specialized in light novels, manga, Japanese role-playing games, role-playing games and collectible card games. Founded in 1972 and reorganized three times, it was at times an independent company and at ...
's ''
Dragon Age Pure was a Japanese '' shōnen'' manga magazine published by Fujimi Shobo. It was first released on January 30, 2006, and was initially sold quarterly. Starting with the sale of the fourth volume on April 20, 2007, the magazine was sold bimonthly unti ...
'' magazine sold between June 29, 2006, and October 20, 2007, respectively. The first volume was released in Japan on April 1, 2007, and focused on Nayuki's story. The second volume was released on December 8, 2007, and focused on the other four heroines. There are nine chapters in total, five in volume one and four in volume two. There have also been many releases of manga
anthologies In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and ge ...
produced by different companies and drawn by a multitude of different artists. The first volume of the earliest anthology series, released by
Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga ...
under the title ''Kanon Comic Anthology'', was released in November 2000 under their ''DNA Media Comics'' label. Volumes for this series continued to be released for another two years, ending in December 2002 with the 14th volume; an additional 15th volume was released later in February 2007. Ichijinsha also released two more volumes of anthology collections of four-panel
comic strip A comic strip is a Comics, sequence of cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often Serial (literature), serialized, with text in Speech balloon, balloons and Glossary of comics terminology#Captio ...
s titled ''Kanon 4-koma Kings'' in April and June 2001. Softgarage released an anthology in a single volume in December 2002 titled ''Kanon Anthology Comic''. In April 2004, Ohzora released an anthology composed of works based on both ''Kanon'' and ''
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
'' titled ''Haru Urara: Kanon & Air''. Between June and August 2004, Ohzora also released five separate volumes of manga based on ''Kanon'' drawn by five separate artists. Ohzora later collected some of the previously published manga anthologies into two volumes titled ''Kanon Anthology Comics Best Selection'' released in December 2006 and January 2007. Additionally, Ohzora released another 13 volumes of an anthology series titled ''Kanon'' under their ''Twin Heart Comics'' label. The now-bankrupt publisher Raporto also released 21 manga anthology volumes titled ''Kanon'' under their ''Raporto Comics'' label between November 2000 and October 2002. The last manga anthology, a collection of four-panel comic strips released in a single volume by
Enterbrain , formerly , is a Japanese publisher and division of Kadokawa Future Publishing founded on January 30, 1987, as . Magazines published by Enterbrain are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strate ...
titled ''
Magi-Cu was a Japanese manga magazine published by Enterbrain and was sold monthly on the twenty-fifth. The name comes from the phrase ''Magical Cute''. The magazine was first published on April 27, 2001, under the title ''Magi-Cu Premium''. It kept that ...
4-koma Kanon'', was released in January 2007 under their ''MC Comics'' label. Each of the anthology series are written and drawn by an average of 20 people per volume.


Anime

The first ''Kanon'' anime was produced by the Japanese animation studio
Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...
and directed by
Naoyuki Itō is a Japanese animator, storyboard artist, and director. Some of his major works directed include the first ''Kanon'' series released in 2002, and ''Digimon Data Squad'', the latter of which had a run of 48 episodes in 2006–07. In 2015, he dire ...
. Thirteen episodes were produced and aired in Japan on
Fuji TV JOCX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is a Japanese television station that serves the Kantō region as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and the Fuji Network System (FNS). The station is owned-and- ...
between January 31 and March 28, 2002. The series also later aired on
Kansai TV JODX-DTV (channel 8), branded as or , is the Kansai region key station of the Fuji News Network (FNN) and Fuji Network System (FNS), owned-and-operated by the . Its studios and headquarters are located in Osaka and the broadcaster is an affi ...
. Later, a single
original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...
(OVA) episode titled "Kanon Kazahana" was released in March 2003. The anime series and OVA used the songs "Florescence" and "Flower" for the opening and ending themes, respectively. While it does not appear as the ending theme in the first 12 episodes or in the OVA, the game's ending theme "Where the Wind Reaches" is used as the ending theme for the series in episode 13. Additionally, the game's opening theme "Last regrets" is played near the end of episode 13 during the flashback scene. Starting in 2006,
Kyoto Animation , often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. It was founded in 1985 by husband and wife Hideaki and Yoko Hatta, who remain its president and vice-president respectively. Kyoto ...
, the animators of another Key game-turned-anime, ''
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
'', decided to animate a new adaptation of ''Kanon''. This version, directed by
Tatsuya Ishihara is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working for Kyoto Animation since 1988, he has directed '' The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''Clannad'', ''Nichijou'', ''Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions'' and '' Sound! Euphonium''. Earl ...
and written by
Fumihiko Shimo is a Japanese anime screenwriter and novelist, best known for writing the scripts for Kyoto Animation's anime adaptations of Key visual novels. Novels *, illustrated by You Shiina (July 2014, Famitsu Bunko, ) Screenwriting Head writer credit ...
, aired between October 5, 2006, and March 15, 2007, on
BS-i is a Japanese satellite broadcasting station headquartered in Akasaka Gochome, Minato, Tokyo. Its channel name is BS-TBS (formerly, BS-i). Channels *Television: BS-TBS is assigned BS161ch - 163ch. *Radio: BS-i had been assigned 461ch, 462c ...
, containing 24 episodes. The series was later rebroadcast on TBS.
ADV Films A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gr ...
announced on September 21, 2007, at the
Anime Weekend Atlanta Anime Weekend Atlanta (AWA) is an annual four-day anime convention held during December at the Georgia World Congress Center, Building C in Atlanta, Georgia. Programming The convention typically offers an Anime Music Video contest, Artists' Alle ...
anime convention An anime and manga convention (often called just anime convention) is a fan convention with a primary focus on anime, manga and Japanese culture. Anime conventions are commonly multi-day events hosted at convention centers, hotels or college cam ...
that they have officially licensed the second ''Kanon'' anime series. ADV had previously posted a trailer for the series in August 2007, but was soon taken offline once the news had been spread on the Internet. The first English-dubbed episode was made available via streaming online at
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
between December 23 and December 30, 2007. In July 2008, the licensing rights of the second ''Kanon'' anime were transferred from ADV to
Funimation Entertainment Crunchyroll, LLC is an American entertainment company based in Coppell, Texas. It currently operates the anime-focused eponymous over-the-top subscription video on-demand streaming service. The company was founded as Funimation in May 1 ...
(now known as
Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service owned by Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The service primarily distributes fi ...
as of ) who continued to produce the series in North America.
MVM Entertainment MVM Entertainment, also known as MVM and MVM Films, is a British licensor and distributor of Japanese animation. The company also sub-licenses anime titles from US anime companies such as Media Blasters, Geneon, Nozomi Entertainment, Urban Vis ...
released ''Kanon'' on DVD in the United Kingdom on April 14, 2022. The second TV ''Kanon'' animation features updated animation quality, and uses the same
voice acting Voice acting is the art of performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animated, off-stage, off-sc ...
cast as the first anime, with the exception of Yuichi and Kuze. Unlike the first anime, the actual theme songs from the ''Kanon'' game are used for the second anime's opening theme, ending theme and soundtrack. There is one song featured as an insert song in episode 16 that did not come from the visual novel titled "Last regrets (X'mas floor style)" by
Eiko Shimamiya , also called Eiko or Peko, is a female J-pop singer-songwriter, and producer who is currently affiliated with Heart Company. She is best known for singing the opening themes of the anime series ''Higurashi When They Cry''. Eiko also handles a s ...
from
I've Sound I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fans ...
's first album ''
Regret Regret is the emotion of wishing one had made a different decision in the past, because the consequences of the decision one did make were unfavorable. Regret is related to perceived opportunity. Its intensity varies over time after the decisi ...
''. Other songs are used from the
arrange Arrange is a mythological figure from the Aboriginal Australian creation myth of the Alyawarre people for Karlu Karlu. In the myth, the figure Arrange, who is also referred to as the devil man, comes from Ayleparrarntenhe. Arrange was making ...
albums released over the years, which include ''
Anemoscope An anemoscope is a device designed to show the direction of the wind, or to indicate a change of wind direction. The name is usually applied to an apparatus consisting of a wind vane above, connecting to a building below by some kind of coupling ...
'', '' Recollections'', '' Re-feel'', and ''
Ma-Na ''Ma-Na'' is a compilation album first released on August 12, 2005 at Comiket, Comiket 68 in Japan by Key Sounds Label, bearing the catalog number ''KSLA-0018''. The album contains one disc with four tracks remixed from background music from four o ...
''.


Music

The visual novel has two main theme songs, the opening theme "Last regrets", and the ending theme , both sung by
Ayana Ayana may refer to: * Ayana (singer), female Japanese singer-songwriter * Ayana (given name), given name (and list of people with that name) * "Ayana" (short story), a short story by Stephen King * ''Ayana'' (film), a 2018 Indian film * AYAN ...
. The lyrics for both songs were written by
Jun Maeda is a Japanese writer and composer. He is a co-founder of the visual novel brand Key under Visual Arts. He is considered a pioneer of nakige visual novels, and has mainly contributed as a scenario writer, lyricist, and musical composer for the ...
, and arranged by Kazuya Takase of
I've Sound I've Sound, or simply called , is a Japanese techno/trance music production group based in Sapporo, Hokkaidō, Japan. Led by Kazuya Takase, it features the talents of seasoned "sound creators" and many different vocalists, known as to their fans ...
. The five heroines have
leitmotif A leitmotif or () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is a partial angliciz ...
s. Ayu's theme is ; Nayuki's theme is ; Makoto's theme is "The Fox and the Grapes"; Shiori's theme is ; lastly, Mai's theme is . The first music album released was ''
Anemoscope An anemoscope is a device designed to show the direction of the wind, or to indicate a change of wind direction. The name is usually applied to an apparatus consisting of a wind vane above, connecting to a building below by some kind of coupling ...
'' which came bundled with the original release of ''Kanon'' in June 1999. The next release was a single, " Last regrets/Place of wind which arrives", which contained the opening and ending themes plus
arranged In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orchestratio ...
versions of three
background music Background music (British English: piped music) is a mode of musical performance in which the music is not intended to be a primary focus of potential listeners, but its content, character, and volume level are deliberately chosen to affect behav ...
tracks and a male vocal version of the opening theme. A compilation album containing tracks from the two albums was released in December 2001 called '' Recollections''. The game's original soundtrack was released in October 2002 containing 22 different tracks along with short versions of the two theme songs. A piano arrange album was released in December 2003 called '' Re-feel'' which contained five tracks from ''Kanon'' and five from ''
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
''. Excluding the first two albums, each of the albums released for the visual novel version were released on Key's
record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...
Key Sounds Label Key Sounds Label is a Japanese independent record label formed in 2001 as a brand of the publishing company Visual Arts. Key Sounds Label was formed to catalog and release music related to visual novels produced by the brand Key, also under Visu ...
; this is due to the first two albums being released before the label was formed. The first anime's first original soundtrack was released in May 2002, and a second followed in July 2002. The first anime's opening theme is "Florescence" and the ending theme is "Flower", both sung by Miho Fujiwara; the
maxi single A maxi single, maxi-single, or maxi CD (sometimes abbreviated to MCD or CDM) is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song. Maxi singles are often mistaken for extended plays (EPs), especial ...
containing the anime's opening and ending themes was released in June 2002. An album containing
music box A music box (American English) or musical box (British English) is an automatic musical instrument in a box that produces Musical note, musical notes by using a set of pins placed on a revolving cylinder (geometry), cylinder or disc to pluck ...
arranged tracks of music from the first anime was released in July 2003 called '' Orgel de Kiku Sakuhin Shū''. The albums released for the first anime were produced by
Frontier Works is a Japanese company specializing in the creation and distribution of media related to animation, such as producing OVAs, radio dramas, drama CDs, animation soundtracks, or other related products. The company was established in August 1990. ...
and
Movic is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate (retailer), Animate group. Anime involved in *''Oh My Goddess!, Ah ...
. A single was released in commemoration for the second anime called " Last regrets/Kaze no Tadoritsuku Basho" which contained the game's original opening and ending themes in original, short, and remixed versions; the album was produced by Key Sounds Label.


Reception and legacy

According to a national ranking of how well ''bishōjo'' games sold nationally in Japan, the original ''Kanon'' release for Windows achieved its highest rank at number two in the ranking. Three years later in June 2002, the original release ranked in again at 45, and then again at 46 the following two weeks. The original release also made the ranking after that at number 41 in early July 2002. The ''Kanon'' Standard Edition premiered at number 16 in the rankings. The ''Kanon'' Standard Edition remained on the top 50 list for the next two months, achieving the rankings of 47 and 35. The all ages version of the ''Kanon'' Standard Edition premiered at number 42 on the national ranking, went up to 35 the next month, and did not appear on the rankings after that. The Dreamcast port sold 42,379 units in the first week and was the fourth top selling console game in Japan for that week. ''Kanon'' has sold over 300,000 units across several platforms, not counting the PSP release. Five days before the first PS2 release for ''Kanon'', a PS2 printer called Tapis MPR-505 went on sale which enabled the user to print out game screens. ''Kanon'' was one of the three games supported at launch, the other two being ''America Ōden Ultra Quiz'' from
DigiCube DigiCube Co., Ltd. (株式会社デジキューブ; ''Kabushiki-gaisha Dejikyūbu'') was a Japanese company established as a subsidiary of software developer Square on February 6, 1996 and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The primary purpose of Di ...
and ''Marle de Jigsaw'' from
Nippon Ichi Software is a Video gaming in Japan, Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mas ...
. The first PS2 release in 2002 was reviewed by the Japanese video game magazine ''
Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...
'' where the game received an overall
score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...
of 29/40 (out of the four individual review scores of 7, 8, 7, and 7).
Yūichi Suzumoto is a male Japanese novelist originally from Shimizu-ku, Shizuoka, Japan, though he now lives in Osaka, Japan. As of 2006, he works for Aquaplus, known for being the publishing company of Leaf. Before going to Leaf, Suzumoto worked at the publish ...
commented in an interview in March 2001 that he felt the end of ''Kanons story could be summed up as "the prince and princess live happily ever after. The end," resulting in an ending that does not expand on what could possibly happen afterwards. In the October 2007 issue of ''
Dengeki G's Magazine was a Japanese magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks) and sold monthly on the thirtieth that primarily contains information on bishōjo games, but also includes an entire section on anime based on bishōjo games, and seri ...
'', poll results for the 50 best ''bishōjo'' games were released. Out of 249 titles, ''Kanon'' ranked fifth with 71 votes. Characters from ''Kanon'' have appeared in several dōjin games not directly based on the ''Kanon'' series such as the ''
Eternal Fighter Zero , known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese dojin game, ''dojin'' game video game developer, developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN (video game developer), ZUN), which include seven official games in ...
'' game by
Twilight Frontier , known as Tasofro for short, is a Japanese dojin game, ''dojin'' game video game developer, developer. They are best known for their collaborations with Team Shanghai Alice (ZUN (video game developer), ZUN), which include seven official games in ...
where most of the playable characters either came from ''Kanon'' or from '' One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e''. The dōjin game ''
Glove on Fight is a doujin boxing video game released at the Comic Revolution 31 convention in May 2002 by Watanabe Seisakujo (now French-Bread). The name of the game is a take on "'' Groove on Fight''", which is a sequel of the '' Power Instinct'' series, tho ...
'' featured at least two ''Kanon'' characters: Ayu Tsukimiya and Akiko Minase in a
fighting Combat ( French for ''fight'') is a purposeful violent conflict between multiple combatants with the intent to harm the opposition. Combat may be armed (using weapons) or unarmed ( not using weapons). Combat is resorted to either as a method of ...
style game along with various other characters taken from other media. The character
Ayu Tsukimiya ''Kanon'' is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key (company), Key, a brand of Visual Arts (company), Visual Arts. It was released on June 4, 1999, for Microsoft Windows, Windows as an Eroge, adult game. Key later released versions of ''Kanon' ...
in particular is known to appear in works outside ''Kanon'', such as in strip 67 of the
webcomic Webcomics (also known as online comics or Internet comics) are comics published on the internet, such as on a website or a mobile app. While many webcomics are published exclusively online, others are also published in magazines, newspapers, or ...
''
Megatokyo is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher (cartoonist), Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston. ''Megatokyo'' debuted on August 14, 2000, and has been written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since June 17, 2002. Fred Gallagher's ...
'' where Ayu is shown eating ''
taiyaki is a Japanese fish-shaped cake, commonly sold as street food. It imitates the shape of , which it is named after. The most common filling is anko. Some shops even sell with , gyoza filling, or a sausage inside. Smaller, differently shaped ve ...
''. The second ''Kanon'' anime series was reviewed at
Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and ot ...
where Theron Martin commented how the series is a "formulaic moe haremfest", and how the moe aspects of the series may make viewers "feel like they're drowning in a vat of gooey cuteness". The series is described as being similar to the anime television adaptation of ''
Air An atmosphere () is a layer of gases that envelop an astronomical object, held in place by the gravity of the object. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A stellar atmosph ...
'', saying "Like ''Air'', the first four episodes can be simply summarized as 'male lead arrives in town and kills time interacting with cute girls.' Unlike ''Air'', however, these interactions can occasionally be very funny." Martin also compares ''Kanon'' to the anime adaptation of ''
Shuffle! ''Shuffle!'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese visual novel developed by Navel (company), Navel. It was originally released as an Eroge, adult game for Microsoft Windows, Windows on January 30, 2004. It was subsequently followed by an al ...
'' which is described as "bombing" where ''Kanon'' "works". The reviewer chalks this up to the characters "endear ngthemselves to the viewer...far better than what ''Shuffle!s do." Martin cites the transition between humor and serious content as a defining feature of the series. However, Martin comments how one of the series' flaws is how it "overplays the mundane cutesiness and moe cards at times" causing little to happen with the plot. Yuichi is described as being "too erratic to be fully credible" or easily believable. Despite the series' drawbacks, Martin still describes the series as "one of the best moe-centric series to date" and lauds Kyoto Animation's production values making ''Kanon'' "one of the prettiest-looking anime series of the past year". Martin adds another series comparison, citing ''Kanon'' as the "polar opposite of ''
Gurren Lagann ''Gurren Lagann'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese mecha anime television series animated by Gainax and co-produced by Aniplex and Konami. It ran for 27 episodes on TV Tokyo between April and September 2007. It was directed by Hiroyu ...
''", which deals primarily in its action-oriented content.


Notes


References


External links


''Kanon''
at Key
''Kanon'' Steam page''Kanon'' anime
at
Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including '' Sally the Witch'', '' GeGeGe no Kitarō'', '' Mazinger Z'', '' Galaxy Express 999'', '' Cutie Honey'', '' Dr. Slu ...

''Kanon'' anime
at TBS
''Kanon'' anime
at
Funimation Funimation was an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, streaming service. Launched in 2016, the service was one of the leading distributors of anime ...
* * {{Good article 1999 Japanese novels 1999 video games 2000 manga 2002 anime television series debuts 2002 Japanese television series debuts 2002 Japanese television series endings 2003 anime OVAs 2006 anime television series debuts 2006 Japanese television series debuts 2006 manga 2007 Japanese television series endings ADV Films Android (operating system) games Anime reboots Anime television series based on video games ASCII Media Works manga Bishōjo games Book franchises Crunchyroll anime Dengeki Comics Dengeki Daioh Dreamcast games Eroge Fuji Television original programming Fujimi Shobo manga Funimation Harem anime and manga Harem video games Ichijinsha manga IOS games Kadokawa Corporation franchises Key (company) games Kyoto Animation Light novels Madman Entertainment anime Manga based on video games Nintendo Switch games OVAs based on video games PlayStation 2 games PlayStation Portable games Prototype (company) games Anime and manga set in schools Shōnen manga Single-player video games TBS Television (Japan) original programming Toei Animation television VA Bunko Video games about amnesia Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Jun Maeda Video games scored by Magome Togoshi Visual novels Windows games Interchannel games