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I saw '02 back in 2003, and at the time thought it was the greatest thing ever. Then I saw Air, and was psyched to see Ayu and co. in that. And then I heard that the people making Air were going to do a new version of Kanon. And my heart just stopped with joy. And it hasn't started again.
I love them both. But I want to know, which do you people like better?
My feeling is that '06 is better up till episode... 24, let's say. And then I like epsiodes 12 and 13 of the original better. I think the original version really captured the sorrow of Nayuki better (and it made her seem a bit stronger, I think, not some weepy girl who just sat in her room and cried.
I also liked the very sudden healing of Ayu, rather than the half episode of her lying in bed and Yuuichi weeping over her. Again, that's just not the Yuuichi I picture, I see him as more... take charge, and powerful, like in the Shiori arc, not just weeping at how cruel life is.
On the other hand, I think the Yuuichi in '06 comes across as more helpful, but also a bit more of a jerk. He's got too many one-liners, and at times I really want to smack him for some of the stuff he says.
Makoto and Mai both were much better in '06. They got more screen time, and I think we understood them more, especially Mai. The "bunny girl" from '02 seemed like an inside joke rather than a plot point, it was never explained, and most people didn't have a clue what it meant. In '06 we find out that she's Mai, and that Mai also had telepathic healing powers? Which then figured into the ending as well, so that was a neat little Deus Ex Machina which actually wasn't.
Shiori's ending also made more sense. She still got the miraculous cure, but again, it felt like less of a contrivance.
But to be honest, I much preferred the Kanon 2002 version of Shiori's story. Her line about "Was I able to keep smiling until the very end?" really resonated with me, having dealt with a serious illness myself. I thought they captured the feeling of that much better. In '06 I thought they did a good job of reconciliation of the sisters, but not so much of capturing the heartbreak of Shiori.
Nayuki, however, came off worse in '06. She's constantly picked on by Yuuichi (moreso than in '02). Even if it is a family-like relationship, he seems almost cruel to her at times. And then she doesn't even get her kiss like she did in the original.
Although I will admit that the Nayuki of '02 was a little too clingy, almost to the point of being a bit creepy, and I felt for her more in '06, I think she really got shafted.
Sayuri got more time, too, in '06, and without it, I'd never have known why the series was called Kanon (I thought it was a reference to the Buddhist goddess of good luck, Kannon.) However, she comes across as so much more pathetic in that one, that I almost wonder if she should have.
The scenes with Makoto were so much sadder in '06, I thought. I could barely watch the end of episode 10. I think a lot of that is there was more time, and they could really build it up for all it was worth. And it was a good end to a character. She certainly deserved the extra time, but man, that was sooooo sad.
And Ayu. Where do we place Ayu? She was crazy in '02 (creating the "glomp") and a little "touched" in '06. I loved both versions, but I think my heart still belongs to the '02 version. For one thing, I don't recall the '06 version growing wings. For another, she didn't come across as quite so... out of it. The '06 Ayu was slightly cuter, but that was because she was also a total ditz.
So, in the end, I think they both have great points. '02 is much more serious, but '06 combines the perfect blend of pure laugh-out-loud humor
and cry-all-night tragedy, something that is very hard to do.
So, I think I'm going to throw my weight behind Kanon 2006, but barely.
Favorite Line:
Mai: Mr. Boar-san... "Moo"
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