Given the fact that you’re sitting and reading this, you are probably here to find out what Kanon (2006) is about. In four words, Kanon is about: "Dreams, Miracles, Promises and Friendship. Those are the main themes of this show. A sub-theme of the show is amnesia as three of the main characters suffer from it, in various degress – Makoto, Yuuichi and Ayu.

As with most stories of this kind, Kanon 2006 starts with a boy returning to a city from his childhood. Yuuichi has moved to a city to live with his aunt and cousin, Akito-san and Nayuki respectively, until he finishes high school. A frequent visitor to this town when he was little, he has returned after seven years and is going to rediscover old friendships and witness some amazing miracles along the way. After being away for seven years, Yuuichi has forgotten much of his past experiences. As winter passes on, he remembers his past with the three girls with whom he was friends with seven years ago. As winter progresses, he also comes to discover an underlying supernatural element surrounding the city.

Yuuichi plays an important part in the lives of five girls, Nayuki, Makoto, Ayu, Mai and Shiorii. Each girl has her own seperate arc and part in the anime, and one by one, each girl is touched apon and ultimately the issues and relation behind her and Yuuichi are resolved. Add to the fact that there is a mysterious feel about the city, as emphasized by the winter season and frequently falling snow and this anime serves you a story that never loses it's charm.

The characters….what can be said about the characters? Their introduction is done marvelously. Each character is unique and thus, each of their introductions is the same great stuff that you'd expect from a great anime. It also serves to reflect on the characters personality as well. While the series as a whole has a serious feel, there is a good bit of silliness and humor packed in for good measure. Furthermore, while it won’t have you rolling around on the floor or chortling your head off, it will definitely get a grin or two out of you. The interaction between all of the characters and their personalities make you feel as though you have known them for a long time. This element of the show really hits home during some of the more sadder parts of the series, such as when a certain important character passes away or when another one departs.

All of the characters are terribly lovable, each of their own reason. Yuuichi will definitely remind you of your older brother and will make you wish that you knew a guy like him in real life. Akito-san and Nayuki are soft spoken, gentle and kind hearted, but a tad towards the slow side. Not to mention that the latter just can’t get up properly in the morning, even with the help of about a dozen alarm clocks going off at the same time. Ayu, with her infectious smile and silly ‘Uguu~’ will definitely win you over, same with Makoto, except shes uses ‘Auu~’. Speaking of Makoto, while her starting lack of ‘social experience’ is a bit annoying and childish, you end up liking her a lot because she’s such a genuinely nice person. Shiiori…gentle, pretty Shiiori. While she might be weak but she’s got a mischievous, lovable side to her. The cast size is nice, even including the minor characters, who are also thoroughly entertaining. Especially Jun Kitagawa. Shake your groove thang!

There is a clear music theme present as the episode names are music based and the show name itself is based on a classical composition titled ‘Canon in D’. The soundtrack of the show is superb! The piano features in a lot of the tracks and this reviewer is desperately seeking the piano version of the opening song, which on its own is also rather nice and melancholic. The ending song has a rather nice beat to it but I fear it wont make it to my list of favorite anime songs. The opening ‘Last Regret’ is already there though. Back to the ambient music though, the tracks are perfectly done to fit in with the mood. They are bright yet at the same time, an undercurrent of melancholy is present. I would highly recommend the ‘Kanon Air Piano Arrange Album Re-feel’!

The art is similar to "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" which is a given considering that it's made by the same animation house, Kyoto Animation. Other than that, the character designs are very nice, though the big eyes on kids are just too cute to be legal though. A point to be noted in Particular,is how the different angles from which the anime's various scenes are viewed. Like some diagonal shots and some in which you can make out only the bodies of the characters and a larger part of the scenery. The animation was quite superb, not once during the series did a point come where the anime could have been considered lacking.

All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable series. From the characters to the stories, every bit of it was engrossing and a fault is quite hard to find in the series. The very best point about this series is its characters, their personalities and their stories. This series definitely gets an A grade, no question about it.

~Reviewed By Sumeiia