Review

My reviews:
Well, kinda hate to say it, but do you guys ever heard of visual novel? I heard about it, but never know how it look like. Besides, Key is the only one I ever heard to make visual novels. Loved Itaru Hinoue's artworks. So, before these novels turned into anime, I want to say one thing. I really don't like the old animation style of Toei Animation!!!

Kanon

Kanon (カノン ^?) is a Japanese adult visual novel developed by Key and released on June 4, 1999 for the PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable. The Kanon Standard EditionDVD-ROM in adult and all-ages versions; this version incorporates the few extra graphics added to the earlier all-ages version of the game. Both Standard Editions add support for Windows 2000/XP and other technical changes such as more save slots. Otherwise, the all-ages Kanon Standard Edition is the same as the original all-ages version released for the game. was released for the PC in November 2004 playable as a

The gameplay in Kanon follows a linear plot line where the player interacts at predetermined times to choose several options that appear on the screen. The game was developed so that the focus for the player would be an intricate plot and the appeal of the five female main characters. The title is generally believed to be derived from the musical term canon; the second TV adaptation plays on this association by using of Pachelbel's Kanon D-dur, or Canon in D major, as a background piece at certain instances throughout the series.

Kanon has been adapted into light novels, drama CDs, and two anime and manga series. The first anime was a thirteen episode TV series that aired between January and March 2002; this version includes a one episode original video animation, Kazahana, released in May 2003. Both the original anime adaptation and the OVA were produced by the animation studio Toei Animation. The second anime adaptation, created by Kyoto Animation, contained twenty-four episodes and aired in Japan between October 2006 and March 2007; this series was first licensed by ADV Films, but the license was transferred to Funimation in July 2008 and is being released in English.

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 Kanon's 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 city. Nayuki remembers that she has to buy things for dinner, but Yuichi is reluctant to go into the store with her, arguing that he might get lost. 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 after being accidentally scared away by the salesman before she had a chance to pay. Yuichi drags Ayu back to the salesman, where they both apologize for the trouble, and Ayu is forgiven. 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 demons 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 for the first time 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.

Kanon (2006) scored:
Art: 4/5 (as expected from Hinoue-sensei)
Story: 5/5 (Funny at first, but later turned drama)
Music: 3/5 (I admit I didn't paid attention to background)
Seiyuu: 4/5 (Cute voices and I like Tomokazu Sugita-san's voice acting of Yuuichi Aizawa)

Clannad

Clannad (クラナド ,Kuranado^?) is a Japanese visual novel created by the software company Key, who also produced the successful titles Kanon and Air. Key announced in 2001 a release date of 2002^[1] for Clannad and, after several postponements, finally released a limited version for the PC on April 28, 2004, and the regular version less than four months later on August 8, 2004. The visual novel was later ported to the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, and Xbox 360. The gameplay in Clannad follows a linear plot line, which offers pre-determined scenarios and courses of interaction, and focuses on the appeal of the five female main characters. Jun Maeda, the main scenario writer of Clannad, believed that the title meant "family" or "clan" in Irish.^[2]

While both of Key's first two previous works, Kanon and Air, had been released first as adult games and then censored for the younger market like most bishōjo games, Key's third work Clannad was released for all-ages and does not contain risqué situations or even any fan service.^[3] On November 25, 2005, Key released an adult sequel-of-sorts entitled Tomoyo After: It's a Wonderful Life which expands the scenario of Tomoyo Sakagami, one of the five heroines from Clannad.

Clannad has made several transitions to other media: four manga series, the first serialized in the Japanese magazine Comic Rush, the second serialized in Comi Digi +, the third serialized in Dengeki G's Magazine, and the fourth in Dragon Age Pure; an animated movie by the animation studio Toei Animation released on September 15, 2007; two anime series including an original video animation by Kyoto Animation, which also animated the previous Key titles Air and Kanon; and, lastly, two sets of drama CDs, totaling nine in all. ADV Films localized and distributed the first Clannad anime series in North America starting in March 2009.

Story:

Clannad's story revolves around a group of five girls whose lives are connected to the same boy. Tomoya Okazaki is a third year high school student who dislikes his life. Tomoya's mother (Atsuko) died when Tomoya was young, leaving his father (Naoyuki) to raise him. After the accident, Tomoya's father turned to alcohol and gambling, and held frequent fights with his son. One day, Naoyuki, again arguing with his son, slammed Tomoya against the wall, dislocating Tomoya's shoulder. Ever since then, his father has treated Tomoya nicely, but distantly, as if Tomoya and he were strangers rather than a family. This hurts Tomoya more than his previous relationship with his father, and the awkwardness of returning home leads Tomoya constantly to stay out all night. Additionally, the injury disables Tomoya from participating in his basketball club, and pushes him to distance himself from his school and other activities. Thus his delinquent life begins. Tomoya's good friend Youhei Sunohara, who got thrown out of the soccer club for a dispute, is also a delinquent and often hangs out in his dorm room with Tomoya doing nothing much.

The story opens on Monday April 14, 2003 at the beginning of the school year, when Tomoya finds that his life is about to change when he chances upon Nagisa Furukawa, a soft-spoken girl one year older than him who is repeating her last year in high school due to being sick much of the previous year. Her goal is to join the drama club which she was unable to do due to her sickness, but they find that the drama club was disbanded after all the members graduated. Since Tomoya has a lot of time to kill, he starts to help Nagisa in reforming the drama club. During this period, Tomoya meets and hangs out with several other girls who he gets to know well and help with their individual problems.

Clannad scored:
Art: 4.5/5 (Hinoue-sensei's art is greatly improving, should I try to follow her style?)
Story: 5/5 (Well, very heart-warming at first, but more serious tone later in the story)
Music: 4/5 (This time, I paid more attention to the background music. Best of all, I like the OP song)
Seiyuu: 4/5 (As expected from everyone)

So, currently, I have only one episode of Clannad in my hard drive, since I'm having a hard time downloading them all. If you guys really intrested, go to anilinkz.com. If you hypocrits watch but, only watching the girls, I suggest you guys leave the world of anime.