Looking back at these past 9 months, a lot has changed. Suzumiya Haruhi’s lasting impact in the minds of the fan-sphere is a weird one. For people like me, we cling to it. But like many of Kyoto Animation‘s works, it lacks that consistency which reminds me of warm, home-made breakfasts; toasty winter holiday family fests; and that cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter day. The fallout is evident but surprising despite the cynical blog-sphere and fan scene. Its strong fan response in Japan is trapped within the cultural context and language barrier, unable to affect the outside world in any significant way.
The more I dwell on Kyoto Animation’s Kanon, as a result, the more it boggles the mind. I suppose one could say that by the end of Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid, one would have a good grasp as to the style they are after. Fumoffu won us over with its crisp juxtaposing humor, but when it comes to writing a teenage mercenary’s real life, they have a ways to go.
Yet with the delivery of Suzumiya Haruhi (as an adaptation) and its tender treatment on the tragic subject matter within AIR, we’re left with hope. This tender feeling, for someone as cynical as I am, is, well, tender. It’s like a lonely candle flicker on a chilly autumn night, its end only the next breeze away. Yet my hopes are up only because Kyoani’s track record. Only because Kanon’s potential as an anime hasn’t been depleted by Toei. Is this on solid ground I stand?
Inherently the process from start to finish, animation is complex to create. I think for every one think Kyoani gets right, there is probably one thing they could get right, but it’s out of their reach. For one thing Kyoani gets right, there’s also probably 3 things that could go wrong just by luck. Considering how bare-bones the typical Japanese animation production team can get, it’s not an unfathomable fear. Or is it? I’m just putting numbers down just to scare myself. Why? It’s obvious…
I want to enjoy Kanon 2. I want to be able to embrace the fan splooge. I want to see a good mood anime piece with Nayuki. I’m fed up with TEROGE adaptations. I want to be able to come home and melt into the emo embrace of an exemplary Sad-Girl-in-Snow story.
But I think somewhere I also want to see Kyoani struggle with failure. They’re due one. Maybe it won’t be this time, but who knows?
September 22nd, 2006 at 8:19 am
I seriously have no idea as to what you’re going on about… =/
September 22nd, 2006 at 11:36 am
It’s not that hard to understand…? It’s about Kanon and how I feel about it.