The quintessential “sad girl in snow.”

Although Ayu’s not exactly sad, the DVD cover perfectly depicts the archetype of a girl in the snow that seems to prevail through dating sim franchises. This cavity-inducing illustration appears again on the DVD menu, and all through the anime itself. The DVD menu also has a music track that plays that also seems to fit this theme perfectly. The animation style of the series is actually very well-rendered, for all everyone looks a lot younger than they actually air with the exception of Yuichi (who comes off looking older than he is). It’s one of the more beautifully animated TV series I’ve watched in a good while. Another plus in its favor is the surprisingly good English voice cast.  Normally I try out both dub tracks to see which is a better fit for the mood, and I found myself leaving the audio on English the entire way through—something I’ve not done since Slayers came out.

And now for something different.

Kanon volume six comes with Funimation’s usual small boost of extras. The textless openings and endings are well enough if you just can’t get those happy J-pop tunes out of your brain (it’s like an incurable virus once it happens to you). They’ve also included a somewhat small list of their usual trailers for xxxHolic, Suzuka, Black Cat, Peach Girl, Ouran High School Host Club, and Origin. I’ve grown so accustomed to the same set of features that I can pretty much predict what extra content I’ll find on DVDs these days. However, now and again Funimation (as well as other companies) will throw a curveball at you. Kanon has included with each disc a small documentary on the production process of the anime. For any animation buff, this is a real treat. In part eight of this special (featured on this volume) they go over the photography and CG work for the animation.

Oh, look, a snow bunny…

Overall, Kanon is just as sweet and a threat to your blood sugar levels as the cover of the box suggests. It pulls all the right romantic strings for a series of its kind, which is derived from the popular dating/love simulation of the same name.  I will give warning, though—it’s not a series you can just jump in at the end and expect to follow what’s going on. This series builds up from the very beginning so that the viewer forms attachments to the main characters and Yuichi’s struggle. I found myself becoming involved with the story and its emotional involvement. Viewers will find themselves sniffling and passing the popcorn as they watch the conclusion to this sweet love story. A perfect anime to snuggle to.