I think it may have something to do with spring representing new beginnings, birth and life. Also spring in Japan is strongly associated with cherry blossoms (sakura). Sakura’s symbolism is something I’ll take from this website:
Cherry blossoms are a symbolic flower of the spring, a time of renewal, and the fleeting nature of life. Their life is very short. After their beauty peaks around two weeks, the blossoms start to fall.
Yeah, let this paragraph speak for itself. ^^;
I loved the Prolouge. The tone of “Its Snowing” with Yume no Ato - a bell like song that has the melody of Last Regrets in it set the tone as dreamlike and airy, but still somewhat nostalgic. I was instantly sucked in.
I’ve seen both Kanon anime, but this is my first time with the visual novel, and I already feel like it has done things with mood that the anime didn’t accomplish.
I find that while playing it a lot of the things normally levied as complaints - such as bad/dated art and presentation - things that I agreed with from having seen screenshots fade away from thought.
It’s been a while since I last played Kanon. As I read through the posts, I was reminded of how those same concepts that memories, miracles, and promises were very important themes. The song “Yume no Ato” really does set the theme for Kanon with the cold, snowy setting and along with “Last Regrets” of how it feels very relaxing and calming at the same time. I still think Yuuichi was very mean to Nayuki back then, even though he was trying to tease her but he mentions that their relationship got a little better compared than before those seven years ago. I laughed when Yuuichi said to Ayu when he first met her that he said “This girl is weird.” Overall, playing the common route is still enjoyable back then and I will probably have further thoughts as I progress through the game.
Personal preferences but I love his chemistry with Nayuki a lot more. That banter with her on the first day just feels like a lot more mature teasing than his chemistry with Ayu, which feels like he is simply picking on a clueless kid 
Don’t doubt me though, it is absolutely a joy to see!
Ah, Kanon. The one that started it all, technically. As Key’s first venture into visual novels it was an ambitious one, and the common route is a large part of what makes it so iconic.
The purpose of a visual novel’s common route is to set up the characters and setting, and Kanon is no slouch in this department. Yuuichi has moved back in to a town he has not known for seven years, which is plenty of time to forget some stuff about it. Thankfully he has help from the local townsfolk, specifically six girls who befriend him within the week. As time progresses and Yuuichi gets used to his surroundings, he begins to uncover important, perhaps painful memories of his childhood from back then…
Kanon’s script is well aware of the tired tropes that plagued visual novels of its time, many of which served to give an excuse to unrealistically bring two people closer together. Things like strings of fate, childhood harems and exaggerated love for food are all represented here, and quickly made fun of. However, Kanon is also affectionate as well as persecutive, making an identity for itself in its plot and trope inversions while also utilizing what made visual novels of that era great. In effect, it set the standard for many visual novels like it, including Key’s later novels and the works of Ryukishi07. Looking back after reading Kanon’s many successors is a great insight in how Key has evolved from its eroge roots.
The cast is diverse and likeable, although not quite as complex as some of Key’s later characters. This gives an air of simplicity and charm to the dialogue, and allows every character to develop in subtle, but interesting ways. The dry humor that comes from the interactions between the deadpan snarker protagonist and the often simple-minded girls is a joy to read.
Kanon also carries with it several themes which, while not exactly original, add a layer of depth and intrigue to the narrative. What is immediately apparent is the absence of Yuuichi’s memories, which means that the mystery behind his relationship with the girls and the town reveals itself to us through Yuuichi’s perspective. This helps make Yuuichi relatable as a protagonist, and drives the reader to figure out the mystery for him/herself, as no one else is going to spoil the surprise for you.
Along with memories, dreams are also a common theme, as told by a disembodied voice at the beginning of every day. We aren’t told much from the get-go, only that the voice desires to do something about the dream, be it make it a good dream or wake up before it becomes a nightmare. However, as time passes it becomes certain that it can’t do either, and is stuck in a limbo of pain until someone wakes it up. Just who this voice is is part of the mystery, although someone who has read it all can easily piece together who it is.
Stemming from this is the theme of promises. Yuuichi makes quite a few promises in the first few days, but has a really hard time keeping those promises. This frustrates many of the girls, and gives Yuuichi a reason to become more involved in their exploits for the sake of atonement. As the rest of the VN unfolds, it becomes a lot clearer that Yuuichi’s inability to keep promises runs back into his childhood, but the details of how and why are topics for other routes.
All of these themes are accomplished through striking imagery that, while dated, still evoke some form of emotion from the characters and the reader. The persistent snow is one such image, and it means different things to different characters. Being a lover of snow, I find it associated with happiness and it turns out that some characters, like Nayuki, think the same. Yuuichi, on the other hand, associates it with pain, and avoids stepping into it whenever possible. As I read through the common route, I notice that Yuuichi is occasionally asked if he has gotten used to the town at that point. In a more specific example, Nayuki asks around three days in:
This begs the question: How does the image of snow run deeper into the mystery of Kanon than just being part of the setting? Also, considering the attention to detail many of the CGs have compared to other VNs, what other images do you think carry a significant meaning in Kanon’s common route? I would like to hear these answered in the eventual podcast when you guys get to that. 
It would be no surprise if the subtle hints and clues found within the setting of Kanon inspired the great mystery writer Ryukishi07. I’m honestly looking forward to seeing the rest of Kanon as well. Next stop, Nayuki’s route! 
Todays only two day post is brought to you by distractions!
January 8th
Asa, Asa dayooooo~ Asa gohan tabete, gakkou iku yoooo~
Faiiito, dayo~ Unyu~ Uguu~ Kanon sure is a world of catchphrases and favorite foods. I’m to believe this is Hisaya’s fault but it works out fine since the girls have enough depth to be characters who’s purpose is not to just spout them.
Now look at that background I’ve chosen as the day image. Look at how drab and dark it is, it’s great, even this cheery ass high school scene has the somber mood lurking outside in the sky. I am firmly in love with the snowy town of Kanon, it’s atmosphere and setting are one of its greatest assets.
OH BABY THE SCENE WHERE THEY GET LOST RUNNING AWAY. Gimme dat natural juice, a natural segue that leads to Yuichi saying ‘I dunno the way, I just got back here’, allowing Ayu to confirm it’s her Yuichi, ez game writing is easy guys just do shit like this. And we’re not even done, Shiori is seamlessly introduced, she serves a purpose in helping Ayu and Yuichi be not lost while also being introduced. Is gud.
Ayu starts going on about promises, and the king of promises, the pinky swear. And we’re going to ignore it because this is a Nayuki playthough, see you guys in the Ayu thread!
January 9th
I told you guys promises were all over this shit.
Kitagawaaaaaaa. Here we see Kitagawa make his debut and immediately try and push Yuichi on the Shiori route. On that note, Shiori gets a proper introduction and it becomes clear that ALL THE GIRLS IN KANON ARE WEIRDOS, not that they don’t all call Yuichi weird himself(I don’t disagree, my god does he make some absolutely bullshit up on the fly). She establishes all her key points, her weak body, her mandatory catchphrase, and her first of many comparisons of life to a drama, they’re out of the way, everything you need to know about her character is established and those who desire her personality are given enough fuel to pursue her and learn more about the mysterious girl.
makoto is here too i guess
Peeps are we gonna have to fight?
The snow is important, the snow helps bring the mood, Kanon is known for having it’s sad scenes and the snow is the perfect backdrop to all that, it’s cold and generally unpleasant. If you wanna get really pretentious you could also say the blank white expanse represents Yuichi’s memories in how empty they are, he can’t remember and see the town because it’s just covered in whiteness from the snow/blank memory.
However a lot of the more heartwarming scenes turn it around somewhat, a lot of such scenes find themself taking place at Sunset, where the cold featureless snow is instead dyed a warm inviting orange, Yuichi tends to encounter Ayu in the wild when it’s sunset and Ayu plays off this by having colours that match it, with a browny/orange character design.
Shit like this is the reason Kanon’s atmosphere is truly unmatched.
Sayuri’s mini-route is the closest you will ever get to something like that. I already made a tip on how to find it in this post here. It’s very easy to follow.
Somehow I feel like the 90’s was full of that kind of stuff. Where did it all go?
To be completely serious, though, the opening scene is memorable in every sense of the word. For a person just starting to read Kanon, they will know nothing about the setting beyond ‘it’s snowing’ and ‘there’s a sleepy-sounding girl with an impossible facial structure’. You can dismiss the art style and still be pulled in by the believable reunion of two acquaintances, who then proceed to give you a small taste of their personalities. You, as the reader, can feel this moment is the start of something new and amazing. 
I’m starting to notice this as well through my current reading of Kanon. You can definitely tell that Nayuki and Yuuichi have a lot of history with one another and are far more than emotionally-distant cousins. The awkward familial connection they have makes them feel more like brother and sister than just another girl to woo, adding to the realism of the setting. Yuuichi admits that the idea of living with a cousin of the opposite sex is cause for gossip, but Nayuki’s charisma and level of trust with her peers goes to show that no one really cares. Even if they did gossip, it wouldn’t last long enough to matter because it’s readily apparent they act more like siblings.
The chemistry between Yuuichi and Ayu, on the other hand, is a byproduct of the idea of Yuuichi befriending a complete stranger with behavior that seems less than normal to him. In fact, each side’s perceived view of ‘normal’ is contested as they converse, and it’s hilarious to read (or watch, if you’re prefer the anime). This doesn’t change much over the course of the story, but it is still interesting to see how close they become through their hijinks.
In fact, you could say that for pretty much every other ‘stranger’ Yuuichi meets, with varying degrees of snark attached to it from Yuuichi’s front.
Really loving Kanon so far, I started reading it not that long before the bookclub but then stopped until the bookclub after I was told about it.
I don’t have a huge amount to say that hasn’t already been written in a far better way than I could write, really loving the atmosphere and themes of dreams and promises.
In my previous reading I was going for Ayu’s route but then stopped near-ish the end of common. I really like Ayu and having to make Yuuichi be such a dick to her (to get into Nayuki’s route) made me so sad.
(Late common/Early Nayuki) The scene where Ayu says she found what she was looking for was so sad. Yuuichi just didn’t give a fuck too. The CG and scene as a whole caught me off guard because I thought I was already full in Nayuki’s route. (Ayu speculation) What Ayu was looking for was probably Yuuichi too, or something relating him, and he dismisses her so much, there’s so many choices to just ignore her.
Nobody has mentioned it yet, I looove the soundtrack! Last Regrets is timeless, and a lot of the music really adds to the atmosphere for me. The soundtrack has some really dreamy and sometimes melancholic tracks which I really like. Most of the everyday tracks are really catchy too!
I especially love Ayu’s theme with it’s alternate arrangements that make it very memorable and meaningful.
I’ve heard Mai’s theme in an arrange album a while back and liked it a lot, so I’m looking forwards to actually getting to scenes with her / reading her route!
Pure snows really sounds like an AIR track. Or it should be other way around, AIR’s soundtrack is very pure snows!
I’m sure there’s more discussion to be had about the music and possibly it’s meaning to be explored. What is your favourite background music track in Kanon?
I can’t quite decide on my favourite at the moment. I like A City in Sunlight (Hidamari no machi), pure snows, and Promise (Yakusoku) quite a lot. I like The Day I Waited for the Wind (Kaze o matta hi) a decent amount too.
My favorite background track would have to be “Pure Snows” because the song makes it very reminiscent of how the scenery and the theme of Kanon portrays an evoking sense of nostalgia.
I love it, too! I just didn’t think it was important for ‘literary discussion’, as it may be. I’m sure I’ll talk more about the effective use of Kanon’s soundtrack in specific places in later routes, but I can probably cite at least one example here.
That would be Afterglow, for reasons I will explain later on in the Bookclub.
I think one of the more effective uses of background music in the common route is the reveal of Mai, as she is described by Yuuichi. Complimented by the CG, this scene needed something mystical to capture the juxtaposing surrealism of the moment. While I think Girls’ Prison is a bit repetitive in its melody, it does its job well in introducing us to Mai’s sharp, enigmatic beauty. :3
It makes sense, considering who’s on the front cover of every version of Kanon.
But I digress. Every character theme is pretty good in my eyes, some more than others. Ayu’s is my personal favorite, with Shiori’s a close second.
I sometimes feel like AIR was pretty much Kanon with a summer theme, particularly when it came to the music. If you asked me which OST was better, though, I’d say AIR’s is better. 
One thing I do love about Kanon’s soundtrack (and I’ve said this countless times) is that it hits me with just so much nostalgia. Maybe it’s the fact that I first watched Kanon 9 years (man I’m old) or because they use such old synths and those kinds of synths I’ve been hearing since forever. Either way! I love this OST to bits; not as much as others, but it has a special place in my heart
Which Shoujo no Ori is your favorite*
…if I had to pick I’d say Fuyu no Hanabi(Winter Fireworks), the music that’s usually playing in flashbacks. How best to describe why…I dunno and I need to leave the house soon, somebody better at these things say why for me.
January 10th
Yuichi starts the day by talking to his clock, further proving that he’s a weirdo like the girls.
WOOO, NO MEMORIES, gobble gobble gobble themeing. For the most part the day is about Kyouko so I don’t really care for it, Yuichi’s treatment of her is just right since she’s a little shit.
January 11th
Scenes are starting to lose prominence and just becoming preludes to the girls routes, Ayu spends today forgetting something important because OH BABY THE MEMORIES. And then Mai steals the day.
The fact this encounter is optional is a a misstep for sure, it’s completely out there, the mystery of it all is cranked up to 11, the wonderful eerie sounds of Shoujo no Ori accompany the bizarre scene, and then Yuichi gets attacked by a fucking ghost. If one hadn’t found Kanon mysterious before now, Mai kicks down the door with her crazy noisy bizarre introduction, and drops only her quote from the OP.
Kyouko leaves the day off with yet another prank, which I do enjoy for what its worth.
January 12th
As far as a Nayuki playthough is concerned, this is literally nothing, the day. Plenty of choices to do other girls, but none are needed.
Jamuary 13th
I T S H E R E B O Y S
(This is actually a very good day, Nayuki starts dropping hints and there is a lot of banter about remembering things, when it snows heavily later in the day Yuichi gets to walk home while Pure Snows plays for some mmmmmmmmm)
So I made it to 22 of January today, yay!!
I went to this thread to see how was the discussion doing and heck are there profesional criticists here.
I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up the level of the discussion.
Anyway, here are my thoughts. As you guys say, the snow theme seems ideal for these setting. It leaves a calm atmosphere which the OST amplifies. It also helps for that mistery setting, specially the fact that the misterious dreams are showed with snowflakes falling along with each sentence.
Another thing I was surprised to see is that apparently only @Pepe seems to like Nayuki more than the others in this common route. #TeamNayuki :kyogrin:
For me, Makoto and Ayu act far too childish. I mean, there were wholo conversations that revolved around Ayu saying Uguu in all sentences. Also, it strikes me how both Ayu and Makoto say Yuuichi is a bully but continue being his friends.
Now talking about Kitagawa (I don’t know if I misspelled it), it’s surprising how he was pictured in the second anime (haven’t seen the first). He looked like an stupid guy, almost like Sunohara but without being funny. Now that I read the VN, he doesn’t look stupid. In fact, he looks quite average to me, with not much said about his backstory nor his personality.
And since you guys seem to be into metaphores and allegories about the snow in Kanon, I’ll leave mine here. For me, the snow is (Ayu’s ending according to anime) the trauma that struck Yuuichi 7 years ago, when Ayu fell from that tree. That snow covered Yuuichi’s painful memories and the orange-dyed scenes would symbolise how the snow melts, or what is the same, how Yuuichi overcome’s that trauma and remembers everything that actually happened 7 years ago.
So, that’s what I’ve gathered by reading until 22nd of January and having watched the second Kanon anime. You experienced folks can tell usa all about all the metaphores you can come up with. They don’t necessarily have to be about the snow. It can be about characters’ phrases, accessories, elements of the scenery…
Let your imagination flow!!
January 14th to January 23rd*
Memories! Promises! Favorite Foods!
(makoto stuff)
Aside from the Makoto stuff, common shifts focus here, the world building and introductions are over and the focus shifts to picking your route, the meat of girls routes is not touched upon, but by your own choices, you begin to dive into girls and start to solidify their relationship with Yuichi
Bad End Epilouge
What a melancholic as fuck epilogue, it’s laced with depressing quotes like that. Yuichi never remembers, he never gets with a girl. Memories are prominent here, the biggest trigger for the bad end is really that Yuichi never remembered anything. Any promises he made are long forgotten, the miracles never happen.
The quote that can be found at the end of the OP makes its apperence, closing out the VN as it does the OP.
“It was snowing
The memory is buried in pure white crystals
In the white misty town I visited back then
The snow falls even now
I met a lone girl”
I mean it sounds poetic as fuck but it’s not too meaningful. For real though, that’s the kind of writing you sell a game on, those are some good words!
Overall
Common has an amazing start, it properly introduces all it’s main girls(if weirdly optionally for Mai) and firmly establishes the setting, the main themes are thrown around and it’s overall a completely solid begining. But this ends almost immediately and it makes way for the more dating sim part of the VN where you simply go for the girl of choice to begin her route, by all means, you can keep the other girls around to an extent, but if you focus on one you’ll get scenes that matter only to her and are completely detached from the rest of Common.
That said, I don’t think this makes Common bad, the first week, as stated, I think is absolutely fantastic and excells at everything it aims to do, introductions and world establishment, the second week is the week of picking your girl. Ultimately, this is what Common is for, introductions and choosing your ending, sure I miss the life to be found in Clannad or Little Busters Common routes, but I can’t honestly say Kanon fails at being a Common route, especially considering the times.
Some really good posts guys!
Also sorry, forgot to add a poll before now! You can now rate the common route
An observation about reading Kanon’s common and in general I am finding I notice the music a lot more overtly noticeable than when I played CLANNAD - possibly because I still haven’t really attempted the voice patch - but I am really loving it this way too so it is the only audio competing for my attention. I am really loving this soundtrack a lot.
Yuuichi is in a town that he should remember from 7 years ago that is lost in his memories. It is like by forgetting it he froze it in time as symbolized by the snowy atmosphere and the way the way his old relationship that he had left unresolved are soon surrounding him again.
I really like the use of snow, white, and dreams play with each other visually. The white snow that covers everything makes gives the town a vague airy feeling, the short lines of text on the white background further ties the white in visually to dreams - it gives you the feeling of dream logic by which I mean the way you can know something in a dream but all of the details are not necessarily present to be observed, and is reminiscent of how the world feels when you walk outside on a sunny snowy day - basically blinded by white and unable to make anything.
I think the points of introduction for each of the main characters is worth talking about.
It’s interesting that the first character we’re introduced to is Nayuki. She’s not the cover character, and she’s not the star, but she’s our anchor in the story and our guide to the setting. Throughout common we’re going to spend a lot of time with Nayuki, pretty much every day, so I think it’s good that we meet her immediately. Her introduction is surprisingly sullen, considering her character, but Yuuichi’s needling of her helps to establish their siblingish chemistry.
The second love interest we meet is Ayu. Ayu gets top billing on the box art, and is basically the poster child for Kanon, so it makes sense to meet her early on. Her introduction is memorable, and I would go so far as to call it iconic. It’s a textbook meet cute, and they make no effort to hide that fact.
Shiori’s introduction is interesting, because she’s pretty much a non-actor in her opening scene. I’m not sure if that’s unfortunate or a commentary on her character itself, but it’s certainly unusual.
Makoto’s introduction is very dramatic, and the 2006 anime made it even moreso by having it be a cliffhanger intro. In the visual novel, we get this really cool CG that totally doesn’t fit her childish character. Honestly, I think Makoto’s introduction is kind of weird, because it’s dramatic and memorable, but it doesn’t establish who she is as a character. I think it’s supposed to create this mystery of “How does she know Yuuichi?” but instead it just makes us feel like she’s gonna be this awesome action girl that she really isn’t.
Mai’s introduction is entirely optional, and I think that’s a bold move. She’s a mysterious character, and I think the fact that you might not even find her on your first play through makes her all the more mysterious. If Makoto’s entrance was misleading in it’s sense of danger, Mai’s really delivers.
