Entry 14
Yuuichi
No matter what special games I come up with, Mai is always willing to play.
Her intensity can be painful, however.
It has happened again; once again I have ended up spending so much time with one girl that I have had to put the others on the backburner. This time the subject is Mai, the ‘virtual pet’ who I have raised from taciturn and reluctant woman into a willing lover (I really shouldn’t relate the things we get up to behind the closed doors of the classroom). Still, Mai seems inclined to include Sayuri in our activities, and so it is that I hope that I can enjoy two girls at once- a new experience, even for me. Unfortunately, Sayuri does not have Mai’s strength, and has also admitted to working her brother to death, so I must seriously consider whether she is in fact a woman worthy of my time.
Nayuki
Yuuichi has been spending far too much time with Mai lately, and it is clear that something must be done. Although I can now easily control Ayu with threats of Mother’s special jam, Mai remains beyond my reach; fortunately, however, I can use all the time that I spend off-camera to research Mai’s background, figure out her weaknesses and thus find a way to bring her down. No matter how long it takes, I will eliminate all my rivals and be the one to take Yuuichi’s heart.
Akiko
Ayu, I am sorry for feeding you my special jam today, but as you will later come to learn, it was the only way I could protect my daughter. The reason I keep the recipe such a closely guarded secret is because the jam actually contains a substance that makes one more susceptible to suggestion, thus allowing me to control them; in this way, I can ensure that Nayuki does not hook up with any unsuitable types. The only drawback seems to be a degree of reluctance on the part of the subject to actually consume the jam; I thought I had perfectly disguised the taste of the secret ingredient, but perhaps it is still slightly bitter.
Ayu
Today I ate some of Akiko’s jam; it tasted horrible, but afterwards Auntie Akiko gave me some great advice. It was like every single thing she said made perfect sense…
Sayuri
Could those innocent games we played actually have been HARD YURI?
Today I finally admitted my shameful secret to someone…despite my cheerful and friendly exterior, long ago I had a little brother who I worked to death. All I wanted was a personal servant, and after all, isn’t that what younger siblings are for? Even my parents understood my wishes, leaving me to raise him alone so that I could mould him as I wished. Unfortunately, it all backfired when he died, and since then, I have learned to take a softer approach when raising people. Perhaps I was too soft, however, for my new subject Mai has only blossomed since Yuuichi took her in hand, and now I fear I may lose her forever. Only by participating in Mai’s proposed threesome can I hope to gain her attention once more.
Mai
I am always ready for more.
Even Yuuichi cannot satisfy me, but perhaps a threesome is the answer.
It has happened again…once again I am being punished for wanting too much. As you know, of late, my feelings have become conflicted as I try to decide whether I love Sayuri or Yuuichi best, but I had finally decided that I should aim for a threesome so that no one gets left out. Unfortunately, due to my greed, Sayuri has been hurt, for she simply wasn’t ready for the intense swordplay that occurs between Yuuichi and I. In repentance, I must learn to give up these night-time sessions with Yuuichi at school…perhaps the first step to giving up Yuuichi altogether…
Hopefully one day Sayuri will have the strength to fulfil my needs.
EXCLUSIVE! Sayuri’s brother speaks
Before he died, Kazuya left these notes hidden in his personal belongings. They have only just now been unearthed.
Sister, forgive me for taking the easy way out, but I just cannot live like this any more. Every day is a living hell for me, bereft of even a simple hug from my nearest and dearest. I have tried my best to behave, but I am only young, and all I want is to have fun sometimes without being afraid that you are going to shout at me. Every time you come near to me, I flinch out of fear that you are going to hit me, and most of the time I do not even know what I have done wrong. Death is the only escape from this hellish existence, and so over the last few months I have begun to deliberately starve myself. I am sorry, Sister, but this is the only way I know to be free from your cruelty.
I knew it, I knew it! I had a feeling that a Mai/Yuuichi/Sayuri love triangle would develop. Might as well see this to its conclusion… to be followed by the Ayu/Nayuki/Yuuichi love triangle after the obligatory Shiori episodes.
Kanon seems to be a fractured show – the scenes that KyoAni pulls from the game seem to be rather out of context. Thanks for filling in the gaps; some of the scene transitions and characterizations really don’t make any sense without the H-content.
I haven’t actually played the game but I guess seeing the Toei series and reading some game spoilers on other blogs has helped me get a better idea of the whole story (and the rest I just extrapolate/make up)…it occurs to me that this series is probably more for existing fans who want to see their favourite game scenes animated than newcomers to the franchise.
Perhaps it’s the “Lord of the Rings effect”; for those who have experienced and loved the source material, it’s the closest thing to anime heaven. For those who haven’t – it’s much more of a mixed bag.
As for me, I did watch the Toei series and read the manga adaptation, so I wouldn’t consider myself a total newbie. Those adaptations made major changes to the storyline and characters – but had more internal consistency, as a result. This adaptation is a big jigsaw puzzle whose pieces don’t quite fit.
I’m not a fan of H-content, but some of the girls’ actions actually make a lot more sense in context of H-activity. Makoto’s behavior in episode 10 and Mai’s (and Yuuichi’s) actions in episode 14 are perfect examples.
The original game has no H-content aside from one tacked on/usually out of place scene that appears at the end of each story. These were thrown in to satisfy market expectations and were subsequently removed when they created the console/consumer version (in total, only one sexual encounter was retained). In fact, I can only recall one or two sexual jokes or references period.
My gripe with Kyoani’s adaptation is that there’re many unnecessary (and often disjointedly placed) scenes bogging the pace down. The ability to view Yuichi’s thought process and assessment of each situation was half the original experience, so many of these scenes were hilarious and beneficial in the context of a novel. However, they simply don’t work in a TV adaptation where the scene occurs but without the benefit of lengthy narration (original impact completely lost, making the scene a candidate for deletion).