ShadowKnight508 (Level 19)

Welcome, my fellow AnimeVice members, to this my 4th review that I have posted on AnimeVice since joining last October. Today, I will be reviewing the ecchi-anime KanoKon that was created by Katsumi Nishino and released by Studio Xebec. This will be a shortened version of my typical reviews, focusing primarily on the main/supporting characters, plot, and the overall experence rather than go into great detail like in my other two-part reviews. Hope you enjoy it! n_n
 

1. Plot/Story

Like some typical ecchi-based animes, KanoKon focuses more upon delivering its own brand of ecchi-humor along with a boatload of fanservice than on the plot itself. The plot is quite thin (if not totally non-existant) in the anime, but here is the main idea behind KanoKon:
 

"Kouta Oyamada, fresh from moving to the city from the rural countryside where he lived with his grandfather, is a first-year student at the massive Kunpo High School. He is quite shy and timid, just wanting to make it through life without having to deal with anything stressful in his daily actions. On his very first day attending school, he comes across a beautiful, busty teenage girl by the name of Chizuru Minamoto, who is a second-year student at Kunpo High. She takes a strong interest in Kouta, and eventually asks him to meet her in the music room after school has ended. He reluctantly agrees to her offer and when classes have ended, he makes his way up to the music room to meet up with her. She confesses her love of him and in her excitement over the moment, she accidentally reveals her true form; that of a powerful kitsune to him. Now knowing her true form, Kouta promises not to reveal her true identity to anyone and reluctantly agrees to hang around with her, for he has feelings for her."

 
As the series progresses, the paper-thin plot along with the lack of story-driving material hamper the anime. Several of the episodes are quite confusing and it is easy to get lost in the wave of fanservice that this show tries to deliver. If you don't mind a overload of fanservice and a lackluster plot/story, then these issues can be mostly overlooked. But for those who perfer a show that has a decent story to drive the plot and characters along, this show isn't recommended.
 
Plot/Story: 2.5/5 Stars
 

2. Main Characters (and Supporting Characters) (Mainly Spoiler-free)

The following list is the main characters that KanoKon focuses on during the show's 12-episode run along with several of the supporting characters. I have made it as spoiler-free as possible (potential spoilers will be hidden behind the Spoiler sections):
 
1. Kouta Oyamada: A shy, timid teenager that has moved from his grandfather's house in the rural countryside to the city in order to attend classes at Kunpo High School, Kouta is the main male protagonist in KanoKon. He comes across a second-year student by the name of Chizuru Minamoto, who has taken a strong interest in him and openly expresses her pasionate feelings for him. He gains notoriety at Kunpo High among the student body as the "Great Erotic King", mainly due to the massive amounts of open flirting and passionate expressions of love that Chizuru does to him in pubic. Although reluctant to admit his true feelings for Chizuru or to engage in her very intimate attempts to "make him hers", he does have strong feelings for her deep within his mind.
 
2. Chizuru Minamoto: A carefree, highly-expressive second-year student at Kunpo High, Chizuru is the main female protagonist of KanoKon and is quite obsessed with Kouta Oyamada. She is very expressive of her feelings towards him in public and seeks to have him be hers, no matter what happens. She is always making sexual suggestions, statements, or advances upon the hapless Kouta, which usually leads to him suffering from minor freakouts of embarrassment whenever she makes her moves upon him at school or at home. 
 


3. Nozumu Ezomori: A fellow first-year student in Kouta's class at Kunpo High, Nozumu is the main rival in love against Chizuru in the hopes of being with Kouta (who she also is deeply in love with). She is mostly emotionless and possesses a quiet nature, but when it comes to earning Kouta's affection, she isn't afraid to do whatever it takes to make him hers.  She, like Chizuru, tries to initiate in sexual acts with Kouta, but usually fails due to Chizuru's presence or his major case of indecisiveness.  She lives in a large, expensive penthouse that is empty (she sleeps naked on the floor, curled up like a sleeping wolf)


4. Tayura Minamoto: The younger, adoptive brother of Chizuru, Tayura is also in Kouta's grade and is quite jealous of his sister's relationship with him (which leads her to say that he suffers from a symptom known as "Sister Complex" and is envious of their love for each other). He is a quiet, mostly mild-mannered individual who is also a kitsune spirit (although he is not as powerful as Chizuru is when in his true form) and he seeks the love of Akane Ashaina (who is the strict class representative of his grade). She usually shoots him down and gives him the cold shoulder (which he does not mind, for he is alright with her being cold to him if it means being with her.
 
  
5. Akane Asahina: The current class representative of both Kouta and Tayura's grade, Akane is a strict, focused individual who shows concern for Kouta after seeing the relationship that he is in with Chizuru (although it is thought that she is envious of Chizuru's curves due to her own mainly-flat, plain body). She has a very high sense of regulations, and thus tries to enforce them upon the students in her class (she strongly disapproves of Kouta and Chizuru's relationship due to the open sexual advances that she makes in public). She dislikes Tayura and is very cold with him whenever he tries to make any effort to gain her affection.
 
 
6. Ren and Ai Nanao: Twin first-year students who are also in Kouta's grade, Ren and Ai are both spirit hunters who make a meager living and are seen doing mostly what homeless people do (such as eating garbage or making strange stews from roadside weeds and bread scraps they fish out of the dump. They live in a run-down temple out in the woods and fight spirits in order to make money. They are hired to assassinate Chizuru Minamoto for a massive sum of money, but fail to do so in several failed attempts. They become friendly with Chizuru and decide not to kill her after she treats them to a free meal at a family diner (which they consider like being in heaven).
 
 
The characters in Kanokon make up for the show's lackluster story by delivering on the funny moments and some of the outrageous things that they will do to ensure they get what they want. From Chizuru's and Nozumu's constant advances on the hapless Kouta to Akane smacking Tayura senseless after he attempts to ask her out, the characters of the show might be the thing that makes this show bearable to watch. 
 
Characters: 3.75/5 Stars
 

3. Overall Thoughts and Experiences

Overall, KanoKon is a decent anime when it comes to the diverse ecchi genre, but several major plot issues and a lackluster plot drag this entertaining show down and stop it from being a great series.

The Good:

KanoKon does several things right, such as the interesting (and wild) cast and the decent quality animations that the show delivers. Those who appreciate the boatload of fanservice can expect quite a bit of it here (especially the Chizuru fanservice, which will make any ecchi fan happy with it). The humor also shines here, delivering several outrageous moments in which Kouta finds himself in a no-win situation against the efforts of Chizuru and Nozumu and other attempts to gain his affections.
 
 

The Bad:

KanoKon suffers from a lackluster effort in both the story and plot departments. A non-existant plot along with a lethargic story really put a damper on this show and it leads to some confusing moments in several episodes that will leave the viewer in limbo over what just happened. It would have helped to see Studio Xebec putting more effort into the story and plot to help drive the events of the series forward and avoid the confusing moments. 
 
 
 
Recommended for: Those who can appreciate a decent, ecchi anime that isn't shy when it comes to fanservice and can live with the disappointing plot/story.
Final Score: 3/5 Stars