Kanon (2006 anime)

Starting in 2006, Kyoto Animation, the animators of another Key game-turned-anime, Air, decided to animate a new adaptation of Kanon. This version, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, aired between October 5, 2006 and March 15, 2007 on the Japanese television broadcasting station BS-i, containing twenty-four episodes. ADV Films announced on September 21, 2007 at the Anime Weekend Atlanta anime convention that they have officially licensed the second Kanon anime series. ADV had previously posted a trailer for the series in August 2007, but was soon taken offline once the news had been spread on the Internet. The first English-dubbed episode was made available via streaming online at Anime News Network between December 23 and December 30, 2007. In July 2008, the licensing rights of the second Kanon anime were transferred from ADV to Funimation Entertainment who continued to produce the series in North America. A Korean dub of the series aired between December 26, 2007 and January 31, 2008 on the Korean broadcasting station Animax, with each of the original twenty four episodes.

The second TV Kanon animation features the same voice acting cast as the original version released in 2002, with the exception of Yuichi and Kuze. This version is longer at twenty-four episodes instead of the previous thirteen, and has updated animation quality. Unlike the first anime, the actual theme songs from the Kanon game are used for the second anime's opening theme, ending theme and soundtrack. There is one song featured as an insert song in episode sixteen that did not come from the visual novel titled "Last regrets (X'mas floor style)" by Eiko Shimamiya from I've Sound's first album Regret. Other songs are used from the arrange albums released over the years, which include Anemoscope, Recollections, Re-feel, and Ma-Na.

The second anime adaptation also under the title Kanon is produced by the Japanese animation studio Kyoto Animation, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, written by Fumihiko Shimo, and features character designs by Kazumi Ikeda who based the designs off of Itaru Hinoue's original concept art. On August 25, 2006, a teaser DVD named "Kanon Prelude" was released in limited edition containing interviews with the cast, clean opening and ending sequences, and promotional footage of the anime itself. Twenty-four episodes were produced which aired between October 5, 2006 and March 15, 2007 on the Japanese television broadcasting station BS-i. While the plot does not differ from the first anime, the greater number of episodes allows the inclusion of more detail from the visual novel on which the series is based. The episodes were released to Region 2 DVD between January 1 and August 1, 2007 by Pony Canyon in limited and regular editions containing three episodes per volume. Pony Canyon released a Blu-ray Disc box set on December 16, 2009 in Japan.

The episodes were originally licensed for North America by ADV Films. The episodes were released on Region 1 DVD in six volumes between January 1 and October 14, 2008. However, between volumes 5 and 6, the rights for the series were transferred to Funimation, who did a limited release of volume 6. ADV supplied and completed the dub for the series. The second DVD volume was sold in two editions, with the difference between the two being a series box all the DVDs could fit inside. A box set containing the entire series was released by Funimation on April 28, 2009.

The Roman alphabetized words included in the original titles of the episodes are names or sub genres of classical music composition. Continuing with this theme, Pachelbel's Canon often plays in the background of some scenes. It was first heard in episode one while Ayu and Yuichi are hiding from the taiyaki vendor, then again during episode eleven in the ice-cream parlor Nayuki and Yuichi were visiting. It plays during the fourteenth episode, in a scene between Sayuri and Yuichi. The last time it is heard is during the final episode where Akiko speaks with Yuichi in the same café as before. Another reference hidden in the anime is a homage to One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e a title that the Key team had worked on while they were still working for Tactics—Rumi Nanase, one of the heroines in One, has cameo appearances in several points in the anime.

Two pieces of theme music are used for the episodes; one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme for the second anime adaptation is "Last regrets", and the ending theme used for the same production "Kaze no Tadoritsuku Basho" (風の辿り着く場所 Where the Wind Reaches?) ; both songs are sung by Ayana and were the original opening and ending themes from the visual novel. The rest of the soundtrack for the second anime series is sampled from several albums released for the Kanon visual novel including the Kanon Original Soundtrack, Anemoscope, Recollections, and Re-feel. This does not include an insert song used in episode sixteen titled "Last regrets (X'mas floor style)" by Eiko Shimamiya from I've Sound's first album Regret.