Intermezzo of Light and Shadow

Intermezzo of Light and Shadow is the eleventh episode of the 2006 anime series Kanon.

Synopsis
We are first greeted with an obscured shot of snow falling as the girl from previous openings details her never ending dream again. She explains that all she can do is continue to wait for the person from her dreams to arrive.

Yuichi, Akiko, and Nayuki visit Makoto’s old room for the first time since she left. Wanting to cherish his memories of her, Yuichi asks Akiko to keep the room how it is. All three agree on this and look to Monomi Hill off in the distance.

As Nayuki and Yuichi walk to school, she asks him if he remembers anything else about his past. Yuichi says that although he remembers Makoto now, there are still many things he has to piece together.

Yuichi visits Shiori in the courtyard again, who says she left home out of boredom. Noticing Shiori is clearly hungry, Yuichi offers to buy something for her. She tells him she wants ice cream, much to Yuichi’s surprise considering the weather.

During his lunch break, Yuichi heads off to meet with Mai and Sayuri at their usual spot, only to find that they aren't there. Yuichi then spots two students talking about a girl who was caught breaking windows, which sets Yuichi off to the faculty room where he meets Sayuri waiting at the door. Sayuri tells Yuichi that Mai has been the suspect of vandalism several times, since she broke a window before during her first year and never explained her motives.

On their way home, Yuichi consults Nayuki on what to do to help Mai become more popular. She suggests that the school ball would be just the right thing to improve her image. After convincing Sayuri and Mai to attend the ball, Yuichi rushes back to the entrance, remembering he was supposed to go home with Nayuki. Yuichi once again takes Nayuki to a local café and treats her to ice cream to make up for not meeting her earlier.

Yuichi runs into Ayu on his way out of the café. After Nayuki tells him she doesn’t have a dress for Mai, Yuichi asks Ayu if she has a dress out of desperation. Remembering that the two never met, Yuichi formally introduces Ayu to Nayuki.

The three then go back to the Minase home, where Akiko greets them with Piro, who just found her way back home after going missing. When Ayu tells everyone her family went on a trip, Akiko offers to let her stay at her house.

Yuichi meets Mai again at school that night, wanting to learn more about why she continues to come back each day and the demons she fights. While the two eat, Yuichi tells Mai about what happened to Makoto.

To show her appreciation Ayu cooks breakfast for the family, which turns out overcooked, though they accept the kind gesture. Still searching for a dress, Yuichi asks Shiori, though she doesn't seem to have one either. As the two continue to meet in the courtyard, Kaori becomes more suspicious of Yuichi.

At lunch, Sayuri comes to Yuichi’s classroom to tell him an acquaintance of hers gave her a dress for Mai to use for the school ball. Sayuri then invites Yuichi to come with her and Mai since she managed to get a tuxedo as well.

Yuichi meets Mai again and brings her a beef bowl from a convenience store. Mai suspects that Sayuri still doesn’t know about the demons and intends to keep her as far away from harm as she can. While Yuichi tries to convince her to act more approachable, Mai encounters one of the demons.

Characters

 * Yuichi Aizawa
 * Mai Kawasumi
 * Sayuri Kurata
 * Nayuki Minase
 * Kaori Misaka
 * Jun Kitagawa
 * Ayu Tsukimiya
 * Akiko Minase

Locations

 * City of Snow
 * Minase Residence
 * Yuichi's High School

Trivia

 * An Intermezzo is a composition which fits between other musical or dramatic entities, such as acts of a play or movements of a larger musical work.

Quotes

 * “You’re my last hope, but if you’re going to be like that, then you’ll be “uguu” forever.” - Yuichi
 * “Yuichi, you’re confusing her even more.” - Nayuki
 * “You’re always half asleep, so you two never met.” - Yuichi
 * “Huh? That’s the cat that stole the taiyaki!” - Ayu
 * “Mom acts cheerful, but I think she’s been really sad.” - Nayuki
 * “I don’t want to make Sayuri worry.” - Mai
 * “Miracles don’t occur that easily.” - Kaori
 * “You don’t smile much, do you?” - Yuichi
 * “It got away.” - Mai