Summary:
Heading to school one afternoon after leaving Makoto with Akiko, Yuuichi finds Mishio on her way out. He tells her about how Makoto won’t talk, laugh, or get angry – seemingly losing her emotions. The only person she lets her guard down for is him, so he wants Mishio to meet with her. When Mishio agrees, Yuuichi brings Makoto out to her, and Mishio introduces herself to the shy girl. With Yuuichi’s encouragement, Makoto eventually goes over into Mishio’s arms and warms up to Mishio because of how she pets her. Since Mishio succeeds in getting Makoto to say her own name and then Yuuichi’s, he is quite happy that she was able to remember. However, Mishio then warns that it’s only temporary – Makoto will forget soon. She also knows that Makoto’s time will come when she gets another fever, so she asks Yuuichi to grant any wishes Makoto has.
Returning home, Yuuichi asks Makoto if there’s anything she wants to do, but the girl only replies to him in Auu-s. He ends up taking her out with Akiko and Nayuki to a restaurant, and they have a meal as one happy family. Afterwards, Yuuichi points to a photo booth because Makoto was always staring at them before she lost her ability to speak. Although Makoto takes a little coaxing to come, Yuuichi, Nayuki, and Akiko get her into the picture of the four of them together. The rest of the evening is spent enjoying senkou hanabi (Japanese sparklers), but as the night progresses, Makoto comes down with a fever. Yuuichi can only hold her hand and stay by her side through her suffering. When Makoto wakes up the next morning, she’s doing a little better and Yuuichi pampers her, though he soon realizes that she prefers just to be with him.
Yuuichi decides to read her the shoujo manga that she loves, and when he gets to the end, he is reminded of how she wanted to marry him. He brings Makoto downstairs where he tells Akiko that they’re going out for a while. As they exit the house, the pair find Mishio waiting outside. She walks with them to school, holding Makoto’s hand because she considers herself Makoto’s friend. Outside the school building, Mishio bids farewell to Makoto and is tasked with passing along a message to Nayuki for Yuuichi. Nayuki ends up coming out during lunchtime and playing with Makoto for the short while before she has to go back inside. Like Mishio, Nayuki also parts ways by hoping that she and Makoto can play together again. Alone with Makoto again, Yuuichi takes her up to the top of Monomi Hill and sits down in the middle of a green field. As they share a meat bun, the two stare at the view of the city while the afternoon comes and goes.
By sundown, Yuuichi is ready to accomplish what he came out to do. Since he can’t buy an entire wedding dress for Makoto, he has instead bought a wedding veil for her to wear. As they stand together in the open field, he vows to stay by her side in sickness and in health, for richer or for poorer. Thinking to himself, Yuuichi believes that Makoto’s wish has been fulfilled, but he wonders if she’s happy being with him, who she supposedly hates. He knows that everyone liked her and admits that he loved her too. If she had noticed, she should have been happy, but he’s not so sure that she did. Just as he’s saying to Makoto that they should always stay together, a strong wind blows the wedding veil away. As a result, Makoto starts crying, so Yuuichi calms her down by letting her sit in his lap and by stroking her head. He turns her attention to playing with the bells on her wrist, but Makoto soon gets tired and closes her eyes. Her hand falls limp to her side, and just like that, she disappears. The green fields are now covered in snow, and the only thing left of Makoto are the bells he bought for her.
It is sometime later that Yuuichi, as he is remembering how they all took a photo together and how Makoto wanted spring to come and stay forever, has another chat with Mishio at school. She believes that when spring comes, the kitsune will be running around the hill again. A new life will be born and raised, and this child will come, yearning for the warmth of a human again. There’s no helping it because this is their nature. She suggests that half the city could be made up of the kitsune, and they simply don’t notice that everyone isn’t human. Yuuichi starts to think that Mishio is implying something, but she claims that she’s joking. Mishio then explains that if all the foxes worked together, they could produce an amazing miracle. She admits that it’s a dream of hers, and then wonders if it wouldn’t be great to see candy falling from the sky. Yuuichi doesn’t think so and Mishio calls him too practical. He in turn says that she has unexpectedly girlish tastes and imagination, and the two laugh about it.
Yuuichi thinks that they were having the same dream, and then came back from it. When Mishio finally asks what Yuuichi would want if miracles could really occur, he simply says he already knows: in a spring landscape, Piro curls up next to a sleeping Makoto…

Preview:

Have a tissue ready…
It’s actually been quite a while since I’ve seen a series so incredibly sad and depressing. Even though I knew that it was coming, it still made quite the impact. And everything seemed to be amplified all that much more because of how well Kyoto Animation handled this end to the Makoto arc. I guess that final shot should be interpreted to be what Yuuichi would wish for in a miracle.
I can’t help but wonder if Makoto will not be mentioned again or if what happened here really had an impact on Yuuichi and will influence how he acts from now on. Then again, those two things aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. In any case, as much as I liked this arc, I’m curious to see how good the rest of the story is. With Makoto is gone, the focus should be shifting to one of the other girls, which would appear to be Mai.

51 Comments

  1. “Have a tissue ready”
    I´ve alredy went to the bathroom man, and usualy I make some shit BEFORE I watch my animes!!!

    So THX but i don´t need anymore tissue!!! 😀
    Unless my ass is not clean enough……………of course! :lol:(just kidding)

    tensai_otaku
  2. Ah… so they did do the marriage scene like in the game. I was wondering if they were going to do that…

    I wonder though, with the ending, if we’ll see Makoto again sometime. Damn well hope so.

    I can see why they could do Mai’s story next, but I was really expecting Shiori’s after this. If we assume that they’ll end with Nayuki’s and Ayu’s intertwined like in the original series it would only have been Mai or Shiori. Although if they’re following the game they could quite easily slip Sayuri’s story in there as well (and for those of you who don’t know her story is just as sad as the others)

    *anyone interested in the original game can see a review at the website by clicking on my name. I’ve just added a review of Really? Really! as well*

  3. Ahh, that’s too depressing. But they managed to pull it off better then I imagined. Yes, now we’re hopefully into the Mai arc now which will make next week kick ass.

    I’m praying for them to put Sayuri’s story in. I still enjoy Sayuri more then Mai, even though her so called “ending” in the game is a little insignificant. They better touch on it this time though, or I’ll be more then frustrated. I can forgive forgetting Sayuri’s past in a mere 13 episodes. You forget about her in the 24 episodes that are planned, then they’re asking for the hurt. Judging by the announced episode titles they have, it seems like Episode 12 will be the one I’m waiting for in the Mai arc. I wonder how long they’re going to stretch it out though.

    Likkun
  4. I didn’t want to have to deal with the suspense of this arc… I waited until it finished watching anything. Now I can cry and cry and cry all I want… after my homework is done. >.>

    cbhl
  5. its actually not that bad… i think the makoto arc is really well done and beatiful… but this has got me worried about how now kyoani will be rushing to complete the story of the remaining 4 girls… 3 if u join both ayu and nayuki 2gether…

    cyw1988
  6. I had a hell of a hard time suppressing my tears while watching at school…It shall remain secret that a tear dripped regardless… >_>

    Oh, can somebody tell me what the scene at the very end (with Makoto lying on the ground) was supposed to be? I never got that scene…

    Rasmiel
  7. Mentar at 1:56 pm on December 8th, 2006
    From context, this is the miracle Yuuichi would be wishing for: Makoto alive, peacefully napping with Piro on the hill.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Manji
  8. I don’t understand, how did Makoto become such a paramount character…? particularly when seen relative to Ayu..Who’s the actual, intended female protagonist in this series?

    shakugan no shana
  9. This episode was really good at concluding the Makoto section (though this is weird of me to say because I have no knowledge of the game’s story). Kanon is such a cool story of magic, and it’s limited use of its magical elements (with good performance) make it such a cool story.

    I like how near the end, the ending theme kicked in early. I wonder if that’s how episode 24 will end……Just wondering.

    And yay a Nayuki/Ayu/Mai episode…they really needed some focus since episode six(?).

    Avisch
  10. Damn it! She is gone now…
    …where’re my tissues… o_O

    They did it… KyoAni did it again, they made me cry again for Makoto, and Tomokazu Sugita is becoming little by little into my favorite seryuu, surpassing my current favorite, Tomokazu Seki. He did a good job in Shuffle! He did a great job in Haruhi Suzumiya no Yuuutsu, but he is doing a SUPERB job in Kanon as Yuuichi.

    This was my round one of this episode, two more to go (I’m downloading three different versions). I’m not sure if my mind could take the 3rth version… and my tissues run like water after Eclipse’s version of this episode.

    I think Amane was playful with Yuuichi because she knew very well what kind of pain he was trying to forget. A happy ending for Makoto, obviously that was his wish… if only he could wish for it…

    Oh men… I’m listening Florescence and Flower right now… something that make me more depressed… u_u I’m going to call my psychotherapist to make an appointment for March 23, assuming that Kanon will end on March 22.

    I’m going to cry all night…

    Syaoran Li
  11. Two hours later on the night I’m still listening the OST from 4 years ago… oh men… those melodies really drags me in… happy memories… sad memories… joyful moments… sorrwoful moments… everything came back to me…

    I’m happy for being able to enjoy this way… because that makes me aware of my feelings, and that I don’t have a cold heart…

    And for that reasson my friends, is why I’m still love my anime so much…
    Too Much Anime? Bullshit…

    Syaoran Li
  12. thank goodness this series got more than 13 episodes. This was the perfect number of episodes for the Makoto arc. From when they revealed where the name Sawatari Makoto came from to the running practical jokes to the deep care Makoto and Yuiichi have for one another. BRAVO!!!!

    TJ
  13. I was thinking the same two months ago…

    With 24 episodes KyoAni can take the story slow and show us more details in each girl’s development. Yeah, we learn a few more things about Makoto, but the one thing I like the most was the wedding ceremony. In order to keep Makoto beside him, Yuuichi did everything, I mean everything… but like a human being does often, it was too late.

    Kanon is one of those tales filled with drama, fantasy and a little bit of supernatural stuff, the right amount of each element when is necessary, giving us beautiful story.

    Syaoran Li
  14. I almost cried. I only didn’t because it was 5:00 PM and everyone was watching with me, too much shame.
    And believe me, it was hard to control, not only for the beauty of the episode, but because I just watched Iriya no Sora, UFO no Natsu a few days ago and I still can’t shake off my head the strong impression it left on me.

    Sherman, the Ramni
  15. Why all of my fav charaters in a game/series must end like this? First Aerith in FFVII, then Misuzu in Air, now Makoto… if they kill Shiori i jump off my window… (don’t play the game so I don’t know his story) Poor Makoto, I plan to watch the first episodes over again but it make make me sadder see her…

    Kr15t14n
  16. I’ve watched this a few times over the last couple of days while preparing scripts and it still has the same effect on me. The only other anime that had a similar effect on me over the last couple of years was Canvas2 . . . .

  17. From context, this is the miracle Yuuichi would be wishing for: Makoto alive, peacefully napping with Piro on the hill.

    Hmm I was pretty sure what he wished for is eternal spring since that’s more like a miracle. Him wishing Makoto to be alive kinda destroys the whole thing for me because it’s so cliched. >_>

    Rasmiel
  18. I think that Key Company should do the same with Air(TV). They should make a remake like Kanon because the first Air(TV) episodes were kinda rushed; and therefore confusing. For people to understand the drama inside Air(TV), it more than once was required to watch it more than once. It was kinda too deep to understand what was going on quickly. However, it also has the moving moments like Kanon; that is why i am looking forward it..

    banzemanga
  19. @ Rasmiel

    Well.. The ending is up for interpretation… to some extent. I’ve heard quite a few people different take on it. I’ve taken it as he’d wish for Makato to come back alive agian.

    someguy
  20. I guess I saw the ending as Yuuichi wanting Makoto to live as a regular human being. It was so hard watching this episode and see Makoto deteriorate completely, I was teary-eyed all the way through ;_; Great end to the first arc.

    Scoop
  21. it’s make me mad at him, yuuichi… who doesn’t tell about true feeling to her(i think their activity at atop of hill isn’t his confession but only one thing that he thinks he can do) so after that when he see Amano, he doesn’t tell that he want something if he can make other miracle…

    farewell Makoto and may be the next story is Mai and Ayu ^^

    Jz
  22. Isn’t Yuuichi’s wish for Makoto to be happy?

    Winter changed to Spring suddenly, so I don’t think it was showing present time.
    And Makoto was sleeping peacefully on the hill with Piro.

    ;-; You just can’t help but feel sad for Makoto.

    Realus
  23. Teary eyes all the way. I could watch ep 11 now, but i think ill wait, because if i watch it now i will still be thinking about Makoto, and the show will kinda be ruined. So yeah ill wait till tomorrow (probably won’t help though). :/

    Kanon 2006 is definitively the most beautifully sad show ever, in my book.
    Props to KyoAni.

    MAKOTOOOOOOOOO!! T_T

  24. Suprisingly, I didn’t actually cry in this episode, which is strange for me. But, anyway, I think they did this arc amazingly well, I love love loved it, and I can’t wait to see the rest of the series! 😀

    Random Person

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