Ayu Tsukimiya
Encyclopedia
is a fictional character
and the main hero
ine in Key's
adult
visual novel
Kanon
, followed closely by Nayuki Minase who is the only Kanon heroine to appear with Ayu on three of the official game covers released by Key. Ayu was created by Naoki Hisaya
who wrote her scenario for the visual novel, and designed by Itaru Hinoue
. Hisaya commented on how he thought Ayu was the one character in Kanon that he felt he grasped the best, but noted it was very difficult to write her character due to Ayu being primarily energetic. After Hinoue drew wings on Ayu's backpack, Hisaya suggested that they remove them due to spoiler
reasons, and while Hinoue went along with it at the time, the wings were later included once again.
Yuichi Aizawa, the protagonist of Kanon, meets a lively seventeen-year-old Ayu on the day after he moves to the city depicted in the game. As the story progresses, Yuichi discovers that she is trying to find something she lost, but she cannot remember what it is; Yuichi tries to help her in her search, but with no initial success. One of her most defining characteristics is the repeated utterance of her catch phrase
which she mutters as an expression of various negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and fear. Her favorite food is taiyaki
, and is seen eating the confection
many times throughout Kanon.
The main focus of both Kanon anime
is Ayu, who has also appeared in all of Kanons adaptations, and has been incorporated into numerous dōjin games
. Ayu makes a cameo appearance
in the second episode of the Air anime series along with Nayuki, and Makoto Sawatari from Kanon. Her voice actresses are Yui Horie
in the Japanese versions of the visual novel and anime, and Brittney Karbowski
in the English version of Kyoto Animation
's Kanon anime, who also voiced Ayu during her cameo in Air. A leitmotif
named is associated with Ayu which is played in Kanon numerous times during scenes which involve her, and is also used in a similar fashion throughout Kyoto Animation's Kanon anime. In a review by Anime News Network
, Ayu is described as a character that "persists on a degree of earnest cuteness that will endear her to some viewers."
, who wrote Ayu's story, commented in an interview that the night before he was to present the beginning of a Kanon scenario, he suddenly remembered wanting to write for some time about a ghost girl who waits for the protagonist to come back to her. He said that he wanted to write this no matter what and quickly drew up an outline for the premise of Ayu's scenario. At the time, Ayu's premise was the start of the entire Kanon story, though it was still very vague. Eventually, Hisaya was able to form her story into the style of a romance visual novel
, and in the process the characters in the story started to multiply. Hisaya said that Ayu was the one character in Kanon that he felt he grasped the best, but noted it was very difficult to write her character due to Ayu being primarily energetic. Hisaya said that he is much better at writing about quiet characters, so Ayu gave him a lot of trouble. Hisaya noted that Ayu's frequent use of "ugū" was not decided from the beginning, and that it merely turned out that way during the natural writing process.
Ayu's character designer, Itaru Hinoue
, commented in an interview that she put a lot of effort into Ayu's design, and Ayu was her favorite character to create among the Kanon characters. Hinoue was able to design Ayu any way she wanted, and by all means she wanted Ayu to wear her large tan duffle coat
, and be depicted as a strong character. Hinoue said that she was very particular about Ayu's attire, but not about everything. At the time she was formulating the character design, many festivals were going on in Osaka
, Japan where Key
is located. When Hinoue had a chance to attend, there were many people around wearing angel wings as part of the festival, and because she thought they looked really cute, chose to later draw them onto Ayu as well. Hinoue later read Ayu's finished scenario and became aware of an unintentional form of foreshadowing
on her part due to wing imagery factoring into Ayu's story. Shortly after, Hisaya suggested to Hinoue, "Since they seem to have become a spoiler
, let's lose the wings." The wings were thus removed, but before long they were attached again. While Hinoue had originally chosen the colors for the hair and eyes of the characters herself, these were later discussed by the development team and altered accordingly, though Ayu, Mai, and Nayuki did not change much. It came to the point where Hinoue had to constantly go back and forth between her intentions and what was later decided by consensus.
over a sweater
and shorts
, despite the cold winter weather, and is the only Kanon character seen to regularly don mittens
. On her feet, she wears brown argyle
socks and snow boots. She is immediately recognizable by the red Alice band
in her short brown hair, and a small backpack she wears which has two attached wings on either side. In later appearances, she is sometimes seen without her coat or mittens. As a child of ten, Ayu is depicted wearing a pink sweater, a short skirt, and a large white bow in her hair, which is grown-out slightly longer than when Ayu is seventeen.
Since childhood, Ayu has referred to herself with the masculine pronoun
—Japanese for "I", a rare occurrence among females. Ayu is notorious for her catch phrase
, , which she mutters as an expression of various negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and fear. Her favorite food is taiyaki
, and she is seen eating the confection
many times throughout Kanon. Ayu comes off as somewhat strange, such as initially tackling Yuichi and yelling his name whenever she would spot him. These tackling fits eventually diminish in severity to simple taps on the back as time goes on or even simply calling out his name when appearing seemingly out of nowhere behind him. She can be clumsy at times, and is prone to tripping. Ayu tends to be naïve about common things, such as not knowing what a mobile phone
is, but enjoys learning about new things. Yuichi quickly discovers how terrified Ayu will become at even the mere mention of ghost
s or demon
s. When put into an uncomfortable situation, such as having to walk alone at night, she is noticeably jumpy and is prone to screaming.
salesmen when she collides with Yuichi Aizawa, the protagonist of Kanon, in the shopping district. Yuichi and Ayu become fast friends after she meets him several more times in the shopping district, and Ayu helps him remember that they first met and became friends during Yuichi's last stay in the city seven years previous. A focus in Ayu's storyline is that she is constantly searching for something she has lost, but she does not even remember what it is, which troubles her greatly. Yuichi plays an active role in helping her try to find the item with no initial success. Shortly after Yuichi and Ayu become involved in an intimate relationship
, Ayu remembers what happened in the past and disappears without a trace.
Seven years before the onset of the story, Yuichi first met Ayu in almost exactly the same place as where they collided at the beginning of Kanon. Ayu was crying at the time due to the recent death of her mother, and in an effort to make her feel better, Yuichi bought her taiyaki, which in turn became her favorite food. They met up several more times over the winter school break, and one day Yuichi obtained a small angel doll from a claw vending machine
and gave it to Ayu. Yuichi stipulated that he would grant any three wishes she wished on the doll within his limited power. Her first wish was that they could go to school together. Due to this, Yuichi took Ayu into the nearby forest to a clearing with a large tree in the center. They decided to make this tree their own private "school" with special stipulations such as no homework or tests, and taiyaki is served for lunch everyday. Ayu made her second wish on the doll some days later, wishing for Yuichi to never forget her. Afterwards, Ayu decided to bury the doll in a jar near the forest. On the last day of winter break, while Yuichi and Ayu were attending their "school", Ayu was sitting up in the tree when a strong gust of wind came and knocked her out of it, causing her to land on her head and fall unconscious. This accident is what caused the young Yuichi to suppress his memories of his childhood.
After Yuichi remembers what happened in the past, he assumes Ayu died, which causes him to become depressed. During this time, Yuichi remembers the doll that Ayu buried, and gathers his friends to go find it. Once he finds and repairs it, he goes to the now cut-down tree in the forest clearing until Ayu appears again. They have a tearful reunion where Yuichi reminds her of the angel doll, and that she still has one more wish left. Yuichi asks her to use her final wish to come back and go to a real school with him. Ayu suggests that she might wish for Yuichi to not remember her at all, and move on. After this, Ayu does not say which wish she chooses, and simply vanishes again. Yuichi later discovers that Ayu did not die, and had been in the hospital for seven years in a coma
, making her an ikiryō
. One year after finding this out, Ayu miraculously wakes up from her coma after Yuichi returns to the hospital with the red headband that he promised to give her the next time they met.
s, drama CDs
, manga
, and anime
. Of the five light novels written for Kanon, Ayu is the main focus of the final installment entitled . Two of the fifteen drama CDs released had Ayu as a main focus, and Ayu appears in the five anthology
drama CDs. In the first official Kanon manga, Ayu's story is made the main focus, and her story is the only one of the five heroines to go into detail and reveal the latter portions of her story. Conversely, in the second manga version, Ayu is only the main focus of the final chapter, but is given the second highest number of pages in the manga behind Nayuki. Ayu has also appeared in Kanons numerous manga anthologies.
In 2002, Toei Animation
produced the first Kanon anime and featured character design by Yōichi Ōnishi who based the designs on Itaru Hinoue
's original concept. In 2006, Kyoto Animation
produced a new rendition of the Kanon anime with updated visuals and a more detailed story; character design was headed by Kazumi Ikeda who also worked off of Hinoue's original artwork from the visual novel. In both anime, Ayu is given the focus as the main heroine, and Yuichi ends up falling in love with her in both versions as well.
or H-game
character ever." Ayu has appeared in countless dōjin games
such as Glove on Fight
and Eternal Fighter Zero
. In the anime adaptation of Air, another of Key
's visual novels, Ayu makes a cameo appearance
in episode two along with Nayuki Minase and Makoto Sawatari as regular girls who talk with Yukito Kunisaki briefly.
As reported in the Kanon Visual Fan Book for the visual novel, Key had once planned to release a social simulation game
with the tentative title featuring Ayu, as she appears at ten years old, as the game's sole heroine. The game was expected to be released on June 30, 2000, though Key never mentioned the game again. Other games announced at the time which involved Ayu as the main focus were an action game
named , a role-playing game
called , and a quiz
game entitled .
named is associated with Ayu and is played in Kanon numerous times during scenes which involve her; it is also used in a similar fashion throughout Kyoto Animation
's Kanon anime adaptation. It is first heard during Ayu's first appearance in both the visual novel and the aforementioned anime version. The theme is composed by Shinji Orito
, one of Key's signature composers
, and is the longest of Kanons five leitmotifs on the Kanon Original Soundtrack at 3:04 minutes. A remix
version by Magome Togoshi
appeared on the Kanon soundtracks Anemoscope and Recollections. "Hidamari no Machi" was composed in common time in the E-flat major key
, and moves at 126 beats per minute. The theme was composed on a synthesizer
which primarily used a piano
as a base, along with violin
, vibraphone
, and percussion
accompaniment throughout the piece. Orito commented on the song in the Kanon Original Soundtrack booklet where he remarked, "This is probably the song I like most out of all the theme songs...I think the percussion is really good."
, a webcomic
that takes much of its inspiration from Kanon, references Ayu. First, in strip 67 "Saving Points", Ayu is shown eating taiyaki
. This is, in fact, a reference to a Kanon dōjinshi
called Quarter Iceshop, as stated by Megatokyos artist Fred Gallagher in his commentary during the publication of volume one of his webcomic, as well as the "rants" accompanying the strip itself. Also, in strip 224 "packing away", Gallagher draws himself wearing Ayu's backpack and mentioning her catchphrase "ugū", as well as stating that the backpack was the "official winged backpack from Kanon."
Ayu has been parodied in several anime. Episode eight of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi parodies Kanon and other adult games
. In it, Ayu's Japanese voice actress
Yui Horie
plays a girl that is modeled after Ayu, and references taiyaki and "ugū" near the end. In episode four of Lucky Star, Konata gives a tardy excuse to her teacher Nanako, stating that she was late because there was a girl running away from a taiyaki seller; after listening to the excuse, Nanako utters "ugū" out of frustration. Another parody in Lucky Star is that when Kagami scolds Konata in episode thirteen when she complains about her winter break being occupied by homework, Ayu's backpack appears behind Konata, and she utters "ugū". In Mission-E
, a character greatly inspired by Ayu appears on a manga cover near the middle of episode eleven.
In a review by Anime News Network
of the first anime DVD volume of Kyoto Animation's Kanon anime, Ayu is described as a character that "persists on a degree of earnest cuteness that will endear her to some viewers." In the same review, Ayu's winged backpack is cited as possibly being a "little overkill" in regards to the moe attributes of the series. Newtype USA
stated in an article on Kanon that, "Ayu beams brightly with joy as she munches on her favorite fish-shaped crepe, looking so adorable you almost wanna pinch her."
of Ayu were produced by different manufacturers in 2007. The earliest was released on January 29 by Movic
which also came with a chibi
version of Ayu dressed in a Santa Claus
outfit. The next was released on July 2 by Russian Blue, and the third followed a month later on August 6 by Kotobukiya which was in fact a reproduction of a model previously released. The fourth figurine was released on October 19 by Max Factory, and was the most expensive of the four. An official "ugū" audio CD was coupled with the 127-page Kanon Visual Memories art book for Kyoto Animation
's Kanon anime adaptation released on June 24, 2007 by Ichijinsha
. The CD contains eighty-six variations of Ayu's iconic catch phrase
featured in the anime, and is voiced by Yui Horie
. The CD spans ten minutes, though most of the duration is silent due to each "ugū" lasting less than two seconds on each track, resulting in about one-third of the CD as rendered blank.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
and the main hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
ine in Key's
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
adult
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
Kanon
Kanon
is a Japanese visual novel developed by Key and originally released as an adult game on June 4, 1999, playable on a Microsoft Windows PC. An all ages version for the PC was released in January 2000, and was later ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable...
, followed closely by Nayuki Minase who is the only Kanon heroine to appear with Ayu on three of the official game covers released by Key. Ayu was created by Naoki Hisaya
Naoki Hisaya
, born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel Kanon while working under Key. Additional works include Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and Moon Childe....
who wrote her scenario for the visual novel, and designed by Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
. Hisaya commented on how he thought Ayu was the one character in Kanon that he felt he grasped the best, but noted it was very difficult to write her character due to Ayu being primarily energetic. After Hinoue drew wings on Ayu's backpack, Hisaya suggested that they remove them due to spoiler
Spoiler (media)
Spoiler is slang for any element of any summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot element which will give away the outcome of a dramatic episode within the work of fiction, or the conclusion of the entire work. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information...
reasons, and while Hinoue went along with it at the time, the wings were later included once again.
Yuichi Aizawa, the protagonist of Kanon, meets a lively seventeen-year-old Ayu on the day after he moves to the city depicted in the game. As the story progresses, Yuichi discovers that she is trying to find something she lost, but she cannot remember what it is; Yuichi tries to help her in her search, but with no initial success. One of her most defining characteristics is the repeated utterance of her catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
which she mutters as an expression of various negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and fear. Her favorite food is taiyaki
Taiyaki
is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside....
, and is seen eating the confection
Wagashi
is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.Wagashi is typically made from natural ingredients...
many times throughout Kanon.
The main focus of both Kanon anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
is Ayu, who has also appeared in all of Kanons adaptations, and has been incorporated into numerous dōjin games
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...
. Ayu makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in the second episode of the Air anime series along with Nayuki, and Makoto Sawatari from Kanon. Her voice actresses are Yui Horie
Yui Horie
is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
in the Japanese versions of the visual novel and anime, and Brittney Karbowski
Brittney Karbowski
Brittney Marie Karbowski is an American actress and voice actress who works for Funimation Entertainment, ADV Films, Seraphim Digital, and OkraTron 5000...
in the English version of Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
's Kanon anime, who also voiced Ayu during her cameo in Air. A leitmotif
Leitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
named is associated with Ayu which is played in Kanon numerous times during scenes which involve her, and is also used in a similar fashion throughout Kyoto Animation's Kanon anime. In a review by Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, Ayu is described as a character that "persists on a degree of earnest cuteness that will endear her to some viewers."
Creation and conception
Naoki HisayaNaoki Hisaya
, born , is a Japanese screenwriter who has worked for Tactics, Key and Siesta, but as of 2006, he is a freelance writer. He is well known for being the main writer of the popular visual novel Kanon while working under Key. Additional works include Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, and Moon Childe....
, who wrote Ayu's story, commented in an interview that the night before he was to present the beginning of a Kanon scenario, he suddenly remembered wanting to write for some time about a ghost girl who waits for the protagonist to come back to her. He said that he wanted to write this no matter what and quickly drew up an outline for the premise of Ayu's scenario. At the time, Ayu's premise was the start of the entire Kanon story, though it was still very vague. Eventually, Hisaya was able to form her story into the style of a romance visual novel
Visual novel
A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...
, and in the process the characters in the story started to multiply. Hisaya said that Ayu was the one character in Kanon that he felt he grasped the best, but noted it was very difficult to write her character due to Ayu being primarily energetic. Hisaya said that he is much better at writing about quiet characters, so Ayu gave him a lot of trouble. Hisaya noted that Ayu's frequent use of "ugū" was not decided from the beginning, and that it merely turned out that way during the natural writing process.
Ayu's character designer, Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
, commented in an interview that she put a lot of effort into Ayu's design, and Ayu was her favorite character to create among the Kanon characters. Hinoue was able to design Ayu any way she wanted, and by all means she wanted Ayu to wear her large tan duffle coat
Duffle Coat
A duffle coat, or duffel coat, is a coat made from duffle, a coarse, thick, woollen material. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the material originates...
, and be depicted as a strong character. Hinoue said that she was very particular about Ayu's attire, but not about everything. At the time she was formulating the character design, many festivals were going on in Osaka
Osaka Prefecture
is a prefecture located in the Kansai region on Honshū, the main island of Japan. The capital is the city of Osaka. It is the center of Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto area.- History :...
, Japan where Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
is located. When Hinoue had a chance to attend, there were many people around wearing angel wings as part of the festival, and because she thought they looked really cute, chose to later draw them onto Ayu as well. Hinoue later read Ayu's finished scenario and became aware of an unintentional form of foreshadowing
Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing or adumbrating is a literary device in which an author indistinctly suggests certain plot developments that might come later in the story.-Repetitive designation and Chekhov's gun:...
on her part due to wing imagery factoring into Ayu's story. Shortly after, Hisaya suggested to Hinoue, "Since they seem to have become a spoiler
Spoiler (media)
Spoiler is slang for any element of any summary or description of any piece of fiction that reveals any plot element which will give away the outcome of a dramatic episode within the work of fiction, or the conclusion of the entire work. It can also be used to refer to any piece of information...
, let's lose the wings." The wings were thus removed, but before long they were attached again. While Hinoue had originally chosen the colors for the hair and eyes of the characters herself, these were later discussed by the development team and altered accordingly, though Ayu, Mai, and Nayuki did not change much. It came to the point where Hinoue had to constantly go back and forth between her intentions and what was later decided by consensus.
Characteristics
Ayu is strange and mysterious seventeen-year-old girl, the same age as Yuichi, though due to her short stature at 154 cm (5'1") and comparatively low body weight at 41 kg (90 lbs), she is perceived initially by Yuichi to be much younger; in fact, Ayu is the shortest and least heavy character introduced in Kanon. Ayu's three sizes are 80 cm - 52 cm - 79 cm (31" - 20" - 31"), and are the closest to Shiori's despite Shiori being one year younger. When first introduced, Ayu is seen wearing a large tan duffle coatDuffle Coat
A duffle coat, or duffel coat, is a coat made from duffle, a coarse, thick, woollen material. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the material originates...
over a sweater
Sweater
A sweater, jumper, pullover, sweatshirt, jersey or guernsey is a garment intended to cover the torso and arms. It is often worn over a shirt, blouse, T-shirt, or other top, but may also be worn alone as a top...
and shorts
Shorts
Shorts are a bifurcated garment worn by both men and women over their pelvic area, circling the waist, and covering the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to or even below the knee, but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened...
, despite the cold winter weather, and is the only Kanon character seen to regularly don mittens
Glove
A glove is a garment covering the hand. Gloves have separate sheaths or openings for each finger and the thumb; if there is an opening but no covering sheath for each finger they are called "fingerless gloves". Fingerless gloves with one large opening rather than individual openings for each...
. On her feet, she wears brown argyle
Argyle (pattern)
The argyle pattern is made of diamonds or lozenges. The word is sometimes used to refer to an individual diamond in the design but more commonly refers to the overall pattern. Most argyle layouts contain layers of overlapping motifs, adding a sense of three-dimensionality, movement, and texture...
socks and snow boots. She is immediately recognizable by the red Alice band
Headband
A headband is a clothing accessory worn in the hair or around the forehead, usually to hold hair away from the face or eyes. Headbands generally consist of a loop of elastic material or a horseshoe-shaped piece of flexible plastic or metal...
in her short brown hair, and a small backpack she wears which has two attached wings on either side. In later appearances, she is sometimes seen without her coat or mittens. As a child of ten, Ayu is depicted wearing a pink sweater, a short skirt, and a large white bow in her hair, which is grown-out slightly longer than when Ayu is seventeen.
Since childhood, Ayu has referred to herself with the masculine pronoun
Gender differences in spoken Japanese
The Japanese language is unusual among major languages in the high degree to which the speech of women collectively differs from that of men. Differences in the ways that girls and boys use language have been detected in children as young as three years old ....
—Japanese for "I", a rare occurrence among females. Ayu is notorious for her catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
, , which she mutters as an expression of various negative emotions such as frustration, anger, and fear. Her favorite food is taiyaki
Taiyaki
is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside....
, and she is seen eating the confection
Wagashi
is a traditional Japanese confectionery which is often served with tea, especially the types made of mochi, azuki bean paste, and fruits.Wagashi is typically made from natural ingredients...
many times throughout Kanon. Ayu comes off as somewhat strange, such as initially tackling Yuichi and yelling his name whenever she would spot him. These tackling fits eventually diminish in severity to simple taps on the back as time goes on or even simply calling out his name when appearing seemingly out of nowhere behind him. She can be clumsy at times, and is prone to tripping. Ayu tends to be naïve about common things, such as not knowing what a mobile phone
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
is, but enjoys learning about new things. Yuichi quickly discovers how terrified Ayu will become at even the mere mention of ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
s or demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s. When put into an uncomfortable situation, such as having to walk alone at night, she is noticeably jumpy and is prone to screaming.
Visual novel
Ayu Tsukimiya is introduced as girl running from a taiyakiTaiyaki
is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside....
salesmen when she collides with Yuichi Aizawa, the protagonist of Kanon, in the shopping district. Yuichi and Ayu become fast friends after she meets him several more times in the shopping district, and Ayu helps him remember that they first met and became friends during Yuichi's last stay in the city seven years previous. A focus in Ayu's storyline is that she is constantly searching for something she has lost, but she does not even remember what it is, which troubles her greatly. Yuichi plays an active role in helping her try to find the item with no initial success. Shortly after Yuichi and Ayu become involved in an intimate relationship
Intimate relationship
An intimate relationship is a particularly close interpersonal relationship that involves physical or emotional intimacy. Physical intimacy is characterized by romantic or passionate love and attachment, or sexual activity. The term is also sometimes used euphemistically for a sexual...
, Ayu remembers what happened in the past and disappears without a trace.
Seven years before the onset of the story, Yuichi first met Ayu in almost exactly the same place as where they collided at the beginning of Kanon. Ayu was crying at the time due to the recent death of her mother, and in an effort to make her feel better, Yuichi bought her taiyaki, which in turn became her favorite food. They met up several more times over the winter school break, and one day Yuichi obtained a small angel doll from a claw vending machine
Claw vending machine
A claw crane is a type of arcade game known as a merchandiser, commonly found in video arcades, supermarkets, restaurants, movie theaters, and bowling alleys...
and gave it to Ayu. Yuichi stipulated that he would grant any three wishes she wished on the doll within his limited power. Her first wish was that they could go to school together. Due to this, Yuichi took Ayu into the nearby forest to a clearing with a large tree in the center. They decided to make this tree their own private "school" with special stipulations such as no homework or tests, and taiyaki is served for lunch everyday. Ayu made her second wish on the doll some days later, wishing for Yuichi to never forget her. Afterwards, Ayu decided to bury the doll in a jar near the forest. On the last day of winter break, while Yuichi and Ayu were attending their "school", Ayu was sitting up in the tree when a strong gust of wind came and knocked her out of it, causing her to land on her head and fall unconscious. This accident is what caused the young Yuichi to suppress his memories of his childhood.
After Yuichi remembers what happened in the past, he assumes Ayu died, which causes him to become depressed. During this time, Yuichi remembers the doll that Ayu buried, and gathers his friends to go find it. Once he finds and repairs it, he goes to the now cut-down tree in the forest clearing until Ayu appears again. They have a tearful reunion where Yuichi reminds her of the angel doll, and that she still has one more wish left. Yuichi asks her to use her final wish to come back and go to a real school with him. Ayu suggests that she might wish for Yuichi to not remember her at all, and move on. After this, Ayu does not say which wish she chooses, and simply vanishes again. Yuichi later discovers that Ayu did not die, and had been in the hospital for seven years in a coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
, making her an ikiryō
Ikiryo
In Japanese mythology, an is a manifestation of the soul of a living person separately from their body....
. One year after finding this out, Ayu miraculously wakes up from her coma after Yuichi returns to the hospital with the red headband that he promised to give her the next time they met.
Other Kanon media
Ayu has appeared in other media adaptations based on the Kanon visual novel which includes light novelLight novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s, drama CDs
Radio drama in Japan
Radio drama in Japan has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be...
, manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
. Of the five light novels written for Kanon, Ayu is the main focus of the final installment entitled . Two of the fifteen drama CDs released had Ayu as a main focus, and Ayu appears in the five anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
drama CDs. In the first official Kanon manga, Ayu's story is made the main focus, and her story is the only one of the five heroines to go into detail and reveal the latter portions of her story. Conversely, in the second manga version, Ayu is only the main focus of the final chapter, but is given the second highest number of pages in the manga behind Nayuki. Ayu has also appeared in Kanons numerous manga anthologies.
In 2002, Toei Animation
Toei Animation
Toei Animation Co., Ltd. is a Japanese animation studio owned by Toei Co., Ltd. The studio was founded in 1948 as Japan Animated Films . In 1956, Toei purchased the studio and it was reincorporated under its current name...
produced the first Kanon anime and featured character design by Yōichi Ōnishi who based the designs on Itaru Hinoue
Itaru Hinoue
is a female Japanese artist from Osaka, Japan, and is one of the founding members of the software company Key. Hinoue's choice of her pseudonym stems from the manga C by Shō Kitagawa; the protagonist in the manga was named...
's original concept. In 2006, Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
produced a new rendition of the Kanon anime with updated visuals and a more detailed story; character design was headed by Kazumi Ikeda who also worked off of Hinoue's original artwork from the visual novel. In both anime, Ayu is given the focus as the main heroine, and Yuichi ends up falling in love with her in both versions as well.
Outside Kanon
Ayu has appeared in many works outside of Kanon, as well as being cited as being extremely popular and recognized in both Japan and the west. Ayu especially "has had more appearances outside of the original Kanon than any other animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
or H-game
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
character ever." Ayu has appeared in countless dōjin games
Dojin soft
, also sometimes called , are video games created by Japanese hobbyists or hobbyist groups , more for fun than for profit; essentially, the Japanese equivalent of independent video games. Most of them are based on pre-existing material, but some are entirely original creations...
such as Glove on Fight
Glove on Fight
Glove on Fight is a doujin boxing video game released in 2002 by Watanabe Seisakujo . . The game features characters from various sources, including anime, dating sims, other doujin, and a company mascot...
and Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero
Eternal Fighter Zero is a dōjin fighting games for Microsoft Windows produced by Twilight Frontier, including characters from the visual novels Moon., One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e, Kanon, and Air...
. In the anime adaptation of Air, another of Key
Key (company)
Key is a Japanese visual novel studio which formed on July 21, 1998 as a brand under the publisher Visual Art's and is located in Kita, Osaka, Japan. Key released their debut visual novel Kanon in June 1999, which combined an elaborate storyline, an up-to-date anime-style drawing style, and a...
's visual novels, Ayu makes a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
in episode two along with Nayuki Minase and Makoto Sawatari as regular girls who talk with Yukito Kunisaki briefly.
As reported in the Kanon Visual Fan Book for the visual novel, Key had once planned to release a social simulation game
Social simulation game
Social simulation games are a subgenre of life simulation game that explore social interactions between multiple artificial lives. The most famous example from this genre is The Sims series of games.-Influences and origins:...
with the tentative title featuring Ayu, as she appears at ten years old, as the game's sole heroine. The game was expected to be released on June 30, 2000, though Key never mentioned the game again. Other games announced at the time which involved Ayu as the main focus were an action game
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
named , a role-playing game
Role-playing game (video games)
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
called , and a quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
game entitled .
Musical theme
A leitmotifLeitmotif
A leitmotif , sometimes written leit-motif, is a musical term , referring to a recurring theme, associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical idea of idée fixe...
named is associated with Ayu and is played in Kanon numerous times during scenes which involve her; it is also used in a similar fashion throughout Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
's Kanon anime adaptation. It is first heard during Ayu's first appearance in both the visual novel and the aforementioned anime version. The theme is composed by Shinji Orito
Shinji Orito
is a Japanese musical composer originally from Hyōgo, Japan working for the software company Key. Before forming Key, Orito worked for another software company named Leaf where he contributed to four games...
, one of Key's signature composers
Musical composition
Musical composition can refer to an original piece of music, the structure of a musical piece, or the process of creating a new piece of music. People who practice composition are called composers.- Musical compositions :...
, and is the longest of Kanons five leitmotifs on the Kanon Original Soundtrack at 3:04 minutes. A remix
Remix
A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....
version by Magome Togoshi
Magome Togoshi
is a Japanese video game composer for visual novel studios. He began work as a composer in 2000 where he started working for the software company Key under Visual Art's to produce music for Air. Between then and 2006, Togoshi helped compose music for four more titles by Key, along with other games...
appeared on the Kanon soundtracks Anemoscope and Recollections. "Hidamari no Machi" was composed in common time in the E-flat major key
Key (music)
In music theory, the term key is used in many different and sometimes contradictory ways. A common use is to speak of music as being "in" a specific key, such as in the key of C major or in the key of F-sharp. Sometimes the terms "major" or "minor" are appended, as in the key of A minor or in the...
, and moves at 126 beats per minute. The theme was composed on a synthesizer
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
which primarily used a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
as a base, along with violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, and percussion
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
accompaniment throughout the piece. Orito commented on the song in the Kanon Original Soundtrack booklet where he remarked, "This is probably the song I like most out of all the theme songs...I think the percussion is really good."
Cultural impact
MegatokyoMegatokyo
is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston, debuting on August 14, 2000, and then written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since July 17, 2002. Gallagher's style of writing and illustration is heavily influenced by Japanese manga. Megatokyo is freely available on...
, a webcomic
Webcomic
Webcomics, online comics, or Internet comics are comics published on a website. While many are published exclusively on the web, others are also published in magazines, newspapers or often in self-published books....
that takes much of its inspiration from Kanon, references Ayu. First, in strip 67 "Saving Points", Ayu is shown eating taiyaki
Taiyaki
is a Japanese fish-shaped cake. The most common filling is red bean paste that is made from sweetened azuki beans. Other common fillings may be custard, chocolate, or cheese. Some shops even sell taiyaki with okonomiyaki, gyoza filling, or a sausage inside....
. This is, in fact, a reference to a Kanon dōjinshi
Dojinshi
is the Japanese term for self-published works, usually magazines, manga or novels. Dōjinshi are often the work of amateurs, though some professional artists participate as a way to publish material outside the regular industry. The term dōjinshi is derived from and . Dōjinshi are part of a wider...
called Quarter Iceshop, as stated by Megatokyos artist Fred Gallagher in his commentary during the publication of volume one of his webcomic, as well as the "rants" accompanying the strip itself. Also, in strip 224 "packing away", Gallagher draws himself wearing Ayu's backpack and mentioning her catchphrase "ugū", as well as stating that the backpack was the "official winged backpack from Kanon."
Ayu has been parodied in several anime. Episode eight of Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi parodies Kanon and other adult games
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
. In it, Ayu's Japanese voice actress
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
Yui Horie
Yui Horie
is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
plays a girl that is modeled after Ayu, and references taiyaki and "ugū" near the end. In episode four of Lucky Star, Konata gives a tardy excuse to her teacher Nanako, stating that she was late because there was a girl running away from a taiyaki seller; after listening to the excuse, Nanako utters "ugū" out of frustration. Another parody in Lucky Star is that when Kagami scolds Konata in episode thirteen when she complains about her winter break being occupied by homework, Ayu's backpack appears behind Konata, and she utters "ugū". In Mission-E
Code-E
Code-E is a Japanese anime television series animated by Studio DEEN. It is based on an original concept by Ichiro Sakaki and directed by Toshiyuki Kato. The first season consists of twelve episodes and first aired in Japan on July 3, 2007 to September 23, 2007. A second season titled Mission-E...
, a character greatly inspired by Ayu appears on a manga cover near the middle of episode eleven.
In a review by Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
of the first anime DVD volume of Kyoto Animation's Kanon anime, Ayu is described as a character that "persists on a degree of earnest cuteness that will endear her to some viewers." In the same review, Ayu's winged backpack is cited as possibly being a "little overkill" in regards to the moe attributes of the series. Newtype USA
Newtype (magazine)
is a monthly magazine publication originating from Japan, covering anime and manga . It was launched by publishing company Kadokawa Shoten on March 8, 1985 with its April issue, and has since seen regular release on the 10th of every month in its home country...
stated in an article on Kanon that, "Ayu beams brightly with joy as she munches on her favorite fish-shaped crepe, looking so adorable you almost wanna pinch her."
Merchandise
Four figurinesFigurines
Figurines is an indie rock band from Denmark, formed in the mid-1990s. The band released their first EP, The Detour, in 2001 and their first full-length album, Shake a Mountain, in 2004. The band began to receive national attention in Denmark around the time of the full-length release, and began...
of Ayu were produced by different manufacturers in 2007. The earliest was released on January 29 by Movic
Movic
is a Japanese company which specializes in the publication of trading cards, figures, CDs, and other general media related to the anime industry. Movic is a part of the Animate group.-Anime involved in:*Ah! My Goddess: The Movie: Production...
which also came with a chibi
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
version of Ayu dressed in a Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus...
outfit. The next was released on July 2 by Russian Blue, and the third followed a month later on August 6 by Kotobukiya which was in fact a reproduction of a model previously released. The fourth figurine was released on October 19 by Max Factory, and was the most expensive of the four. An official "ugū" audio CD was coupled with the 127-page Kanon Visual Memories art book for Kyoto Animation
Kyoto Animation
, abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. It was established in 1981, became a limited company in 1985 and then became a corporation in 1999. Presided by Hideaki Hatta, the company is affiliated with noted studio Sunrise and is also parent to the studio...
's Kanon anime adaptation released on June 24, 2007 by Ichijinsha
Ichijinsha
is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA which main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. In January 1998, Studio DNA became a public company and...
. The CD contains eighty-six variations of Ayu's iconic catch phrase
Catch phrase
A catchphrase is a phrase or expression recognized by its repeated utterance. Such phrases often originate in popular culture and in the arts, and typically spread through a variety of mass media , as well as word of mouth...
featured in the anime, and is voiced by Yui Horie
Yui Horie
is a popular Japanese singer and voice actress. She is sometimes affectionately nicknamed by her Japanese fans.She hosts a radio show called and is the founding member of the singing group, Aice5. She is also a member of the band Kurobara Hozonkai, with the name YUIEL...
. The CD spans ten minutes, though most of the duration is silent due to each "ugū" lasting less than two seconds on each track, resulting in about one-third of the CD as rendered blank.