Kanokon - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

is a Japanese light novel

Light 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...

series by Katsumi Nishino, with illustrations by Koin. The first novel was released on October 31, 2005, and, as of December 21, 2010, fifteen volumes have been published by Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

under their MF Bunko J

MF Bunko J

is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young adult males.Label names "J" is for "Japan" and "Juvenile" have meaning.-0-9:-A:-B:-C:...

label. A 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...

adaptation illustrated by Rin Yamaki was serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive

Monthly Comic Alive

is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...

between the August 2006 and August 2010 issues. A drama CD was produced by Media Factory and released on March 28, 2007. A twelve-episode 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....

adaptation produced by Xebec aired in Japan between April and June 2008 on AT-X

AT-X (company)

is a Japanese anime television network owned by . AT-X, Inc. was founded on June 26, 2000 as a subsidiary of TV Tokyo Medianet, which, in turn, is a subsidiary of TV Tokyo. Its headquarters are in Minato, Tokyo. AT-X network broadcasts anime via satellite and cable since December 24, 1997.AT-X is...

, and has been licensed by Media Blasters

Media Blasters

Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...

for release in North America. A two-part OVA

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

sequel aired on AT-X in October 2009. A 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...

named Kanokon Esuii developed by 5pb.

5pb.

is a Japanese video game manufacturer and record label for video game and anime music. 5pb. formed on April 6, 2005 after Chiyomaru Shikura left Scitron to begin the company as its executive director, the position he still holds. The company name is derived from the phrase "The Five powered &...

was released for the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

on July 31, 2008.

Plot

Kanokons story revolves around Kouta Oyamada, an extremely innocent young first-year high school student who moves from the country to the city and thus transfers to Kunpō High School. On his first day at his new school, he meets a beautiful second-year female student named Chizuru Minamoto. Chizuru asks him to meet her alone in the music room. When he arrives, she tells him that she is in love with him and accidentally reveals to him that she is in fact a fox spirit

Kitsune

is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume...

. Chizuru constantly and openly flirts with Kouta, even in front of others, which embarrasses him greatly. Soon after the story begins, a wolf spirit named Nozomu Ezomori transfers into Kouta's school and class. From day one, she is all over Kouta which serves to embarrass him more and cause Chizuru to become annoyed at her new competition for Kouta's affection.

Main characters

Kouta is the protagonist of the story. He moves from the country to the city in his first year of high school, and on his first day of school, he discovers that the second-year girl Chizuru Minamoto is actually a kitsune

Kitsune

. He used to live with his grandfather before moving. Kouta generally has a mild personality and is indecisive. When he was younger, he almost drowned in a river and now has a fear of swimming. At his school, everyone either calls him the or a "beast" because of the disgraceful acts Chizuru commits with him in public.

Despite his reluctance to engage in the "intimate" acts that Chizuru desires, Kouta's feelings for her are genuine. One demonstration of this is that they are able to fuse together into a powerful being, which can only occur between a human and a kitsune when they share a deep emotional link. In this form, Kouta transforms into a black-furred five-tailed fox spirit.

In the manga, the reason due to him transforming is because he himself is transforming into a yōkai like Chizuru, but also due to the fact that Chizuru being the nine-tailed fox which is known to have an unlimited source of power, Kouta gained a new power when the tails are on fire. It is said to be from the Eight Dragons, and a portion of it has now been passed onto Kouta while the rest resides in Chizuru.

Chizuru is a carefree second year female student at Kouta's school. She appears to be a normal, albeit big-breasted, teenage girl, but she is in fact a 400-year-old powerful kitsune

Kitsune

. When she changes form, her hair goes from black to blond and she gains fox ears and a tail. She is constantly hanging around and on Kouta, as he is the only male she acts genuinely towards. She loves Kouta very much and wants to enter a "relationship of sin" with him. She is a very straightforward person and makes almost constant sexual suggestions and actions toward Kouta. She is also a terrible cook, though she improves later on, and shows some interest in masochism.

In the manga, her love for Kouta is undeniable and always considers ways of getting intimate with him. Recently, Chizuru has realized that Kouta is turning into a yōkai like herself, and that he has gained a portion of the Eight Dragons power which resides in her. She has no recollection of her past until she met her foster mom Tamamo, the nine-tailed fox. All that is certain is she can hone her powers as long as she is beside Kouta.

Nozomu is a first year female student at Kouta's school who first appears in the third volume of the novels. She has short silver hair, and is in fact a 200-year-old wolf spirit. She has an older brother named Saku. Despite her seemingly detached and emotionless manner, she is in love with Kouta and thus a rival of Chizuru's for Kouta's affections. She sometimes insults Chizuru by calling her a "Horny Beast," saying that Chizuru "smells obscene" and that her breasts are flabby. While she has small breasts and a much more childlike appearance than Chizuru, Nozomu also frequently tries to initiate sexual acts with Kouta. She lives by herself in an expensive but empty penthouse apartment

Penthouse apartment

A penthouse apartment or penthouse is an apartment that is on one of the highest floors of an apartment building. Penthouses are typically differentiated from other apartments by luxury features.-History:...

, where she always sleeps naked on the floor. Though Kouta cares deeply for Chizuru, sometimes he prefers Nozomu's company as she is not as eager to have sex with him as Chizuru.

Kunpo High School students

Tayura is the younger brother of Chizuru and Kouta's classmate. When they first meet, Tayura is jealous of the relationship between his sister and Kouta. Chizuru says that he is suffering from a sister complex

Complex (psychology)

A complex is a core pattern of emotions, memories, perceptions, and wishes in the personal unconscious organized around a common theme, such as power or status...

. Tayura looks much older than many boys his age. He enjoys teasing his older sister and Kouta by calling them "love birds". Like his sister, he too is a fox spirit

Kitsune

, much younger, and is not really related to Chizuru, but rather adopted. He generally has a calm and cool personality. Whenever he tries to get closer to Akane, he is given the cold shoulder, though he himself has stated that it is okay with her being cold.

Akane is the class representative of Kouta's class, and wears glasses

Meganekko

is a Japanese word which translates to "glasses girl"....

. Due to her position, she has a high sense of regulations, and therefore disagrees with Kouta's and Chizuru's close high school relationship. She is on good terms with Kouta, and worries about his relationship with Chizuru. She warns Kouta to watch out for Chizuru, though she might be jealous of Chizuru's body. Also, she is known to be intolerant of alcohol, as seen in episode six in the anime where Kouta gives her and Chizuru sweet wine. At first very cold to Tayura, she warms up to him after he riskes his life to save her in the ocean, though she still slugs him when he tries to be more intimate with her.

and

Ren and Ai are twin first-year sisters at Kouta's school, and first appeared in the fifth volume of the novels. They are spirit hunters who live at a very poor temple, and are frequently seen doing things that homeless people would do, for example, making stew out of trash and roadside weeds, or eating thrown-away bread crusts. Originally, they were given the task to assassinate Chizuru, but did not go through with it since she was still "only a kid," and the fact that she treated them to a free meal, which is considered as heaven to the twins. They are nearly identical except for their slightly different hair styles. They use chains when attacking, and are also seen in the anime ineffectively using explosives. They later warm up to Chizuru and starts referring to her as "Mama".

Omi is a second year student at Kouta's school who is in fact a sickle weasel

Kamaitachi

is a Japanese yōkai, most common in the Kōshin'etsu region.There are several conceptions of how it looked or operated, but the most common is one of a trio of weasels with sharp claws, riding on a gust of wind and cutting people's skin on the legs...

with the power to control the wind. Omi was once the bitter enemy of the Minamoto siblings. In the fourth volume of the novels, he succeeds as the gang leader of the delinquents at his school. He hates the friendship between Kouta and his friends, and does not speak much. In the anime, he accidentally hurts Kouta who took a blow for Chizuru. Since he is not permitted to harm humans, such an act has serious consequences for him. He thinks Mio is pretty.

Mio is a second year student with a shy nature who hangs around with Omi. Due to her short stature, she is often mistaken for a grade school student and has even received multiple confessions from grade school students. She is in fact half frog spirit and can heal quickly. While she did not have a name originally, Omi named her from a combination of his own given name and his home town's name. She is on good terms with Omi.

Ryusei is a third-year student who has a distinct cross-wound over his left eye and was a gang leader of the delinquents at school before Omi took over in his place. He is, in fact, a bear spirit. In the fourth volume, he graduated from high school, but soon changes his name to and restarts high school as a first-year student.

Iku is a social studies

Social studies

Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...

teacher and is Kouta's homeroom teacher. She is prone to making silly mistakes and is very childish. She is in fact possessed by a yōkai

Yōkai

are a class of supernatural monsters in Japanese folklore. The word yōkai is made up of the kanji for "otherworldly" and "weird". Yōkai range eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, or occasionally bring good fortune to those who encounter them...

and thus has dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative identity disorder

Dissociative identity disorder is a psychiatric diagnosis and describes a condition in which a person displays multiple distinct identities , each with its own pattern of perceiving and interacting with the environment....

as an effect. She has to conceal her true identity to Chizuru, and oversees the spirits at school.

Takao is the gym teacher at Kouta's school, and has a scary face. Like Iku, he too is overseeing the spirits at school. He is very wise, and gets along with Yukihana.

Other characters

Saku is the older brother of Nozomu who makes his first appearance in the second volume of the novels; and like his sister, he is a wolf spirit. He usually drives a motorcycle around town, and he later reveals that he is in love with Chizuru, resulting in him putting a bracelet on Kouta to stop him from doing anything perverted with Chizuru. The bracelet is taken off a few days later when Kouta and Chizuru defeat him in their fused form.

Minori makes her first appearance in volume three of the novels, and refers to herself as Kouta's younger sister.

Nue makes her first appearance in volume three of the novels, serving as Minori's servant. As her name indicated, she is a nue

Nue

A nue is a legendary creature found in Japanese folklore. It is described as having the head of a monkey, the body of a raccoon dog, the legs of a tiger, and a snake as a tail. According to the legend, a nue can metamorphose into a black cloud and fly. Due to its appearance, it is sometimes...

, but also have a pair of raven wings for flight.

Tamamo makes her first appearance in volume three of the novels. She is the manager of , a hot springs

Onsen

An is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth...

hotel deep in the snowy mountains, and Chizuru's mother, though not related by blood. She is in fact revealed to be Tamamo-no-Mae, a powerful nine-tailed fox spirit. Occasionally, when business is slow, she manages a beachside restaurant named Tama no Ya. She gets along with Kouta, though does sometimes meddle in his relationship with Chizuru.

Yukihana is a yuki-onna

Yuki-onna

is a spirit or yōkai in Japanese folklore. She is a popular figure in Japanese literature, manga, and animation. Yuki-onna is sometimes confused with Yama-uba , but they are not the same.-Appearance:...

who made her first appearance in volume three of the novels. She is a ninja

Kunoichi

is the term for a female ninja or practitioner of ninjutsu .-Etymology:The term is thought to derive from the names of characters that resemble the three strokes in the kanji character for ; said in the order they are written: ku - no - ichi...

who works under Tamamo at the Tama no Yu hot springs resort. She has an honest personality. In volume seven of the novels, she becomes a teacher for the handicapped at Kouta's school. When working as a teacher, she goes by the alias Hanadai Yukino, and if someone calls out to her using the name Yukihana, she will say she is not that person. She can manipulate snow storms and uses a gleaming sword in battle, and is physically very strong. Her name means "snowflake".

Okata is a yōkai

Yōkai

who is the head of the Sahara family; her true form is that of an old woman. She has survived for thousands of years.

Light novels

Kanokon began as a series of light novel

Light novel

s written by Katsumi Nishino and illustrated by Koin. The series started under the title when the first novel was submitted to Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

's annual literary contest MF Bunko J

MF Bunko J

Light Novel Rookie of the Year Award held in 2005. The novel placed as a "good piece of work" with two other titles which was more or less third place. The first novel was released on October 25, 2005, and as of December 21, 2010, nine volumes have been published. The novels are published by Media Factory under their MF Bunko J publishing label. The novels were licensed in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment

Seven Seas Entertainment is a publishing company located in Los Angeles, California. It was originally dedicated to the publication of original manga, but now publishes licensed manga and novels, as well as select webcomics...

, but was later pulled from their website.

Manga

A manga

Manga

adaptation was serialized in Media Factory's seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive

Monthly Comic Alive

between the August 2006 and August 2010 issues. The manga takes its story from the light novels that preceded it, and is illustrated by Rin Yamaki. Nine tankōbon

Tankobon

, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...

volumes were released in Japan between January 31, 2007 and August 23, 2010.

Drama CDs

A drama CD

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...

based on the series was released on March 28, 2007 by Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

. The drama's theme song was by Marina Kuroki

Marina Kuroki

Marina Kuroki is an actress best known for her appearances in the Sailor Moon musicals series. She starred in the Sailor Moon musicals as the lead role of Usagi Tsukino at the age of 12 and finished her Sailor Moon career at 16 in 2005. She also figured in other musicals, such as Rock 'n Jam...

. Another drama CD was sold on June 25, 2008.

Internet radio show

An Internet radio

Internet radio

Internet radio is an audio service transmitted via the Internet...

show produced by Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

called began airing on March 21, 2007. One episode is broadcast every other week on Friday. The show is hosted by Mamiko Noto

Mamiko Noto

is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...

(the voice of Kouta in the anime), and Ayako Kawasumi

Ayako Kawasumi

is a Japanese voice actress and J-pop singer. She is affectionately referred to by her fellow voice actors and fans as "", "" and "". She is a skilled pianist, having practiced the piano since childhood....

(the voice of Chizuru in the anime). There are four corners, or parts, to each episode. The shows starts with a short radio drama

Radio drama

Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...

, which moves on to general news about the Kanokon anime and series in general. Listeners can send in comments about the show up on the air. The show's opening theme is "Strategy" by Ui Miyazaki

Ui Miyazaki

is a female Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo, Japan.-Anime cast in:*Ar tonelico as Aurica Nestmile*Chaos;Head as Nanami Nishijō*D.C.S.S...

, and the ending theme is "Sweet Time" by Yui Sakakibara

Yui Sakakibara

, is a female Japanese choreographer, dancer, singer, songwriter, and voice actress from Hyōgo, Japan. She appeared on Kōhaku Uta Gassen as back ground dancer behind Ami Suzuki in 1999 and 2000. She used to use the name and others in her previous voices...

Anime

A twelve-episode anime

Anime

adaptation produced by Xebec aired in Japan between April 5 and June 21, 2008 on AT-X

AT-X (company)

. Six DVD volumes were released by Media Factory

Media Factory

is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...

between June 25 and November 21, 2008, There are also six specials spread out over three DVDs. A box set was later released on January 22, 2010. The anime is licensed in North America by Media Blasters

Media Blasters

under the title Kanokon: The Girl Who Cried Fox, and released the first volume on May 25, 2010. Media Blasters later announced that they will not release volumes 2 and 3 of the series, and instead released a box set on March 22, 2011.

A two-part OVA

Original video animation

, abbreviated as media , are animated films and series made specially for release in home-video formats. The term originated in relation to Japanese animation...

series, entitled , was announced. The first episode aired on AT-X on October 4, 2009, and the second on October 11, 2009. Both episodes were released on DVD between November 25 and December 22, 2009 by Media Factory. The OVA is licensed in North America by Media Blasters

Media Blasters

, and released the series on DVD on June 21, 2011.

The anime's opening theme is "Phosphor" by Ui Miyazaki

Ui Miyazaki

is a female Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo, Japan.-Anime cast in:*Ar tonelico as Aurica Nestmile*Chaos;Head as Nanami Nishijō*D.C.S.S...

, while the ending theme is sung by Yui Sakakibara

Yui Sakakibara

. The opening theme for the OVA is by Yui Sakakibara, and the ending theme is by Ui Miyazaki.

Visual novel

A 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...

developed for the PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

entitled was released on July 31, 2008 and developed by 5pb.

5pb.

in limited and regular editions. The limited edition came bundled with an audio CD containing an image song

Image song

An image song or character song is a song on a tie-in single or album for an anime, game or dorama that is usually sung by the seiyū or actor of a character, in character...

and an original drama

Radio drama in Japan

. The song, , is sung by Mamiko Noto

Mamiko Noto

is a Japanese voice actress working under Office Osawa. She was born in the city of Kanazawa, Ishikawa, and graduated from Hokuriku Gakuen Senior High School.-Voice:...

, Ayako Kawasumi

Ayako Kawasumi

, and Miyū Takeuchi, the voice actresses

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...

of Kouta, Chizuru, and Nozomu, respectively. The audio drama is entitled . The game is described by the development team as a . The game's opening theme is "Happy Succession" sung by Ui Miyazaki

Ui Miyazaki

is a female Japanese voice actor and singer from Tokyo, Japan.-Anime cast in:*Ar tonelico as Aurica Nestmile*Chaos;Head as Nanami Nishijō*D.C.S.S...

, and the single containing the song was be released on August 27, 2008. The ending theme is by Yui Sakakibara

Yui Sakakibara

Reception

The first DVD of Kanokon was ranked tenth on the Tohan charts between June 26 and July 2, 2008, ranked eighth between July 10 and 16, 2008. The third DVD of Kanokon was ranked sixth on the Tohan charts between August 21 and 27, 2008. The fourth DVD of Kanokon was ranked 21st on the Tohan charts between September 23 and 29, 2008. The fifth DVD of Kanokon was ranked 28th on the Tohan charts between October 21 and 28, 2008. The sixth DVD of Kanokon was ranked 14th on the Tohan charts between November 19 and 25, 2008.

External links

Anime official website
Xebec's Kanokon website
Visual novel official website
Kanokon anime at Media Blasters
Media Blasters
Media Blasters is an entertainment corporation founded by John Sirabella and Sam Liebowitz, based in New York City. They are in the business of licensing, translating, and releasing to the North American market manga compilations and anime and live-action movies and television series to home-video...

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.