Kanokon - Episode 1

After Spice and Wolf gave us some fabulous wolf-girl fare last season, it seems that the closest bearer of that torch for the Spring season is Kanonon - Indeed, just like the former series, it's been adapted from a series of light novels and given the anime treatment.

Of course, there are no merchants and the like here, with fox deity Chizuru Minamoto taking the more typical form of a schoolgirl, who has fallen in love (for some reason I can't yet ascertain) with a first year transfer student from the country (I guess fox girls go for country guys), Kouta Oyamada.

To sum up what this all means in two words - Fan service. Yes, Kanokon is laden to the brim with brazen panty shots and sexual references, which should be enough to put it into the 'stereotypical fan service anime - avoid' bin. Yet I have to confess, the energy on show in the opening episode of this series actually made it oddly watchable. Whether that means that the series as a whole will be anything more than an excuse for undressed high school girls is doubtful, but I have to give it at least a little kudos for rising above the rather poor animation and obvious focus of the show to at least make itself fun.

I don't think this is going to be anywhere near the top of my 'to watch' pile this season, but as first episodes go it was at least sweet enough to make consider watching at least a few more episodes. Oh, and the soundtrack was strangely alluring in places too, which probably helped.