Ask John: What’s the Relative Popularity of Air, Clannad & Kanon?

Question:
What was the relative popularity of Air, Kanon, and Clannad in Japan? Worldwide?

Answer:
This is an intriguing question, but regrettably I’m not certain that there’s any way to definitely answer it. This is akin to trying to determine if Star Wars or Star Trek is more popular. Sales data, such as the number of copies of each game sold in Japan may provide some evidence of relative popularity, but even tallying entire merchandise sales – including not just the games, but also related collectibles, still doesn’t quantify relative fan support or the depth or devotion of fan support for each title.

Based on purely speculative observation, Air and Kanon seem to be somewhat more successful among Japanese otaku than Clannad, judging by the relative amount of merchandise and fan created doujinshi that exists for each title. But that may be due simply to Kanon and Air being older titles that have had more time to expand their fan base than the more recent Clannad. Broadly speaking, I think it’s reasonable to assert that all three of these acclaimed romance simulation games have a roughly equal popularity among Japanese fans.

I’m not knowledgeable enough about the dissemination of these games internationally to gauge their relative popularity worldwide. I can only speculate about their relative popularity within North America. All three of these titles have a much smaller audience in America than popular anime in other genres. Although dating simulation anime has become much more accepted among American viewers in recent years, it’s still a very niche audience genre. And the North American popularity of these three titles is nearly entirely attributable to their anime television series adaptations – particularly Kyoto Animation’s 2006 Kanon television series, as Toei’s 2002 series has never been especially beloved among American viewers. While many American anime fans know that Kanon, Air, and Clannad are based on computer games, few Americans have played any of these three games. Clannad is presently the most popular of the three titles among American viewers, but that’s only because it’s still fresh in the mind of American viewers since the Clannad After Story television anime just concluded last week. From an extended perspective, I’d say that much like Japan, Kanon, Air, and Clannad all share a relatively similar degree of respect and popularity among American fans.