Daimajin Kanon is a 2010 Tokusatsu production and remake of the original Daimajin film set in modern times.
Kanon Mikazaki is a young student who moves to Tokyo with the dream of becoming a singer, but is left heartbroken after her ambitious boyfriend betrays her by stealing a treasured family song and using it to propel himself to instant stardom. Falling into a deep depression, Kanon is suddenly approached by a spirit who reveals an unbelievable fate: that Kanon and her family song are the key to summoning an ancient guardian known as Daimajin, whose presence is desperately needed to fight against a coming onslaught of demons. The problem is that the song is one of love and happiness, and the magic is only effective if Kanon sings with all of her heart.
And so Kanon, along with the aid of some eclectic guardian spirits, begins a slow journey to pull herself out of her depression and rediscover both her dream of becoming a singer and her faith in humanity. But time is running out, as the demonic hordes have begun to possess people to lay the groundwork for their main invasion, and only Daimajin has the power to save the world.
Daimajin Kanon contains examples of:
- Achilles in His Tent: Daimajin has been dormant for hundreds of years and a major plot point of the series is the Onbake trying to coax him out of his proverbial tent.
- Adaptational Attractiveness: Daimajin forgoes his fleshy, Yokai-like scowl for a much kinder, simplistic face.
- Adaptational Personality Change: In the movie trilogy Daimajin was a Knight Templar who would turn his wrath on the heroes as soon as he wiped out the villains. In this show he is presented as a Gentle Giant and Martial Pacifist.
- Always Chaotic Evil: Ipadada, justified as they are born from negative emotions.
- Always Lawful Good: Actually more like Alway Neutral Good; Onbake are spirits born out of gratitude to humans and spend their existence paying that gratitude forward.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Both Daimajin and the various demonic giants.
- Big Bad: The Ipadada.
- Coming of Age Story: What the story really amounts to for Kanon.
- Demonic Possession: The Ipadada does this to Kanon’s ex-boyfriend, Kotaro.
- Heroic BSoD: Kanon has been dealing with this since before the first episode.
- About halfway through the series it’s revealed that Daimajin has been suffering one for 500 years.
- Humanity Ensues: Every Onbake began life as a human's prized possession or beloved pet, after becoming an Onbake, their human form is based off of the human who they belonged to.
- Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The title of each episode includes a kanji that can be read as "Kanon".
- Magic Music: Kanon's family song, which is actually a prayer to Daimajin.
- My Greatest Failure: 500 years ago Daimajin protected Japan from the most powerful of Impadada, ones so powerful they towered over all others. Until one day when two Impadada attacked at once, on opposite sides of Japan. Unable to deal with both at once Daimajin defeated one of them first and then went after the second one. Unfortunately by the time he defeated the second Impadada the villagers, far from being grateful for saving them were angry that he didn't come sooner, before the Impadada completely destroyed their village. Daimajin has been dormant ever since.
- Rousseau Was Right: A major recurring theme of the series, even the Impadada has a tragic backstory involving an strict, overbearing mother.
- Setting Update: An update of the original film, which was set in feudal Japan.
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: Ipadada have this aesthetic, however they are not necessarily all female.
- Tokusatsu
- Your Soul Is Mine!: Whenever the Ipadada kills something it eats their soul to become more powerful.
