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- Kanade. You're the reason why I'm even thinking about my own future. It's a small step, but I have something to work towards now... So, Kanade... I think you should also do what makes you the happiest.
- —Ena to Kanade in "The Way I Played That Day" Episode 7 "Wish"
Kanaena is the femslash ship between Kanade Yoisaki and Ena Shinonome from the Project SEKAI fandom.
Canon[]
Kanade and Ena are both apart of the same music circle, "Nightcord at 25:00", also known as Niigo or Nightcord. Kanade is the leader and composer, and Ena is the illustrator. Ena has a strong willed personality, with a tendency to get irritated easily, but treats Kanade much more gently than she does others. Whereas Kanade has an introverted and reserved personality, rarely leaving the house and having rather poor social skills. Currently, Kanade is a 3rd year student attending online school, and Ena is a 3rd year student who attends night classes at Kamiyama High.
Kanade and Ena first met when Kanade invited Ena to be the illustrator for her music group, thinking highly of her art. Ena had struggled with believing her art was not good enough in comparison to others, and was very happy by Kanade's gesture.
Unsatisfied Pale Color[]
Angered by her father talking down on her, Ena begins to make a painting for an art competition. While out buying art supplies, she runs into Kanade, and tells her about the art contest. When Ena admits that she is worried, Kanade reassures her, telling her she likes her art. Later at her house, Ena thinks about what Kanade said and is happy she ran into her.
Later, despairing about not winning anything in the contest, Ena pulls up Niigo's comment section for reassurance on her art skills, only to find people saying her art style is peculiar, and talking to her father only makes her feel worse. In Niigo's voice chat, Ena lashes out at Mafuyu, accusing her of especially not understanding what she's going through and then leaving call to go to the Empty SEKAI, leaving Kanade and Mizuki confused on what happened.
While Ena is in the SEKAI she starts to understand why Mafuyu stayed there so much. Kanade talks in the chat about how Ena's art helps the group's music reach more people, saying that she isn't an accessory and helps them get more views. While the group is wondering where Ena went, Kanade comes up with SEKAI, where Mafuyu was before.
In the SEKAI, Ena again thinks about how Kanade said she liked her art. Rin starts to sing a song that Kanade just made for Ena, which attracts her over. Later, Miku tells Niigo to head over to the SEKAI, where Ena apologizes to everyone for making them worry. Ena tells Kanade the songs she makes are soothing to the point they make her heart ache. Kanade tells Ena she wants her to draw something for the song, but Ena says that she is scared because no matter how much she draws, she never gets recognition. Kanade and Mizuki comfort her, and Kanade tells her that if she needs someone to notice her art, she would be that person, and that she's essential for Niigo.
Let's Enjoy Together! Spojoy Park[]
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And Now, I Wear This Ribbon[]
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That Day, The Tone Was Played[]
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In Ena's Gloomy Afternoon card side story 1, Ena thinks back to what she told Kanade how she wants Kanade to follow the path that will can her feel happiness. Ena thinks that it was selfish for her to think like that, but Kanade wouldn't acknowledge her effort otherwise, and was glad that KAITO came at that time. Ena goes to the Empty SEKAI to find KAITO, and talks to him about her feelings for Kanade, her voice notably much softer and kinder when talking about Kanade. She talked about the times that Kanade had saved her, and that she wants to make it easier for Kanade. She recalls the time where Mafuyu smiled, and thought that Kanade was happy at that time. Ena smiles gently and says that she also wants Kanade to smile again like she did in that way. KAITO tells her that if it's her true feelings, then she shouldn't suppress or kill it.
Quotes[]
- “I know you're concerned about helping Mafuyu get back on her feet, but show some concern for yourself too, okay?”
- — Ena to Kanade in "Lifelike" second side story
- “I was ready to just give up on everything, but you made that song for me, K... After listening to it, I felt a lot better and even decided to draw again.”
- — Ena in Carnation Recollection Episode 2 "Luka's Words"
- “I don't know much about actual art, but I can tell you this, at least... I like your art, Ena. So, please give it your best shot.”
- — Kanade in Insatiable Pale Color Episode 2
- “If you need acknowledgement from someone, then I'll do just that. N25 needs you, Ena. It needs your art.”
- — Kanade in Insatiable Pale Color Episode 7
- Kanade – “You're so strong...”
- Ena – “What, me? Strong?”
- Kanade – “Yes. You've come to accept your own flaws. Not only that, you're willing to listen to what others say. Not everyone has an easy time doing that, especially when it involves the ugly truth. I think that makes you an incredible person, Ena.”
- Ena – “Thanks, Kanade... But don't forget that you're a big part of why I was able to accept my flaws and reach this conclusion.”
- — "When The Sound Becomes Clear" second side story
- “That's why I want you to remember that we're there to help if you ever get stuck. We want to help you find the right answer. We're all in this together.”
- — Kanade to Ena in "When The Sound Becomes Clear" second side story
- Kanade – “But don't try too hard, okay?”
- Ena – “Oh? Look who's talking. You need to take good care of yourself too, so make sure to eat right, okay?”
- Kanade – “Okay. I will...”
- — "When The Sound Becomes Clear" second side story
- Ena – “I'm glad that I could help you out somehow, K. And I'll always be willing to lend you a hand. It doesn't have to be just about art! F-For example... with fashion, makeup and the latest trends...!”
- Kanade – “Oh, that could be helpful... I really don't know much about those things. My sweats are usually enough for me, but I may need your help when it comes to actual clothes...”
- Ena – “Sure thing, K! I'll always be happy to teach you whatever you need to know!”
- — "Guiding Encounters" second side story
- “No way... K... The K... wanted me to draw for her... There's no mistaking it. That's really what it says here... I... am not... dreaming... K... K has... seen my art... Ahaha... I'm crying so much right now... But... I'm so happy that I couldn't help myself.”
- — Ena about Kanade
- “Not gonna lie, I'm a little relieved... I mean, K, you're always working really hard for the sake of others... You compose songs in the hopes that you'll save someone. Yuki, for example... You've even done a lot for us. Which is why I'm glad that you're getting a chance to think about yourself for a change...”
- — Ena in The Way I Played That Day Episode 2 "What I Want To Do"
- “Kanade, listen. I know you feel awful about what happened to your dad, but there's no point in beating yourself up... What I'm trying to say is... I think your happiness is a separate issue. Personally, I don't want those two things being so closely tied together...! I mean, you're working so hard for the sake of others...! You deserve to be happy too!”
- — Ena to Kanade in "The Way I Played That Day" Episode 7 "Wish"
- “She's helped just me this much, so I have to think a lot more people out there have also benefited from her music. Which is why... I... I want Kanade to enjoy life more. I know what Kanade's carrying is really heavy and not something she can resolve easily. I know that... But Kanade looked so happy when she saw Mafuyu smile... And I want to see Kanade smile the same way...”
- — Ena to KAITO in "Gloomy Afternoon" first side story
- “But listen, there was a time before when I almost gave up illustrating, didn't want to think about it, and I even ran away to SEKAI, right? At that time, I was so touched when Kanade wrote the melody and Rin delivered it to me... I realized that music really is amazing.”
- — Ena in her 2021 Birthday Virtual Live
- “It'll be okay, Kanade... I'm sure your music's already saved a bunch of people. I mean, remember when my submission didn't get anything from that art contest and pushed me into a corner? Your song is the reason I was able to get back on my feet. You convinced me to keep trying.”
- — Ena in Kanade 2022 Birthday Virtual Live
- Kanade – “I didn't expect so many people to be here for my birthday.”
- Ena – “Of course they would. You're important to so many people.”
- — Kanade 2023 Birthday Virtual Live
- Kanade – “Yeah. It's a good sound...”
- Ena – “I want to listen to it forever.”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Ena – “Kanade, let's go enjoy ourselves-!”
- Kanade – “...I want to return to work.”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Kanade – “I think I came up with a melody for a new song.”
- Ena – “Eh, wait... just now?!”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Kanade – “Ah, just now that was a good feeling.”
- Ena – “Yeah, the sound resounded beautifully...”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Kanade – “From this song was some powerful feelings.”
- Ena – “Yeah, just for a minute, I'll try to draw it...”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Ena – “We have to reach the peak!”
- Kanade – “Ye-Yeah. I wonder if I'm able to do it...”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Ena – “Kanade, follow me.”
- Kanade – “So-Somewhere...”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
- Ena – “Singing like this is also fun.”
- Kanade – “Yeah, but it's a little tiring.”
- — One of Kanade and Ena's showcallouts
Fanon[]
Kanaena is not a particularly popular ship within both the Western and Eastern fandom, though it does have a decent amount of fans. Kanaena shippers enjoy the dynamic between the two Ena's kindness towards Kanade and how much she genuinely cares for Kanade and her wellbeing, as well as Kanade's encouragement and towards Ena and her art. Most shippers lean into the dynamic of Ena being in love with Kanade, due to the game having implied Ena has feelings for Kanade with the way she treats Kanade, being much nicer to her than any of her other groupmates, often being the first one to defend her and showing affection towards Kanade and care for her wellbeing. Kanaena is rivaled by the more popular ships such as Mizuena, and Kanamafu. It is often paired alongside Mizumafu, or they are all shipped together in a poly ship, Polyniigo.
Many shippers were disappointed, and some ended up dropping the ship due to the "And Now, I Wear This Ribbon" event retconning the story behind the group's formation, as well as their self-intros and some of their older card stories. Although the developers, Colorful Palette, tried to explain that "Kanade wasn't the first person to literally discover Ena's art, but the first person to actually see value in Ena's work and recognize her as a real artist" following the backlash created by the event story, it was met with mixed reactions. While many took this as a clarification that Kanaena is canon or were happy with the sudden development, many were also not convinced by it as most of the story focused on Mizuena. What also did not help was the fact that Colorful Palette announced they were going to remake the members' self-intros, changing previously stated lore that Kanade originally found Ena after seeing the latter draw art of Kanade's songs. Although, Kanaena has received a lot more content since then, which has led to a small increase in shippers, and has made many Kanaena fans happy to see the ship getting more screen time.
Ship Weeks[]
A Kanaena Week was held from February 5th-12th, 2024. The prompts for the first day were "Sore ga Anata no Shiawase to Shite mo or Mousou Kanshou Daishou Renmei", "flowers or childhood" for the second day, "music or date" for the third day, "royalty or fantasy" for the fourth day, "shopping or late night calling" for the fifth day, "stargazing" for the sixth day, and the seventh and last day was free theme.
Fandom[]
- FAN FICTION
- Ena/Kanade tag on AO3
- Ena & Kanade tag on AO3
- Kanaena posts on Twitter
- Knen posts on Twitter
- かなえな posts on Twitter
- えなかな posts on Twitter
- 카나에나 posts on Twitter
- 에나카나 posts on Twitter
- @kanaenabot on Twitter
Trivia[]
- Their ship name is referred to with the "🎼🎨" emojis.
- Their Kizuna Rank titles are: "My Seal of Approval", "We Need You", and "The Light That Turns Grey".
- Their Cheerful Carnival Team names are "Thank You For Seeing My Art" and "Make Sure You Eat Right".
- Kanade and Ena have covered four songs together (Mousou Kanshou Daishou Renmei, Sore ga Anata no Shiawase to Shite mo, Cute na Kanojo and Cat Loving).
- In Ena's 2022 Valentine's menu line, she wonders why Kanade is so insistent on not telling where she lives as she wishes to send Kanade Valentine's chocolates.
- As of the "Tied By Painful Hope" event (May 2022), Ena has said Kanade's name 409 times.
- According to the current relationship chart, Kanade believes Ena's art is indispensable to Niigo.
- Kanaena has 4 stars together in 8 events (7 if not including their World Link) and 5(6 if including World Link) of those 8 focus on either one of them.
- In Kanade's White Day event, she wants to give Ena a gift in return for the chocolates Ena gave her on Valentines day.
- Mizuki has three cards with references to Kanaena:
- In their Secret Distance card, the untrained version has Kanaena sleeping side by side on the train.
- In their Hope Will Someday Go Past the Morning card, the trained version has two teddy bears, one with Ena's outfit, the other with Kanade's, in the background.
- In their ColorFes card, there are two plushies, one being Kanade, the other being Ena, sitting together.
- In one of Kanaena's area conversations with Mizuki in the Empty SEKAI, Mizuki asks Kanade to wear a blouse, which Kanade agrees to, and Ena gets excited over it after denying Mizuki's claim of her wanting to see Kanade in the blouse.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Kanaena/Gallery
Variations[]
- Kanamafuena — the ship between the two and Mafuyu Asahina
- Kanamizuena — the ship between the two and Mizuki Akiyama
- Minokanaena — the ship between the two and Minori Hanasato
- Polyniigo — the ship between the two, Mafuyu Asahina and Mizuki Akiyama
