Recommendation: Clannad After Story is a continuation from the original Clannad anime. It would be unwise-stupid- to not watch Clannad first. After Story builds upon everything Clannad achieved to make it an even better and angelic experience. The plot is magnificent with the right amounts of drama, comedy and tragedy, the visual quality is wonderful and the voice acting and songs are mesmerising. If you didn’t enjoy Clannad, you may actually enjoy After Story since it is in almost every way superior. If you did enjoy Clannad, then by no means watch this and feel more feels. After Story will most likely break your heart
...
into pieces before mending it and breaking it again, it is the very definition of a rollercoaster of emotions. It is nothing short of an amazing experience that transcends almost all media.
There will be minimal spoilers in the following review. No big and major events will be described to avoid people getting spoiled, or people reliving such experiences.
Clannad After Story is a direct sequel to the adored Clannad series (or season, which ever you call it) setting straight after the warm ending in Clannad. After Story continues to follow the story of Tomoya, as he matures personally and with his relationship with Nagisa. The series is roughly cut in half, the earlier half finishing off their time in school and the latter, delving into their adult life. At high school, it is their final semester as they continue to help out their friends in their struggles. But when the transition occurs, from the sheltered life in school to the big open world, a tragedy occurs. Nagisa falls ill again, long enough to keep her from graduating with Tomoya. As Nagisa retakes her third year at school again, Tomoya finds a stable job and is able to find a small house for the two. As time moves on, and Nagisa finally graduates (after falling ill again), the true family matters of the Clannad series begins to occur. Tomoya marries Nagisa and is intent to start a family. But the truth is, is this very man who cursed and hated this town ready to start a family in it?
Avoiding major spoilers aside, Clannad After Story is a continuation of Clannad. All the characters are there, those characters that didn’t have their own personal arc in Clannad have theirs in AS (I’ll refer to this series as that from now on in the review). As we reach the end of high school for Tomoya, we evidently see his growth from an ignorant child who plays tricks and sarcastic remarks, to a more mature person who sympathises and cares. The entire Clannad experience continues to shine in AS with more hard hitting arcs and further developed relationships. As we see Tomoya grow up and mature alongside Nagisa, we can’t help to feel their genuine emotions as time moves on. It’s that very foundation of how we can relate to these characters, to be able to feel their expressions and actions, that the messages and motifs that AS delivers are hard hitting and in some cases, life changing. We get to see Tomoya interact more with adults, begin to work to provide food and shelter for his family to ensure their safety and happiness.
One thing that AS does better than Clannad, is that the pacing of the story is much better and seamless. The arcs do not outpace each other and feel short as a result, but feel complete. That is pretty much the sense you get from AS, that the entire story is complete. AS completely builds upon the first series, enhancing the experience to a further degree by placing emphasis on the relationships you built with the characters. The general plot still places emphasis on Tomoya, with the first half still engaging with him helping out his friends and the second half, fully experiencing the notion of family. And this is where the entire experience boils down to, the emphasis on family. It may be strange how the main focus is only fully feature in the latter half of AS, but the latter half is arguably better than the first series. There are a few new characters that join the Clannad cast, one of which will be one of the biggest in the latter half.
As Clannad magnificently blended comedy and tragedy together so does AS, and much better too. AS features a more mature theme and plot than Clannad and may feel very heavy and serious at times. That is how many comedic events do occur every now and again, and these moments are sheer flashes of brilliance. The comedic moments never feel tacked on; they are well executed and will get a laugh out of many. AS is also much more dramatic than the first, with the emphasis on a more mature story there are bound to be dramatic moments that may plague an adult’s life. In these dramatic instances, there is no over the top melodramatic crap that seems stupid or unbelievable. The same can be for the tragic moments that are a real tear jerker. These tragic moments (not to spoil about, or make people remember) are much more powerful in AS than Clannad, since we have travelled and related with the characters over the course of over 20 episodes. It is pretty much a stab in the heart when something tragic occurs to one of your favourite characters. It is because you build a real strong relationship with the characters and when something ever happens to them, you feel for them. That’s pretty much the gist of the anime’s strength, on how real these characters and events are. They can occur in real life. Throughout the entire Clannad experience, you get to see the characters grow and develop and feel attached to them.
While Clannad focused lightly on family and more on development and characters, the latter half of AS features the theme of family dominantly. We get to see Tomoya forgive his father after years and years of pain and suffering, we see Tomoya marry Nagisa to start a family and have a little girl of their own, and we get to see how important family is to a person. To Tomoya, Nagisa was the only thing he ever cared for in the town, he hated it immensely. Of course things change over time and we see him develop further into a family man and a fatherly figure. One of the biggest moments for him is to realise his father’s mistakes and hardships, and to forgive him for it. Tomoya is mature enough to see the past he couldn’t before, and for that he has become a better man. While he does find great happiness with the birth of his daughter, it does come with a great price. And when too the child faces the same price, we go back to the first words spoken in the entire series- how things change over time. As Nagisa once said: “Things always have to change. Fun things…Happy things…But eventually they will change. Even so, can you continue loving this place?” Things do indeed change and for Tomoya, it is the biggest quote of his life. But as things do turn into a ditch, and how tragic and miserable events occur to Tomoya; “Surely you’ll find new fun and happy things”. From the parental care of Ushio Okazaki, the forgiving of his father, or his thought of turning away at the bottom of the hill, Tomoya still manages to find something new and happy. If anything, it is the moral of the story and the meaning you take out of it, the love of family and the cherishing of the people around you. It’s that heartwarming moral that completes the story and makes you feel all fuzzy inside.
The illusionary world is finally revealed in AS, but not in the way you would like it to. The cold empty world with the last lonely human and a robot is finally revealed. It is nothing more than what Key does; add a magical element to the story. At the climax of the story, that world finally has a purpose, but is not explained rather well. If there is any fault with the entirety of Clannad and AS, is the execution of the illusionary world. Its purpose as well may not be clear, and the purpose itself may leave a sour taste in a few people’s mouth. I too wouldn’t care if the illusionary world did not exist in the story, reverting the ending to a more tragic and miserable ending. But that doesn’t fit with the themes or meaning of Clannad. If the original ending were true, it would tell the tale of a boy who tries to change himself for the better, but each time he does he fails. The true meaning of Clannad is family, relationships and mature character development, and if a magical element is needed to fully express and tie up the series- then by all means let it happen. Also, in turn the sad ending would not have given any closure at all for everyone watching, so the existence of the illusionary world may still be debatable but its purpose in the plot can be justified.
Clannad never suffered from any visual flaws and neither does AS. As the plot is built upon Clannad, so are the visuals. Some of the backgrounds are amazing to look at. The night time city backdrop or the exposing stars in the sky all add to the surrealism of the anime. Another thing done extremely well is the animations. At one point in the series, there is a fight between Tomoya and another person. That fight is done magnificently. Not that the fight was epic or with big flashing attacks, but the movement and the actions of the two are fluid and realistic. The characters in the fight move fluidly and throw punches like they would in real life. If anything, that fight alone can be in anyone’s top fighting scenes, not purely for its action and epicness, but for its fluidity and realism. The rest of the anime also evokes real and fluid animation. Colours are once again a big usage in AS, inducing a more highlighted experience. From the funny sunflower field to the pink blossoming sakura trees, the colours used in AS are nothing short of a strong story telling device.
The audio is once again another major positive point in the series. Still using the same tracks straight from the visual novel, the soundtracks used adds more than just background noise. The very tracks are used so well in time with the scenes that the song can identify key moments in the anime. From the simple piano tune of Nagisa’s theme playing in some of the most important moments throughout the series, to the light hearted tune of Two Idiots, the soundtrack is nothing short of a masterpiece. Even through the indication of the song, you can identify which moments may be leading up. Or through listening to the songs, those moments that the songs fit in perfectly with start to fly into your head. In conjunction with the great visual and plot aspects of the anime, the soundtrack adds a whole other level that surpasses anything your emotions can handle. It is truly the composition of Jun Maeda- the composer of the visual novel’s soundtrack- that we can experience a masterpiece of an experience. The voice acting itself is once again done magnificent.
In Clannad, for me, the opening is nothing special while the ending was, it is the opposite for me in AS. The opening title is Toki wo Kizamu Uta and is composed by non-other than Jun Madea. Sung by Lia, the song itself is nothing short of touching and amazing. The lyrics themselves completely fit in with the anime and express the anime fully well. Not only are the lyrics touching and heartwarming, the music composition reinforces its idea. And Lia herself is such a great singer, and her with Jun Madea music is such an amazing combo. The visuals that accompany the song is also well done. The entire notion of the opening is expressed so well through the combination of both. This opening is one of my all time favourites. The ending for AS can’t be said the same, it doesn’t represent the anime at all. The ending is all happy and carefree and especially with the more mature themes present in AS, it doesn’t bode well. In Clannad the ending music may leave a distaste after a sad event, but the ending here just completely ruins the mood and mindset of viewers. The ending for AS is bad, it just doesn’t fit in with anything. It is a shame since the opening is done masterfully.
To sum up my review, Clannad After Story is one masterpiece. It completely builds upon Clannad and does everything better. While the illusionary world isn’t unfolded in the best way, the entirety of the plot is based upon the theme of family. The characters and relationships once again are strong and real. Throughout AS, there will be many feels and tear jerking moments, as well as comedic moments that don’t feel bad or tacked on. The music is once again some of the best works in anime, working well with the anime’s theme and reasoning. The visual quality is never faltered, and the pacing of the story is done much better. The opening is magnificent and the ending is bad. The entire anime is done perfectly.
Verdict
Clannad After Story is beyond amazing. It is one of the finest works in all media that is able to mix and blend both a coherent and amazing story with great visuals and a masterful soundtrack. The story is told marvelously and focuses on mature themes. We get to see characters develop into mature people, form relationships that last a lifetime and form a family that is the most important. The theme of family is completely relatable to everyone, and with it being the most focused idea, it is touching to say the least. After Story is a rollercoaster of emotions with a masterpiece soundtrack that heightens the experience altogether, it goes beyond being just an anime and becomes a divine experience. It creates such an emotive story at such a high caliber that is rarely seen in, well possibly all media. This may be a super tall claim, but this anime does indeed create such a strong and emotive connection between you and the characters, definitely creating a rollercoaster of emotions in this slice of life. There are happy and joyous moments, moments of great hilarity, moments that pull heartstrings of raw affectionate emotions, and moments of crushing tragedy. If you wish to live, breathe and feel in a world filled with everything your heart could implode from, this anime is recommended for you. Tissue boxes are a necessity.
After Story is as perfect of an anime it can get, the entire experience is heartwarming and touching. It is by little means the best, but one of.
10/10
All (6)FriendsAlso Available atRSS Feeds |
Dec 9, 2012
Clannad: After Story
(Anime)
add
Recommended Spoiler
Recommendation: Clannad After Story is a continuation from the original Clannad anime. It would be unwise-stupid- to not watch Clannad first. After Story builds upon everything Clannad achieved to make it an even better and angelic experience. The plot is magnificent with the right amounts of drama, comedy and tragedy, the visual quality is wonderful and the voice acting and songs are mesmerising. If you didn’t enjoy Clannad, you may actually enjoy After Story since it is in almost every way superior. If you did enjoy Clannad, then by no means watch this and feel more feels. After Story will most likely break your heart
...
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
What did you think of this review?
Nice
 0
Love it
 0
Funny
 0
Confusing
 0
Informative
 0
Well-written
 0
Creative
 0Show all 
Nov 28, 2012 Recommended
Recommendation: Clannad is not your typical slice of life anime. It boasts in a quality plot with an emphasis on the relationships between the characters. This never felt like a harem and has little to no fan service. There are many hilarious moments but equally as many tragic moments. A tissue box is also recommended. If you want a straight up slice of life that seems real, relatable and mature, this is for you. If you want a go happy on rails anime, this isn’t your best choice but I’m not stopping you.
Clannad’s premise tells the tale of Tomoya Okazaki, a 3rd year student at ... Hikarizaka Private High School. Despite being at the school for three years, he hasn’t befriended much people and has earner the title of a delinquent, being late many times and skipping classes. His only friend is Youhei Sunohara, a fellow delinquent and class clown. One day on the way to school Tomoya met a girl (Nagisa Furukawa) at the bottom of the hill; speaking about how happy moments don’t last. Whether this is a destined meeting or not, Tomoya’s life is about to change. A new transfer student aiming to become student president, a silent girl hidden amongst knowledge, a weird cherry girl with a starfish, and more embracing friendships with his current friends. Clannad primarily focuses of Tomoya’s interactions with his friend, their relationship with him and his personal growth. One of the biggest strengths of the anime is its ability to tell a story, and boy what a story. The over-arching plot follows Tomoya and Nagisa’s attempt to act out a play. The plot focuses on Tomoya’s evolving relationship with Nagisa, and also on the other relationships between him and the other characters. The plot itself is very consistent with barley any plot holes and only minor problems with pacing. The story plays with emotions constantly and becomes a rollercoaster of emotions. This is the typical method Key adopts to keep players interested in the game and characters. The moment you meet a character it becomes light hearted and humorous then the next moment it gets serious and sometimes tragic. For the most part the anime keeps its humorous aspect and sometimes you question how after some heavy plot twist and you are still able to laugh off to some stupid action by Youhei. It somehow manages to still give you a laugh throughout the entire series it is the experiences that are shared between the characters that build on upon the plot and the overall theme. One of the biggest differences from previous Key adaptations is that Clannad is a much more mature story with more mature and complex characters. The tragedies that unfold are indeed mature, and for that I think it is a much better plot. The mature themes further develop a much deeper story and this too creates a more relatable experience and a highlighted personal response. It does at times get inspirational since many of these problems are relatable. I guess since it tackles more mature themes, such as death and self-blame, it becomes a much better anime for it. It’s just that there is so much that makes the characters human and the interactions between them much more interesting and real. The anime is split up into multiple arcs, which primarily focuses on one specific character. The arc builds up the characters, indulging in the backstory of the character and their evolving relationship with Tomoya. There have been a few consistencies with the arc lengths, some only lasting a measly few episodes and one lasting about seven. Of course pacing should be an issue when adapting a visual novel, since there is so much to cover within a limited frame, but Kyoto Animation- Kyoani for short- has done a good job trying to pace well. Though there are those small issues with the arc lengths, since the shorter arcs mean less development for that character and their importance to the overall plot may seem misplaced. The anime may have a somewhat slower start in its first arc but it is just as effective as the other arcs. Each arc places much empathises on each of the main characters whom play a big role in the overall plot of helping Nagisa in performing her play. With the relationships being so important, having distinct and interesting character is a must need. Character development is one of the story’s most important aspects. Thankfully, all the characters are unique and have characteristics of all shapes and sizes. Tomoya himself is not the usual delinquent, usually speaks in a somewhat sarcastic tone to make a mockery of others for his own benefit. His daily monologues are enjoyable and bring out a witty and hilarious tone to the serious. Despite all this, Tomoya still acts in a very mature way and still has well intentions to try and help people, but usually in his own way. This all contrasts with Nagisa’s personality, which is as pure as it can be. She in fact loves the dango daikazoku (big dumpling family) which aired in the past as a happy and cute family. She likes to hold old fashion values such as the strong relationship between the family members, which leads ultimately to happiness. She is usually seen as a weak minded person, usually being gullible to Tomoya’s antics and ploys. But, there are many times throughout the series that shows her personality growing as she eventually gets closer to Tomoya. But as with Tomoya, she likes to help others, but usually right until the end in a more moral and understanding nature. This contrast between the two characters creates some interesting chemistry and plentiful interesting situations. Not only is their relationship important, but it affects both of them in major ways. Well get to see Tomoya grow from an ignorant child who cares for himself towards a more grown and mature person, all thanks to Nagisa. Their relationship affects each other quite a lot over time, showing their growth is something we all like to see and believe. All the other characters are just memorable, and to say so myself, quite attractive. Not in the sense of physical beauty, but their personalities are attractive. Well, I guess their looks are also attractive. The cast is filled with many personalities; from a cute small girl with a starfish that is arrogant to a cool and calm girl, with womanly qualities and is strong both physically and mentally. It really helps when we learn much about their backstory during their specific arc. Since it was adapted from a visual novel, where possibly every girl you meet can become a potential partner, each character in the anime would go so well with Tomoya. Since the story is told from his view, we get to know what he thinks, what he feels and essentially live as he does. I will not go into further detail with the characters but they are so relatable, which makes us get somewhat emotional. It would be wrong if you didn’t finish the anime without a new favourite character. Whether it’s the lovable Fuko, cool and calm Tomoyo, smart and shy Kotomi, the ever so tsundere Kyou or the imouto Mei. Nagisa’s parents too, get a mention since they are so kind and rather cool. Sanae Furukawa, the mother, is an innocent mother who bakes bread for their business and usually runs away crying due to her bread skills being rather bad. Though, she is super supportive for Nagisa and Tomoya’s relationship. Akio Furukawa is father everyone wants. He is funny, cool and overall awesome. But his most highlighting trait is being a father. He does get serious when protecting his daughter and takes extreme measures to make sure she is happy. From hiding skeletons in the closet (figuratively) to openly supporting her in the time of need, Akio is one great and loving father. A major emphasis of the plot is placed on relationships, and this focus of building relationships allows us to connect and relate to the characters, to feel what they feel and mimic what they do. The main relationship is between Nagisa and Tomoya, and through that we can see and understand their past experiences through their interactions. Many past experiences are rather tragic but in time have a content outcome with the help of Tomoya and Nagisa. Another relationship that is profound and relative is between Tomoya and his father. This is quite a common relationship in the real world, a distant relationship where they won’t even acknowledge each other despite living in the same house. Of course, this affected the both of them in many ways but as I said before this is common in the real world. Tomoya and Youhei have a friendly relationship between each other but Tomoya usually takes the mickey out of Youhei just for fun. With the other main girls, the relationship is at its peak tension during their arcs, since it is primarily focused between Tomoya and that character. But due to the nature that the anime must follow one route, the romance between those characters and Tomoya is never explored. Nor does it need to, since there is a sense of relief and completion to know that their troubles have been solved. Previous Key adaptations by Kyoani have been done in a somewhat immature way, when compared to this, and the relationship factor isn’t as strong. It also doesn’t help how many magical elements play a major role in their story. Not to say that there isn’t any magic at work in Clannad, since the Illusionary World is a prominent reoccurring idea. This Illusionary World appears every now and again and features a small robot and a little girl (the only human) living in a sad world. This is the play that Nagisa acts out in the end. How she knows the story of the Illusionary World is a mystery, and so is the Illusionary World itself. Not much is revealed about this world and how it ties into the story, but it’s there… I guess. It is a somewhat desolate place that adds another tragic theme to the story. Of course if you do want answers, watching the next series Clannad After Story is what you want. Kyoto Animation have been known for some top notch animation. Nothing that can be defined as the best, but they have done some really solid visual representations. Though, all the character designs are based on the visual novel they are done very well and with good taste too. The characters have distinct features that differentiate themselves from each other, and this is before the big moe character explosion. Fan service is pretty much non-existence since it serves no purpose (like it ever did) especially in this relationship based anime. The usage of colours is apparent throughout the series; even in the beginning of the first episode a large colour contrast between Tomoya’s inner monologue about his hatred towards the town, and his first interaction with Nagisa. The screen goes from a monochrome purple to flashes of bright colours where they’re surrounded by Sakura trees. The entire anime likes to show sakura trees in general. So, colour plays an important part in the story and also in the Illusionary World where things seem desolate and dull. The backgrounds are all done well and the animation seems rather smooth and fluid. The original visual novel doesn’t have any voice acting so finding the right voice actors/seiyuus is vital to express the correct emotions and gestures. Kyoani has done a magnificent job in finding the correct people and the voices are all done with full effect. The entire cast does a great effort and may even give shivers in the right situation. The cast contains some pretty well known seiyuus such as Mai Nakahara (Working!) and Yuuichi Nakamura (Ore no Imouto). They all convey their characters effectively and have no annoying voices that pierce your back. One of Key’s biggest strength in their visual novels is their music. Composed by Jun Maeda, all composed tracks and songs are so brilliantly well done. The anime takes all the tracks from the visual novel’s soundtrack and apply them wonderfully in scenes. From the simple yet elegant tune of Nagisa’s theme to the sorrow and complex theme of the Illusionary World; Illusions, it is without a doubt that the music further enhances the emotive scenes throughout the series, playing at the right time complementing the scene’s portrayal. The songs are well memorable and so are the scenes that play with them. Even when searching through YouTube for a particular track, all the memories, the actions and emotions come rushing back. That is the effect the music has on you, it is just that amazing. Most of the soundtrack is composed of melodies only, and is usually played on the piano but some of the more complex pieces are more orchestral in a sense. To me, the opening credits of the anime aren’t anything too spectacular. I guess I get turned off by the song but the video itself is well done and has some foreshadowing. The opening isn’t too memorable, but what is, is the ending credits. Dango Daikazoku. This song follows the Nagisa theme and has a vocal track over it. It is deemed as the official song of the anime, since in the background are the cute Dango dumplings hopping around. The ending may seem so innocent and cute, with a very catchy rhythm and rather cute lyrics, but since many tragic scenes are played towards the end of episodes (as cliffhangers); the song recalls all those sad moments and essentially the entire experience of watching Clannad for the first time. The ending song now will recall all the memories once you finish, that simple tune will give you shivers and all these feels. Clannad isn’t your typical slice of life anime. It focuses on what is important in any good media, plot. The character development and the relationships are done very well that not only do they grow on you and you grow on them… somehow. The plot may have some arc length issues and maybe a couple pacing problems but the overall plot package is so well done that negligible damage is dealt. The anime visually looks pleasing, as most Kyoani anime production do. The anime has some of the best tracks around, all thanks to Jun Maeda’s wonderful composing abilities. The songs are unforgettable and show a ton of emotions that is experienced throughout the series. You get very attached to the characters and it is sad to see them go once you finish the anime. But then again, there is Clannad After Story. Verdict: Clannad is an amazing piece of anime, with some amazing characters, character development, mature themes and an outstanding soundtrack. There are a couple minor issues with the arc pacing but is just very minor. This anime is for anyone who wants to have a wild emotive ride, that resonates with real life and see how inspirational and emotional you can get. Slice of life fans will indeed enjoy this, and I do recommend any otaku to watch this. If you want this review summed up horribly into a scoring system (which I don’t like) 9/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
What did you think of this review?
Nice
0
Love it
0
Funny
0
Confusing
0
Informative
0
Well-written
0
Creative
0Show all |