At first, I had every intention on making a Top 10 of my favorite anime today. I had it all listed. Even an honorable mention list! As a result, some may have loved the list... but this also could tick off some people... then again, it's expected with these top *insert number* lists nowadays. *sigh* But, as I went on with it, and especially mentioning Clannad here (SPOILER ALERT: It's my favorite anime of all time! I mean, I guess it isn't a spoiler when I plaster "My Favorite Anime" in the title...), I couldn't help but consider the idea of making this its own post. In fact... well, you already know it by now, but I did do so! So, here's the blog on Clannad and Clannad After Story. Keep in mind that there are SPOILERS in this post, mostly on the story (nothing major to the point where it would spoil the major points of the story, but still). So, if you are interested in watching this anime, researching on whether to watch it or not, then I say WATCH it! I say this, because you will never really know how you feel about it until you watch a few episodes of any anime in general. Besides, it's a great anime, and is at least worthy of given a shot! So, on the spoilers... you have been warned.
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| Nagisa Furukawa (left) and Tomoya Okazaki (right). |
Clannad tells about a guy named Tomoya Okazaki, who goes to school. He lives with his father, who is an alcoholic and just has a pathetic nature to him. Tomoya lost his mother when he was a kid, and never had a terrific relationship with his dad. He hated school, and never really got around much. He was also considered a delinquent. In short, he didn't have much of a care in the world. Then, on his way to school, he runs into a girl named Nagisa Furukawa, talking herself to go to school. Her struggle in this is that she had to retake her senior year, and is nervous due to not having any friends at this point. Tomoya, hearing her talking to herself on his way to school, responds to her, and walks on to school, with Nagisa following on with him. After some time, they become friends, working up on reviving the drama club (Nagisa's idea). This lead up to making new friends, new experiences, and so forth. They succeed in reviving the drama club, and prepped a solo play that Nagisa had wanted to do. Eventually, after the play, Tomoya mans up and asks Nagisa on a date, and they eventually start dating (daaaaaw).
Clannad After Stories takes place somewhat immediately after the events of Clannad. Tomoya and the
others finish up high school at some point or another, and all go their separate ways... well, most of them. Tomoya and Nagisa end up marrying, living together, and talk about having a child (which they do, naming her Ushio). I'll end it there because any more mention will become major spoiler points for Clannad After Story. Yeah, I know, I pretty much spoiled the ending to Clannad, but Clannad After Story has much more of a feel than anything I have seen, and as such, would rather have people watch it for themselves. Just... you may need more than one tissue box. That's all I am saying.
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| Youhei Sunohara (keft) and Tomoyo Sakagami (right). |
The story of this anime was fantastic! I was interested and emotionally eyeing on what was going to happen next. It's does not have tons of action like most anime you see nowadays... but, maybe that's why this is my favorite anime. Because it isn't over the top. It has some fights, but most of it is focused on the story, emotion, character development, and drama (good drama, I might add). Speaking of which, the fact that the fights are limited that it kinda makes me love the series even more. A lot of popular anime series today consists of non-stop action and a lot of fighting (Attack On Titan, Dragon Ball Z, and Sword Art Online have quite a bit of fighting in it, which helps reinforce their popularity). But with Clannad, which the main focus is the story and emotion rather than the fighting and who's the strongest in their series... this bumps it up as my favorite series ever. Because the fighting isn't the most important. No, what is is the characters and what's going on in their lives. Their stories, and the story of Clannad as a whole. It's all about that and the emotional tone of what the series holds. And, in addition, the diversity of the characters is incredible and unique with each one, whether serious (like with Kotomi Ichinose and Tomoyo Sakagami with their pasts) or or silly (like with Youhei Sunohara and his constant challenges against Tomoyo, all of which lead Sunohara being pumbled to the ground, flat out flying in the air, and so forth. And I can't forget one of the greatest fathers and mothers in anime history, Akio and Sanae Furukawa, Nagisa's parents. They are silly and hilarious, but are so great because they are always there for Nagisa.). Almost each character had something that made them unique and interesting, instead of making them so dull and boring. Tomoya is somewhat dull, but that's who he is - a man who never really had many friends or people to look up to to begin with. As such, it makes sense that his personality will be somewhat bland (and result in him being a delinquent at the beginning of the series). Even so, he is still pretty funny and awesome enough for some to like him as a character (he is the main
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Akio (right) and Sanae (left) Furukawa
Best. Anime. Parents. Ever! |
character after all)! To reinforce his character somewhat, he has a selfless attitude (at times), and still strives to help others in need (which becomes important towards the end of Clannad After Stories). Nagisa is easily emotional and always wants to help others, even if she doesn't know how. She does get sickly very easily, which is why she was held back from graduating and other events. Also, she has an obsession on the Dango Family. Her parents are awesome. I already said that, but I will say it again - her parents are awesome! Why? They are always doing something silly, like when Akio says something about Sanae's cooking (which is horrid), and she flat out cries and runs off, with Akio usually running after her apologizing and taking back what he said (while eating her terrible baked goods... dunno if I should call it "baked goods" when they usually taste terrible...). In addition, regardless of the situation, they are ALWAYS there for Nagisa. This development is explained in the anime too (which I will not mention in this post... but it is kinda sad, and makes sense why Akio and Sanae are always there for Nagisa).
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| Tomoya and Nagisa - DAAAAAAAAWWW!!! |
It's funny, I don't mind spoiling that Tomoya and Nagisa end up together... but, it's kinda expected as you watch the series. With points like Akio and Sanae's past with Nagisa and further in Clannad After Story, it's something that most of us don't want to spoil to our readers or listeners. The story of Clannad and Clannad After Story is so good that you WANT people to watch it. You WANT people to experience the story that you experienced. Like with the Notebook: I had some people who wanted me to watch it because of how good it was... but, to me and others, Clannad and Clannad After Story blows movies and shows like that out of the park when it comes to story, comedy, and even romance. Seriously, sex scenes and sloppy kisses are the norm in romance movies/shows... which, to me, is somewhat disappointing, since we think that's how relationships are at first. Rarely do you see so much closeness between characters who's only real physical affection shown through the series is holding hands and hugs (*hint hint*), and even with that much, you sense a great deal amount of affection between the characters with that alone than characters who has a "romantic" kiss and get together only after a few days. Why? Because the character development is there for those characters. You see their friendships grow to the point where you feel like they are ready to take their relationship up to the next level - not through kisses or sex, but because they created a bond that only by through getting to know one another and spending time with them can truly do. Point is, this romantic comedy anime series isn't your normal typical romance comedy stuff. The story is very unique and keeps those interested watching it to its ultimate conclusion!
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| Clannad - Group Photo! |
And, it's not like the story and development of said story is all there is to it in the series. The characters and their character development also reinforces the uniqueness and power of what the anime has to offer (as I have mentioned a few times so far). You see Tomoya grow from being someone who doesn't care about his own future to actually doing something for himself and others. Having a care for himself and the people he cares for. Nagisa grows from someone who finds herself alone in a class that she was not really a part of at first (since her illness resulted in her falling behind a year in her school), not confident to begin with (she was really hesitant in reviving the drama club), and very shy to making a lot of friends, gaining quite the deal of confidence in what she says and does, and isn't as shy as she used to be (such as, like I mentioned earlier, making friends outside of her age group). Nagisa is my favorite character in the series because I do relate to her in a way. When I was younger, my confidence in myself was pretty low, I didn't have many real friends, and I was rather shy. Now, I have more confidence in myself, a lot of friends I depend on, and my shyness has diminished. People like characters depending on how much they relate to them. Or at least, that's how it usually is, but it does make sense. We love relating to people, whether it is in our favorite movies, shows, and even real life friends and family. And in the Clannad series, there are a lot of characters with different personalities! Another character with quite a bit of character growth (whether in the current time of Clannad or in their past before the events of Clannad) are characters like Kotomi Ichinose and Tomoyo Sakagami respectively. It's really touching to see these characters grow and develop to people that you really like and are interested in.
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| Clannad Arranged Album "Mabinogi" |
And what reinforces a great story with great characters? Why the music of course! The themes and soundtracks really added on to the emotion of the scene and what was going on, right down to the mark. Music adds on to the suspense and emotion of the show, and the music score for this series was really well done! Some of the music gives off some cheerful emotion, while other pieces is soothing and relaxing on a typical relaxing day. However, a lot of the tracks I find are sorrowful, somber, and adds emotion to what's happening. The music certainly helps add on to what's going on in the scene(s), and matches it point for point! Perfect music composition to the story as a whole, in my personal opinion. To help reinforce this statement, I bought the album Clannad Arranged Album "Mabinogi" by Hideki Higuchi on iTunes, and is certainly worth the purchase. I always listen to it when relaxing (i.e. walking or reading), and even when I am studying. Although it only has eight tracks, it justifies on how perfect the music is, whether in the anime or in real life events!
The anime as a whole was so incredible and emotional that I cried. Angel Beats! made me cry too, and other movies and shows had that effect too, but this series was different! When I said that at the beginning of this post that you will more likely need more than one tissue box... well, I meant it! Seriously, especially in Clannad After Story, you're gonna need those tissue boxes! When I first saw through this series, I cried so much that I needed that second... and even third tissue box! I am not ashamed to admit this. A real man does not cry? I believe that it takes a real man to cry, as it is an emotion and a good one at that (crying reflects on sadness and happiness, and both are represented through the series). After all, if Jesus Christ WEPT (John 11:35), then I would say it is okay to cry my friend(s)! Anyway, the emotion is there. It is real (well, kinda, but... you do get the point here, right?).
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See Ushio crying? Chances are,
you will be crying like that too! |
Even with the incredible story it had... the characters, music, emotional tone... included with all that, what makes a series great is the end that it gives. The closure, would it be good... or disappointing? For Clannad and Clannad After Story, the conclusion of the series was satisfying for me. That was my issue with a few of the anime I have seen. Some ended abruptly, while others just had flat out bad endings. However, with all that had happened through the entirety of Clannad, the way it concluded and ended was satisfying and worth it. I feel like a lot of anime we see we don't want an end to because we want it to continue. We want the adventure to never end. Hope for something better. And I admit, I am like that at times. However, very few was I not only satisfied with how it ended, but satisfied and fine with the series being done for good. With the manga, I liked how Rurouni Kenshin ended, and I am content and very much okay with leaving it to where the story ultimately ends because... well, it was a good ending and a fantastic closure with Kenshin's story and the other characters. I feel like Kenshin's tale truly ends there, and I am very much content with that. And with the anime, Clannad's ultimate conclusion was like that for me. The story as a whole was incredible, and doesn't need a continuation. Series like Sword Art Online and Dragon Ball Z, some of us fans don't want to see an end because we either grew up with it and don't want to see it end, or feel like there's no closure to it (and may never find that satisfying conclusion for said series). It's hard, real hard, to have an end to a series that we hold so dear to our hearts... but, I feel like Clannad did that perfectly, and I am perfectly fine to never see a reboot of that series because of how well done it was!
Now, I talked A LOT about its pros... but, what about its cons? What did I not like about it? And so, I am going to be perfectly honest with myself and my readers here... nothing like that comes to mind! The series had so many pros to it on my list that I couldn't come up with a con. It's not raunchy in any way, the story was incredible, the characters are lovable, the music composition was enjoyable and soothing, and the ending was satisfying. And even with the lack of fights and action, I feel like an anime series doesn't necessarily need something like that to be the most popular series around. Clannad certainly didn't need much of it to make it so good, and I would certainly recommend anyone to try and watch it.
In conclusion, I loved Clannad! Sure, I love video games, sword fights, over powered fighting, and such... I really do. That's why I love anime series like Angel Beats!, Sword Art Online, and Dragon Ball Z... but, if there is one thing I focus on in the aspect of anything I watch, it is the story. I felt like Clannad really did a fantastic job on that, and made most of the characters important in some way, shape, or form, as well as keeping the story interesting and intense. It was the story, characters, plot, and music that made it my most favorite anime series of all time. And I feel like that it will remain as my favorite anime for a very long time! The same friend that introduced me to Angel Beats! introduced me to Clannad... and I am glad that he did!
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| Love Clannad. Love Dragon Ball Z. Love the photo! :) |
