Clannad series - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Flawfinder]

Originally Posted by SJCrew

My biggest issue with it was the consistency. I can understand Nagisa being chaste in romantic endeavors, but not Tomoya. He's such a cool and laid-back dude that it just doesn't make sense he gets worked up over holding hands or a peck on the cheek when he can date a girl without thinking twice or not react much at all to the rest of the female cast practically smothering him in affection. Even when they're married, he does this.

Don't get me wrong. I do see this as weird. But it was such an enjoyable kind of weird that I couldn't help but laugh. It's like KyoAni was rubbing it into their fanbase's faces that they don't need physical contact to portray relationships. I don't know what their obsession is with that kind of thinking (along with their absolute refusal to use fanservice), but I laugh every time I picture it.

[speedyexpress48]

Originally Posted by Flawnalyst

(along with their absolute refusal to use fanservice), but I laugh every time I picture it.

I actually remember several (very few) shots in Clannad that could be considered fanservice-y...then again, its been a while since I watched it, so I'm not too sure.

[Squiggy]

The only scene that could be considered actual fanservice is in The happening one year ago, the rest are innuendoes.
Fanservice in Clannad would've killed it

[Akito Kinomoto]

Before I begin, let me clarify a few of the terms I'll be using so that there's no confusion.

CLANNAD will refer to both seasons in its entirety, Clannad is going to refer to the first season, and finally, After Story will refer to the second season.

CLANNAD has held its place as one of the most beloved anime ever made. However, it has been made apparent time and again that After Story is the force responsible for its positive reception. Generally speaking, I've noticed that when critiquing CLANNAD as a whole, more ardent fans are willing to overlook Clannad and even the earlier part of After Story, whereas others weigh in everything equally. Typically, Clannad has less favor than After Story and the first half of the latter is often regarded as filler.

I'm inclined to measure everything equally while maintaining its purpose in the overall narrative.

To start, there's the first half of After Story. It shows the delinquent side of Tomoya and Yohei which was mostly alluded to in Clannad, the Yukine and Sunohara arcs fit better with the second season's darker clouds, and it shows the results of Tomoya's development from the previous season.

To elaborate:
--Clannad had a relatively light, subtle and quaint quality to its content, and to include the dramatic portrayal of violence of the Sunohara and Yukine arc would conflict with its mood.
--By establishing proof of his bad side, it will (hopefully) not be seen as unexpected in the later parts of After Story where he engages in self-destructive behavior for five years, or his initial attitude toward Ushio. It shows that those dark clouds haven't quite dissipated yet.
--However, the Sunohara and Yukine arcs, while they might not develop the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa in any fashion, do illustrate Okazaki's development from Clannad.
-->To elaborate, Nagisa is the driving force behind a large part of Clannad. She might have required a push from Tomoya, but it's she who instigated half of the first season's arcs--the Fuko arc and the theater performance to an extent. By the end of Clannad, Okazaki is out of his shell, and the earlier part of After Story is used to demonstrate this, as he is the one instigating the Sunohara and Yukine arcs.

Going by the last reason, it might seem to serve CLANNAD better if the Nagisa-perpetrated arcs came first while having the Tomoya-perpetrated arcs follow. However, Clannad's presentation still fits with the narrative. To elaborate, having the Kotomi and Tomoyo arcs--which were started by Tomoya--after the theater performance arc would undermine its significance as the first season's climax because it would theoretically fall in the middle of Clannad's episode allotment. Although exceptions exist, it is safe to assume that most stories lose steam after their climax.

For these reasons, I don't quite agree with the first half of After Story being filler, nor do I see Clannad as needing any adjustments as it serves its purpose to CLANNAD.

And please note that this is only my opinion; I'm not exactly expecting anyone to agree with me.

[Flower]

Well summarized Akito.

Overall this series (Clannad and the After Story) still remain one of my favorites, and have many very memorable scenes throughout.

Plenty of people have different tastes and look for different things in anime, but for me this remains an excellent piece of work....

[LanceX2]

10/10

I cried too many times for a man :P. I just loved the series as a whole and so glad they brought Nagisa back. I was torn when she died.

Not many animes will ever be on my mind more then a little after watching an episode but Clannad has been on my mind for weeks since i watched it. I just cant get enough :P

[Triple_R]

You know, this never occurred to me before, but I can now think of a practical in-canon reason for Tomoya to be very chaste towards Nagisa (even for awhile after they're married), even when that does seem a little bit off for his character as a whole.

And that reason is Nagisa's illness/physical frailty.

You know, the frequently reoccurring one that made her go through her final year of high school three times.


Sexual activity is pleasurable, and can help cement the romantic bond between two people, but it's also physically strenuous activity.

Perhaps Tomoya was legitimately afraid that Nagisa simply couldn't handle it. That him having sex with her might seriously hurt her physically given her frequent illness/physical frailty. So he may have wanted to have sex with her, but initially held back from attempting to seduce her since he was afraid that would hurt her. Once Nagisa asked to have a baby, though, Tomoya relented in order to fulfill Nagisa's family-based desire here.


Just an idea I'd like to put out there.

[Archon_Wing]

That's actually kinda true. It's probaly why Nagisa had to approach Tomoya about that.

But that still doesn't explain why Nagisa seems mostly allergic to saliva (kissing)

[Khu]

Originally Posted by Triple_R

Perhaps Tomoya was legitimately afraid that Nagisa simply couldn't handle it. That him having sex with her might seriously hurt her physically given her frequent illness/physical frailty. So he may have wanted to have sex with her, but initially held back from attempting to seduce her since he was afraid that would hurt her. Once Nagisa asked to have a baby, though, Tomoya relented in order to fulfill Nagisa's family-based desire here..

And gave way to his unbridled manhood?

He didn't exactly ramp it up after that, though.

He just kept doing it until she was pregnant.

And then stopped and went back to being chaste again.

D:

[Triple_R]

Originally Posted by Archon_Wing

But that still doesn't explain why Nagisa seems mostly allergic to saliva (kissing)

That's true, yeah. It would have been nice to have had more Nagisa/Tomoya kissing in Clannad.

Ah well, this is the sort of thing that fanworks are for.

[Veretax]

I did a quick listing of all the anime I've viewed in the last year and a half. A lot of it I've viewed through a subscription service (not sure if its okay to mention the name so I'll leave that out here.). I've watched a number of programs that gripped me emotionally for key moments of the series. One in particular came at a key point in my life and has stuck with me for a while, on the lessons it taught and such. However, compared to all of the touching series I tend to favor with my viewing, none of them even come close to the Summit of Clannad. I've never been so gripped, pulled in emotionally, not just for a single character or two, but nearly the entire supporting cast of a show in a very, very long time.

Now perhaps this is due to my viewing the entirety of Clannad and After Story over the Thanksgiving holiday in about a 72 hour window, but I literally could not walk away from what I was watching. It gripped me, intellectually, emotionally, and even in a spiritual kind of way that only a few movies and series have ever even approached in a couple of those areas. The irony is also not lost on me, in that I almost added it to my viewing queue, by total accident. I don't recall what I was looking for, because I got interrupted and had to walk away, but a day later, it had somehow found its way into my queue, and I said, hrms... sounds interesting.

You want to know how I'd rate Clannad? if this was released in the theaters as a Serial. I might go bankrupt rewatching episodes over and over again. There are few cinematic pieces that I can really say something like that about, and this is one of them. I love this program, and if I can get a bug in my wife's ear, I'd love to add this one to my personally owned (non service) collection of favorites.

Now I'm rewatching it again, slowing down the consumption so i can enjoy better each and every moment.

[LanceX2]

man.....im watching clannad again. its STILL so amazing and sucks me in. I love this series!

[Lirael]

Oh gosh the posts in this thread are long!

I give the series a perfect 10!

Story
Like others, I consider Clannad and Clannad~After Story as two important parts to one story. They don't need to be watched together, but they should be. It is truly heartbreaking to experience the steady build-up through a series of adversities in Clannad and to follow it with the episodes in which things

Spoiler:

come crashing down

in Clannad~After Story. The story is truly beautiful. It highlights the importance of family and friends and explores how people can be loyal, hopeful and strong. It shows how loss affects a variety of people, many of them young - you really do feel regret and sympathy for the characters. The anime is thought-provoking.


Characters
Nagisa - Her character is beautiful. The Japanese voice actor did a wonderful job of making her sound vulnerable. Despite the troubles she faces, she remains hopeful, forever believing in the importance and beauty of family. With Tomoya's help, she finds the bravery to make her ambition (to act in the drama club) come true. She shows honest heart-felt appreciation for the help provided by Tomoya and her friends, and helps them in return.

Tomoya - The father and son whose relationship is in turmoil isn't uncommon, but that's what makes this character and Tomoya's story so important. Here, we see how conflict with one's role model can affect a young man and how he may seek to ignore it. However, in Clannad~After Story, we also see how it is possible he can overcome it. His experiences with Nagisa help him understand exactly what his father has had to suffer through. Tomoya truly develops in After Story.

Ushio - She's only in After Story, but she's so gorgeous! She's a bit like Nagisa, insofar as she gives her father hope and opens his eyes to what's important. She reasserts to Tomoya that family is important - the best family is network of close people, and those people can protect one another.

Sunohara - Sunohara brings some much-needed comedy to the series, creating balance and also adding variety to the host of characters, dominated somewhat by females! Despite being slightly mischievous, Sunohara demonstrates admirable qualities has he, too, seeks to protect and care for the people who matter to him.

Fuuko - If any character in this series is annoying, it's Ushio. However, you can forgive her childish behaviour when you understand her story and see how dedicated she is to her sister.

Kyou and Ryou - These two were perhaps my least favourite characters. I didn't dislike them; I just didn't feel empathy for them or identify with them. They added some further comic relief - the scene in which Ryou tricks Ushio into thinking she is Tomoya is one of the funniest in the series - but I don't remember them for much else...

Kotomi - She faded a little in After Story, which was a real shame because she was perhaps my favourite character after Nagisa and Tomoya. Watching her cut out pieces of newspaper was a little confusing, until you watched her story. From then on, you couldn't help but respect and admire her love and determination to find out everything she could about the people she had loved and lost.

Tomoyo - I remember Tomoyo for the reoccuring joke in which Sunohara accuses her of being a guy. I can't remember her story arc (if she has one), but I do remember regarding her with respect. She was mysterious and appeared to harbour some pain too.


Music
The music is beautiful and compliments the action completely. It's part of what brings on the tears. Some of it is simple, building on the calm atmosphere at night, or the atmosphere of the town, but other pieces create mood, communicate the personality of a character or make the upsetting scenes even more upsetting.

Animation
Simply gorgeous. Colourful, vibrant, crisp! The character designs are perfect.

[Ithekro]

Fuuko - If any character in this series is annoying, it's Ushio. However, you can forgive her childish behaviour when you understand her story and see how dedicated she is to her sister.

Kyou and Ryou - These two were perhaps my least favourite characters. I didn't dislike them; I just didn't feel empathy for them or identify with them. They added some further comic relief - the scene in which Ryou tricks Ushio into thinking she is Tomoya is one of the funniest in the series - but I don't remember them for much else...

Seems like you are forgetting poor Fu-chan, even after saying her name once.

[akutasame94]

Originally Posted by Ithekro

Seems like you are forgetting poor Fu-chan, even after saying her name once.

Hehe, I thought something was weird...

Anyway I could write so much about this show, put I will but everything into few words...

Amazing, beautiful, best show ever and my favourite.... That's all...

[AP24]

I give the overall series a 9.

I considered the first series as a 8, because to me it's typical anime based on a visual novel in which each arc is focused on one girl then the guy chooses one of the girls in the end. Although this one has the best quality of all the ones I've seen.

The After Story series is a 10, because it focuses on the developments of all the characters in the series. If I judge an anime series based on its story alone then this is in my Top 3.

[NoemiChan]

Clannad, especially it's continuation, Clannad AS is, for me one of the most outstanding anime of the decade. It's one my top recommended anime in categories like romance, slice of life and family based orientation.

It's a clean anime... truly a novel. It shows how love springs out in the moments you least expected for it to occur. Love can change people, their lives and their views in life as it change Tomoya from a deliquent to a mature responsible father later on.

Slice of life,... Hmm no doubt.. it does shows the real characters we encoutered in real life especially in high school, we had a bestfriend, girl friends and boy friends.. crushes and fights. We faced trials as we grow up... it reminded me of my das in high school... it's the best moments of my life as well.

Family based... I think I already post this... hehehe.. well... just to state the reason again.. it values family, its importance and how it members show work together... even not related in blood... we seen how Nagisa and Tomoya tried to build a family and how they valued... thinking of the trials they had.. gives me teary eyes...

HAh! This one of the best... really. I will always rewatched it evry now and then... again and again...

[danime191991]

Is Nagisa's illness related to the changes that are happening to the piece of land where the hospital is being built and if the illness is a physical manifestation of the sadness felt by the spirit of the city towards these changes? Because Akio bound Nagisa to the city's spirit when he made the wish to save her life. Tomoya also seems to get far more upset than is normal when he sees change sto the city. Ushio seems to have some strange connection to the hospital site. I think that may be due to the fact that they both understand that Nagisa's illness is connected to the city through their sub-concious connection to the other world. I'm just wondering if anyone could confirm this or if anyone else has had the same thoughts?

[GoddyofAus]

I will say this about Clannad; There is something to be said about ANY piece of media that not only entertains you, but changes who you are at your very core.

When the day comes that I have my own family, I will remember this show, and how it taught me to value what I have, because the biggest nightmare of all is having it taken away from you.

Absolutely sublime from start to finish and you have no idea how hard it is to make me think that about anything, and that is the best compliment I can think to give KeyAni. 10/10.

[Balzac]

I thought there was something to entertain me when I finally watched this.
Overall score: 3/10

Spoiler for Everything:

Gah...I just finished the whole thing (barring the extras, and I'm not touching that Tomoyo extra after my ill feelings for Tomoyo after) and I found it, to make it succinct, unbearable. Unbearable in the way that it apes the source material and breaks no new ground on its own.

In the visual novel, as one goes through the routes, the player gets the feeling that each of the routes are all interconnected somehow. Minor things, big things, happy things and the sad, all serving to coalesce into a perceivable theme. In the end, as the game rumbles towards the climax, one goes through the Scylla and Charybdis of emotional upheaval to end up at the other end: feeling very much like they'd earned their ending, no matter their resulting views on it. And in the end, the beautiful sum of the whole is what makes Clannad for me, one of the greatest visual novels produced in the last ten years.

Now I realized, going in, that if one watches an anime version of the novel, one should expect changes. I understood that, and hoped that there might be some new insights that weren't apparent to me reading the game the first time that animation would do justice. Perhaps a glimpse into a minor character's personality - basically I expected there to be new scenes. What I didn't expect from this was an absolutely "faithful" rendition, I would go so far as to say imitation, of near-perfection, which reeked of low creativity and needless pandering.

And it is because of a major gripe I found myself having: none of the heroines were focused on clearly, none seemed to be deemed more or less important than Nagisa. (Mind, I've nothing against her, only the way the anime portrayed her as one above all) She was a catalyst for the VN's ending, yes, but that doesn't make it good to forsake the rest of the characters who had their own important routes, their own important lessons to bestow.

Take the case of Kyou, who admittedly had a route that was close to following staple romantic story archetypes. Yet her story had merit to it: had a lesson that would give greater support to the overarching theme of Clannad. In her case, it is the value of trust and pursuing one's feelings no matter how much it might hurt oneself or anyone around, something which is echoed in part in Tomoyo's route. It also highlights being true to one's character without the need for facades, something which Akio's route exemplifies. It made no sense for her to be shoehorned into her role in the anime, and I am not ashamed to say it offended me, and I'm not even a Kyou fan. Kyou's branch of Yukine's storage room curse was supposed to be hilarious to imagine in the novel; in the anime it was something very much unbearable, to know that a heroine's role was relegated to fanservice bait.

And don't even get me started on Kappei, why why why, Kappei, why could they have forgotten you? I would dissemble with your case, but I feel I've made an example with Kyou above, so I shall refrain from typing for now.

Moving on to the next issue I had, the strict, almost rigid following of the visual novel story. And in some aspects, it didn't even accomplish it that well, being that routes were thrown out in favor of bizarre sequential affairs that made me scratch my head in sheer bafflement. I had a chance to let some of my students watch it, as a sort of private session, and a constant comment they had was "Why was that Tomoya guy so weird with his motivations? One moment he's helping Nagisa, the next he's helping some random girls, and then he's embroiled in the supernatural, and then he helps Kotomi, and then it looks like he hasn't learned anything at all when he goes on his funked-out moods later on." I agreed with them, deploring how inconsistent the protagonist in the anime was, in terms of his character growth as a person. I understand it was artistic license, but why didn't just throw out all the extraneous routes altogether? It would've made his character much more consistent as he was in the novel. Tomoya could become rude to Nagisa and ignore her completely, and it wasn't farfetched because his mind was rightfully occupied with something else. A guy has the ability to butt into every heroine's life because it's one-on-one, if he starts going around, everyone'd assume he's a playboy, or worse, someone with a mental condition that seriously needs help.

This segues into a hope I'd shared above: that there would be some for of an original story in store for me in this anime. Well, my hopes were eventually dashed. Almost the same situations, almost the same jokes (Hmm... I really can't fault jokes in any form, being a connoisseur of it), and almost the same narratives for each "arc". I so wanted to skip many times because it's exactly as I'd imagined it when I read it the first time, albeit without the voice-work or the specific animations. It made me...bored to say the least. It's more or less the same experience as reading, and was something I hoped wouldn't happen.

Note that the two major points outlined above, that of rigid imitation and horrid mishmash of routes, are things I would have tolerated if one or the other had not been followed. I would have accepted "faithfulness" if there'd been routes separate to themselves, perhaps then involving some subplot of mysti-Tomoya receiving all the lessons. Or the other way around, an original story with no routes, and the heroines outside of the chosen are characters who do not need to be pursued to the depth of "conquering" them as in a heroine route. Altogether it's just a pretty big mess.

Well now I know better. The above, plus some other things I won't bother to dignify with a write-up, has convinced me that anime adaptations of visual novels at least are semi-incapable of independent thought. Makes me think of all the arguments over at the "Little Busters! upcoming": I now think it's better to not be faithful to the source material.