Clannad - Speculation & Theories (for first time viewers)

[Pellissier]

This thread is aimed at first time viewers of Clannad and its purpose is to allow spoiler free speculation and theories to be aired. Having them in a central location may help focus the discussion instead of spreading speculation over the various episode discussion threads. If you are knowledgeable of the game and wish to speculate or discuss theories, then please do not post in this thread (use the Clannad - Spoilers & Speculation (for experienced Clannad gamers only)) and do not give away any spoilers in this thread!

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[Klashikari]

since the first episode is subbed, I believe we can begin the "joy" of thinking about theories, right?

Well, as far as the episode was really rich of events, some points were intriguing.


1) Unknown girl
This girl is shown in the start of the opening, (either sleeping in the grass, or in the woods) but also in a very peculiar scene (flashback?).
Her physical traits are quite striking with Nagisa (brown hair, golden eyes). That said, it is about another world, so it shouldn't exactly have something to do with the actual situation

2) "alternate world"
We know very few things about it. Considering the narrator (who I believe it is Tomoya as a kid) descriptions, this other world completely differently, and there is only one entity, the unknown girl. For the fact: no living beings except her, no time cycle, etc... it is "looks like a dream". The thing is such dream is a bit weird, as Tomoya doesn't seem to know this girl, and if it is her dream, it is a bit far fetched that Tomoya can invade it.
Now, something to note is the PV 1: sheer amounts of light spheres, and this bone structure...

3) "Ghost Girl"
Is she related to the unknown girl? it is very hard to tell. As far as I'm thinking, it looks like this entity is linked with her, but also with Tomoya's mother. (no seriously, both the ghost and the mother died in a car accident, that's quite too big)




4) Unidentified "girl" and a robot/toy
In the very start of the opening, we can see the hand of... a girl? (very pale... ghostly?) with a mechanical hand.
The scene then shows a windup key, and finally, a slightly moving silhouette.
I don't get what is the signification behind this, but considering the snowy scenery, instead of the dusk one used on the PV1, it might have some meaning of "death" and hibernation/isolation/loneliness.
I believe this hand belongs to the unknown girl, of point 1.



5) Unidentified "girl" #2
Another girl, though this time, she is much smaller than the previous one, with short hair.
It is her childhood? (quite huge difference in scenery if you ask me). Nagisa's childhood? or someone else? (definitely the familiar anyway)

6) Nagisa's health
I guess many people already know but: Nagisa had to skip a large period of time a year ago, which means she might be endangered with some things.
(and seriously, with the PV3 (see below), it is big)
Now, I believe her constitution and her parents just suppress the possibility that Nagisa is a walking and physical spirit/ghost. She doesn't look having any inconsistency and her parents are damn consistant as well.


Speculation for the future events:
I believe the most obvious point will be that Tomoya will help Nagisa to "revive" the drama club. Considering what Nagisa said, it is probably that they will have to recruit some people so the club will be valid. I speculated that Youhei would perhaps help them, considering how he is close to Tomoya, while I don't see any girl to follow this, except maybe the fujibayashi twins.

Spoiler for Promo 3, from the DVD invitation material:

Considering the PV3, it looks like some basketball event is involved or something (if we consider the fact that Nagisa playing such sport, ESPECIALLY in the rain is really not natural)

random wonders :
-How is Kyou able to throw her dictionary in such fashion that the trajectory is a UPWARD curve?
-What is the secret behind Tomoyo POWN HAX skills? ^^"
-How a MILF like Sanae can do such mix between... senbei and bread?

indeed, the last stuff has to be taken in the second degree or whatever ^^'

[Meophist]

Having watched the first episode… I'm going to speculate some

Spoiler:

Nagisa Furukawa. Seems to be the "main" girl of the series.

"The ghost", I believe is the same as the one doing the narration.

Nagisa seeks eternity, Tomoya resents it, the ghost is living in it.

Nagisa states the food she eats next every now and then. She has control over what she eats each time. An interuption in this pattern may lead to an important event.

Nagisa may be able to communicate or otherwise interact with the ghost. Tomoya's interaction with the ghost may only be indirect.

I have no idea where I'm going with this.

[Grey]

Daaang, my previous experience with Kyo-Ani's presentation of Kanon has put my brain into suspicious, speculative overdrive. That is to say, they have the tendency to drop hints with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer, but you won't know it's a huge hint unless (a) you already know the story, or (b) you're suspecting everything and anything of being a major hint.

Maybe I've been corrupted by that other show which has a cyclic universe, but I'll toss in the hypothesis that Tomoya is "Eternal" in some way, and that this relates to the weird flashback/dream of the "dead world that's already ended".

I hadn't noticed the "Pinocchio" in the opening until Klashikari posted in a screenshot. The "ghost girl" I originally thought was a false clue, since it felt too obvious...but now I'm tying things together....

MAD THEORY TIME: Tomoya is "Pinocchio". The "ghost girl" is the girl in the "dead/dream world that has ended". "Ghost girl"--who died in the car crash--somehow stayed alive in spirit, and watched the world from her spirit-form until it self-destructed. She then created "Pinocchio Tomoya" (was "Real Tomoya" someone she knew in life?), and is replaying her memory of the world with "Pinocchio".

...I'd like to say that "Nagisa" is "Ghost Girl", but that doesn't quite make sense since "Ghost Girl" is dead. Perhaps "Ghost Girl" and "Pinocchio Tomoya" are self-insertions into the world as "Real Tomoya" and "Nagisa"?

Also...I have no idea what in the heck was going on in the last scene of Episode 1 with Nagisa. No normal person would act that way, so maybe this fits with the "Nagisa"="Ghost Girl" hypothesis? ...except, the whole bit about "wishes" makes no sense if "Ghost Girl" created the "memory world" and is replaying it with "Pinocchio" for solely their own enjoyment. Maybe "Ghost Girl" is replaying the entire world's history with "Pinocchio" through various perspectives, but "Pinocchio" lost his memory at some point and thinks the world is real? And now "Ghost Girl Nagisa" is trying to coax his memory back through odd indirect encounters like these?

EDIT: Or maybe "Pinocchio Tomoya" was "Ghost Girl's" attempt to recreate a long dead version of "Real Tomoya"--a person whom she had a crush on? And she's replaying a time shortly after her death with "Nagisa" as a self-insertion, and "Pinocchio Tomoya" thinking he's "Real Tomoya" because "Ghost Girl" didn't build him to think otherwise? And what we saw was a flashback to his "post-sentience" existence. The comment about "wishes" was perhaps an attempt to slowly ease "Pinocchio Tomoya" into full sentience, with the world where wishes are granted being her "dead world" that she has control over. Okay, enough brain explosion.

....speculation overdrive--brain exploded.

[LolitaDecay]

Nagisa seems to be talking to herself at the very beginning of the episode, does anyone have any theories or was she just talking to herself? Now that everyone's bringing up the "ghost girl" I'm going through some wild theories.

Is Nagisa this "ghost girl"? Could Nagisa possibly have been the girl involved in the car crash? We know from Kanon that Ayu was in a coma but still was able to interact with the other characters....

>.<

Edit: Tomoya says "She's probably talking to someone in her inner mind".
Ghost girl?

[Grey]

Originally Posted by LolitaDecay

Nagisa seems to be talking to herself at the very beginning of the episode, does anyone have any theories or was she just talking to herself? Now that everyone's bringing up the "ghost girl" I'm going through some wild theories.

Is Nagisa this "ghost girl"? Could Nagisa possibly have been the girl involved in the car crash?

Edit: Tomoya says "She's probably talking to someone in her inner mind".
Ghost girl?

I used to have a habit of talking to myself when I was agitated, and I still do think aloud. So I don't consider the idea of Nagisa talking to herself too unusual. Seemed like she was trying to build up confidence, and I've muttered to myself when trying to do that as well.

...gah, after rewatching that scene, suspicious mode clicked again. The way the world flickered from blue-tones to full color...the way Nagisa spoke of nothing lasting forever.... Perhaps Tomoya being called "eternal" was actually some horrible irony, and either Nagisa or Tomoya will "die"? Perhaps "Nagisa/Ghost Girl" is reaching the end of her spirit existence, and she created "Pinocchio Tomoya" as a legacy and to try and recapture a moment of happiness in her "memory world".

[LolitaDecay]

Originally Posted by Grey

...gah, after rewatching that scene, suspicious mode clicked again.

I know exactly what you mean! That's why I watched it again and thanks to the people above I'm now searching the whole episode for more clues xD
I bet this all turns out to be absolutely nothing and there's a rational explanation! Pfft!

As for the rest of what you said, it all could be a possibility. The OP talks alot about dreams and so forth. Maybe this has something to do with some dream world thus the whole blue theme we have going at the very start of the episode?

I'm thinking too much into this aren't I?

[Grey]

Originally Posted by LolitaDecay

I know exactly what you mean! That's why I watched it again and thanks to the people above I'm now searching the whole episode for more clues xD
I bet this all turns out to be absolutely nothing and there's a rational explanation! Pfft!

As for the rest of what you said, it all could be a possibility. The OP talks alot about dreams and so forth. Maybe this has something to do with some dream world thus the whole blue theme we have going at the very start of the episode?

I'm thinking too much into this aren't I?

With other shows this might be thinking too much, but I'm fairly confident that Kyo-Ani put a whole bunch of hints into this episode and that we can draw most of them out.

Looking at the blue-tone to full color transition again, this seems to be an obvious symbolization of "the world changing" for Tomoya. The blue-tone world indicated Tomoya's "time having stopped" (i.e. because of poor family life), and the transition to full color when Tomoya spoke to Nagisa indicates that their meeting will significantly change his life and "re-start time".

Now I just have to figure out how to insert my MAD THEORY into this symbolization. The "obvious symbolization" is precisely too obvious to be complete, and it doesn't incorporate the "dead world" or "ghost girl".

[LolitaDecay]

Well seems like we won't be able to completely tear apart the story from Ep.1 (which is good).
There's so much that has been thrown into this episode that we could speculate each fragment and still won't come to a complete conclusion.

Thanks to the genius that is KyoAni ^^

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Grey

...gah, after rewatching that scene, suspicious mode clicked again. The way the world flickered from blue-tones to full color...the way Nagisa spoke of nothing lasting forever.... Perhaps Tomoya being called "eternal" was actually some horrible irony, and either Nagisa or Tomoya will "die"? Perhaps "Nagisa/Ghost Girl" is reaching the end of her spirit existence, and she created "Pinocchio Tomoya" as a legacy and to try and recapture a moment of happiness in her "memory world".

The colors coming to life seems a pretty clear reference to Tomoya's "dull and boring everyday life" coming to and end with this chance meeting Same for Nagisa as well - she has no friends at school and is pretty much alone. Not any more aftre meeting Tomoya. To sound cheezy here - the two brightened each other's day

Nagisa talking about nothing lasting forever is, most likely, reference to all the friends she had but that have all graduated by now, leaving her 'alone', because she really doesn't seem to have any friends in her new class.

As far as i can see, there is nothing supernatural about Nagisa. She is just a shy girl with a weak body

[Deathkillz]

Just like with Ayu , it seems like Nagisa would be the main girl in this case. Well for one thing Tomoyo seems to be out of it aleady seen as she has her own game "Tomoyo after" - and the vibe I'm getting from her at the moment feels like Mai

I'm excting the usual Key treatment when it comes to the story line. Yep, one where "magical/miracle" happenings come true :3

[Grey]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

The colors coming to life seems a pretty clear reference to Tomoya's "dull and boring everyday life" coming to and end with this chance meeting Same for Nagisa as well - she has no friends at school and is pretty much alone. Not any more aftre meeting Tomoya. To sound cheezy here - the two brightened each other's day

Nagisa talking about nothing lasting forever is, most likely, reference to all the friends she had but that have all graduated by now, leaving her 'alone', because she really doesn't seem to have any friends in her new class.

As far as i can see, there is nothing supernatural about Nagisa. She is just a shy girl with a weak body

I agree. I was a bit too drawn up into my MAD THEORY(tm) when I wrote the post you quoted, and recanted in order to note the more obvious interpretation at post #8.

But...appearances can be deceiving, and Kanon has made me suspicious of Key/Kyo-Ani. There are a few too many coincidences and oddities for things to be completely normal. The "dead world", the "ghost girl", the girl who looks a bit like Nagisa in the "dead world", the boy's voice in the "dead world", the "Pinocchio" in the opening, and that odd scene at the end of episode 1.

Of course, I'll be chortling quite ruefully if the story turns out to be completely normal and the things I mentioned are nothing more than false clues and symbolism. Looking back at these first posts of mine will be a truly facepalming moment.
EDIT: But I doubt that the "dead world" is merely symbolism, as it feels laid on a bit too thickly for that. And the description and situation in the "dead world" seems a bit too odd for it merely to be a "normal world" flashback. It strikes me more as one of those "mysteeeeerious clues" that is only cashed out in later episodes. I'm betting on a crazy supernatural twist.

[Lilith]

What about the food? "Red Bean Bread" and "Hamburger"?

[cicido]

Originally Posted by Skyfall

As far as i can see, there is nothing supernatural about Nagisa. She is just a shy girl with a weak body

Then why did she say all the stuff about wishes come true at the end >_<

[Ascaloth]

Originally Posted by Klashikari

-How a MILF like Sanae can do such mix between... senbei and bread?

I can't wait for her to come up with a bread with a certain "special blend" of jam in it.

[luckyovermind]

Please allow me to step in and say something

Clannad isn't like higurashi. It isn't really necessary to speculate what's going to happen next. If you guessed right, it isn't going to do you any good except to lessen the impact of tear-jerking scenes. Sit back and enjoy this show is all you need to do.

That been said, I am not here to stop you from doing anything. If it is fun to speculate then why not do so. My suggestion is only that: don't try too hard

[LolitaDecay]

Originally Posted by luckyovermind

Please allow me to step in and say something

Clannad isn't like higurashi. It isn't really necessary to speculate what's going to happen next. If you guessed right, it isn't going to do you any good except to lessen the impact of tear-jerking scenes. Sit back and enjoy this show is all you need to do.

That been said, I am not here to stop you from doing anything. If it is fun to speculate then why not do so. My suggestion is only that: don't try too hard

Yeah I know what you mean.
I stopped myself when I watched it again and found myself pausing and thing 'OMG NEW THEORIES!?1/!'
It's no fun going too in detail

[Grey]

Originally Posted by Lilith

What about the food? "Red Bean Bread" and "Hamburger"?

I had no idea what was meant when she said "Anpan". But after seeing her say "Hamburger" later, it immediately struck me as the "I'll treat myself if I do well" psychological trick. Basically, people face an unpleasant situation or task, but give themselves the motivation to go through it by promising themselves something nice if they go through with it (e.g. chocolate; cake). I've never found this to work for me, but apparently it works for some people.

So, I guess Nagisa was trying to work up the confidence to go to school, and promised herself Anpan for lunch if she did? She was eating Anpan later, after all. And I'm willing to wager that she ate some hamburger that day too (even if we didn't see it).

Originally Posted by luckyovermind

Clannad isn't like higurashi. It isn't really necessary to speculate what's going to happen next. If you guessed right, it isn't going to do you any good except to lessen the impact of tear-jerking scenes. Sit back and enjoy this show is all you need to do.

There seems to be a slight contradiction between advising one to enjoy the show, and implying that one ought to not lessen the impact of the tear-jerking scenes. But then, some people enjoy watching horror films, so to each their own, I suppose. I enjoy seeing how close to the mark I can actually get.

I still have a couple incomplete theories revolving around "dual consciousness/identity" sitting on the backburner. I'll puzzle out the relation between the "dead world" and the "normal world" yet!

[Meophist]

Wikipedia:
On August 27, 2003, at 9:51:13 UT, Mars made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 60,000 years: 55,758,006 km.

I wonder if this has any relevence to the story…

[Meophist]

Originally Posted by Grey

I had no idea what was meant when she said "Anpan". But after seeing her say "Hamburger" later, it immediately struck me as the "I'll treat myself if I do well" psychological trick. Basically, people face an unpleasant situation or task, but give themselves the motivation to go through it by promising themselves something nice if they go through with it (e.g. chocolate; cake). I've never found this to work for me, but apparently it works for some people.

So, I guess Nagisa was trying to work up the confidence to go to school, and promised herself Anpan for lunch if she did? She was eating Anpan later, after all. And I'm willing to wager that she ate some hamburger that day too (even if we didn't see it).

The subs made a mistake, she didn't say "hamburger" but "hanbaagu", which is what we see her eat for dinner.