Oh and I think this series already gets enough leeway from me as it is....most people don't even seem to bother to really critique it so I wouldn't mind being the first to point out some of the flaws in the overall storyline since it seems like nobody else ever bothers too. It's the finale so I might as well go all out now:
Spoiler for Why I wasn't sold on this ending:
Clannad has always felt like it relies more on making it's viewers feel extreme emotion to earn it's praise then it does on following through specifically on what is supposed to be it's core theme of family. Episode 18 managed to shirk that a little and it was looking like the story was going to escape KeyAni's tendency to fall back on raw emotion as a crutch. It finally felt like it was realizing it's core theme at last and I was really getting into the story then. However then came episode 21, and finally episode 22.
This episode just took what has to by me greatest pet peeve with KeyAni stories and drove it home and it leaves me less than impressed with the story as a whole as back during episode 18-19 I had really felt it was capitalizing on the morality tale of Tomoya realizing that despite his loss he had an obligation to be a father to Ushio. Now I'm just left saying, what loss? What moral obligation? What point did any of the last few episodes really have as far as realizing the theme of family if they are just going to reneg it all for yet another reason to take people on an emotional roller coaster and make them cry.
That's really what Clannad feels like it comes down to in the end and while it works for most people I can't say it leaves me as impressed as if this show were to have ended at episode 19. Once you've experienced KeyAni stories main draw as crying anime a couple of times it really starts to lose it's impact, which is why I was desperately hoping they would shirk the games original story and instead focus on maximizing the potential of the family theme and Tomoya's bonding with Ushio as a way to get over the loss of Nagisa and to fully transition into the next step of his life. Not so....it's right back to tearjerker affairs for the audience and the characters again/
Seriously think about it, what point did any of the last few episodes have besides making people feel extreme emotion. What was the point of killing off Ushio last episode besides making Tomoya go through one last bit of agony? What was the point of making Tomoya going through all of those realizations that after great loss there is always new hope, only to kill Ushio, break him down yet again and then instantly lift him back up for yet another tearjerker, only this time because it's a happy ending where everyone gets to see there favourite characters one last time. Somewhere in all of this the theme of family gets really confused twisted and convoluted and all that's left is raw emotion. Meh I say....meh....
You know that song Mad World.....that's like the perfect way to describe how I feel about Clannad in the end....and in exactly the tone it's sung.
All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
And their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow
Watching Clannad After Story makes me feel kind of funny
it makes me feel kind of sad, the dreams in which their dying are the best it's ever had.
I find it hard to tell you
'Cos I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson........
Look right through me, look right through me..........
Sorry, but after episode 18 I really did expect a lot more from this series and had raised my expectations. I guess I expected too much. Hence why this episode gets a 6/10. In the end the series will probably end up with a 7/10. I enjoyed quite a few more parts of it then I thought it would, but in the end to me it's just another KeyAni story and to me that's not enough to push it to the next level I was really hoping for after episode 18.
I'm only left to imagine though what would happen if this type of ending happened for any show other then Clannad with it's seemingly impenetrable criticism shield. Holy crap would that show just get ripped to pieces.
