Sorry, no V-day post for you. The timestamp is purely coincidental; I just got caught in Draft Rewrite Hell yesterday. But this is a pretty romantic show though, right?
You may remember that I have a turbulent relationship with Clannad. I was frustrated by its tendency to drift into overt sentimentality and sit uncomfortably between fantasy and reality; it offered a principle story thread to follow, only to divert its attention to side-stories; then the said side-stories proved to be sometimes more enjoyable than the main plot thread. It’s a strange feeling when an alternate-universe retelling, reduced to one episode tagged on the end, was my favourite moment of them all and proved to be almost as memorable as the rest of the first season combined.
I guess it’s unfair to criticise it for the fact that it’s a product of a lucrative franchise produced by a commercially successful studio and is adapted from a visual novel since, well, I can hardly criticise the VN medium at all now, can I? Similarly the most superficial aspect of all, the cutesy moe-fied aesthetic, shouldn’t be an issue but let’s face it, often it is. Ultimately though Clannad frustrates me because one moment it’s ‘just another fan-aware high school romance show’ with all the plot devices and tropes that go along with it, and the next it’s flooring me with heartfelt emotion and genuinely well-executed storytelling.
Eternal wrote an excellent post on exactly what Clannad does right in being more than just another KyoAni cash cow; while I can’t gather together quite the same level of enthusiasm I can see where he’s coming from. It looks the same as before but it feels like something else to me now; something more serious that has more to say. What we all take for granted in those stories of classroom confessions, lunch breaks under the cherry blossoms and all that stuff is that this is a fantasy world of teenage romance. It’s perhaps easy for us to forget there’s a real world out there but Clannad ~After Story~ actually addesses this and follows the what-happens-next transition.
And damn, do I know how that feels
Despite this it still shares the first season’s knack of going off at multi-episode tangents to give supporting characters screen time before returning to the Tomoya/Nagisa pairing. As much as I enjoyed the relief of Sunohara redeeming himself in the eyes of his sister and stop being a selfish ass (along with the most epic Your Mum gag in recent memory), or seeing the background to Yukine and her brother, this is just Clannad covering its multi-route narrative bases. As sweet as it was, going even as far as exploring the story behind Misae and her cat seemed a bit completist to me but I can understand the writers wanting to represent as much of the original story as possible (e.g. there IS a Tsukihime anime contrary to popular opinion, but it was half the length it needed to be).
After a couple of diversions that have the typical hit-and-miss effect on me I can now see where Clannad ~AS~ is headed. Or, at least, I can see that it’s going beyond the invisible envelope that surrounds this type of series. This is where Clannad ~AS~ really endeared itself to me: it takes the story outside the situations and settings of the genre. Clannad is all growed up.
The point where Tomoya bumps into the Fujibayashi sisters after their graduation hammered home the important point that they’re not kids any more: they’re adults with lives, hopes, fears…and careers. Watching Tomoya bumbling through his first proper full time job and move into his own place meant more to me than all those episodes of classroom hijinks because I can now genuinely relate to these people. Living on your own isn’t without its benefits of course but it has a big enough share of problems to warrant some screen time in a story like this.
I’m not sure if the other Key works, or indeed KyoAni’s usual output overall, take on subject matter that lies beyond the glass ceiling of high school graduation; if this is the case I’ve been doing myself a disservice by ignoring the likes of Kanon or Air. Looking further afield, stuff like Honey and Clover or Moyashimon feature characters who are a bit older but to all intents and purposes they’re still at school; you have to look to the superlative Solanin to see a portrayal of genuine postgraduate life (but then, I urge anyone to look into Solanin anyway).
I’ve heard Clannad ~AS~ gets a bit teary later on although it allegedly explains the parallel universe thing that crops up at the beginning of some of the episodes. I’ve been wondering about that for a while actually, since it seems to be rendered in labour-intensive CG so possibly the writers prepared it in advance of animating the episodes themselves, fully aware of its place in the bigger picture.
If there’s one thing that could still use some work it’s giving Nagisa a bit of extra gumption on the characterisation front. The latest WS episode (#10) focuses the story firmly on her and Tomoya but considering she’s the main character she still lacks…stage presence is the closest thing I find to describe it. It’s not as if I could ever dislike her (I couldn’t possibly do that, honestly), but what charisma or strength she has isn’t being conveyed too well on-screen. As a supporting character she’d be great but isn’t all this supposed to be about her above all others? Maybe I’m missing something important, or the writers have a really significant plot development for her round the corner. I hope the latter is the case because I’m finally getting the impression that Clannad is more than a bit special.
As you probably suspect, you’re at a stage where things are just about to take off. Looking back, I really wasn’t impressed with the tangents that dominated the first eight eps of After Story. No need to point out the seeming loss of focus, but there was also some occasionally lazy execution, which is uncharacteristic of KyoAni. I could sum up the first eight eps with one word: inconsistent. Fortunately, it really finds its feet once it starts focusing on Tomoya and Nagisa again, but it continually gets stronger from a dramatic sense. If you like powerful and emotional (yet appropriately subdued) drama, then you have a lot to look forward to.
I agree with what you’re saying about Nagisa, I’d even argue that up to what you’ve seen and a few episodes after, she has less presence than she did even in the first season. I know she’s supposed to be a “weak” character (her fans would argue that’s part of her appeal) and I certainly don’t dislike her for it, but there are certain plot points later on that just would have worked a bit better if she was just… well… stronger.
It’s really hard to write this without posting spoilers!
I’m torn with this show. I don’t think I’m spoiling anything by saying yes, they start to focus on Tomoya and Nagisa, and I appreciate your feeling that the show is growing up by having the characters grow up, and the side stories felt a little trivial to me, but, damn it, I miss those other girls. I even miss Sunohara at times. On the other hand, in the “floored by genuine emotion … etc” department, Sorrow-kun is right: you have a lot to look forward to.
I’m with Peter in that I’ve missed the other girls for much of After Story, I’ve frequently preferred Clannad for its light-hearted moments and storylines over the stuff that attempted to create any emotional depth, and that group dynamic was often what made the first series enjoyable.
Having said that, After Story did deal masterfully with the “big thing” that crops up later in the series, and episode eighteen (the latest I’ve watched, widescreen be damned!) actually managed to move me to tears, so my respect for the show is growing by the week at the moment.
In short, it’s well worth persevering with it, and I look forward to seeing what you make of the series’ later developments.
I think you nailed it by saying Clanned’s all growed up. Especially with the most recent episodes, the show’s changed from fan-pandering yet occasionally poignant to genuinely heartfelt drama. In my opinion, the first 2 or three arcs were just filler; they remineded people about what the original series was about and what appeal it had so that before delving into something entirely outside of Clannad’s comfort zone.
I used to think Clannad was just light-hearted entertainment (that I enjoyed, don’t get me wrong) but the last few episodes have really done something to push the show to the next level in my eyes.
@Sorrow-kun: inconsistent is the word if you’re referring to the early episodes of AS. Misae’s story was a pale imitation of Fuuko’s, while Yukine’s was really heart-rending (but still irrelevant). “powerful and emotional (yet appropriately subdued) drama…” yeah, I love that sort of stuff. Looking forward to it. ^_^
@Peter S: I was torn from day one to be honest. Only now is it really picking up, but then it’s getting to a time of life closer in line with my own age (hence why I love Solanin so much). I don’t miss the humour much right now, but I’m getting the impression it’s going to go into serious angst territory so I could well miss the brightness later on!
@Hanners: the ‘group dynamic’ was one of the first season’s strengths; the scripting was really good at times, which is the thing I liked most about Haruhi actually. I’m just wishing the WS versions keep on coming (and hopefully will be the format used for the international DVD release).
@Omisyth: absolutely. As much as the stalling for time seemed like a waste, it’s proved its worth in recent episodes. I’d like to speculate on how KyoAni could cope with an original work that caters for a mature audience with drama to match, but the only on I’m aware of is Munto, which is geared to younger viewers from what I’ve seen so far.
It’s nice to hear from a viewer of Clannad that vacillates back and forth on the Clannad like/dislike scale. Well, you probably know where I stand on this scale (trying to type as he has to keep wiping his eyes after thinking about episode 18).
I think that for a certain type of anime fan, Clannad is a tough watch because it’s so different from most slice of life, high school romance, and harem type anime. Like you said, Clannad ~after story~ does something rarely done in anime, it really takes the characters past high school.
Most anime that belong to the above ilk, the end of the story is the “big kiss”, “the confession of love”, or high school graduation, it’s like game over, end of story, and nothing comes after high school. But, Clannad truly moves Nagisa and Tomoya from a emoting high school love to a more mature adult form of love where the couple has to deal with their on-going relationship while dealing with things like jobs, forming a household, marriage, pregnancy, and all the joys and sadness of a adult life.
I also agree with you that many of the college anime in this genre the kids still act like they are still in high school in terms of how they deal with their relationships. Two anime that fall into this category for me are the EF series, and White Album (I actually like these anime) the main characters spend more time in emo pain than actually working out their problems like people of their age should.
When it comes to mixing the real world and fantasy in a series it comes down to the viewer being able to practice suspension of disbelief. I’ll argue that a show like Clannad with it’s floating lights and dream world requires less of this than real TV shows like Lost with it’s moving island and smoke monsters, or 24 with Jack taking out platoons of bad guys by himself and lets not forget his eternally powered cellphone.
I think that sometimes when certain anime like Kaiba, Clannad, and Mahō Tsukai ni Taisetsu na Koto: Natsu no Sora tread to close to very personal and emotional issues a certain percentage of anime fans concentrate to much on the fantasy elements and ignore what the core of the story is about, it’s easier to just blow off the whole show than to invest the emotional commitment to really enjoy these shows.
Well, I already covered my opinion of the show in the post that you linked to, but I think it’s also worthy of mention that Tomoya seems to be playing a bigger role in the plot than Nagisa. It’s ultimately about both of them, but as you continue watching, you’ll probably notice a drift in emphasis toward Tomoya and his development from his past – before the first season even began – to his life as an adult. Both characters are equally important, but I can’t fault them for focusing on him because I’ve already established him in my mind as the “main” character.
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@Chris: yeah, I’ve had mixed feelings about Clannad over the past few months but suffice to say it’s finally won me over. It’s not so much the fantastical elements that endear it to me – the characterisation is all-important, and justifies everything else, be it realistic or otherwise. This is true whether it’s Clannad, Kaiba or Xam’d (which to me are excellent examples of when fantasy hand help rather than hinder the story).
@Eternal: yeah, Tomoya is ‘the’ central character I guess. I’ve been trying to look at it as both his story and Nagisa’s but I suppose you can’t disregard the first-person perspective of the VN that inspired it. I’ll probably check that out someday of course but it looks like Type Moon’s back catalogue will keep me occupied in that department for weeks to come!
Just a quick question… since you seem to be enjoying Clannad… what are your thoughts on Toradora?
@Gen: just about to sit down to watch episode #10 of Toradora! this evening…I’m liking it. A lot. (:
@Martin
Personally, I feel that if you disregard the rabid Key fans… Toradora is the stronger love/comedy/drama this season, so far anyway. Then, again since I’ve played the Clannad VN (things make less of an impact the second time around) I’m a little biased.