Man, how much have I missed this. One does not know how much one has enjoyed a series till it is gone. Watching this has made me realized how much I had enjoyed CLANNAD. But I digress. I'm getting ahead of myself. Jumping the gun, so to speak. Well then...
Hmmm...There's still 6 lights. 7 more lights to go.
As promised, the 8th CLANNAD DVD comes along with an additional OVA episode. As the name implies, this so-called episode 24 features an alternate universe, one in which Tomoya ended up with Tomoyo instead of Nagisa. If you remember from the original CLANNAD anime that aired earlier this year, the Tomoyo arc (along with the Kyou arc) were given the cut and promptly written out of the story, much to the anguish of Tomoyo and Kyou fans alike. Releasing this OVA helps please the Tomoyo fans (not to mention that it would ensure quick sales of the CLANNAD DVD, but that's another story). Sorry, Kyou lovers, there's nothing for you. Meanwhile, you fanboys/girls can go practice throwing dictionaries at pictures of the guys at KyoAni. If you are lucky, maybe Kyou-sama would listen and heed your prayers and get them to make something for her. :P
Tomoyo, lets break up.
I wish you won't joke about something like that.
People who have played through the game would definitely remember this
scene. The mundane, everyday scene of Tomoyo coming to wake up Tomoya. Pity that they didn't do the part where Tomoya pulled Tomoyo into bed.
One might note that Tomoya has no problems going all lovely-dovely with Tomoyo, but has problems even holding hands with Nagisa. But that suits Tomoyo's personality perfectly - one is a strong, straight forward girl who is not afraid to speak her mind, while t he other is a shy, timid girl who needs to be pushed to get her moving in life. Its obvious that one's relationship with a girl would change depending on what kind of personality that she has. As it is, you can clearly see the difference between TomoyoXTomoya and NagisaXTomoya.
If there exists an even more picturesque couple, I would like to see it.
Ah, Sunohara. How have I missed your crazy antics...
Its pretty obvious whose bento is whose. One is made with tender love, while the other looks like the remains of a freshly mowed lawn. Shows how much regard Tomoyo has for Sunohara, not that I would blame her.
OMG, Lelouch, is that you?
Making an appearance in the CLANNAD universe is Fukuyama Jun, who also voices Lelouch in Code Geass. I had a laugh when I heard his voice.
YADAA!
The best single line in the whole show.
Nice Boat
If there's one scene that I would remember, it would be of Tomoyo's hauntingly lifeless eyes. They just seem so cold...So empty...So devoid of life. Its as if all the light in the world has gone out for her - that she will never feel happiness ever again. Tomoyo may be a strong girl, but she is still a girl nevertheless. She values her relationship with Tomoya very much - other than striving to preserve the sakura trees, that relationship is her raison d'etre. We've seen how a simple jest about breaking up has Tomoyo going all depressed. Imagine the shock, the emotional turmoil that she must be going through right at that moment, when she was forced to realize that in order to achieve her dreams, she has to break off her relationship with the one she loves. Once again, look at those eyes. Those are the eyes of one who have stared into the bottomless pit of despair, and suddenly found themselves wallowing within its murky depths.
And is it a bad sign that I am reminded of School Days whenever I see eyes like that?
Sunohara, once again proving himself to be more than just a comic character. Through the difficult times following Tomoya breaking up with Tomoyo, he was there, providing support for his buddy. As we have seen repeatedly throughout the CLANNAD series, there's more to Sunohara than meets the eye. He can be surprisingly perspective at times (like during the Fuko arc - Dozo! Have a starfish!), and shows great strength of character when the situation calls for it. He is the
Kitagawa that never was.
I bite the bullet in order to prevent the loneliness
Something about Japanese speaking Engrish makes me want to laugh out loud. But Tomoyo with glasses is moe.
OMG, Sunohara, what happened to you?
Thinking about alot of things, I pass through the gates, going down the hill.
Ahead was...
A girl.
In front of me, stood the girl who liked me.
The ending scene. Words fail me. Downright emotional. Tomoya, still trying to play it cool, telling Tomoyo that his place is here, in this town. That he won't be going anywhere, that his future is stagnant, unmoving. That she deserves better, so much more than what he could give. She has places to go, great things to accomplish. That someone like her shouldn't waste her time on a good-for-nothing delinquent like him.
Train tracks are apparently very common in Japan
I especially enjoyed the imagery of the railway tracks. Tomoya strikes
a forlorn figure, standing there all alone at the barrier. The alarm
sounds shrilly, crying for a train that's never going to come. And he
stands there, unable to move forward with his life. That is, until
Tomoyo spoke up. Cue insert song Ana.
The barrier is lifted.
*sniff*
Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Even through they condensed almost half the plot into a short 25 minute episode, the way KyoAni pulled it off leaves me wanting for more. Tomoyo just beats out Nagisa, especially if you include Tomoyo After. It only heightens the hope that KyoAni would give us a Tomoyo After OVA. Now, that woul d be prefect.
An excellent episode, even if things were a bit rushed, never mind the fact that KyoAni had changed something with the plot. In the game, Tomoya is supposed to return to his old lifestyle after he broke up with Tomoyo. When he finally adopted his old sleeping habits again, he uttered the lint "The last thing that Tomoyo gave me is now gone.” Here, however, Tomoya kept going, living the life that Tomoyo wants him to have - that of a normal student. While I felt that the old line added to the emotional impact of the story, the way that KyoAni did it just feels right.
Like I said at the beginning of this post, watching this has made me realize how much I had enjoyed CLANNAD, even more so than Kanon or AIR. CLANNAD truly is KEY's masterpiece. Now we just have to wait for CLANNAD ~After Story~, which will probably be debuting this fall.
Wait a minute - where's Takafumi?
Tomoyo, lets break up.
I wish you won't joke about something like that.People who have played through the game would definitely remember this scene. The mundane, everyday scene of Tomoyo coming to wake up Tomoya. Pity that they didn't do the part where Tomoya pulled Tomoyo into bed.
Ah, Sunohara. How have I missed your crazy antics...
OMG, Lelouch, is that you?
YADAA!The best single line in the whole show.
Nice Boat
I bite the bullet in order to prevent the loneliness
OMG, Sunohara, what happened to you?Thinking about alot of things, I pass through the gates, going down the hill.
In front of me, stood the girl who liked me.
Train tracks are apparently very common in JapanI especially enjoyed the imagery of the railway tracks. Tomoya strikes a forlorn figure, standing there all alone at the barrier. The alarm sounds shrilly, crying for a train that's never going to come. And he stands there, unable to move forward with his life. That is, until Tomoyo spoke up. Cue insert song Ana.
The barrier is lifted.
*sniff*
Wait a minute - where's Takafumi?
Comments (3)
Well, I can't wait for After Story.^_^
tomoya was probably shaken by others' opinions on this relationship with tomoyo thus offered to break up so that tomoyo can concentrate on being the president. very noble. i'm rewatching clannad now. fuko's arc is very touching so is kotomi's. i look forward to the new season as well.
@Setsukyie - Probably because the guys at KyoAni are Tomoyo fans themselves. lol. I'm pretty sure that they have played through Tomoyo After as well. Hmmm....Maybe they are setting things up for a Tomoyo After OVA? Since there's no Kyou After (lol Kyou After), they probably won't do it. Pity, too, since like you, I really want to see Kyou's route animated.
"Do you like short hair or long hair?"
@gordon - Yup. I totally loved both Fuko's and Kotomi's route as well. Through Kanon was more heartbreaking, I find myself liking CLANNAD more. Haha.