NKDS

Yes, we love you Nagisa、and so we will love this school too!

Most of us at NK-DS have finished Clannad AS and done our fair share of laughing and weeping. For the first time on our site, three of our writers are going to share their thoughts in a single post dedicated to the series that touched so many hearts, and caused so much tears and laughter.

First up is Julius Firefocht, the guy who supposedly dropped Clannad AS. Next up would be Mycstea, the guy who marathoned it and lived to tell the tale, and last but not least would be Xak, our resident Noto/Kotomi fan. With the introductions done, we shall begin after the jump. Spoilers ahead, be warned…

Julius Firefocht

I know, I made a post stating how I would be dropping Clannad AS after episode 16 since it made me too depressed to function properly for a while. I had recovered by the time episode 17 aired, and I figured that I owed the series that much to at least try to finish it. Credit goes to Sentinel011 from Bonkurasu too, since he lured me back in by going on and on about how moe Ushio was. I was glad I took the bait.

For me, watching Clannad is like experiencing a compact version of life itself. Sometimes you laughed, sometimes you cried, sometimes you laughed till you cried and sometimes you cried tears of joy. Similarly, life has its ups and downs, and it is never smooth-sailing all the way. Clannad as an anime series reflected that very well, but also managed to attach the viewers to the characters, so that we too can feel what they felt. For example, when Nagisa passed away and Tomoya decided to make Ushio the center of his life, I knew I was no longer watching Clannad for Nagisa, but for Ushio. Subsequently, whenever Tomoya pinned for Nagisa, I too missed Nagisa’s steady presence, and for the first time truly appreciated just how much Nagisa meant to Tomoya, and to the many viewers watching the series.

Now, at the end of the road, I still think I went through hell to enter heaven. That applied for Tomoya and Nagisa too, characters who went through so much pain to finally obtain their happiness, by a pure miracle that they rightfully deserved. However, to paraphrase an old quote, what matters is not so much the destination, but the journey itself. I believe Clannad epitomized that very well, because I know I will remember this series for its tragedies and emotional moments rather than the bliss that Tomoya and Nagisa earned right at the end. Make no mistake though, Clannad as a whole is perhaps the best KeyAni title out so far, and that in itself is no mean feat.

Mycstea

In CLANNAD and After Story, I’ve dreaded, i’ve laughed, i’ve empathised, i’ve dreamt, i’ve played, i’ve believed, i’ve lived,  i’ve died, i’ve prayed, i’ve resurrected, i’ve despaired, i’ve hoped and now i’m alive again. This anime is such an emotional rollercoaster ride that has left me dangling off the rooftop so many times.

Initially, to prevent myself from losing too much sleep over the show, i decided to drop it from episode 16 until AS ends. It was a good choice. I didn’t need to torment myself for a whole week before i get to the next episode. However, the emotional impact was still there. In fact, there was only a brief 20 mins or so (episode 17) that i didn’t cry. Or maybe i was feeling so helpless i couldn’t cry immediately following episode 16.

CLANNAＤ AS had a really good presentation in many episodes. For example, eps 18’s toilet scene was just plain awesome. It was a great way of portraying how Ushio was brought up, how lonely she was and how much she really wanted Tomoya’s love. Sadly, the pacing was a little too fast for my taste after Tomoya and Nagisa got married and it does feel a little rushed.

Animation wise, Kyoto Animation has once again raised the bar for moe-romance-slice of life shows. The colouring of the show shifts it’s colour palette according to the seasons, moods as well as the timing in the anime’s time. In my impression, CLANNAD was mostly yellow, AS　is mostly white/blue. Most of the scenes encompasses lighting colour effects, which really went a long way to enhance the overall mood of the show.

Some people complaint about the ending being the ultimate Rick-roll of the year, but personally i feel that it is the best miracle to happen this season. I mean, who doesn’t want a happy ending?

Xak

Well, to start off I had been expecting the fact that CLANNAD AS would have such an emotional impact since I heard the OP from the first episode of CLANNAD AS. Toki wo Kizamu Uta is an awesome song that moved me greatly when I first heard and saw it (I’m even currently listening to the piano arrange as I write this), and very firmly drove the fact that Nagisa will die in CLANNAD AS into my heart, something that I had considered from all the Other World scenes, something that I allowed myself not to think about in the first series with its happy endings, something that I made myself remember every single episode of CLANNAD AS through the song, to prepare myself for the eventual pain that would come.

Because Kotomi is so cool <3

When the moment came it made light of all my preparations though. I cried a lot. However, I did not see Nagisa’s death as the end and want to give up on the series, or delay it. I had hope and faith that the true end would come, that there would be a happy ending. Well, that and hopes of more Kotomi (which were not realised until episode 22, and she looked great <3) of course.  I also cried at the happy scenes of 18 and 22, where Tomoya realised his father’s love, when he remembered Nagisa when he was about to tell Ushio about her, and of course, at Ushio growing up with her father and mother with her.

When I first heard Toki wo Kizamu Uta, I thought it stood a chance of being as much of an epic song as Tori no Uta was. After episode 16, I thought that CLANNAD was a strong contendor to overtake Air as the best KeyAni production in my opinion. And with episode 22 over, it has indeed surpassed Air in detail of development. I still think the last episode of Air has the better single scene, but CLANNAD delivered so much more, so on the whole, I think CLANNAD and CLANNAD AS, together, are the best KeyAni production now. The next step I need to take is to play the game for myself.

To End Off

Despite the mix of emotions and thoughts of this show, be it good or bad, CLANNAD AS has definitely left a trail of emotion that can probably only be on par by possibly, Planetarian. Let us all look forward to new collaborations between Key and Kyoto Animation in future and archieve the best moments of emotional anime in our hearts forever.