[TV Series] Clannad

[gd0929918]

Type: TV series - 24 episodes + 2 specials (not OVA's) (there's also a movie, but i'm not including it in here)
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Supernatural, Romance

Plot synopsis
Clannad is set in a high-school located in some Japanese town. Okazaki Tomoya is a third-year student who doesn`t take his studies seriously. Always late for class, he`s seen as a delinquent by the rest of his classmates who are busy preparing for their entrance examinations. Needless to say, he hasn`t too many close friends either.
Tomoya seems not to mind too - until one day he meets a girl, Furukawa Nagisa, who is left alone without friends on this school, because everybody she knew already graduated. What a clumsy girl, he thinks at first. But he can`t leave her alone and so, while helping her, he meets a few other girls from his school. Although he doesn`t care much about them at first, he soon opens his heart to them as they get to know each other better.


Story (8/10)
The first half of the series was actually quite a weird story... But after Fuko's story arc is finished, it starts to go into the more serious part of the story. I thought it was really well done by doing that, even if it did seem to drag on just a little bit in a couple of episodes.

Characters (8/10)
I really wish they had shown more of the twins together. For some reason they reminded me a lot of Tsukasa and Kagami from Lucky Star (I honestly don't know why even).
But the main stars, Okazaki and Furukawa really make this show a beautiful romance.
Not to mention her parents are so awesome.

Art/animation (10/10)
OMG, probably one of the most beautiful art styles of any anime I've seen so far. It really makes it seem like a much more mature romance show simply because of it, while still maintaining that stylized "teenage romance" side.

Voice acting, music (9/10)
Really well done. The music was amazing, the voice talents felt (sounded?) so natural, and there really isnt a whole lot else to say about this.

Overall (9/10)
WATCH IT.
That was the only thing i knew about it going in. It was given to me without an explanation of the story or anything, except to watch it. The only reason I'm not giving this a 10/10 is because there isn't enough Fuko in the last half to satisfy me.

[Lenwë]

Story (9/10)
The main story is focused on Tomoya helping Nagisa trying to open again the Drama Club but in the meantime 3 other "plots" occur, first helping Fuko giving away starfish made of wood to everyone in the institute so they can assist to her sister's wedding, then helping Kotomi making friends and forget her past & the final one is the Fujibayashi sisters and Tomoyo feelings towards Tomoya.

Characters (9/10)
Every character has it's little angel and eventually you will develop some feelings for one or two character's, maybe the only character that doesn't fit very well into the environment/story is Fuko and her story definitely takes a lot of episodes that maybe could have been used to develop more the friendship between all the characters.

Art/Animation (10/10)
This anime is enjoyable on native high resolution, it has a lot of details and characters are well made definitely a joy for the eyes, the characters really feel alive and even the background one's are well made.

Voice Acting, Music (10/10)
Voices are well syncrhonized and match what you see on screen, you really feel the joy or the sadness in the voice and the drawings, the intro and ending are enjoyable and I enjoyed both of them.

Overall (10/10)
Definitely worth watching, you will laugh and cry on some episodes, the OVA's are worth and one of them gives the possibility for an alternate space/plot that will probably work too and after watching the movie you will probably want a movie based on that alternate plot.

[BDNguyen]

Story (8/10)
Slow but steady. I like how this series focuses on specific characters then going back to the original plot, Tomoya helping Nagisa with the drama club.

Characters (10/10)
The characters are simply precious. There is something unique about each of them and one can actually develop affection for the character. Sometimes you hope you will see a certain character that you're especially fond of.

Art/animation (10/10)
The animation is smooth and the art style is very nice, as expected of Kyoto Animation.

Voice acting, music (9/10)
The voice actors really put feeling into their roles and the composed music had deep emotion suitable for a romance and drama setting.

Overall (9.25/10)
Brilliant piece of work, horribly underrated, and kudos to Key and Kyoto Animation.

[NightL]

Story (7/10)
The story was given an seven (7), because of the several unnessecary episodes. Most of the episodes, just had the typical romance anime plots, where girl-meets-boy-and-they-talk-or-cry. I did however, like the girl living in an alternative dimension Earth along with a robot. Some people seemed to hate that part, but, in my opinion, it was the part that made the series good. And, the only thing I enjoyed in the "real" parts, was the comedy showed by Okazaki, and the kindess showed by Nagisa.
Characters (9/10)
The characters are pretty well designed/made. Okazaki, as a delinquent, started to meet Nagisa. And he started changing, or he changed himself. That is a really good improvement, in my opinion. BUT, some of the supporting characters, are just those typical sidekicks or those typical has-crush-on-main-character.
Art/animation (8/10)
The art was flawless. But, at some points in the anime, it seemed as if it was the worst animation ever. But, that could also depend on the quality of the video. May it be in HD or may it be in those raw videos.
Voice acting, music (10/10)
This would actually be a one word answer, but, I'll still say more than a word. Excellent. All the voices match the characters. In some anime, characters NEVER match their own voices. For E.g: Sakai Yuuji from Shakugan no Shana.
Overall (10/10)
All in all, this anime was pretty funny at some points, along with some pretty depressing and teary moments.
I totally recommend it to anyone who likes Romance/Drama.

[Sakurei]

Story (10/10)
i really like the mix of comedy and romance as well as the "splitted" plot, that was devived in the main story and 3 branches, 1. branch was the fuuko arc, in which tomoya and nagisa are distributing fuuko's starfishes, the 2nd was kotomi, who's had no friends until tomoya arrives and helps her to get some and the last was the tomoyo and twin arc, which centers about their feelings toward tomoya

Characters (10/10)
i really like all character very much, tomoya who's always taunting sunohara and fuuko, kyou who's worried about her pig and beating sunohara up when he's just touching it, kotomi who absolutely cant play the violine, yet she always tries, fuuko who tinks she's mature, yet she is pretty childish, tomoyo (my absolute favorite) who is always there if sunohara needs a good beating, nagisa who is always trying to give her best, the shy ryou who cant confess, and of course nagisa's parents, who are just hilarious

Art/Animation (10/10)
the Art is just beautiful, I've rarily seen an artwork this beautiful, it's seems mature yet it isnt overdone really one of the most beautiful animations ive ever seen.

Audio (9/10)
the voice acting itself was very well done, the feelings the characters are feeling are clear, you can kinda feel it too. but i didnt really like the ending of clannad and the opening was rather average as well

Overall (10/10)
Overall clannad is an absolute masterpiece, ive really seen a lot, but clannad is definitely one of my top 3, it's very hard to surpass clannad in my opinion. absolutely a mustwatch for every comedy/romance fan

[agiup]

Story (10/10)
so romantic and heart touching story..... i also love the comedy parts.... this story really get me inspired!

Characters (10/10)
the characters here cute especially the girls, i love them... how i wish i could meet someone like them in real life.. hehe..
the characters here have different traits here and a funny attitude.

Art/Animation (10/10)
the animation is cool, especially when they used a romantic settings, it really gets me to a romantic mood.

Audio (10/10)
the voice are all cute especially the girls voice.. they got the perfect rhythm

Overall (10/10)
one word "PERFECT"

[RanChii]

Story 8/10

Clannad has a very interesting plot and some scenes can truly force that tear out of your eye. I gave it an eight over ten since most of the episodes at the beginning was plain, random and not to mention boring, but as you continue to watch it, the air around them soon changes.

Characters 10/10

Each character in Clannad gives off their own unique personality. The roles they play in the anime made the story more enticing. I gave them a ten since all of them really played their part to make the story beautiful.

Art/Animation 10/10

Kyoto Animation produces great quality art and animation. The scenery was drawn perfectly and the emotions of the characters were executed flawlessly. Clannad is one of the anime I find very catching to the eyes and this art will move you to watch more of the anime.


Voice Acting/Music 10/10

I gave this anime's audio presentation a ten since the actors who voiced over the characters gave out the emotions that they have to portray perfectly. There were no awkward sounding moments. The music of the anime goes well with the story. Each character has their own theme and it really works out to the whole flow of the anime. I can say that the melody is truly unique and brilliant.


Overall 10/10

If you would watch the whole series, I'll bet you'll fall in love with it too. This Romance-Drama anime can truly captivate your heart since it deals with (some) real life situations that you can connect with. I can say that Clannad is no ordinary anime for it shows you the world of fantasy and magic all at the same time.

[TrueTears]

Story – 8/10
Similar to Key’s other works, Air and Kanon, Clannad attempts to throw the Republican punch; it plays with your emotions without giving a reason for doing so. Thankfully Clannad does a much better job than the pathetic campaign that the Republicans are currently running (and no, I’m not going to begin comparing Tomoyo to Sarah Palin if anyone was wondering).

Clannad’s story is about Tomoya Okazaki, a young delinquient in his last year of high school. When Tomoya was young his mother died in an accident. This event led Tomoya and his father into a downward spiral where they both became distant from one another. One night, Tomoya and his father got into an argument which eventually turned into a fight between father and son. As a result Tomoya seriously injured his shoulder and was unable to continue playing on the high-school basketball team. It was at this point where Tomoya began avoiding his father and roaming around the streets at night. He then began coming to school late and skipping classes together with his best friend Youhei Sunohara. Due to his actions, people began labeling Tomoya as a delinquient. Now in his last year of high school, Tomoya continues to half-*** his way through his life. Tomoya no longer cares about his future or others… until one day when he meets Nagisa Furukawa, a typically shy and gentle girl. It turns out that Nagisa was actually held back a year due to the fact that she was sick in the previous year and missed most of her classes. Since most of her friends graduated and left town, Nagisa is left with no friends. Tomoya, who feels that Nagisa is in a similar situation to his, approaches her. It is then that Nagisa tells Tomoya of her dream to join the drama club; because she always wanted to act in a play. Together, the two of them muster enough effort to go to the drama room after school only to find that the club shut down. Disappointed with the outcome, Nagisa leaves. After some thinking Tomoya, who feels that he has nothing better to do with his life, attempts to help Nagisa reorganize the drama club. Along the way, Tomoya meets many other (beautiful) girls, who all happen to have their fair share of problems. With nothing else to do, Tomoya eventually helps to solve each of their problems while at the same time coming to the realization that he himself has one.

Clannad’s story is told in a number of arcs. Each arc focuses on a specific character and their family central problems. Within each arc, Tomoya and Nagisa help that character identify the problem and find ways to solve it. In doing so, Tomoya learns more about the importance of having a family while Nagisa develops some personal courage. For this genre of anime, Clannad does a good job in steering clear from the pit of flaws and clichés that many other animes constantly fall into. In general, the story arcs in Clannad are well executed and told very nicely with some light supernatural elements thrown in. The backgrounds of each arc character are fleshed out and presented to the viewers in a way in which we can easily make connections and relate to each character. While the stories of each character are neither deep nor profound they are often sad; usually involving a tragic death or a tale of misfortune. Unfortunately, the episode length of the story arcs is quite unbalanced. Two of the main character’s arcs are cut extremely short due to some arcs being far too long and to a point, overly fleshed out.

Often times, Kyoto Animation (now KyoAni for simplicity) seems to be the Hollywood of anime; spawning shallow pop culture shows with over the top production values. Some of the animes produced by KyoAni such as The Melancholy of Suzimiya Haruhi and Lucky Star rely heavily on otaku-central humor. The humor sported by the above series often gets repetitive and dull since it is only targeted at one specific group. Thankfully, the overall experience of Clannad is not bogged down by unnecessary otaku humor. Oddly enough, the humor is actually used in parts of Clannad’s story to provide comic relief (usually involving the misfortune of Youhei Sunohara) to prevent the show from feeling too depressing. Additionally, the comedic scenes in Clannad are not just otaku-specific and are more quirky, witty and slapstick oriented. Unlike Zero no Tsukaima, which doesn’t t know when to draw the fine line between cruel and funny, Clannad seems to understand its reputation and swiftly draws that line. Overall, I enjoyed the humor in Clannad and felt that it added to the show rather than detracting from viewing experience. It’s nice to see that KyoAni has finally learned that there are anime fans out there that do not enjoy excessive amounts of otaku humor; Clannad being a key example of their progress.

Surprisingly there is very little romantic development in Clannad (which the opening would hint otherwise since it quite clearly showcases the five main girls in typical harem format). The main focus of Clannad is families and not so much romance, although all families eventually begin with some romance. There is some romantic tension between Tomoya and the other girls (mainly Nagisa) but it never gets to the point where a harem is formed. More than anything the romance of the show just fleshes out the main characters and makes them memorable in the end.

Animation – 9/10
KyoAni is known far and wide for having extremely high production values. Some fans even consider the studio to be the gods of anime and for good reasons too. The animation in Clannad does not disappoint, all characters are fluidly animated. There is not a single dull facial expression or a stiff body figure on screen at any time (although at one point Tomoya does get rather stiff, but this is not due to a drop in animation). The lighting effects in Clannad are also superb, as they are usually used in conjunction with character’s feelings to convey the mood. Overall I have very few complaints (if not any) about the animation in Clannad except that I know KyoAni’s has even greater potential in terms of animation as seen in their previous masterpiece Full Metal Panic: The Second Raid.

Sound – 8/10
Another strong point of this anime is its sound and voice acting. The opening song "Megumeru ~cuckool mix 2007” by eufonius is a direct remix of the Clannad game opening. It fits the tone of the show nicely and is enjoyable to listen too along with the opening animation. The ending them “Dango Daikazoku” (The Big Dango Family) by Chata is a metaphorical song of the show’s main theme and the animation that goes along with it is quite cute and charming. Most of the BGM in Clannad was either reused or remixed directly from the Clannad visual novel. People who have played the game before will recognize many similar tracks, which may lead to mixed feelings. It would have been nice if KyoAni had taken the time to create new tracks, although in doing so they may have destroyed the overall feel and mood of Clannad. The voice acting is handled quite well by the voice actors. Most of them were able to breathe life into each of their respective characters and with great passion too. Overall, sound is pretty solid in Clannad earning a respective value of 8.

Characters – 8/10
Most of the characters in Clannad are taken from a bottomless pool of anime archetypes including the quiet bookworm, the gentle girl and your typical tsundere. Thankfully, some of the characters in Clannad end up being more than dry bologna. I’m glad that I finally get to have a few slices of black forest salami.

My goodness, if the delinquents at my school offered to solve my personal problems and spoke without swearing every other sentence, I would declare world peace everywhere. It’s strange that Tomoya seems to be the nicest and most decent delinquient that I have ever seen. In some respects his character almost seems unnatural, although I guess Tomoya only developed in this fashion due to living with a dysfunctional father. Complaints aside, Tomoya is a painfully honest young man who is frantically dealing with his own personal problems. Tomoya is a truly admirable character as he draws upon the failures in his life to make sure those around him do not end up that way. Through helping others, Tomoya eventually comes to the realization of his own problems and changes with the help of others.

At first glance, Nagisa doesn’t really seem to fit the role of a heroine as her character is a combination of the shy, gentle girl archetype. Nagisa is initially afraid of speaking in front of others but nevertheless wants to join the drama club. Most of Clannad’s story revolves around Nagisa and her fight to overcome her shyness. With Tomoya’s help, she eventually matures into a strong-willed person with a mind of her own. In turn, Nagisa is the one who helps Tomoya get over his distrust of everyone and his negative view on life. Oddly enough, Nagisa seems to be one of the few characters in Clannad who doesn’t have an immediate family issue. Nagisa’s family happens to be very close with each other, a rarity in modernized societies today. Watching Nagisa’s family members interact with one another gave me a heartwarming feeling and made me realize how similar my family is to hers. Even Tomoya is welcomed into the family at one point, showing just how generous they are. I understand that not everyone is blessed with a warm, loving family, but I hope that this example illustrates that almost anyone can find a family in this world, even if they are not related by blood.

The four other main girls in Clannad aren’t quite as developed as Nagisa (in terms of character, not figure) but they still have more than ample screen time. First of all there’s Kyou Fujibayashi (your typical tsundere), Kotomi Ichinose (the shy, intelligent bookworm), Tomoyo Sakagami (the combo master) and Fuko Ibuki (the starfish obsessed bozo). All of the main girls have their own respective arcs in which their personal stories are told. Each girl is equally likeable due to their individual personalities and complex personal lives, although some such as Kotomi and Kyou seriously run the risk of falling within the bottomless pool of anime archetypes. One last notable mention is Youhei Sunohara, who is the main source of comic relief in Clannad. Sunohara is probably the most humorous character due to his wacky antics and idiotic behavior which often results in him being bullet-kicked by Tomoyo. While every character in Clannad belongs to an anime archetype, KyoAni does an excellent job in differentiating most of them from other common fodder. These characters are part of what makes Clannad such an enjoyable and at times humorous show to watch.

Enjoyment – 9/10
While it’s not a groundbreaking story, Clannad doesn’t try to play up to anything more than it is. Clannad is simply a heartwarming story about the importance of a family. While some character’s arcs did not receive as much screen time as others, the main story is not greatly affected. Clannad’s story isn’t without flaws, but it still stands strong and will be remembered if not for its heartwarming story, then for its wacky, original sense of humor. People who enjoy a blend of drama, humor and slice of life will more than enjoy Clannad. Those who prefer a more serious tone to their animes (such as myself) will still find reasons to enjoy Clannad as its story is not purely positive.