Clannad: After Story | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Clannad: After Story

If you’re here, then it’s almost a given that you know what Clannad is. In the realm of Romance anime, Clannad is of particular significance and undying legacy. What started as a fun and vibrant Visual Novel brought forth numerous anime adaptations, which allowed fans to feel a myriad of complex emotions. So what sets the various Clannad stories apart? While each of them has its charms, strengths, weaknesses, and entertainment factors, there is only one clear victor amongst them for the best of the batch.

Clannad: After Story is the sequel to the original Clannad anime series from Fall 2007. From a critical standpoint, this prequel had many weaknesses and issues no matter how iconic it was, but it was still okay as a very light-hearted Slice of Life series, a decent watch albeit all its flaws.

Most viewers walk into the sequel expecting more or less the same sort of series, but they couldn’t be more wrong in this regard as After Story is on a whole other level. It is something incredibly different and absolutely brilliant. As critically acclaimed as the prequel series was in the domain of Slice of Life After Story does it far better.

“Clannad ~After Story~” is a 24 episode TV anime series that started airing on the 3rd of October 2008 until the 27th of March 2009, as a Fall 2008 title. It was produced by Pony Canyon, TBS, Rakuonsha, and Animation Do, licensed by Sentai Filmworks, and brought to life by Studio Kyoto Animation. It featured the genres of Comedy, Drama, Romance, Slice of Life, and Supernatural and received a rating of PG-13 for teen audiences 13 years or older.

It is based on the source Visual Novel of the same title by Studio Key. An alternate version exists in the form of a single movie titled “Clannad The Motion Picture” (Clannad Movie, Gekijouban Clannad) on the 15th of September 2007. It was the work of Studio Toei Animation and featured a School theme. The prequel Clannad series ran for 23 episodes from the 5th of October 2007 until the 28th of March 2008.

An alternative setting single Special episode aired on the 1st of July 2009, titled “Clannad: After Story - Mou Hitotsu no Sekai, Kyou-hen” (Clannad ~After Story~: Another World - Kyou Chapter, Clannad: After Story OVA). Set in an alternate reality, Fujibayashi Kyou is the main heroine, and the story follows the love triangle formed between her, Fujibayashi Ryou, and Okazaki Tomoya.

After Story looks at Tomoya Okazaki and Nagisa Furukawa following their graduation from high school, the main couple comes to experience the many emotional rollercoasters of growing up together in their unyielding world. Tomoya is faced with the difficult decision of the course for his looming future, in time learning the actual value of a strong work ethic and the invaluable importance of Nagisa's support on this road.

Thanks to their undying dedication and almost perfect unity of purpose, they manage to push forward through their many struggles while confronting their personal problems, deepening their past relationships, and nurturing new ones. Meanwhile, time also continues to flow in a seemingly Illusionary World.

Over time here, the lush green plains grow cold as winter approaches, and an Illusionary Girl along with a Garbage Doll are faced with a difficult predicament that will soon reveal the World's true purpose. The course of this tale is impactful and dramatic; it highlights the great importance of family and bonds, as well as the seemingly countless struggles of adulthood.

The Story follows the same light-hearted High School Drama style of its prequel during the first eight episodes. At this point, the Storytelling is pretty bad, especially in the Sunohara arc. But this part is bearable and can be considered “okay” at best. The Yukine arc and Misae arc are better in comparison, but none of these are the highlights of the series, which have such little significance to the main couple’s story.

But these arcs are not to be skipped, as they contain details that later prove vital to understanding the next part of the anime. While it is not advisable, these can be skipped if necessary. The latter set of episodes more than makes up for its mediocre prior episodes with absolutely brilliant storytelling. It is quick to get back on its own sturdy feet and presents viewers with numerous and significant emotional rollercoasters, some of the best to ever exist in Anime.

The ending did cause some controversy, as it comes across as somewhat ambiguous and complex to understand without having played the Visual Novel entirely. After Story might require more than one viewing to comprehend it completely, but once that's done, viewers can fully understand it without any foreign aid, albeit being a bit of a tough nut to crack. At this point, the whole series feels extremely deep and rewarding, so it's worth a shot.

The characters are the best aspect of the series. All of them feel incredibly human, making them as relatable as they are likable. This leads viewers to get easily attached to them, thus leaving its most significant emotional impact.

Due to this attachment, their suffering and happiness all feel so real. Each of them works so well with each other; this is especially true for Tomoya and Nagisa, who are one of the most iconic anime couples to date. Their imperfections make them so great; they compliment each other really well despite being far from perfect. Tomoya is hot-headed, while Nagisa is quiet and strong. This is about how very human characters discover and reach harmony with each other.

The Art and Animation are brilliantly done. The main story’s visual aspects have their moments and are generally excellent. But where this aspect indeed reverberates is within the gorgeous and surreal Illusionary World.

The contrast between the two worlds is another highlight; while the main world features bright lighting, lively animation, and vivid colors, the Illusionary world is on the opposite spectrum. Overall, the color transitions from bright to dull based on the changing atmospheres are really well, and the Animation is well polished.

The Music and Sounds department does not falter behind either. The OSTs compliment the scenes well; it masterfully pairs its music with each scene to deepen the emotional impact. This is brilliantly done that it becomes impossible to hear the music without feeling an emotion attached to it via a particular event in the anime.

The Opening theme is “Toki wo Kizamu Uta” by Lia, a nice and versatile song to set the right emotional tone for each episode. The Ending themes are "TORCH" by Lia and "Chiisana Te no Hira" by riya. These are a bit too bouncy and uppity for the highly weighing emotions of the Anime, which will most likely ruin the mood. The voice acting is done really well, with each character having a unique voice that matches their appearance and personality.

After Story is simply an experience not to be missed; even if you're not prone to shedding tears while watching Anime, this one is very likely to get those tears flowing. The reason is that it strikes an entirely different type of chord in your heartstrings.

This story will appeal to the most human parts of you, be it the immense burden of Tomoya's responsibilities or Nagisa's incredible ability to remain positive for the sake of her beloved. What makes it so emotionally powerful is that it is genuine and can even happen to you.