History VisualNovel / CLANNAD

* FirstNameBasis - Tomoya calls all of the other main girls by their given name without honorific, adding "-chan" for Kotomi because she won't notice him otherwise, but he and Nagisa call each other by family name. At one point, Fūko, who approves of them as an OfficialCouple, tries to convince them to be more "adult-like" by switching to a first name basis (complete with -chan and -kun honorifics), but after a stuttering attempt both protest that it's too embarrassing (though Tomoya does manage it by leaving off the "-chan").

** [[spoiler:Fuko after her arc would be ChekhovsGunman; she makes a few random appearances for mostly as ComicRelief while her significance with regards to the dream world and role as a key catalyst to the whole story only becomes apparent in the GrandFinale.]]

** May be the way how the miracle at the end happens. The miracle did not turn back time and save Nagisa, it simply created an {{alternate universe}} where Nagisa survives, meaning that Nagisa, Tomoya, and Ushio are still dead in the universe where they died. Interestingly, the miracle requires you to replay or reload to the point where Nagisa dies, the same way you do when you're going for another route and another continuity.
* AnachronicOrder: Not so much in the VisualNovel or the {{anime}} series,s but definitely in the 2006 ToeiAnimation movie. Generally, the action therein skips back and forth between two timelines: Tomoya's senior year in high school, when he's falling in love with Nagisa, and [[spoiler: the weeks, months, and then years after Nagisa's death, when Tomoya is going through (and eventually recovers from) his HeroicBSOD.]] So instead of season one followed by ''~After Story~'' -- as in the KyotoAnimation series -- in the movie we get the former and the latter half of the latter interspliced.
* ArcWords: "Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you." Said several times by Kotomi to Tomoya. Also ArcWords (appearing essentially unchanged six times) [[Shoutout in its source]], Robert F. Young's TimeTravel love story, ''TheDandelionGirl''.

** MaiNakahara and RyokoShiraishi (Kappei) also play roles in ''{{Saki}}''.

* AbsurdlyYouthfulMother: Lots of examples but most apparent is Sanae. Just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckH-mSrme6k compare]] her to Nagisa's midwife, who was Sanae's classmate in high school.

** Tomoya's dad in his younger days, before hardships takes its toll on one's body. Who did you think Tomoya got his dread drop gorgeous looks from?

** According to Tomoya, he's surrounded by bokkes, namely Nagisa and Ryou. It is for this reason that he can't help but be the tsukkomi all the time.

** According to Tomoya, just every character around him are bokke, namely Nagisa and Ryou. It is for this reason that he can't help but be the tsukkomi.

* ArcWords: "Day before yesterday I saw a rabbit, and yesterday a deer, and today, you." Said several times by Kotomi to Tomoya. Also ArcWords (appearing essentially unchanged six times) [[ShoutOut in its source]], Robert F. Young's TimeTravel love story, ''TheDandelionGirl''.

** May be the way how the miracle at the end happens. The miracle did not turn back time and save Nagisa, it simply created an {{alternate universe}} where Nagisa survives, meaning that Nagisa, Tomoyo, and Ushio are still dead in the universe where they died. Interestingly, the miracle requires you to replay or reload to the point where Nagisa dies, the same way you do when you're going for another route and another continuity.

** May be the way how the miracle at the end happens. The miracle did not turn back time and save Nagisa, it simply created an {{alternate universe}} where Nagisa survives, meaning that Nagisa, Tomoyo, and Ushio are still dead in the universe where they died. Interesting, the miracle requires you to replay or reload to the point where Nagisa dies, the same way you do when you're going for another route and another continuity.

* InformedAbility - For somebody who is supposedly a 'delinquent,' Tomoya is a pretty mild guy. The only bad things he really does onscreen are coming into school late and having a smartmouth.

** Not so absurd if you live where I do where the U.S. pregnancy rate is highest nationwide, and also lowest average age nationwide as well(hint: burgeoning on high school entry age, not even upper age or just out of high school age). Also not so absurd by glancing at the "youngest parents in history" list on wikipedia.

* RPGElements - After Tomoya successfully pulls off a prank on Fūko, the action will sometimes freeze and a congratulatory "you mastered a new skill!" message will appear to an old video game-style tune. ''Mastered "Shooting Juice up the Nose!"'' Also, when Sunohara wants to join Tomoya and Nagisa to help the theater club, Tomoya's perspective for his response [[ShoutOut changes]] to that of the ''LittleBusters'' {{visual novel}}, and [[ButThouMust all of the choices are attacks...]]

Tomoya Okazaki is an [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary high school senior]] who [[BookDumb doesn't take his studies seriously.]] Always [[{{Delinquents}} late for class, he's seen as a delinquent]] by the rest of his classmates, who are busily preparing for their college entrance examinations. He hates his life and the whole town, and the closest thing he has to a real friend is LoserGuy Youhei Sunohara, who just barely manages to rise to the level of ButtMonkey at the best of times. Tomoya is thoroughly miserable.

* LoserGuy - Sunohara. Tomoya would seem much less impressive without him as a reference point.

* ShipSinking: Four alternate romantic options (Kyou, Ryou, Tomoyo, Kotomi) are swiftly dispatched at once during a tennis match late in the first series, the girls becoming increasingly miserable as Tomoya's unconscious behavior makes it crystal-clear who the OfficialCouple is. Their tears were matched by tears of ''[[DieForOurShip rage]]'' from shippers, the obviousness of said OfficialCouple be damned. Well, there's always the VisualNovel. And the AlternateUniverse arcs for Tomoyo (season one {{omake}} / episode 24) and Kyou (''~After Story~'' {{omake}} episode 25 / OVA).