But predictable and over the top drama [i]is[/i] a bad thing. Though I liked it more than both AIR and Kanon, Clannad is a B anime at best.
To be fair, the ending is not a Deus Ex Machina; by definition, a Deus Ex Machina is, simply put, an Ass Pull. The ending of Clannad, on the other hand, was subtly but thoroughly set up by large amounts of foreshadowing and establishment of the relevant plot devices. It's easy to forget that Clannad is, at heart, set in a fantasy universe, but that doesn't make the ending any more uncalled for; in fact, if you've been paying close attention to the setup to that point, you should be expecting something of the sort.
I agree with this review; the sadness in Clannad After Story was done far better than practically anything you can find. Although going on a bit long perhaps with the nostalgic flashbacks, but that's a minor thing. As for the ending, I am glad that it ended the way it did. Why should a story be more "real" because it is sad and depressing? I never got that part. Sounds like something people say when they want to show themselves above the hoi polloi with their vile taste for common happiness. Me, I'll take the common happiness.
But better than the sadness in Clannad After Story, I liked the fun and wackiness in Clannad, the first season. Which also had its tearjerkers; the Fuko storyline remains my favorite. A character that is both so weird and funny, and tragic at the same time, that is very hard to pull off.
Leave a Comment:
The Crying Game
It bears mentioning that Kanon is but a mere dress rehearsal when compared to what Clannad attempts, which is to not so much tug at your heartstrings as practise virtuoso nineteenth century harp concertos on them. Laughed when Bambi's mother died? Think Grave Of The Fireflies would be much improved with the addition of a riff track? Clannad invites you to bring it on.
It would be redundant to summarise the plot: partly because the previous reviewer has already done so admirably, but also because it's not wildly divergent from others in the genre (especially with regard to its elder siblings). Boy meets girl; everybody cries. In a welcome departure from the norm, though, the canon relationship is allowed to develop organically throughout both seasons, and its presence is still strong in arcs ostensibly focussed on other characters.
The militant 'leave not a dry eye in the house' approach favoured by the writers may legitimately be found manipulative: the last act of ~After Story~ is emotional extortion of the most baldfaced variety, and one starts to wonder how much more of a trauma magnet they can make out of Tomoya. It's not that all the major narrative devices are designed to push viewers' buttons, it's that they're employed with somewhat predictable alacrity. By ~After Story~, you're practically counting down the number of episodes before it's time to reach for those tissues; towards the end, you're counting in minutes.
I make it sound like this is a bad thing; quite the opposite, really. After all, drama serves to exercise the audience's emotions. Even if the resolution of the central tragedy invokes the supernatural with an easy convenience, it's not as if you can say it was undeserved. In keeping the True End mechanic of the visual novel intact, the spirit of the game's ending is faithfully preserved: they say it's darkest just before dawn, and it's nice to have the ensuing cartharsis. Which is a fancy way of describing how relieved I was that it didn't end on what could have been one of anime's bleakest notes.
So, who else fears the worst for the inevitable Little Busters adaptation?