History Tropers / M1gamiTensei

I'll leave a few works I find interesting. Due to the space of it all and the amount of media I consume, I'll only sum it all up in single sentences, whether it be really long or old. Anyway, here is what I find interesting:

!One Sentence Reviews

* Franchise/KamenRider: I like this franchise for not being too episodic and that I care a lot more for the ground fights though I feel like the franchise could go beyond if they stop using the tropes and archetypes the adhere too.
** Series/KamenRiderExAid: My first Kamen Rider and it was a blast to go through although it's a little bit repetitive in its story.
* Manga/IsTheOrderARabbit: I want to marry Sharo and keep her safe forever.
* WesternAnimation/BojackHorseman: Likely the most depressing cartoon ever made which makes me love even more.
* Series/StrangerThings: I'm on the camp that the show should have at season one instead of milking it as much as I enjoyed latter seasons.
* Series/BreakingBad: Somehow this show gave me existential dread despite it supposed to be about meth.
* Franchise/StarTrek: I think this franchise is better than ''Franchise/StarWars'' and has a better track record than it even with its BrokenBase-making installments of today.
** Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries: An iconic show that had some really shining episodes but has some meh episodes to really {{Narm}} stinkers.
** Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration: It started off as even worst than the original Star Trek but eventually became even better in every aspect.
** Film/StarTrek2009: An okay film that tries to set itself apart from others by being as edgy and "sexy" as possible.
* Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda: A franchise that is so high-quality thanks to the series evolving alongside the generations and pushing to becoming refined in each entry.
** VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime: A fantastic game that gives us one of the most subtle, and most refined games that should be heralded as one of the greatest ever made.
** VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker: A massive and expansive game that is at its best in its remake since there is frankly too much water.
** VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword: As many detracters as it gets, I really like this game but it does on for way too long and needed to be a bit faster in many regards.
** VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds: I wish I played this game when it was first released because it is a joy to go through.
* Series/{{Merlin}}: When I finished it, I realized I wasted a few weeks of my life for a really shitty outcome.
* Manga/JojosBizarreAdventure: I adore this show for being as stylish and ridiculous as possible and still hit hard even years later.
** Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood: A really strange slow and yet fastly paced part with really nothing interesting going on.
** Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureBattleTendency: A step up from ''Phantom blood'' by being a fun romp about strategy and a series of incredible action-y moments.

Hello my fellow basement-dwelling Tropers, my name is [=M1gami=] and I am a loser who does nothing but sits down and surfs the internet all day and listen to Japanese music on his iPad. Hoorah.

Primarily works as a writer and editor for the Pantheon/TropePantheons, the most ambitious crossover ever. No jokes on that. Also I managed to get banned from their Discord (first!) and is pretty much TheScrappy for that place. It might have affected my mental health but don't worry about that! It's all in good fun, like slinging rocks at that one kid nobody likes in school.

*

** Series/StarTrek: An iconic show that had some really shining episodes but has some meh episodes to really {{Narm}} stinkers.

** VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaALinkBetweenWorlds: I wish I played this game when it was first released because it is a joy to go through.

As what the internet dictates me, I am supposedly an insensitive ingrate who finds his way to annoy every forum out there. Which is why you get to see a lot of thumps from me. Also, may have promoted the complete global annihilation of old systems and basically run TheEmpire where I am ruler living with my anime waifus. Trust me, that's a long story.

Primarily works as an writer and editor for the Pantheon/TropePantheons, the most ambitious crossover ever. No jokes on that. Also I managed to get banned from their Discord and is pretty much TheScrappy for that place. Might have affected my mental health but don't worry about that! It's all in good fun, like slinging rocks at that one kid nobody likes in school.

* Franchise/KamenRider: I like this franchise for not being episodic and that I care more for the ground fights though I feel like the franchise could go beyond if they stop using the tropes and archetypes the adhere too.

Have thoughts on various works of fiction I'd like to place here and recommend or give my honest thoughts about. Hope you enjoy reading them.

* Franchise/PowerRangers, Franchise/SuperSentai, Franchise/KamenRider, Franchise/UltraSeries, {{tokusatsu}} in general:
** Power Rangers: Now this is a weird thing to talk about as a first but I generally respect toku shows. Power Rangers has been my childhood. I believe I started with Series/PowerRangersWildForce through the series I'm really nostalgic for is Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder. Power Rangers really doesn't get the respect it should deserve but considering the DorkAge that was Neo-Saban trying to recapture what made Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers popular but forgetting that it was TheNineties. The cheese and quips of the series were not why the entire franchise grew popular with its demographic aside from nostalgia; it was the continuing stories and CharacterDevelopment. Series/PowerRangersRPM is what was supposed to be an evolution to the series but they went back on it because the producers did not have respect the series either by how Series/PowerRangersMegaforce interviews on the behind-the-scenes behaviors, which is weird since the original owner acquired the franchise at the time. All we can hope Hasbro treats the series better and maybe bring it to a more mature blend of storytelling like its Japanese counterparts.
** Super Sentai: For some strange reason, I think being a member of the Super Sentai has much more grandeur than being a Power Ranger. I think its two factors: the fact that their threats seem to be on the world-ending to galaxy level and the powers aren't tied to the Morphin Grid, making them feel more separated. Though I do like how Power Rangers have a single place to draw their powers from though the legacy is strong in both series. Due to ValuesDissonance, Super Sentai gets away with more adult themes and language, which is a reason why people who love Super Sentai disregard Power Rangers. I hate that mindset and disregard the merits of one thing over the other just because it's more "mature". I think Super Sentai is superior to Power Rangers thanks to its vastly longer history but don't just take a dump on Power Rangers. Wow. This was more on Power Rangers than my actual thoughts on Super Sentai. Huh.
** Kamen Rider: Hooboy. This is a bit of a doozy because of how popular the franchise is on this site. Mostly this stems from the Heisei era breathing new life into the series by building around gimmicks it presented. Frankly, I think its a bit overblown but I haven't watched much of it, so I don't know I'm the one to criticize. I wish they'd drop several archetypes they've been using for their more typical series and reinvent old ones. This is a problem with Toei shows in general but I feel it less so than Super Sentai. Another problem I have since the cast pool is smaller, they have to force very long character storylines that would work better if the amount of episodes are shorter. What I do like about Kamen Rider is that I care for the fight scenes, since I don't care about the mech fights in its sister show. Still, I'm not saying I dislike Kamen Rider, just giving hope they could rectify problems I have with it for the Reiwa era.
** Ultraman: I am a man who has yet by the time I'm writing watch a single Ultraman series. Surely, I am a great critic. I digress, despite not knowing much about the franchise, I am at least aware of its impact of Japanese media in general, being revolutionary and having withstood the test of time in popularity. I think that Western toku fans don't give Ultraman the respect it deserves. Complains about SeinfeldIsUnfunny come into play here, which I believe is because Ultraman never had any defining gimmicky theming that its rival shows have. Also, I'm sure its potential viewership was lost during the Ultraman owner's legal trouble that last across almost a decade in the 2000s, making more Ultraman shows or at least quality ones in comparison. Luckily, they had a major comeback and are climbing back into the spotlight despite Western viewers being the equivalent of cult followings in cult followings. Good luck Ultraman, shine bright. On a last note, I had just realized how such a missed opportunity for an American adaption. Ultraman before Power Rangers one of the few toku series known internationally, so why not make one? I know there was Series/UltramanTowardsTheFuture, an Australian production. Even they knew the potential. Now that the franchise's rights in the West was sold to Marvel and therefore Disney, I can only hope Ultraman is in the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse.
* Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann: My favorite anime of all time. As many flaws people like pointing to it, I cannot find a bone in my body that would tell me this show was unspectacular in any shape, way or form. Gurren Lagann is much like a fist to the face: waking you up from all the doubts you have and snapping sense into you. The amount of SerialEscalation is staggering, and every character makes you care for them. Even people you hate will eventually become so hateable, you'd like them or do a complete turnaround, you feel nothing but the investment for what everybody does and the insanity they will do. People who dislike Gurren Lagann call it the most overrated thing ever because all they see is randomness crammed into it but looking back, there are so many deep complexities to the show that do not need to be spelled out like they're politics. I wish I could describe the sheer awesomeness this show is. If you haven't watch it at all, do it. It is a blast that nothing can compare. The movies too, they are batshit insane as well. Here's to you, Team Dai-Gurren and drill your way to the heavens and into our hearts.
* VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}: This used to be my favorite anime of all time. Used to be. Looking back in hindsight, CLANNAD has a variety of issues to it that even I cannot ignore. For one, it was a charming, but generic high school romance anime that had this cuteness to it in its first season. This was more or less to set up the eventual rollercoaster that was ''After Story''. When CLANNAD hits us emotionally, it hits us hard. Like, so hard a flood of tears would not stop even when you are just thinking about it. The show is at its best when [[spoiler:Nagisa dies]]. You just watched this character grow up and be the creamiest cinnamon roll ever and BAM, the tears come in. I did not cry as hard as that, I cried at episode 18 of ''After Story''. You know the one. I am sniffling, thinking about it. Despite these very, very powerful moments, I think they overshadow the rest of the show by comparison. If CLANNAD's episodes post first ''After Story'' crybaby train, mixed with scenes of the first season to give us emotionally context, it would be hailed as one of the greatest anime movies ever made. I digress, but also the ending is confusing to those who do not understand the context. Even with, it makes for an ending that I cannot justify the confusion over. As many cracks as I see it now, CLANNAD remains dear to my heart and yeah, hope [=KyoAni=] lives on even after the disaster they went through.
* Franchise/Ben10: One of my favorite shows of my childhood. And who can be unappealed by the premise? A boy gets the power to turn into multiple aliens that come in different shapes and sizes. Sounds amazing! Though in hindsight, the execution could have been much better. This is basically the quota for Creator/ManOfAction. Making very compelling action-centered franchise ideas that have this TotallyRadical execution that's hit or miss, a feeling that's been growing ever since in recent years ever since the person who was basically their leader Creator/DwayneMcDuffie passed away. But enough about that, let's talk about actual Ben 10. Addressing in the elephant in the room, I do not see the RelationshipWritingFumble until people pointed it out. The only reason people believe that is because Gwen was the only female character next to Ben, and your brain basically instinctively pairs them together. People do that for any series, regardless if they're siblings or unrelated.
** WesternAnimation/Ben10: The first series is what I still think is the best, or at least the most consistent. The artstyle is a great combination with both anime and Western influences and there the writing for every episode has this compelling formula where there is an ongoing mystery to whoever is the antagonist and us wondering how Ben will deal with it. There is also this ongoing tension that permeates when conflict does happen too. The world building is also at its peak in this show as mysteries on characters and devices are answered. The issues I have with the original series is the fact that you can feel especially early on the writers trying to get a stretch on how Ben and other character's act, the fact they throw new aliens but never use them, and minor villains who do make comebacks don't get as much characterization. Despite all of that, many think this is a case of a FirstInstallmentWins and there is a reason for that. It is simple, easy to grasp, and fun to watch.
** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce: An interesting sequel to the original show. ''Alien Force'' follows Ben six years later where after putting the Omnitrix away, he finds new alien threats are coming to Earth so he dons the watch again, with new aliens to boot. There is certain air of maturity in ''Alien Force'', which is obvious as the characters have grown a lot between the time, no more emphasized than Kevin Levin, a former enemy returning to be a part of TheTeam. Enemies are more threatening now, but our heroes are much more ready, contrasting with their immaturity then. I love that direction the series has gone, feeling a natural step in the lives of the characters without being forced. The new villains are DarkerAndEdgier without losing that much memorability while returning villains are much more dangerous. The new aliens Ben gets are great, being similar but at the same time quite different to the aliens we saw him use as a child (though I am not a fan of how Ben yells his transformations every time he transforms). The new supporting cast are also great additions despite not being there most of the time. The problems I do have with sequel are also the positives. Ben or Gwen do not seem to grow that much, which makes sense considering their older but that growth people are invested in goes to other characters, instead they learn more about the world around them and new conflicts they face which is pretty reasonable. Other complaints I have include that many of the set pieces not being as interesting thanks to the characters not being on a road trip and much of the time the locations being in the dark for some reason. I know there was a fair share of dark placed (as in literally dark) in the original series but it is taken to a ridiculous degree here. The art style is another point many people don't bring up, because I think it looks blander in contrast to the original art style, which was a good blend between western and eastern animation styles with a comic book flare but here it doesn't look as unique as the last series. I think it is due to the much leaner designs taking too much inspiration from comics or anime. Aliens still look great but all the human-ish characters gave them look like they were emulating another series' art, not in a good way mind you. Wish I could explain this further but I can barely draw a circle so, who am I to judge? Overall, I don't think this made you have a good idea, frankly I haven't seen ''Alien Force'' in the longest time. I think it does have a case of ContestedSequel for me, but it isn't as bad as some make it out. Though eventually, ''Alien Force'' would be the catalyst for the next installment, for better or worse...
** WesternAnimation/Ben10UltimateAlien: Here it is the folks. The moment the series had become too confusing and caused so much BrokenBase for years to come. ''Ultimate Alien'' is the sequel to ''Alein Force'', a fact which some of you wonder, why is it warranted? Because this series deals with a very important incident that had recently happened: Ben's identity as a person who can transform into aliens is revealed to the world. An actually pretty reasonable development once RealityEnsues. And now Ben has a new weapon for his arsenal, the Ultimatrix! The Ultimatrix allows him to make an alien he's using go and achieve an evolved state that makes it more powerful.
I hate this idea. Now believe me, this concept sounds pretty awesome. New forms for aliens we love and now they are a million times stronger, that is a great concept... in theory. The issue is that Ultimate forms do not add much besides making ben an obvious victor for a battle once he goes there. What about the strategy of using different aliens or the fact Ben still has millions of aliens locked away yet he'll never use them now that he doesn't need to since he has more than ten forms that do the job for him, like a weapon in an RPG that is so overpowered, you ignore everything else. I would be fun if it was an antagonist's new weapon against Ben, but you wouldn't get that until the next series.

* Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}: Oh god. If there is any series that shouldn't be as well thought and made, it is this one. ''Danganronpa'' is stupid. There is no denying that. It's literally about a bear who makes high schoolers kill each other. Ther series has a blend of being juvenile and being one of the most thought-provoking pieces of media ever. It's strange to say this considering our time and age where the oversaturation of media lets it be disposable as quickly as it can but I feel people will talk about this series years from no3 even when there won't be anything coming out of the franchise by then. I see YMMV keep bitching about aspects of the series but those very aspects are the reason why they love it. I don't get what's wrong with a formulaic idea as long as you can reinvent it to be interesting. I think ''Danganronpa'' or at least the mainline games follow this style to a T. Let me get into why this series is so great:
**

* Franchise/{{Danganronpa}}: Oh god. If there is any series that shouldn't be as well thought and made, it is this one. ''Danganronpa'' is stupid. There is no denying that. It's literally about a bear who makes high schoolers kill each other. Ther series has a blend of being juvenile and being one of the most thought-provoking pieces of media ever. It's strange to say this considering our time and age where the oversaturation of media lets it be disposable as quickly as it can but I feel people will talk about this series years from new even when there won't be anything coming out of it by then. I see YMMV keep bitching about aspects of the series but those very aspects are the reason why they love it. I don't get what's wrong with a formulaic idea as long as you can reinvent it to be interesting. I think ''Danganronpa'' or at least the mainline games follow this style to a T. Let me get into why this series is so great:

** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce: An interesting sequel to the original show. ''Alien Force'' follows Ben six years later where after putting the Omnitrix away, he finds new alien threats are coming to Earth so he dons the watch again, with new aliens to boot. There is certain air of maturity in ''Alien Force'', which is obvious as the characters have grown a lot between the time, no more emphasized than Kevin Levin, a former enemy returning to be a part of TheTeam. Enemies are more threatening now, but our heroes are much more ready, contrasting with their immaturity then. I love that direction the series has gone, feeling a natural step in the lives of the characters without being forced. The new villains are DarkerAndEdgier without losing that much memorability while returning villains are much more dangerous. The new aliens Ben gets are great, being similar but at the same time quite different to the aliens we saw him use as a child (though I am not a fan of how Ben yells his transformations every time he transforms). The new supporting cast are also great additions despite not being there most of the time. The problems I do have with sequel are also the positives. Ben or Gwen do not seem to grow that much, which makes sense considering their older but that growth people are invested in goes to other characters, instead they learn more about the world around them and new conflicts they face which is pretty reasonable. Other complaints I have include that many of the set pieces not being as interesting thanks to the characters not being on a road trip and much of the time the locations being in the dark for some reason. I know there was a fair share of dark placed (as in literally dark) in the original series but it is taken to a ridiculous degree here. The art style is another point many people don't bring up, because I think it looks blander in contrast to the original art style, which was a good blend between western and eastern animation styles with a comic book flare but here it doesn't look as unique as the last series. I think it is due to the much leaner designs taking too much inspiration from comics or anime. Aliens still look great but all the human-ish characters gave them look like they were emulating another series' art, not in a good way mind you. Wish I could explain this further but I can barely draw a circle so, who am I to judge?
Overall, I don't think this made you have a good idea, frankly I haven't seen ''Alien Force'' in the longest time. I think it does have a case of ContestedSequel for me, but it isn't as bad as some make it out. Though eventually, ''Alien Force'' would be the catalyst for the next installment, for better or worse...

I hate this idea. Now believe me, this concept sounds pretty awesome. New forms for aliens we love and now they are a million times stronger, that is a great concept... in theory. The issue is that Ultimate forms do not add much besides making ben an obvious victor for a battle once he goes there. What about the strategy of using different aliens or the fact Ben still has millions of aliens locked away yet he'll never use them now that he doesn't need to since he has more than ten forms that do the job for him, like a weapon in an RPG that is so overpowered, you ignore everything else. I would be fun if it was an antagonist's new weapon against Ben, but you wouldn't get that until the next series.

** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce: An interesting sequel to the original show. ''Alien Force'' follows Ben six years later where after putting the Omnitrix away, he finds new alien threats are coming to Earth so he dons the watch again, with new aliens to boot. There is certain air of maturity in ''Alien Force'', which is obvious as the characters have grown a lot between the time, no more emphasized than Kevin Levin, a former enemy returning to be a part of TheTeam. Enemies are more threatening now, but our heroes are much more ready, contrasting with their immaturity then. I love that direction the series has gone, feeling a natural step in the lives of the characters without being forced. The new villains are DarkerAndEdgier without losing that much memorability while returning villains are much more dangerous. The new aliens Ben gets are great, being similar but at the same time quite different to the aliens we saw him use as a child (though I am not a fan of how Ben yells his transformations every time he transforms). The new supporting cast are also great additions despite not being there most of the time. The problems I do have with sequel are also the positives. Ben or Gwen do not seem to grow that much, which makes sense considering their older but that growth people are invested in goes to other characters, instead they learn more about the world around them and new conflicts they face which is pretty reasonable. Other complaints I have include that many of the set pieces not being as interesting thanks to the characters not being on a road trip and much of the time the locations being in the dark for some reason. I know there was a fair share of dark placed (as in literally dark) in the original series but it is taken to a ridiculous degree here. The art style is another point many people don't bring up, because I think it looks blander in contrast to the original art style, which was a good belnd between western and eastern animation styles with a comic book flare but here it doesn't look as good. I think it is due to the much leaner designs taking too much inspiration from comics or anime. Aliens still look great but all the human-ish characters gave them look like they were emulating another series' art, not in a good way mind you. Wish I could explain this further but I can barely draw a circle so, who am I to judge?

I hate this idea.
Now believe me, this concept sounds pretty awesome. New forms for aliens we love and now they are a million times stronger, that is a great concept... in theory. The issue is that Ultimate forms do not add much besides making ben an obvious victor for a battle once he goes there. What about the strategy of using different aliens or the fact Ben still has millions of aliens locked away yet he'll never use them now that he doesn't need to since he has more than ten forms that do the job for him, like a weapon in an RPG that is so overpowered, you ignore everything else. I would be fun if it was an antagonist's new weapon against Ben, but you wouldn't get that until the next series.

** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce: An interesting sequel to the original show. ''Alien Force'' follows Ben six years later where after putting the Omnitrix away, he finds new alien threats are coming to Earth so he dons the watch again, with new aliens to boot. There is certain air of maturity in ''Alien Force'', which is obvious as the characters have grown a lot between the time, no more emphasized than Kevin Levin, a former enemy returning to be a part of TheTeam. Enemies are more threatening now, but our heroes are much more ready, contrasting with their immaturity then. I love that direction the series has gone, feeling a natural step in the lives of the characters without being forced. The new villains are DarkerAndEdgier without losing that much memorability while returning villains are much more dangerous. The new aliens Ben gets are great, being similar but at the same time quite different to the aliens we saw him use as a child (though I am not a fan of how Ben yells his transformations every time he transforms). The new supporting cast are also great additions despite not being there most of the time. The problems I do have with sequel are also the positives. Ben or Gwen do not seem to grow that much, which makes sense considering their older but that growth people are invested in goes to other characters, instead they learn more about the world around them and new conflicts they face which is pretty reasonable. Other complaints I have include that many of the set pieces not being as interesting thanks to the characters not being on a road trip and much of the time the locations being in the dark for some reason. I know there was a fair share of dark placed (as in literally dark) in the original series but it is taken to a ridiculous degree here. Overall, I don't think this made you have a good idea, frankly I haven't seen ''Alien Force'' in the longest time. I think it does have a case of ContestedSequel for me, but it isn't as bad as some make it out. Though eventually, ''Alien Force'' would be the catalyst for the next installment, for better or worse...

** WesternAnimation/Ben10: The first series is what I still think is the best, or at least the most consistent. The artstyle is a great combination with both anime and Western influences and there the writing for every episode has this compelling formula where there is an ongoing mystery to whoever is the antagonist and us wondering how Ben will deal with it. There is also this ongoing tension that permeates when conflict does happen too. The world building is also at its peak in this show as mysteries on characters and devices are answered. The issues I have with the original series is the fact that you can feel especially early on the writers trying to get a stretch on how Ben is, the fact they throw new aliens but never use them. Despite all of that, many think this is a case of a FirstInstallmentWins and there is a reason for that. It is simple, easy to grasp, and fun to watch.
** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce: An interesting sequel to the original show. ''Alien Force'' follows Ben six years later where after putting the Omnitrix away, he finds new alien threats are coming to Earth so he dons the watch again, with new aliens to boot. There is certain air of maturity in ''Alien Force'', which is obvious as the characters have grown a lot between the time, no more emphasized than Kevin Levin, a former enemy returning to be a part of TheTeam. Enemies are more threatening now, but our heroes are much more ready, contrasting with their immaturity then. I love that direction the series has gone, feeling a natural step in the lives of the characters without being forced. The new villains are DarkerAndEdgier without losing that much memorability while returning villains are much more dangerous. The new aliens Ben gets are great, being similar but at the same time quite different to the aliens we saw him use as a child (though I am not a fan of how Ben yells his transformations every time he transforms). The new supporting cast are also great additions despite not being there most of the time. The problems I do have with sequel are also the positives. Ben or Gwen do not seem to grow that much, which makes sense considering their older but that growth people are invested in goes to other characters.

** WesternAnimation/Ben10AlienForce:

* Franchise/Ben10: One of my favorite shows of my childhood. And who can be unappealed by the premise? A boy gets the power to turn into multiple aliens that come in different shapes and sizes. Sounds amazing! Though in hindsight, the execution

* VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}: This used to be my favorite anime of all time. Used to be. Looking back in hindsight, CLANNAD has a variety of issues to it that even I cannot ignore. For one, it was a charming, but generic high school romance anime that had this cuteness to it in its first season. This was more or less to set up the eventual rollercoaster that was ''After Story''. When CLANNAD hits us emotionally, it hits us hard. Like, so hard a flood of tears would not stop even when you are just thinking about it. The show is at its best when [[spoiler:Nagisa dies]]. You just watched this character grow up and be the creamiest cinnamon roll ever and BAM, the tears come in. I did not cry as hard as that, I cried at episode 18 of ''After Story''. You know the one. I am sniffling, thinking about it. Despite these very, very powerful moments, I think they overshadow the rest of the show by comparison. If CLANNAD's episodes post first ''After Story'' crybaby train, mixed with scenes of the first season to give us emotionally context, it would be hailed as one of the greatest anime movies ever made. I digress, but also the ending is confusing to those who do not understand the context. Even with, it makes for an ending that I cannot justify the confusion over. As many cracks as I see it now, CLANNAD remains dear to my heart and yeah, hope [=KyoAni=] lives on even after the disaster they went through.