Clannad
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
Tomoya Okazaki is a male third-year high school student who does not feel at home anymore. He used to play basketball, his distant father works the night shift, and his mother died in an accident when he was a child. He simply goes to school in Hikarizara for no reason and does not have any interest in school activities. One day, Tomoya meets a third-year girl from his school early in the year named Nagisa Furukawa. Nagisa is repeating her last year due to illness most of the previous year, and she does not know what to do. Tomoya suggests she finds something new to do at school, and she comes up with restarting the Drama Club. By the time the sakura trees are done blooming, Nagisa has already started hand-making posters advertising the drama club's reformation, with an old group mascot called "The Big Dango Family". Tomoya, and his good friend Youhei Sunohara who used to play soccer, help Nagisa with putting them up around the school, but the student council president, Tomoyo Sakagami, and Kyou Fujibayashi, quickly goes around; uses red paint to deface the posters and write 'invalid' on them because of school policy. This angers Youhei greatly and he beats up one of the student council members despite Tomoyo's and Kyou's warning; Tomoya also takes a stand for Nagisa.
Kouko Ibuki, the teacher who had been the adviser for the drama club before it disbanded, gets involved by telling Nagisa that if she can gather more members then she will talk to the school about reforming the club. Tomoya and Youhei try again by this time making copies of hundreds of posters and putting them all around the school, but no one joins the club. In the end, Nagisa gets Tomoya and Youhei to sign up, and she reassures them that she will not ask them to act on stage. The drama club is reformed, and with a month left until the school festival. Nagisa decides to do a soliloquy based on a dream she has had ever since she was a child; meanwhile, Tomoya and Youhei will work backstage with the music and lights respectively. Nagisa gets to writing the script, and invites Tomoya and Youhei over to her house for dinner, though only Tomoya comes, due to Youhei taking up a part-time job at an electrical company with Yusuke Yoshino; a former musician revealed to be Kouko's fiancé. At Nagisa's house, which turns out to double as a bakery, Tomoya meets her energetic parents Akio and Sanae. Tomoya is challenged to a baseball match with Akio to see if Tomoya's a man worthy for Nagisa, but cannot throw the ball due to an injured shoulder he received from his father in a bad fight, and even gets to stay overnight after being heavily persuaded by Akio.
Like Nagisa, Tomoya has also had a recurring dream ever since he was a child. In his dream, he initially is disembodied in an illusionary world where he is the only thing "alive". He finds a discarded human-sized doll and uses it as a body to travel around the world on an old bicycle. After some searching, he finds a large sakura tree known as the "Tree of Promises" where he believes he will meet the person he has felt is with him in this illusionary world.
When the school festival finally begins, Nagisa reveals that she has not finished the script, but still wants to go on with the play since the story is still within her. Nagisa has her performance in the evening, so in the meantime Nagisa hangs out with Tomoya and Youhei. During lunch, she tells them her story why she wanted to do drama was due to her parents formally having been theater actors, but they both had to give up acting after Nagisa was born. Nagisa wants to do drama so as to continue her parents' dreams in her footsteps. For the play, Sanae gives Nagisa her wedding dress to use as her costume, much to Akio's surprise. Nagisa starts with her monologue without a hitch, and during her recitation Kouko gives stage directions to Tomoya and Youhei via headsets. Gradually, Tomoya comes to realize that the story Nagisa is reciting is the same dream that he has had, and is shocked to find that Nagisa also had the same dream of the illusionary world. At the play's conclusion, Tomoya believes that he and Nagisa were meant to be together and confesses his love to her.
Shortly after the festival, Nagisa's health falters once again and she has to take another leave of absence from school, meaning it is not until a year after Tomoya's class graduated that Nagisa is able to graduate high school as well. After this, Tomoya and Nagisa start living together in a small apartment in town while Tomoya is recruited full-time at Yusuke's electrical company as well, Nagisa works part-time as a waitress at a local family restaurant, and Youhei becomes a businessman in Tokyo. Eventually, Nagisa becomes pregnant, but her doctor informs her family and Tomoya that if she gives birth to the child, due to having weak constitution, she may die in the process. After the meeting, they agree on telling Nagisa. Tomoya and Nagisa's parents take her to the beach where she decides the name Ushio for the child. Despite the doctors warning, she insists that she will be fine. One winter night, Nagisa finally gives birth to a baby girl Ushio and Nagisa dies giving birth. This causes Tomoya to go into deep depression, during which he does not go to work, or even visit his daughter who is now being raised by Nagisa's parents.
For the past five years, Tomoya's friends try to get him out of his depression, but Tomoya is very stubborn. Then one rainy night, Tomoya's father Naoyuki Okazaki comes over and tells Tomoya that he is putting Ushio in the same relationship he did when his mother died, which greatly surprises him. Later, Naoyuki requested Tomoya's friends: Youhei, Tomoyo, Kyou, Kouko and her husband Yusuke to take him out on a retreat for a few days in order to break his depression, and they take Tomoya out of his house so fast he does not even know what is going on. Once they tell him on the train, Tomoya is dead set on going back home but Yusuke convinces him to stay. When they arrive at their destination, Tomoya searches for another platform at the station, anticipating this, Akio and Sanae were waiting for him with Ushio. Just as Tomoya begins to walk away, his friends arrive blocking his way, then Tomoya turns around back at Ushio, she runs towards him holding a stuffed dango. She trips midway which makes Tomoya leap out and catch her. Picking her up with them smiling, he is able to see the continuation of his old dream once more, and sees Nagisa under the Tree of Promises smiling lovingly at him and Ushio.

Review: I didn't know what to expect when sitting down for the first time to watch Clannad.
I heard quite a few good things about the show since it was released and so I finally decided to watch it.After the first episode I was hooked.
Little did I know, it was much more then that.As the show progressed I realized that it wasn't simply a teenage drama, it delved into some really emotional themes, especially in the second season (After Story).
Clannad pulls at your heart at every chance it gets and when you're down and you think you can't take any more it kicks you again.The animation style was beautiful as well, it gave a euphoric feel to the entire show.
The thing that annoyed me most was that there were three characters all with purple hair and it took a while to learn who was who.Clannad has had a weird emotional impact, one that I can't really explain.
It wasn't simply another good anime, it was in a league of its own.I highly recommend that you watch Clannad and Clannd After Story but be prepared to feel emotions you have never felt with any other anime or TV series before..
This is a review of both 'Clannad' and 'Clannad Afterstory', if your wondering.Story: Based on the visual novel of the same name, 'Clannad' tells the story of Tomoya Okazaki, a former basketball player who had been forced to quit his school team and all of basketball, and who's now going through life aimlessly.
Okazaki has to go up this hill to get to school; one day he meets this girl, who's standing along the path, who asks him if he'd go up it with her.
Okazaki develops a relationship with this mysteriously gentle Nagisa Furukawa, her family, others from his school and all of these girls who all, in normal harem fashion, fall in love with him.
Of course, the visual novel this is based after was developed by 'Key', and in true 'Key' fashion, the story doesn't end too happily, or begin happily, as a matter of fact.
After a while, what little which has been established is fully revealed to us, like why Okazaki isn't playing basketball anymore or why Nagisa talks with him.
That's not to say the story isn't fun either, in fact there's more of an emphasis on comedy than on romance, and for a harem, the humor's pretty smart.
Okazaki himself defies how a male lead in a harem should be by not being a completely unlikable failure, and then comes when you try to decide the story's genre; there's romance and comedy, but then there's fantasy and tragedy thrown in, and then there's the drama-club plot that's been developing this whole time.
It accumulates back to this being a very comfortable/nice show (in tone and story and it's production-style) to watch, which ought to get you emotionally involved, if only a little.Production: The music score sounds like something from a visual novel (no shock there).
Conclusion: A sometimes visually breath-taking show with simple but engaging intertwining stories and characters, who could've been forgettable but who are handled by obviously talented writers (I mean, it was written by Key, the people who did 'Air', would did you expect?)..
I'm not going to write any specific detail about the series (no spoilers here!) Be careful with reviews and especially comment areas about 'after story' unless you want the plot to be ruined, 2 words seen accidentally did this for me!
The definition of good artwork in my opinion is any media that provokes an emotional reaction and this is how I've reviewed the series and why it gets 10/10.
Clannad and Clannad After Story will leave you reaching for tissues and possibly even questioning the way you look at life.
Being new to the anime genre, I started watching this with a fair amount of skepticism.
The first few episodes left me feeling a little embarrassed for watching them to be honest (its been 12 years since I was in school) but I told myself I was going to give it a proper try and am glad I did.
Structure review; The detail put into character development is second to none, half way through the first series I was highly engaged with the main characters going about their mostly?
normal lives, in fact most of the first series seems to be primarily character development with some supernatural elements and a large portion of school / slice of life thrown in.
At the core of the story, Its the usual rebel boy meets goody girl cliché, fortunately there's enough detail put into making this believable as well as character role reversal that it doesn't get dull, added to that the main story is interwoven with some wacky sidekicks having stories and oddities of their own and also dropping hints towards the greater picture.
i cant really comment, it was my first anime so i had no comparison at the time, however some scenes particularly from the side story were very imaginative.
The dubbed version I watched was well done and some of the sound, IE a certain song (u'll see) added while very simple was cleverly effective at expressing character emotion.
The second series 'After Story' holds most of the actual content as it follows the lives of the main characters after they leave school and over the next 7 years.
While some may be tempted to skip straight to series 2 I would consider this a huge mistake as your connection to characters will be largely meaningless.
Try to pay particular attention to any strange myths/legends that are mentioned as many of them form the more advanced version of the ending!Getting to the sub-story set in an alternate reality...
separate from time yet running in parallel with both series and key to the ending or at least if you want to come away from it without questions.
This is my only criticism of the entire series, while I had no problem coming to a semi accurate conclusion, I know a lot of people did have lingering questions.
This isn't to say the series isn't concluded, but rather there's a much more complex explanation of exactly what happens available in the visual novel which is rather hard to get to from the series alone, which only offers u tiny pieces of the whole picture and generally tries to hide those in the middle of some obscure dialog or graphically semi hidden at the edge of the scene or behind characters we're focused on.
In fact I would have liked to have seen a third series detailing the events that happen off screen and in repeated time lines that you're left to piece together for yourself.
Taste + genre; I think people of any tastes will enjoy watching these series given a serious attempt, Its obviously aimed at the young adult demographic.
An interest in anime, romance, supernatural or science fiction genres will help things a long.
Die hard action fans may want something else however i challenge even the manliest to watch both series and then say they felt nothing.Recommendations to watch after this (Similar); Clannad (After Story) Obviously!
Anything else by Kyoto Animation, in particular; The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006 - 2009) 2 series anime, similar school setting but the focus is more on Sci-Fi and comedy, IE more content, less tissues!
Air (2005), Kanon (2006) both single series anime; These are both very similar to Clannad and feature the same highly emotional plot lines.Other recommendation (Something different); Kara No Kyoukai (a set of 8 films, adult only content!) probably the best newer anime films available.
The stories are complex and told out of chronological order so requires a lot of thought at the start but the animation and sound are simply beautiful, especially during the action scenes.All in all..
Clannad will make you laugh, cringe, rip your heart out, cry like a newborn baby, then laugh again, smile till your cheeks hurt...
Worth watching for Clannad: After Story.
Clannad on its own is a fun if unremarkable anime.
Due to it being adapted from a visual novel, it plays of like a game with each girl getting their own arc while the main female character Nagisa's story is side stepped only being fulfilled late in the story.
Clannad is set in high school like many other anime.
It has a conventional albeit quite satisfying and touching ending after which we get the masterful continuation that is Clannad: After Story which is unlike any other anime.
Ultimately Clannad does a decent job of letting you know and care for the main two characters Tomoya and Nagisa and setting up the world before you enter the emotionally turbulent and rewarding experience that is After Story.While Clannad on itself is a decent experience, its the combination of Clannad + After Story makes for a riveting roller coaster of varying emotions..
It's really just another slice of life which a few sad backstories and great main character.
Japan's favourite slice of life series, Clannad rises and falls on its oversized heart and untainted emotional grace.
Infused with bits of magic realism, the show is some kind of a daydream; a story where everyone wins and gets what they want at a cost of virtually nothing.the protagonist is Okazaki Tomoya.
He is unmotivated and depressed, (although he never seems that way) but things get turned around after he makes friends at his new high school.
Nagisa is an angel face with a heart to match, the kind of girl that is too impossibly perfect.
She is precious, and not much else.When it comes to art, few animated shows paint with sunlight as vividly as Clannad.
If you are anything but a 12 year old girl, comedy goes further than drama in this series.
Individual scenes and sometimes even episodes play well on the grounds of charm, but the whole series tastes of too much sugar..
This series and After Story, completely destroyed my emotions.
Clannad Is a great anime that is full of heart and is worth checking out.
This was an anime series that I wasn't interested in at the time.
I have seen about 15 different series and Am still looking for more good ones as well.
This anime was a good start to the Clannad series even tho I do think it's not as epic or as emotional as After Story is.
The comedy is funny, the characters are very good, the acting is good in Japanese (tho the dub is pretty good but Japanese audio for this anime is the way to go imo), and it's drama is sweet.
It's a lot more light-hearted then After Story but it still contains very sad scenes in it.
I would recommend this to any anime fan and even to those who are into Romance/Drama.
The show isn't perfect tho, I feel as tho some episodes drag and at times the pacing can be slow.
Still this anime is Worth watching..
Why wouldn't you?Story - Clannad is set in small town in japan, with the main character Tomoyo Okazaki who is considered a "delinquent" student.
Clannad is a slow moving series, focused around Okazaki and his experiences helping friends.
Clannad is the developmental stage of this series and it will be hard to hold some peoples attention, unless you enjoy seeing friendships develop in a very shy Japanese anime style with cutesy characters.Clannad Afterstory however...
I'll tell you now, it's sad, depressing, and will take you on an emotional rollercoster, BUT, I've rarely cried over an anime (both sad and happy tears..
It's especially impactive after watching Clannad because I'd become attached to some of these characters.(which is why it's good to watch Clannad before Afterstory)The music is haunting at times, and really sets the mood for a lot of the situations; even though they seem to have a limited track list, it never got annoying and was often welcomed.The girl and the robot, although shrouded in mystery at some points, comes together nicely in Clannad Afterstory, but honestly doesn't give enough closure in my opinion.I recommend this series defiantly!
I say this because some people won't have the patience first of all, secondly, it's got TONS of cutesy, shy, Japanese themes going on, which annoys a good deal of people (remember this IS an anime after all).
However, if that doesn't bother you, your a romantic, and you want a story with some real love, friendship, hardships, and are ready to embark on a emotional journey then this is the anime for you!Giving this an 8.5/10 on my scale, defiantly worth my time.I hope I've helped you with my review and make sure you've got some tissues ready!.
Again, the music and the animation was good, especially for the intro.
Except, I had a hard time getting used to how their eyes all looked.
I was also so used to the female characters in Angel Beats being really strong that I wasn't used to seeing Nagisa always crying but that only lasted for at least half the show (when counting After Story as well).
The stories though of the other characters Tomoya helps out are really well done like Fuko's and Nagisa's and Kotomi's and it's a very happy ending by the last episode for everyone.
Until Clannad After Story..
Note that anything I say only goes for the dubbed version: No major spoilersStory - Clannad follows Tomoya Okazaki a fairly average student who has a tendency to skip lessons a lot.
One day on his way to school he meets a strange girl (Nagisa) saying strange things, he decides to walk to school with her.
After a few meetings he learns she wants to revive the drama club so Tomoya decides to help her with the help from a large cast of other strange friends.Story Review - I went into not expecting much as Clannad isn't a series that I'd really watch but a lot of people liked it so I thought I'd check it out.
I thought the story of the drama club was OK nothing bad about it but Clannad isn't a story heavy show it's a character heavy show.
Nagisa is a sweet and lovely character who is hard to fault and has great character development.
Tsunahara, Tomoya's best friend is the comedy relief of the series and is always funny to watch.
Fuko Ibuki has a very large story arch, which I found to be quite sad really although the character is also very funny.
Kitomi Inchinose has a fairly large story arch too in which you find she knew Tomoya long ago and also has a sad backstory and I loved her character as she is completely bonkers.
They aren't bad or anything I just don't think they were major enough.Animation - Right off the bat you see that this series looks phenomenal.
I really liked the look of the girl and the robot scenes as the animation looked so fluid and real.
The intro theme is very good and I like the Big Dango family song as it fits the series perfectly.Drawbacks - The only drawback I felt didn't bother me but it may bother other viewers.
Also I didn't like the idea for naming Tomoyo (Who is one of the girls I didn't mention) as it gets really confusing with the main guy Tomoya.Overall - Clannad easily deserves all it's praise and is a must see.
The music and animation are great and the characters are all likable.
I must say though if you watch this series and at the end wasn't impressed or thought it was lacking or feel that way mid-series push through to the end because the second series is a vast improvement in every way and I mean vast not a little bit.9.3/10.
clannad is a very great anime.
It is a sad anime.
But don't let this keep you from watching the anime.
Then clannad is definitely your type of anime.
A delightful high school drama/comedy.
Tomoya Okazaki is a typical, if somewhat lazy high school student; then one day he meets Nagisa, a quiet girl who, due to an illness, is repeating her final year.
She wants to restart the school's drama club and he agrees to help her.
This may sound fairly routine but there is something odd about Fuko, first she is carving wooden starfish to give everybody and secondly not everybody seems to notice her for reasons I won't spoil.In some ways this is a typical high school anime with its mix of varied characters and a blend of drama and comedy; there are however things that make it stand out.
Protagonist Tomoya may have several female friends but it never becomes a harem series and the stories have a good emotional pull especially when we learn certain things about Fuko.
Amidst the drama there are some very funny moments; mostly involving Tomoya's friend Youhei.
There are a good range of interesting characters; their designs are fairly standard but they are distinctive enough that one shouldn't confuse who is who.
The story is well told although it must be noted that the twenty third episode is the real final episode; episode twenty four takes place in an alternate timeline where Tomoya is involved with the studious school council president something others disapprove of.
I can't say how it compares to 'After Story' but having read other reviews I think that is something I need to watch.
Pretty good anime.
Very cute story about a Fed up high school student who falls in love with a lonely girl, it definately gives you a lot of emotions and it is nice to watch!
But anyway they all make friends and go to school and beat up bikers and stuff like that.