Clannad After Story anime review

CLANNAD: AFTER STORY

Now, I want to do something a bit different today. Today, I'll be reviewing an anime series that is very close to my heart, and that is Clannad: After Story. Now, this will only be a review for the second season, the After Story only. If you want to know what I thought of the first season, I enjoyed it and was good for a nice heartwarming anime, but it had a lot of flaws, mainly involving pacing. I'll be dividing this review into 4 parts: Story, Characters, Animation and Sound. Now, there will be major spoilers towards the end, but I'll remind you when we get to that part.

STORY

Clannad: After Story continues the story of Tomoya Okazaki, and the large supporting cast the series boasts. The story of After Story is divided into 3 parts. The first part is simply more of the first season, high school drama, and is my least favorite part of the series. The second, is mostly Tomoya and Nagisa getting used to life after school, something very few animes do. And then, there's the 3rd act, in which the series takes a completely unexpected turn. The end of the 2nd act is where it all hits the fan, and involves a story twist you would never expect from a drama or harem. The 3rd act is what really makes this series stand out, as it's filled with some incredibly effective and powerful tear jerking moments. As one reviewer perfectly put it, "It takes the baseball bat of emotion, and keeps hitting you with it, and doesn't know when to stop." In my opinion, this series deserves to be known as one of the greatest dramas ever told. This is a tragedy, comedy, and romance all perfectly blended into one bittersweet package. The first act of the show is entertaining, but doesn't deliver on the powerful moments of the third. The second part is much better, as it focuses on Nagisa and Tomoya's married lives, and I think it's perfectly justified to compare this to the first 8 minutes of Pixar's Up. But like I mentioned earlier, the third act completely steals the show and pulls the rug out from underneath the audience. I know a fully grown man who was moved to tears by this show, and that is saying something. The pacing is perfect as well. I honestly think that 25 episodes is the perfect length for any anime, the 3 parts never feel too slow or drawn out.

CHARACTERS

By the end of the first season, you'd think Tomoya, our protagonist, has already gotten his character developed enough, but he hasn't. Clannad: After Story is a VERY character driven show, and it's amazing watching Tomoya go through the events of the show, and  trying to hold up. Nagisa is a great character, though I think more could have been done with the character. HOWEVER, there are some absolutely great traits about her, and those come into play halfway through the show. The supporting cast of the first season remains prominent in the show until the second act, when they're chucked out of the show 99% (with the exception of some minor appearances, in which the demoted to nearly mere background characters). Just like most people, one of my favorite characters is Sunohara. He just works as a comic relief, and even gets his own serious character arc that manages to stay true to his personality. Another thing I really love about the show, is that during the 2nd and 3rd acts, the Furakawa family gets a much bigger role, and by the last few episodes, they are integral to the show. And then, there's Fuko. She got on my NERVES in the first season, though I eventually grew attached to her. She sort of serves as comic relief after Sunohara seems to go away. Sometimes she gets in the way of the plot, and is hard to take seriously, even when she is meant to be taken seriously. 

SOUND

The voice acting is very well done in this show, but when it comes to sound, the one thing you will notice, is the soundtrack. From the gorgeous opening, Toki no Kizamu Uta, the beautiful rendition of Dango Daikazokou, and, the one song everyone seems to love, The Palm of a Tiny Hand, the music is as crucial to the show as the story is. 

ANIMATION

The animation of the series looks great, though the moe look of the characters doesn't fit the tone of the rest of the series. I think it could have benefited from a slightly less cartoony look, more along the lines of the animation of Steins Gate, maybe.

ENDING (spoiler alert!)

OK, now for the ending. The ending, almost ruins the anime, and I think was completely unnecessary. First off, the magic elements of  the series were kept very subtle throughout, and I think that was the right move. Keep the whole wish granting light things as nothing more than an urban legend. But they don't. Why? And then, bringing Nagisa and Ushio back to life just cancel out all of the hardships that made Tomoya really progress as a character. Now, I do see why some people like the ending, and I think it's just a matter of taste. People want Tomoya to have his happy ending after the writers basically screwed him over throughout the show. This is what makes Jun Maeda such a hit or miss writer for me. The endings. The way I see it, the ending of Angel Beats is After Story's polar opposite. While Angel Beats's ending managed to pull off pretty much the same thing, they did it without undoing any of Otonashi's character development. Character development is at the core of any good story, and Tomoya needs some in this show as well, not just the first season.

THE VERDICT

Now, Clannad: After Story is the anime that got me back into anime after I spent a few years away from the medium. While I do admit, it has it flaws, After Story is the culmination of the storytelling potential of anime. If you watch this anime, you might want to bring a box of tissues with you, and you might want to bring the Medic from TF2, because your heart will break. More than once. Seriously, if you enjoy anime, or not, do not go another day without watching this series. This is the show that will make you a fan of anime.

STORY: 4.5/5

+ Straight up, well written

+ Hits every emotional beat possible

+ Perfect pacing

+ The third act is absolutely amazing

+/- You will either really hate the ending or it will just make you fall in love with Clannad more

CHARACTERS: 4.75/5

+ Tomoya gets some great character development

+ Nagisa is a slightly bland character, but you will grow to love her either way

+ The supporting cast is great

+ The Furawakawas play a larger role

- The original supporting cast say goodbye to the show in the second act

+/- You will love or hate Fuko

ANIMATION: 4.5/5

+ Very fluid and clear

- The Moe style doesn't fit the later part of the show

SOUNDTRACK: 5/5

+ Flawless voice acting

+ The soundtrack... Feels in every note.

VERDICT: 4.85/5