Rating: 8.5/10

Overall Series Rating: 8.8/10

Impressions:

Is it time for me to talk about Clannad as a whole yet? There’s still one more episode to be released as an OAV (I think), and of course there’s the after story which is apparently still in production, but I think it’s safe for me to give my final thoughts on the series. I’ll label this episode as the END, even though it should really either be episode 22 or episode 24, but oh well. I’m going to treat the After Story as a sequel, unless it’s ridiculously short—then it’d have to behave like an OAV or something. Regardless, it won’t change my opinion of Clannad thus far anyway.

Firstly, this episode as a standalone is, in my opinion, fantastic. Personally, the drama employed in Clannad isn’t really all that good, so sticking with comedy and this type of character development suits the show to a greater extent. The return of Clannad’s famous Imouto-san, as well as some great comical development between Tomoya and Nagisa really heightens my opinion of the ‘ending’ of Clannad (which I have profusely expressed about how…average it is). But remember, there’s still the After Story, but who knows when it’s going to air…I doubt I will be nearly as enthusiastic about the show as I am now when it does air.

And as for Clannad as a whole? Well, it’s about the same as Kanon, and not as good as Air. It is somewhat average for a KyoAni show, though that in itself is quite a big thing. Overall, I would have to say that Clannad is a great show, and a must watch if you liked the predecessors that were Air and Kanon. If you think about it though, Clannad is really only good in its slice-of-life genre. It’s doesn’t deliver as a drama, is half-assed as a comedy, and is almost non-existent as a romance/harem. But slice of life is a good genre if you ask me, so no complaints from me. If anything, I can only say I’m tired of seeing so many Key products by KyoAni; they need to find something new.

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

So is this technically the last episode? Well there’s still one left to air, so I will so no for now. But it seems safe to say that the real story has ended (at least in the anime version), so I’ll go ahead and talk about it here. Clannad’s story, or rather, sequence of arks, IMO, is slightly better than Kanon’s. But this ‘ending’ is a lot worse, so in the end, if you ask me to compare the two shows, I’m going to have to say they are roughly equal. Clannad is noticeably more light-hearted and comedic, with that extra romantic element that Kanon did not really have. Overall though, I still like Air better (it was short and very sweet).

This episode is more or less quite predictable, especially with Nagisa breaking down before the play, and having friends and family save the day. It doesn’t strike me as very emotional or surprising as well, as personally, I don’t find the story very sad at all. Akio’s speech definitely has a lot of impact, so I’d say that that’s the highlight of the show. Other than that, this ending’s been quite mediocre in comparison to some other arcs. If anything, Kotomi’s arc is highly out of place, once you think about how the rest of the show is no where near as sad. I really can’t believe that the other world sequences are really just a visualisation of the play…which is somewhat ‘gay’.

Rating: 7.5/10

Impressions:

Oh shit, the next episode is already out. Luckily it hasn’t been subbed yet. I think. Anyway, I have to say, if this really is the second last episode, the ending looks like it’s going to be crap. Honestly. Nagisa’s story seriously has nothing. It’s not very deep and has little substance compared to the usual stories of the other girls. And there’s no real climax anywhere, except maybe when Nagisa finds out about her parents, though that’s nothing big anyway. I can’t fathom what’s going to happen in the next episode, because in my mind, I’m seriously expecting something grand and spectacular. Doesn’t look like it’s going to happen from the way things are going now.

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

Haha, it almost seems like KyoAni is ‘forcing’ Nagisa and Tomoya together, with all the references to their love for each other, but it’s a nice and welcome change from Air and Kanon. I really hope they actually get somewhere before the end of things, and not have anything TOO sappy, like confessing to each other and embracing or something. Anyway though, I wonder if the other world sequences are merely just part of Nagisa’s play, or if there’s some supernatural elements to it. Although ridiculous, maybe something like, the little robot is Tomoya from some other dimension, or something like that.

Rating: 7.5/10

Impressions:

With the tear jerking end of episode 18, it seems that Clannad has finally moved into its final arc—Nagisa. And because of this, I think it’s safe to say that the mysterious girl with the robot is Nagisa (while I’m guessing that the robot has some strong relation to the current Tomoya). I tend to always like particular characters more during their specific arc, as more attention is usually placed on them, and in every arc, the starring girl will always undergo some kind of change, which thankfully are changes that I usually like. In other words, Nagisa finally does seem like a suitable match for Tomoya now, but only because it’s her arc. =]

In other news, something strange is happening with the episode count, as apparently, the 23rd episode will be a summer vacation or something. I have no idea if that will be a special screening or an OAV of sorts, and I have equally no clue as to whether the last episode will be normal or not. In any case though, there’s certainly not many episodes left, and I have to wonder yet again what has been achieved with the last 18 episodes, and shows like these always come towards a conclusion without much notable, physical movement. It’s not like it’s a bad thing though (IMO at least). I’m hoping that Tomoya and Nagisa actually get together romantically. And I don’t consider Kanon as having such an ending, definitely.

Rating: 8.1 /10

Impressions:

So it seems Clannad took a break last week…giving me extra time to stay up to date lol. Anyway, while Kyou/Ryou, Tomoyo and Tomoya are spending a noticeably greater amount of time with him that usual, this only goes to further concrete the fact that Nagisa is the only one for our male lead—which is quite sad, for Ryou and Kyou at least. The bawling feels a little too much for me, but I guess that’s not too bad. It’s not like they go ahead and cut each other up or something, like a certain other anime. I’m interested to see how the other girls’ feelings are wrapped up, since it’s all in quite a big mess at the moment. I suspect it will be soon, as Nagisa’s back now.

Rating: 8.7/10

Impressions:

I’ve got a LOT of homework today, so it’s very surprising that I’m even blogging this (and even more surprising as I’m planning to blog True Tears after, but that may change). Anyway, I have to say I’m loving Clannad right now. Mainly because they’re employing the use of common harem matters into the show, but actually animating it well and using characters we’re already used to, but in a non-harem way. What’s more, we get more Tomoyo and Kyou time, as it seems like KyoAni are merging the two arcs into one. I love Tomoyo’s random appearances, and the sports storage room scene is just gold.

For the moment, I find Tomoyo the more interesting character. I still like Kyou the best, but her actions in the PE room have essentially disqualified her from the ‘finals’. It makes it seem like they’re just going to make more jokes about her and Tomoya, whereas it’s strongly hinted that there would be a more serious relationship between the two when Kyou first asks about whether Tomoya was dating someone. But I have to wonder, when is Ryou going to come into all of this? While neither Tomoyo nor Kyou really have any chance with Tomoya, at least they’re getting screen time with him. Ryou is just…way too ‘down there’ to have any hope of getting back up.

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

So now I’m sitting in my chair, after watching the latest episode of Clannad, wondering what the hell just happened as nothing really made any sense. Did KyoAni SERIOUSLY discontinue their use of set arcs?? The last two episodes really don’t have a particular person that they focus on, but rather, revolves around the Theatre club as a group. Perhaps this is a turning point for KyoAni and related series! =D On the other hand, aside from building character and suggesting that the Theatre club will continue, the past two episodes don’t really do anything. Even Mei, who I found very interesting in the beginning, amounted to nothing and went home just like that.

I admit the last part was a little off (about Mei). What she DOES do is make Sunohara show his non-devilish side, which I found to be quite nice. In terms of character development, it really does seem like Ryou is the one who likes Tomoya, and not Kyou. After discovering this, I was left completely shattered, and all hopes for a nice and cheesy Kyou x Tomoya arc went quickly down the drain. But I guess Ryou wouldn’t be at all uninteresting—it’s simply her character that makes it seem like she wouldn’t be too entertaining in a romantic situation, similar to Nagisa. On the other hand, Tomoyo appears to be getting a move on in this department as well…

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

Literally, the LOVE has come back to Clannad. After watching Kotomi’s arc, which I didn’t really like, this serves as a wonderful breather, and the random new direction it’s taking is definitely something I want to see. Sunohara’s sister makes for an interesting development, and as I said in the first sentence, everyone’s starting to get involved with these love problems and misunderstandings. I really like how it seems to be spreading as indicated by the preview, especially as how Kyou definitely wants Tomoya after he says he’s not dating anyone at the moment. Perhaps this will turn into Kyou’s arc…

In any case, the next episode title is ‘3 on 3′—perhaps this refers to the basketball match that Sunohara is so eagerly planning. But then again, I can’t imagine how shattered he must be after that hilarious confrontation between him, Nagisa and Tomoya. But aside from the funnies, we get a little deeper in Tomoya’s past, as well as Sunohara, so the episode isn’t all just laughs and gags. The scene in the beginning with child-Nagisa, or a Nagisa lookalike, and the robot, remains quite mysterious, and I really don’t have the energy to try and come up with any theories at the moment, but all in all, I have to say this is an excellently executed episode.

Rating: 8/10

Impressions:

I’m sorry for neglecting Clannad until now, since I really have more desire to blog other shows than this, even though it IS a good show. Anyway, this episode concludes Kotomi’s arc, and does a really good job of it. The importance of friends and family that is emphasised in this episode, as well as the nice, final wrap-up with the teddy bear, all create an excellent and satisfying conclusion to Kotomi’s story. But the problem is, it’s not exactly unpredictable. I really liked Fuko’s ark due to the charm of her character and the uniqueness of her story. While Kotomi’s arc is more tear-up-welling, I have to say I didn’t really like Kotomi at all. Which explains the lower than usual score. =/

The next episode…I have no idea what it’s about. It doesn’t seem to have a clear indication of which character the next arc will entail. This is actually a good thing for me, since I’ve longed for a KyoAni/Key series that doesn’t just run through a set of arcs for it’s plot material. I always love merging of plots and parallel subplots, even though this type of show wouldn’t do too well with something like that. But regardless of all that, I really want to see Kyou’s arc, since she seems to have feelings for Tomoya, which would likely end up being the romance-drama that I have yet to see in a KyoAni/Key work. I also love her character anyway.