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CLANNAD ~After Story~
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Animation - 9.8 |
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Sound - 9.0 |
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Story - 8.8 |
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Character - 8.8 |
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Value - 8.8 |
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Enjoyment - 8.4 |
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Average - 8.9 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This anime is and will always be a masterpiece for me, as well as the first season (CLANNAD). The overview is excellent and all the aspects of this production are more than enough to make you admit that CLANNAD ~After Story~ is one undeniable artwork.
For starters if you want to watch this series be sure to watch CLANNAD before. The story is inseparable one from another. In almoust all aspects.
About the video. Animation is in the same convention and with the same lines and colours. As well as most of the drawers are the same - basically the same staff that are responsible for animating the CLANNNAD anime series. Studios that animated this one are: Key (such titles like AIR and Kannon) and Kyoto Animation (responsible for also such titles as: AIR, FMP, Kanon 2006 and one of it's kind Syzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu (average 9.0/10.0 (121 reviews) (top 200: # 23))). In the end the visual is great, specially if you watch it in a wide-screen (16:9).
As well as the animation, the sound also is still on the best of the best level. The OPEN and END song are melodic, are nice, there is a variation of effects and background music - perfectly synchronized with the dialogue and the emotions of heroes. The Cast also done a magnificence job - the voices are perfectly matched and timed, and as well are giving a perfect emotional pressure on the viewer. I adore Nakahara Mai (中原 麻衣) as Nagisa and Nakamura Yuichi (中村 悠一) as Okazaki. Perfect absolutely perfect.
Coming forth to the story. This time it concentrates in the first arc (first half) of the season on Okazaki Tomoya's last school days. Still a lot is happening, he evolved to a friend ready to help but still able to be a bother to his colleges and to his teachers. In this part all of the rest heroes make appearances basically still in more or less comic aspects as well. But the pace and story from saga to saga start more and more focus on the main hero and Nagisa.
After the half of the series, in the second part the story changes much. In the beginning I feared that the value of the show will become lost in this revolution, but I was wrong. It is true that the climate changed - but mainly the story started to be more of a drama than it was a comedy. As well as of course the school live has ended. But from the beginning of the whole series it was a drama also.
Not to spoil I will say that the second part was a "traumatic" animation for me it just crushed my heart and nerves from episode to episode, and just the moment you think it was over it keeps punching you with new bidirectionally matched events.
Not to mention the dream-world in witch a young girl and a made by her robot are trying to escape from lowliness.
Characters are a next main part. As the story evolves and moves forward they are becoming more and more adult, they recreate their emotions and personality's. Okazaki, as the main hero changes from episode to episode, from a boy to a man, from a youngster to a hart warming worker, and of course from a husband to a perfect father.
Nagisa on the other hand still having her own illness health-problems and emotions finds herself as a wife and as a future mother.
Not to mention all the rest of the valuable heroes that support and make a new value for themselves.
I value this animation the highest from all I have seen dramas as well as one of the best comical and gags series as well. It's value is not in one of the aspects, it is just in the all parts that make this series a whole and perfect animation - the visual animation part, the perfected and emotional sound and Seiyuu, the story, basically taken from the CLANNAD game - evolved and adopted to a anime series and as well as the characters - heroes that are able to make your heart break in the middle of the show.
Asking anyone if they, after watching this anime enjoyed it is a rhetoric question. There is no way you can't have at least a little enjoyment after this perfected and well done animation.
It is a must watch. Definitely!
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Nothing short of brilliant storytelling right here by KyoAni once again. After Story is as it is: the story after Tomoya and Nagisa get together and start their relationship. While the first season was more of a pseudo-harem anime, After Story clearly intends on being a thematic romantic drama that will not necessarily make you cry, but feel appreciative of your own family (if you have one), friends (if you have any), and overall life so far (if it hasn't sucked yet).
Slight spoilers that I can't help but write about is below this sentence.
One year after their relationship begins and collecting at least 3 light orbs, After Story starts off will the telling of the remaining tales to be told: Misae's high school days, Yukine's gang problems, and Sunohara's sister relationship. Tomoya tries his best to help them through their problems while managing his own, namely getting a job and starting his new life with Nagisa. Tomoya must also deal with his father, whom he still has not reconciled with from last season. While dulling at times because of unmet expectations (fanservice, the usual...), the themes presented per character arc are as clear as one can see. While helping his friends, he still ignores his own problems while trying to maintain the life he has going for him, which leads to his biggest downfall - he is the one that needs help, and from Nagisa of all the people around him. In trying to start a family, he forgets that he will be becoming a father who has no previous experience of being in a family until very recently, and that is when it occured to me (okay not really, someone pointed this out for me) that the strongest person on this show is not Tomoya or even Tomoyo, but the main picked heroine herself. The big downplay of this irony is what makes the show's turning point such a good twist on KyoAni's part.
After the middle of the after story we are introduced to Ushio, the cute (or annoying, or anything you want her to be) daughter of Tomoya whom he reconciles with. In this final stretch of the after story, Tomoya finally realizes what he has been missing and is rewarded with a happy ending for everyone.
I wish I did not talk to my friend earlier about everything mentioned above now.
Despite a generic-like first season, Clannad After Story lives up to its expectations of being one of the most beautiful stories told in all of the genre of romance and medium of visual novels. I now think KyoAni has two teams of animators: the serious guys who do KEY and FMP! adaptions, and the cash cowers doing Lucky Star and K-ON! We could use more of that Full Metal Panic adapting right about now.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| Clannad ~After Story~ is the continuation of the Clannad TV series after Tomoya officially starts going out with Nagisa. This part of the story has more of the sad undertones typically found in other Key works.
Most of the supporting characters in the original Clannad return though with more limited appearances. Since there is less of Sunohara and the other comedic characters, there is also a decrease in the amount of humor. The focus turns to Nagisa and Tomoyo, emphasizing the "family" theme of the series.
As with other Key works, be prepared for some pretty depressing stuff. The ending, though, is a nice surprise that I won't spoil.
Fans of Key rejoice, this is a job well done. The story gets a bit slow at times but it's well worth it.
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Yenno |
(2009-01-18 04:00:06) 2008-11-11 02:47:27 |
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Everything you liked (and hated) from the first season of CLANNAD is here. I personally find this sequel boring right now, just as I did with the original CLANNAD.
The story follows the Nagisa ending of the original Visual Novel, and thus for the most part, the story is focused on Tomoya and Nagisa alone.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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Budding |
(2009-04-04 11:16:02) 2008-07-24 20:50:16 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| In 2007, KyoAni released Clannad. As expected, the anime lived up to the high standard that is expected from KyoAni, and became an instant hit. However, it admittedly fell short of being the best production made by KyoAni. Shortly after Clannad concluded, KyoAni announced that there would be a sequel, which would be aired in 2008 through to 2009. The announcement was generally well received, although there were mixed reactions as to its quality.
In motion picture productions, it is very rare for a sequel to out perform its original. This is made especially difficult if the original was a masterpiece. Of course, there have been exceptions, as can be seen in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Godfather trilogy. In anime, the same principle holds. Rarely has there been a sequel to a highly acclaimed anime series that was itself better than the original series. However, the sequel to Clannad is an anime that totally redefines this definition.
Clannad: After Story is the 24 episode sequel to Clannad released in 2008. On my book, it is the best anime ever made, easily overtaking Eureka 7, and Kanon Remake. The anime is a masterpiece among masterpieces, and it outshines every other anime that I have seen so far.
The graphics and animation in Clannad: After Story are nothing short of what one would expect from KyoAni. The beautiful character designs, wonderful scenery, and incredible attention to detail are all present in Clannad: After Story. As with Kanon, watching Clannad: After Story is like watching art in motion. Although this time there are certain computer rendered parts within a scene, their use is mainly for reflective surfaces and the like. For a more detailed review on the art and animation style of KyoAni, please refer to my Kanon Remake (2006) review.
Clannad: After Story uses the same soundtrack that was present in the original Clannad anime, and the Clannad visual novel. It also uses the same excellent voice actors as the anime. The theme songs however, are brand new, and they are arguably the best theme songs I have ever heard, and not just in anime. If you are someone who despises anime, listening to the opening theme of Clannad: After Story might change your mind.
Although the storyline of the original Clannad was well developed and executed, it lacked substance and had an overly abrupt ending. Clannad: After Story builds on the strong foundations established by Clannad, and manages to develop a storyline that quite simply surpasses every other anime. One distinctive way the storyline stands out is that it reinforces a strong sense of family values, and portrays a highly responsible way of life. Combined with the highly realistic setting of the anime, Clannad: After Story sends off an extremely encouraging and positive message to viewers to the hardships one might face in real life.
Clannad: After Story starts out as a brilliant comedy, and transforms into an engaging and emotional drama half way through the series. Although there is every indication that the story would end in a tragedy, Clannad: After Story manages to deliver a happy ending, which might not please all viewers.
The final two episodes consist of a special OVA and a recap episode, both of which can be described as nothing short of a pinnacle of perfection. The recap episode is especially surprising, since most recap episodes in anime are a chore to sit through, while this episode was highly enjoyable and entertaining in many ways.
Clannad: After Story starts off with a cast of characters that has already been well established from the original Clannad. As a result, it is able to focus on the characters that were under developed in Clannad, resulting in a very strong cast. However, given the nature of the storyline, most of the cast would not be seen again until the very end of the anime. It should be noted that this is not a bad thing, as reintroducing characters simply for the sake of fans has ruined many anime in the past.
It is rather lacklustre to say at this stage that Clannad: After Story is an absolute must watch for everyone. Do note however, as it is a sequel, it is necessary to have seen the original Clannad. KyoAni has once again surpassed all my expectations, and I cannot wait to see and review their next release!
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3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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