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Summary:
Since Mei doesn’t immediately recognize her and only finds her familiar-looking, Sanae introduces herself as 17-year-old Isogai Sanako. Tomoya and Nagisa think that Sunohara might be taking Sanae out to a good restaurant for their date, but he brings her to a simple eatery where he comes often for katsudon. This doesn’t sit well with Sanae though, so she instead cooks for him and the others. Seeing such a great girl with her brother makes Mei tear up because she pities Sanae. Afterward, Sunohara takes Sanae out to the arcade and the CD shop instead of going to the movies or shopping, much to the dismay of Tomoya, Nagisa, and Mei. As afternoon turns to evening, the group happens upon a bunch of boys bullying a little girl, and Mei initially stops Tomoya and Nagisa from helping. She looks to Sunohara to do something, but she instead sees him dismiss it as a part of growing up. Fortunately, the little girl’s brother comes running in and saves her. Sunohara considers everything settled and wants to move on, but Sanae feels that something is strange and goes to talk to the kids.
As it turns out, the two are lost after having come out on an errand, and Sanae wants to help them get home. Sunohara doesn’t care, and he’s disappointed when Sanae and the others help the kids get home anyway. He sulks for the rest of the night, and when Sanae asks him if he’s angry, he emphasizes how they were on a date. Mei gets angry when she hears this, but Sanae holds Mei back and claims that she wants to see him again. Sanae also uses the chance to remind him that although she’s happy that he considers their time together important, there are sometimes things which are more important. Sanae wanting to see him again cheers Sunohara up, and the happiness stays with him into the next day at school. He thinks that Sanae has really fallen in love with him, and he even goes as far as to suggest that he and Tomoya would be related if he married Sanae and Tomoya married Nagisa. After school, Sunohara rushes back to the dorm to wait for a phone call from Sanae, and he feels that everyone is intruding when Tomoya, Nagisa, and Mei show up at his room. He suggests that Mei should be returning home soon, but she refuses because there’s something she still has to do. Mei surprises her brother by claiming that she came to see the person that she likes, and before she leaves to go meet this person, she hopes that her brother enjoys his love.
Tomoya urges Sunohara to chase after his sister, but he refuses to budge because he’s waiting for Sanae’s phone call. When Tomoya leaves the dorm, he finds Mei and Nagisa outside, and Mei is disappointed to see that her brother didn’t come after her. She later admits that she wanted him to prevent her from going, and she was even ready for him to hit her. Mei can still remember how he always saved her from bullies when they were young and how good at soccer he was in junior high school. She feels that the current Sunohara isn’t her true brother because her brother wouldn’t abandon a girl being bullied, and he’d be worried about her. Mei has realized by now that her brother having a girlfriend is all a lie, and Nagisa admits that it was her mother. Despite Mei knowing now, Sanae is still willing to go on another date with Sunohara, and when Akio catches them preparing, Mei claims that it’s for a play. Leaving Nagisa to deal with her father, Tomoya and Mei try to follow Sanae and Sunohara, but they can’t find them and decide instead to have some fun in the meantime. Mei thinks that it’d be better if Tomoya was really her brother and starts calling him onii-chan, but he has a hard time dealing with that and forbids her from saying it. Unfortunately, Kyou, Ryou, and Kotomi overhear Mei and think the worst.
Mei ends up convincing Tomoya to buy her a large crepe and then to go into a purikura with her. She chooses a sticker set that has hearts all around and hugs Tomoya’s arm in the picture as if she really loved him. The two are caught, however, by Sunohara, and after he sees the stickers, he demands to know what’s going on. Tomoya uses the chance to claim that he is Mei’s boyfriend and that he’s breaking up with Nagisa. He even suggests that Mei stayed with him last night and starts to walk off with her. Sunohara almost tries to stop them, but he doesn’t and instead goes the other direction in frustration. Mei now feels that her brother doesn’t care about her and refuses to return home with things like this. Her solution is to get him to play soccer again because she thinks that will return him to how he used to be. Tomoya knows that that will be difficult given what happened between Sunohara and the soccer club, but Mei sees no other options.
Preview
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Although most of this episode was a lot more serious than last week – with Sunohara acting like a jackass while Mei is concerned about him – it still managed to be pretty amusing at parts, especially when Mei treats Tomoya as her real brother (and how they’re caught by Kyou, Ryou, and Kotomi). I swear Mei looked more and more like a Lucky Star character every time they draw her in a cute way. Perhaps more importantly, it was interesting to see the a stark contrast between how likable Sunohara is when he’s the butt of jokes and how insufferable he acts towards his sister and anyone who gets in the way of him and Sanae. I assume something will happen that will cause him to care more about his sister, and that something could be Mei having an accident or Sanae talking some sense into him or maybe even the soccer idea will work.
In any case, this particular plotline is apparently going to keep going, and it has me rethinking my earlier assumption that AFTER STORY wouldn’t feature character-focused arcs like in the first series or in Kanon. Not that having them is a bad thing – I just thought there would have been a whole lot more on Tomoya and Nagisa by now. I’m curious to see how the rest of this series is structured, and for the time being, next week looks like it might be the conclusion to this Sunohara/Mei arc.
AWESOME!!! TOO FAST!
1st Comment. lololol
Balls
heheh im just 3rd ^^…
guys is clannad based on a h-game or just a visual novel >>…
clannad is based on visual novel the only h-game based on clanad is tomoyo after(spin-off or continuation tomoyo ending). hopefully i dont get it wrong information
Nice, looks like a good episode, im looking forward to some good old drama between sunohara and tomoya.
I love being 4
I’ve always thought that the whole content of the After Story, the real AS not just the name, could fit into 10-12 episodes. Maybe they’re still fleshing out the other characters since we wont be seeing them much later. Also, Yukine’s explanation about the light orbs.
I guess this is the arc where Tomoya tries to get Sunohara and Mei closer together.
Awesome episode. This drama is what I’ve been waiting for.
I also thought Lucky Star in some of these screenshots, especially this one https://randomc.net/image/CLANNAD/CLANNAD%20~AFTER%20STORY~%20-%2003%20-%2028.jpg
“…I just thought the focus would be mostly on Tomoya and Nagisa.”
The After Story part hasn’t started yet. We’re still on the school arc in season one. Based on what I played from the game, I would say the REAL After Story will take place when the episode numbers hit double digits.
Mai chan!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Looks like Mei-chan was adopted after all.
Sunohara looks jealous that his precious “sister” is having fun with his supposed “best” friend.
still a cute episode, im sure they will get to Nagisa later… right now im happy with these episodes… and yea next week is angry face episode… tats how it looks..
Uh, no, Mei is definitely blood-related to Youhei. It’s in the game, darn it! Where the heck are you getting these ideas people?!
@Myssa Rei
uhh…. hair color maybe? lol!
@ I LOVE THE CAPS LOCK KEY!!
Naw, the hair color thing will probably be explained about later but they definitely are blood related. I never played the game but have heard a lot about it from people who have so…. heh.
Actually, the only reason why Mei and Youhei have different hair colors is the fact that Youhei dyes his hair blonde; without it, his hair color is quite close to Mei’s.
And In Nomen Haruhi, Mei is really Youhei’s sister. Yes, it’s in the game. Turn off your Dating Sim Stereotype filters, mmkay?
WOOTS
Too bad that Aiko didn’t maim Sunohara…. that would have been funny.
Looks like a good episode. Can’t wait to see it.
@koi: You’re right it is a spin off, not a sequel to the ending though. IMO I prefer to think of it as a spin off rather than a sequel due to the nature of its ending, which I’m not particularly fond off despite the awesome plot.
@Myssa Rei: Yeah, this isn’t a sis con show or game, Mei is his little sister and he treats her as one (though with this ep. he’s starting to become a jackass just cuz he got a fake gf – truly not a humorous side of him).
Though now I’m curious. Did Tomoya plan this out with Nagisa? I mean he just blurted out that he’s gonna split up with Nagisa to be with Mei? I wonder what Nagisa would do or even react to this next episode, I mean the fact that the last episode when Nagisa thought that Tomoya may have fallen in love with her mom, and even the first – when Tomoya instructed Tomoyo when she was batting, shows Nagisa’s insecurity towards their relationship. So I think this could be a key event in the future, showing their relationship in the rocks or something.
Though I would prefer they show the pairing soon, I don’t mind at all showing other character arcs – I am more specifically interested in Ryou, seeing as Tomoya was pretty surprised and felt bad when she cried the last time, and looks like something happened between the two. Though I won’t mind an extra Kotomi, Tomoyo, and Kyou arc with Tomoya now and then.
“Actually, the only reason why Mei and Youhei have different hair colors is the fact that Youhei dyes his hair blonde; without it, his hair color is quite close to Mei’s.”
True, see the last part of Clannad 24.
My god, Sunohara is a dumbass in every sense of the word. Just because he doesn’t have any luck with girls… Just doesn’t have the super harem that Tomoya sports… Is he really that stupid? I liked him better in Kanon. Atleast in Kanon he had a real personality if you can call it that.
X, you’re reading too much about Nagisa’s moment of insecurity. The only thing she’s worried about is Tomoya liking Sanae, a bit too much, which will be shown in the events later, in a funny way. As for Ryou, i think they’re going to setup the atmosphere between her and Tomoya for the events of Kappei’s arc, if they’re going to animate it which im not sure since he was not shown in the ED.
X: Nagisa’s insecurity will be played upon, but you’ll find out that her relationship with Tomoya is solid. The only problem that people have with the pair is the fact that there’s no OUTWARD show of romance between the two (this ain’t a shoujou anime, so don’t expect kissing that much).
Blank: Kappei and Ryou’s story might not get any focus, since it might be Yukine’s route that might get it’s turn in the spotlight after Mei’s.
wow…now this is something hard hitting drama… my otaku instincts can wait till epi 4…
… Wow, I think I overused on the “might” there.
That was a great episode for me. I even rewound the Sunohara/Mei/Tomoya scene at the end twice – the drama, even if just an act and bound to be cleared up very soon just hit at my otaku feelings ^^
Clannad After Story IS pretty much straight-forward Tomoya-Nagisa … we just really haven’t gotten to that point yet. Even though the anime is calling itself After Story, we are still dwelling on the events (arcs) that you go through in the game before advancing to the after story. In short – even though the anime is labeled as ‘after story’, we are still effectively stuck in what is the “School Life” part of the game. (Its not like they can change the name halfway through the series once they are caught up with the point where the actual AS begins in the game :))
And that is something i am eagerly looking towards myself … some actual display of romance is long since overdue in this show, so i can’t wait when we finally get to that part. As for now … we still need to finish the other character arcs before moving to the actual AS storyline … which means probably 2 more episodes of Sunohara sibling arc, 2-3 episodes of Yukine’s arc (And on that note i demand a Tomoyo style alternative OVA episode for Yukine – i consider the romance between her and Tomoya as the most naturally flowing and comfortably developed relationship in the game, despite the relative shortness of her route), ~2 episodes of Misae’s arc … and maybe ~3 episodes of Ryou’s arc (yes, she has an actual arc in the game that isn’t connected to Kyou’s, nor a subset of it). Likely 1 episode of Kitamura’s ‘arc’, and then the actual AS storyline can begin.
Sunohara is a siscon at heart.
In the game, he moved out of the house and dyed his hair blonde because he couldn’t stand staying in the same house with his “sister” without doing anything to her.
All his years in the soccer club, he managed to hide and suppress his feelings but Tomoya’s sudden intervention made him realize again how much he loves his sister (the incest way).
Anyone else noticed, that everything that Ryou did since the start of the After Story was cry?? Hell, she’s more a crybaby now than Nagisa ever was. I totally liked her more as the shy fortune-telling type 🙂
@Skyfall
“yes, she has an actual arc in the game that isn’t connected to Kyou’s, nor a subset of it
O rly?
Funny, I seem to remember their arcs being closely intertwined. Because they are.
But DAYUMMMM, did anyone else notice the beautiful animation this episode? Don’t spend your budget all in once place, KyoAni 😀
@Skyfall
Sorry for the double post, but the main reason KyoAni CAN’T do routes such as Kyou’s, Ryou’s, and Tomoyo’s is that most of the story in their routes REQUIRES a relationship between one of them and Tomoya, and that wouldn’t make sense with the anime storyline (since they’ve obviously taken the Nagisa route). I’m praying for a Kyou route episode (which would also cover most of Ryou’s route) at the end of this season, much like KyoAni did for Tomoyo with episode 24.
D.Locke: That’s very true. Heck, Ryou and Tomoya are actually DATING for most of Kyou’s route. That’s the main reason why Tomoyo and Kyou’s route were cut short, since they don’t segue well into Nagisa’s story, unlike Fuuko or Kotomi’s, which are more or less stand-alone.
So, the best that the shippers can do is enjoy the story instead of obsessing on their sunken ships…
What a messy story this episode is o.O
Shippers? Did Somebody say Shippers? I think someone said shippers. *looks for that paddle*
Seriously.. i gotta catch up with this episode.
Is the art somehow different in After Story than what it was in the first season?
Tomoya has been looking a little different too in my opinion. I liked first seasons more.
Yeah… I disliked the random 180 that Sunohara experienced. It’s just like… all of a sudden he’s a douche bag.
@Skyfall: Serious? So their is an arc of Yukine and Tomoya where they’re dating? And more surprising is that they get along lol. Though I’ve read that the Ryou and Tomoya arc weren’t that good and they actually dont fit.
Myssa Rei: So in the Fuuko and Kotomi arc, there is no apparent romance or relationship between Tomoya? I mean I’m fine with Fuuko seeing as she’s still a kid at heart lol and also she’s treated as a friend for Tomoya, but I actually thought that there would be a good relationship between him and Kotomi, since they were childhood friends after all and they get along quite fine when they were kids and even when they met up when they’re older. Man if it’s true, I’m kinda disappointed, since I haven’t played her route yet and I was expecting somewhat of a romance between Tomoya and the rest of the heroines (EXCEPT Fuuko lol).
@D.Locke
By Ryou’s route i wasn’t referring to the ‘Ryou ending’ you can obtain during Kyou’s arc (Which doesn’t give you a light orb either …and which we would never happen in the anime for obvious reasons) – i was thinking of Ryou and Kappei’s route, which would be Ryou’s ‘true’ arc (which does give you a light orb) … i am not sure if we will be getting this, as Kappei doesn’t seem to appear in either OP or ED, but that is the only thing i can link a crying Ryou in the OP to at this point.
X
@Skyfall: Serious? So their is an arc of Yukine and Tomoya where they’re dating? And more surprising is that they get along lol. Though I’ve read that the Ryou and Tomoya arc weren’t that good and they actually dont fit.
I am very much serious (And Yukine actually was originally intended as one of the main heroines of the story (game), but that got changed along the way and she got more of a side-heroine role) about her developing a romantic relationship with Tomoya during her path, and the chemistry between the two actually being surprisingly natural and flowing.
As for Ryou’s ‘route’ where she ends up with Tomoya … well, it was OK-ish, but nothing special. They indeed don’t fit together all that well, though that improves a little bit at the very end of the route.
There is some liitle bit of romance in Fuuko’s arc, though easily discarded as it was nothing serious to begin with.
in Kotomi’s arc, romance between her and Tomoya is very much real and present. The difference is that unlike, say, Kyou’s arc, even if you remove the substantial amount of romance, it still offers plenty of material to work with and the romance can be worked around as result (Clannad season 1), unlike Kyou, who doesn’t have anything once the romance aspect is taken away. (again, Kyou season 1).
Hey Skyfall, where’s your website link? Come on, wear your coat of arms with you when you’re making the rounds. :p
The Lucky Star-like character style can be attributed to this episode’s art director, Horiguchi Kikuko, who happens to be the character designer for Lucky Star.
Here’s her profile in the Japanese Wikipedia, if you can read it.
http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%A0%80%E5%8F%A3%E6%82%A0%E7%B4%80%E5%AD%90
Kawaii!!!! Loved this episode. They have been spot on so far with the comedy and I hope they continue to impress me with their comedic gold!
Mei is getting too adorable.
Somehow reminds me of Akira from Lucky Channel and Misao from Lucky Star lol.
“and how they’re caught by Kyou, Ryou, and Kotomi”
LOL, that was funny!!!!!!!!
Last!!!!
http://worldofanimemusic.blogspot.com
my favorite part was the “dont call me onichan but get caught by my own harem part”. ahaha mei pwned tomoya
@Skyfall: Thanks for clearing that up, I had thought that the same story of Kotomi in the season 1 anime would be just like the game, if there was no real relationship with her and Tomoya. Glad to hear that there is, now I’m curious to play her route. I’m still at Fuuko’s, though I expect that it would be very similar to the anime.
Commenting on this episode, asides from the Sunohara angst, I actually find Tomoya hilarious when he hears Mei call him Onii-chan, it made me think that maybe if he had a sibling, then his life wouldn’t be so miserable.
Prepare for a kickass episode next week for the end of the sunohara arc is coming!
When Sanae did that 17 years old line, I couldn’t help but think that it was an inside joke: her seiyuu Kikuko Inoue often ends with the phrase that she is 17 years old when she introduces herself or when someone is asking about her age…
Oi oi, Onee-chan! Seriously, Inoue Kikuko is going to kill me one of these days. She’s just too damn amazing.
Mei’s “onii-chan” is an amazing harem-destroying technique. Beware.
Looks like Tomoya’s own medicine backfired on him with Mei calling him onii-chan. Seems like he almost converted himself to a lolicon…lol
sore to, benza cover!!!
I like to express my opinion of Sunohara now. He sucks. How can he do that to your sister? He is not funny and he lacks a heart. I hope he straightens up next episode. As for the episode, awesome plot as usual.