CLANNAD / First Impressions

Summary:

As it turns out, Nagisa had only been reciting lines from a play that she wants to do if the drama club is brought back. She intends to rebuild the drama club, and though she’s unsure of herself, she thinks she’ll do her best. That night, Tomoya sees the girl again in that other world, and he knows that her life is lonely because there was no one but her. She creates a small mechanical creature for him, and he wonders if he only has to hope to be born in this world – the one warmth. Before he realized it, he wished for that. Back in the real world, Tomoya is walking to school when he almost gets run Kyou on a scooter. She tries to laugh it off because she’s still not used to driving a scooter yet since she just got her license, and despite the fact that he was the victim, she offers to let him off without having to pay any repair fee. After Kyou rides off laughing, Sunohara shows up to comment on how there are a lot of rough girls at their school. Sunohara is actually here to confront Tomoyo again, but she once again dominates him with her dizzying array of kicks, and she finishes him off by slamming him into the rubbish disposal chute. She really wishes that this were the end of things with him, though she does mention to Tomoya that seeing them makes her feel nostalgic.

Later that day, Tomoya is walking through the halls when he encounters two guys talking about the ghost again and how she gives a cursed item. He then heads to library to take a nap, but he discovers a girl inside who’s barefoot and is cutting apart books. Instead of answering any of his questions, the girl shows him the lunch that she made and offers him some. Tomoya takes a bite and finds it delicious, and the girl hopes to see him again. Returning to class, Tomoya wonders if this girl is the ghost, but Ryou informs him that it was Ichinose Kotomi, a genius who places in the top ten in the national exams no matter what subject. Kotomi apparently doesn’t go to class and studies on her own. Tomoya then changes the subject to Kyou and almost tells Ryou about the scooter, but Kyou bursts in at that very moment and drags him out before he can even finish saying the word bike. Riding to school on a scooter is forbidden, and Kyou doesn’t want to get suspended, so she needs him to keep his mouth shut. To spite her, Tomoya announces to the class that Kyou is bi(sexual), and this creates a big misunderstanding that ends with Kyou admitting that they’re actually talking about a bike/scooter.

That afternoon, Tomoya finds Nagisa sitting alone outside with a broom and wonders if something happened, but she denies it and asks him to wait in the drama club room. The first thing on his agenda for the club is to recruit some members, so Nagisa makes a flier for an orientation session on May 15th. It initially looks rather bare, so Tomoya suggests that she also say that the prettiest club president in the school will be waiting for them. Nagisa is shocked when she figures out that he is referring to her, especially because she had felt that Tomoya was going to be club president. However, Tomoya reminds her that he’s only helping and has no intention of joining if the club is revived. He feels that the decisions ultimately fall to Nagisa, including what she wants to put on the flier, and because of this, Nagisa draws a bunch of dango on it while singing the Dango Daikazoku song to herself. Tomoya, despite his reservations about it, lets Nagisa go with it since she likes it, and to his surprise, Nagisa suddenly blurts out the word tonkatsu (pork cutlet). She reveals that she says the names of foods as a charm to encourage herself, and if she does her best, she rewards herself with the food. Hearing this, Tomoya suggests that they buy some dango on the way home instead of tonkatsu.

Before that though, Tomoya helps Nagisa put up the fliers, and as he’s doing so, he hears someone wince in pain. Inside the nearby classroom is a girl carving a wooden star and cutting herself repeatedly in the process. When she notices Tomoya, she scampers away to the opposite side of the room and clings to her beloved object without explaining to Tomoya what it is, even after he asks. Seeing the girl’s bandaged hand, Tomoya takes away her blade and advises that she uses a properly sharp carving knife instead of what she’s got. He also points out that her hand is hurt, and when she tries to deny it, he proves it by getting her to high-five him. Keeping the knife, he leaves and finishes hanging up the rest of the fliers. Sunohara catches him putting up the final one and is surprised to hear that Tomoya is interested in a club since he used to hate people who participated in club activities. Nagisa unfortunately overhears this conversation, so Tomoya tries to tell her that what Sunohara said was meaningless. That evening has Tomoya painting faces onto dango that he bought, but when his father enters his room and seems to show interest, Tomoya reacts negatively to how his father speaks to him like a stranger.

Questioning who he is to his father, Tomoya runs out and doesn’t stop until he reaches Nagisa’s house. He brought the dango with him, and it makes her quite happy because of how they’re like a big dango family. Nagisa admits that she had been depressed because she ended up being left by herself earlier even though everyone in her class was supposed to help clean. She believes that she’s always been clumsy and admits she’s been teased a lot like this, though she feels better now thanks to him. Tomoya then changes the subject to what they had been talking about earlier and reveals that both he and Sunohara were recommended to come to this school because of sports – Sunohara for soccer and him for basketball. However, Tomoya quit soon after getting in. Because of this, Nagisa asks him to play basketball with her the following day after school and promises to wait for him. The next day turns out to be a rainy Saturday though, and Sunohara wants to skip school. Getting worried about Nagisa, Tomoya eventually heads to school to check if she’s there, and to his surprise, she’s standing in the rain under the basketball goal. He thinks that she should have gone home, but Nagisa notes that she wouldn’t have been able to see him if she did that.

When Tomoya tells her that there was no guarantee that he’d come, Nagisa points out that he did. He always helps her, so she at least wanted to play basketball with him to repay him. Nagisa really wants to see him shoot, but when Tomoya attempts to, the basketball falls out of his hands and he falls to his knees. It seems that Tomoya’s right arm won’t go up anymore because of an injury from a fight he got into with his father in the third year of junior high school. This prevents him from raising his arm higher than his shoulder, meaning that he can’t play basketball anymore. Realizing that she’s troubled him, Nagisa tries to apologize, but she faints instead.

Preview:

Part of my enjoyment of CLANNAD so far has been stemming from the amount of humor they’ve injected amidst all of the more serious plot elements. Tomoyo and the 528 hit combo was pretty amusing (also the way she forced Sunohara down the chute), though the big laugh of the episode for me goes to Tomoya for telling the class that Kyou is bisexual.

As for the story, I feel like we’re a lot deeper into it than we actually are. These first two episodes have done a decent job introducing the side characters, but it’s given Nagisa and Tomoya a lot more development than I would have guessed. Maybe after watching Kanon I was expecting this to start out with the male lead splitting his time between all the female characters, but the fact that Tomoya is together with Nagisa so much from the get-go seems to indicate that this probably won’t be the case. That’s not to say that they’re moving at an unnecessarily fast pace though, since the game is supposedly huge in length. The size of the supporting cast is pretty big too, and with the preview for next episode devoted entirely to Nagisa and Tomoya, I wonder how much time everyone else will get.

68 Comments

  15. I like this episode… Every bits has its funny, cool, cute, angry, and sorrow like moments… Though, I’m just feeling to cheery and giggly with Ibuki-chan’s scene…

    Tsukuyomi-chan
    Reply

  24. I have to admit that at first I thought this anime would be another reheated harem plot with 1D character personalities. However, much my surprise the writing and direction are superb, and characters meaningful and compassionate.

    Not only does the male lead have a backbone, but also humorous at his own expense which makes him a bit more believable than the perfect boyfriend robots of other anime.

    If they keep up the quality this will be one of my favorites for sure.

    KLined
    Reply

  35. The show might be good, but it is more about who is making the show. Kyoani is really awesome. I am tired of watching anime where the characters don’t blink. Still you can see that small detail always in Kyoani shows, they don’t mind spending the extras cells just to animate blinking. this is just a small example of their dedication to detail!

    golthin
    Reply

  37. >To spite her, Tomoya announces to the class that Kyou is bi(sexual), and this creates a big misunderstanding that ends with Kyou admitting that they’re actually talking about a bike/scooter.
    So that was what Kyou was confronting Tomoya for when she rushed in and dragged him out? Hahahaha!

    Sailor Enlil
    Reply

  39. I dun want an AIR ending… whatever that may be… Please… not an ending with a drama, then someone dies… nooooooooo

    awww… Nakahara Mai! Sugoi!! Bananananananananan!!! Oh wait, sorry, it’s supposed to be dango dango dango!!!!!!!!!!!

    Jayars
    Reply

  42. “Maybe after watching Kanon I was expecting this to start out with the male lead splitting his time between all the female characters, but the fact that Tomoya is together with Nagisa so much from the get-go seems to indicate that this probably won’t be the case.”

    To be fair, Clannad’s story set up isn’t exactly the same as Kanon’s. Kanon allowed you to basically pick any of the girls and be right, each having their own exclusive plotline with no effect on anyone else. The Kanon anime leans toward Ayu, but the favoratism for Ayu is almost arbritary- her storyline just conveniently concludes in the best position to end the show with when attempting to use all of the game’s plot routes.

    Clannad is similar, but the difference is that there is a ‘correct’ girl, it should be obvious to you who that girl is. All the other characters (not just the girls) relate back to the ‘correct’ girl’s story in a way no less than what you would expect from Key. It helps to keep this nature in mind when watching because it may help you understand why certain things are being shown or portrayed as they are. But considering the reality of the events of the story, which I will not say due to massive spoilers, I am very very interested in seeing how KyoAni will go with this show.

    That Guy
    Reply

  43. To “That Guy”, I hope it’s not some dream thing or everything wasn’t real. That would suck bad x.x;

    And yeah, Clannad is to me the best show this fall. It looks like it might get even better than Air/Kanon. I just hope they don’t pull a super sad depresseing AIR GOAL ending or a bit too sugary Kanon mircale ending.

    FlameStrike
    Reply

  44. Like I stated before, I never played the game this time (unlike AIR and KANON), so I’m keeping an eye on this one. Given that it’s supposed to be large in scope (and based on an all-ages game for once) compared to the previous 2 Key games, I wonder where KyoAni will take this.

    Myssa Rei
    Reply

  47. “To “That Guy”, I hope it’s not some dream thing or everything wasn’t real. That would suck bad x.x;”

    Sort of yes, sort of no, if KyoAni follows the game as well as they did Kanon, you should not be disappointed. It not so much of a deus ex machina in the sense that what occurs is to conveniently undo what occurred as a means of escaping literary consequence (like in Serial Experiments Lain, where she literally rebooted the universe and removed herself from it, undoing all the damage that occurred over the series). There is a more meaningful and emotional reason behind it, and it’s closer to Kanon’s ending in this sense- but it won’t be as sugary because of what comes before it. Kanon ended up a bit too sweet because they used Ayu to explain how Akiko recovered from her near fatal injuries and how Shiori is magically cured of her Space AIDS. How for both was not addressed in game and caused a more significant story problem for the anime because it was using all the story routes; in game, each event only occurred in a single route and therefore was completely independent. It was actually a rather well done move on KyoAni’s part, since Ayu herself needed a miracle to come out of a 7 year long coma anyway.

    Without spoiling it all, the reality of what’s going on in Clannad is more akin to Higurashi than Kanon or Air. This plot device could sort of be considered a combination of Higurashi and ONE (a work by the members of Key before forming Key, when they worked for Tactics, was made to rival To Heart and evolved during development into a precursor to Kanon in spirit, Kanon being Key’s first release), but without Higurashi’s penchant for brutally murdering its cast over and over again. ONE also revolved around a parallel dimension (The Eternal World) that the main character would frequently visit in his mind, and it shares a similar motif to the Illusionary World that Tomoya visits and both use them as a psychological means of escaping the emotional pains of their lives.

    That Guy
    Reply

  51. After watching the 2nd Eps of clannad i think it’s definetly overated! Everything is like kanon. It’s like building a success from Kanon…

    The storyline is the same, 1 special guy finding so many different strange gals!
    The Gals all look almsot the same, the way they cry etc BORING!
    The Background sound give me yawning!

    DEFINETLY overated!!!

    ~REM
    Reply

  53. @REM you really can’t tell a good show can you? Well to each his own, to me Clannad is ALOT diffrent then Kanon. I loved Kanon too though, but that doesn’t make Clannad boring, it’s very diffrent if you can see the details. If you just compare the very basic components then ALL harem shows are the same or similar, one guy with girls. Clannad the things that make a GOOD harem show. Good animation, likeable male lead, more reaslistic enviorment with intresting characters that react in a resanable matter.

    But if your the type that just looks for explosions and stuff of you’d be bored and not care about that kind of stuff.

    FlameStrike
    Reply

  56. Here’s a question: what IS a Big Dango Family? Tomoyo makes it seem like it was a fad or something in Japan, but a quick google search revealed nothing. Anyone know if it’s a real thing, or just part of the show?

    Djinnistorm
    Reply

  57. “wait… what?

    and btw this is just Kanon all over again with a change to the girls hair colors.”

    No, it’s not Kanon with different hair colors. Kanon’s motif revolves around the making and keeping of promises and the occurrence of miracles. Clannad’s main story Show Spoiler ▼

    revolves around the value of family, the title meaning “family in Irish, and bringing happiness to those close to you. Although there are miracles like in Kanon, they are grounded in the motif of Clannad rather than the occurrences being a theme in of itself.

    You have to keep in mind, Clannad, Kanon, Air- you’re going to find a lot of similar elements in their stories and their character designs because they’re all works of Key. It’s the same way how you’ll find many similarities between Type Moon’s works. But that doesn’t mean you can completely write a later series off as a clone of an earlier one.

    That Guy
    Reply

  58. Another episode grand, I see aye.
    Since some lads n’ lasses aren’t really likin’ it too much, I be winnin’ stock lengths. Ye see, sum basses can’t find it tuu well, which be why they be whinin’ and be cryin’ about it, because thar be emos and them furries in hart.
    Me wonder if we be seein’ Tomoyo After as an animu, ta’d be grand. Because we a’ll be hart like Tomoya beatin’ men to a bloody pulp.

    The Hordesman
    Reply

  59. i dont know why this “person” still watching this KEY animations if in his mind doesn’t like it…. Well troll needs attention… troll got it..you know who you are…
    As far as everyone knows… and including me… This show rocks…!! Nagisa’s dango FTW!!!!

    rave_master
    Reply

  60. IT IS kanon all over again!! From the start we see special girl who can fight! Kanon used sword while Clannad used legs That is the different! Then we see some crying girl who is 16 but act like 6 same as KANON! There is too much different And Flamestrike, if u say what makes a good harem show, Copying is defintly not making a good harem show! END OF STORY!

    What i am looking at is the story line and the behavior of e character and it’s look exactly like Kanon at this point!

    ~REM
    Reply

  62. “What i am looking at is the story line and the behavior of e character and it’s look exactly like Kanon at this point!”

    You’re not looking at the storyline if you think it is identical to Kanon. You admit to not knowing the story- the average viewer shouldn’t, it hasn’t been revealed yet; one can’t rationally compare stories based on introductory material. Your comparisons are only about the setting and premise. The only things they have in common even from this point is that there is one main male character, with a single male friend, the majority of his company being with girls. That’s the same as just about every entry in the visual novel genre. Tomoya’s intentionally similar to Yuuichi in how he treats the girls (teases but is overall nice) but otherwise he’s much different, it’s already stated that he’s an infamous delinquent in school, a status Yuuichi never had; and as you can see, he hates being with his father, which is a stark contrast to how Yuuichi gets along with Akiko.

    You are also confusing basic VN character archetypes as things unique to Kanon. That Tomoyo can kick some ass- it’s analogous to Mai if you only compare Key works, yes, but look at the genre as a whole and you see that just about every standard one of them has a “violent girl” character (often combined with the tsundere to kill 2 birds with one stone). Love Hina, one of the most iconic of the harem genre, had 2 of them. The childish girl is another standard character model. To Heart had Aoi for its girl who can kick your ass and Akari filled the childish role (better than Multi anyway); Comic Party had Mizuki and Emi respectively. Ironically, you’re wrong in equating Nagisa to Ayu Show Spoiler ▼

    – yeah they look a similar, but Ayu actually acts and speaks in a childish manner, Nagisa’s childishness is illusory, implied by her meekness and low self esteem.

    That Guy
    Reply

  63. Too much argument over whether this show is too similar to another one I haven’t watched…how about we answer questions instead of arguing! Like…for example, oh, I don’t know, my question about the Big Dango Family?

    For those too lazy to page back, here it is again: “what IS a Big Dango Family? Tomoyo makes it seem like it was a fad or something in Japan, but a quick google search revealed nothing. Anyone know if it’s a real thing, or just part of the show?”

    Djinnistorm
    Reply

  64. Well, actually the big dango family isnt something real, well if it was… maybe it wasnt in the name of “dango”, or maybe they are making a parody of a fad or something that was in japan some time ago…

    @~REM: You say that this show is overrated… but you are the only one that is saying that… maybe you dont realize that you are just underrating it? maybe its pretty similar of kanon… but this show is still as good as if it wasnt simmilar… and is absolutely not boring.. (^_^) this show can be the same as kanon… but is not overrated and still i think there is nothing simmiliar on those 2 series more than they are KyoAny-Key´ works…

    Dark-Zombie
    Reply

  65. That guy : they KEY WORD is AT THIS POINT! I believe those who haven’t play the game will admit that at this point, both the storyline and character introduce is somehow or rather same as kanon.

    ~REM
    Reply

  66. REM: Reading your posts, I have to agree on some points you make. However, I do suggest that you keep on watching this till the end. CLANNAD isn’t something that you can understand the whole thing just by watching 2-3 episodes, and it’s probably the one where I like the male casts more than some of the girls. KEY knows how to make male casts shine, instead of just throwing them as extras like many other games of similar type.

    solgae
    Reply

  68. this “physicaly weak” character type annoy me the most….. it’s getting on my nerve as I know that she’ll probably somehow die and Tomoya will realize something out of that… It’s too much identical to air on this point. well.. the fact that she’ll die is only speculation of my part but just the fact that she’s weak, sick, whatever you call it. Ruin a lot of my enjoyment of watching the show.. guess Visual Novels arent really my type. Air has something to it that kept me sticked on it to the end, to be completly disapointed by the ending… I guess the fact that it’s exactly the same people that are working on CLANNAD won’t help it.

    anonymousplease
    Reply

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