Epilogue and After Words: Clannad, After Story, and their AMVs
Ξ July 5th, 2009 | → 4 Comments | ∇ The Anime Annals |
Clannad… from its first opening scene I knew it was going to be something special. Having anticipated this work ever since being exposed to the first two prongs of the Key/Visual Art’s(sic)/Kyoto Animation triple crown of anime (namely, Air and Kanon 2006), I eagerly watched each episode fully engrossed, and anxiously awaited each new installment as it aired week-by-week, quite impatiently, as the intentionally tangled and meandering story unfolded. I was well-rewarded, though it took until the end of After Story to realize it.
Clannad was hard to peg: Not quite exactly the realistic slice-of-life comedy-drama as it shows on its face, it was more a humanistic fairy tale with your normal day-to-day relationships tinged with a decidedly otherworldly fantasy. Yet the story was more real than anything they’d offered to date; despite this it was not without its own moments of mystery and metaphysics. And, what a story…
A story like the ones I want to tell, and have in my novel Unbound, my own “romantic fairy-tale.” (Of sorts LOL) Like the title of the film by Sam Jones about Wilco says: “I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.” And it does, and we do. Just fix me afterwards, okay? And they do, and we do, and I will fix you, afterwards… here, and there in the After Story.
“I wonder when something will change?” On his way to school, the bored and self-proclaimed delinquent Tomoya encounters a girl standing by herself at the bottom of the hill, clad in the same school uniform as he, murmuring something under her breath: ”An-pan!” (It later turns out that she uses this word to help herself gather her strength to face something challenging; it was usually a food that she would afterwards reward herself with for overcoming it.) But then she continues on, talking to “someone in her heart” as Tomoya surmises, reminding herself: “Nothing can remain the same forever.”
With a tentative piano tinkling the opening to her memorable theme in the background, in a beautifully clever use of transition from the muted shades reflecting the drabness of Tomoya’s world into brilliant hues of all colors, Nagisa is introduced both to him and to us, and together they begin their “long, long uphill climb…” And that it is, for all of us.
Spanning two full seasons, Clannad and its sequel/continuation After Story (ranked 3rd-highest on Anime News Network’s ratings board) told a tale of Family. Of all kinds, from blood-relations to that of friends brought togather by goals both significant and small, and the power of togetherness, the destructiveness of separation, and the changes these connections most often will bring. Sad changes, and painful ones, but also wonderful, happy, and miraculous ones.
If there is one “entry-level” series which to recommend, I wouldn’t hesitate to press this one to the forefront. It’s a very real fantasy, with the emphasis on “real.” From Tomoya’s difficult relationship with his father, to the other characters’ singular travails (too many to go into here) Clannad offers a palette so rich and diverse that rarely is there a boring moment. And if there is one, it is there for a purpose. Truly a story for young-minded, mature, and “seasoned” viewers alike, and romantics everywhere, it will alternately crack you up and then break your heart, and then…
Well, that would be telling!
I’m going to break from tradition here, and offer the first third of episode one of Clannad’s first season in the hope that it may cause you to watch it, or better yet go out and purchase the series, which was recently released in a two-volume set on four DVDs. It wasn’t dubbed into English, but the original language with subtitles is the best way to go. In that way you will be able to better grasp the nuances and emotional pitch from the intended actors, and thus be given the full range of emotion and sincerity that was delivered at broadcast. Just make sure you quickly read the text and then immediately return your eyeballs to the screen, so you don’t miss the animation! (A lot of people get lazy when reading subtitles and allow their eyes to rest where the words appear, thereby missing all the action. Do not do this.)
What follows is the opening eight minutes, and features the above-mentioned introduction, the OP, and then some light-hearted (and typically silly) nonsense involving Tomoya’s friend Sunohara and “associates.” (There is a small amount of slapstick scattered throughout the series as well, but it doesn’t detract any.) New Initiates should pay close attention to how the combination of scenery, voice, expression, sound effects, music, direction and animation all work closely together to paint each frame in the complete work of art; this was one of my most-enjoyable discoveries when first getting into anime.
This clip will also later introduce you to “The Illusionary World”, a very important concept but only teasingly so throughout Season One. In After Story, you will learn a lot more about The Illusionary Girl, the Junk-Boy she creates to be born into the story, and their very special Place…
Do note that in all likelihood this will be pulled by YouTube very soon, so watch it while you can. (And not to be repetitious, but watch it in Full Screen!) If you’re in a hurry, just get through the first 6:30 
(EDIT: Don’t bother, since it’s already been “removed by user” 
Probably at the request demand of the Soup-Nazis at YouTube *shakes fist at YouTube*)
Now that you’ve had a taste, note that if not inclined to buy it at this point, you can watch both Clannad and its follow up Season Two (and a necessity for the full picture) After Story, at Crunchyroll.
Some time ago, while looking for Clannad AMVs to post in my recent series of essays “The Craft-Work and Art of the AMV,” I was informed that “there are no good Clannad AMVs”. So, I took this as a challenge 
But sure enough, I had an awful time searching them out. I did come across a few though, and KholdStare (creator of the beautiful Air AMV “Fleeting Eternity” that is shared below) took the considerable time and effort to make one of his own, which is exceptional. These should help get you familiarized with the series and the themes and characters involved.
I suppose that I should once again point out that while realizing that most anime fans who drop in here will already have seen both Clannad and After Story, Alastor’s other Visitors are in all likelihood new to anime and its more mature offerings, as opposed to accidently coming across the juvenile pap that is commonly available for viewing on Cartoon Network or even Adult Swim. And Alastor wants to expose Westerners and others to this hidden little niche of creativity, and so offers these excursions into unfamiliar territory in the hopes of bringing anime to more people and busting up their assumptions, promoting them into prospective consumers and hoped-for hobbyists who may assist the genre in surviving these rocky economic times.
Also… HERE BE SPOILERS!!! Bear that in mind before you enjoy the following! After watching the above initial moments you’ll be able to decide for yourself whether to invest your interest in Clannad; if not, then the spoilers won’t matter. But if you are interested and plan to watch it, be forewarned. I’ll give warning before each of the following AMVs so you don’t have the story ruined for you. In any case, don’t worry; the Big Spoilers won’t be revealed in so many words.
Just the “little one”
Enough prattling; words can only suffice so much, and as Robert Wyatt says “words take the place of meaning.” So let these moving moving pictures serve in their stead, and please do enjoy. Also, for more info on what AMVs are all about, refer to the aforementioned series of essays, below 
Our first AMV, by Sweeturk Studios, features highlights from both seasons, and is done to the powerful song “Halo” with great effectiveness. It makes for an excellent start, although there are some heavy spoilers in it. We are able to chart the progress and character growth of both Tomoya and Nagisa as they pass from school to graduation and after in the appropriately-named After Story, where both realize they must measure up not only to each other’s expectations and promises but also to those of what Life expects and demands…
The next AMV, done by brutalspoon and set to Coldplay’s “Fix You,” features Kotomi, a genius whom Tomoya meets in the school library. She shelters a sorrowful past and a memory that he has forgotten; her story-arc reveals how their lives are intertwined and how Tomoya helps to resolve her issues, though it takes her trust in a suspicious adult from her past to come to terms with it. Despite Tomoya often referring to himself as a “delinquent” he really is a good person who goes out of his way to help others, as shown here:
Wow. TWO HOURS to locate and find a suitable Fuko video, but I just had to include her story here. I finally came across this one made by Catnapper and accompanied by Regina Spektor’s “The Call”. Very sweet, and fittingly so, for Clannad’s most underrated, memorable, and funny character. And, her arc in Season One was easily the most poignant, heart-rending and emotional in many viewers’ eyes, which more often than not were tear-filled at its end.
Fuko is a small-for-her-age girl (with good reason), very childlike, temperamental, and very much focused on one thing, and one thing only: To get people to attend her sister’s as-yet-unplanned wedding. Tomoya meets her in a classroom one day, where she sits alone, carving wooden starfish to hand out at school, her fingers and hands knicked and wounded from the constant whittling. Despite her distaste for him, he and Nagisa befriend her and attempt to assist her in giving out the starfish as wedding invitations, which she is sure will be memorable enough to bring as many people to the wedding as possible. But by and by people begin to forget her, and wonder about where the starfish came from… and some of them also wonder aloud about the rumors of a “ghost-girl” who wanders the halls alone, struck by an automobile years ago and confined to a hospital bed…
Dozo!:
Okay, time to close this out on a high note! Some serious spoilers ahead…
Largely (if not completely) taken from After Story, the following AMV was created by KholdStare after a chat about how hard it was to find a decent Clannad AMV, at least on YouTube. Using the highest-quality source material he put together this touching, beautiful, and moving tribute to little Ushio, entitled “Starlight Memories” and features the song “Dance With My Father” by Kellie Coffey. Very very fitting, and a good choice to finish up here. We also come full circle with the beginning of this article and its clip, and in more ways than one
Given Tomoya’s troubles with his own father dating back to Season One, soon he was to face it in the mirror of his own difficulties with regard to his and Nagisa’s child, a precocious, achingly-cute, curious, and aware five-year old. When Nagisa becomes absent he has to deal with Ushio’s queries about her and initial hesitation at accepting him. These episodes were really the meat of After Story for me; after following and growing with the characters over two seasons we finally have Tomoya (and friends and Family) facing some real adult situations, decisions, and realities. There’s not a lot I can say that wouldn’t spoil the story any further, really… some already consider just revealing that they have a child is enough of one, so I’ll leave it at that. However, if I hadn’t, then I wouldn’t have been able to show this to you!
Also noteworthy is the return of The Illusionary Girl and her Junk-Boy, but that’s enough of a mystery to leave you with, sooo… here ’tis:
Great job, KS! *two thumbs up*
One of the things I’d like to mention in passing about Kyoto Animation’s technique is their clever use of foreshadowing; in so many situations you are given a taste of the future (or even the past!), even though you don’t discover it until later, or not even until rewatching. (Their series all reward repeat viewings very well.) As an example, late in Season One at a particularly significant time, a snippet of the theme song from the OP of Season Two played. Of course, After Story hadn’t even been announced yet, but their intent to do a follow up was pretty much spelled out there, only of course we didn’t know it yet. I was stunned when I recently rewatched Season One and heard that now-familiar song from Season Two playing over a scene. Clannad really is more a complete single experience rather than a two-part series, and best enjoyed as such.
And another major and sneaky bit of foreshadowing… (and another SPOILER): Speaking of OPs, you must have noticed that in the Season One OP (in the clip at top) the small figure running through the sunflowers? I’d always thought that that was Nagisa as a child. But noooo…. it’s not revealed until Season Two, and it was breathtaking!
GENIUS!!!
If you want to read more, be sure to check out ETERNAL’s well-written Blog; he composed two excellent posts about why these stories work so well, and expresses a very-much shared appreciation for them (but there are MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS, so bear that in mind):
The Good News is this: there are still at least two more Key/KyoAni works to be animated of the same ilk as Air, Kanon, and Clannad: Little Busters! and Planetarian. And there is still plenty of room left on that shiny crown of theirs; the one with the three prongs shining brightly
As a parting gift, allow me to leave you with After Story’s OPening Theme; it’s beautiful. But you ought to have expected that by now
I thank you for reading, and hope you enjoyed the article and videos. Please feel free to leave a comment as they are always welcome
Be seeing you!
on July 5th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I love After Story’s OP. It’s so well done and sublime. I like the spring-summer-fall-winter thing they did for Nagisa, Kyou, Kotomi, and Tomoyo. The only thing that kinda bugs me is the totally Key-esque character names that show up but I will live. Clannad was such a great anime. Despite how high the expectations were set, After Story’s ending at least came close.
on July 7th, 2009 at 2:02 am
Hey kevo,
Thanks for popping in
The After Story OP hit me as soon as the first strains of its song began playing. Of course, I’d been anticipating it from the moment they announced the series LOL
But ya know… As much as I’ve watched it I didn’t really catch the seasonal backgrounds of the characters’ intros in it! Nice catch; Akio would be proud
I kind of wished I’d used a subtitled version of it, but this “clean” OP just looked a lot better and uncluttered. Interested Visitors should really seek out a subbed version to at least read the lovely lyrics. Very moving…
I think my favorite scene oddly enough is the one where Tomoya is shown in his work van looking out the window as he’s driven away… having taken on his responsibilities and “grown up” he’s simultaneously being separated further from Nagisa, who, at the end of it is shown alone in a seemingly-snowy field as the camera pans away. KyoAni really spares no expense or effort in their OPs, that’s for sure!
And I kind of like the practically-a-trademark overlays of each character’s name in their OPs; it lends a nice touch and also makes it seem cinematic, like you’re going to be in for a real story with real characters.
Speaking of seasons and Key-O-Ani, I’m sure you recall Ayu’s “seasons” monologue at the end of Kanon 2006? That was awesome; one of my fave moments from that series. Yui Horie (Ayu’s voice actress) really can do no wrong in my book, and this scene shows why she’s my favorite VA
MAJOR KANON SPOILER AHEAD:
on July 8th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Great write-up, I completely agree with you. Clannad is one of the most finely crafted TV anime of recent years, a real piece of art, as expected of Kyoani. Every single frame is a joy, the character animation/acting is incredibly well-made for TV animation (like in every Kyoani production), the art direction is fantastic, Ishihara’s sensible directing is great at exploring and depicting the feelings of the characters and complementing the scenes with detailed animation. And Clannad is probably the best and most faithful adaption of a VN ever, they captured the feeling and spirit of the original (and even to the tiniest details) perfectly.
The convincing animation is one of the main reasons for the popularity of Kyoani’s projects, it brings the characters to life through the sensitive and natural body language which most people seem to notice only subconsciously, because animation goes way beyond what our eyes can see. Most Japanese TV animation is so limited that it relies on the voice actors, even though really good animation can achieve much more concerning emotional expression and characterization, than even the best voice actors can accomplish (essentially the animators are the “actors” of animation). A quality feature for really good animation is the possibility to “read” the nature of a character through the animation/acting alone. And Kyoani is achieving that in nearly all of their works, I especially love the portrayal of Ryou’s and Fuko’s clumsy nature in Clannad, could watch them for hours ^^
Yukiko Horiguchi is one of the most talented animators of Kyoani and a name every fan should now, she animated/directed the animation of many of the most memorable scenes, here is a compilation of her work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KnvpOs2SEM (pay attention to the expressive/nuanced character animation, and apparently she likes to animate children ^^)
*Kyoani fanboy mode off*
As for the AMVs: finally some which do justice to the original. I especially like the last one (by Kholdstare), this is what I looked for. It’s certainly the best Clannad AMV I’ve seen yet, it’s obvious that the creator put much thought into it, nice choice of song too. The summary of Fuko’s story is great as well, the feel of the song really suits Fuko’s character and behaviour.
I’d love to add Clannad to my DVD collection, but I won’t buy these shoddy collections which have been released in the US this year. So the only other options are to hope for a decent release over here (but the chances are slim) or for a re-release in the US. I want at least some bonus material on the discs and some nice dvd cases. Importing the limited edition DVDs from Japan would be also a possibility, as I am a sucker for such things
Recently I bought the complete collection of Kanon 2006 and was heavily disappointed. I’d read beforehand that it would include the extras of the single DVDs, but they probably changed the description shortly after I’d pre-ordered it. Thereby the extras (especially the look into Kyoani) were the main reason for the purchase…
Oh, I’ve again written way too much, I hope that I didn’t bore you
on July 9th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
Hi Max,
Oh no; you haven’t written too much at all xD (Of course it figures that *I’d* say that LOL) Never fear; I always enjoy reading your replies. (Actually, any replies are always read, responded to, and appreciated, aside from the scummy scammer spammers who have nothing to sell and everything to promote, which of course “are not allowed!”)
I’m really happy to read of another’s enjoyment of Clannad; one that’s not blindly fanboyish but backing up their enthusiasm with reasons, facts and data.
You nailed it with this:
“The convincing animation is one of the main reasons for the popularity of Kyoani’s projects, it brings the characters to life through the sensitive and natural body language which most people seem to notice only subconsciously, because animation goes way beyond what our eyes can see.”
That might be their secret. When I first discovered anime I spent my time studying how it was and why it was that some studios got their characters to connect more than another with the viewer. Without (at the time) having got involved with anime forums, I hadn’t been aware of hype or popularity.
But with most every KyoAni series, the characters are so compelling that you can’t help feeling their plight. Realistic expression, voice talent and movement must evoke a reflective response in the Viewer, and arouse supportive sentiment and sympathy.
And it’s not like any other studio can’t pull it off (JC Staff did a great job with Shana in terms of voice actress/expression/movement) but KyoAni has it down.
Subtleties in even minor characters’ expressions show that they spend a lot of attention to this detail. I like how for an *instant* a fleeting flash of embarrassment crosses Ryou’s features, where her eyes dart quickly at and away from Tomoya. You don’t notice it, but it connects. Hate to sound fanboyish, but each of KyoAni’s series share this element of their work, if not all at the same level of quality. They know how to connect.
Thanks for that excellent video of Yukiko Horiguchi’s sampler; now *that’s* a portfolio! :-O It appears that with Ushio, she’s perfected her talents; what a wonderfully-done character!
That’s a bummer about the Kanon box set “reissue”. If they’re going to reissue it they should at least keep the Extras. It was torture trying to get the set of 6 DVDs completed though, what with the ADV problems seemingly cancelling it every DVD release. I hope you can eventually see the “A Look Into KyoAni” feature; it was very informative (though might seem old-hat info to you
)
And I agree completely with you regarding the quality of the Clannad release. It did look just fine, but I wanted/expected the artbox issue similar to Air and Kanon 2006. Clannad certainly should have had its own artbox. Here’s hoping that a subsequent release will have an artbox big enough to hold *both* Clannad and After Story.
PLUS EXTRAS DAMMIT!!!
Glad you enjoyed the Clannad AMVs, it was a really hard hunt to find just the right fit for Alastor’s. Either the song sucked, or subtitles really were distracting and pointless, or the anime being la -er, “not my thing”; it took several hours to round these up, plus KholdStare’s that I have.
But finding a Fuko AMV was even MORE difficult o.O Finally I did find one, and found that embedding was not available. Damn! After two more hours I finally came across this one, and the song fit her so well that it became the obvious choice.
Thanks for your knowledgable and informed replies
~Rob