Ok do me a favor, take the middle finger on your right hand and smash it into a door. Tell it "No!" until it learns it's lesson. I say that because your middle finger is out of control with that comma key. Commas are used for occasional breaks to maintain proper flow, not to litter every single sentence. It's ok to outright stop a sentence with one of these guys "." I'd like to be able to comment on the actual substance of the review itself, but I found it impossible to really pull anything out of it outside of the poor grammar and organization of the whole thing. Seriously, I say this to everybody with similar problems... have someone else proofread your works. Things always look fantastic to you because you wrote it. Get an objective opinion and you'll find that your writing is far from perfect.
Clannad tv Review
Deliquent Okazaki Tomoya finds himself starting his final year in high school with no hope for the future, no girlfriend, bad grades, and a strained relationship with his father.
All seems lost, until the moment he meets Furukawa Nagisa. This girl brings forth hope, love, and family into Okazaki's life.
Story & Characters
The TV version of Clannad, an adaptation of the game by Key (Visual Arts), combines all the plot lines one goes through
in the game, and weaves them together into a storyline that has a complete balance of drama and comedy weaved like a
quilt of realism. Each of the characters comes into the story with their own issues to dealt with. Even the main
protagonist, Tomoya Okazaki, has his own excess baggage as he starts a new club including the bulk of the other
characters in this show.
The main characters, who have a stock character quality, drive the presentation just like when you play the game itself.
You've got your slapstick captain in Youhei Sunohara, who is a frequent victim to Tomoyo fixes of his perversion
and advances. You have a little insertion of Fuko intervening every now and then, after her arc is complete, to spice
the rest of the episodes up. You have your tsundere girl in Kyou Fujibayashi, and your shy, unassuming, yet emotional
girl in Kotomi. There is also the athletically talented, but ruthlessly brutal, Tomoyo Sakagami. And the development of
Tomoya's character and the way he handles the situations of each of the female protagonists is key to the
direction.
At the same time, the storyline is akin to gastronomical treasures of Europe: you savor it as you consume it. From
Nagisa's illness; to Fuko's intentions to invite strangers to her sister's wedding; to Kotomi mourning
the loss of her parents...the background history of each character is studied in every episode, and viewers should pay
close attention to the plot devices used to weave the threads around, as well as the overall relationship between Tomoya
and Nagisa.
Rating:
Art
"So, who did the art and in-betweens, and what have you?"
"Kyoto Animation, sir."
"Who did you say did it? I couldn't hear you."
"Kyoto Animation."
"KyoAni? You mean the same crew that did your Haruhi Suzumiyas and Lucky Stars of the world?"
"Bingo."
"Well! There you go."
All side talk aside, Clannad's biggest strengths lie in its art. The background scenes-from the streets, to the
school rooms, to the shots of the sky during the day, afternoon, and night-are good use of pastels and colors to give a
realistic feel to the mood of the story. Mention the words Kyoto Animation, and already it should be a rule to give the
art review at least a 7.
KyoAni does not stray much from the original character designs and appearances in the game and the OVA. The hair designs
have a sheer feel, and when the wind blows through (example is Kotomi Ichinose's locks), it adds a mystique to each
character's charm. They sugar-coated things with the use of bright colors, but it's a small scratch.
If you know how the facial expressions and tears are in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and even in Lucky Star, then
the expressions in Clannad should look familiar. What I find interesting is the generous use of tears when the
characters have pained looks on their faces. It's an example of their vulnerability, and viewers can relate, one
way or another, to what they have gone through.
Rating:
Sound
The Japanese cast for Clannad is a delectable blend of who's who. For the main cast, you have Mai Nakahara (Mai Tokiha, My-Otome) doing the voice work for Nagisa Furukawa; Ai Nonaka (Kafuka Fura from Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, Konoka Konoe from Negima!) as Fuko Ibuki; Akemi Kanda (Asuna Kagurazaka from Negima!) as Ryou Fujibayashi; Ryo Hirohashi (Alice Carroll from Aria, Konata Izumi from the Lucky Star Radio Drama, Sora Naegino from Kaleido Star, etc.) as Kyou Fujibayashi; Houko Kuwashima (Maroon from Kamikaze Kaitou Jeanne, Filia from Slayers Try, Sango from Inu-Yasha, etc.) as Tomoyo Sakagami; Mamiko Noto (Ana Coppola from Strawberry Marshmallow, Yukinari Sasaki from Girls Bravo, Aya Toujou from Ichigo 100%, Nodoka Miyazaki from Negima!, etc.) as Kotomi Ichinose; and Daisuke Sakaguchi (Shimira Shinpachi from Gintama) as Youhei Sunohara. For Yuuichi Nakamura, this would go down as one of his biggest roles yet, as Tomoya Okazaki. Among the secondary characters, the ubiquitous Yukari Tamura strikes again...as Youhei's little sister Mei.
Another plus for Clannad is the choice of situational music. The trio of Jun Maeda, Magome Togoshi, and Shinji Orito
create a soundtrack for Clannad that conveys a globe of moods: from the uplifting and spirited, to the melancholy and
poignant. Of course, they are not new to creating soundtrack to similar works: all three have done the soundtrack for
Air, and Orito also did work on Kanon.
On this soundtrack, there are pieces that match the characters' personas. For Kotomi, you have a small chamber
orchestra piece. For Tomoyo, you have one that emphasized her athletic prowess. For Fuko, you have a playful, cheerful,
fun piece. The centerpiece of this soundtrack are the recurring background tracks in each episode.
The opening for Clannad is Megumeru ~cuckool mix 2007~, a remix of the song by eufonius. It's a soft, easy listen.
Dango Daikazoku (The Big Dango Family) by Chata is an ED that starts off light and playful, but then expands into a
holistic, powerful, yet assertively mothely anthem. The use of gongs in this song and the backing chorus adds a
finishing touch to an already memorable ED.
Rating:
Presentation
An anime that has excellent presentation is a memorable combination of solid art and visual detail, a complex storyline
that requires careful direction, and a steadfast pair of voice acting and musical composition. Even if you have not
played the game itself, the TV adaptation of Clannad would be a nice substitute, because in my book, it has all the
qualities of excellent presentation.
Kyoto Animation did, as always, a superb job directing each path of the game into the show, and all the members,
including Kazumi Ikeda and Fumihiko Shimo, who directed the story plot and the animation, respectively, have made it
their intention to raise the bar once again after the success of their prior works. With an all-star cast, a winning
soundtrack, and another potent art/story blend that pays deep respect to all the paths of the game, they are well on
their way.
Clannad is a show that will make you think a lot about the value of life, and after watching the first episode, you will
want to see the next one, and the one after that. Those who have played the game will want to see how the TV adaptation
compares to the game. And those who haven't are in for a complete treat of the entire concept of the game without
any corners cut. It's something that a lot of people will enjoy. I recommend it.
Rating:
Final Verdict
9.5000 (excellent)
Reviewed by Hachiko, Feb 18, 2008
Comments
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shoujoboy Feb 18, 2008
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ASH-Hikari Feb 18, 2008
First Clannad review! Well done Hachiko, you've described the series very well, and made it sound just as amazing as it really is. I agree wholeheartedly with your rating of 9.50.
Quote: "Who did you say dis it? I couldn't hear you."
Small typo there ;)
Well I don't comment on reviews often so I don't really know what to say XD But I enjoyed your review :) -
BossMac Feb 19, 2008
Okay, the content was good but I'm just getting this weird feeling that we're not getting the whole story...
There's no actual communication going on between you and the reader. Also, too much details just drowned your review and killed it... justifying a score of 9 by wiki information isn't helping.
Hey, you got skills... how 'bout reviewing something you didn't like... sometimes it helps a reviewer get a better grip of things.
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templa Feb 21, 2008
Hachiko you did really well =) If you like and agree I will post it in our Clannad-Fans group and add a "review by Hachiko" as well! and of course a link to that page here~
Very nice review, I also enjoyed it!
Keep up the good work! ^^ -
Hachiko Feb 22, 2008
Quote by templaHachiko you did really well =) If you like and agree I will post it in our Clannad-Fans group and add a "review by Hachiko" as well! and of course a link to that page here~
Very nice review, I also enjoyed it!
Keep up the good work! ^^You got the green light, templa.
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xpilot2006 Mar 16, 2008
The only problem I really have with this review is there are some run on sentences. It is a great review overall, but I think you gave a little more detail then what was needed. You are not trying to explain the whole story here, which you did okay on. However, there was so much detail and supportive information your basically drowning your readers down with facts. You have to kinda excite them, not give a full blown college lecture. While I did learn a lot of information, it kinda didn't want me to go out and download/purchase the series.
The other complain...(this is personal) is that I wouldn't give it a 9.50. Simply because there are some problems with the anime (and studio) itself. For one, the animation/graphics tend to jump from awful to excellet from certain episodes. You would expect an anime of this quality to continue having a great quality throughout the series. However this is not the case, on some episodes it starts to look like the production team ran out of funding and just did a sloppy job. It's actually good you didn't mention the (another personal opinion) ugly, and horrible movie adaptation of Clannad. Because after watching the Movie, my expectations of the anime went down so far I was almost thinking of dropping the series.
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beryl0402 Mar 15, 2009
nice review! it's funny and informative :D
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yuyuppi Jun 17, 2009
i like this anime
browse 4 more wallpaper -
pmgbapm Jun 23, 2009
the wallpaper is definately well
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ResonantSoul Jul 23, 2009
nice~
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lordryo Jul 28, 2009
Good reiew.
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Ilona Aug 04, 2009
That's another review I have learnt things about one of my favourite series (even if the seyuu part was too much in my opinion). But are you sure Sunohara is making advances to Tomoyo... though if we see the unusual way of thinking this guy has, it can be.
I think the anime isn't equal in all parts, some arks are better than other and the end bored me. But overall, it's the anime that made me cry the most. I like how some simple moments of life can be so meaningful.
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SchRita Aug 24, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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nainoi Sep 12, 2009
yes, it excellent anime.
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SchRita Oct 31, 2009
Thanks for the review!
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kco8 Jun 06, 2010
Those who are in facebook pls. join the page tomoya and nagisa if you know the anime CLANNAD tnx:)
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fitarol15 Sep 19, 2014
My Fav Anime!~~~~
thanks for the review
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