Mega Megane Moé
Hell and Heaven Moéltdown
Clannad
Twelve Moments in Anime 2008 – #12: Clannad 17
Dec 14th
(Part of a 12-day series fondly remembering some of the best moments in anime this year. Participants include: lolikitsune, lelangir, Owen S, FuyuMaiden, IKnight, Zeroblade, Nazarielle, ghostlightning, TheBigN, ETERNAL, Mike, A Day Without Me, digitalboy, Josh, otou-san, Culchann and Pontifus, IcyStorm, Cokematic,
koneko-chan, and miz, and you’re welcome to join too!)
What difference does a year make?
Two years ago, I spelled Kanon with a c and two n’s and didn’t know what a fansub was.
One year ago, I thought “USODA” is a strange type of drink, and that mahjong isn’t very manly at all.
And now, in 2008, I’m here for the second time trying to come up with something suitably dramatic – one might say overdramatic – to introduce the first day in an extended project that is bringing together anibloggers from all over the world, in one giant display of …
… of, well, massive fanboy(slashgirl)ism.
The Twelve Moments of Anime is a homage to the famous Twelve Days of Christmas song, except our lover (one might say waifu) is anime and their gifts are those precious moments that make you really glad to be a fan.
And let me tell you, if you’re dedicated enough to be writing something like this, you’re definitely a fan.
Even if we wildly disagree on what’s awe-inspiring and what’s not – not to mention the dozens of other issues anibloggers clash over on a daily (hourly, minutely, etc) basis, the overall feeling of this event, I’m hoping, is the same, and that’s one of passion.
Quite often the anime scene seems so dark and gritty, with companies collapsing, and each season seeming to be less and less radiant than the last. And while I can only hope the first part is not as gloom-and-doom as I state, the second part is rather untrue – I’m always finding, if not great series, little moments of greatness in good series.
Little reminders that, anime can be great. It can be tear-inducing. It can be hand-clenchingly dramatic. It can be side-splittingly hilarious.
And sometimes, it can be … well … very, very captivating. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Team Clannad’ Theater: In which Clannad the Movie gets reviewed … somewhere
May 20th
Ah, everyone, let’s sit down, it’s time for the weekly Theater Club meeting … ah … uh … everyone, we have to talk about the Clannad movie today … could you quiet …
Hold on Nagisa, let me handle this …
Kotomi, stop trying to burn today’s script!
Akio, stop running around screaming manly phrases!
Ryou, stop blushing so much, the visible steam is making too much noise!
Tomoyo, turn down the beatdown on Youhei for a bit!
I’m sorry, was I being too distracting? It’s his fault that he’s screaming in pain so much.
Mei, stop trying to use your loli charm on anything that moves!
…Uh…Sanae…I think those screams of the damned I keep hearing are coming from your cooking.
NO ONE EVEN USED MY IMAGE IN THE LAST TEAM CLANNAD POST! *runs out crying*
I LOVE YOU THEATER! Wait, no…I WILL ALWAYS STAND UPON SANAE! Damn it … hold on, I’ll be right back.
And Tomoya … Tomoya, Tomoya, Tomoya … I’ve got to deal with you personally, you naughty boy.
Hey, that’s not tsun or dere, that’s just being dirty!
S-stupid Tomoya, it’s not like I was trying to come on to you or anything!
FUUKO’S DETECTING AN OBVIOUS LIE!
Whoa, that’s cool, I didn’t know Fuuko had a lie detector built in.
…yes, I got a speaking role!
HERE, HAVE ONE OF FUUKO’S 37 SENSES!
Uh, guys? On topic? Clannad movie? Review? …OK, Nagisa, you’re with me, we’re on our own now.
Hello. Nice to meet you. My name is Kotomi Ichinose, a senior in Class A. My hobby is warning people about spoilers (Huge spoilers, like spoiling After Story, i.e. the second season – I AM NOT KIDDING ABOUT THESE SPOILERS). I would be happy if you could continue to read this post.
Read the rest of this entry »
Team Clannad reviews … themselves (Series Review: Clannad)
Apr 30th
All right everyone, great play we put on their for the Theater Club, now let’s wrap this up with a final reflection on how it all went. Nagisa, you’re the lead character, you start … uh … where’s Nagisa?
Tomoya and her went to go take the trash out by the gym storage locker a long time ago … I wonder if they’re OK?
WHY THOSE~ Uh, Ryou, where did I put my chainsaw?
W-w-weren’t you stripped of your license to use one after the incident with the last thousand fanboys?
Mmm, stripped…
Ah, fine, I’ve got better weapons anyway. I’ll be back in a minute.
(THIS NOT OUT-OF-PLACE INTERJECTION AT ALL INDICATES KYOU IS WHERE NAGISA AND TOMOYA SHOULD BE)
Hmm…the door’s locked. That’s it, then! *clears throat*
S-s-stupid door, it’s not like I wanted to open you or anything!
(Door breaks cleanly in two. Kyou gets duct tape and patches it up cleanly before continuing.)
Ah, Kyou!
ALRIGHT YOU LITTLE HUSSY PUT YOUR PANTS BACK wait what? What’s this?
Look, look! We found this dango farm in the gym storage room and we’ve been entranced with it ever since! Isn’t it just adorable? Dango, dango, dango, dango…
Alright you guys, can we get serious here? We have to do a peer review and we have to get going now. We’re months behind.
Tomoyo? What are you doing here too? (Alright, I get a speaking line!)
Well … I figured … if Tomoya was going to be here so long with Kyou and Nagisa … that I …
FUUKO’S HERE!
No, Fuuko! Go away! You’re killing my deredere Tomoyo fantasies!
(Actual review-like content after the jump … sadly. Also, watch out for spoilers.)
Read the rest of this entry »
Clannad and the Moé-volution (but really why I’m not in love with Kyou)
Feb 10th
“Why the heck” I’m not in love with Kyou, maybe?
It must be “The Kyoto Touch” or something. It seems sometimes that everything Kyoto Animation lays their hands on turns to moe. Or gold.
Maybe both.
This magic seems to continue with Clannad, which has recieved pretty universal praise, more so than Kanon or maybe even Haruhi. Naturally, there are still naysayers both of the legitimate and the “it’s cool to hate” kind, but among fans of visual novel / harem anime, Clannad seems to be top-notch, and it’s even snared some of the lighter, slice-of-life fans with a surprising amount of humor for a show of this type.
It’s funny to see something like this happen, because to be honest, for all the praise about how Clannad is different, it’s surprisingly similar to the tried-and-true formula that we’ve seen from Key. I think what really ensnares people, and why I enjoy this show, is not how it really brings much incredibly new to the genre, but rather how it manages to mix together many solid concepts in a way that pushes the buttons of pretty much any viewer that comes within fifty miles of the target audience. It’s pretty much a jack of all trades to me – it’s not a masterpiece, but it spans enough character and plot archetypes that it’s an enjoyable and entertaining watch.
I should note two things here, one being that “pushing buttons” doesn’t always refer to physical turn-ons, and two, that I don’t mean to be saying anything wholly negative about Clannad. I think that the characters are incredibly entertaining and enjoyable, and the story is passable and not completely the “sad girl in stuff” fare that many dislike, but anyone who’s hailing this as the second coming of…the first thing you thought was incredibly godly, is overshooting the mark a bit. Read the rest of this entry »
Track Two: Clannad
Jan 27th
Clannad is a visual-novel by the famous company Key, turned anime by the famous animators Kyoto Animation. It’s a mix of the same tear-jerking emotion typical of this company and genre, and a large amount of humor that rivals the best comedies, making Clannad a good combination of genres. In this story, we follow nice-guy delinquent Tomoya Okazaki as he becomes friends with Nagisa Furukawa, a soft-spoken but strong girl, and many other interesting characters in his school. These include Fuuko, a strange and small girl who always seems to be at school, Tomoyo, a strong fighter who just wants to be seen as a girl, Kotomi, a socially inept genius with a taste for the violin, and the ever-appealing twins Ryou and Kyou. What secrets do they all hide, starting with Tomoya himself…?
1/26/08: Episode 15
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1/20/08: Episode 14
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Click here for more information on Track Two.
-CCY