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My first review:
Clannad After Story

Well, I am honestly very proud to make here my first review on myanimelist. Even more proud if it is about this anime here. As you see, I gave Clannad After Story (and Clannad) a 10. And let me tell you something: Reaching a 10 in my eyes is in the myanimelist-reating not easy. Why? Because there was one anime I watched and liked so much (Sword Art Online) because it surpassed everything I had ever imagined and so the bar for a 10 was set high. Probably it is also the only 10 if you know what I mean, even ... though I like so many animes a lot. But I have to say that Clannad just deserves this 10. It doesn't reach SAO, but Clannad and Clannad After Story touched me on a very deep and special way. You will read the word deep may a few more times in the review.

Maybe there will be some little spoilers in my review or elements that include also the first Clannad season, as After Story relates to it. These are marked as (SPOILERS). My appreciation for this anime includes both season, but I will fix on After Story. But just be aware. Oh: If you have not seen the first season, get your a** on your seat and watch, all right? ;)

So L&G, sit down and read why I gave Clannad After Story a 10. Though the criticism will be personal and subjective, I will try to write it as objective as possibile, so that you can make yourself an opinion of your own. I am also not a native English, so please forgive little langauge errors. ;)

Where should I start first? Well, as I had read from different forums before watching, Clannad and After Story seemed to be very popular animes. And as I have seen both seasons now, I can only confirm it. Lots of people admitted to have cried on this anime, specially on After Story. I did not have to cry honestly, although there were tear-jerked moments. But I can unterstand very good the people who shed tears. But most of all: In both Clannads were a lot of emotions there, and all went deep in the flesh. Especially on After Story. Where I am gonna focus now.

As you know from watching a good movie or anime, after watching it you are left with the thoughts of that story. Maybe you think of it one day, two... But after After Story (word joke!) there was not a temporary thought phase, there was a deep thought phase left, one of that who reappears several times and not just flew away some days after watching something. I could impossibly forget Clannad.

Now, before I come to the different rating parts, let me introduce you in my words the anime Clannad After Story:

Clannad After Story is anime that is related on the ononimous ren'ai adventure game "Clannad" of the PlayStation. Ren'ais are Japanese interactive games to the people who hear this word the first time. After Story is the second part of the Clannad-story. Therefore I find it a little strange to rate two animes which are basically the same, but as we talk about the second part, I can tell you that in After Story the emotions appear even more better as they were already in the first season. After Story also gains more on seriousness. But this would not hav ebeen possible without the first season, the one does not work without the other.

The different rating parts follow. My personal judgement fluids in it; I gave to all points a 10. Let me explain now why:

Story (10/10): The protagonist is the notorical truant Tomoya Okazaki. The viewer follows him during his school days, but now in After story his life is more focused. That is why I have the optinion that Clannad is definitely a slice of life anime, even though with the romance content it can also be considered a romance anime. Both way goes. The central, touching essence of the story is in After Story basically the same as in the first season: The beautiful things in life are showed in the viewers' sight: Love, friendship, school time, dreams, growin up and specially the family theme. The last point hit a sore spot of mine, because personal things came together. But in the anime is shown so beautifully how the word "family" goes over its definition. This is also a trueness, and Clannad After Story turns it over perfectly.

Furthermore you will see romance, drama, comedy and a little bit of phatansy (supernatural). This "a little bit of phatasy" animates After Story something very special, because it acts like a symbiotic thing and gives the plot a more deeper meaning, as it already is. Something transcendental. Oh, I love this things. It's one of the favorite things I like of Clannad. Like a bonus point. ;) Maybe because of the supernatural meaning my thoughts are still hanging on Clannad and After Story, even though they are still hanging because of the great story.

Art/Animation (10/10): Brilliant. Consider that the Anime was made in 2009, but still the animation was great. Clannad and After Story are a slice of life anime, so the focus is obviously not on the animation. But the scenes gaines through the art and animation more power. Kyoto did this very well.

Sound/Music (10/10): You can't deny it, music just plays an important role in an anime. And Clannad/After Story gains also all points. First, because the opening of both seasons caught me right into the episode. Second, the soundtracks are amazings. These are really astonishing and they also accentuate the scenes very well. Puh, not to talk about the emotional ones, they are memorable and they touched me the most. There are a lot of beautiful OST, honestly all I think. Just search on YouTube "Clannad - Shionari" or "Clannad - Sora Ni Hikaru" for example and convince yourself.

Character (10/10): The ace of this anime. I honestly believe that in no other anime it was dealed so deep and close to the characters like Clannad and After Story. Really, believe me. You will get to know the characters and not have a dry shade of them. The realization is made so well. Wow. The storys of the characters take you really along with them. Though all the storys also are intertwined together, the anime gains more on strengts and unity. Not easy to make something like this.

Enjoyment (10/10): Here I want to split the enjoyment due to their main reasons you can enjoy this anime: Comedy, phantasy, drama and finally romance. I already commented the phantasy part, that was truly my favourite part of the whole anime because it gave it that special meaning.

To the comedy. This is another force point. As in Clannad seen before, in After Story the comedy does not get lost. Maybe in Clannad it was a little little bit better, because (SPOILER) I found it sad not to see Sunohara so often. But Akki makes his turn and he does it also very well. Oh, and there are some scenes I still see in front of my eyes that were hilarious. Hilarious, unbelieveable. Clannad is one of the funniest animes I have seen, even it is not a funny anime. Japanese humour is indeed special, sometimes I also lift an eyebrow up, but Clannad and After Story convinced me again how much I love Japanese humour sense. :D

To the drama. Sensational. Nothing more to say. Just sensational. If there was "fake drama"? No. Consider also the fact that the comedy and the drama worked together well. In no episode I felt that there was comedy and all of the studden it changed to drama. The changing of the emotional view is made well.

To the romance: Maybe here you will find my only negative criticism. But first the positive part. The romance between Nagisa and Tomoya is still very deep and grows more and more. I accentuate the word "deep" again, because the love between those two goes under my skin. And it is very beautiful to see it, really.

Now the negative criticism follow. I will try to explain myself so clear as possible and I hope you will unterstand why. As I said, the relationship between Nagisa and Tomoya is deep and beautiful to watch. It really is. But I have also honestly to admit that I missed something. I saw that the characters are not just friends, but lover. That was clear, but still something lacked on the romance. I believe that it was due to the lack of phyisical contact. And no, I do not mean sex. The attractive, appealing atmosphere was missing. Do not want to sound petty, but for example (BIG SPOILER) a kiss in anime or a movie makes a huge difference to me. I am a romantic guy ;) and I can very hardly see a love without passion, flirting or crackling between the two love characters. Are you also this kind of people? Than you probably know what I mean. There where the moments in After Story where I thought: When does the passionate kiss comes? Or the passionate hug if you want? (SPOILER) There was also, If I remind well, not one running gag where the characters even are close to kiss each other. Or a hint of it. In the anime, there is more accentuation onto the deep, conscentious love between the love characters, probably therefore the phsyicial, attractive side of the romance falls away. Which I found sad. Because the romance is one of the things I care a lot about and find important in animes. Probably the only critical point.

But you can not forget something: I do not know as you know, and I do not want to hold a lecture of Japanese culture, but Japanese culture handles the topics love and intimacy in an other way as I or you know it in Europe. Or specially in Italy where I come from. But this has also something special, where we could have an interesting conversation about. The physical contact is considered in Japan something personal, intimacy even more. These is also shown in their medias, for examples censored Hentais. And we can see this or better said I can sometimes feel it also in animes. It could be, that this passionate part of the relationsship is let away. But in contrast, I have almost never seen a romance animes with lack of attractiveness or erotic moments of animes. (SPOILER) There was also some with a lack of a kiss or something like that, but it was not like something tragical or bad. In Clannad After Story, I see it kinda different. It was very sad, more sad than bad, because I think also of the waste potential if I can call it like this. How great it would have been seeing one of the deepest animes of all time combined with the potential and passionate love! That screams to be united! Who knows with which eyes I would have seen Clannad then, even though it is already amazing like this!

But like I said, this "romance shortcoming" is rare. I watched a lot of romance animes, almost no-one disappointed me. I mean it would be illogic if I see animes then. I love romance and then I choose to watch animes where the romance is not felt? Wrong! It is BECAUSE animes put across feeling so amanzingly well I love romantic series. But yeah, maybe in Clannad the Japanese culture was a reason. Maybe. Japanise culture is something very special; the fact, that intimacy is just for two people is so true and that this is also handled in their public is very interesting. Ah, Japanese culture has something fascinating, I like it.

Overall (10/10): Nonetheless, this anime still deserves a 10. You read in the first paragraph why it ist hard to give a 10 in the rating. But here, I did not felt to give this anime a 9. No. This anime is in is way something special and unique. The catching, dramating, emotional, meaningful story with the huge view in the characters and their feelings had me really gotten thoughtful and stunned. Then the drama, the music, the comedy... The story of a simple boy, where the most important things of life are shown. And that including of the transcendental part (phantasy) was like the "WOW", it gave this anime another dimension, which was like the cherry of the top of the cake.

Therefore, a 9 (very good anime) is not enough, even if it had this romance manco. It really deserved the 10 (masterpiece).

I think I could not have described this anime better in my own words. I recommend it IMMENSIVELY to all the anime fans. This is a MUST-WATCH anime, definitely. A succeeded masterpiece.

Thanks for reading Ladies and Gentleman. To you now a plaeseant day. :)