[ Recap: Under the Green Tree ]

lol recap

Yeah, no huge template of images this time. If you’ve been following the series, you know what happened. No need for me to waste my time capping old stuff. Anyways, this was a simple recap set up as Tomoya telling Ushio about how he met Nagisa and etc. Despite this being a pure recap episode, I must say that I enjoyed it quite a bit. First off, let me say that the beginning scene has to be one of my favorite scenes in this entire series. I’m sure fans can point out all the depth and irony to that scene so I won’t explain. But it really stands out as a beautiful moment after finishing the show up. I don’t think it really meant anything to me when I saw the first episode, but it’s amazing how differently I’m looking at it now.

One thing this recap reminded me of was how bland a character Nagisa was in the first season. My gawd, she was basically a moeblob just standing there trying to be important. No wonder I didn’t like the first season. Especially since Tomoya had so many other options. Another thing I was reminded of was how Akio saved the last arc of the first season with that speech of his. Shit was so manly, I came buckets seeing it again in this episode.

Overall, like the title says this was essentially a recap. You won’t miss any new material by not watching it. But I would still recommend it if you got some time. It’s a great reminder of why you’ve stood by this show for 50-something episodes.

[ Extra: What Happened a Year Before ]

There are still some good people out there.

gawd I forgot how epic everybody was during their school days. Especially Kyou. Seriously, Kyou After fucking where? I would love to see a continuation from her route in the visual novel. Especially since most of Kyou’s route consisted of Ryou. -_- But other than all the delicious Kyou screen time, it was pretty cool seeing a connection between Tomoya and Nagisa in a time before the first season started. What’s more so is that this episode showed that Tomoya has been giving Nagisa the strength to move forward before they even formally met.

The part when Nagisa went with her friends to try on a clothes was cute. I honestly didn’t think she would have friends. Her third time repeating in the second season gave me an impression that she never took the initiative to make some. She always seemed so lonely after coming back from school. Of course, this episode changed that. The part where they played a prank on her saying a teacher was patrolling had me going “What?” Are kids in Japan not allowed to be out after school or something? Couldn’t tell if those girls were just trolling Nagisa since she’s naive or stuff like that actually happens.

Anyways, I didn’t want to leave After Story on a sour note and this was exactly what I needed. Next episode is a recap apparently. Not sure how they’ll pull it off because a simple recap with narrative would be stupid at this point so I’m guessing it’ll be special in a way. At least I hope.

[ Episode 22: A Small Hand ]

what the fuck

Ok, I’ll just go to straight to the point. I didn’t like the ending. In fact it even made me RAGE a bit. Now just so you know, this will basically be a rant post of what went wrong. I’ve been loving After Story since the beginning as it kept getting better and better. But this.. I’m sorry I just couldn’t find anything to like about this episode. It kinda ruined the second season as a whole for me.

I always knew there was a bit of a supernatural theme in Clannad, but I never thought it would have affected the story to this extent. I assumed the other world would just run parallel to Tomoya’s world for a nice constrast between worlds and characters. But damn, that chibi robot actually merged with Tomoya or something. And it felt off how Tomoya called out to Nagisa. Like I expected a lot of deep thought or flashbacks, but the fact that his revelation spawned when he and the chibi robot fused was lame. It was so random.

The thing that frustrated me most was Tomoya being able to change time/reality due to the light orbs (I call them dragon balls). Well he didn’t really do it on purpose. It just kinda happened. Yeah sure, Tomoya got GOOD END, but it felt like I went through those tear inducing episodes with Nagisa and Ushio for nothing. All that development, gone. You know how Tomoya said he felt like he was being toyed around by the city? I think I know what he means.

The other thing, I know this show is mainly about Tomoya and Nagisa, but those short snippets of the side cast really didn’t cut it for me. Especially Tomoyo’s where she looked all ronery. I probably would have shook that off until I saw the part where Fuko got like five minutes of screentime. Why do you do this to me, KyoAni? I really wanted to smile during her scenes because they were a bit funny. But I couldn’t. I know it’s supposed to reference back to Clannad’s first OP, but it really seemed unfair to me.

One last thing. Mei with tits? DO NOT WANT. Mei was one of my top loli. If the dragon balls had to do one thing, they should have kept her as a loli forever. I didn’t need to see that.

Giving my series review now since the next episode or two are just extras and this episode officially marks the end of After Story.

[ Final Thoughts ]

After Story is something I kinda just blogged because all the other good shows were taken at the time. I’m sure I mentioned I wasn’t fond of the first season, so this was something to watch just because it was there. Though at the end of all those weeks of watching and then writing about episodes, I’ve quickly grown to like characters I didn’t like before (Nagisa) and underrated characters that didn’t get to shine in the first season. From the mini arcs to Tomoya and Nagisa’s life journey, I enjoyed watching it all. After Story has managed to far surpass the first season in my opinion. lol that was a bit hard to say actually since there was a lack of Tomoyo and Kyou. But I can’t deny it. It was that good.

Story: 8/10
Drama is about life struggles and Clannad excels in this department because it is able to evoke many emotions out of its audience. It’s written in a way that manages to pull us in when it wants to. Whether these characters were at the peak of happiness or despair, we always followed closely.

Cast: 9/10
I’m sure anybody can manage to find a favorite character whether they like the show or not. Of course out of all of them, Tomoya stands at the top. Seeing him struggle and develop has been a wild ride. There were times where we laughed at his antics, then of course there were times that we sympathized with him. A really fleshed out protagonist. A shame all that development was flushed away at the end.

Animation: 9/10
Not only was the animation good, it managed to stay very consistent. Of course by now that should be expected of Kyoto Animation. Great use of light and colors during a lot of key scenes, like when Tomoya and Ushio went to the sunflower field, which made for really beautiful imagery.

Music: 9/10
The music in this series created the atmosphere. Well that’s what music in anime is supposed to do lol, but this did it really well. It managed to string us along nicely during the fun, relaxed times and the sad, dramatic times. Still wished they didn’t use such a happy ED which ruined the mood for some episodes.

Enjoyment: 8/10
Ignoring the ending for a bit, Clannad: After Story was something I really enjoyed from the beginning. And I’m glad that even though I disliked the first season, I stuck with the series because this is something I would have regretted missing. The enjoyment value wasn’t at “OMG I HAVE TO SEE THE NEXT EPISODE” level, but I had fun with each and every episode where I wasn’t BAWWing.

[ Overall series review: 88/100*]

*Note: Not an average.

[ Episode 21: End of the World ]

And another one bites the dust.

lol cliffhanger. Considering the timing, I don’t think Ushio is dead. I’m sure something will happen that will save her. Either forest magic or she gets brought to that children’s hospital. Still, bringing her out in the cold was a bad idea no matter how you look at it lol. It’s really irritating that there’s nothing nobody can do to help her because they just label this weak body crap as some mysterious illness. Same thing with Nagisa and it’s annoying how it’s being pulled here again with Ushio. I guess we were fine with it when Nagisa first died, but it’s not as effective in this case.

One thing I noticed at the end was how back then Tomoya was bitching about how’s there’s no change and this city is so boring, etc. And through Nagisa, he gained the change he so strongly desired. With that, he obtained both happiness and despair. But before Nagisa died, he started to despise the change (like the restaurant where Nagisa work). He felt comfortable in the status quo and wanted to retain that happiness. Not only is this ironic in Tomoya’s case, but this is something that relates to human nature. At least I know I was able to with identify with that thought process. But unfortunately, change is something that comes in good and bad. It’s nice to see that that theme from the beginning of season one has been carrying over all this time.

But I think the most surprising thing this episode (for me anyway) was when I learned that the finale is episode 22. I always thought it was going to be 23 or 24 and I was always hoping we’d get like a Kyou centered episode just as a fun, fanservice episode to satisfy us. But they have decided to end it with the next one. Well at least there’s going to be a DVD only episode or something. I hope it has some Kyou or Tomoyo in it.

[ Episode 20: Capriccio of Days with Ushio ]

Okazaki’s the best!

goddammit Key, not this shit again. If Ushio dies because of sickness too, I will both BAWW and RAGE. I think Tomoya’s been through enough already. Why don’t you reward him for once with some delicious Kyou? Speaking of which, DAMNNNNNNNNNNNN Kyou is still as fine as ever. KyoAni sneaked in a nice DAT ASS shot from her. Tomoya needs to start hitting on that shit nao.

Well either way, if Ushio doesn’t die from sickness then it’s going to be from being kidnapped/raped instead. A little five year old really shouldn’t be walking the streets at night. I’m surprised nothing has happened to her already.

This is what I think about the hospital she keeps visiting~ That was once the place where Akio brought Nagisa when she was sick. And through some weird voodoo forest magic, she was cured. Ushio is gonna be brought to that same place, which is now a hospital. But because humans cut down the forest, Ushio will die in a cruel twist of fate. Even though it’s a children’s hospital. Actually I hope that doesn’t happen, it sounds really sad.

Moving on, Fuko brought plenty of lulz in this episode. I forgot how ridiculous she was. I did kinda RAGE when she said that Nagisa resembled her. Not because I’m defending Nagisa or anything like that. It’s just the thought of Tomoya x Fuko quickly crossed my mind. Dear lord, do not fucking want. At this point, she is leaning towards more of a sisterly figure than motherly. But I’ll be keeping my eyes on you, Fuko. You may have had more screentime than Kyou this episode, but it’s not over yet.

[ Episode 19: Homeward Bound ]

Dozo.

What a surprise. My least favorite starfish lover has made her return. No, I didn’t like Fuko in season one. But I’ll admit seeing her once again brought lulz like when Tomoya was trying to pat her and when she hugged Ushio. She’s still the same kid she was back then thanks to the coma. She’s like a little kid trapped in an adult’s body. Wait, that’s not right… She still looks like a little kid. Can’t believe she and Tomoya are the same age. I forgot about that part, so when Kouko brought it up I was like WUT.

Tomoya’s father problems have been dealt with now that he has sent his daddy back home. And in this episode, we have Tomoya crying once again. It wasn’t as emotional as last week’s tearjerker, but it was still pretty sad. In a happy way though. His father can finally get the long awaited rest he deserves. And Tomoya can now look him in the eye and thank him for all that he has done. Another orb of light was shown, but Ushio was the one that saw it this time. It seemed to be Tomoya’s though since it touched him.

Ushio’s drawing of a pig (Botan) seems to be a hint that Kyou will be back soon. Kyou did mention she was aiming to be a kindergarten teacher so my guess is that Kyou is Ushio’s teacher that was talked about in the episode. I know Tomoya doesn’t probably have any thoughts of remarrying right now but I think it would be cool to see him hook up with somebody later on whether it be Kyou, Tomoyo, etc. Hopefully their routes are still available at this point. ^^