Clannad Review

There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: A delinquent boy meets a nice girl who uses his help to restart the drama club at their high school.


THE GOOD: Story. You've briefly heard me talk about Clannad in my Top Ten Video Game Movies list. The plot above isn't very detailed either. Yes, the majority of the movie is about the bond that Tomoya and Nagisa develop while trying to revive the drama club, but there's so much more to it than that. I did find the first half of the movie to be boring and a little slow. However, it's so much better during the last half when they reach the resolution and the after story. Emotion starts to shine through the characters and the story gets really interesting and deep. I just about shed a tear at the end, but it might be because I have a daughter.


Animation. I've heard that some of the characters don't look like they do in the manga game. However, I really enjoyed the style and beauty of the animation. Some pretty well-drawn still shots and multi-screen. I thought there were some really gorgeous scenes. Here are some screencaps as proof:


THE BAD: Character development. I'm trying not to compare the movie with the anime show because they're fairly different. The anime has an advantage with building up the characters because there's so much time and so many episodes to do it. The title is "Clannad" which is an Irish name Clann As D____, meaning 'the family from [insert any family name that begins with the letter D]'. While the movie may not be able Irish characters or traditions, it is supposed to be about a big family or big group of friends, and that idea seems to be lost in the movie. We do see a few secondary characters, but we barely learn who they are and what kind of relationship they have with the main characters. It's one thing that I love and cherish about the anime. Although, it was very fun to see Sunohara with black hair. The lack of Fuko, Tomoyo, and Kotomi turned some fans off to the movie. I'm a Tomoyo fan myself (which might be why I like the OVA, A.K.A. episode #24), but I think Nagisa is a close second, so it had no affect on me.


THE END: If you don't like anime, you're not going to like Clannad. If you do like anime, and you haven't seen the show or played the game, you might like Clannad. If you do like anime, are a huge fan of the TV show and game, you might not like Clannad. It certainly isn't the best anime movie created and it's also not that great as a movie, but there are some aspects that are really entertaining and it was enough for me to like it. I'm very much looking forward to the new season of Clannad which will be called After Story. The same staff and cast from the first anime are used and will start broadcasting in Japan on October 3, 2008.


DISCUSS: What do you like/dislike about anime in general? Are you a fan of Clannad? Do you like the movie or the anime series better? Who is your favorite Clannad character? What is your favorite Clannad story arc?