Clannad and Clannad After Story

Never have I ever seen anything quite as beautiful as Clannad. It’s based off a visual novel of the same name by Key and very loyally follows the content within it. Much like many anime that are out there the main characters are mostly students in high school. The central theme of the story I would say would be growing up. Over the time it took for me to watch it I grew to love every single one of the characters. Unlike many anime that I’ve seen this one’s characters are dynamic and grow with the events that happen within the show. Along with the story and the characters the soundtrack fits the show perfectly. Even the extra content created is beautiful and creates their own sense of closure within themselves.

I grew to love Tomoya Okazaki, the protagonist of the entire series and a slacker. He has a strong habit of cutting class and ignoring lectures because he would rather waste his time than learn. Throughout the school he is known as a delinquent and he very regularly pulls pranks and jokes on his friends and fellow students. Tomoya meets Nagisa Furuwaka on one of his walks. She is the main heroine of the story and is a repeat senior at her school because she spent a lot of her time sick her first senior year. She has poor self-esteem and self-confidence, but things change when Tomoya begins speaking to her (and he speaks his mind quite bluntly at times). He helps her achieve her dream of reviving the drama club and all throughout they make many new friends. You also get to meet dozens of other colorful characters that all have great importance to the series. Tomoya helps Fuko Ibiki, a shy girl that at first is very timid around him as well as stubborn, get all the people in the school to go to her big sister’s wedding. He helps Kotomi Ichinose, a quiet genius that is at first awkward at socializing, learn how to socialize and deal with old scars. Each of these characters and many more grow and find a way into your heart. Tomoya grows from his childhood into manhood quite well through the whole series, and many of the other characters follow similarly.

The series explores friendship, family, and love very thoroughly. Each of the characters have their share of loss as well as gain. All of the grow in their own way. There are fights. There is romance. The humor is fantastic, not many shows have got me laughing as heartily as Clannad. There were times where I would be excited over the cuteness of several of the characters. There were also times were I would cry at the beautiful, the happy, and the sad. It is very stimulating in every aspect of the word, but it is not overwhelming. The series is most definitely emotional, but not in a way the leaves you exhausted and depressed, and more in a way that leaves you satisfied and happy.

If anyone were to ask me what my favorite anime was I would say “Clannad hands down” and then recommend it highly. I have never felt this good after finishing any other anime series.

Short Story Series: Helen and Thor

“Thor, I’m pregnant.” Helen’s reflection responded with a stressed expression.

She took a deep breath. Mixed emotions rose with the inhalation and almost came pouring out on her exhale. “A-and it’s yours. No it ours. Y-you’re the father. Oh God, I’m so screwed.”

She wiped the tears that began flowing down her pale face smearing some of the make-up she had on. Not that she could look any worse right now. Her blonde hair had tangles in the worst spots and her clothing was ruffled because she had rushed putting them on. Again she breathed in and out. “Thor, I’m pregnant. The baby is ours.”

She repeated this several times and eventually out of frustration tossed herself into her bed. Fortunately her house was really well insulated and her bathroom was right next door, or her parents would have heard what she had been saying. Helen was terrified. What was she going to do now? Thor needed to know. Her parents would find out anyways, so they needed to know. Everybody in school would find out and then she’d be a nobody. Not that she had many friends to begin with. She shook in fear on her bed, occasionally a sob escaped her lips.

She had found out this morning and spent the entire day avoiding Thor and trying to figure out how to tell him. It was only a matter of time that he’d come knocking and her parents would let him in, then everyone would know that she was upset, and they’d pester her and she’d eventually have to give in. She didn’t want that to happen. “Oh God, help me please. I don’t know what to do.”

Her parents were strict Catholics and believed in consummation, and when they’d find out that she’s pregnant she didn’t know what they’d do. Thor would be given the worst from them too. Every part of Helen hurt.

She didn’t even know if she wanted to have the child.

A small voice squeaked from her lips. “Mom, Dad, I’m pregnant.” Suddenly those emotions that she dammed up broke out and she put her head in a pillow and cried her heart out for a good fifteen minutes. After that she threw the pillow at the wall with significant force.

Then the dreaded door bell went off. After a few breathless moments the dreaded “Honey, it’s Thor.” echoed up the stairs. Helen’s heart skipped a few beats. She tried to say something, but her throat had closed shut and she could not speak.

“Honey?”

Helen began to panic. She hastily cleaned herself up and tried to wipe the make-up off of her face and then stepped to the top of the stairs. Her mother was at the bottom of the stairs with Thor right next to her. Thor in his handsome leather jacket. His wavy brunette hair. His perfect blue eyes. For a moment, Helen lost her breath, but she nodded at Mom and Thor, wincing at the stupid gesture.

Mom looked at Helen with concern as Helen descended the stair. “Are you OK, honey? You look like you’ve been crying.”

Again her throat closed up and she couldn’t say anything. She prayed to God to let her speak. Thor spoke up. “She had a rough day in school. I was just coming to check in on her.”

Mom smiled. “Aren’t you a sweetheart. You’ll grow up to be a wonderful gentleman.”

Thor blushed. “I’m not sure how much more I’ll grow up, ma’am.”

Mom chuckled and began walking away. “Alright, I’ll let you two be. Take care of her.”

Thor nodded and smiled back. “OK, ma’am.”

I whispered to him. “Can we talk?” as soon as Mom was out of sight.

We went upstairs to my room. After we made it he asked. “Where have you been all day?”

Helen sat on her bed and bowed her head. A couple tears dropped off of her face. “I’m pregnant. It’s ours.”

Thor’s expression changed from confusion to shock. His hands dropped in mid-gesture to his sides. “What?”

“I’m pregnant.” Helen dared to look into Thor’s eyes. “The baby is ours.”

“Y-you’re pregnant. That’s why you’ve been avoiding me all day? Why the hell didn’t you tell me at school?! God damn it!” A few other expletives exploded from his mouth and a few moments later, they heard stomping up the stairs.

Dad loomed into the room. “What is going on?” his bear like voice cowed Helen even more and Thor backed off a bit.

Thor looked back at Helen. “Screw this, I’m leaving. I’m not having anything to do with this.”

Dad grabbed Thor on his way out. “Not having anything to do with what?”

Thor jerked his arm out of Dad’s grasped and continued leaving. “Don’t touch me old man.”

Dad roared various statements at Thor and shortly after there was a loud bang as the door closed. Soon after, both Mom and Dad were in Helen’s room. They both had their arms crossed.

“What happened, honey?”

Helen looked at her parents and then burst out crying. “I’m pregnant. The baby is Thor’s. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to do.”

Dad was the first to react. “I’m calling that disrespectful punk’s parents.”

Mom wrapped arms around Helen. She cooed loving caring words. Helen was a little surprised at her parents. She hadn’t expected their support, in fact she had expected them to yell at her and throw her out of the house. She smiled and returned her mother’s warm loving embrace. One last tear, a tear of happiness rolled down her face, and all the fear and uncertainty washed away.

The last words out of Helen’s mouth for the rest of the night were. “I’m keeping it.”

Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School

It’s not that often that I take a trip down the drama aisle in the movie section, but I saw a preview for this movie and absolutely had to watch it. Mostly because it had two of my favorite actors in it: Robert Carlyle and John Goodman. Also in part because I felt a connection with the main character in the preview. This is definitely a hidden gem of 2005 that did not get the recognition it deserved. The man who directed and wrote it was Randall Miller.

This film is a story about Frank Keane (Carlyle) and Steve Mills (Goodman). They each have their own tale in this beautifully woven story. Keane is a widowed man who moved from Great Britain to the United States bringing his family’s baking business with him. His story is one of recovery from his depression through a dancing school called Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. Mills’ tale is a sad one, he made a promise 40 years ago to the only woman he loved, that promise was: to not matter what, whether they were married, or had kids, or anything, that they would meet at Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School and from there see what happened. However, because of an accident that happens early on in the film introducing both of our main characters, Mills cannot go and asks Keane to go for him. Mills then proceeds to tell Keane, at Keane’s request, about how he met his love. These two stories intertwine very well and create a fantastic story about the two men.

There are a wide variety of characters, each of them are well made with the perfect actors and actresses playing them. There is light-hearted and witty humor, as well as powerful emotional moments as Keane goes through his healing process. The first time I saw it, this film became one of my favorites, and I hope you find it to be a grand movie as well.

Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing & Charm School

Darker than Black

Ah, Darker than Black if I didn’t have the friends I have I may have never come across the gem that you are. This is a dark, action, sci-fi, drama anime set in the not-to-distant future. The stars in the night sky have vanished and an artificial one has replaced it. The stars on this artificial sky are supposed to be the life of people called Contractors. Contractors were once humans who paid a “price” to gain supernatural abilities and have lost their souls in the process. Contractors get hired by governments, companies, and criminal groups to perform various jobs: assassination, recovery, robbery, and other things.

Another powerful plot device in this series are the Gates: Heaven and Hell. The Gate to Heaven has disappeared since the stars in the sky disappeared, and many of the scientists in the world are trying to figure out what happened. The Hell Gate still exists and is a place where many strange things happen and even Contractors get affected strongly by being near it. There are several times throughout the series that this location gets visited.

Our main character is named Lee, and he is a Contractor. He is one of the best Contractors out there, and he seems to have not paid any “price” for his power. However, as happens with most anime, you do not follow the main character always as you take the points of view of several other characters in the series. There’s a police officer trying to capture Lee, a hack detective that takes on several cases that end up crossing paths with Lee, and many other characters. As they develop, you begin to get a connection and even like those that are clashing with Lee’s goals.

If you want a greatly developed, dark story with fantastic characters I highly recommend Darker than Black as it has all of these. If you’re concerned about fan service don’t worry, because that is practically non-existent and is only done when it fits the character’s mannerisms. It has some lighthearted humor mixed in with it, but any dark story needs some brighter moments or else the viewer would get very sad… Anyway, enjoy!

Darker Than Black: The Complete First Season