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: Blake

Blake Carpenter looked into the sea of people in front of him. His felt fine. Better. He felt fantastic. This was his element: people. He was going places in life and nobody was going to stop him. His fellows stood behind him on this wonderful stage. This was the recognition they all deserved. He stepped up to the podium, his graduation robes flowing around him. He removed his graduation cap and put it on the podium. To his right was the principal, a glowing smile on her face. To his left were both councilors, beaming.

He smiled and looked into the crowd to where he knew his parents were. “Today, is a glorious day for the whole lot of us. We students shall be moving forward in life, going to college, starting work, and various other activities. You are the parents, friends, and family members of this class of people, these young adults who are moving up to a new level of life. The feelings of pride that you have for us must be incredible, but if it hadn’t been for your support I know that many of us may not be standing up here right now. I was selected by my fellows to speak on behalf of all of us, and I say thank you.

“Thank you for the time you took to take us to sports and clubs. Thank you for tolerating us at our worst and loving us at our best. Thank you for spending thousands upon thousands on gas hauling us all over town before we could drive. Without you, we would have missed much.”

Blake pulled the microphone off of the podium and looked back to his fellow students. “This is our moment. We are at a new threshold of life. Many of you are going to college, some are actually heading to a professional career. You all have done well, congratulations.”

He turned back to the audience. “Finally, one last thank you. This one going out to my friends and family. I know I wouldn’t be standing here, speaking to all of you if it weren’t for you. Thank you. Mom. Dad. I love you guys. Thank you.”

Blake set the microphone back into place, stepped to the side of the podium, and performed a graceful bow at the applauding crowd before him. This was his moment, and he would cherish it for as long as he could.

Short Story Series: Tyler

“Tyler Emmin, can you educate the class on the history of the Civil War?” The question had caught Tyler “T” Emmin off guard. Once again he had been caught staring at the brunette beauty Crystal Vaine, but this time it was by a teacher.

He blushed as the class laughed at him. “I’m sorry, sir.”

Mr. Mora, the history teacher, rolled his eyes. “Once again lost in the clouds and all you have to say is sorry. Next time, you’re going to have a talk with me after class. Now pay attention.”

Not that there ever was a talk, he just said that to try and get his students to pay attention, nobody ever had to talk with him after class unless they did something other than stare at beautiful women.

T listened to Mr. Mora drone on some more about Gettysburg before he began to space out again. He had a dream the other night, a dream about Crystal and him together in a relationship and it was beautiful. Of course in real life she probably didn’t even know T existed. Not very many people noticed him. T was shorter than the average sixteen year-old and didn’t fit in with the cliques in the high school. Even some outsiders treated him as an outsider. He did have a few important friends, one being his best friend since childhood: Tara Jenkins.

After class T walked to the cafeteria where he’d meet up with Tara and the Kents: Frank and Rachel. They all knew about his crush on Crystal.

As she sat at the dinner table, Rachel asked. “So, T, have you asked Crystal out yet?”

T blushed and shook his head. “No.”

Tara looked accusingly at T. “I still don’t get why you like her. She’s just a rich preppy girl, not even your type.”

T shrugged. “She’s pretty?”

Tara smacked her own forehead with the palm of her hand. “Right, because that means anything.”

T frowned. She didn’t have to be so rude about it. “I talked with her once.”

Tara began fixing her hair. “Yeah, I know. ‘She was really nice’. Of course you couldn’t say anything back to her, so it’s more like she talked to you not with you.”

Rachel smacked the table lightly. “Hey, you don’t have to be so mean about it. Yeah, he’s head over heels over her and there’s no real reason for it, but you don’t have to be so mean.”

Tara just glared at Rachel for a while. They began to stare each other down for a while until Rachel blinked.

Rachel then laughed. “You beat me every time.”

T then stood up. His heart pounded in his chest. “I’m going to ask her out.”

Frank glanced up at T. “Are you sure, dude? You look like you’re going to have a heart attack. I’m pretty sure the embarrassment might kill you.”

T quickly nodded. “Yeah. I got this. I’m sick and tired of losing chances to ask her out. She’s right over there, I’m right here, and I’m going over there to ask her.”

T took one step after the other each one seemed to take longer than the last. He tried to keep his breathing calm and his heart from pounding its way out of his chest. He felt the blood rush up to his head and he knew that some people were staring at him. Somehow he made it to the table that Crystal was sitting at although she was talking with her friends. T then tapped her shoulder and when she turned to him he lost his breath.

Crystal looked at him expectantly. “Yes?”

T then exhaled. “WouldyouliketogowithmetoRene’sDinerfordinner? Tonight?”

She blinked, then smiled after a little while. “No thank you, I’m not really interested in you. I don’t think it would work out anyways.”

T was shocked by the calm denial she performed. The cold denial. All those feelings washed away except the embarrassment and that hit him so hard he passed out.

When he came to Tara was sitting next to his bed in the nurse’s office. She smiled when she noticed him wake up. “Well, that could have been worse.”

T looked at her weird. “How so?”

Tara hugged him. “You could’ve passed out before getting denied by Crystal. By the way, real graceful way to ask her out.”

T blushed but he hugged her back. “Shut up.”

Tara looked him in the eyes with her vibrant green eyes. “You are OK, right?”

T’s heart skipped a beat. “Yeah. Thanks.”

“Good.”

He looked down for a moment and then looked Tara back in the eyes. “Uh, Tara? How would you like to have dinner with me at Rene’s Diner tonight?”

She nearly tackled him. “I’d love to.”