Ranked #625

Clannad (movie)

I think the greatest problem with the Clannad movie is that people hold it against the series for comparison. A word of advice? Don't. The Clannad movie was made before the series, so really, saying that this movie is a poor adaptation of a great series is, well, incorrect.

The movie is however a summary of most of the important events in the Clannad franchise. A delinquent named Tomoya meets, befriends and comes to love an older girl in his school named Nagisa. This movie follows the both of them as they deal with personal issues and things that have left large marks on their lives. Clannad's storyline is primarily about Tomoya and Nagisa. There are a few side characters introduced. The storyline is deceptively simple; yes, while this is only really about the relationship between these two people, it delves into emotional and psychological themes. There is a very contained feeling about this movie. It doesn't feel epic or inclusive. It's as though we're only glimpsing into the lives of Tomoya and Nagisa.

Art could have been better, but it is decent for the most part. Nothing too spectacular, except some very good moments when the animation proves itself to be quite good. Again, for anyone comparing this movie to the series, it does look tremendously weak. On the whole, there is nothing incredibly bad about it. There are some instances of the colour palette being very vivid. The character design is particularly weak though.

Sound is good, there isn't any real complaint there. It is orchestrated to fit the scenes of the movie, and that's a job well done right there. However, it doesn't really leave a lasting impression as other scores have done in the past (or future for that matter). The random pop within the movie sort of killed the mood sometimes, though.

But there's one thing for certain about Clannad's movie, is that the characters are great. Well, for however long they are presented. We don't get to see the supporting characters fleshed out at all, but the two protagonists are very well-rounded characters. Tomoya is an aloof, "don't know, don't care" fellow who suffers from deep internal complications. Nagisa is a simple, sweet girl who suffers from external complications. And what happens when these two meet, interact, and fall for one another? Why, something very precious happens. They each change during the course of the movie, which is great for character development. So many movies out there have characters that start off and end the same. These two grow during the course of Clannad's movie.

Now, the hard part. Was this movie enjoyable? It was, but not very. I especially think anyone who has seen the series would be inclined to hate this movie, actually. Some parts dragged on, some scenes weren't explained in depth, and if a movie with slice of life, drama and romance elements bores you, then I guess you'll be pretty bored during this movie. There isn't any action--just a boy, a girl, and their relationship.

Oh, and a word of warning: I do believe there are some major spoilers for the rest of the Clannad franchise within this movie. If you plan on watching the series or Clannad ~After Story~, then don't watch this movie first.

And is this worth watching? Yes, but I can't recommend when it should be watched. To appreciate this movie, then it should be seen before the series. But viewing this movie before seeing the series will reveal massive spoilers. Saving the movie for later, after watching the series, will just leave a viewer to believe they have just witnessed an utter failure under the title 'Clannad'.

Clannad is a good movie that has the misfortune of being overshadowed by a great series. Just keep an open mind before looking at it, remember that it was made before the series, and try it out. read more

Review Has Been Updated (twice)
This is my final review of the Clannad movie, as I now have a different opinion of it since watching all of the anime and playing the game itself.

I went into this movie fully expecting it to suck. I read so many horrible things about it, and there was that boring trailer... this movie had failure written all over it. I was very surprised, it did not suck at all. It does suffer from some problems though, and I have gone back to my original review and changed it slightly to represent how I feel now, after time.

Story: The main thing to keep in mind while watching this movie is to not compare it to the real Clannad. Consider this an alternate universe or a watered-down retelling. There are things the story does that I really loved, but it doesn't really match the series at all. During the movie they would constantly flashforward to several years later as we see Okazaki's life in the future, and it certainly isn't problem free . These ongoing revelations make the entire movie seem really bittersweet when we see him happy, as we know something dark is coming. This is something that is not felt in the anime at all, and is a very nice touch. This movie does have a very different feel than the series at many times. So that is why it may not appeal to everybody.

Honestly, there is a lot of great aspects to the anime series and game that wasn't in the movie. This movie is the core of the Clannad story, only condensed and changed to fit the running time. But you can't really hold that against the movie. It's a movie, not a series. For what it was adapting, I think they did a really good job.

Art: Okay, the art is bad. However, I have seen much, much worse. I'll admit the art is not horrible, but it could have been better. The split-screen thing it did at times really annoyed me.

Sound: Nothing really special here. The music didn't hit me as amazing in any scene, but it went well with the movie, I suppose. Not much I can say about it. I have memories of better Clannad music.

Character: Being as this is a movie, there is no way that they could do as much with the characters as the anime and game did. Okazaki and Nagisa are the main characters. Sunohara and Nagisa's parents play about the same role (and on that note, Nagisa's father is just as funny as he was in the anime, but with less screen-time due to length, we don't get to see as many fun antics), Kyou and Tomoyo play supporting roles. Kotomi gets a small un-named cameo in 2 scenes. Fuko and Ryou are not mentioned or seen at all.

Without the Fuko and Kotomi arcs of the first season and the 2nd half of After Story (which are my favorite moments of Clannad ever) the characters in the movie do not do as good as they do in the anime (I would have given them a 10 if I was reviewing the anime series).

But here is the thing, for the characters shown in the movie, they are handled really well. I loved every one of them because I treated this as it's own story. Seriously, the development and emotional scenes are what saved this grade from mediocre. There are some really great emotional scenes, as some characters are pushed to their emotional limits.

Enjoyment: I did enjoy this movie. It's not Clannad at it's best, but it is still Clannad.

Overall: Overall, this movie gets an 7 from me. It was really good. It might not be as good as the game, but I think for what it's adapting, it did a pretty good job. The foreshadowing done by the flash-forwards gave the movie that bittersweet feeling that really got to me. They may not have gotten into the best parts of After Story, but they left it on a note that some may even enjoy more than the way the anime series and game ended.

Is it the best way to witness the Clannad story? Not really. The anime has a lot that this movie doesn't, but at the same time, the anime wasn't perfect either. After the Kotomi arc, the show started to drag on a bit with Nagisa's arc. Then in After Story, the show started out really dull and didn't kick in until the 2nd half of the series. The best way to get Clannad is to play the game, honestly.

My advice: WATCH THIS MOVIE!
Consider it a re-telling of the core of the Clannad story, and don't hold a grudge against it because your favorite characters and scenes are not in it, and don't hold a grudge against it because the animation is different.

This is a really good movie and if you liked the TV series or not, give it a try.

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