Plot-7/10- One thing i commend Clannad for is having supernatural aspects that are nessasary to the plot, but not nessasary for the enjoyment of the show. The show would still be good if it stayed in reality, but the supernatural stuff makes a solid base for the plot. It branches off to show the story of a certian character without excluding the others for its episodes, and there are good endings to these branches that show the saddness and happiness the show can bring together. There were a bunch of little climaxes instead of one big one, so the ending didn't feel like an ending for me. I'm counting on Afterstory for that. Its stays a comedic and happy anime that made me laugh out loud a lot while hinting at things that are very sad, and also more serious stuff like the existance of pocket dimensions.
Characters-8/10- The characters are what drive this show. I appreciate that one can see how the family situation of each character affects their personality, most of the characters have roots of their mind that we can trace back to their parents, which is the case in real life. The word Clannad means family in Gaelic so family is a prominant part of the show. Clannad has possibly the most creative rendition of a ghost i have ever seen, who is really just a normal person that is halfway between existing and not existing, whith nothing creepy or over the top about it. Some of the lines in the show are brilliant, as Fujibyashi and Okazaki are very witty. I just didn't totally love the show's characters like I can do sometimes, so although the characters were pretty much flawless for that type of show, so i give them an 8.
Art-5/10- at first glance, the art is not that great. They do some nice things with it though like the lighting in a room and the cgi of the lonely world. The Dongo theme was animated very well in a different style than the main show. The fact that each of the characters have different coloured hair so we can more easily tell them apart is a flaw, but i can get over that. The art isn't really that good or bad.
Sounds and Cinematography-5/10- The pacing of the show was good, those shutter lapses i am so used to seeing on Microsoft Powerpoint surprisingly didn't bother me because they made for good pacing. The cuts to the lonely world were shown and timed perfectly to show that this is more than just a funny show. Other than that the cinematography didn't stand out. The music and sounds were decent, they had a handfull of songs that they would replay and would fit the mood well. I didn't like the opening theme but it wasn't too bad. The ending theme was very good reflected the mood of the show, with the line at the end "all that is happy and sad rolled into one" (rough quote) sending home the show's mood.
Realism Within Unrealism-7/10- the main squabble I have with this is when Sonohara is beat up he will always land in a tree or go flying ect. The show exaggerates some scenes for comedic effect, which can be funnier but it takes away from the show. Otherwise it is completely fine for realism. At first I was going crazy about how the characters were being secretive about Fuko, because she would be an extremely important find for researchers. As it turned out though, there was a branch of the story that involved researchers involved in the supernatural aspect of the show, so I was satisfied.
Overall-7/10- Its not my favourite show, but i could see why it would be someone else's. No matter what type of anime you like, give this one a watch!
