Also-I'll say my favorite couple is still Nagisa and Tomoya. I'm wondering if their planning an episode that, like with Tomoyo and Kyou is focused on his relationship with another girl, and perhaps make it about Kotomi-I do really like her and I am wondering how that would go. We'll have to see.
Story Rating: 7+=Good
Story:
I'll admit-my opinion of the story is colored by my love of Nagisa and my dislike of Ryou a bit.... that being said, the story was good, for a one episode romance. I do really like Kyou. She's a very strong Character.
The story was quiet-like most of Clannad.
Good points-
# 1. It was about Kyou. I liked Kyou in Clannad and After Story. So it was good to see her again. I had been hoping to hear more about her and I got it in this... even if it was only one episode.
# 2. It was rainy- I know that seems like an odd thing to give it points for, but I love the rain. It also added to the story's mood and was JUST right for the story and characters.
# 3. The story held a similar feel to Clannad... it was quiet and emotional.
# 4. We finally get to see a kiss in this series, I don't remember seeing a kiss for Tomoya until now. Such as it was. I had been hoping to see that in Clannad. But I suppose it might have seemed strange there.
Bad Points-
# 1. The feel of it.... while it was similar to Clannad, it seemed off somehow, it also seemed off for me in the Tomoyo Chapter.
That may just be because their trying to fit a budding romance into 23 minutes. At times it seemed paced right-at other times, it felt to rushed. So much so that I was left wondering what happened and feeling dizzy.
# 2. The scenes didn't blend the way they should-as I would have liked anyway.
# 3. The mood of the episode was also a bit too gloomy-even when it wasn't raining.... while I suppose that had it's purpose, even when there were happy moments, it seemed a bit to depressing.
# 4. Since it was only 23 minutes, it wasn't as emotional in some places as it should be. And overly emotional in others.
# 5. They didn't really have time to go into why the characters felt the way they did about each other here. Why did Kyou feel the way she did about Tomoya? Why did Ryou? Why did he feel for them what he felt? None of that was really explained.
Art Rating: 10+=Outstanding
Art Review:
I have always watched the artwork in Animes and other animated things. I watch the lines, while at the same time watching the characters and what their doing, saying and following the story.
I watch the colors, and I watch the movement.
Movement Art: gets a 10+
The movement of the characters was flawless, I realize movement is a strange thing to rate-but it's how I do things. Just like in Clannad, After story and Tomoyo Chapter Kyoto animation is flawless.
The names Kyoto Animation and Key always grab my attention. Especially when their listed together for an Anime.
I love their Animes, they are simply beautiful.
Character Art: gets a 10+
The characters were drawn the same way as they were in Clannad. Simply beautiful. And all unique in their own way.
However, there was one exception with Kyou's artwork, for her artwork it gets a #7-
My one problem with the character art is that Kyou looked strange at times. I don't know if that was done for the mood or what, but at times, she had the look of a forgotten and abused child-her eyes were empty of their usual personality at those times and looked basically dead.
Background Art: gets a 10+
The backgrounds were-as always, beautiful.
I especially loved the scenes with the Rain and Wisteria-mostly because of the artwork.
The colors were bright and beautiful, but at times, they seemed dull... not quite as bright as they should be, but at other times, they seem perfect.
Opening & Ending Animation Art: gets a 7+
The opening is the same from After Story & Tomoyo Chapter. I think they should have changed the images a bit though, removed all of the characters not in this episode, since it is basically a stand alone-sort of.
If someone saw the episode without knowing Clannad, it would have been better if the opening images were different, at least removing Nagisa from being the main character in the opening-it makes it feel a bit lazy in my opinion, because they just recycled the images from the other opening.
For Tomoyo Chapter as well, they should have placed Tomoyo as the main character in the opening images, that way, even though they showed the other characters, it would seem to fit the episode much better.
For Kyou Chapter-Kyou should have been in Nagisa’s place in the opening.
As for the Ending-I don't mind the anime playing threw the ending, But I hate it when the streamer just goes blank after their done talking and the ending song has finished. It makes it feel unfinished really.
It would have been nice if they'd kept the song and credits going for a moment or too after the scene went blank. That would have felt more finished off-more polished. For me anyway.
Sound Rating: 8=Very Good
Sound Review:
The sound got the rating of 8 because the music was the same from Clannad After Story and Tomoyo Chapter. And because the Voice Actors did wonderfully. However, it would have been nice if they'd added a new song or something, to make it stand out a bit better.
Also, I'm not sure if it was the way it was streaming or if it was the way it was made, at times when they were talking, we were seeing them elsewhere, moving their mouths and the sound that I was hearing did not fit the scene or way the mouth was moving.
I don't know if that was their way of showing everything they wanted in this episode or what.
But it made me dizzy and it confused me at times as to what was saying what and what I was seeing. I'm sure that sounds strange.
But it’s the only way I have of explaining that really.
At times it was fine, the talking fit the mouth movements perfectly and everything, but at other times it seems disjointed and just not right to me at all.
Characters Rating: 8- =Great-However the minus is there.. So there's a "But"
Character Review:
The minus is because Kyou and Tomoya and Sunohara all seemed a bit... like their sparks were missing. Again, that's probably because they were trying to fit it all into one episode.
It might have seemed more like them, if there were 4 episodes or so, instead of one that was 23 minutes.
I assume they were all suppose to be in their last year of High School, as they were in Tomoyo Chapter(I think, and Clannad. However, overall, they all seem to be more in the mind set of Jr. High students, rather than last year High School students.
Even Tomoya-if It’s possible, Sunohara was the only one who had the “Feel “ of a last year high school student. He seemed more mature to me than Tomoya or Kyou.
Kyou- 7-
That being said, at times, Kyou showed her spark, in those instances, she seemed like the Kyou I admired in Clannad... a bit.
But then at other times, she would have dead eyes and seemed to be weak enough for a strong wind to blow her over or like she might burst into tears at any moment..
She seemed that way far to often, for me anyway.
She also did not seem to act the same way towards Sunohara as she has in everything Clannad so far. At times, she seemed to Innocent, and like Ryou and Tomoya, she seemed more like she was 13 or 14 rather than 17 or 18.
Tomoya- 7-
He also seemed to be "Sparkless" and not really himself.
He was not as pushy as he always was, seemed a bit to innocent to be himself, and like Kyou-he more like he was 13 or 14 rather than 17 or 18.
I found it hard most of the time here to see the old Tomoya from Clannad & After Story. While I did see it, it wasn't often enough to help the characters feel like themselves to me.
Tomoya wasn't his usual lovable(for me anyway) Self.
His interactions with the other characters seemed strange to me, even with Sunohara. That was probably because they were fitting so much into 23 minutes.
Sunohara- 8-
He was his usual amusing self... but not as amusing as he could have been. His personality seemed washed out and when the story could have used the humor, he was without it.
Other than that, I had no problem with him.
Ryou- 8-
Ryou was Ryou. I still did not like her character. There's nothing terribly wrong with her, she's just quick to cry, she's weak(Emotionally) and a bit oblivious(Or selfish) to her sister's feelings and she also did not get a backbone when I felt she needed it.
The only time I've liked her was when she gave up on Tomoya in Clannad and when she asked Tomoya out here in Kyou Chapter.
Other than that she seemed like an emotionally weak character, a weak minded character and all around she was annoying for me. Her sister still shines in comparison as far as I’m concerned.
Botan- 6-
All I have to say about Botan was there wasn't enough of him/her(I think it's male. But I can't be sure, sorry) in the episode for my liking, it’s cute and it added to Kyou’s appeal as a character.
Enjoyment Rating 5=Decent | Overall Rating 7+=Good
Enjoyment & Overall Review:
I’d have to say, I’m rather hard on new series, Movies, OVA’s ect.... that have characters I love from another show. That being said, I really do not want flames, not if their violent or nasty flames anyway-you will be blocked by me if I receive an overly nasty flame.
I enjoyed Kyou Chapter about as much as the Tomoyo Chapter, maybe a little better, because I liked Kyou a little better than Tomoyo.
However, I was seeing to many problems, Making mental notes of those problems as I went along and so on and so forth. So that cut my Enjoyment rating almost in half.
I really expected to have the same feel as Clannad- I also had hoped we’d get to know more of Kyou here than we had before. I was hoping it would go into her history(And Ryou’s)a bit more. That maybe I’d get to like Ryou a bit if I saw more about them. I did not. I was greatly disappointed in that regard.
I also had trouble following the story and enjoying it a bit because of the pace of it and the way it was laid out-the way it went from scene to scene and such.
I found myself becoming depressed, nothing made me laugh or smile really, It was for some reason, unbelievable at times, the way it worked out. The way things happened and such.
I guess, I let my expectations get to high, I had been hoping it would be like Clannad-in it’s feel and character interactions. I knew it wouldn’t BE Clannad. But it could have at least FELT a little like it. That being said, I’m sure others might like it, it’s not bad. Not by a long shot. It’s just a disappointment to me.
I’ll say it again. With so much content to fit into one episode. It should have been given at least four 23 minute episodes. Tomoyo’s chapter should have been given 4 as well really.
In the end, I was still very happy(Wouldn’t know it by all of my complaints would you -_-?)with this OVA. Disappointed about some parts, but, overall, happy.
It was good seeing something about Kyou. Even if it wasn’t what I had hoped. She didn’t get all she deserved as a character.
There is no reason a fan of Clannad wouldn’t really want to see Kyou Chapter. No reason they should avoid it really unless they hate Kyou. Just don’t have very high expectations. That’s my only advice.
If your not a fan of Kyou-if your a fan of Ryou... I don’t recommend this really then.
Even though it could have been so much better than it was if it was given more time and more in depth stuff, I am still Recommending this if you like Kyou.
I say you should go ahead and watch it.
Just don’t get your expectations to high, and please remember, my review is only my opinion, you should form your own opinions about it yourself. I understand some people might not agree with me.
If you want to discuss this episode with me, that’s fine, as I said, only violently nasty flammers will get blocked, I don’t block more friendly comments about your objections to what I may or may not have said.
So, if you love Clannad- go ahead and give this a try. If you haven’t seen Clannad, and are reading this, please leave, and go watch Clannad BEFORE you watch this. Kyou is much better in Clannad, in my opinion. But have fun and enjoy them to the best of your ability.
Even though I was disappointed, overall I am happy with Clannad: Another World-Kyou chapter.
