(Note: Due to that variation I'll have to change my layout for the review slightly...)
STORY (Episodes 1 - 8)
The beginning of After Story is a direct continuation of the first season. There are no major time gaps, and the style is pretty much identical to season one. The 8 episodes feature a total of 3 minor arcs, which are ridiculously short, but somehow manage to start, develop, and conclude in the space that can be as short as just 2 epsiodes. As all of the side characters got their arcs in season one, so these three arcs focus on the minor characters. Those that don't really need much development in the first place.
The first arc is technically a continuation of Youhei's and his sister's arc from season one. I'll say it now... What a way to open a new season! For those who haven't watched Clannad, Youhei is the stereotypical punching bag/idiot of the show. Seeing him become really serious is quite surprising, and it makes for a good watch. Episodes 3 and 4 are about the only point in After Story where the English dub is a bit more superior.
The second arc is a bit strange, and features more of the supernatural elements of the show. It also shows exactly what After Story is famous for: tugging at people's heartstrings with just 2 episodes to work with...
The third arc may be odd, but is still just as good as those before it.
Because After Story is more than just a bit confusing near the end, it's important to pay attention in order to understand it. In that case, PAY EXTREME ATTENTION at the end of episode 8, as it will make understanding the ending more manageable.
The substory of the Illusionary World is also continuing along in these episodes, but it is still not as important to the current main story. Nevertheless, pay attention to it.
STORY (Episodes 9 - 24)
If you ask a fan of Clannad about the show, they will almost undoubtedly talk about After Story, and in that case, THIS part of After Story. This is where the style undergoes a complete U-turn, and this part of the anime becomes a standalone entity, if you like. The characters have all graduated from high school, and begin to live their own lives. As a result, all characters apart from Tomoya, Nagisa, Akio and Sanae are forgotten, with the exception of a few minor characters.
Clannad changes from a cheery highschool anime, to a much more serious anime, dealing with family issues, living without parents, working, and most importantly: dealing with change and loss.
Everything begins to change in the anime. The city changed around everyone, and lives change. After Story does an incredible job at showing us how difficult it can be to accept it, or to believe it, especially if the change happens to your close friends.
Shopping malls replace forests, a new hospital is built where a meadow used to be...it may not be an case identical to the anime, but everyone can somehow relate to the characters' struggles to cope with change. It is particularly emphatic during Yoshino's back story, which is one of the more emotinal parts of the second season.
Clannad After Story isn't your traditional story of where characters go to college. It asks an important question: what happens afterwards? The main reason why it is so good is because it shows that life after highschool isn't so rosy, and that my friends, is hardly shown in anime in such a way. And it is this combination with the tone change, which makes After Story one of, if not THE saddest anime of all time. Of course I can't say why it is truly sad, as spoiling this show should be punishable by deadly death by, but if there's a point in anime where I TRULY felt sorry for a character, this is it.
The story of the Illusionary World develops more and more, and begins to crawl into the spotlight as it begins to merge with the main story. It may become difficult to understand by the end, but that's a part of what makes After Story the show that it is. The supernatural element is what makes it so difficult. It gets to a point where we must ask if the city in the anime is sentient or not, as characters develop in step with the city. (again, can't say more due to spoilers) Hard to understand? I know it is...
CHARACTERS
Clannad After Story features the best character developent I have ever seen. From being a lazy and unmotivated delinquent from the first season to a hard-working and loving individual, Tomoya undergoes the most development in the 20 or so episodes this show has to offer. It is the troubles of adult life and responsibilities that cause him to change more drastically than others.
The relationship between him and his father develops more and more, and concludes in one of the most beautiful moments of the anime. Seriously. Due to his hatred of his father, the truth of their relationship really hits home like a hammer. What makes it even better is that this even happens during the saddest parts of the show.
The development of the characters is shown really well, and it's done by using the oldest trick in the book - flashbacks from season one. People may scoff at the idea of flashbacks in stories because they may be cliché, but you must admit... they work!
Personally, I think that it's the characters make the show so sad. The anime spends over 35 episodes making us more attatched to the characters, which makes sure that we feel the pain with the characters... They are in other words, human. More human than any anime characters.
They may not be the most unique characters, but everyone finds something to like in characters such as Nagisa or Tomoya.
SOUND & ANIMATION
The same soundtrack is used for the second season, some songs are used more frequently, especially the sadder ones, like Snowfield, The Girl's Fantasy, and A New Life Reborn. Again, if you look up the tracks on YouTube, be careful of spoilers. (Even the photos in the video can be considered spoilers)
It wouldn't be a review of After Story if I didn't mention the opening song. "A Song To Pass the Time" is one of my favourite opening songs of all time, complex rhythms, absolutely amazing visuals, brilliant lyrics, and of course, Lia's vocal. As is tradition in Key/Kyoto Ani adaptations, the female characters' names are shown in a slideshow with their photo.
Clannad After Story is the only time in anime that I have wanted to change the ending song halfway through the show.
"Torch", is a great song until the second half, when its upbeat and cheerful feel is completely out of place, when played directly after a sad moment. There are better ways to cheer up the audience. This song is not it.
Going back to my review of season one, I felt undecided on dub/sub. For
After Story, sub is much better. In the sub, the characters' monologues feel genuine, whereas the dub feels forced and fake. Again, the dub gets to shine in episodes 3 and 4 where Greg Ayres gets to voice a character in a serious tone, which happens only once in a lifetime. Of course, the sub doesn't have the same amount of humor as the dub, so the choice really varies.
Since After Story aired only six months after the first season finished, the animation in general remains the same. Quality did improve slightly, in terms of colour and some character design. For most of the show, colours are really bright and strong, which perfectly fits the tone of the series. (then again, Kyoto Animation puts a lot of colour into every show.) Only in the second half does the colour style change. There is a dominant use of white, grey, blue and other similarly dark and dull colours to fit the tone of the anime.
Character design is debatable, with aging becoming a bit of an issue, i.e. it apparently doesn't exist in some characters. The only differences are Tomoya's poor beard and his father greying. That's it. Nagisa's parents still look like her older siblings, but then again this is a reoccurring problem in anime. (see Kanon 2006 for more obvious examples)
Opening and ending animation is, as I've already mentioned, excellent.
The animation style of the Illusionary World is worth mentioning. Similarly to season one, the animation is more fluid and three-dimensional than the rest of the show. What I found interesting is that the landscape of the world isn't as flat as in S1. It is more mountainous than before, which certainly gives it more life, and it becomes more pleasing to watch. It's no big surprise that even though Kyoto Animation has some of the best animation quality in the anime industry. These scenes are undoubtedly some of their best works, even though they are 8 years old by now.
THE ENDING
The ending of After Story is one of the main reasons people turn their noses at ths anime. Truth be told, it is hard to work it out by yourself, and that's the reason why it is often dismissed as having plot holes. To this I say, rubbish. Clannad has all the explanations to the ending within the show itself. Unfortunately they are placed in a way that makes them hard to spot.
The ending is where the main story and the sub story combine, and that's what makes it confusing, as you have the supernatural coming into play. The clues appear as early as the first season, which is why the two seasons should be watched without a huge gap in between.
After Story has 24 episodes, however the story ends in episode 22, with the last two episodes being placed before the entire story of Clannad, and during all 50 or so episodes of the anime, respectively. Don't leave these 2 episodes out, as they will make it easier to understand the ending.
Pay attention as much as possible in episodes 21 and 22, as they are the most important. Also, as I've mentioned before, the end of episode 8.
The problem also is that clues to the ending are found in unlikely places, for example the episode screens. (That's where the epsiode number and name come up for a few seconds, usually after the opening.) The clues lie in the bottom-left part of these slides. So keep an eye out for the entire 2 seasons, it's not that difficult. So by the time you hit episodes 23 and 24, and you see thr episode screen, you will say, "Ohhh. NOW I get it..."
FINAL EVALUATION
Clannad is my favourite anime to date. From all of the anime series that I have given a 10 to, none of them come close to After Story, and I think that's a big deal, especially since that list includes Cowboy Bebop, Steins Gate, The Disappearance of HS, and Higurashi.
There has never been an anime that I have watched that had such an impact on me as Clannad After Story. By the time I was approaching the ending, I forgot that I was actually watching an anime.
Of course it isn't perfect. It's very predictable, some music tracks could have been used more often and some less often. But it is the closest thing to perfection that I have found. And I am glad I did find it!
It's sad like hell, it's relatable, and most of all, it's fucking beautiful. Going into this anime people often say to themselves that they will be like a rock, emotionally. This just ruins the enjoyment...it's like forcing yourself not to laugh through all of Black Lagoon, it's just a dumb idea. Like the famous reviewer by the handle "Arkada" said it himself:
"Unlike Air and Kanon which hit you once with the metaphorical baseball bat of emotions, After Story doesn't know when to stop."
It's a real shame that hardly any shows do what Clannad did. That's why I recommend this rare gem to anyone and everyone, as it's one of those shows you have to watch for the sake of watching it, because of how good and unique it is.
Watch it, regardless of what your anime preferences are. Watch both seasons, then decide if you like it or not.
It may not affect you in any way, it may spark some thoughts in your head, it may cause you to never look at snow the same way again. It may change a simple trip to the shop for milk, into a psychological inner debate with yourself. (that's what happened to me. Weird, i know)
You will laugh, you will feel sad for the characters, you may paralyze your tear ducts. Find your own reasons to like or dislike Clannad and Clannad After Story, and most importantly, enjoy it.
After Story gets 10*/10.
~thobiazz~
"Come hell or high water, life goes on."
