Clannad and Clannad After Story

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101

Newshawk -

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I’m sorry for your troubles and I agree with your sentiment. As for naming the characters at the end - I know it is Tomoya & Nagisa, their friends from school, Akio and Sanae, and possibly Tomoya’s father, but I’m not sure of the rest.

Cody -

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I had the same thought about atonement! And I think I can see where Tomoya is coming from. Grief can do terrible things to some people. But I agree with you that Nagisa must be very disappointed in him.

Episode 17 -

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During the last five years, Tomoya has buried himself in work and tries not to think of anything. He doesn’t want to face reality and would like to forget that ever met Nagisa, let alone married her and had a baby with her. I can understand Tomoya’s grief. Many men that have lost a wife in childbirth tend to take it out on the baby, sometimes intentional, sometimes not. Losing a loved one this way can be devastating and the baby is a painful reminder.

I think this is part of the reason he doesn’t care much about Ushio. In fact, he has hardly seen her over the last five years and when he did, he ignored her. This changes when Sanae shows up at his home and asks him for a date. As they walk through town, Tomoya notices more changes. They end up at the restaurant where Nagisa used to work and Sanae tries to talk him into a family vacation, but he only says that he’ll think about it. I thought it was funny that once he was home, she kept calling until he said yes. He really doesn’t want to go, but he doesn’t want to let Sanae down after everything she has done for him.

I’m sure that Sanae and Akio feel that it is time that Tomoya got to know his daughter and perhaps raise her himself. Although, having Ushio for the first five years of her life may have helped Sanae and Akio as well. Not only with the pain of losing their daughter, but maybe it also redeems them for what happened to Nagisa as a child. Perhaps they feel that it is time for Tomoya to heal as well and that Ushio can help him.

When Tomoya shows up at the house for the family vacation, there is a note from Sanae and Akio, saying they had to go out, and leaving him alone with Ushio. I think Ushio is so cute; she looks exactly like her mother. And it was nice to see that Akio got his way with the nickname “Akki”. Since there were tickets left on the table with the note, they must want him and Ushio to go on the trip without them – obviously planned that way!

Ushio wants to take a trip with Sanae and Akki, but Tomoya says they aren’t there and they might take her the next day. Tomoya doesn’t want to take her either, but stays home with her. You can see that he is warming up to her slightly – he picks her up when she falls and fixes her toy. When he goes to the store to get something for dinner, he is surprised to see that Ushio followed him. He makes fried rice, but Ushio doesn’t like it and just wants plain rice. Tomoya makes a comment here about neglect that I thought was pretty ironic.

Sanae and Akio still aren’t home by the next day and Tomoya finally relents and asks Ushio if she wants to take the trip with only him. Tomoya realizes that it will be their first time alone together. As they walk down the street, I like the last line - “I wonder where we’re headed…” I hope that he reconciles with his daughter and lets her become part of his life. And I really liked how Ushio skipping down the street merged into the ending of the episode too. Now I know who the knees belong to!

102

Episode 17

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v295/thecoffeegod/smilies/lol.gif

That’s the big stuffed aardvark from Kanon!

103

LadyOfWicca and Cody, I have to disagree with you both…

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In all I have seen of Clannad and the first 16 episodes of After Story, I have seen nothing that would indicate to me that Nagisa would be disappointed in Tomoya. I believe she would be very sad for him but as to anything coming close to disappointment, I don’t feel she could have that kind of feeling towards Tomoya.

I can imagine Nagisa coming to Tomoya every night and whispering into his ear encouragement to try to motivate him to shake off his depression and embrace Ushio as a representation of her. That’s the type of person Nagisa is… one who builds up, not tears down.

Now, Tomoya, on the other hand, suffers from having had a complete lack of any positive father role model in his life. I don’t count Akio because he comes in too late to really have a deep, lasting influence on Tomoya. I have to say, based on the limited research I’ve done on marriage and family life in Japan, that I can’t completely blame Tomoya’s father, either. He is probably just following the example of his father, who followed the example of his father, etc. Japanese culture just doesn’t seem to promote bonding between father and son. This has impacted Tomoya in that he seems to have no innate desire to be close to his daughter which might have motivated him to fight through the grief and depression to become a father to Ushio.

I see in the previews for episode 17 that the other legacy of Tomoya’s father is about to make its appearance-anger and abuse. I only hope the outcome is not the same-that may be the only “unforgivable sin” when it comes to Ushio.

104

Newshawk -

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I see your point and I do agree with you in part that Nagisa would offer Tomoya encouragement because of the type of person she is. However, she originally wanted to have the baby at home so that Tomoya would be the first to hold the baby and bond with it. It was important to her. She did get her wish and the last thing she saw before she died was Tomoya holding Ushio. How could she not be a little disappointed that he gave Ushio to someone else to raise? How could she not be disappointed that Tomoya said he wished they had never met, never married and never had a baby together? I agree that she must be saddened by this, but I still think she may feel disappointment as well.

I also agree with you that Tomoya never had a positive role model in his father. I thought just for that fact alone he would want to be there for his own daughter, since he knows what it feels like to be in that type of situation. Although during those scenes with his father, I thought it was more Tomoya ignoring his father than the other way around. I might be wrong, but didn’t his father make the effort to talk to Tomoya once or twice and get rejected? I forgot if that was the case. I know that Tomoya’s arm got injured during a fight with his father and I thought that was part of the reason Tomoya didn’t speak with him.

I stopped watching the previews, but I hope what you say isn’t the case. That would just kill me.

105

LadyOfWicca,

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I understand better what you’re saying and I think we may agree more than what it seems. I guess I’m confusing “disappointment” with “disapproval”-while I could understand Nagisa being the former, I don’t believe she could do the latter.

As for Tomoya giving Ushio to Sanae and Akkio to raise, it would seem to be the logical thing for him to do as he would still need to work and could not afford a full time babysitter. It’s the abandonment of Shio that is the tragedy.

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The efforts that his father made were extremely after the fact-before he dislocated Tomoya’s shoulder (three years before the beginning of Clannad), he had frequent fights with Tomoya. Here’s a quote from the Wikipedia listing for Clannad:

“Tomoya’s mother (Atsuko) died when Tomoya was young, leaving his father (Naoyuki) to raise him. After the accident, Tomoya’s father turned to alcohol and gambling, and held frequent fights with his son. One day, Naoyuki, again arguing with his son, slammed Tomoya against the wall, dislocating Tomoya’s shoulder. Ever since then, his father has treated Tomoya nicely, but distantly, as if Tomoya and he were strangers rather than a family. This hurts Tomoya more than his previous relationship with his father, and the awkwardness of returning home leads Tomoya constantly to stay out all night. Additionally, the injury disables Tomoya from participating in his basketball club, and pushes him to distance himself from his school and other activities.”

This appears to be a classic abuse cycle. They fight, the father crosses a line and does something harmful, then feels remorse but is incapable of changing his ways. This is seen in the drug dealing that lands him in jail and loses Tomoya his supervisory position.

Unfortunately, one truth of abusive relationships is that the abused often becomes an abuser later in life.

106

Newshawk -

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Right! I didn’t mean it in the sense of disapproval at all. Nagisa would never be like that. So, I guess we are closer in agreement than we thought!

I agree that having Sanae and Akio care for Ushio in a babysitting capacity makes perfect sense and it would have been fine if Tomoya were part of the picture, but you are exactly right that it’s a tragedy Tomoya abandoned her to them.

I see that I did forget some things and I see your point better now regarding the abuse of Tomoya. I agree wholeheartedly that one which has been abused often becomes an abuser themselves, but I really hope that it doesn’t come to pass in this case. As I said, it would kill me to see that happen between Tomoya and Ushio, and I can only imagine how Nagisa would feel about it as well.

107

I finally got to watch ep. 17. Kind of felt bad for Ushio in all this. Story could go either way from here, dark and sad, or some kind of miracle could happen. I guess I’ll see. Have to admit had I the DVDs I would have watched it all in one blast, though.

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while Tomoya snaps in the preview, it seems to be at someone else, not at Ushio. It’s left fairly open for anything else. Ushio is the spitting image of her mother, that alone must be tough to look at.

108
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That’s exactly what I meant as well. I never though Nagisa would be up in Heaven disparaging Tomoya. I simply meant that I could see her looking down with a great deal of pain over what she is seeing, and perhaps expecting a bit better of him.

Though I feel despite her pain she would be able to completely understand what he is going through and would probably even feel sympathy over it.

109

Ep. 17

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First Ushio is mega cute.

Second somewhat disappointed in Tomoya. I know from personal experience its very painful to know your father does not want to be with you. I know she is a painful memory but he needs to open his heart to her before he injures her. This one did bring up some painful thoughts.

110

Chris Beverage over at Mania just posted his review of Clannad. It’s a very positive review and one I quite agree with.

Via AoD/Mania:

The final episodes of Clannad ~After Story~ are pieces of work that will stick with me for years to come. While I wish they would have gone a bit further with it in taking Tomoya through tragedy, I can appreciate what they did and why. There are few shows that really make this kind of emotional impact and even fewer shows that take the high school setting and moves beyond it, showing the characters growing and changing as they move out into the world. Clannad isn’t a perfect work, but it’s one of those few amazing character driven pieces that has lasting impact. It’s definitely not for everyone, but for those that do get into it and let themselves fall into this world, it’s one of the best experiences out there.*

http://www.mania.com/clannad-after-story-collection-2_article_118045.html

111

Episode 18 -

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Fantastic episode!!! A very touching one too.

Tomoya is traveling with Ushio on a train. Ushio is very well behaved, but the child across the aisle is not and Tomoya yells at him. When he looks, Ushio is gone and he finds her in the bathroom. She was crying and Tomoya finds out that Sanae only lets her cry in the bathroom. He thinks it’s a bit harsh and Tomoya tells her that it’s ok to cry because when you get older, you can’t cry even when you want to. Of course he is talking about himself.

When they change trains, Tomoya says that Ushio can have a toy and helps her pick out a toy robot. Later on the train, he says that she might have wanted something more girly, but she says she likes the robot. That night, Ushio asks about her mother, but Tomoya tells her to ask Sanae. Ushio says that she won’t talk about her and Tomoya assumes that Sanae wants him to tell her, but he won’t and tells Ushio to ask Sanae again.

Another train ride and a long walk. They see a field of flowers and Ushio runs in the field while Tomoya rests under a tree. Ushio loses her robot and Tomoya helps her look for it. When they can’t find it, he says that he will buy her another one, but she wants that one and they keep looking. While Ushio keeps searching, Tomoya goes back to the tree and as he sits there, he has a flash of himself as a little boy with his father. He gets a strange feeling that he’s been there before and calling to Ushio to stay there, he follows a path.

At the end of the path, there is a woman waiting for him that turns out to be his paternal grandmother. She was sent by Sanae to meet him. There is a lot more to Sanae in this episode than meets the eye! She has always been there for Tomoya, but here she has turned out to be a very strong guiding force for him. I like this side of her! Sanae has just arranged things so perfectly!

His grandmother tells him that they met in that same spot when his own mother died and asks if his father is still in prison; Tomoya tells her that he was released. She then talks of his mother and father, how they met, married, etc. and Tomoya sees his own story in theirs. After his mother died, Naoyuki, his father, wanted to raise Tomoya on his own, although it was very hard. However, he chose to live with Tomoya. He was sometimes strict or violent, but it was only to make sure that Tomoya was raised well. He turned to drinking, sometimes getting more violent, and eventually Naoyuki lost everything.

Now Tomoya is now at the same point in his own life. He finally remembers some good things about his father. His grandmother asks if he thinks that Naoyuki failed as a father and Tomoya admits that he didn’t. However, Tomoya feels that he is a bigger failure as a human being. His grandmother tells him that he is the same as his father. His father might have had some failings as a person, but he was a good father and she wants to be proud of him. Tomoya agrees with her. This makes his grandmother happy and she tells him that Naoyuki has worked hard and it’s time for him to rest. She wants Tomoya to tell his father to come home and that she will be waiting there for him. I think he may be able to reconcile with his father now.

They go back to the field where Ushio is still looking for her toy. (I’m a little annoyed at him for leaving her alone all this time.) Tomoya goes to her and tells her that the robot is gone and they will get a new one. She explains that he picked it and bought it for her and that it’s special because it’s the first time he did that. Then Ushio calls Tomoya “Daddy” and he looks surprised. He asks if she’s been lonely and she says yes. He asks if she had a fun trip with him and she says yes. Then he asks if it would be ok if he stayed with her. He admits to being a bad father, but wants to work hard for her now if she will let him stay. In a beautiful scene with his grandmother looking on, Ushio says yes.

But Ushio says that she’s sad because she lost something valuable. She wants to cry, but Sanae said that she could only cry in the bathroom or in daddy’s arms. She runs to him and cries. Tomoya holds his daughter and cries too, apologizing for everything. I am so happy for them!! They are together now and Tomoya can finally go through the healing process that he so desperately needs.

Returning home, they watch a beautiful sunset through the window of an empty train. Tomoya asks if she would like to hear about her mother. Ushio says yes and Tomoya has her sit next to him. As he starts to talk about Nagisa, his memories of her flood his mind and he starts to cry, finally coming to terms with his grief. Ushio cries with him and it snaps him out of his reverie when he sees this. As he talks about her mother, Tomoya realizes that he has finally found a treasure that only he can protect and it was right in front of him all along. I loved the last scene of Nagisa smiling at her husband and daughter. I know she must be really happy now that they are finally together.

112

Figure about four hankies on this one.

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  • When Tomoya tells her that it’s ok to cry because when you get older, you can’t cry even when you want to.
  • When Ushio first asks about her mother
  • The whole scene in the field when Tomoya goes back to get Ushio after meeting his grandmother
  • And when he finally does tell Ushio about her mother on the train home.

Starting to wish I had the DVDs just so I could watch it in here on the computer with the door closed…

113
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I am so pleased how this episode turned out. Compared to how things would go in real life, it appears to be a bit too neatly wrapped up for now, but I am happy at the outcome of this episode.

I do find it funny that Ushio would rather have the robot than another toy-could this be a reference to the girl and the robot in the other world? We’ll have to wait and see.

LadyOfWica, I was also a bit concerned about the amount of time that Tomoya spent away from Ushio, but it appears that they were in a spot that was isolated and with the time that Shio spent playing in the field, I would have to believe if there was anything to be concerned about it would have made an appearance before Tomoya took off.

As for Shino Okazaki’s explanation of her son’s actions in raising Tomoya, I have a harder time accepting it than you do. Maybe it’s because I was in that position, but I feel that being a single custodial father is no excuse for alcoholism or gambling, much less violence directed at your children. Naoyuki may have had it rough, but he just made it worse for himself by giving in to his addictions. That Tomoya turned out so well is in spite of what his father did, not because of it. While I would applaud any man stepping up to care for his children in such a situation, I would not excuse behaviors that run counterproductive to that care.

It was wonderful to see how Ushio became Tomoya’s way to finally deal with his own grief over losing Nagisa. I have to agree with you-Sanae is wise way beyond the way she has been portrayed up to this point. I was questioning her rule about crying only in the bathroom until Ushio revealed the other half of the rule! It was obvious that Sanae was planning for just such a time as this.

There couldn’t be a better ending to this episode that knowing that Tomoya and Ushio will finally be a family-with Nagisa looking on from above!

114

Don’t worry Newshawk. It doesn’t stay very tidy for long. There is quite a bit of drama and “messiness” to go.

115

Ep. 18

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When Tomoya told Ushio it was ok to cry he finally started acting like a dad. I like the talk with his grandmother and how it made him realize its time to start being a dad. I did want to yell at him about the robot. It was obvious she wanted to find it because it was the first gift from her dad. What a shame she did not find it. I have to admit to crying when Tomoya started talking about Nagisa. It was something how Sanae set this all up. She has a very shrewd mind.

116

Newshawk, I know you won’t be pleased with parts of this episode, but I thought it was a nice one.

Episode 19 -

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Returning form their trip, Tomoya brings Ushio back to the bakery. He asks Sanae for a date and Akio tells him to stop hitting on his wife. They ignore him, but Ushio gets invited to go along with them. Sanae says it will just be the three of them and Akio yells that he doesn’t want to get left out. Akio and Sanae have such a great relationship!

There is a touching scene of Tomoya and Ushio praying together at Nagisa’s shrine.

Tomoya visits Nagisa’s old room. He picks up one of the stuffed dangos and hugs it, breathing in the scent of Nagisa. He has some memory flashes of her and whispers her name. Sanae comes in and says that she left the room exactly as it was when Nagisa moved out and asks him if he wants to take the dango because Ushio loves it. Tomoya doesn’t answer her, instead putting the dango back with the others and apologizes for leaving Ushio with them. He says – “because of you, I have become aware of my role as a father”, but Sanae says she didn’t do anything. Yeah, right! Tomoya says that she raised Ushio to be a good girl and doesn’t now how to thank her, but he will raise her now, because he wants her to be like Nagisa. Sanae wishes him luck and he says that he’ll repay them if it takes the rest of his life. Sanae wishes him happiness.

After a baseball game with “Akki” and dinner, Tomoya spends the night. He wakes up at one point and overhears Akio and Sanae talking. Akio says that she hasn’t cried since “that day” and Sanae answers that she had to take care of Ushio, but she was happy to because it helped her get through her grief. Akio agrees with her, but says it’s over now, she did a good job and it is her turn to cry. He says that he will sty with her until she stops crying and Sanae starts to cry. Tomoya must be feeling a little bad now for taking Ushio away from them.

The next day, they all say their goodbyes. Sanae talks to Ushio, saying that she will be with her father now and to be a good girl. Tomoya says that he hopes they will still be able to take care of Ushio when he has to work late – perhaps giving Sanae an excuse to keep close to Ushio. They agree but Sanae asks Tomoya about the “other matter” and he says that he’ll go soon.

He takes Ushio to kindergarten, meets the teacher and introduces himself to some of the other mothers. Back at work, he talks to Yusuke about Ushio and his new situation and Yusuke offers whatever help he needs. Tomoya says that he’s glad he offered and makes a request.

When he picks up Ushio from school, he finds out that the teacher he spoke to earlier is not her real teacher. Her regular teacher is away at a seminar and as they walk home, Tomoya asks Ushio about her teacher. I get a distinct feeling that her teacher is one of Tomoya’s former classmates. Didn’t one of the girls say she wanted to be a teacher? One of the twins I think. Anyway, once home, Tomoya says that he has to return to work and leaves her with some instructions. After he leaves, she runs around, exploring her new home.

Later, she is drawing a picture of what looks like a dango, when Tomoya comes home. He has brought all her things, including Nagisa’s stuffed dangos. As they unpack, he has her choose a spot for her mother’s picture.

On the way back from the store, Tomoya says that he will have to learn how to cook, but they can learn together. They meet Yusuke’s wife, Kouko and Tomoya introduces Ushio. Kouko says that she sees the resemblance to Nagisa and hopes she will grow up to be like her. Tomoya mentions that Yusuke told him her sister was out of the hospital. Kouko says that she’s there and calls her over. I thought that when Tomoya came face to face with her, he might remember her, but he doesn’t, which is a shame.

Fuko hasn’t changed much – she looks exactly the same. She doesn’t even look any older. Kouko introduces them and Fuko hugs Ushio. Cute that she has stars surrounding her! Or are they starfish? Kouko explains that although Fuko is the same age as Tomoya, she has the mind of a high school freshman and Tomoya notes that she seems the same as Ushio. Fuko takes offense saying that she will make Ushio her little sister and both adults tell her no.

During dinner, Tomoya says that it’s great that Ushio has made a new friend. He says that he is taking the next day off and wants her to go somewhere with him. That night she cuddles with a dango in bed and Tomoya asks her if she likes the big dango family. Ushio says that Sanae told her that it smelled like her mother. She says that it smells nice and falls asleep. That tore at my heart.

The next day, Tomoya takes Ushio to his father’s house. He walks in to find his father listening to horse race results on the radio. He didn’t hear Tomoya enter and doesn’t notice him until Tomoya turns off the radio. Tomoya has some memory flashes of his childhood with a younger, healthier looking father and tells his father he has aged. He introduces him to his granddaughter. Tomoya says that he met his grandmother and gives him the message about going home. Tomoya tells his father that it is time for him to rest. Naoyuki looks at Ushio and asks Tomoya if it’s ok – did he do everything he needed to do? Tomoya breaks downs and belittles himself, saying that he is a “worthless son”. He tells his father – “you’ve done enough!” and Naoyuki says that he did everything he needed to without realizing it.

Tomoya cleans the house and bathes his father. He packs a bag for him, saying that he will call his grandmother and let her know that he is coming. He also says that he will take care of the house and pay his debt as well. Tomoya tells him to live a long life and that he’ll repay him someday. Memories flood his mind and he starts to cry. Naoyuki rubs Tomoya’s head the way he used to when he was little. Ushio grabs his leg and Tomoya looks down at her and says he’s sorry. He tells her not to worry and stops crying.

Tomoya thanks his father for everything he did and Naoyuki leaves. As he watches his father walk down the street, he wonders if he was happy. He says that “he lost the woman he loved at the happiest time of his life” and then his father only had him and “worked hard for an ungrateful son”. Ushio slips her hand into his, but he continues to watch his father. She looks up at the sky and sees a bright light falling. It bursts into Tomoya’s chest and startles her, but Tomoya didn’t seem to see or feel it. He asks her what’s wrong and she says “the light”. Tomoya misunderstands her and moves her into the shade. When he looks back down the street, his father is further away, but he continues to watch him anyway.

117

Ep. 19

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The part where Sanae cried got to me and made me cry to. As for the teacher think its the more aggressive sister (Kyou) since she did want to be a teacher. I think Nagisa would have been very happy he made peace with his father. I think the light was from her or had to do with her in some way. It is nice to see Tomoya embracing his role as a father.

118

Thanks ShawnMerrow!

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I thought one of the sisters wanted to teach! My memory is awful sometimes. I agree that Nagisa must be very happy, since she wanted them to reconcile so badly. And I like your idea that the light was from her. That is a very sweet thought!

119

I just fished watching episode 22, and I’m not totally clear on something…

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Can someone explain to me what happened after Tomoya called out to Nagisa on the hill? Does this alternate sequence of events represent what really happened afterward, suggesting that Tomoya traveled back in time? Or, is it merely a glimpse of what could have happened, as the episode summary here on the site put it? The reason I ask is, I’m unsure whether Tomoya and Nagisa continued to live with Ushio after this, or if things happened as they had previously.

What are your thoughts?

120

Haven’t made it to ep 22 yet. Episode 20 is mostly cute and fun all around, except for Ushio gets sick at the end of it, shades of her mother? it’s interesting she keeps going to the hospital built at the field that was so special to Nagisa.