クラナドの大家族 (The Big Family of Clannad)

A Distant Starlight

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 13:44:00 +0000

"We are far, far, very, very far apart... but it might be that thoughts can overcome time and distance."

This post combines two things I have a great affinity for: the music of Muse and the films of Makoto Shinkai.

In 2002, Makoto Shinkai, a CG animator, created an OAV (or OVA, which stands for Original Video Animation) single-handedly on his Apple computer; his only help came from some friends who composed and recorded the music and from his fiancee, who recorded a voice part. It didn't take long for this independent work to become extremely popular, prompting a new dub by professional voice actors, as well as (later on) an English dub. This OAV won many awards and captured the hearts of countless fans around the world who were drawn to this touching story of love separated by distance and time. This OAV was 「ほしのこえ」 (Hoshi no Koe), or, in English, Voices of a Distant Star.　　

In 2006, popular U.K. rock band Muse released their fourth studio album, entitled Black Holes and Revelations. Their second single from this album, released on September 4, 2006, was entitled "Starlight," and it also deals with the theme of love separated by distance.

I think these two works of media, Voices of a Distant Star and "Starlight," make a perfect pair in showcasing their shared theme, even if that pairing was not intended originally.

"Starlight" almost seems like the feelings of the characters of Voices of a Distant Star put into song form...well, one version of song form (since the film's ending song could be described the same way). The film begins with two friends: Terao Noboru and Nagamine Mikako. The two friends are basically inseparable...until Mikako informs Noboru that she is heading into space. She's joining the military on an expeditionary/defensive mission against the Tarsians, an alien race.

As her journey begins, Mikako and Noboru exchange text messages frequently, but the farther the fleet flies away from Earth, the longer each message takes. Soon it takes a year for a single message to travel one way (a year in Earth time, that is), and after a hasty jump through space due to an attack, the one-way time is over 8 years.

"Far away / This ship is taking me far away / Far away from the memories / Of the people who care if I live or die."

Noboru feels the temporal separation more than Mikako does. Due to the advanced technology, Mikako is making jumps through time while remaining the same age, but time on Earth stops for no one. Noboru is getting older; at one time, Mikako sends him a message saying hello from her 15-year-old self to his 23-year-old self (I may have the ages slightly off). This time difference does not make Noboru forget about her, though; early on he admits, "I will become someone who only waits for Mikako's mail."

"Starlight / I will be chasing your starlight / Until the end of my life."

As Mikako gets into space battles with the Tarsians and Noboru goes through his schooling and continues to age, their desire for each other continues. Noboru claims he will make himself cold and closed off so that the longing for her will not tear him apart, but his desires stay strong, as evidenced whenever he receives a message from her. Mikako, too, still longs for him.

"Hold you in my arms / I just wanted to hold you in my arms."

The film ends with Noboru in his mid-twenties on Earth and Mikako in a damaged space suit after a battle lightyears away. Though the chances of their ever seeing each other again seems slim (unless Noboru joins the space force, which he intends to do), their love for each other doesn't dim.

"My life / You electrify my life."

And even with all their separation, they remain committed to each other. No matter what happens, their love for each other is permanent and lasting.

"I'll never let you go / If you promise not to fade away, never fade away."

The film's final scene is a shared monologue between Noboru and Mikako that my words cannot do justice: it's portrayed beautifully.

I hope you've enjoyed this post; I certainly enjoyed writing it. I'd highly recommend watching Voices of a Distant Star and Makoto Shinkai's later work 5 Centimeters Per Second (which is probably my favorite anime film I've seen so far). I'd also recommend listening to Muse: they are an amazing band. Anyway, I hope these reflections have struck a chord for you; this movie and this song always do so for me.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: Thanks to Anime News Network, Wikipedia, and IMDb for background information for this post. Thanks also to the random YouTube accounts hosting these videos: I am most grateful for their availability. All images are screenshots taken by me from the DVD.

古河早苗 (Furukawa Sanae)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 13:03:00 +0000

“The happiness between you two is our dream. So please seize your happiness.”

Furukawa Sanae is a pretty major member of Clannad’s cast, appearing frequently throughout the show; she is the wife of Furukawa Akio and the mother of Furukawa Nagisa. Her backstory is explained in Episode 21 of Clannad. Like her husband, she appears throughout the series, from the first episode to the last.

Personality

Sanae is a very caring, energetic, youthful, often overdramatic mother. Like her husband, she helps provide a good amount of the show’s comedy, with the absolute atrociousness of her pastries (which can at times be so bad as to fell an entire gang). Whenever someone insults her pastries (which is often), she runs out of the bakery crying, and her husband has to follow her, with her pastries stuffed in his mouth, yelling “I love them!” Besides the pastry-based comedy, there are other moments of her overdramatic nature as well; there’s also comedy in the fact that her looks are so youthful that many suspect her of being Nagisa’s sister. But when she’s not involved in comedy, she is incredibly caring, offering her home to whoever needs to stay there and providing support as best she can to anyone; she’s also very good with kids, sometimes running an after school program in her home. She’s also a very strong woman when it comes to true emotions, not overdramatic comedic ones; there’s only one instance (that I can recall) of her truly crying. Overall, then, Sanae is overdramatic and youthful, but caring as well; at least the first two aspects of this can be seen in her first scene:

Story

Like her husband, we first see her in the first episode, when Tomoya visits Nagisa’s house (also a bakery named “Furukawa Pan”: in English, “Furukawa Bread”). Not knowing the “unwritten rule” of not insulting her pastries, Tomoya makes her run out of the store crying. The ensuing dinner scene shows her energetic youthfulness (which at times almost looks like naïveté) and the comedy it can create.

Throughout the first season, then, she is usually a comic character, although she also opens her homes to others. She is the teacher for Fuko’s fake class, and there’s a heart-breaking moment involving her during the time that everyone is forgetting Fuko; she’s been staying at the Furukawas, and one day Sanae is talking with Tomoya and Nagisa, also saying hello to Fuko, but she breaks down. She admits that she went to visit Fuko in the hospital, and now she can’t see her spirit anymore. (The scene is more heart-breaking than how I described it.) Like with Akio, she’s at most major events throughout the season, like the wedding and the festival.

Mei stays at her home, as does Tomoya near the end of the season. When Tomoya’s there, he returns from school one day to find his room covered in children (some of whom begin to attack him). Sanae explains that it’s an after school program she helps run in her home. When Akio is explaining Nagisa’s past to Tomoya, we learn why Sanae has been doing so many teacher-related activities: she used to be a school teacher until the day when Nagisa collapsed in the snow and almost died, due to her parents’ leaving her alone. After that day, she left her teaching job and became a baker (with no skills; she might even have anti-skills), but she still helps out with teaching sometimes, as if evidenced by the series. She provides support for Akio’s inspirational speech at the festival.

During the second season, she has more importance. For one, she plays a part in Sunohara’s arc. Sunohara decides to find a fake girlfriend to impress Mei, and eventually he ends up having a disguised Sanae be his fake girlfriend. Sanae rebukes him for not helping out some lost children being bullied on a playground, and this instigates the conflict between Mei and her brother in the arc. This only works because Sunohara thinks Sanae is Nagisa’s sister, so he asks for her hand in marriage from Akio, leading to an obvious conflict.

Besides this part, Sanae is a comedy character for a while, but after Nagisa and Tomoya’s marriage, she becomes key. She’s the one that actually breaks the news of Nagisa’s pregnancy, and she introduces the Okazakis to Yagi, a midwife. She suggests the idea that, with Nagisa’s rapidly progressing illness during her pregnancy, an abortion might be an option to consider. Nagisa whole-heartedly rejects this idea.

After Nagisa dies and Ushio is born, Sanae helps take care of the little girl, and she’s the one that gets in contact with Tomoya about going on a trip with them all. Through some craftiness, she gets Tomoya to go on a trip alone with Ushio, and she also gets Shino to meet them on the trip. After this, she is, like Akio, a common sight, though no one extra is living at her house anymore.

During this time period is a very impacting scene. Tomoya is sleeping (I believe at the Furukawas’ house), and Akio and Sanae are talking outside on the porch. Tomoya wakes up and listens in on a little of their conversation. After a little talk, Sanae begins to cry. The talk reveals that, due to taking care of Ushio, Sanae has never really gotten a chance to grieve over her daughter’s death. Since Tomoya is taking Ushio back to his home, now, Sanae finally has that chance to mourn and heal. So she sits out on the porch crying, with Akio supporting her.

Following all this, she does her best to help Ushio during her illness, but it’s ineffective (since it’s most likely the same incurable, mysterious disease Nagisa had). Once the mysterious events of the final episode are over, she’s seen during the montage as she often is: running out of the bakery crying, with Akio sprinting after her to support her.

Effects on Main Plot

One of Sanae’s biggest effects on the plot is just being at her house; her house is a common scene of action in the series, being the home of not only Nagisa, Akio, and herself, but at times the temporary home of Fuko, Mei, and Tomoya. Her caring nature helps her provide for many characters, not just her daughter. She acts as Sunohara’s fake girlfriend and prompts the conflict in his arc. Besides her constant care in many smaller acts, she is included in some very big acts in After Story. She introduces Tomoya and Nagisa to Yagi, the midwife, and she advocates them discussing with their doctor whether to have an abortion or not, due to Nagisa’s condition. After Nagisa’s death, she helps take care of Ushio, and she sets up what may be the most emotionally powerful episodes in the series: Ushio and Tomoya’s reunion trip. Not only does she somewhat trick them into going on the trip, but she gets in contact with Shino and has her there waiting for them. Without her, then, Tomoya and Ushio may have never reunited; thus she is essential to the plot, truly essential. Without her, the show may have just ended hopelessly, with Tomoya and Ushio having a separated relationship for the rest of their lives. I think Sanae is what lets Clannad have a happy ending.

Themes

Like every single other character, there’s family. Sanae deeply cares for her daughter and does her best to help her, and she does the same for her granddaughter. She understands the importance of family, which is why she sets up the trip for Tomoya and Ushio, and she gets Tomoya reunited with Shino as well. Without her doing, Tomoya would have been separated from his family, possibly for the rest of his life. Without her, much of the show’s emphasis may have become useless in the light of the ending (that is, if Tomoya never reunited with Ushio, Shino, and Naoyuki).

With Sanae, we see some of the other themes of the show, but not as much I think. She has much more of a minor role, compared to her husband, in terms of the themes.

Reflection

Sanae’s an interesting character. Of course, she’s humorous, and she has some dramatic moments, but overall I find her much more minor than her husband. That’s not to say she’s not important; as I mentioned before, I don’t know what the last few episodes of the series would be like without her. For most of the series, though, she feels like much more of a background character, at least to me. I do recognize that she’s necessary, though.

The real thing that bothers me a bit about her is her suggestion of Nagisa’s having an abortion. I understand where she’s trying coming from, with the fact that Nagisa is ill, and she wants her daughter to live. The thing is, you have to put yourself into Nagisa’s shoes as well: wouldn’t she give up anything for her child, even her own life? Sanae shows that she sacrifices for her family, so why wouldn’t Nagisa sacrifice for hers as well? I understand that Sanae is trying to be caring and protect her daughter, but killing her granddaughter is not the way to do that. Thankfully, though, Sanae accepts the fact that Nagisa won’t have an abortion, and she supports her in her pregnancy. That’s definitely a redeeming factor of that part of the story.

I don’t really have to much more to say about Sanae. She’s a humorous character with some dramatic moments, and she orchestrates one of the greatest moments in the series, so I have to give her kudos for that. Besides that, I think I’m out of things to say about her. Thus ends my post.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

古河秋生 (Furukawa Akio)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:42:00 +0000

"We didn't give up on our dreams! We changed our dreams into your dream! That’s what parents do! That’s what family does!”

Furukawa Akio is a main feature of the cast of Clannad (though, by my previously-stated definition, he’d still be a minor character); he is the wife of Furukawa Sanae and the father of Furukawa Nagisa. His backstory is for the most explained in Episode 21 of Clannad and Episode 15 of After Story. He appears throughout the entire series, though, from the first episode to the last.

Personality

Akio is a boisterous, somewhat flamboyant, loud-mouthed, yet caring, father. Comedy is a key part of his makeup, and he enjoys everything from practical jokes to puns and witty comments. His jokes aren’t quiet affairs, either: his excessive volume is part of what makes his comedy so effective. His relationship with his wife is characterized by a recurring joke of her pastries being the most abominable creations on earth and his having to reassure her of their (and thus her) value. His relationship with his daughter is characterized by often strange comments (which have a habit of sometimes becoming a tad perverted…definitely a character flaw on Akio’s part). By the end of the first season, and developing even more so in the second season, his relationship with Tomoya is dynamic, characterized by a loud interplay of extreme reactions and witty statements. Amidst all this boisterous joviality (which also includes frequent baseball playing), though, Akio is also a caring father. He does his best to provide for both his daughter and his wife, working long hours in the bakery and making sure everyone knows not to mess with them. In the end, nothing is more important to him than his daughter: he gladly gives up his long-sought career in order to better be there for her, and he is incredibly tight-fisted about letting her be married (her potential husband definitely has to prove his worth first). All in all, Akio, even though he leans heavily to the comic side of things, has a mix of both humor and deep caring in his personality. His first scene shows the heavy emphasis on humor, with a bit of the caring hidden in there as well:

Story

We first meet Akio when Tomoya decides to randomly stop by Nagisa’s house (which is also a bakery run by her parents) during the first episode. After insulting Sanae’s pastries, Tomoya is accosted by an angry Akio surrounded by flames, who is about to deal a painful blow to him before realizing he’s a friend of Nagisa’s. The first dinner Tomoya has with Nagisa and her parents shows well Akio’s personality: he makes countless jokes, and also throws in some statements about how Tomoya must be adamant in claiming the woman he loves (while Akio dismisses the possibility of Tomoya ever marrying Nagisa). Many of Akio’s scenes are similar to this.

Throughout Fuko’s arc, Akio is somewhat present, especially after Fuko begins to stay at the Furukawas’ house. He helps carve starfish (which leads to some physical injury on his part), and even after forgetting Fuko, he attends Kouko’s wedding. Throughout the series, Tomoya frequently visits the Furukawas’ house, leading to encounters with Akio. The dad is also present at Kotomi’s violin recital, where he mourns the “death” of Sanae due to the terrible sounds being passed off as music. Besides all the humor, though, Akio doesn’t really begin to play a major part until the latter part of the first season, when, after realizing yet again how much his father doesn’t seem to care about him, Tomoya takes up Nagisa’s offer to stay at his house. Living in the same house as Akio leads to more humorous scenes (of course), and it also leads to Akio’s truly dramatic moments in the first season.

Since Nagisa is devoted to making the drama club a success, her dad helps her out and supports her. One thing Nagisa wants for her play is an old story she remembers from when she was little; she and Tomoya start looking through a storage shack for the play, and Akio gets worried about it. He jokes that they’re looking for Nagisa’s potty chair, and when he decides to talk to Tomoya about what’s really bothering him, he uses “potty chair” as the code word.

The real thing that’s bothering Akio is his family’s backstory. When Nagisa was young, Akio was on his way to becoming a professional actor, and Sanae was a school teacher. With both of them working, Nagisa was often left at home alone. One day, in the winter, Nagisa was excited for her parents to return home, she decided to wait outside for them to arrive. Unfortunately, that was a day of heavy snow and very low temperatures. When Akio got home, Nagisa was collapsed in the snow. He and Sanae waited by her bedside, just praying she’d wake up from her unconsciousness. Thankfully, she did, and at the same time Akio and Sanae realized that she was so much more important than their careers, so they left their jobs and started a bakery so that they could be there for her.

Nagisa has low self-confidence, and she can often blame things on herself when they aren’t her fault. Akio’s afraid she’ll do that if she finds out that her parents changed careers for her sake; even more, Akio left his theater career, and theater is what Nagisa is focused on. After explaining all this, Akio asks Tomoya to stop looking through the shack (where there are journals and pictures and things from that time of their lives) and to watch out for Nagisa. Unfortunately, in the middle of the night, the night before the drama performance, Nagisa stumbles across the pictures and such, and she goes into a self-blaming mood. She becomes obsessed with her parents’ former careers, even going to the point of watching old videos of Akio’s acting that are in the school library.

All this means Nagisa is a mental wreck at the festival, and she just starts crying onstage. When it looks like all her dreams are shattered, Akio bursts in and shouts amazing words of inspiration, pushing Nagisa to seize this opportunity and act.

Following Akio’s dramatic moment, he’s still around, what with Tomoya living at his house. He helps put together a neighborhood baseball team with almost all the characters in the show. He gives Tomoya a job at the bakery after graduation. He supports Tomoya when he goes out to live on his own (even though he uses caustic language, like normal). There’s one instance when he’s not as supportive: when Tomoya asks for Nagisa’s hand in marriage.

Tomoya first asks Akio if he can ask him an important question. Akio says he can…if he can hit one of Akio’s pitches. Tomoya trains an ungodly amount of time and fails time and time and time again, until the pitch Akio says will be the last, when he hits it out of the park, falls on his knees, and asks for Nagisa’s hand in marriage. Earlier, he got Akio to promise to say yes to whatever the question was, so of course Akio says yes, as long as Tomoya takes care of Nagisa. Following the marriage, then, Akio becomes Tomoya’s father-in-law, and they still have a dynamic relationship, which now includes frequent advice-giving on the part of the father-in-law.

Akio is constantly seen, since he’s now an official part of Tomoya’s family. That means there’s plenty more humor, but there’s also more drama. Akio reveals more of his backstory: when Nagisa seemed dead, in his desperation, he took her out to a field and wished (maybe more accurately, prayed) that she’d survive, and thankfully, she did. She woke up right there. Now that field is being developed and turned into a hospital, just another one of the changes in the town; at the same time, Nagisa is now pregnant, and she’s getting sick. These two things may be connected; at the least, Akio seems to imply it, saying how Nagisa has a connection with the town.

Soon, though, Nagisa’s condition takes a turn for the worse: she’s dying as she’s giving birth. There’s a heavy snow, and Akio tries to get a doctor, but it’s too late: Nagisa gives birth and then dies. Tomoya becomes a wreck, and Akio and Sanae take care of his new-born daughter, Ushio, for the first five years of her life. Thanks to Sanae’s working, though, Tomoya and Ushio are reunited and become a family. Akio (affectionately dubbed “Akki” by Ushio) sticks around, helping out as much as possible. There’s also a painfully touching scene involving him and Sanae, when she finally cries for the first time after Nagisa’s death.

His last real appearance is when a field day competition is approaching at Ushio’s school. Akio ends up being on a different team from Tomoya, and they start training up to play each other. Suddenly, though, Ushio becomes ill, most likely with the same mysterious disease Nagisa had, and the disease progresses rapidly, until she and Tomoya both collapse in the snow.

After the mysterious events that unfold thereafter, Akio is seen in the final montage in a common scene: chasing after a crying Sanae with her bread in his mouth yelling “I love them!”

Effects on Main Plot

Being Nagisa’s father, Akio is very influential to the plot. Obviously, he provides a place for Nagisa to stay, and at other times Fuko, Mei, and Tomoya as well. I don’t have a clue what Nagisa’s personality would be like without him as a father, so he’s key to her character. He provides the inspiration that allows Nagisa to finally fulfill her dream of performing a play with the drama club. He gives Tomoya his first job (along with letting him live at his house for a while), and he (eventually) gives Tomoya Nagisa’s hand in marriage. He also takes care of Ushio until Tomoya becomes a true father again.

I don’t think it’s possible to imagine the plot of Clannad playing out in anywhere close to the same way without Akio. Not only that, but he’s integral for forming Nagisa’s character, and I think Tomoya’s as well; at the very least, he helps with Tomoya’s character development as the show progresses.

Really, I could probably go into infinite ways Akio affects the show, but I think it’s just sufficient to say that Clannad could not exist in the same form without Akio present. He’s essential to the show (as are all the characters, of course).

Themes

Again, there’s family. Akio’s speech at Nagisa’s play reveals this blatantly: family is important. Also, family’s about sacrifice: Akio and Sanae give up their careers in order to support their daughter better. Family’s also not always a fun and happy thing. In allowing yourself to become so close to certain people, it hurts that much more when bad things happen to them. So in a way, family can amplify suffering, such as Akio experiences when Nagisa almost dies in the snow, and when she later does die during a snowstorm. But family can provide a way to get through suffering as well. Akio and Sanae take care of Nagisa’s daughter, and I think that helps them deal with Nagisa’s death; they found a goal, something worth living for, in their granddaughter. Overall, Akio is just an extremely family-centric character, whose words and deeds show forth the importance of family.

Besides that, he’s also involved in sacrifice, as mentioned above. Not only does he sacrifice his career to help Nagisa, but he sacrifices his taste buds to make his wife feel better. He also pounds this lesson into Tomoya, telling him again and again how difficult it is to be a father and how he’ll have to give up to make it happen.

He’s also got a bit of breaking out of conventions: at first, he seems like a purely comic relief character, but he ends up being involved in some of the most emotionally powerful scenes in the series (and his speech at Nagisa’s play is still one of my favorite speeches ever).

Reflection

I have to admit before I start reflecting: Akio is my absolute favorite character in Clannad. The fact that he can both be hilarious and touching is amazing. That’s actually one of the things I love about Clannad in general: it combines both comedy and drama into one astounding series, and I think Akio is a good one-character representation of that.

How do I reflect on my favorite character? First off, he’s just absolutely, 100% hilarious. Who doesn’t laugh when he first appears onscreen holding a baseball bat and surrounded by flames? His over-expressiveness and exaggerated actions add to his comedy (which has a bit of a slapstick feel at times), and one of the biggest aspects is his overly-violent reaction to many events. Who else would get mad at his son-in-law when he learns his daughter is pregnant? It’s Akio’s at times unrealistic (or maybe just impractical) reactions that make him endearing, I think. There’s so much more about his humor that I could mention, but I don’t feel like portraying myself as a fanboy too much.

Besides his hilarity, there’s his emotional side. Like I said before, his speech at Nagisa’s play is just astounding (I’d encourage you to scroll back up and watch it, if you didn’t before; or maybe re-watch it: it’s just that great!). It really showcases his character: even though he has all this comedy on the outside, on the inside he truly, deeply cares for his family, and he’ll do anything to help them, even give up his dream of being an actor. Even though it’s difficult, he even suppresses the memory of himself even being an actor, because he knows it’s better for Nagisa’s emotional well-being. Then he’s forceful and assertive when Tomoya wants to marry Nagisa: she’s his daughter, and he won’t let just anyone take her from him. Her husband has to prove his worth. I just love the thought of a father having that much pride in his daughter, that he’d go that far to protect her, and I love the thought of a man having to show the father that he is trust-worthy enough to be with the daughter. It’s just an amazingly romantic idea (and yes, I am a bit of a romantic). Then there’s the fact that after his daughter dies, he stays strong in order to care for his granddaughter. Really, Akio is an example of true strength and caring, in my eyes.

I don’t think Clannad would be what it is without Akio. He’s really a big part of what makes the show balance both comedy and heart-touching drama. There’s just no way Clannad would exist in the same form without Akio; I believe he really is that important.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

A Reflection on the Eishes Chayil

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 04:14:00 +0000

The "Eishes Chayil" is the name of a section of the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament of the Bible; more specifically, it is the name for Proverbs 31:10-31. The words "Eishes Chayil" are often translated as "Woman of Valor" or "Woman of Worth," because that is what the verses describe: a good wife. These verses are popular in the Jewish religion, usually being recited or sung on Friday nights, before the Shabbat dinner, by the husband of a family as praise towards his wife (it can also be sung in praise of all Jewish women if no women are present, or in praise of Jewish womanhood if no men are present). Basically, the poetry in these verses (in Hebrew, they create an acrostic poem, with each line beginning with a successive letter of the alphabet) describes the ideal wife. If taken completely literally, it directly praises many of the tasks a woman of the period would do to care for her family; many of these tasks are not very common in today's culture, so I like to try and discover the characteristics of an ideal wife that each verse is praising instead of just the tasks themselves.

I think one of the best wives in an anime is Nagisa from Clannad, so as I explain the characteristics in this poem, I'll compare her to them. I don't expect her to match all of them (after all, she doesn't live in a culture with much Judaism present), but I think she could fulfill a surprising amount of them. We'll see what the results are as I summarize this beautiful poem (a translation of which can be found here). Also, whenever I mention God in this post, I'm talking about the God of Judaism and Christianity, the God I believe in.

Verse 10: “She is far more precious than jewels,” as one translation says. It’s very obvious from watching After Story that Nagisa is definitely precious in Tomoya’s eyes. What makes this ideal wife so precious? The rest of poem will explain it, and we’ll see if Nagisa matches up with it.

Verse 11: She is trustworthy; her husband can safely trust in her, and he will gain much from her. Nagisa is definitely not a flimsy wife who leaves at a moment’s notice: Tomoya trusts in her, and with good reason. Even if he breaks a promise or two or is unusually harsh with her, she doesn’t desert him; instead, she is always at his side, a strong support for him, and he gains so much strength and happiness from her.

Verse 12: She doesn’t hurt her husband. The only time I can recall Nagisa ever hurting Tomoya was in her death, which was completely beyond her control. She never harms him out of spite or anger; instead, she only does good to him.

Verse 13-15: She helps provide for her household. The poem speaks of her seeking out material for making clothing and food for her household to eat. I don’t ever remember Tomoya bringing home food: it seems Nagisa was the one who always obtained that for the household. She always has food ready for Tomoya when he comes back home from work; she most definitely provides some of the basics for him.

Verse 16: She can make independent decisions for her household. This kind of fits with the above group of verses of helping provide, and, again, I think Nagisa does this well.

Verse 17: She’s strong. It could be interpreted as being in general strong, but the verse itself seems to be speaking of physical strength. That’s one of the areas Nagisa does not do well in; it’s not her fault, but she is just not physically strong.

Verses 18-19: She’s industrious, and she works to provide for her family. These verses seem to speak of the wife creating merchandise to sell, to help add to her household’s funds. Nagisa does this by taking a job as a waitress; she works hard to make sure her family isn’t left destitute.

Verse 20: She helps the poor and needy. I don’t recall the show ever mentioning Nagisa doing works of service; I don’t think it would be against her personality to do so, but it’s never shown, so I don’t think we can say she does well in this area.

Verses 21-22: She creates fine things for her family. Specifically, the verses talk about creating fine linens and clothing for the family, but it could probably be expanded to other items as well. Does Nagisa do this? I don’t remember seeing her sew clothes or anything for her family; I don’t remember her making anything besides food, so maybe she doesn’t really fit these verses either.

Verse 23: Her husband is well-known. I’d guess this verse is implying that her worth helps make him known, but that might be extrapolating a bit too much. At his work, Tomoya seems to be held in high esteem, so I think this verse is fulfilled well.

Verse 24: See Verses 18-19.

Verse 25: She is strong, dignified, and secure in the future. She’s so secure that “she laughs at the time to come.” I think Nagisa has these qualities in spades; she often seems to have them more than Tomoya does, at least by the time After Story rolls around.

Verse 26: She is wise and kind. Again, like with the previous verse, I think Nagisa has these qualities, more so than Tomoya does.

Verse 27: She takes care of her household and is always working for them. Can you imagine a time when Nagisa is shown to slack off and take a lazy day? I can’t recall one.

Verse 28-29: She is blessed and praised by both her children and her husband. I’d suspect Ushio would bless her mother, even though that’s not seen in the show, and Tomoya definitely praises her. He praises her so much that he often feels unworthy of her. I think can easily see him quoting verse 29 to Nagisa: “Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”

Verse 30: She fears the Lord. Here’s the one where the break in cultures shows up most prominently. This verse says that the woman of worth is devoted to God. Nagisa’s not Jewish or Christian, so she can’t fulfill this verse. There’s a short shot in the ending montage that includes her and Tomoya burning incense, which I’d assume is a Japanese religious ceremony (who knows, though, I could be wrong). Even if it’s not, there’s no indication of her being Jewish (or Christian), so she’s not devoted to God. There’s just no way around this one.

Verse 31: She should be praised for her worth. Tomoya praises her, at work (if I recall), with her parents (I’m pretty sure), and with her daughter (I’m positive on that one). Nagisa is most definitely praised and held in high esteem.

In the end, then, how does Nagisa stack up to the qualities of a “Woman of Worth” portrayed in this poem? Very well, actually. She provides for her family, she’s industrious, she is strong, dignified, kind, and wise, and she does only good for her household. She doesn’t completely fit this poem, though. I think the cultural differences are part of this, mainly. The biggest thing is that she’s not a follower of God. This poem is part of the Bible, so the woman praised therein must of necessity be a holy woman who fears God. (Since I’m Catholic, I would agree that for a woman to truly be, in the best way possible, a “Woman of Worth,” she must fear the Lord. Disagree with me if you will, but I think this is the truth.) The other area Nagisa doesn’t match up well with, from what’s shown in the series, is caring for the poor and needy. I don’t know how much emphasis the Japanese culture and associated religion place on caring for the downtrodden, but it is heavily emphasized in Judaism and Christianity, so a “Woman of Worth” would have to be kind to the needy.

In conclusion, then, it seems Nagisa fulfills the majority of the qualities of a “Woman of Worth” portrayed in the “Eishes Chayil.” She’s not Jewish or Christian, though, and she doesn’t (at least from what’s shown) care for the poor and needy. She seems, then, to fulfill the poem’s descriptions as best as possible, based on how much the Japanese culture and the Jewish culture overlap. Nagisa is a valiant woman, then, but not perfectly valiant, in the eyes of this poem; she's a hell of a lot better than most female characters in media, though.

Nota Bene: Thanks for Wikipedia for providing some background information on this poem. The website aish.com also informed me of some new facts, and it has some good background on Jewish womanhood. Images are from Google Image Search.

崖の上のポニョ (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 03:50:00 +0000

"I don't want you to turn into a fish again. I'd miss you."

Ponyo (the actual title is Gake no Ue no Ponyo, literally translated as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is a 2008 anime film by Hayao Miyazaki, the world-renowned anime director/animator (known for such films as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle, among others). Like many of the films by his studio, Studio Ghibli, it, dubbed with an all-star cast (ranging from the folk hero Liam Neeson to a sibling of annoying pop star Miley Cyrus), was distributed with the help of Walt Disney Pictures. Ponyo tells the story of a goldfish-like creature (Ponyo) who escapes her tyrannical father (Fujimoto (who, I might add, looks strangely like Beetlejuice)) to find the outside world, eventually striving to become human so she can spend her life with Sousuke, a 5-year-old boy she meets on a trek aboard dry land.

The film's animation is of great quality, as most of Studio Ghibli's work is (from what I've heard: the only other film I've seen by them is Princess Mononoke), and the music is pretty charming (even with the basis of one of the songs on Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" (at least, I've read there's a connection there)). The voice acting seemed great in the English dub (though I don't know how well it actually fits the feel of the original Japanese: I have yet to watch that).

The real thing, though, is the story. It was actually inspired by and loosely based on the Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen entitled "Den lille havfrue," whose English title is "The Little Mermaid" (and yes, the 1989 Disney musical animated film was based on the same story). If you've seen the Disney film, then you already know how Ponyo will end, even if the path to the ending is very different. An interesting thing is that the film takes place in modern-day Japan, not 1800s Denmark, which lends it an intriguing feel.

All in all, I didn't think the story was bad, I just consider it more of a children's story. It may not be incredibly deep, but it has some layers, and it has enough witty lines and well-drawn animation to keep adults watching as well. The ending, like most children's stories and fairy tales, is predictable, but that shouldn't be counted against it: that's just the nature of the genre. The path to reach the ending includes some less predictable twists (though nothing too shocking), and this path is also populated by vibrant, laughter-inducing characters.

In conclusion, then, I'd consider Ponyo to be a fun film to watch, enjoyable for both children and adults. While I wouldn't count it as considerably deep or thought-provoking, it provides some wholesome family entertainment (at least, I'm pretty sure it did), so it's not something that will feel like a waste of your time. Overall, I'd give Ponyo an 8/10. Not a film I'll rant and rave about, but one I wouldn't mind recommending to someone in a mood for a witty children's fairy tale.

A Deeper Look

For me, Ponyo provided an experience I haven't had in a while: watching an English dub before the original Japanese. I much prefer to watch anime subtitled; I think the inflections and voices of the Japanese actors can often more accurately portray how the creators intended the characters to be (since, if I understand the dubbing process correctly, which I may not, the Japanese actors have more communication with the creators than the English ones do). That's not to say I condemn English dubs: I just want them to accurately portray the characters and to be done well.

With Ponyo, I can't analyze that first criteria, since I haven't watched the original Japanese yet (I saw this film in a group, if you were wondering why I watched it dubbed to begin with), but I can tell that the dub definitely fits the first criteria: it is done extremely well. While the fact that Ponyo's voice is Miley Cyrus' little sister (and Miley Cyrus definitely bugs me) and Sousuke's voice is the Jonas Brothers' little brother (and the Jonas Brothers definitely bug me), I couldn't even tell while watching the film. The voices seemed to go well with the characters, from what I can tell (although, like I said, I need to watch the original still), and I loved the fact that Liam Neeson was in there. He's just got a very cool voice (like James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, who would sound incredible in English dubs of anime), plus he makes the character witty, which is always good.

Overall, then, I actually liked the dub of Ponyo (so far), even if I'll always prefer subtitles.

As for the story aspect, like I said, it's a fairy tale meant for kids. I've heard some people say that it has some bad themes; for instance, the fact that Ponyo doesn't care about the balance of nature and that she risks all of nature just to get what she wants (to be with Sousuke). I heard one person say that this could instigate extreme, dangerous individualism in people watching the film. While I agree that extreme individualism is a terrible thing, hands down, I'm not sure if a children's fairy tale could instigate it. That might just be my view as an older person (a.k.a. not a child), though: I can see that this is just a fairy tale and that it's not realistic. Of course, then you have to think: why was the fairy tale written? Was it written to promote some moral? That's a possibility. So if the whole moral it's promoting is individualism, then there's a problem. The thing is, I didn't get that vibe from watching the film. I wouldn't have even thought of it if I hadn't heard someone mention it after the fact. In the end, then, do I agree that there's some morals in Ponyo that might not be correct? Yes, I think that individualism is incorrect. Do I think that Ponyo will corrupt children and other viewers? Not so much. True, I don't really know the effect it could have on a child, but I know on me it didn't really have any effect. I'm strong in my acknowledgment of individualism's faults, so maybe the effect is different on everyone.

What's the final message, then? Just keep a bit of a look out when having children (and people with child-like minds) watch Ponyo, and make sure they understand that this individualism is not ideal morality. Does that I mean that I think Ponyo is an evil, corruptive film, then? Of course not, as long as you use some common sense and make sure people are aware of the faults.

Even with that individualism debacle, I'd still probably recommend Ponyo, though; it hasn't colored my thoughts of the film that much.

Nota Bene: All images courtesy of Google Image Search. Thanks to Wikipedia for lots of useful background information. And thanks to that random person analyzing Ponyo after watching the film for inspiring the last part of my post.

岡崎史乃 (Okazaki Shino)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 01:04:00 +0000

“Please tell Naoyuki to come home. I will be waiting here for him.”

Okazaki Shino, at least in terms of screen time, is a very minor character in Clannad. She only speaks during her first appearance, in Episode 18 of After Story; she is also seen during the montage of Episode 22. Besides that, she is never seen, and she isn’t mentioned too much more either.

Personality

Shino is an old woman, and she seems to embody the personality of a kindly old woman. She is humble and soft-spoken, yet she is devoted to letting the truth be known. Optimism could be seen as one of her traits; she sees the good in everyone, and she tries to help other people see that goodness as well. Even though she is elderly, she is still devoted to caring for her son, because she understands the importance of family. Overall, then, Shino is an optimistic, kind, caring old woman.

Story

As I mentioned above, Shino is completely absent for the majority of the series. Even her existence is hidden from the characters. She appears during Tomoya’s trip with Ushio. After Ushio loses her robot in the sunflower field, Tomoya walks about a nearby set of stairs, feeling that they are somehow familiar to him. When he reaches the top, there is a sight-seeing spot with an old woman. This woman introduces herself as Okazaki Shino, Naoyuki’s father. This is Tomoya’s grandmother, whose existence he had never known of until this moment.

She engages in a little casual conversation with Tomoya, revealing that Sanae got in contact with her to have her meet Tomoya on the trip. Then she goes into the real reason why she came: to reveal Naoyuki’s true self. As she says, “I wanted you to know what kind of father Naoyuki was.” The story she tells is explained more explicitly in my post on Naoyuki, but here is a rough outline: after his wife died, Naoyuki had it rough, but he kept going because he knew he had to care for Tomoya. Even though he eventually fell into alcoholism, and he was definitely not perfect, he really tried the best he could to be a good father to Tomoya.

Tomoya slowly remembers Naoyuki’s actions from his childhood, including a trip the two took to the same place Tomoya took Ushio. Shino is glad that Tomoya has remembered Naoyuki’s goodness, and she tells him, “Tomoya, he has worked too hard. It’s time he took it easy.” She asks a request of Tomoya: that he ask Naoyuki to come stay with her. It is obvious that he’s not really able to take care of himself anymore: he’s just worn out. She is still full of life, so she invites Naoyuki to stay at her home instead. Tomoya agrees to asking him.

Subsequent to his walking with Shino down the stairs (allowing her to see her great-granddaughter), he has an emotional encounter with Ushio, in which he remembers many parts of his past with his father.

After returning home, Tomoya goes to see his father, introduces him to Ushio, tells him he met Shino, and reconciles with him. Following this reconciliation, Tomoya helps Naoyuki make himself presentable, he helps him pack, and then he sends him off to Shino’s house in a touching scene of familial love.

Besides these two episodes, Shino is only seen once more, in the final montage. The Okazakis are going to visit her, and Ushio is seen running into her kind embrace.

Effect on Main Plot

Though she doesn’t appear until the fifth-to-last episode of Clannad, Shino still plays a major part in the plot, that is, Tomoya’s development. To put it simply, Tomoya would never have reconciled with his father if it hadn’t been for Shino’s talk with him (which was somewhat engineered by Sanae). Without reconciling with his father, Tomoya would never have received his light orb (which I think is absolutely crucial for the ending). Besides the fact of obtaining the light orb, the reconciliation with his father is what really changes Tomoya. It’s one of the biggest obstacles he’s had to face in his life (possibly the biggest), and without Shino he would have never overcome it. I think overcoming this obstacle is also what helps Tomoya become a true father to Ushio, so without Shino, he also would have never truly accepted his role as Ushio’s father. Basically, without Shino, Tomoya may have never finished his character growth, and thus his life may have stayed stalled as a depressed workaholic forever.

Themes

And, yet again, family is the absolute biggest theme for Shino. There’s not really any other theme for her, since she has very few actions in the series. She reveals Naoyuki’s true fathership to Tomoya, and she herself is a relative of Tomoya (his grandmother), and meeting relatives for the first time is always (usually) a joyous occasion. A family is not just father, mother, and child, like is seen in the most of the show: other generations are important as well. Thus Shino appears as a grandmother and great-grandmother, and also Naoyuki, Akio, and Sanae become grandparents. So, besides her aspect of family, all her themes are tied in with her explanation of Naoyuki’s story, so see his post for more details.

Reflection

Even though Shino only has a total of maybe 10 minutes of screen time over the entire series, she’s still a powerful character. The experience of meeting a relative you never knew existed is a rare one, and having this newly-met relative basically single-handedly effect the healing of your relationships with your daughter and with your father must be a one-of-a-kind event. I wouldn’t be surprised if Botan has more screen time than Shino (and I’m positive Misae and Shima do), yet hers is the role that truly changes the main plot. Without her, the show would probably just drift into nothingness, with Tomoya being separated from all of his family, including his daughter, staying a workaholic with a penchant for alcohol and gambling for the rest of his life. Instead, her actions (just telling a story!) create the possibility of the last few episodes of the series. I can’t stress how important Shino is. Basically, her appearance is one of the events that make the show into a hopeful one when it could so easily stay pessimistic and depressing and hopeless. It just goes to show that every person can make a difference; even just telling a story can dramatically change many lives. A great moral to learn from Shino? Every person and every action can be important, no matter how small it may seem.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

岡崎直幸 (Okazaki Naoyuki)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 20:41:00 +0000

"It looks like I’ve done everything I needed to do without even realizing it….That’s wonderful….Wonderful.”

Okazaki Naoyuki is an often-appearing character in Clannad. He’s first seen at the end of the first episode, and then he’s seen many times throughout both seasons. His backstory is explained in Episode 18 of After Story, and Episode 19 contains a conclusion to his story.

(Be prepared: this is most definitely a long post.)

Personality

Naoyuki is (at least from what is seen in most of the series) a lazy, disheveled drunkard. He is often seen passed out surrounded by piles of trash and a glowing TV screen (sometimes a radio is on as well). Though he sometimes tries to talk to his son, it usually does more harm than good. When asked to help make decisions in his son’s life, he often passes the buck on to his son, saying (basically), “Tomoya can do it on his own.” Most of the time, he just passes through life without making much of a ripple, except for his negative effect on his son’s home life. During his backstory, we learn some new facts about his personality, but those will be described in the section below. Overall, then, for most of the story, Naoyuki is an unenergetic man who merely sits at home watching TV and listening to the radio, drinking and surrounding himself with trash, destroying his son’s home life. His first appearance at the end of the first episode portrays this well.

Story

Naoyuki is first seen passed out in his house as Tomoya comes home from school one day. This is the most common image of this drunken father. Whenever he wakes up, he often tries to start a conversation with his son, but it’s not very effective. Tomoya despises him and his inability to be a good father. As we learn when he goes to play basketball with Nagisa after school one day in the rain, Tomoya’s relationship with his father has even caused him physical damage. Okazaki Atsuko, Tomoya’s mother and Naoyuki’s wife, died in a car accident when Tomoya was three. Following this tragedy, Naoyuki fell apart and dived into drunkenness. One day in middle school, Tomoya got in a fight with his drunk father, and this fight caused a lasting injury: Tomoya can no longer raise his right arm above his shoulder. This explains one of the big reasons Tomoya hates his father: not only does he not provide emotional support, he’s caused lasting physical infirmity for his son.

Following this revelatory tale, Naoyuki passes into the background. Tomoya is rarely seen at home, due to his wish to avoid his father, and because Naoyuki seems to rarely (if ever) leave the house, we don’t see much of him either. His next major event is after Tomoya is suspended from school after a fight. Tomoyo and Tomoya were both attacked by a gang, due to Tomoyo’s past, and Tomoya took the blame for the fight so that Tomoyo’s reputation would stay strong for student council elections. Due to that blame, Tomoya got suspended from school, and so a school official went to his house to discuss this with his father. Naoyuki is very lax when he learns about this, mostly saying, “Tomoya is Tomoya.” He doesn’t even care about his son being suspended, and he doesn’t care what happens to him. Tomoya is furious about this. Nagisa went with Tomoya and the official to see Naoyuki (so that Tomoya wouldn’t run away), and after seeing his family situation, she offered to let him stay with her parents. Though it’s a bit of an awkward situation, Tomoya agrees, because he knows he must get away from Naoyuki.

When he packs his bag to leave, Naoyuki does notice, asking where he’s going and why his bag is so large. Tomoya simply says he’s going to stay at a friend’s for a while. Naoyuki comments that the house will be empty, and Tomoya walks out, leaving Naoyuki with a pained expression on his face (I believe it’s the first appearance of him actually having an emotional reaction to his son).
Naoyuki appears only one more time in the first season, and that’s at the school festival, where Nagisa puts on her play. Nagisa, who understands the importance of family, invited Naoyuki to come see the play; the meeting between him and Tomoya doesn’t do much to mend their relationship, to Nagisa’s dismay.

During the first half or so of After Story, Naoyuki is rarely (if ever) mentioned. Tomoya is staying at the Furukawas’ house, not at Naoyuki’s home, and he is busy getting acclimated to adult life. When Tomoya is offered a promotion at work (the electric company), Naoyuki violently bursts onto the scene. Just as it seems Tomoya has a new job, which will require moving to another town, he gets a call saying his father has been arrested for dealing something illegal. This criminal offense by someone so close to him leads to Tomoya’s loss of his new position. He and Nagisa go to see Naoyuki in prison. Even though Tomoya is shouting furiously, Naoyuki offers no comment or reaction at all. After leaving the prison, tears in his eyes and anger in his heart, Tomoya smashes his fist into a wall, and during a climactic (and absolutely beautiful scene), he proposes to Nagisa, and she accepts.

The next episode, as Nagisa graduates and the two prepare to marry, they go to see Naoyuki in prison again. He’s slightly more responsive this time, at least to Nagisa. Tomoya is vehemently silent.

A whirlwind of emotional events follows this in the coming episodes, until the death of Nagisa and the birth of Ushio. Following Nagisa’s untimely death in childbirth, Tomoya goes into depression, falling into the habits of drinking and gambling, working only enough to have the money for both vices. After about five years of this, Sanae plans a trip for her, Akio, Tomoya, and Ushio.

Unbeknownst to Tomoya, it’s really all a secret plan to get him to spend time with his daughter. During a trip he takes with her, he ends up at a field of sunflowers, with Ushio anxiously looking for a lost robot toy Tomoya bought her. Tomoya gets a strange feeling when he’s there, though, and he climbs up a set of stairs that seems familiar to him. When he gets to the top, he sees an old woman who introduces herself as Okazaki Shino: Naoyuki’s mother.

Shino explains the true story of Tomoya’s youth: after Atusko died, Naoyuki was able to keep going because of Tomoya. His son became his life, and he did all his work for him. He’d provide him with sweets and do his best to keep Tomoya happy. Naoyuki wasn’t perfect: he did fail and eventually become an alcoholic. But as he was doing that, he was still devoted to his son, and he persevered in doing what he could for him. He even took him on a trip to the sunflower field where Tomoya took Ushio.

As Shino explains all that happened in his youth, Tomoya begins to remember. His father wasn’t just a drunk widower: he also did his damnedest to be a good father. Shino describes it perfectly: “As a human being, he may have failed in some areas, but as a father, he did a great job.” Tomoya agrees. Shino asks Tomoya to ask Naoyuki to return to his hometown to live with her, and he says he’ll ask. Then he goes back out to the field and has an emotional reunion with Ushio.
Soon afterwards, Tomoya brings Ushio to Naoyuki’s house. He introduces his daughter and says he remembers all his father used to do for him in his early life, and he thanks him. Naoyuki is a little taken aback, but Tomoya reassures him: he did all he had to. Now it’s time to take it easy. Tomoya cleans up Naoyuki and the house, packs a suitcase for him, and sends him off to his mother’s home. As Naoyuki leaves on friendly terms, with the father-son relationship repaired, a light appears and enters into Tomoya’s chest.

Naoyuki is not seen again until the last episode, where he is shown during a quick flashback to his and Tomoya’s trip to that fateful sunflower field, those many years ago.

Effect on the Main Plot

Though Naoyuki’s screen time may not be majorly impressive, his importance is. While obviously his effect on Tomoya’s development is the key thing, he also affects Nagisa and Tomoya’s relationship in some critical ways as well. One of the first big drama moments of the show (Nagisa’s collapse in the rain at the basketball court) is, at least in part, brought about by Tomoya’s shoulder injury from a fight with Naoyuki (if anything, this is an important part of the scene). More importantly, though, is what happens later on in the first season: when the school official goes to Naoyuki’s house, Nagisa and Tomoya join him, and Nagisa gets to see Naoyuki’s fathering skills first-hand. After seeing what Tomoya has to go through at home, Nagisa invites Tomoya to stay at her home, and Tomoya accepts. Besides offering more time for Nagisa and Tomoya to spend with each other and get to know each other, it also integrates Tomoya more closely into the Furukawa family: staying with them lets him grow closer to Akio and Sanae. The other big event for Nagisa and Tomoya’s relationship is when Naoyuki is sent to prison. Not only does this occasion a discussion about the importance of the town, but the visit to see him in prison is what finally pushes Tomoya to ask Nagisa to marry him.

Besides these effects on the relationship, Naoyuki is dominant in terms of affecting Tomoya’s character and development. A good part of why Tomoya is so surly at the beginning of the series is his crappy home life with a drunkard father, and the injury caused all those years ago didn’t help either. Throughout the series, Naoyuki’s presence haunts Tomoya, who considers him an absolutely atrocious father. Even when he’s yelled at by his son, he merely sits, stone-faced. Tomoya’s view of him is basically as a man who fell apart in the face of tragedy and, in turn, became a horrible father. The truly sad thing is that this is exactly what happens to Tomoya when Nagisa dies. There are obvious similarities between Tomoya and his father: both have the last name of Okazaki, both lost their wives early in marriage (Shino described it as occurring during “the happiest time of his life”), and both were left to care for young children on their own. When we learn Naoyuki’s true backstory, though, we realize there’s some differences: Naoyuki started off as a good father, or at least the best he could be, and slowly fell into becoming a complete drunkard. Tomoya just skipped the first stage and went straight to drinking and gambling. After this, though, he’s able to recover himself and become a good father for Ushio. That’s where the stories differ: the ordering of the stages of “good father” and “bad father.” And after learning all this, Tomoya is able to offer forgiveness to his father, and in turn he receives a light orb (which I think is one of the most important moments in the show: I’ll explain in my post on the ending).

One way to summarize these effects on Tomoya is to say that Tomoya ended up reflecting whichever part of his father he was accustomed to. When he only knew his father as an irresponsible drunkard, that’s what he basically became once Nagisa died. But when he learned of his father’s past kindnesses to him, he became a caring father to Ushio. It just goes to show that parents have a pronounced effect on their children.

Themes

Once again, the biggest theme is family. This is the main character’s father, after all. Naoyuki is probably the biggest example of how families are not all perfect. Of course, we saw some of that with Sunohara and Mei’s relationship and others, but Naoyuki and Tomoya’s relationship is the key one. I don’t believe there is a single moment in the first season when the two have anywhere near a cordial moment (most definitely not when Tomoya moves out). They don’t actually have any truly amiable relations until Episode 19 of After Story, the 4th-to-last episode of the series. The amazing thing is, though, that even with all this negativity in the past and throughout the series, Tomoya is still able to forgive his father and even thank him for all he’s done. It took only one conversation with Shino for Tomoya to recognize his father’s worth. That’s the great thing about family: even with all the hatred, tension, and disgust layered on top, there’s still a connection between family members that persists through everything, a connection that can be revived at a moment’s notice. Naoyuki and Tomoya showcase this perfectly.

On another family-related note, we see the effect an apathetic parent can have on a child. I discussed in Kotomi’s post how the lack of a parent can stall development of a child, and I think an apathetic parent can be almost the same as the death of a parent in this context. In some ways, it might be even worse, because it’s not a lack of parenting due to outside circumstances (a.k.a. death): it’s a lack of parenting chosen by the parent. Would Tomoya be so pessimistic, so surly, so (at times) critical, so lacking in hope if his father was actually a parent to him his entire life? Would Tomoya have ever become a delinquent without the apathy of his father? We know that Naoyuki was a better father in Tomoya’s early childhood, but the effects on Tomoya go to show that the later parts of life can have just as deep (or maybe even deeper?) an effect on a person’s development as the earliest stages. It seems almost as if Clannad is supporting the psychological view that development is affected by experience throughout life, not just in the earliest years (because if only the earliest years were effective, possibly Tomoya wouldn’t have become such a delinquent). Again, this is all the effect of the past on the present, as I’ve discussed before.

There’s also the idea of breaking out of conventions. For almost the entire series, Naoyuki is seen as merely a drunkard and an apathetic father. He doesn’t care to intervene in his son’s life except to screw it up, like by dealing drugs (I’m guessing that’s what the “something illegal” he was arrested for was). But then, in Shino’s story, we see that he really used to be a caring, loving father. There’s still a couple glimmers of that hidden throughout his personality, but it’s mostly overshadowed by the image of the apathetic drunk. We see, though, that this latter is not his entire personality: there is a caring side as well, even if it’s been obfuscated over the years.

Reflection

Naoyuki’s story is one of the most powerful in Clannad, I think. It’s a story of forgiveness and redemption. There’s a bit of a parallel here to Kotomi’s story: she had some negative feelings about her parents, mostly from her telling them she hated them right before they died. When she received the suitcase and the last letter from them, it seemed that she was able to let go of her guilt and allow herself to love them and be loved by them. I think this is somewhat what happens to Tomoya in his relationship with his father: he’s harboring negative feelings, but when he learns the truth, he’s able to let them go. Of course, it’s not a perfect parallel (what parallel is?), but it explains some of it.

Basically, I think the main idea here is of forgiveness and redemption. When we forgive those who do wrong to us, we are released from negative emotions, and we are filled with joy. It’s a message deeply embedded in Christianity: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you” (Lk 6:27-28). Of course, some of these phrases might be a little extreme in this context (I don’t think Naoyuki hated Tomoya or cursed him; of course, you could turn it around and say Tomoya was the one who needed forgiveness as well), but the overall message is clear: respond to evil with good. There’s also the whole idea of Christ dying for our sins: we offended God by our sin (according to St. Anselm, each sin is an infinite offense, because it’s against an infinite being), but God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for us so that we could be forgiven. Overall, what I’m trying to get at here is that one of the biggest ideas in Christianity is forgiveness, and there is forgiveness present here.

Of course, this forgiveness isn’t easy. It must have been difficult for Tomoya to forgive someone who he’d considered as basically an enemy his entire life, and I think it was also difficult for Naoyuki to accept that love from someone who had been rejecting him for years and years. Yet both were able to forgive the other, and they were both able to give and accept love. It’s a powerful message. It’s definitely something many people need to hear, such as my family and I. Within my family, there are some rough relationships, particularly against one pair of grandparents. They can provide for others materially, but they at times seem almost emotionally deficient (I’m not trying to put them down, that’s just how it looks). Multiple family members have had falling-outs (some minor, some more major) with these two due to their seeming lack of love. The message in this story could work well for them: showing love is the way to forgiveness. Tomoya was able to show forgiveness because he learned of his father’s love for him, and Naoyuki was able to accept Tomoya’s love (which I find a forgiving action) because he showed it.

All in all, there’s really a lot I could talk about involving Naoyuki. His final reconciliation with his son is one of the most amazing scenes, I think: such a long-lasting bitterness is able to be dispersed so quickly. It’s truly beautiful. And it’s also something that most people (including me) could learn from: love (which is an action of the will, not just an emotion of infatuation) is the doorway to forgiveness. It’s possibly the most predominantly Christian message I’ve explored in Clannad so far, and it’s just another step in showing how Christianity really is present (albeit not nominally or explicitly) in Clannad. But for now, we end with the closing shot of Naoyuki, that father whose story taught us of forgiveness.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

Remembering 今敏 (Kon Satoshi)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 14:29:00 +0000

今敏 -- 1963年10月12日 - 2010年8月24日

Satoshi Kon -- October 12, 1963 - August 24, 2010

Satoshi Kon, the famous anime director, died from pancreatic cancer this Tuesday, that is, August 24, 2010, at the age of 46. His work has always been some of my favorite, so I have decided to give a brief recount of his work in memory of him. I do not know much about his work as animator or other roles, so I will focus on his directorial work. To be even more specific, I will discuss his work which I have seen; this includes everything except the 2004 series Paranoia Agent.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Perfect Blue was Kon-sensei’s directorial debut. Based on a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, this film is a psychological thriller that can cause quite a shock. This film is not for the weak-hearted. There are some pretty disturbing things in this movie: its story revolves around a pop star who decides to become an actress, but then she begins to be stalked by a dangerous person. Kon-sensei’s films often have a way of bending reality, and Perfect Blue does so by including the main character’s seeming second personality. The movie can be a bit confusing at times, and there are some fairly disturbing scenes in it, but it’s a well-made and fascinating film. I’d personally give it probably an 8/10.

An interesting fact about this film: it was a prime source of inspiration for the film Requiem for a Dream. In fact, it was so inspiring that the director of the previous-mentioned film, Darren Aronofsky, bought the rights for Perfect Blue so he could recreate one scene, shot-for-shot, where a character is sitting in a bathtub, sticks her head underwater, and screams silently, releasing a flow of bubbles.

Millennium Actress (2001)

Kon-sensei’s sophomoric directorial effort is, in my humble opinion, a brilliant film. Unlike the previous work, which was adapted from a novel, Millennium Actress is an original story created by Kon-sensei, who (as in many of his works) helped write the screenplay. It tells the story of a pair of reporters who get an exclusive interview with an old former actress as a memorial to the company she usually worked with, which was closing its doors for good. The actress explains her life story and her acting roles; the two mesh together so well that it can often be difficult to tell if you’re watching her life or one of her movies. That’s how Kon-sensei messes with reality in this film. It’s a beautifully-made and powerful film (which is sadly the only of Kon-sensei’s films with is out of print, even though I think it won the most awards). The animation is a large step up from Perfect Blue (a 4-year gap can allow that), and the music is wonderful. Susumu Hirasawa, a somewhat eccentric Japanese musician whose music is best described as electronic, was signed on to create the music for the film, and his style fits perfectly with Kon-sensei’s (which leads to his work on another of his films later on). This film also offers much food for thought on the topics of infatuation and love, along with some bits about fame (which is a more prominent theme in Perfect Blue). I need to watch it again, but I’d probably give Millennium Actress a 10/10. I have a feeling many will remember it as Kon-sensei’s best film.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

This, Kon-sensei’s third film, is my least favorite of his works, but it’s still a good film. Another original story, Tokyo Godfathers follows a trio of homeless people as they try to return a lost baby to its parents on Christmas Eve. It’s the only of Kon-sensei’s films to not involve some twisting of reality (which I think is what draws me into his work the most). The animation is a step up from his previous work (since animation technology grows more advanced each year), and the music was composed by the same man who composed the soundtrack to the classic Super Nintendo game Earthbound (I prefer Susumu Hirasawa’s music, though). I’m not really sure why this film did not connect with me as much as his other works (unless it was due to lack of reality-bending, as I mentioned earlier), but even so, it’s still a good film, one I’d give a 7/10.

Paprika (2006)

Paprika is my favorite of Kon-sensei’s films, hands down. It’s based on a 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, a novel including many real dreams of the author. The story revolves around a device called the DC Mini that enables one to enter someone’s dreams for the purpose of psychoanalysis. When one of these devices is stolen, havoc erupts (to summarize the rest of the film very vaguely). Much of the film takes place within dreams (to an extent), which means that the film lends itself to extreme surrealism. Sometimes the dream events can go to the point of being psychologically disturbing, at least to some of my friends who have I watched it. I found it more intriguing and fascinating than anything else. This film has some of the best animation I’ve seen, especially with its mixture of 2D and 3D animation to create some of the dream worlds. The music is absolutely phenomenal: Susumu Hirasawa returns again, and the combination of his unique sound and Kon-sensei’s surreal film create a one-of-a-kind experience. Though the plot can become incredibly obfuscated (I’m not sure if it’s actually possible to understand it all), the film is all in all an absolutely breathtaking and mind-blowing experience. I’d definitely give Paprika a 10/10.

There’s also lots of interesting trivia facts about this film. For instance, the novelist voices one of the characters in the film, one half of a pair of butlers. And guess who voices the other half? Kon-sensei himself! This is his only voice acting role, and it gives viewers a chance to hear the late director’s voice. Another thing about the film is that it was a big influence on the recent American film about dreams, Inception. Also, Wolfgang Petersen, director of such popular films as The NeverEnding Story, Air Force One, and Troy, is currently working on a live-action adaptation of Paprika (an adaptation of Kon-sensei’s film, not the original novel directly).

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All in all, then, Kon-sensei was an astounding director. His films explored human psychology in depth, and they twisted reality in novel ways. His films are each one-of-a-kind, and he put his heart and soul into each one. They often took longer to make than originally predicted because Kon-sensei would spend so much time storyboarding each shot of each scene; he also worked on art direction for most of his films, besides just being a director (to top that, he often worked on the screenplay as well). His directing was much more than just telling people where to go: each film was a specific vision of his that he worked diligently to turn into reality. The world of anime has suffered a great loss with his passing. He left strong, though: in his last blog post, “さようなら” (Farewell), posted in his behalf today, he ended with these words:

With feelings of gratitude for all that is good in this world, I put down my pen.
Well, I'll be leaving now.
Satoshi Kon

Rest in peace, Satoshi Kon. Blessed repose and eternal memory.

Nota Bene: All images are from Google Image Search. Thanks to Wikipedia for background information on these films.

芳野祐介 (Yoshino Yuusuke)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:26:00 +0000

"This is the best gift I can give you right now. A formless gift called memory. I don't have money. I can't buy you anything with form. Even so, even without form, a memory will last forever! I believe that it will."

Yoshino Yuusuke is a recurring minor character in Clannad. Though he appears sparsely throughout the first series, he becomes much more important in After Story, with his backstory being explained in Episode 12. Once he achieves this level of importance, around Episode 10, he appears in almost every episode of After Story.

Personality

Yuusuke is a rock-star-turned-electrician who can act a bit odd and mysterious at times. He has a penchant for the dramatic (and somewhat cheesy): bold, idealistic statements are his trademark, such as the one above. His idealism can be a bit of a problem at times, diverting him from facing reality. When he is not living with his head in the sky, though, he is very professional and serious: he takes care to make sure jobs are done right and that lives are lived right. Though it can sometimes border on the unrealistically hopeful, his advice is in copious supply, especially for Tomoya. When it's more down to earth, this advice can be extraordinarily helpful. Overall, then, Yuusuke is known for mixing the serious with the over-dramatic, in the end to good effect. His first scene shows this intriguing personality balance well.

Story

Yuusuke first appears somewhat randomly. Tomoya is walking down the street when an enraged man pulls him into an argument. The man claims that Yuusuke, an electrician, dropped a tool while working and dented his car. Yuusuke calmly responds that he did no such thing, eventually monologizing grandiloquently about love. As the angry man stands in shock, Tomoya inspects the car and deduces that a fat cat (a very fat cat) jumped on the hood and dented it. This is proven when the cat walks by. Yuusuke thanks Tomoya for helping to diffuse the situation, and he gives him his business card. Later on, speaking with Sunohara, Tomoya learns that Yuusuke used to be a famous rock star, who both Sunohara and Mei love.

This seems like just an interesting random occurrence until Tomoya is in a conversation with Fuko. When explaining her sister's marriage, she says that Kouko is engaged to Yuusuke. Later on, as they're visiting Kouko, Nagisa and Tomoya congratulate her on her engagement to Yuusuke, at which point Kouko is flabbergasted: she'd never told anyone except Fuko about her engagement, much less it being to Yuusuke. Tomoya quickly sidesteps the true cause by saying it must just have been rumors escalating.

The events of Fuko's arc play out without too much involvement from Yuusuke, except for the wedding, of course. Yuusuke is, obviously, at the wedding, energetically professing his vows to Kouko, and he stands on the sidelines as Fuko says her congratulations to her sister.

Following the wedding, Yuusuke, like Kouko, mostly reverts to the background. He doesn't really appear again until the After Story baseball game. After an amusing Yoshino Call instigated by Sunohara, he joins Akio's team. He's shown at bat twice; the first time, he tries to make an inspiring speech as he is tagged out. The second time, he calls a time out, and delivers the following inspiring speech (which I excerpted for the opening quote):

Following this fun (and inspiring!) instance, Yuusuke returns to the background for a few more episodes (including during Shima and Misae's backstory), until Tomoya graduates from high school. Tomoya starts off his adult life working at the Furukawas' bakery, but he realizes he needs a job of his own. As he walks past Yuusuke working on a lightpole, an idea clicks in his head, and he races to Yuusuke, begging for a job. Thankfully, Yuusuke agrees to help.

Yuusuke's experience (and possibly an inspiring speech or two) lands Tomoya the job at Hikarizaka Electric Company, and he becomes Tomoya's trainer. There's a bit of a learning curve for the young man (especially with his injured shoulder), but Yuusuke is persistent and also kind in his corrections and advice. Soon it looks like Tomoya is becoming a fine young electrician, and he's also beginning to look up to Yuusuke, which is when the former asks for the latter's life story. And the latter responds (albeit hypothetically).

A young man (read: Yuusuke) had a natural talent for playing guitar and being a singer-songwriter, so he decided to pursue that course of action after high school. During high school, he met a charming young teacher, and he grew enamored with her, and she became fond of him. As he was leaving to become a famous rock star, he promised her that he'd take her on a date when he returned as a pro. At first he seemed to be on the road to glory. His songs were well-received, his concerts were packed, and his albums sold like hotcakes.

His life started to change, though. A group of kids suffering from many hardships (and I think some terminal diseases as well) informed him that his music kept them going and gave them strength. This struck him with an overwhelming sense of responsibility, and he took a break from his idealistic songwriting. During this sabbatical, though, another man committed a crime he could never recover from, due to the lack of the rock star's music. This young rock star then turned to drugs.

As the musician's addiction grew worse, so did his music; eventually, his concerts were barren and his music was removed from the shelves to be replaced with better selling music. Everything he had was gone. So he returned home, an empty, broken man. And as he stood at the bus stop in his hometown, he saw the woman he had loved, and he collapsed. He realized she was the one he should have been writing songs for the whole time, not anyone else. She was the one who was supposed to be his goal. It was all about her.

And there Yuusuke's story abruptly stops. He tells Tomoya that's it, and they move on with their job.

Yuusuke continues to be a wise mentor for Tomoya in the coming months, encouraging him when he is offered the new position outside of town, supporting him as he gets married, offering him sage advice (and a new rock album!) during Nagisa's pregnancy. He's there as Tomoya enters his years of depression following Ushio's birth and Nagisa's death, although he can't help the new father out, no matter how hard he tries. He's even there after Tomoya and Ushio are reunited. And when Tomoya quits his job to care for Ushio, Yuusuke doesn't let him go that easily: he has the two friends and coworkers exchange screwdrivers, so that Tomoya will have to return to work eventually.

This exchange is Yuusuke's last major role before the final events of the series occur. We last see this rock-star-turned-electrician playing his guitar for his coworkers as he sits in the back of his work truck: a fitting final image of a man such as this.

Effect on the Main Plot

Yuusuke's biggest role is his mentorship of Tomoya. If it weren't for that, he would just be a minor character, just the husband of a minor character. He really supports Tomoya in his adult life, which is a big help: being an adult can be a scary thing, especially when getting married and having a child so soon into it. Having a knowledgeable and wise (and idealistic) mentor is a big plus for new adults. So that support is crucial for Tomoya: without it, who knows how he would have developed?

As mentioned in previous posts, he can be seen as a foreshadowing of Tomoya in a way, like Kouko is to Nagisa. They look similar (come on, they share a hair color!) and both have the same job (through the influence of one of them, though...). They both have to learn to overcome hardship and the collapse of their life plans in order to realize what's really important (for Yuusuke, that's Kouko; for Tomoya, that ends up being Ushio). Could Tomoya have ever ended up coming to his senses without this example? I don't know, but I'm guessing Yuusuke's story was definitely helpful, at least. In the end, I don't know if Tomoya could have survived the adult world without Yuusuke's help (although other people's help was crucial as well).

Themes

Of course, family's a theme. But from what we see in the show, Kouko is the only family Yuusuke has. His backstory never mentions his family, and he never mentions it; his only family is his wife and his sister-in-law (Fuko). But there is more to it than that: he's sort of like an older brother for Tomoya. You could almost compare it (maturity-wise) as if Sunohara is Tomoya's younger brother and Yuusuke is Tomoya's older brother. Yuusuke corrects him, advises him, and supports him: all things a good older brother should do.

There's also perseverance, or, you could say, the effect of a lack of perseverance. Many of Yuusuke's speeches mention perseverance or family, but in his actual story, it's more a lack of perseverance. When he finds out that all these people depend on his music, he doesn't keep writing; instead, he takes a break. When a man commits a crime due to a lack of his music, Yuusuke doesn't keep making his music to stop such things from happening again; instead, he starts taking drugs, and his music goes down the drain. In the end, he realizes his real problem was that he didn't focus on Kouko, that girl of his dreams he'd known since high school. If he had persevered in writing music for her sake, maybe it all could have turned out differently. I think the example of what happens without perseverance helped form him into the wise man he is at the present day.

Yuusuke also shows a bit of breaking out of conventions: who would think the strange, idealistic electrician is actually a formerly famous rock star? And who'd imagine an electrician that releases an rock album? It just proves the famous adage: you can't judge a book (or a man) by its (his) cover.

Reflection

First off, does anyone else think that Yuusuke sort of looks like Roy Mustang in this picture?

Anyway, Yuusuke is just a great guy. I'm a bit of a sucker for these inspirational speeches, as long as they aren't too sappy. Yuusuke's speeches hit the perfect balance between sappy and true, I think, which is completely amazing. All his speeches hold gems of wisdom in my eyes, so I'd recommend watching all of them (for instance, this one).

He's more than just a guy with pithy and sappy speeches, though: he's also a hard worker who knows what's important in life, and he supports his friends and family. By the end of the show, I think Yuusuke grew to be one of my favorite characters (although Akio still tops him for me; more on that later). There's just something about a guy who's idealistic (like me) and makes mistakes, but knows how to learn from them and live through them (something I need to always keep in mind). Plus he knows how important friends and family are, and he supports them whenever he can. In some ways I think Yuusuke could be the epitome of a great friend; so when you're wondering how to be a friend, take some tips from him: offer advice and support whenever possible. It can only help.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

伊吹公子 / 芳野公子 (Ibuki Kouko / Yoshino Kouko)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 05:13:00 +0000

"If you continue and don't give up, your wish will be granted."

Yoshino Kouko (originally Ibuki Kouko) is a recurring minor character in Clannad. Though she has no backstory of her own, she's involved in Fuko's story (she's present in Episode 6 to 9 of Clannad) and in her husband Yuusuke's backstory (shown in Episode 12 of After Story). She appears a few other times as well (such as the show's final scene).

Personality

Kouko is a soft-spoken woman who is often smiling. She's optimistic, and she does her best to support all her friends and family, most especially Fuko and Yuusuke. Her love for others is powerful, to the point of almost foregoing her marriage to be able to better take care of her comatose sister. Her patience and encouragement of others served her well during her years as an art teacher at the high school. Maturity and politeness are values she wants to stress, particularly for Fuko (who can at times be lacking in both). Overall, then, Kouko is a woman who thinks positively, cares for others, and pushes them to be the best they can be. You can see this when Nagisa and Tomoya invite her to the school's Founder's Festival:

Story

Kouko is first seen as one of the customers of the Furukawas' bakery, who Tomoya meets as he watches over the store following on of Sanae's bread breakdowns. Later on, Tomoya learns that Kouko used to be the art teacher at the high school; even more importantly, she's Fuko's older sister, the one whose wedding Fuko is promoting. In another twist of coincidence, it turns out her fiancee is none other than Yoshino Yuusuke, an electrician whom Tomoya met during a random encounter on the street. (He's also a musician the Sunoharas love.)

After learning that Kouko is Fuko's sister, Nagisa and Tomoya visit her multiple times. She remembers Nagisa from her last year of teaching (even though Kouko stopped teaching the year before the story began, since Nagisa is repeating a year, she had her as a teacher). Nagisa and Tomoya learn Fuko's backstory: she was a girl who often played by herself and didn't make many friends. At one time, Kouko tried to force Fuko to get friends by giving her the cold shoulder, but that wasn't very effective. On her first day of high school, Fuko was hit by a car, and she's been in a coma ever since (three years). Kouko visits her often and does her best to take care of her. She even ponders foregoing her marriage to Yuusuke (which is a secret that Fuko informed Nagisa and Tomoya of) in order to take better care of her sister.

The two convince Kouko to come to the school's Founder's Festival in order to talk with her sister, but it's to no avail: she can't see Fuko. Thankfully, though, they're able to convince Kouko that what Fuko would want is for her to get married, and she decides she wishes to be married on school grounds. Nagisa and Tomoya go to Koumura for assistance there as people begin to forget Fuko.

Soon the day of the wedding arrives, and it goes off perfectly: it's held on school grounds, and countless guests are there thanks to Fuko's starfish. As the newly wedded couple comes to Nagisa and Tomoya, by a supernatural happenstance, Fuko is able to tell her sister congratulations on her wedding, just as she wanted to. (Kouko appears at about 3:45 in this video.)

After this, Kouko is basically relegated to the background until After Story. Now known as Yoshino Kouko instead of Ibuki Kouko, she appears with her husband at the baseball game. She next appears during Shima's arc. While Shima is dressed as a girl, he runs into Kouko in the halls (since she's an art teacher), and she allows him to see Misae at the student council meeting.

Her next main role appears when Yuusuke is telling Tomoya his backstory. He was a student when Kouko was a teacher, and they grew close. After he graduated, as he was heading off to become a musician, he swore he'd become famous, and he asked if she'd go on a date with him when he returned. She accepted his offer. During his tumultuous time as a rock star, he eventually hit bottom and returned home, only to serendipitously run into her outside the train station. He realized that she was the one he should have been focusing on, and he collapses into tears in front of her. She encourages him and offers him support, telling him to persevere and not give up, and that eventually led to their dating and getting married.

She next appears again 7 episodes and 5 years later. Tomoya and Ushio are walking by a park and see her and (lo and behold!) Fuko, woken up after all these years. She introduces herself to Ushio and tells her she'll grow up to be cute and strong like her mom. She then introduces Fuko as well, leading to an interesting friendship between her and Ushio.

Finally, Kouko appears for the last time during the final scene. She's walking with Fuko to the hospital to get a check-up (after being in a coma for about 10 years, you'd need check-ups too!), and they're having a cheerful walk, Fuko being childish as ever. Suddenly, Fuko glances into the forest and starts up a strange conversation that Kouko can't make heads or tails of. Eventually, Fuko just runs into the forest, leaving Kouko confused and dumbfounded.

Effect on Main Plot

Kouko helps Nagisa and Tomoya's relationship in a few, kind of indirect ways. For one, she provides the goal for Fuko's starfish quest; without her, Nagisa and Tomoya would have never met Fuko, and their time with her is a big help in building up their fledgling relationship. Kouko is also the one who supported Yuusuke; without her support, who knows what would have become of him? His being supported his a good thing, because he is a wonderful mentor for Tomoya in After Story. She also (re)introduces Fuko to Tomoya and Ushio. This provides Ushio with what appears to be her first real friend, which must make Tomoya glad (I have a feeling that having a friendless child would make you worried for her).

Kouko is also an effect in an even less direct way: she's somewhat of a foreshadowing of Nagisa. Liam Francis Traveller drew my attention to this aspect in his post on Fuko's arc: Kouko is a strong, caring woman whom Nagisa knows and who sort of looks like Nagisa. Both her personality and looks bear some resemblance to Nagisa (Liam says she looks like an older Nagisa, and the resemblance is definitely more blatant when looking at Nagisa at the end of the show). It's interesting to see that this woman who resembles Nagisa also have some aspects of her relationship with her husband resemble Nagisa's: she's an older woman who helps support a guy with some delinquent tendencies and inspire him with self-confidence and courage. There are definitely some interesting correlations between Kouko and Nagisa.

Themes

Once again, the big theme is family. Most of the times we see Kouko are because of her connection with Fuko. Her familial love with Fuko is a two-way street, even if it might not seem like to Kouko for a while. Kouko cares for her comatose sister for over two years with no sort of loving response from her (because it's simply not possible). Even with no possible encouragement from Fuko, Kouko still goes to visit her and care for her; she perseveres in it (and it's self-sacrificial as well). Through that supernatural occurrence, though, Kouko is able to receive a loving message from her sister; all the work that Fuko puts into making the wedding a success could almost be viewed as her thank-you gift to Kouko for all the caring she has had over the years, even if Fuko doesn't consciously talk about being in a coma.

Kouko also offers Yuusuke the advice to persevere, as the quote that started this post attests to. (The inspiration of others with advice such as this seems to be a common event in Clannad, even from the very first scene.)

Reflection

There's only so much to say about a character like this. She has no real backstory: she just plays parts (at times crucial ones) in other people's backstories, like Fuko and Shima and Yuusuke. Sometimes she just seems like an accessory to Fuko: if Fuko weren't there, she wouldn't be there. It's almost like Kouko is a contingent character, depending on Fuko and Yuusuke to exist (in the show). Actually, Yuusuke almost seems like a contingent character dependent on Kouko (would anything have come of that random encounter with Tomoya if he weren't Kouko's fiancee?); so one way to say it would be that Yuusuke is dependent on Kouko, who is in turn dependent on Fuko. So it all rests on Fuko: that just goes to show how important of a character she really is.

That's mostly all I have to say about that: Kouko is sort of a support character for Fuko and the gateway (and sometimes a support character) for Yuusuke, plus she's also a bit of an alternate Nagisa. But above all, she's Fuko's sister, and a antithetically mature one too (she's sort of the Mei to Fuko's Sunohara, in a way).

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

宮沢有紀寧 (Miyazawa Yukine)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:14:00 +0000

"My brother's wish was to rid this town of the fighting...I wanted to make that happen...no matter what."

Miyzawa Yukine is a recurring minor character in Clannad. Her story takes place in Episodes 7 and 8 of After Story, the last minor arc before the series dives full-on into Nagisa and Tomoya's story.

Personality

Yukine is a high school junior who spends most of her free time in the library: not the main library, where Kotomi is, but the secondary, even less used, library. It's also called the reference room. While this room isn't used much as a library, people still go there to visit Yukine. She's always waiting there with tea and a smile (and sometimes some food as well). She's pretty social for voluntarily confining herself to a library; though she doesn't seek out other people's company (at least at school), she has no problem with talking to anyone she comes in contact with. She's a (for the most part) calm girl who is also caring: she does whatever she can to help others out, whether by providing them with obscure charms or first aid. One of her goals is to get rid of the town's fighting and make it a more peaceful, caring place.

Overall, then, she's a somewhat reserved, calm, and caring girl who is at home in the secondary library; her theme's title, "Tea in the Reference Room," fits her remarkably well. Her first appearance is a good example of all of this:

Story

Yukine is first seen when Tomoya is looking for a book on how to write speeches, so he can help out Nagisa. He tells Sunohara, who (always on the lookout for a cute girl to befriend) visits her the next day, with Tomoya in tow. Throughout the series, then, Sunohara and Tomoya (along with other characters at times) visit Yukine in her reference room to discuss topics of interest and sip tea calmly (and give her a starfish). She also provides assistance in interesting ways at times...

For instance, by teaching Sunohara and Tomoya charms they can use. In the same episode where Yukine inspires Sunohara to suggest a basketball game to resolve the choir club vs. drama club conflict over Koumura-sensei, she also informs them of an interesting charm. After performing the charm, the subject must walk around the school, and the first girl who talks to him is the one who likes him. Sunohara does this to no avail (after 5 rounds, no one had talked to him), and when Tomoya tries it out, Nagisa (of course) is the first one to talk (since he stopped Fuko from speaking).

Later on, Yukine also teaches Tomoya the charm that leads to his awkward gym storage room scene with Kyou. Also she unknowingly assists in causing Nagisa's onstage breakdown during the school festival: when Nagisa asks where the videos are of the former drama club (which her father was in), Yukine helps her find them. Watching those videos of Akio adds to Nagisa's guilt, which culminates in the previously mentioned breakdown.

Yukine's real story doesn't begin until After Story. During Sunohara's arc, when he is frantically searching for a fake girlfriend, he asks Yukine. Though she declines politely, a guest does not take it so lightly. A rough-looking young man appears from under the table and almost roughs up Sunohara, until he realizes he's lost his cover, and he escapes out the window, after which Yukine politely asks Sunohara and Tomoya to leave.

A few episodes later, Sunohara, Tomoya, and Nagisa return to visit Yukine, where Sunohara asks her to be his girlfriend for real (she declines instantaneously). After this, a strange, injured young man jumps through the window, and Yukine cares for him. Yukine explains this odd occurrence: her brother is the leader of one of the two rival gangs in the town, and she is friends with them, but she offers first aid and assistance to members of both gangs. Her connection to them can invite a bit of trouble, though, such as when a young boy named Yuu tries to intimidate her into telling him where his sister, who joined her brother's gang, is. Yukine responds to his threats with calm and caring, and she says she'll take him to his sister. While this conversation is going on, Sunohara somehow claims to be Kazuto, Yukine's older brother, the gang leader.

This has ill effects once the group reaches the gang's hideout, and Yuu points Sunohara out as Kazuto. The gang does not react too kindly to this lie. It turns out Kazuto's been in the hospital for a while, since he saved a friend and got in a car accident. While at the bar (the gang's hideout), Yukine explains well how the gang is like a family:

The troubles with Sunohara's claim don't end there. Apparently the rival gang heard about him being Kazuto, and when the group of friends is walking home from the hideout, members of the rival gang attack them, thinking they'll about to get Kazuto. Thankfully, Tomoyo appears (in a bit of a Deus Ex Machina way) and saves them.

Tomoyo then talks to Yukine and the others about the gangs: she warns that if the fighting doesn't settle down, the police will get involved. To avoid this option, Yukine and Tomoya speak to the two gangs about having a one on one showdown between their leaders, with Sunohara being Kazuto. This all seems like it'll work out well, until Nagisa brings her mom's gift of "Hyper Rainbow Bread" and "Ultimate Jam": this combination fells all of Yukine's gang, plus Sunohara. Thus Tomoya has to take the initiative, and he begins a fight with the rival leader.

The fight seems to go on forever, as each fighter keeps getting weaker and weaker, but they won't stop...until Kazuto appears, that is. A covered person appears on the hill above the battleground and charges the battlefield. When he's hit with the first punch, though, it turns out that it's not Kazuto at all: it's Yukine.

She just wanted the fighting to stop, so she pretended to be her brother. It turns out her brother can't come save the day, because he's actually been dead. His gang hid it from the others, not wanting to be attacked as a result of this knowledge. The other gang, Tomoya, Sunohara, and Nagisa are stunned to hear this news. At her brother's grave, Yukine declares her brother's intention that the fighting stop, and the rival gang agrees to this, giving Kazuto reverence as they do so.

After the scene at the grave, Yukine thanks Tomoya, Nagisa, and Sunohara for their help, and she explains something that Tomoya saw at her brother's grave: the lights (I'll describe her explanation in the Effect on the Main Plot section). Following this explanation, she says goodbye to her brother one last time, and her arc ends.

Yukine doesn't really appear after her arc. She's at Nagisa's fake graduation, but besides that, she's only in the final montage, where we see her with her family: the gang.

Effect on the Main Plot

Yukine helps Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship in many small ways: the charms, the speech advice, the videos of Akio's plays. But really, her main plot effect is her explanation of the lights. While in Shima's arc we learned what the lights do, Yukine explains where the lights come from: an equally important aspect of them. In her own words: “Whenever something good happens or someone feels happy, an orb of light appears…It’s not certain what it is. But what is certain is that, that light is a symbol of happiness. If you can get one, you’ll be granted one wish…" Thus we learn that happiness causes these lights; that explains why when Fuko finally got to be in a class, one appeared, or when Kotomi finally received consolation and a final message from her parents, we saw them as well. These were moments of definite happiness for the people involved. Yukine also gives some interesting information: fewer people have been seeing this lights lately, but Tomoya can, and thus she says Tomoya is special (she also says "Okazaki is Okazaki"). That's true: the only time I recall anyone else reacting to a light is when Fuko's light appears: I believe Koumura follows it with his gaze. Most definitely, Yukine's words are key to understanding this supernatural aspect of Clannad, and thus the ending as well.

Themes

There's no doubt that family is a blatant theme in this arc: Yukine talks about the gang like a family of those who don't have families of their own, and all the tension focuses on her brother. If Yukine hadn't been so close to her brother, she probably would never have gotten involved with the gang (she doesn't seem to be the gang type), and none of these events would have happened: there would have been no end to the fighting, and Tomoya wouldn't learn about the lights either. Yukine truly has a deep love for her brother, and she has a deep drive to keep her brother's memory alive, first by trying to convince people he's alive, and then by fulfilling his one goal: the ending of the fighting. I find the scene at the grave, where she and the gangs honor her brother's memory, to be very powerful. It shows that the love between family can last even after death (something we see with the Okazaki family later on).

As I mentioned above, the supernatural is present in terms of the lights. There's some self-sacrifice here; in one way, Yukine's giving of her time and talent to help the gang members through first aid and whatnot is a sacrifice, and, in bigger ways, the people who fight for her brother's memory are showing self-sacrifice. Sunohara attempts this (although Sanae's bread takes him out), and Tomoya and later Yukine both go through with this, opening themselves to the possibility of physical pain and possibly serious injury by going out in the battle against the other gang's leader.

The other big theme is breaking out of conventions. Normally, a gang member is seen as a harsh person with no concern for others or common decency. But these gang members, even the rival ones, don't fit that stereotype at all. They can have kind, harmless fun (karaoke? Not your stereotypical gang activity...), and they can be loving (like Yuu's sister). They treat Yukine and others with respect, and she treats them the same way. She doesn't see them as lowly gang members, but as real people and as friends. And the fact that a quiet library girl is hanging out with gangs...definitely not a stereotypical activity for her either.

Reflection

It's interesting to compare Yukine's experience with gangs to Tomoyo's experience. Yukine's gang friends are kind people who can bring out the best in her. Tomoyo's gang acquaintances, on the other hand, make her a hard-hearted, cold, brutal person. It shows that not all similar groups are equal.

What I especially like about Yukine's arc is the scene at her family grave. Something about the reverence that she and the gang members show really strikes me. I'm not even sure how to describe it...but it's powerful.

Yukine was originally supposed to be one of the heroines of Clannad, but her story ended up being too weak for that, so she became a minor character. I wonder what it would be like for Clannad to have an extra heroine for Tomoya to bypass on his way to Nagisa. How aggressive and appealing would she be in her attempt to attract him? I mean, even here she's got some familiarity with him, like in the somewhat awkward scene where she sleeps on his lap. What would the show be like with Yukine having a more major role? It would definitely be interesting to ponder.

But now that the minor arcs are done, we can move onto the more major characters, at least plotwise. We can't leave Yukine, though, without one last look at her and her gang.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

幸村俊夫　(Koumura Toshio)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 05:09:00 +0000

"Please don't use ambiguous speech."

Koumura Toshio, usually referred to as Koumura-sensei, is a recurring minor character in Clannad. He never has any episodes that delve into his past or into his character.

Personality

Koumura is an old teacher at the high school. His age means he is at times a little out of it, and he can get confused, but usually he's a kind gentleman who does his best to help others. Even though he gets confused, his memory can sometimes win out in a vital moment. His specialties seem to be working with delinquents and advising the choir club and drama clubs. His first appearance showcases these qualities well.

Story

Chronologically, Koumura's first effect on the show would be at the beginning of Tomoya's high school career. As we learn in the flashback montage at the end of Sunohara's arc, Koumura was the teacher responsible for taking care of Tomoya and Sunohara (the two delinquents) and making sure they didn't ruin the school. That means Tomoya's always had a relationship with him, since his first days of high school.

Thus when Kouko wants to have her wedding at the high school, Tomoya goes to Koumura as the person who can make it happen. After a somewhat awkward conversation (due to Koumura's constant confusion about the identities of Kouko and her fiancee), Koumura agrees to get permission for the wedding. And it's a good thing he does, too: he ends up being the one to remind Tomoya and Nagisa about the wedding on the day of (they'd forgotten the wedding when they forgot Fuko).

Later on, when Nagisa needs an adviser for the drama club, Tomoya knows who to turn to: Koumura. When he tells them that the choir club has already asked him to be their adviser, the tension between the two clubs begins. After winning the basketball game, and thus winning the right to share Koumura as an adviser, the drama club is struck down by the student council. Eventually (thanks to, I'm guessing, some pressure from Tomoyo), the student council allows the sharing of Koumura, thus allowing the drama club to become an official club in time for the school festival.

The next time we see Koumura is at the first graduation of After Story, the graduation of Tomoya, Sunohara, Kyou, Ryou, and Kotomi. He tells them that he is retiring at the same time that they're graduating, and Tomoya and Sunohara bid him a fond farewell and thanks for all the help he has provided them over the past three years.

The final important instance in which Koumura appears is at the second graduation: Nagisa's graduation. After she is held back another year for her illness, and then being too ill to go to the official graduation, Tomoya and the others (including Kouko and Yuusuke this time) get Koumura to help them put on an unofficial graduation ceremony specifically for Nagisa. Koumura is the one who hands Nagisa her diploma after all these years (she had to be a senior for three years!).

Following the unofficial graduation, we don't see Koumura again until the final montage, where he sits on his porch, staring out into the world.

Effect on the Main Plot

Koumura is important as an administrator: they can be quite instrumental at times. Thanks to him, Kouko gets her dream wedding at the school, and, thanks to him, Nagisa and Tomoya remember in time to go to the wedding and have Fuko appear, thus allowing her to say her congratulations to her sister. Thanks to him, the drama club is (eventually) able to become an official club in time for Nagisa's dramatic scene at the festival (yes, drama and dramatic, it's a semi-pun). Thanks to him, Nagisa is able to have a graduation ceremony with all her friends (her family of friends). And even before all this, thanks to him Tomoya and Sunohara meet and become best friends, and who knows how Tomoya would have turned out without Sunohara? Thus Koumura's presence and help allows the events that help shape Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship (and also their lives) to occur, from meeting Sunohara to the graduation. Without him, their relationship (and thus the show) would be very different.

Themes

There's not too much involving themes with Koumura. The only thing I can really say is that Koumura is a vital part of Nagisa and Tomoya's extended family of friends and acquaintances. He shows that the vital and helpful nature of family is not restricted to biological family alone.

Reflection

Koumura is definitely an important minor character. He has little screen time, and we never learn much about him, but without him many important moments in the show would not happen. He's a key force to the plot running smoothly. He also goes to show that old people aren't useless: they can be crucial allies in times of need. I also find it humorous that he's the one who remembers Kouko and Yuusuke's wedding when Nagisa and Tomoya forget when the earlier scene showed him completely spacing out on who Kouko even was!

That's all I have to say about that: Koumura is an old teacher who shows the usefulness of both teachers (and administrators in general) and the elderly.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

7 Favorite Anime Openings (As of Right Now)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 22:17:00 +0000

Now, I know Top 10 lists and the like can change rapidly: that's why I added the "as of right now" to the title.

I'm a big fan of anime music (thus explaining my entire post on Clannad's music), and openings and endings are a key part of that realm (although I also love background music: more on that in another post).

For an anime opening to be good, I think there are two essential aspects: first, the song itself must be good. It can't be a lackluster, cookie-cutter, standardized and Autotuned print out (although I've yet to hear AutoTune used in anime: よかった!); it has to be inspired, soul-filled, and moving. Second of all, the opening must portray the feel of the show. I think this can be even more important than having a good song: the song must actually be about the show. I don't mean the words have to name characters and describe events from the show, but they must put forth the same feel and explore the same themes as the show. That's what I think really makes or breaks an anime opening (although a good song can be useful as well).

So, without further ado, here (in no particular order, besides the first one) are my 7 favorite anime openings, as of right now:

1. "Toki wo Kizamu Uta" by Lia -- from Clannad ~After Story~

Since this blog started as solely a Clannad blog, it's obvious that this will be the first opening. I much prefer it to the opening of Clannad (though that one is good in its own right). This will sort of represent both seasons on this list. First of all, I love the sound of the song: it's beautifully written, performed, and sung, and its melody is based on a piece of background music ("To the Same Heights") from the visual novel (and series). That's a bonus in my book. Second, it shows the characters and bits of scenes from the show. While I think it could have been more useful to show the real main characters of After Story in this opening, rather than the heroines from the first season, it still contains many links to the series. Third, the lyrics are moving. One of my friends can't read all the lyrics to this song without crying: it connects with the show that much. It's all about loss, the pain of it, and how to deal with it; basically, it fits perfectly for the last quarter of the series. Overall, then, I think it's just a gorgeous opening that really helps encapsulate the emotional power of the series.

2. "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" by Eiko Shimamiya -- from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)

Before you ask, yes, the red is needed to write the title officially. This song is perfect for this anime: it's creepy as hell! The sharp break in the beginning of the song is a excellent example of the jarring nature of this series: something so happy and pure is abruptly defiled and turned horrific. Just the first 15 seconds of this opening is like the show in a nutshell. Plus it's got some blood in there to remind you of what's to come...basically, it puts you in the perfect mood to watch such a chilling show. A show that makes you fear the sound of cicadas more than you ever thought possible.

3. "The girl in Byakkoya - White Tiger Field" by Susumu Hirasawa -- from Paprika

Yes, anime movie openings do count as anime openings, at least in my book. This is definitely the trippiest song on here, and also the most electronic. After hearing this song, long before seeing the film, I became hooked on Susumu Hirasawa's work: his layering of synthesizers and voices sounds just spectacular. "The girl in Byakkoya" is definitely one of his best, from what I've heard. The somewhat unnatural sounding voices in this song set the viewer up for the dream-based nature of the film. And this film had a hold on dream manipulation long before Inception: it came out in 2006, and the novel it's adapted from was published in 1991. Besides the music itself, the completely illogical visuals of this opening also illustrate the power of dreams. Overall, while After Story's opening may be more emotionally powerful, I might just like this opening better due to the song, but if I do, it's only by a slight margin.

4. "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts -- from Cowboy Bebop

Even though I'm not too big a fan of the show as a whole (I have yet to finish it), I do love the opening. It's one of the catchiest opening songs I've ever, and it's jazz base fits the nature of the series to a T (come on, it's got "Bebop" right in the name!). The animation is smooth and shadowy, sort of a representation of jazz itself. It also, in not so clear ways, shows all the main characters as well, always a helpful aspect for an opening. So, while the show didn't end up holding my attention too much (although I still see the value of it), the opening theme definitely did.

5. "Tori no Uta" by Lia -- from Air

My second song with "Uta" as the last word, my second song performed by Lia, and my second song from a Key anime! Coincidence? Somewhat. I saw Air after seeing Clannad, and, though I find Clannad superior, I'm still a fan of Air. (It can also show some interesting predecessors to aspects of Clannad: see my related post.) Like some of the previous openings, this one showcases the main characters (for most of the show, at least). I feel like the opening also imparts the feeling of flight, which is a major theme of the show. Plus it's just a great song as well.

6. "again" by YUI -- from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

I couldn't make a list like this without a song from one of the FMA series. Though there are songs from other series that I like better, and some of the songs just annoy me, the FMA series provide a large selection of great opening and ending themes. I'd have to say that this one is by far the best out of them all (even though I personally prefer the first series overall). It's definitely an opening where the lyrics describe the feelings of the characters (although, I think, not as much as the frequent insert song from the original, "Bratja"). Almost every major character of the first 14 episodes (the length this opening was shown for) is in here, and even some characters that don't get their importance until later. I also love how it summarizes the Elrics' backstory in three quick shots (at about 50 seconds, which is, sadly, where the song starts in the version shown on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network). Besides all that, and the fantastic animation that characterizes Brotherhood, it's just a great sounding song.

And last, but not least...

7. "Zankoku na Tenshi no Te-ze" by Yoko Takahashi -- from Neon Genesis Evangelion

Though I have yet to finish this classic series (and I'm still not sure if I really like it or not), I can say one thing for sure about it: I like the opening. Though it's a '90s song (and the '90s are not too well known for good music (depending on your tastes) except for a few select bands (at least in the U.S.)), it works great as an opening. The lyrics portray the goals of the (in my eyes, extremely annoying) main character, and (if what I've heard about it is true) the latter part of the opening depicts the show's ending to perfection: it flashes copious images past your eyes without making a lick of sense. That said, I must say the opening pumps me up for the show (even if the show itself often deflates me quickly), and it's also pretty darn catchy.

So that's my subjective rant for the week. I can't prove that any of these openings are good objectively, I just know that I like them, and hopefully you'll like them too. If you also enjoy these songs (or hate them with a fiery passion), feel free to comment. Or if you want to yell at me for leaving out your most favoritest opening EVER, comment as well.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All videos were cruelly, unjustly, and arbitrarily forced to provide entertainment on this post. If you are the owner of one of these videos and want me to end my malicious treatment of it, just let me know, and I'll remove it. (Nota Bene on the Nota Bene: I hope you realize I'm not actually doing anything horrible with these videos. I did just randomly find them on YouTube and embed them here, though.)

The (Minor) Minor Characters of Clannad

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:20:00 +0000

Though in these posts I've tried to cover every character, there are some that just don't appear enough to have their own separate posts. So here I cover all of them I can think of (if there are more, I'm sorry for leaving them out), even though they've probably been mentioned in posts before.

磯貝 (Isogai) is an elderly lady who is the Furukawas' neighbor. She likes to comment on how Akio and Sanae add liveliness to the neighborhood (especially with their frequent episodes involving Sanae's bread). When Tomoya is going to the grocery store for the first time after remeeting Ushio, she reminds him of how important it is that he and Ushio see each other, since they are family, after all. Isogai also happens to have a name perfect for fake identities: both Fuko (when she's staying at the Furukawas' home) and Sanae (when she's Sunohara's fake girlfriend) adopt her last name to facilitate their deceit.

ボタン (Botan) is the pet boar of the Fujibayashis. Her characteristic sound is "Puhi puhi!" She has many skills, supposedly; the one that is shown is her ability to act like a stuffed animal (which Tomoya must then carry around with him all day). Kyou is particularly protective of her (especially from Sunohara, when he talks of eating her). She stays with Kyou well into her adult life, and she haunts Kyou's kindergarten playground as an adult (a giant, scary adult).

三井 (Mitsui) is a high school senior. Fuko met her on her first (and only) day of high school, and Mitsui vaguely remembers her. She is so studious and concerned about her upcoming senior exams that she coldly rejects Fuko's proffer of a starfish. Thankfully, she still shows up to Kouko's wedding, though.

"The bad man" is a former coworker with Kotomi's parents. On the day of their death, he (somewhat bluntly) informs Kotomi of the tragedy and asks to look in her father's study for a copy of the lost manuscript. He and Tomoya put out the fire Kotomi starts that day. Later on, he keeps trying to get in contact with Kotomi, who sees him as "the bad man" and reacts aggressively whenever he comes near. Eventually (thanks to Tomoya and Nagisa's help), he is able to talk to her, and he gives her her parents' suitcase containing the stuffed bear and their last letter to her. He is also Kotomi's godfather (I believe).

仁科りえ (Nishina Rie) and 杉坂 (Sugisaka) are members of the choir club, along with a minor third member, Harada. Rie (the blue-haired one) is the leader; her violin playing attracts Kotomi, and eventually Kotomi is given her violin (though that was probably not a wise decision...). Sugisaka (the red-haired one) is the fiery, jealous one; when the drama club wants Koumura as an adviser, she takes action, leaving threatening letters for Nagisa and trying to win her over with a sad story (which Sunohara fiercely rejects). Though she gives in after the basketball game, she's still the more angry of the two. The club shows up at Nagisa's graduation, and the two seem to be good friends, as they are shown to be roommates (it appears) during the final montage.

坂上鷹文 (Sakagami Takafumi) is Tomoyo's younger brother. He grows distant from her due to her being a gang leader. When their parents are considering divorce, Takafumi takes drastic action: he promises to jump off a bridge if they don't reconsider, and he keeps his promise. This leads to a long hospitalization for him, one which brings the family together and ends the thought of divorce. While he was recovering, the whole family would take walks along the road lined with cherry trees (thus providing Tomoyo's urge to save them). His desperate action also knocked some sense into Tomoyo's head, giving her the push to be a true sister to him and renounce her gang ways.

五十嵐 (Igarashi) was Misae's crush back during her high school days. She first met Shima when he interrupted a conversation between the two of them. He recognizes that Misae has a crush on him, but he already has a girlfriend. He gets Shima to break the news to her for him (although seeing him and his girlfriend walk by is what really gives her the news). Because of this moment, Shima and Misae started to grow closer.

勇 (Yuu) is a young boy whose sister is in Yukine's brother's gang. He tries to grapple Yukine and force her to tell him where his sister is. Though she easily defuses the situation, she is kind and takes him to the bar where the gang hangs out, thus helping him find his sister. He tells the gang that Sunohara is Yukine's brother, thus causing a bit of an uproar at the deception. He helps instigate Tomoya, Nagisa, and Sunohara's involvement with Yukine's gang.

宮沢和人 (Miyazawa Kazuto) was Yukine's older brother. He was the leader of the gang that Yuu's sister is in and that Yukine hangs out with a lot. Because of him, Yukine became involved with the gangs (although not really in a negative way, like what happened with Tomoyo). Due to his blond hair, Sunohara sort of spreads a rumor that he's Kazuto, which leads to his getting attacked one night (thankfully Tomoyo saves the day). When his deception is revealed at Kazuto's gang, it's learned that Kazuto is really in the hospital for getting in a car accident and saving a friend. The other gang wants to fight, though, so a duel is created between their leader and "Kazuto" (Sunohara). After Sunohara is knocked out by Sanae's bread, Tomoya takes over the fight, until Yukine steps in, posing as Kazuto. Finally, after this, the truth is revealed: Kazuto is actually dead, and his deepest wish was that the fighting would stop, which ends up happening thanks to the above events. And when his wish is fulfilled, Tomoya sees a light fly up into the air...

The manager of the Hikarizaka Electric Company (at least one branch of it) is Yuusuke's and later Tomoya's boss. He's a hard working man who cares about his employees and tries to be as kind as possible to them. Sometimes (especially after Nagisa passes away), he suspects Tomoya works far too much, and he tries to get him to relax more. He also recommends Tomoya for a job at another part of the company in a different city. Tomoya deeply considers accepting it, until his manager informs him that he was turned down from the job due to his father's arrest on drug charges (I think that's what they were, at least). Tomoya's anger because of this leads to his confronting his father and also proposing to Nagisa.

Yagi is Nagisa's midwife, recommended by Sanae. She helps Nagisa prepare for home birth, and she's able to make it to the Okazaki residence (after a long delay) on the night Nagisa goes into labor. Though she's able to save the baby, she's unable to save Nagisa's life (at least the first time). She also may have been the one to suggest Nagisa abort Ushio when her severe health risk is brought to light (I only remember that someone suggested this; I can't remember who just at the moment).

I believe that's the majority of the minor characters (or really minor minor, since I call anyone except Nagisa, Tomoya, and Ushio minor characters, basically). Hopefully having these extra profiles helps you realize even more how great Clannad is and how much its characters form a mosaic. If I forgot any characters, let me know, and I can add them in.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All images are screenshots taken by me from the subtitle-only DVDs. Please support Clannad by buying the DVDs. And don't forget to look at the amazing CLANNAD/クラナド (Kuranado) fanpage on Facebook.

Air: Links to Clannad

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 03:04:00 +0000

"Aren't families great? The happiest and the most painful, everything is there. That's precisely what it means for people to live."

As Liam Francis Traveller observed in his post on Shima's arc on The School's Trees, Clannad borrows plot devices and such from earlier works by the same company, Key. Not only does it borrow from Kanon, but it also borrows from Kanon's successor, Air. Having just finished watching Air for the second time, I've noticed many similarities to Clannad in it. In this post, I'll attempt to explain some of these similarities (though I'm sure there will be many that I miss). I also recommend watching Air: even though I realized I don't like the first half or so as much as I did the first time I saw it, I still think the second half is amazing, and the ending is definitely powerful. I'd probably give it a 9/10 (though sometimes when I think of the last couple episodes, I want to give it a 10/10).

Now, on to the similarities! (WARNING: There will be spoilers here.)

Minor Arcs That Seem Separate from the Main Plot

This is one of the things I've heard some people mention about Clannad as well. "Sure, Fuko's arc was great, but what does it have to do with Tomoya and Nagisa?" Hopefully this blog, as well as The School's Trees, has helped you realize how interconnected everything in Clannad really is. I think the same could go for Air as well, though the connections might be more hidden here. Like Clannad, sometimes these minor arcs just help explain the supernatural aspects of the show (Kano's has some of this, and Kanna's is basically all about the winged beings and the supernatural backstory). Sometimes, their main help is to add to the theme of the show. In Air, I think the main theme is family, specifically motherhood. Minagi's arc doesn't really seem to have a point unless viewed in this light, I think. I could go through each arc in Air and explain how they connect, but I think you get it: even though they seem completely separate and meaningless, they really connect into the coherence of the show as a whole.

Characters Who Are (Somewhat) Ghosts

Now, I know the characters in these shows are not ghosts, technically. But what I mean is that these characters aren't really entities that exist solely, completely uniquely. That might not be a very clarifying explanation. Examples would work better. For instance: Fuko, of course, is in a coma. But she's also running around, wreaking havoc and carving starfish. That Fuko is a sort of "ghost" of Fuko in the coma; it's sort of her soul taking on a physical form and running around, interacting with people. Air has a bit of a parallel to this in Michiru. Michiru is a younger girl who can be annoying as hell at times (at least to Yukito); yet she's also Minagi's dead little sister; and she's also Minagi's alive younger half-sister (who she's never met). No matter how you try and describe it, she's definitely some sort of "ghost"-like creature, or at least something that has some supernatural help in being around. I wish I knew some better metaphysics to attempt to explain this logically, but I'm not really sure if there is a way. Anyway, the main point of this is that Micihiru is a bit of a first take of Fuko.

Characters Who Become Animals

This is the specific parallel that Liam Francis Traveller drew between Kanon and Clannad, but it's also present in Air. In Clannad, we have Shima as the example of this: a boy who is really a cat. In Kanon (according to Liam: I haven't watched the show yet), we have a girl who's really a fox. In Air, it's a little different. Yukito is not a bird by nature who became a human just for a limited time. Instead, he's a guy who is so devoted to Misuzu that he wants to do everything over and be at her side forever (sort of sounds like Shima's declaration to Misae...). How does he do this? By going back in time and becoming a crow, Sora (or "Sky" in the English dub). I find it interesting that not only do Clannad and Air both have characters that become animals, but both these characters have the same direct goal: to be at someone's side forever. So, Shima/Nana-kun is the antitype of Yukito/Sora (that might be a little strong: I'm not sure if I can use full typography on Key shows...)

The Strong Influence of the Supernatural

This is a key factor in both these Key works (ha ha...it's a pun). In Air, we have the winged beings (included Kano's cursed feather) and the "girl in the sky" as the main contact with the supernatural, but we also have Michiru and Sora as well (and we can't forget that strange puppet passed down over a thousand years). In Clannad, we primarily have the lights and the invisible world (the girl and the robot) for the supernatural, but we also have Fuko and Shima as well. The point is this: without the supernatural, these shows would not exist. There's no possible way to have these shows with that influence that defies natural logic: it can't be done. Maybe, instead of "the strong influence," I should have said "the ESSENTIAL influence of the supernatural."

The Importance of Family

Obviously, family is THE key theme of Clannad (heck, it's the name of the game! (Yay for puns!)). It's also the theme of Air. All the arcs revolve around family, often mothers in particular: Kano's is, in the end, about her relationship with her deceased mother, and the story of the mother being told through the cursed feather. Minagi's is all about her sister(s) and her mother's relation to both of them. Kanna's is all about finding her mother, and it also involves the family that comes to be out of her friends Ryuuya and Uraha. And Misuzu's (or is it Haruko's?) is in the end all about truly becoming part of a family: first with Yukito's care for her being the care of a family member, and secondly with Haruko finally truly acting like a mother. You can't help but feel a love for family after this show (hence the opening quote from Haruko). While Air often has a focus on motherhood, though, I feel Clannad has more of a focus on fatherhood (like with Akio, Naoyuki, and Tomoya).

And now for some less serious similarities...

Luci Christian

Yes, Luci Christian is a connection between these two shows. This voice actress voices Haruko in the English dub of Air (which I think is a fabulous performance) and Nagisa (sorry, NaGEEsa) in the English dub of Clannad (which I think is a terrible performance). As I just mentioned, I think her voice works great for Haruko, and she definitely helped in making the Air dub great. However, I think her voice just fails at being Nagisa. I just feel like it's a completely different (and more annoying) character when she's voicing her. She definitely helped in making the Clannad dub painful (in my opinion). I'm not saying all of the dub is horrible, but ruining Nagisa's voice is terrible. Anyway, Luci Christian. She's can be a great voice actress sometimes, and a horrible one at others. I guess that just proves she's imperfect, like all humans.

Great Opening Themes

The opening theme of Air, "Tori No Uta" by Lia, is one of my favorite openings out of any anime I've seen. It's upbeat, yet since it often uses minor chords, it has an air of sadness about it too. Plus the melody sounds absolutely beautiful when used for some of the background music throughout the show. Clannad also has amazing opening themes, particularly the opening to After Story. I guess when you have the same team work on the music for both shows, and one show has great music, the other is bound to have some as well. And with that comes...

Beautiful Background Music (Especially Main Themes)

One thing I will always remember about both these shows is the background music. I love background music in anime, and I think Clannad helped me realize that, and Air doesn't do a bad job with it either. As I mentioned above, the same music team, Magome Tagoshi, Shinji Orito, and Jun Maeda (who also wrote the scenarios for the visual novels), worked on both of these shows, hence there being beauty in both of them. In particular, I absolutely love the main themes in both shows. For Clannad, that's Nagisa's theme (which provides the music for "Dango Daikazoku" and part of the music for "Chiisana Te No Hira"). For Air, that's "Natsukage," which might be construed as Misuzu's theme, though I'm not sure if it is officially. I feel like both these songs really sum up the shows, and I can feel a lot of the emotions of the show running through these songs.

So...I think that's about it. There's lots more similarities I didn't go into here, like the character similarities: a parent who at first seems rough around the edges, but turns out to truly care for his/her child (Haruko/Akio); a main heroine who is clumsy, has a somewhat unusual obsession, and has trouble making friends (Misuzu/Nagisa); a main character who's somewhat of a vagrant (Yukito/Tomoya); a pet with a cute catchphrase (Potato/Botan); a quiet girl who is very smart (Minagi/Kotomi). You get the picture. Like I said, I'm sure there's more similarities between these two shows, but I hope this post has given you a hint at some of them. While it shows that not everything in Clannad is completely original, I think it shows that Clannad can take ideas from other shows (by the same creators, mind you) and make them even better and even more powerful. And that just adds to the amazingness of Clannad.

Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

Nota Bene: All images are screenshots taken by me from the Air DVDs released by Funimation. The videos were found via YouTube's search function.

Kikuchiyo: An Unlikely Hero (Seven Samurai)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:40:00 +0000

七人の侍 (Seven Samurai) is possibly Akira Kurosawa's most famous work (although he has many). It is often regarded as one of the greatest movies of all time, and also one of the most influential. Having watched it today for the second time, I'd like to make a short reflection on a very interesting character: 菊千代 (Kikuchiyo), played by Toshiro Mifune. WARNING: This post will contain spoilers.

When we first see Kikuchiyo, he's a bit of an overenthusiastic bystander at Kambei's defeat of the thief. After this, he follows Kambei often, although he never has the nerve to ask him anything. One night, after getting drunk, he finally gets the nerve to go to Kambei and his colleagues (five samurai) and ask to be admitted to their group, using a family tree that in no way belongs to him. After failing the simple stick test at the door, he uses a mix of drunken, childish logic and drunken (and thus ineffective) violence to get the samurai to let him join them. When they don't let 十三歳 (Thirteen, their nickname for him based on his fake family tree) join in their mission, he ends up following them all the way back to the village, until they finally let him help out.

At the village, we see his true personality: a rash, childish young man. He could be seen as the comic relief of the film often (although he helps with dramatic moments as well). Kikuchiyo uses a more informal and brash language than all the other samurai; his personality is especially well contrasted with Kyuzo's.

In most of the film, he seems incapable of real heroic moments. Most of his time is spent cracking jokes or antagonizing people (whether deliberately or not). His boisterousness alerts the scouts to their presence; his hubris makes him risk his life to get the honor of recovering one of the muskets. This second example seems like it might be heroic: after all, he is risking his life, and Kyuzo did the same thing. The real difference is the intention, though: Kyuzo did it to minimize the risk and protect the samurai and villagers. Kikuchiyo did it to get fame and honor. Kambei's rebuke when he returns makes this very obvious.

There are countless other examples I could give, but overall, the picture one receives of Kikuchiyo is this: an immature, boisterous, rash, prideful, childish young man who attempts to be a samurai. There are some hidden parts to him, though: we learn he was the son of a farmer, and his village was attacked by bandits, just like in this village. It seems like the samurai he met there were not the noble samurai he's teamed with now: when he tries to wear the armor of defeated samurai and is rebuked for it, he goes on a tirade about the evils of samurai. There is definitely some deep-seated hurt and resentment underneath his childish exterior.

During the climactic final battle in the rain, though, he truly breaks through his immaturity and his inner resentment against samurai. Even during the battles against the bandits, Kikuchiyo still seems like a childish guy, almost looking like he's having fun slaying bandits with his many prepared swords. But when Kyuzo is killed by the remaining musketeer, who is hiding in a house, Kikuchiyo goes for justice (or is it revenge?). He charges the house and is shot in the process; even after being shot, though, he pushes onward and slays the last musketeer before he collapses.

This final action could be debated: charging at a concealed, armed man is a bit of a reckless thing to do. But there's no indication that Kikuchiyo did this out of pride or want of honor. As far as the viewer can tell, he charged the final bandit in order to avenge his fallen comrade and save the other people in the village. Is it possible that he really was being his normal childish self? Yes, but it's not probable, based on the film's portrayal.

So, in the final estimate, I believe this is how to view it: Kikuchiyo was able to mature out of his selfish, childish, immature form and sacrifice himself for others (even samurai, whose profession he resents to a point) in a heroic moment. He is honored for this with a true hero's burial.

I think this story of Kikuchiyo can teach us a good lesson: no one is beyond change. Even the most stubbornly childish people can freely give themselves for others. Even the people with the deepest hurt and resentment can forgo their prejudices. Anyone, even the most unlikely person, can be a hero. And that hero will be remembered.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: The first, second, and fourth images are from Google Image Search. The third image is a screenshot taken by me from the Criterion Collection DVD.

A Drifting Life

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 07:39:00 +0000

A Drifting Life is a graphic novel memoir by acclaimed mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi. It is written similar to the traditional style of Japanese "I-novels," in which an author writes an autobiography in which the main character has a fictional name, providing a strange sense of distance between the author and himself. It recounts the story of Katsumi Hiroshi (Tatsumi-sensei's fictional name) and his love affair with manga, from being an ardent fan of Osamu Tezuka's works, to drawing four-panel gag manga himself, through his long and varied early work career, until he eventually embraces the style he helped pioneer: gekiga ("dramatic pictures").

This is a hefty tome (even longer than the latest hefty tome I reviewed, Osamu Tezuka's Ode to Kirihito), at well over 800 pages. The read goes pretty fast though: a lot of it does feel like an autobiography put into manga (or gekiga) form. The text is saturated with names of magazines, manga, publishers, artists, and other such things. This can make the reading dry and monotonous at times, as Tatsumi-sensei does not spend too much time delving into the reasons behind why he writes manga. Much of the story is strictly who he worked for, how he ended up working for that company, some notable works published by that company, and how he stopped working for the company. Of course, this all takes place in a long narrative, stretching for over a decade, starting at the end of WWII. It also surveys the development of the gekiga form that Tatsumi-sensei is famous for helping to create and popularize.

The art overall isn't bad; it doesn't stun me like Ode to Kirihito's did, but he didn't feel unrealistic and too rounded like Metropolis's. It fit the tone of realism without being too dark and gritty (even though I like dark and gritty). The pacing was pretty packed with all the names and dates and information, but it didn't feel too cramped or rushed (although the volume has a sizable appendix with even more information).

Overall, I wasn't too big a fan of it. I'm not a big autobiography reader, but I found a lot of people recommending this, so I decided to check it out. Basically, it is a straight story of Tatsumi-sensei's work, almost like a narrative resume, although that sounds kind of harsh. The narrative flows together nicely, even if I would lose track of who's who amidst the constant barrage of names. I was saddened by the lack of psychological insight or real character drama; there were some family conflicts and conflicts about ideology, but overall most of the tension was involving money and work. What I liked most about the work was that Tatsumi-sensei including historical events in his account as well. I could somewhat trace the development of postwar Japan as I read this book, and the inclusion of many events important the Japanese people and of many popular films and manga works was really intriguing to me. I also felt these were the times when Tatsumi-sensei's artistic abilities came into full view. My absolute favorite was when he incorporated Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai (Shichinin no Samurai); I've just recently seen that film, and when Tatsumi-sensei drew some of the scenes and characters from it, they looked almost identical to it (for instance, the depictions of Takashi Shimura and Seiji Miyaguchi). I also enjoyed the appearance of Osamu Tezuka in this work (since Tatsumi-sensei gained some early tutorship from him).

In conclusion, I'd have to say that I give Yoshihiro Tatsumi's A Drifting Life a 7/10. While I found the historical content very interesting and well-drawn, the story as a whole wasn't as intriguing to me, often for its lack of emotional and psychological aspects. If you are interested in the evolution of the gekiga style, or if you want to see the slow rise to fame of a mangaka, you should probably read this. If you're not extremely interested in those topics, I'd say this isn't a bad read, but it's not one I'd unconditionally recommend.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All images are from Google Image Search.

志麻賀津紀 (Shima Katsuki)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 06:36:00 +0000

"I will continue to love you for the rest of my life...forever and ever..."

Shima Katuski is a very minor character (in terms of screen time) in Clannad; he only appears in Episodes 5 and 6 of After Story. His story is inseparably wound within Misae's arc.

Personality

Shima is a typically shy young boy who is also determined to fulfill his duties. When he is given a task, he strives to finish it, even if it means physical harm to him. He can be a bit clumsy with words at times, but at heart he is a good kid, trying to as be kind and truthful to everyone as possible. There's also a bit of the romantic idealist hiding in him too.

Story

As I mentioned in my introduction, Shima's story is seen in the context of Misae's arc; the two are inseparable. One day, when Misae is in high school, Shima appears abruptly and tells her he is there to grant a wish for her. After she takes out her frustration on him distracting her from her crush, she listens to what he has to say. Some time before, he had been in the hospital, and Misae was at the same hospital visiting a relative. When she saw him there, looking dejected, even though she didn't know him, she cheered him up and offered him encouragement. He's kept that gift of hers with him all the years since then, and now he has come to repay it. Misae doesn't remember what she did, so she tries to blow off his offer of a wish, but Shima is persistent.

As Shima is always hanging around school, waiting for Misae to tell him her wish, people start to notice him and his hanging out with Misae. One of these people is Misae's crush, Igarashi. He tells Shima that he already has a girlfriend, and he knows Misae likes him; he asks Shima to break the news to her. Unfortunately, Shima has grown to like Misae, so he tries to tell her the truth hypothetically: what if there's a girl you like who likes someone else, but the guy she likes has a girlfriend, and you have to tell her the truth? Misae says that the guy should take advantage of her distress and comfort her. Shima objects that he can't do that, and Misae (after seeing Igarashi with his girlfriend walking by) finally realizes who he is talking about.

Misae walks away from this encounter, and it seems that her and Shima's relationship is on rocky ground. Thankfully, it doesn't stay this way forever. The two start to hang out more, and even fall in love (slowly). During this time, Shima learns that Misae is the student council president, and he wants to see her in action, but he's not a student at the school. So two of Misae's friends dress him up as a girl and sneak him into the building, where (after running into younger versions of Yuusuke and Kouko) he gets to see Misae, and he confesses he will stay by her side forever. Of course, since he's dressed as a girl, the moment just seems strange to her.

After this strange episode, Misae's friends convince Shima to take them to his house, because they're interested in seeing it. When they get there, his mother says that Shima has been dead for a while now. Then the boy we know as Shima tells the truth: he is not Shima Katsuki. Instead, he is a cat whom the dying Shima send to fulfill Misae's wish, in gratitude for all she had done for him in the hospital.

Shima (more precisely, the cat we know as Shima) doesn't tell Misae this, though, and the two continue to grow closer. At the autumn festival, Misae finally requests her wish: that he love her forever and ever. He agrees. Then, as Misae goes to get drinks for them, Shima walks away and disappears, and Misae is left distraught.

The tale doesn't end there, though. The story jumps forward to Misae first becoming the dorm mother at the high school, and her trusty cat, Nanashi ("no name"; also called Nana-kun), is at her side. A series of scenes appears, in which she says she hasn't dated anyone, but that she's not holding out for Shima (she doesn't admit it, at least). And at one point, she stares at Nana-kun, pondering, and then rebukes herself for believing in something out of a fairytale.

Then Tomoya wakes up. This entire story was revealed to Tomoya in a dream he had when he fell asleep at Misae's apartment, with Nana-kun in his lap. Nana-kun asks him to tell Misae these things.

When everyone is at the autumn festival again, Nana-kun comes racing out of nowhere, and Misea follows him. While she's trying to get him out of a bush, Tomoya reveals the truth: Shima has always been by her side; he's fulfilled her wish. He's returned to his real form: that of a cat. She accepts this and says she'll "go on a date with a cat."

As the episode ends, we see a little into Shima's mind: he says goodbye to his master, the real Shima, saying he has fulfilled his dying request, and now he has a new master.

And of course, now that we know Shima's really Nana-kun, we can see that he's been present throughout the series. His final appearance is (where else?) by Misae's side.

Effect on Main Plot

Like I said in my post on Misae, this story doesn't really have a direct influence on the plot. Tomoya calls it "a wonderful love story," and it has some aspects of great love, but it doesn't really play a direct part in Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship. The one thing is the fact that the lights are mentioned here (explained slightly more in the next section), and those lights are crucial for the ending.

Themes

I talked about some of themes of this story already in Misae's post. Now that we've looked at Shima and Nana-kun being one and the same, we can see a couple more. First is (what else?) family. We don't see any biological family for Misae; during one short scene, I think she talks to her mother on the phone, but that's about it. Instead, Shima is her family. He lives with her, and he has dedicated himself to being by her side forever. Shouldn't all family be that dedicated?

Another theme is the supernatural. There is no logical explanation why a cat could become a boy for a short time and then become a cat again. For that matter, how can a cat be rational and have the ability to think, speak, and love? This story just cannot be explained using science and the natural world: there has to be the effect of the supernatural. It's a very explicit effect here, and I think this use of the supernatural is one of the reasons Liam Francis Traveller calls this show "a modern-day fairytale." Like the other supernatural moments, it's preparing us for the ending. Plus we see, again, the theory of the lights in this arc; when Nana-kun is first talking to Tomoya, he tells him about the light in a pouch that can grant a wish.

Reflection

Shima and Misae's story is probably one of the most touching in the entire show. If you're a hopeless romantic like me, you can't help but be moved by this display of commitment and love bypassing time (and even logical reality). I've heard many people say that this arc is their favorite moment in the show, and I think that's mainly because of Shima. I think he is the truly touching one; obviously, you couldn't have the arc without Misae, but it's really Shima's actions and bring home the romance. I especially love the commitment present in this story (which I think this song exemplifies well); true love must of necessity involve commitment. That's a crucial aspect that I think many people can forget about. This just shows one of the reasons I love Clannad: it shows true love, including the aspects many people leave out. One of these is commitment, so I am just ecstatic that we see that here.

Shima's is a story that can kind of throw you for a loop. I've heard a lot of people describe Clannad as "the most realistic romantic drama I've ever seen." In the end, though it contains many realistic parts, it's not entirely realistic (or, at the least, not entirely rational). This arc is one of those moments that shows that this series is not a story that could easily happen in real life. This story involves the supernatural. Whether it's plausible to actually happen is debatable, based on your views, but one thing is for certain: there's something going on here outside of the natural realm of reason and logic.

Overall, though, I've truly come to love Shima's arc and the commitment and love shown in: it's truly beautiful.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips (except the link in the reflection, which I highly recommend watching) are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

相楽美佐枝 (Sagara Misae)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 05:23:00 +0000

"Please...love me forever. Please love me forever and ever. That is my wish."

Sagara Misae is a, for the most part, very minor character in Clannad. She appears periodically throughout the first season, and then her real appearance is in Episodes 5 and 6 of After Story. After that, she may appear once or twice before the final montage.

Personality

Misae is the dorm mother for Sunohara's school dorm. While it's obvious that she cares for the students under her care, hers is a tough love: if they're too rowdy, they get beat down, either with a broom, or with her martial arts skills. When she's not being violent, though, she's also open and friendly, and she's fond of giving advice. She's also particularly defensive of her cat. Her backstory helps clarify a few more parts of her personality, most importantly that she cares for people. Even if people annoy the hell out of her, she still cares for them and worries about them. Plus she's desirous of having someone to care for her as well, someone who will love her forever. Like I said, this later part of her is really not seen explicitly until her backstory; her earlier personality (at least the tough love part) can be seen in her first appearance (also Sunohara's first appearance):

Story

As mentioned above, Misae is first seen as the dorm mother of Sunohara's dorm. Whenever a guy (often Sunohara) is too rowdy (or threatens her cat), she'll easily beat them down. Besides this occasional moments of violence, she's very much in the background. She (along with her cat) goes to Kouko's wedding, and she (along with her cat) attends Kotomi's violin recital, for all the good that does them. At this recital, we learn a bit about Misae's background: she was previously a student at this high school (back in the day), and she was student council president (or chairman, depending on your translation). She was legendary for being the first female president and for creating the "All-School Perfect Attendance Week" (some of that might not be revealed until After Story).

Besides these events, Misae doesn't really do much until her After Story episodes. I mean, she helps out at the baseball game, like almost every other character, but besides that, her true story is Episodes 5 and 6.

Nagisa and Tomoya go to bring food to Sunohara (who, as we learned on his fake date with Sanae, has horrible eating habits) and run into Misae spinning him in a circle for threatening to eat her cat. As she helps him heal from the wounds she inflicted, she informs us of her cat's name: Nanashi (Japanese for "no name"), shortened to Nana-kun. Then Tomoyo appears to ask for help about becoming student council president, specifically on how to attain the famed "All-School Perfect Attendance Week." Then a member of the rugby club appears to ask advice (Misae turns out to be a great dispenser of advice, it seems) about dating. As the night winds down, everyone begins to leave, but Misae holds back Nagisa and Tomoya to discuss their relationship. Apparently she is not out of advice for the night.

She recommends they go on real dates (hey, sounds like Mei!), and then she and Nagisa begin to talk about how the school was back in her day. Tomoya begins to grow groggy during this discussion, and suddenly her cat begins to speak to him telepathically about a charm containing a light that grants a wish...and then we enter a flashback.

This flashback explains Misae's story, one of the truly touching minor arcs. She has a crush on a boy named Igarashi, and she often waits by the entrance of school to meet him and talk to him. One day she succeeds in talking to him, only to be interrupted by the appearance of a strange boy next to her. After beating him down for ruining her chance, she listens to what he has to say:

Some time before, Misae's mother was in the hospital, and she would often come visit her. While she was visiting, Misae saw this young boy there who looked down because of his illness. She encouraged him to cheer up and persevere. Though Misae does not remember this moment, the boy was inspired by it, and it helped him grow strong and recover. Now he wants to repay Misae's kindness; unfortunately, she doesn't want any payment. This boy, whose name is Shima Katsuki, won't give up, though (he's never gonna give her up until she accepts a repayment). He continues to hang around at school, begging her for a wish, which she won't tell him; in the meantime, he is jeopardizing her chances with Igarashi. Sadly, though, it turns out she never had a chance anyway: Igarashi already has a girlfriend, and, seeing Shima around Misae often, he has him break the news to her.

This is rough for Shima, though, because he has been getting attached to Misae through all the time they've spent together (not usually of her own free will). So when he tells her about Igarashi, he proposes it as a hypothetical situation, to which she advises him to somewhat take advantage of the situation to make the girl fall for him. Following this advice, and his out-spoken cry that he can't do that because he cares for the girl too much, she realizes who he'd been talking about the entire time.

That incident obviously causes some tension in their friendship, so Misae's friends, Saki and Yuki, try to offer Shima advice on how to cheer her up. Like Mei's dating advice to Nagisa, it doesn't directly work, but it achieves the desired effect, somewhat. Misae accepts the fact that Shima likes her, and it seems she starts growing closer to him. He learns that she's student council president, and he wants to see her in action, so Misae's friends dress him up like a girl to sneak him into school. When the two go to a festival, Misae admits that she saw through his disguise, and she knows her friends put him up to it. At the festival, it's very obvious that the two, formerly almost complete strangers, have now grown close.

As the festival draws to a close, Misae stops Shima and finally tells him her wish: that he love her forever and ever. He cries elated tears of joy, and then Misae runs to get something to drink for the two...but when she returns, she sees Shima disappear into the crowd, after mouthing some last words to her: he will love her forever.

The story then jumps forward abruptly. We see Misae moving into the dorm and becoming dorm mother, along with her trust cat companion. On the phone, she tells someone (her mother, possibly?) that she is not dating anyone, and she claims she's not still holding out for Shima. Then she talks a bit with the cat: she's surprised he likes being with her, considering she doesn't like cats. She has a undescribed strange thought about her cat, and she ridicules the idea of a fairytale being real. Then the story fades away...

Tomoya wakes up, and later on the main group of friends attend a festival (the same Misae and Shima went to), and Nana-kun runs up to Nagisa and Tomoya, with Misae chasing close behind. As she struggles to get a grip on her cat, Tomoya confesses to the dream he had, in which her cat talked to him, asking him to tell her how he had wanted to go to the festival with her, and how he would stay by her side forever, as she wished, and that he wants her to be happy. Misae and Nana-kun then walk happily off into the festival.

After this story ends, Misae isn't really seen until the ending montage, and then she appears no different than usual: she and her cat are just standing in front of the dorm, staring into the sky.

(Now, you may think I'm missing some big parts of Misae's story: what the hell is with her cat? Well, I'm writing this post strictly about Misae's part of the story, what she concretely knows and experiences. In my post on Shima, I'll fill in the gaps here.)

Effect on Main Plot

Misae's arc is another one that doesn't seem to do too much to affect Nagisa and Tomoya's relationship. Of course, she offers some dating advice, but there's not too much beyond that. Hers is really more of a story that's important thematically rather than plotwise.

On a less direct note, her relationship with Shima has some good pointers for Nagisa and Tomoya's relationship. Tomoya recognizes its value: after all, he calls it "a wonderful love story." It's a story of perseverance, enduring love, and commitment, definitely some aspects that are important for all good loving relationships. I think this story is a bit inspirational, at the least for Tomoya. And, as a sidenote, the lake and fountain that Shima and Misae often talk in front of is the same one that Nagisa and Tomoya talk in front of when they're hanging out with Fuko on the night before her sister's wedding.

Themes

The past affecting the present is a very forthright theme in Misae's story. Misae's actions in the past are what drive Shima to find her and offer her a wish, and that drive is what leads to their relationship blossoming. The love she found with Shima also still affects her in the present day; just look at her scene in the festival at the end of her story. Overall, the actions of both Misae and Shima influence the two of them to this day (in show time).

Perseverance is present in Misae's tale, both the "never give up" perseverance, and the "find new happy and fun things" perseverance. Shima won't take a throw-away answer on his offer of a wish for Misae, and she learns to grow close with him, even when her crush on Igarashi falls through. Plus Misae's message to Shima when he was in the hospital is a message of perseverance: even if you're ill and suffering, keep fighting, and don't give up.

The importance of commitment is made very explicit here as well. Misae's wish ends up being for Shima to be committed to her forever, and he accepts that commitment (since he makes the commitment, I'll explain more in his post).

There's also some supernaturality involved; again, to be explained deeper in Shima's post.

Reflection

Misae's story is an interesting one. Like Sunohara's, it's one I didn't really get the point of the first time I watched. I thought, "Oh, that's a touching tale, but why is it stalling Nagisa and Tomoya's relationship?" And now, I see its power. Many people I talk to count it as one of the most touching parts of the entire series, especially Shima. I guess, when you really think about it, Shima is the truly touching one, not Misae; that doesn't mean she's useless and bland, though.

I just really don't have much to say about Misae. She's a good, wise character specializing in sound advice and tough love, with a touching backstory. Not much else for me to say. Sorry for the real lack of a reflection.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

春原芽衣 (Sunohara Mei)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 02:27:00 +0000

"My brother is hopeless..."

Sunohara Mei is a recurring minor character in Clannad; she appears in Episodes 15 and 16 of Clannad (also returning for Episode 23, an extra episode), and then in Episodes 1 through 4 of After Story. Her (and her brother's) story arc takes place during Episodes 2 through 4. After that, she's only seen in during the final episode montage.

Personality

Mei is a middle school girl who is peculiarly mature for her age. When compared with her older brother, Youhei (usually referred to as Sunohara), she shows well why it's said that females mature faster than males. While Sunohara is possibly the most immature character in Clannad (although Fuko's childishness is a good contender), Mei is high up on the list of maturity...and she's one of the youngest characters (actually, besides Ushio, I think she is the youngest)! She takes it for granted that her brother is an immature boy, so she works to provide maturity to balance him out. Mei cares deeply for her brother, leading to her exerting lots of effort in trying to help him out. Her maturity does not mean that she is a Stoic stone statue, though; she has a bit of her brother's mischievousness in her (which can be seen easily when she prepares Nagisa and Tomoya's first real date). She also needs some love and care in return from her brother, which is the crisis behind her story arc (more on that below). Overall, though, Mei's key words are maturity and fraternity (as in fraternal (brotherly/siblingly) love). These aspects (and her relationship with her brother) can be seen in one of her first scenes:

Story

Mei's first appearance is after a humorous confrontation between Sunohara and Nagisa about the former being in love with Tomoya. We quickly learn that she is paying a surprise visit to her brother. (Originally, it was not supposed to be a surprise, but Tomoya interrupted her communication.) Once arriving, Mei quickly sets to work cleaning Sunohara's room. Since she can't very well stay in her brother's room in a boy's dorm, the Furukawas let her live at their house while she's in town (their second guest of the show, after housing Fuko for a few episodes). Mei doesn't do too much while she's in town during her first visit; she mostly sets a counterexample of Sunohara's immaturity; she also helps cheer him, Kyou, and Tomoya on at the basketball game. Once that's over, she says so long, farewell (auf weidersehen, goodbye!).

Her second visit begins in the extra episode of Clannad. For whatever reason (probably because she found out how cool are the inhabitants of the town are), she comes back, and once again, she stays with the Furukawas. By this time, Tomoya is also staying there (guest number three!), and he and Nagisa are dating. After a laughter-inducing incident of bread-selling, Mei notices that Tomoya and Nagisa are not really "dating," i.e. they're not going on official "dates." Believing their relationship to be pretty stagnant, she decides to be their personal cupid of love (thanks to Wikipedia for that phrasing) and set up an official date for the two. She tells Nagisa the plan and then lets her use it on Tomoya. Nagisa, being the somewhat clumsy girl she is, messes up the plan to an extent, and Tomoya sees straight through it, realizing it is Mei's work, and he calls her out on it. After the spying Mei runs away, the "date" does end romantically for the two.

The next episode after this (in the show's time line) is the beginning of After Story, where Akio must get together a baseball team to defend his bakery's honor. What better team than almost all the major and minor characters in the show? Mei of course helps out, and she gets to meet one of her idols, Yoshino Yuusuke, the rock-star-turned-electrician. Following this fun episode, Mei's real story starts...

I've already explained this story in detail in my post on Sunohara, so I will summarize it here: Mei is concerned about her brother, in particular about his lack of a girlfriend. Tomoya and Sunohara decide to cover this up by getting him a fake girlfriend, who ends up being Sanae in disguise. While on their fake date (with Tomoya, Nagisa, and Mei following behind), they see a little girl being bullied. Sunohara doesn't help, and eventually the girl's older brother appears and defends her. After this, Sanae helps the children find their home.

Mei explains to Nagisa and Tomoya that she and her brother were like those children when they were little: she would be bullied, and Sunohara would save her. When he got older, he began to care more about soccer and less about her. Mei just wants that brother back. So she tries to provoke him to care, for instance, by telling him she is dating an older guy, and by later pretending that Tomoya is that guy. Sunohara doesn't react.

Mei, Nagisa, and Tomoya try one more last-ditch effort to knock Sunohara into shape: they try to get him back on the soccer team, which he was kicked out of his first year for not accepting the cruelty of the elder students. After a grueling task of collecting soccer balls, the team refuses Mei's request, and at her repeated insistence, they grab her and pick on her. Just as Tomoya is about to get back at them, Sunohara finally appears and acts as a brother should: he beats down the soccer team.

After this battle, the fight is not over: Tomoya begins to beat on Sunohara for not being a good brother. Though it's vicious, it ends with a reconciliation between Sunohara and Mei: he has once again become her protective, caring older brother.

Following this heartwarming reconnection, Mei ends her visit, and she departs the town for good. She isn't seen again until the montage of the final episode, where we see her, older, eating ice cream with her friends.

Effect on the Main Plot

Mei's is one of those arcs which does not really affect the main plot at all. She provides another powerful tale of family, and she adds to the show's themes that way, but all in all she doesn't do much to advance Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship, except for the extra episode of Clannad. In that episode, Mei pushes the two main characters to deepen their relationship by taking it another step: to actually go on a real date. While the date does not go as planned, it still accomplishes its goal: it gets Nagisa and Tomoya to spend some time together, alone.

Themes

Like most characters, the biggest theme with Mei is family. As I mentioned in Sunohara's post, the sibling relationship between these two is unique. In that post, I mentioned its imperfection and how we truly delve into it, seeing the issues underlying the struggle. But what I think is even more special about this relationship is that we see it from both sides: Sunohara's and Mei's. With Fuko and Kouko, we see a bit of that, but we mostly just see Kouko's devotion to her sister (plus the bit of backstory on trying to get her to make friends); with Kyou and Ryou, we mostly see it from Kyou's side, while Ryou is mostly in the background; with Tomoyo and her brother, we only see Tomoyo's side, and we don't even meet her brother; with Yukine and her brother, we only see her side, because her brother is dead. Do you see my point? The sibling relationship between the Sunoharas is unique because it is seen from both sides, and its imperfections are delved into. Sunohara's side can be seen in the videos of him beating down the soccer team, and in his fight with Tomoya (along with seeing him throughout the series). Mei's side is seen prevalently in her arc in multiple places; one of the most significant is when she explains her story to Nagisa and Tomoya.

Sunohara and Mei's relationship shows that just because two people are related by family, they won't automatically be perfect friends; even if they're brother and sister, that friendship isn't automatic. And it shows that sibling relationships, like all friendships, can be strained by the actions of one or both parties. Of course Sunohara's apathy towards his sister initiate the conflict, but Mei does antagonize him during the arc as well. But this story also shows that, like all friendships, sibling relationships that are strained can be repaired; a bent friendship is not permanent; there is hope for change and forgiveness. This is also a bit of a preparation for Tomoya's long-awaited reunion with his father near the end of After Story (which has another slight parallel in the relief of the tensions between Nagisa and her parents at the end of the first season).

Besides the obvious theme of family, the Sunoharas definitely show the influence of the past on the present. If Sunohara had not been such a responsible brother in his early life, Mei would have had no expectation of him ever being a good brother, and the conflict of their story would not have arisen.

There's also the theme of breaking out of conventions. In the first season, we see Mei as a very mature girl who seems independent and self-confident. She doesn't depend on her brother; quite the opposite: she provides for him. That's our impression of her and their relationship after her brief visit in the first season. But in After Story, we see she is not completely independent: she needs love too, especially the love of her brother. Though she is mature and self-confident, she is not an island; she needs others, especially her brother. She can show weakness.

Mei also shows perseverance; when her brother won't care for her, she keeps trying to provoke him, and when the soccer team denies her request, she keeps asking. This is not so much the perseverance that the opening scene points too (persevering in tragedy; finding hope in darkness), but it is perseverance all the same.

Reflection

I've always like the character of Mei. Her maturity is an excellent contrast to her brother, and overall I'm more a fan of maturity than immaturity. Also, her somewhat sarcastic and snarky comments about her brother would make me chuckle: he is a pretty obnoxious, slovenly, immature klutz. But her arc in After Story really hit me, to see just how wrong my original evaluation of their relationship was. It's not just her caring for him; he has to care for her as well. Now, I didn't catch that on my first viewing of the series: my first time around, I hated the beginning of After Story. I just kept thinking, "I want to see more about Nagisa and Tomoya, not these minor characters!" On repeated viewings, though, I'm realizing just how important these minor arcs are. As I said in my introduction, they help build the themes of the show, especially that theme of family. And without family, what would Clannad be? Even its title would be meaningless.

I also like the reconciliation and forgiveness found at the end of this arc. Again, my first time through it meant nothing, but now it touches me. It also, oddly enough, reminds me of a poem from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Fellowship of the Ring. It reads:

All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not touched by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be the blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.

Of course, this poem has a specific meaning in context: it refers to Strider and his eventual destiny (if you think that's a spoiler, go read and/or watch The Lord of the Rings: you should have done so already). Out of context, though, I can see this poem fit in well with Clannad. It can be seen to reflect two major themes: perseverance and forgiveness. I mean, come on: "A light from the shadows shall spring." When all the happy and fun things fade away, what do you do? You find new happy and fun things. When you're surrounded by shadow, you find light. It's a very important theme of Clannad.

Now I've gone a bit off-topic; I'm realizing new aspects about this show as I go through these posts, just like you are. And now, since I've discussed all I need to about Mei, I end this post with her final shot:

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips (except the Tolkien poem) are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do. Thanks also to Wikipedia and its clever phrasing.

The Music of Clannad

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 06:52:00 +0000

I'm a big fan of music overall, so when I watch an anime, I pay attention to the music. And when I say music, I don't mean just the openings and endings. I mean the background music: all those themes played in the background that add to the characters or the drama or just the feel of the show. There are many anime soundtracks that I find to be stunning musically and that work perfectly with the anime itself. For instance, Michiru Oshima's compositions (performed by the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra) for the original Fullmetal Alchemist portray excellently the tender brotherly love so important to the series and the harsh military reality that is ever present. Tenmon's subtle piano work in Makoto Shinkai's films, especially Voices of a Distant Star (Hoshi no koe), are beautiful and add to the calm yet emotionally poignant aura of the films. Then there's Susumu Hirasawa's intriguing electronic pieces, especially in the soundtrack to Satoshi Kon's film Paprika. Finally, the soundtrack to Air, another anime based on a visual novel, from the same creators as those of Clannad, includes some gorgeous piano-based pieces, such as my favorite, "Natsukage."

But amid all of these wonderfully made soundtracks, Clannad stands out. When you experience something emotional, your mind can connect different parts of the moment to that emotion, and I think Clannad's music does that. On its own, it is beautiful, varied, and well-made. After watching the show, listening to the music brings back all sorts of emotional memories, and then the power of the music transcends words.

The team of Shinji Orito, Magome Togoshi, and Jun Maeda created a stunning collection of pieces for the visual novel that were then worked into the anime (though some pieces might have been made only for the anime; I don't know for certain). First of all, there are the character themes. The heroines have their own pieces: Fuko has "Hurry, Starfish"; Kyou has "Like the Wind"; Tomoyo has "Her Determination"; Kotomi has "Etude pour les petites supercordes"; Yukine has "Tea in the Reference Room." Shinji Orito (who wrote Fuko's, Tomoyo's, and Kotomi's) and Magome Togoshi (who wrote Kyou's and Yukine's) did a great job capturing the spirit of each character in their individual themes. But there's still one heroine's theme left, a theme which cannot be topped:

Nagisa's theme, simply titled "Nagisa," is possibly one of the most beautiful songs I've ever heard. When just listening to the song, it may seem like a nice piano piece, but nothing too mind-blowing. After watching the entire anime and truly connecting with the character, this song goes beyond powerful. If you really felt emotion while watching this show, then I think this song will be connected to your emotion in an indescribable way. That's just the power of it. And you can thank Jun Maeda for this song; he created the scenario for the Clannad visual novel (along with Air and Kanon before it, among others), and he wrote some of the most beautiful songs from it; if you think about it, he's basically the creator of Clannad.

I think the majority of really powerful songs in Clannad where written by Jun Maeda. He created such masterful pieces as "To the Same Heights" (which is the basis for a good part of the melody of the After Story opening song), "Distant Years," and the variations on Nagisa's theme, "Nagisa ~ Farewell at the Foot of the Hill" and the song from Episode 22 of After Story (which he also wrote lyrics to), "Chiisana Te No Hira." He also wrote one of my other favorite songs from Clannad: "The Place Where Wishes Come True." I especially like the second, longer version of it:

Now, I know I may be boring some of you with my ranting about music. I'm sorry if I am. But I love music, and I especially love the music of Clannad. It is so powerful, beautiful, and emotional. For me, Clannad is the most emotional series I've ever watched; it's the only thing I can ever remember watching that made me cry (and continues to make me cry); that means that the music is connected to that, for me, so the music is some of the most emotional music I've ever heard. If you've watched all of Clannad, and you've felt genuine emotion during it, I'd encourage you to listen to the songs I've embedded in here, and maybe follow some of the links. I think then you'd understand what I mean by the emotion connected to these songs.

And I can't end a post on an anime's music without discussing the openings and closings. Here's the quick rundown: the opening of Clannad is "Mag Mell -cuckool mix-" by Eufonius; the ending is "Dango Daikazoku" by Chata. The opening of After Story is "Toki o Kizamu Uta" by Lia, and the ending is "Torch" by Lia. Personally, I like the openings of both (and I'll admit, the After Story opening is the better of the two), but I don't like the ending of After Story. It's too happy and peppy for a show so heavy on drama. After some of the truly emotional episodes (like Nagisa's death, Tomoya's reunion with Ushio, and the collapse of both of them in the snow), it feels terrible; I read one reviewer describe it as a "sin" to keep that song as the ending. While that might be little extreme, I definitely dislike that song, and after those very powerful episodes, I even despise it. But without a doubt, my favorite song from all of Clannad is the first closing: "Dango Daikazoku." I think it sums up the show perfectly, and its melody is based on Nagisa's theme. It's my official favorite song of all time.

Thanks for reading this informational rant. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: Image is from Google Image Search. All videos were found on YouTube; I don't know the creators of these videos, and I did not ask their permission to link to them or embed them here. If they run across this and wish me to remove their videos from this post, I will be sad, but I will comply with their wishes.

春原陽平(Sunohara Youhei)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:01:00 +0000

“When I was a kid, I had so many things I wanted to become…a soccer player…a pilot…a teacher…and…a toilet seat cover!”

Sunohara Youhei is the most often seen background character in the first season of Clannad; his arc takes place during Episodes 2 through 4 of After Story. Like the other high school characters in Clannad, he is rarely seen after the first third or so of After Story.

Personality

Sunohara (as he is commonly referred to) is a somewhat immature, antagonistic, loud, obnoxious, at times girl-crazy high school senior who is also a fan of (and more often a victim of) jokes and pranks. Much of his time in Clannad is spent showcasing this humorous personality, especially its relentless gullibility. For instance, Tomoya (his best friend) has no problem convincing Sunohara that he slept for 100 years, or that he has to say "and a toilet seat cover" after every sentence to match his personality. He can also be creative at times in planning jokes on or in trying to manipulate others. A quick temper is one of his faults, which normally leads to violence (that he usually suffers from). Actually, many of his jokes can also lead to violence against him, such as, for instance, a practical joke he and Tomoya pulled on Kyou. He can be a bit carefree and, at times, even apathetic (he is a delinquent, after all), but in a pinch he can be called on to help out his friends and family (though sometimes it might take a little push...or a large one). Overall, his joking, comedic, trouble-making personality can be seen well in his first appearance:

Story

Sunohara begins the story as Tomoya's best friend. Since they're both avid delinquents, it didn't take them long to find each other once they started high school, and they quickly became best friends. Their friendship is one where playing jokes on each other is okay, and even encouraged (at least Tomoya views it that way). One great example of this from early in the show is in Sunohara's final encounter with Tomoyo. After seeing Tomoyo demolish some bikers, Sunohara suspects that she was really a guy, not a girl, so he decides to go about proving it (which usually leads to his getting pummeled by her kicks). After five such incidents (see them here, here, here, here, and here), Sunohara finally accepts Tomoyo is a girl...and then he tries to seduce her (based on Tomoya's nonsensical advice). Of course, this ends badly, with him being beaten beyond recognition (by both Tomoyo and Tomoya together, oddly enough).

This series of altercations with Tomoyo represents Sunohara's first real part in the story, even though it doesn't really connect with the main plot (although this violent relationship between the two lasts for basically the rest of the series). Sunohara doesn't really do too much plot-wise, at least directly; he's more of a very prominent supporting character. For instance, he gives Tomoya lots of advice (most of which is useless) and is almost always at his side. He helps with passing out Fuko's starfish, and he brings to light her being forgotten...and he soon forgets her as well. Even before this, he helps Nagisa enlist Ryou's support for the drama club, in a somewhat misleading fashion. His comedic moments are many and varied, but his next major plot moment comes when the drama club is trying to secure an adviser. One of the members of the choir club threatens Nagisa for trying to get Koumura-sensei to advise the drama club instead of the choir club, and Sunohara helps confront this girl. He's also the one who (thanks to some inspiration by Yukine) comes up with the idea for the basketball game to get the choir club to back down on its fervent desire for Koumura-sensei as an adviser.

After winning, along with Kyou and Tomoya, the above-mentioned basketball game, Sunohara fades more into the background again. Due to Tomoya's suggestion, he is woken up by Tomoyo every morning so he will stop being late for class. Besides that, he doesn't really feature much into the end of the first season of Clannad: that's basically devoted to Tomoya and the Furukawas. At the beginning of After Story, he helps recruit Yoshino (whose music he is a big fan of) for the neighborhood baseball game, and he plays in said game as well. After this episode is when Sunohara truly has his fifteen minutes (more like 60 minutes, since his arc is three episodes) of fame.

In the extra episode of the first season of Clannad, Mei, Sunohara's younger sister, returns to the town and stays with the Furukawas. Earlier on, around the time of the basketball game (her first appearance can be seen in the above link where Sunohara explains the meaning of the basketball game), she had visited and stayed with them, leading to humorous moments of comedy with Sunohara. At the beginning of After Story, she is still in town from the extra episode, and this sets the stage for the arc of the Sunoharas (for it involves both of them).

Mei, who is extremely mature for her age, is worried about her brother, because he seems so lost, immature, and hopeless...and one sign of this is his lack of a girlfriend. Tomoya hears Sunohara mention this feeling of his sister's, so the former decides to help the latter get a fake girlfriend. After asking Ryou, Kyou, Tomoyo, and random girls on the street (those meetings don't end well), the pair is dejected at their failure. But then, an unexpected person offers to help out: Sanae, Nagisa's mother. Sunohara whole-heartedly agrees to this (did I mention that he thinks Sanae is Nagisa's older sister, not her mother?). Sanae uses a box of theater costumes to dress like a schoolgirl, and she goes by the name of Isogai Sanako (Isogai is the last name of the Furukawa's neighbor, which Fuko just happened to use when hiding her identity). Sunohara takes the whole plan a bit too seriously, almost seeming to convince himself that she is his real girlfriend. This is seen blatantly when they are practicing for the date, and when Sunohara dresses up very nicely and pretends to stand outside all night waiting for their real date. He does look rather spiffy in his suit.

Mei, Nagisa, and Tomoya follow Sunohara and Sanae around on their fake date, and it goes "well" (as well as any male-female interaction can go when Sunohara is around)...for a while. Near the end of this "date," the group spies a little girl being bullied on a playground. Sanae suggests helping her, but Sunohara blows it off. Suddenly, an older boy runs out of nowhere and chases the bullies off; it appears he is her brother. The two are lost, though, so Sanae, due to Sunohara's apathy, eventually goes over and offers to help them find their home. In the end, then, everything works out for the kids. But Mei looks worried...

Soon after, she explains to Nagisa and Tomoya why the kids affected her so much: they were exactly as she and her brother were when they were younger. She would get bullied, and her brother would fend off the bullies. As Sunohara got older and better at soccer, though, they started to drift apart. Mei wants the caring brother back she used to have, so she comes up with a daring plan to elicit a response from him: she lies. Mei tells Sunohara that the real reason she came to visit the city was to see a boy she liked. She says the boy is older than her and is teaching her lots of "mature things." Sunohara is slightly annoyed at first, but he quickly returns to apathy. Then Mei runs outside to meet her boy, and Sunohara does nothing. Nagisa runs out after Mei, and Tomoya rebukes Sunohara, but to no avail.

Sunohara continues to be apathetic, only sitting around, longing for phone calls from Sanae, ignoring Mei. As he says once, "When faced with this beautiful thing called love, who has time for a little sister?" While he is doing this, Tomoya takes Mei out to see the city, leading to an encounter with Sunohara, where he claims to be her boyfriend...and Sunohara doesn't care. Mei is becoming more and more troubled by her brother's apathy: it's even to the point of him skipping school. She tries one last ditch effort to help him: get him back on the soccer team. When he was a first year high school student, Sunohara got on the soccer team, and played well, but he couldn't stand when the older students would make fun of him and ridicule him for being younger. One day he snapped at them and was kicked off the soccer team. When Mei, Tomoya, and Nagisa go the soccer team to ask for Sunohara's readmittance, they are forced to go through the long, grueling task of collecting soccer balls, only to have their request denied. Mei won't give up, though. The three persist in their request, and in return the soccer team grabs Mei and causes her to cry, when suddenly Sunohara appears and begins to beat them down: his brotherly nature has returned.

After he and Tomoya beat down the soccer team, everyone collapses outside in the rain...but the fighting's not over yet. Tomoya rebukes Sunohara for his failing to be a good brother until now, in the wake of all of Mei's provocation, and they begin to fight.

In the midst of fighting, Sunohara offers some rationale: when he found out that Mei's older boyfriend was Tomoya, he was fine with it, because he trusts Tomoya. At the end of the vicious fist fight, the two friends fall on the ground laughing, and Tomoya explains their backstory: they were both delinquents taken to a teacher's office for fighting early on in high school. When they each saw how the other looked, covered in scratches and bruises, they couldn't help but laugh at each other and themselves, and thus they became best friends. After this montage of their friendship, Mei leaves once again.

Following his arc, Sunohara becomes a background character again, but he's still present for a while. Due to his altercation with Misae, his dorm mother, Nagisa and Tomoya begin a conversation with her, leading to her story arc. And during Yukine's story arc involving her gang, Sunohara pretends to be her older brother, the gang leader. Then he leaves like everyone else after high school; he dyes his hair black, and at the New Year's Party, he asks Tomoya what it's like to be a father. In his final shot, he's shown driving a car...or attempting to, at least.

Effect on the Main Plot

Most of Sunohara's effects on the plot are described in the "Story" section: it's easier to just read them there than to discuss them again here. Mainly, he is a good friend to Tomoya, and, while he is pretty immature a lot of the time, he still helps his friend out as best he can. The fact that he is almost always at Tomoya's side throughout high school means he becomes involved in basically everything Tomoya is involved in, whether it's the drama club, the starfish, the play, the baseball game, Yukine's gang, everything. His actions are a mix of small things and big things that altogether help advance the plot of many minor arcs and of the entire plot overall: he does support Tomoya and Nagisa (no matter how much he has a crush on Nagisa for a while due to her parents' bakery...). So while there's no one big thing that Sunohara does to affect the main plot, a lot of his actions do affect it in some way, and almost all of them in the context of his friendship with Tomoya. The montage at the end of this arc illustrates this friendship well.

Themes

Again, the very obvious theme, for Sunohara as well as almost every character in Clannad, is family. Like with Kyou and Ryou and with Fuko and Kouko, Sunohara displays sibling love between him and his sister. Unlike these other examples, though, Sunohara and Mei really show an example of imperfect sibling love. True, we saw a bit of this with Tomoyo and her brother, but only the Sunoharas' story truly delves into this imperfection and its effects. Sunohara, at the very least during his story arc, is very much an example of a bad brother. He lies to his sister (about the girlfriend), and he is apathetic concerning her, as he is apathetic towards most things. Even when she tells him she is dating an older man (a large age difference in a couple always has the possibility to be precarious, but it's downright disturbing when it's a middle school girl and a guy who's a senior in high school), he basically shrugs it off. This is very blatantly not an example of a good sibling relationship. But what's important is that this relationship changes: it improves. Change is an important theme in Clannad, so it's good to see some here. In the end, Sunohara shows what it means to be a good brother: he comes to his sister's defense; he protects her; he cares for her. That's a special thing about the sibling relationship with the Sunoharas: it starts off imperfect, but it improves, and we get deep insight into it the whole way.

Outside of that, there's not too many themes in Sunohara's story. There's nothing supernatural directly related to him; he shows a little perseverance (like when he tries to get people to recognize Fuko as they start to forget); self-sacrifice isn't too big a theme with him (unless you count him taking on the dangerous role of Yukine's brother, the gang leader). Really, the only other theme would be the influence of the past on the present (which I should have been mentioning more often with other characters). Sunohara mentions how he hates club activities; that's due to his being kicked out of the soccer team as a sophomore. His prior actions as a good brother also influence how Mei expects him to be (which I'll discuss more in her profile). It's not extremely prominent with Sunohara, but it's still there.

Reflection

Sunohara is a comic relief character: there's no denying that. A lot of the funniest moments in the series come from his actions (such as the scene linked to above where Nagisa believes him to be in love with Okazaki, or the classic "something light blue" scene). But, like all characters in Clannad, he also has a dramatic side, which is really cool. I love the fact that in Clannad, even the obvious comic relief character has his moment to reveal truth and pull at your heartstrings. It's one of the great things about the show. Even though sometimes you wonder if Sunohara is even a hnau (if you don't know what that is, read C.S. Lewis' Out of the Silent Planet), he still shows his emotional, relational side. It's just so amazing!

Besides that, I don't really have much to say about him. Yes, he is frakking (if you don't know that word, watch Battlestar Galactica, the new version) hilarious most of the time. And yes, his arc was interesting to see. Yes, he did lots of small actions to influence the plot (or plots, if you count minor arcs as separate). But besides that, I don't really have much more to say. I'll just end with this: Sunohara, you are a hilarious character and (eventually) a good brother...and a toilet seat cover.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All clips are from the Clannad Central YouTube channel run by the Clannad (クラナド/Kuranado) fan page on Facebook. All character themes and other music from the show can also be found on said fan page, in the music player. My gratitude to them and all the work they do.

きりひと讃歌 (Ode to Kirihito)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:47:00 +0000

Ode to Kirihito is a medical drama manga from 1970-1971, written by acclaimed manga master Osamu Tezuka (creator of Astro Boy, Black Jack, and the recently-reviewed classic Metropolis). It is the story of Osanai Kirihito, a young doctor intrigued by a strange ailment known as Monmow Disease, which turns all of its sufferers into animalistic creatures with dog-like physical features, cravings for raw meat, and difficult-to-control impulses. Osanai goes to the town of Doggoddale (in the original Japanese, Inugamisawa), where it seems all (or at least most) of reported cases of Monmow Disease originate. As Osanai investigates this ailment, a disturbing change occurs in him, and he is led on a wild odyssey around the world searching for the answers to this disease and trying to return home to Japan. There are also many, many subplots, including the fate of Osanai's fiancee, Yoshinaga Izumi, the aspirations to authority of Osanai's superior, Dr. Tatsugara, the investigations of Osanai's coworker, Dr. Urabe, and the stories of numerous individuals Osanai meets on his journeys around the world.

The art is fantastic. It's dark and edged; defining lines and expert shading abound. All the art is drawn in the style of gekiga ("dramatic pictures"), a term coined by mangaka Yoshihiro Tatsumi to refer to serious comics, in contrast to manga ("irresponsible pictures"). One analogy is that it is like the term "graphic novel" in the United States. In analogical form, manga : gekiga :: comic books : graphic novel. In all, this means that the art is meant to be serious rather than whimsical, and its focus on shading, shadows, darkness, rigid lines, and more realistic imagery certainly portray that.

The story is very complex. All the subplots blend into the main plot, and for the most part everything is resolved. The weaving of the plots is truly masterful, and, unlike Metropolis (which I felt was rushed far too much), the plot makes progress, but it takes its time. The pacing is focused and powerful.

It's hard to do justice to how much the manga makes the reader think. This story is not for the faint-hearted: one major idea in the book is how physical depravity does not equal moral depravity; instead, they can often be opposing forces. The morality is complex, to say the least; things are not black-and-white, although there is a lot of black. Christian symbolism (even to the point of depictions of the Way of the Cross) are surprisingly common (it's rare for manga to reference Christianity), most often in connection with the intriguing (though not perfect) character of Sister Helen Friese. Psychological illness is explored somewhat, although I believe every case of it in the book is violent, adding to the stereotype of the mentally ill as always violent. What it means to be a doctor and the power of altruism are evident here as well. This brief overview is just a glimpse into the fascinating, multi-layered world of this work.

I must say, I think this work far, far surpassed Metropolis, the other manga by the same author I've read. Not only was the pacing much more effective, but the art blew me away. Sometimes I couldn't believe I was reading the same mangaka who created the kid-friendly art of Astro Boy. This is a dark, deep, complex, questioning work. Even though sometimes it may seem like a work that portrays the world as hopeless, on the whole it is positive about the goodness in humans and the dignity of humanity. That's not to say that all the humans in the work are good: far from it; moral depravity is rampant, especially in regards to the terrifying character of Master Mahn (just thinking about him makes me sick). The Christianity (actually, Catholicism: the Christian character is a nun in a convent) present here took me by surprise, but I think it was portrayed very well. While I'm a bit wary on some parts of the Christian character, overall I think it's a positive view of Christianity (for those who actually live it out, that is).

In conclusion, I must say that I was blown away by Ode to Kirihito. While for now I'm giving it a 9/10, further reflection may up that score to a 10: we'll see. It is a complex and challenging work. While I'd love to recommend this manga to everyone, I have to say: Ode to Kirihito is NOT for the weak-hearted. Totaling 822 pages in the single-volume edition, it's a hefty tome. That's just a mild reason for my caution, though; the content can be very disturbing at times. WARNING: This manga portrays much moral depravity (in a negative way, but it's still present) including, but not limited to, racial discrimination, murder of the innocent, prostitution, rape, bestiality, sexual perversions, and disregard for common decency. That's just some of the very blatant stuff that can be summarized easily: there is much more that can be disturbing, but is hard to explain succinctly.

My final comment is this, then: I give Ode to Kirihito a 9/10, and I'd highly recommend it, but only for those who are up for reading a work which can be very disturbing at times. Read at your own risk. But if you are able to get through it and reflect on it, I think you'll find it to be a fascinating and worthwhile read.

Thanks for reading. God bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All images from Google Image Search. Thanks to Wikipedia for background information on this work and on the concept of gekiga.

坂上智代 (Sakagami Tomoyo)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 03:24:00 +0000

"The answer I've found is family...I don't expect others to accept it, but it's the answer I've found for myself."

Sakagami Tomoyo is a often-seen minor character who has some extra prominence in Episodes 17 and 18 of Clannad. She has a somewhat background story arc, involving her backstory and her running for student council president.

(Like with Kyou, I know Tomoyo has an Alternate World episode, but I will not be mentioning that in this post; it may be discussed in a separate post later).

Personality

Tomoyo is high school junior with a knack for physical strength and athletic prowess; she's somewhat of a strong, silent type. While she is not as reserved and untalkative as, say, Kotomi, she doesn't seem to be a fan of unnecessary conversation: her speech is usually direct and to the point. Her most well-known characteristic is her extraordinary strength and athletic ability: she doesn't even break a sweat when disposing of some aggressive bikers (or an annoying Sunohara) with a flurry of quick kicks, and almost every sports team or club wants her as a member. While she has an aggressive side, her violent acts are normally out of self-defense, against gang members, bikers, or crude high school boys. She's also a very determined young woman (hence her theme song's title: "Her Determination"), in terms of her student council aspirations and in terms of protecting her friends.

Overall, her speech-conservative, physically powerful, and protectively determined self can be seen in her first appearance:

Story

As shown in the video above, Tomoyo first appears to defend the school from some aggressive bikers. After seeing this display of fighting prowess, Sunohara decides that Tomoyo is too strong to be a girl, and thus, she must be a guy. This nonsensical idea leads to many awkward scenes between the two of them (with Tomoya in the background), usually ending in Sunohara's destruction under a volley of kicks. Throughout all these scenes, Tomoyo is despaired by the fact that no one treats her like a girl; she doesn't want to be treated like a guy, but Sunohara keeps doing that, so she is noticeably annoyed (his manner of going about it isn't too suave either). All this culminates in the following hilarious scene of Sunohara's complete destruction at Tomoyo's feet:

Following this series of humorous incidents (which can be seen here, here, here, here, here, and above), Tomoyo takes more of a backstage until after Kotomi's arc. Then we learn that she is working to be elected as president of the student council. To get either respectability or practice for being president, she decides to start by correcting the school's delinquency problem. Her way to do that? Go visit the two worst delinquents (Tomoya and Sunohara) and wake them up every morning so that they won't be late to class.

Her focus turns more towards Tomoya rather than Sunohara (though she still wakes him up as well). At one point, she even say she is possibly "interested" in Tomoya. That feeling never becomes too strong, though; their most serious moment is when Tomoyo explains her reasons for wanting to become student council president: to save the cherry trees.

Her backstory (seen above) is summarized thus: when she was younger, she became involved in gang violence, to the point of being a gang leader; her fighting prowess let her easily dominate any competitors. She had a younger brother, though, who saw this violent persona, and it was not a good model for him. As she admits, she was not a good older sister to him. Due to a variety of circumstances (including her fighting, I'm guessing), Tomoyo's parents become cold and even disdainful towards each other, and they declare that they are going to get a divorce. Tomoyo's younger brother can't handle that, so he tells them he will jump off a bridge if they go through with it...and he makes good on his word. Thankfully, he survives the jump, and his radical action knocks a message into the heads of the Sakagami household: family is the most important thing. The parents realize this and reject their plans for a divorce, and Tomoyo rejects her gang ways. As her brother is recovering, the entire family would walk down a path lined with cherry trees, and her brother would comment on how he wished they'd always have family moments like this.

Cut to the present, where some people want to cut down these cherry trees. Tomoyo won't have that, so she strives to be student council president in order to save the trees (the school's trees, since they are located on a hill leading to the school), those trees that, for her, represent the sort of re-creation of her family. As she's explaining all this, Tomoyo offers Tomoya wise words about family (seen in the above video and described in the subsequent sections of this post).

Because of Tomoyo's athletic ability, all the sports teams and clubs have been wanting her to join, and she's been rejecting them. Tomoya thinks, though, that agreeing to play matches against these clubs (and thoroughly defeating them) could boost her reputation and help her election campaign (since her background as a gang leader has been hurting her reputation). During one of these matches, a tennis match, Nagisa is hit by a stray ball, and Tomoya becomes strongly protective of her, and he helps her to medical help.

Following this, Tomoyo fades more into the background. She wins the election and becomes student council president. She works to save the cherry trees, and she helps with the drama club. Misae, Sunohara'sYukine, Sunohara, and others from a rival gang. When Nagisa has to repeat her senior year yet again, she ends up being in the same class as Tomoyo for a year. At the New Year's Party get-together, Tomoyo is only present via postcard. Her final shot shows her standing on a beach, her hair blowing in the oceanic breeze.

Effect on Main Plot

Like Kyou and Ryou, Tomoyo is another girl whose feelings Tomoya rejects in favor of Nagisa, although Tomoyo's interest seems weaker than theirs. She provides some support for Nagisa's drama club, especially with her involvement in the student council. She's there as a friend when Nagisa has to repeat her senior year the second time. Overall, her most direct connection to Nagisa and Tomoya's relationship would be the tennis match mentioned above, where Tomoya, in actions rather than words, declares his commitment to Nagisa. Without the setting of the tennis match to build Tomoyo's reputation, that important moment might not have occurred.

One thing she does that could affect Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship is saving the cherry trees. Those trees play a key part in their relationship, I think: they first met on the hill lined with those trees, so I think their relationship is somehow connected to them. The first shot of them after their marriage shows them under those cherry trees (if I recall correctly). And when Tomoya is going through his emotional crisis during the last two episodes, he always brings himself back to that meeting under the trees. I feel like saving those trees is a bit like saving a symbol of their relationship: of course, that's just my personal opinion.

The only other thing with Tomoyo that relates to the main plot is her explanation of her backstory, especially her comments on the importance of family. I think these are helpful (maybe only implicitly) to Tomoya in his realization of the true worth of family. These comments will be discussed in the Themes section below.

Themes

Like I said, family is a big theme with Tomoyo, as in Clannad as a whole. Before I discuss that, though, I want to mention one other theme Tomoyo's story has helped me notice: breaking out of conventions. I don't mean rejecting social conventions and becoming "alternative" or reverting to the 1960s. I mean more of breaking out of stereotypes or other peoples' false views of you. Tomoyo's example is her desire for people to see her as a girl. Due to her exceptional physical ability and speech-sparse, somewhat emotionally detached demeanor, some people view her as extremely masculine. The extreme example of this is Sunohara, who is determined to prove that Tomoyo is truly a guy, as seen in the clip below:

While Tomoyo doesn't mention this too often, it's a part of her character. She wants people to recognize her femininity and not treat her as a man just because she is strong and detached. Sometimes she even apologizes for utilizing her strength because she feels it makes her less feminine, as she mentions once when she is batting. Though it's a bit of a minor theme for Tomoyo, it's present in other parts of Clannad as well: people can't fit into simple labels. For instance, Fuko is a childish, hyperactive girl, but she also cares deeply for her sister; Kotomi can often be a social recluse who seems to only care about studying, but she still wants friends, and she loves to play the violin (however badly); Tomoya is a delinquent, but he is truly courageous and compassionate, not selfish and harsh, as the stereotypical delinquent is. Thus Tomoyo has helped me recognize this theme in Clannad.

Now, back to her main theme: family. As you can see in her backstory above, her family is what led her away from her life as a gang leader. Her brother's desperate action showed her and her parents how important family is. Like I mentioned with Kotomi, people's personal growth can be stunted or stopped altogether without familial love. I think Tomoyo's brother realized that, and so he risked his life to keep his family together, because he knows how important it truly is.

In explaining her backstory to Tomoya, I think Tomoyo helped him learn how important family is. At the very least, her story is one of the many examples Tomoya runs into of how essential family is to a true, full life. Tomoyo discusses how rebellion is a constant temptation, and it can be ruinous if lived out; thankfully, many people are able to control that disastrous impulse. But why? “The answer I’ve found is family. If you have family, you’ll be able to restrain yourself….The thing is to have something like a family. I don’t expect others to accept it, but it’s the answer I’ve found for myself.” I think that's the answer not only for Tomoyo, but also for Tomoya, and for everyone. She admits that sometimes your family can actually be your friends, not your biological or legal family (which is how Tomoya manages to survive and grow, at least for the first season of Clannad)), but she won't give up the fact that you need some sort of support system, some type of family, to truly live. And family is not always perfect; a family is made of imperfect humans, and thus they can fail us; they can turn cold and sometimes cruel. But, as Tomoyo says, “No matter how cold they seem, what’s precious hasn’t changed. I believe family is something like that.” And that's a message that resonates through the show; it's especially important in the second half of After Story. In the end, then, Tomoyo helps to teach Tomoya and us some important lessons about the essentiality of family.

Reflection

Tomoyo's not among my top favorite characters of Clannad, but she's still a good one. Her backstory is great, and her beatings of Sunohara add good comic relief during the first season. I just didn't connect with her character as much as some of my friends did (again, I have friends who's favorite character is Tomoyo, just like with all the other girls; they say part of it is due to her Alternate World episode). One interesting opinion I heard about her though is that she's sort of the runner-up to Nagisa: a.k.a., if Nagisa wasn't in the show, Tomoya would end up with Tomoyo. The proponents of this opinion point to Tomoyo's strong, caring nature, which is similar to Nagisa's. While I can't imagine Tomoyo ending up with anyone other than Nagisa, I guess the creators of Clannad could, because the original visual novel had a sequel called Tomoyo After, which is (as you can probably guess) basically After Story with Tomoyo (although the events are very different).

All in all, Tomoyo's a good character, but her personality isn't delved into too much, besides her backstory (and her Alternate World stuff). So, while she's a good character, she's not my favorite. I do appreciate her saving the cherry trees, though: cherry blossoms are beautiful.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) (Rumbling Hearts)

noreply@blogger.com (Wolfsbane) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 07:06:00 +0000

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (Literal translation: The Eternity You Desire), released in the U.S. as Rumbling Hearts, is a 2003-2004 romantic drama anime based on a 2001 visual novel of the same name (a visual novel that definitely fits in the dating sim category). The story centers mainly on Takayuki Narumi (Japanese name order is used in this post) and his two friends Suzumiya Haruka and Hayase Mitsuki. After a terrible tragedy occurs early in the show, the relationships among these friends and others (including their mutual friend Taira Shinji and Haruka's sister, Suzumiya Akane) are radically altered. The anime explores these relationships and the effects of the tragedy on them; it is often cited as an accurate depiction of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the characters, due to this tragedy. A major theme of the series is the necessity to take action, commit, and make decisions, not to just let life happen to you.

As for my reaction to the series, here it is: the art is pretty good, but nothing spectacular; I'd count the music the same way: it's unobtrusive, but not a soundtrack that really stands out to me. The plot moves slowly, especially in the opening episodes before the tragedy; I often felt bored at times, due to the slow plot. There is some comic relief in the series (mostly from the two waitresses at Narumi's work), but overall it is very heavy on relational drama. For a while when I watched the show, I was undecided about whether to watch it; each episode I'd think, "That was okay, but I have a feeling it'll really take off in the next episode." While I'm not sure if it really "took off" as I wanted until the last episode, but I did end up growing somewhat attached to these characters, to Haruka at least. In conclusion, I found Kiminozo (as it is often abbreviated) to be a somewhat engaging anime with a worthy theme, but I wouldn't consider it top-tier. I give Rumbling Hearts a 7/10. WARNING: There is some nudity and sexual content in this anime, along with some instances of mild cursing (mostly from one of the waitresses); the tragedy involves some bloodshed as well, so it could possibly be disturbing.

A Deeper Look

As I said above, I think a main theme of Rumbling Hearts is the need for action. Most of the show's tension came from lack of action on the characters' parts. This also caused tension for me: I, like other viewers of this show, often wanted to smack some of these characters in the head, particularly Narumi. The majority of the drama in the show comes about from his lack of commitment: he won't choose between Haruka and Mitsuki. Now, I realize part of that might come from the PTSD, but I think it's something that's in the show from the beginning. For instance: when Haruka first confesses to him, he doesn't really give a definite response. And after he finally goes to her and says he'll date her, Shinji complains that Narumi won't take Haruka on a real date. And then when Narumi actually has plans with Haruka, he doesn't carry them out: he gets distracted by Mitsuki. Now, I know he's just trying to be a friend to her, but he could at least let Haruka know when he's going to stand her up, like at the festival! I also can't help thinking that if Narumi didn't stop to buy a ring for Mitsuki, he could have made it to the station in time and saved Haruka from the accident.

And that's just the first two episodes. I feel like most of the show is about Narumi not making a real decision: for a while, it seems like he only sees Mitsuki because Haruka is in a coma (hence her complaint of being Haruka's "replacement"). If Narumi would pick one or the other, Mitsuki or Haruka, the former wouldn't have gotten drunk repeatedly, slept with Shinji, and left Narumi, and the latter wouldn't have been led on so much. I think the show teaches by negative example; it shows, "Here's what happens when you don't take action and don't make commitments." By showing you the consequences of inaction and apathy, it drives you to actually do things.

Then again, maybe I'm being too hard on these characters. They did suffer a major tragedy, and they have PTSD (from what I've read). It's obvious that his affected Narumi very harshly at first, as shown in the flashbacks of Episode 5. But I can't help feeling that some of it is Narumi's fault as well; like I said, he showed signs of inaction and apathy before the tragedy. But, all in all, I think the show really is about how Narumi's inaction hurts everyone, himself included; isn't that what Shinji tries to knock into him multiple times?

On a side note, I could also say that the show (implicitly) depicts some results of premarital sex. I mean, Narumi had sex with both Haruka and Mitsuki, thus forming a deep bond with both of them...if he hadn't had sex, would he have been able to decide easier, and thus save everyone lots of pain and hurt? That's probably just me reading a message I want to see into the work, but it's something to think about.

In conclusion, then, Rumbling Hearts is not a show I'd watch again, and probably not one I'd really recommend. It does have some value, though, in teaching the dangers of inaction and apathy. I also have to admit that the "farewell" scene with Haruka and Narumi hit my heart a bit because it was bittersweet: Narumi didn't choose Haruka (the girl I was rooting for), but he did finally learn to make a decision. And that was Haruka's gift to him, as it was Mayauru's gift to his friend.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: The first two images come from Google Image Search, while the last image is a screenshot I made from the video of the final episode on Funimation's website. Thanks to Wikipedia for providing me with background information about the show, especially about the PTSD present in it.

クラナドの大家族 (The Big Family of Clannad)

A Distant Starlight

古河早苗 (Furukawa Sanae)

古河秋生 (Furukawa Akio)

A Reflection on the Eishes Chayil

崖の上のポニョ (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

岡崎史乃 (Okazaki Shino)

岡崎直幸 (Okazaki Naoyuki)

Remembering 今敏 (Kon Satoshi)

芳野祐介 (Yoshino Yuusuke)

伊吹公子 / 芳野公子 (Ibuki Kouko / Yoshino Kouko)

宮沢有紀寧 (Miyazawa Yukine)

幸村俊夫 (Koumura Toshio)

7 Favorite Anime Openings (As of Right Now)

The (Minor) Minor Characters of Clannad

Air: Links to Clannad

Kikuchiyo: An Unlikely Hero (Seven Samurai)

A Drifting Life

志麻賀津紀 (Shima Katsuki)

相楽美佐枝 (Sagara Misae)

春原芽衣 (Sunohara Mei)

The Music of Clannad

春原陽平(Sunohara Youhei)

きりひと讃歌 (Ode to Kirihito)

坂上智代 (Sakagami Tomoyo)

君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) (Rumbling Hearts)

幸村俊夫　(Koumura Toshio)