Clannad appeared like a traditional on a regular basis drama, however its heart-wrenching second season fully ripped the ground out from underneath characters and viewers.
WARNING: The next incorporates spoilers for Clannad, accessible on.
Each anime has inside it the capability to completely destroy the feelings of any given viewer. From Naruto to Higurashi, any sequence can take you without warning. There’s nonetheless one anime, nonetheless, that reigns supreme when it comes to outright miserable disappointment. As an example, Clannad appeared like a reasonably regular on a regular basis drama, however its heartwrenching second season fully ripped the ground out from underneath the characters, and the viewers.
Seemingly giving the primary character the whole lot he ever needed earlier than violently taking it away from him, Clannad succeeds so nicely at being unhappy thanks partly to how blissful it was beforehand. This is a have a look at precisely why Clannad, particularly its second season, continues to be the saddest anime ever.
Clannad & Clannad After Story
The Clannad anime produced by Kyoto Animation was an adaptation of a Key visible novel sequence. Whereas arguably a type of slice-of-life harem, the sequence would finally delve into a lot deeper and darker territory. The protagonist, Tomoya, is a slacker high school student with a carefree angle, losing away his tutorial profession down within the doldrums.
His angle modifications when unwittingly befriends a wierd lady named Nagisa, whose dream is to revive her drama membership. Feeling that there is nothing higher to do, Tomoya aids her in her quest, finally befriending a number of different women. By means of serving to all of them with their issues, Tomoya himself begins to open up, having fun with and appreciating life much more.
Nonetheless, the second season, Clannad After Story, is the place issues actually take a flip for the melancholy. A number of years after the primary season, Tomoya and Nagisa are actually adults in love and hope to start out a household of their very own. Issues change into a bit extra severe than ordinary when the day by day grind of grownup life begins to put on on the 2. Later, Nagisa is recognized with a wierd sickness that claims her life proper after she delivers her and Tomoya’s youngster Ushio.
This sends Tomoya right into a darkish melancholy, as he leaves his youngster, who he is fully unable to change into hooked up to, within the care of his buddies. What follows is an emotional rollercoaster of highs and lows that makes what started as a easy harem-esque anime an unforgettably unhappy journey..
Why Clannad Is So Unhappy?
Clannad succeeds so nicely at being unhappy due to the truth that for probably the most half, the story is not. The primary season had its personal unhappy drama, however nothing too disheartening. On the identical time, it was lifelike nearly to the purpose of mundanity, showcasing highschool life and drama in a manner that never felt over the top or ridiculous. This was ramped up in After Story with how realistically the solid started to take care of the responsibilities of adulthood, in addition to how their city was altering together with the circumstances of their lives.
This plausible storytelling and nearly full lack of the supernatural improve the tone when issues do lastly take a flip for the worst. Not solely have viewers come to know and develop with the solid, referring to their trials and struggles in and out of doors of highschool, however they’re ready really feel for them once they take care of horrendous issues which are nonetheless actual. Individuals who have watched buddies, mother and father and even youngsters die from ailments or different unlucky conditions know precisely how Tomoya feels, particularly for viewers who could have deliberate lives with misplaced family members in the identical manner that he did.
This is not a scenario the place unhappy conditions come from people dying in battle or making an attempt to guard the world towards monsters or alien invaders. Clannad depicts an all-too-real situation with responses which are additionally grounded in actuality. This closely contrasts tonally comparable shows like Elfen Lied, the place makes an attempt to be unhappy are simply as excessive, excessive and pointless as the whole lot else within the sequence. This, mixed with a lot of what else Clannad had going for it, is what units it aside amongst different sentimental anime, attending to the center of its characters and themes in a manner that tugs on the coronary heart of the viewers like no different present.
These desirous to cry their eyes out are additionally in luck, because the present’s simpler than ever to look at. Together with Hello-Dive and VRV, the present can be streamed on Hulu and Netflix.
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