How many times now have they re-dubbed this fucking scene?

Boring recap was boring, but at least you have a choice of watching it or not since the story’s done.

Jay’s Final thoughts

Clannad at times just felt really slow to me, especially during the earlier Fuko and Kotomi arcs but it’s harder to distinguish when the series is a slice-of-life anime anyway and one of the reasons why I enjoy them. The only times that felt like they REALLY wasted time were the Fuko reappearances during the 1st season; although somewhat enjoyable, the significance of them dropped to absolute zero by the time After Story kicked in.

For After Story itself, most of it just continued to be an extension of Clannad, since the actual story wasn’t carried out until less than halfway through the series, and thus can really be considered a 12-episode series. That said, I guess it dispelled my worries that those short amount of episodes wouldn’t be enough to tell the story properly, though, and I’ve mentioned this before, the execution of the links between the real and Illusionary World were very rushed, being resolved less than 5 minutes into the final episode.

Overall, the series had it’s Key-quality and adapted fairly well. I didn’t think it was good as Kanon: as sad as Nagisa and Ushio’s deaths were, Kanon still beats it in number of breakdowns for me, but that’s just me (keep in mind, I haven’t watched AIR yet…so I guess all my credibility is taken away).

Got my fucking picnic scene, but nobody’s even there. O_O

Now for Shirukii’s thoughts…

Dearest KyoAni,

I hate you. Recap episode + 30 seconds of “new” footage a finale does not make.

Cheers,
~ Shirukii ~

Post Script: Despite your lackluster rendition of this series, I still eagerly await your Little Busters anime. Don’t fuck it up.

Jay: …Well, fine. ] :

I agree though: Little Busters! better be coming up soon. Preferably before Lucky Star K-ON! ends.

Oooh, school life nostalgia.

-2 years off Nagisa’s lifespan because of this. What a great (future) husband.

Didn’t really like Nagisa part of the episode, mainly because I just realized how boring Nagisa is when she’s not with any of the others. We know Nagisa gets eccentric at things, so it’s not all that amusing the next time around, especially with characters we know nothing about. Her friend-making at the end felt kinda pointless and bittersweet, since Lala-san (I sweat that’s Tomatsu Haruka from to-LOVE-ru, Kannagi) is destined not to show up later. Hell, I bet she probably forgot about her after graduation and didn’t even know Nagisa died pre-reset. Some friend. D:<

FUCK YEAR, KYOU FANSERVICE.

Still, it’s nice to have an “Episode 0,” the main draw being Tomoya and Sunohara’s first meeting with Kyou and consequently the beginning of Kyou’s attraction to Tomoya; I wonder why they didn’t go ahead and have Ryou’s own first meeting with them, but I was too busy with the return of tsuntsun-deredere Kyou (you know, back when he had a chance?) to care, as I’m sure we all were. I guess it’s KeyAni’s way of making up for the poor integration/almost complete axing of her route from the main story; it won’t ever make up for it, but if they were able to take Yukine’s romance-centric route and turn it into a gang fight, maybe I’d rather not see what might happen…but that’s another rant for another day.

Aaaaaand, one more for the road here…

Attack it’s weak point, etc.

And crabs are expensively delicious. How could THIS bread possibly taste horrible? Has Akio not heard of motherfucking crab cakes?

PREVIEW

…WTF? Instead of animating something interesting like Kyou Route or Reunion, it’s a fucking compilation episode? Unless it’s everyone remembering stuff at a picnic or something, I really see little point in one.

Unless they’re stalling to announce Little Busters!….probably not. ;A;

…So, do we put closing thoughts now or later?

*Pac-Man sound effects*

-Jay

Screw you KeyAni, screw you and your bullshit miracles.

Let me assert a belief of mine before going onto my rant: reset endings, wherein previously killed characters return to life, suck. If you disagree with that, stop reading now.

Reset endings are terrible excuses for series finales, it didn’t work for Mai HiME, it didn’t work for Wolf’s Rain and it didn’t work for Clannad, tainting otherwise excellent series in each case. Reset endings are stupid primarily because they invalidate all the emotions felt during the deaths of the characters that return to life. Both Nagisa and Ushio’s deaths had profound impacts on the characters in the show and those watching it. Tomoya was thrown into 5 years of emotional ruin because of his wife’s death, building a strong sense of sorrow and pity in the viewers, almost as if we were going through the grief with him.

We watched on as a childish delinquent pulled his life together in the name of love and the hell his life became when that was snatched away from him. Then we saw it happen all over again with his daughter Ushio. The deaths of those characters, whom we had grown to know and care for were BAAAW worthy moments, sending many an anime fan into honest to god tears. Then, in the last 15 minutes of a four cour anime series, spanning over a year, it’s all undone.

I suppose the counter to my argument would be that Tomoya endured his share of hardship and in the end deserved to be rewarded for his efforts and suffering. While I agree with that sentiment, is it inconceivable that he could be happy otherwise? If the ending were to have done the same, transported Tomoya to the alternate world and given him one last talk with Ushio, and then thrown him back in the snow with a dead daughter in his arms, it sure as hell would have taken him longer to get over it, but he would, Tomoya’s a strong person.

The whole thing with Fuko didn’t exactly serve to make this a more enjoyable finale either, my dislike for her having been voiced many times in the past. I find Fuko to be a gag character with one joke that’s been played ad infinitum since her appearance. Yeah, okay, she’s an eccentric ball of energy who clings onto cute things on sight, acts half her age and likes starfish, I get it.

Also,

WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!

So, in conclusion…

FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck

Jay will likely be along soon with a proper, and less hate filled, summary and review, touching upon story elements and whatnot, since I believe he actually enjoyed it.

~ Shirukii ~

Jay’s thoughts

To clarify, yes, I did actually enjoy it. ^^; Since this was an important episode, I would’ve normally done a summary, but I’ve got midterms to study for, so I’ll just be leaving some quick thoughts since Shirukii’s already done most of the job for me.

Everything after the snow part, anyways, since I really didn’t understand everything Illusionary-World Ushio said about being the world and what not. From what I understand, the Okazaki family all reincarnated into another world where Nagisa lives? This whole parallel world stuff was always left vague, so it’s sudden importance makes it feel too deus ex and convenient, even with Tomoya’s light from a few episodes ago. I’m sure it would really bore the viewers, but maybe they should’ve taken a bit more time to explain the mechanics of the lights and such, or at least word it differently.

It would’ve been better time spent than say, seeing Fuko act moe-tarded for the last 5-minutes, and it’s not as laughable since we don’t have Tomoya’s sarcastic comments to go along with it. I understand she had very little screen time, but even so, they could’ve just included her in the montage. Still, that faux-adult voice sounded pretty hawt… o_o

And no, Mei with boobs is fine too.

So is Cooltomi. What’s NOT fine is…

Bullshit, why is she alone!? ;A;

Tomoyo After. Now.

PREVIEW

It would’ve been great if the next episode was something like a picnic with all the characters, but no, it looks like we’re being treated to Nagisa’s POV of the beginning of Clannad. Maybe there’s a twist at the end where she’s telling all this to a sleeping baby Ushio or something.

How could I have missed the implications? These two are obviously lesbians.

-Jay

Upon confirmation from the doctor that Ushio’s condition matches that of Nagisa’s, and that the cause is unknown, Akio has Tomoya reaffirm that he is Ushio’s father and has to keep his head up. As a result of her illness, Ushio and Tomoya miss sports day.

A month passes without Ushio’s condition getting better. Tomoya decides to quit his job in order to be with Ushio more, compensating the cease of income with the money saved up for Ushio’s schooling. Yusuke wants him to return working when Ushio gets better, and the two exchange screwdrivers as a promise to do so. When Tomoya asks later if Ushio would like anything, she replies that she wants to go on another trip with Tomoya, and complains that she wants to go now when Tomoya states that they’ll go as soon as she’s better. Disheartened that he can’t do something as simple as that for his daughter, Tomoya asks Nagisa what he should do, and ponders that his family seem to always be screwed by the town.

Akio and Tomoya go out shopping together while Sanae and Ushio stay at the apartment. The two stop by the hospital built on the forest Akio took Nagisa the day her conditioned worsened, and Tomoya asks what else will be changed; Akio responds that a shopping mall is being constructed on a hill near the outskirts. Tomoya wonders if the changes going around the city are causing it pain, and if people’s deaths are to be accepted as part of “change.” Akio instead states that the city and it’s inhabitants should be blessed.

Winter has come, Ushio is still in bed, and Tomoya looks exhausted. Ushio once again brings up her wish to go on a trip again, back to the flower field they went to, and that it has to be now. Finally convinced, the two set off, Ushio refusing to be carried and opting to hold hands and walk with her father. Her lack of strength, however, causes her to walk slowly and almost trip. It begins to snow, and Tomoya asks if Ushio likes the snow; Ushio says she does and asks him the same question. Remembering the winter Nagisa died, Tomoya states he does like it. Ushio insists they keep walking, but soon she soon gives in to her weakness. Responding to her questions, Tomoya holds her in his arms before she utters her last words.

“Papa, I love you.”

Not wanting to accept this, Tomoya cries out to Nagisa to save her…

In the Illusionary World, the girl and the doll keep walking, with the girl becoming very cold. At the same time Ushio dies, the girl also collapses. The doll, however, is able to bring her to her feet, and they keep walking. The doll wonders how long it’ll take for them to get there. Soon, however, the girl collapses again.

On his way to school, Tomoya sees a strange-girl talking to herself. He knows that if he talks to her, they’ll date and get married, but that maybe it would be better if they don’t…

Thoughts

So wraps up the 2nd to last episode (not counting the Extra or OVA bound to come after this). Ushio’s death signifies the absolute lowest things can possibly get, and now it’s time for the Key miracle to take place. How they’re going to wrap all this up in one 21-minute episode, I have no idea. I’m guessing the girl from the Illusionary World is supposed to represent Ushio while the doll is somehow supposed to represent Tomoya, but only the Ushio comparison really makes sense to me as they both collapsed from the snow; I was almost ready to assume the doll was Ushio because it was the one that wanted to leave while Ushio was the one who wanted to go on a trip. Now let’s see if Tomoya’s light orb can affect his Illusionary World persona and hopefully change the fate of the family he once had…

…and here I was thinking, if Ushio didn’t die, Kyou would’ve taken over as the wife. Fuck dammit.

PREVIEW

The girl and the doll are seen lying in the snow…

Fuckdammit, every fucking time.

-Jay

Or the montage. Whichever passes time faster.

Kyou makes her triumphant return as a kindergarten teacher, and possesses similarities to Misae in both physical and emotional attributes (at least the peaceful ones; it’s not too hard to imagine their violent personalities being the same beforehand), overall giving her a more mature and caring aura than before as her conversations with Tomoya demonstrated. She even demonstrates some maternal aspects as well that if I wasn’t so sure that Show ▼

, I’d probably say that Kyou would be the logical second-choice for Tomoya…for now anyway.

Fuko indeed showed up again as I predicted, but maybe I ruled out her significance a bit early, since her growing friendship with Ushio seemed pretty focused on; maybe because they both have infantile mindsets, Ushio being just 5 and Fuko being Fuko, it’s plausible that the two end up becoming best/close friends and thus stress the importance, at least on Fuko’s part, of how they are to one another. Of course, since the story is primarily fixed on Tomoya, all this doesn’t necessitate Fuko to play a key role until the end, but she’ll likely show up next episode to at least give some advice or support just like she did here.

Especially after how things ended here. Ushio faints as she enters the room, exhibiting the same signs of Nagisa’s sickness, though I don’t recall it being winter already. It’s even stranger when you consider the fact that, as Kyou stated, she’s much more active than her mom; if I recall, Nagisa was born with her sickness whilst Ushio was acting just fine before now, so much so that she can go off by herself to the hospital built on the grounds Akio took Nagisa years ago and get home without Tomoya apparently noticing…even though it’s night by the time she gets there. o.o Regardless, perhaps we can expect Tomoya to bring her here if her condition worsens…which it probably will…

PREVIEW

Tomoya brings up a good point: his happiness has been taken once before, and now that he’s found a new one, it seems like it’s going to be taken again, even after all the hard work he’s spent in recovering. Ushio is bed-ridden, and I’m left wondering what this wish is that she has: maybe to keep living? Tomoya received the light orb of the town, so maybe it’s effect will kick in now?

…I admit, I lol’d.

-Jay

Just like how the movie ended, only it didn’t suck.

Kinda funny how the moment I have to take a break (i.e. laziness and procrastination) from making entries for Clannad that it all of a sudden becomes “ZOMG FUCKWIN” and produce even more tears than Nagisa’s death, especially since it came immediately afterwards. At the same time, it kinda feels like the pace just sped up even more, but that same excuse is getting old (that remark is probably getting old too o.o), and by doing so it also helps get us to one of the main reasons why we watch a KEY Anime: to cry our hearts out. ;_;

In losing Nagisa, Tomoya degenerates from his former state of happiness and peace by drowning himself in work, gambling, and alcohol. Add it up and the most frustrating part of it becomes apparent: he’s become like his father, and can even be said to be even worse than that as he has disregarded his responsibilities in becoming Ushio’s father, having only seen her a few times and still not have a memorable glance at her face. When he finally sees her for the first in a long while, he acts indifferent towards her and treats her as bluntly as he did to other people before (Including Nagisa, hmm…), making the relationship between the two more akin to that of an older brother/younger sister.

Even after seemingly preferring to spend time with “Akii” and “Sanae-san,” it’s very clear that Ushio wants to get closer to her father, turning to Tomoya on things a child needs help with, and seeking praise and acceptance from him when it doesn’t always come; what becomes especially cruel is the two times where she sees how other parents openly express their love for their children when her own father can’t even be proud or impressed that she can use the bathroom by herself.

Yet, it’s this increasingly frustrating relationship that makes Tomoya’s progress and acceptance into his fatherly role that much more meaningful, whether it be subtle shows of caring like proceeding with the trip planned by Sanae or buying Ushio a toy, to the culmination of his taking responsibility for her by finally taking her to live with her and become the parent he should’ve been years ago; in response Ushio is more than happy to reciprocate these feelings, and accepts the once cold and depressed father she never got to know well enough to call him as such and cries in his arms. All of it felt simply beautiful, and while Tomoya still has a lot to learn about being a father (i.e. What kind of father leaves a 5-year-old all alone in a house…oh yeah, Akio and Sanae…AND Naoyuki… o_o), his attempt and dedication is all very genuine.

The manner in which Tomoya was able to recover was a bit unexpected too: by all of a sudden remembering the times where Naoyuki treated him as his son before the eventual falling out. The way his grandmother retold his father’s past all of a sudden led to Tomoya’s forgiveness felt kind of rushed and a bit unbelievable (He DID permanentely injure Tomoya’s shoulder, after all), but I guess it makes more sense when you realize that Tomoya probably is more understanding now as an adult and knowing how hard it must’ve been for Naoyuki to keep going after having just lost his wife since he is/was in the same situation up until then. Having finally recovered, helping his father recover, and the reconcilation between them before Naoyuki departs brings a satisfying end to the current issues of Tomoya’s life, and you can’t help but be glad for the both of them.

The way Nagisa is remembered also stood out a bit for me, in particular when Tomoya begins to tear up when trying to tell Ushio more about her, and once again when Sanae, who’s usual smiling face and happy attitude, cries for the first time since Nagisa’s death. Really hitting home on the tears these past few weeks.

Fuko’s finally back, still as moe-tarded as before, yet not as obsessed with starfish beyond her sweater apparently; instead, her new favorite thing has taken the form of Ushio, as hinted in the OP. I still don’t actually recall why Fuuko was forgotten by everyone again (I’m pretty sure that by the end of her arc, at least Tomoya and Nagisa remembered her again all of a sudden), and it’s also a bit of a mystery why she all of a sudden recovered in the first place. What’s more, the random “Fuko is here!” appearances from the 1st Season haven’t been explained at all either, and it kinda makes them all seem more irrelevant and a waste of time than it already was. Besides that…if she was a 1st Year when Tomoya was a 3rd Year, how does that make her the same age as him? Anyways, it was…refreshing to see her again since I’ve missed the really dumb humor that comes from her actions (the only thing missing is Tomoya’s advantage-taking of her, but I suppose fatherhood also means he can’t play practical jokes on anyone but Sunohara now), though I doubt we’ll see much of her from now until the final episode save for maybe next episode.

It’s obvious the teacher is Kyou. What isn’t so obvious: how ginormous has Botan gotten in this time?

The doll in the Illusionary World and his inability to create a working machine to fly him and the girl away from the winter here doesn’t seem to represent any situations Tomoya is going through at all, and thus the relevance to it still hasn’t cleared up. Also, if the girl isn’t able to move when it’s cold, why is that she’s able to walk out and embrace the doll just fine and concordingly propose that they just walk out of here? Why didn’t she just suggest that before? The plot thickens.

And finally, the light orbs come back into play again, this time descending upon Tomoya. Recalling on Miyazawa’s explanation that the orbs descend on those in a state of happiness, it also looks like the only ones who can see them are people other than the receiver of the orb. How Ushio was able to see it, who knows, but now that it has appeared, there’s also condition Miyazawa stated that a wish can be granted from it…maybe a wish for Ushio to meet her mother?

PREVIEW

I was a bit surprised that one of the lines in the preview was “Tell your mother goodbye/I’m going!”…then I stopped being stupid and realized Tomoya’s probably referring to the picture. Not much to go on except that the happy days with Ushio seem to be continuing, and that there’s a visitor coming by, most likely Yusuke as part of the favor asked earlier. A Kyou appearance is highly inevitable.

Ahaha~, that’s where Mai’s present ended up.

Bedhead Ushio is D’AAAAAAW.

 -Jay

In the Imaginary World, the doll continues to collect more and more junk, while the girl cannot move because of the coldness of winter. She hugs the doll and gives a heartfelt apology on how she can’t do anything to help. When the doll readies himself to leave, she pleads with him not to leave and always be with her; the doll continues to build the machine because he believes that by flying away from this place, he can accomplish just that. However, the doll soon stops working after concluding that he can’t build, only collect junk, and acknowledges that everything he tries will not pay off…

Preparations for the baby has been progressing smoothly (Nagisa actually LOOKS pregnant), with baby supplies already being purchased and Sanae and occasionally Akio taking care of Nagisa while Tomoya goes to work. One night, when walking Sanae back to the bakery, Tomoya questions whether she dislikes him for being the cause of Nagisa’s change in emotional strength, and wondering if it might’ve been better for her to marry someone more reliable than him. Sanae strongly insists that’s not the case, and while Tomoya apologizes for being so negative, he doesn’t seem too convinced at Sanae’s words, recalling his first meeting with Nagisa at the bottom of the school’s hill…

Christmas (and Nagisa’s birthday) comes around once again, with Nagisa wishing for another Dango Daikazoku doll, and despite Tomoya’s slight protest that they don’t have enough room for more of them, is able to find one at the last minute to give to her as a Christmas present. Akioa and Sanae then propose that they just buy one each year, indeed making the Dango Daikazoku. Tomoya holds the older ones, indulging himself in Nagisa’s scent.

Shortly after, New Year’s comes around, with Sunohara, Kyou and Ryou, and Kotomi coming to spend it at the Okazaki’s apartment; cards are sent from the ones who are instead spending it with family and other friends, along with regards to the baby. Tomoya hands Sunohara Yusuke’s independent album to give to Mei, revealing that Yusuke has decided to start up music once again. Sunohara then shifts the subject about asking Tomoya how it feels knowing you’ll become a parent soon, stating his own fears about becoming a parent in the future; Tomoya responds that he doesn’t feel anything different about it, merely stating that the one he loves is bearing his child and that he’s supporting her. Ryou comments how mysterious life is, and Kotomi brings up a field of study her parents were in, regarding a hidden world that we can’t feel or see from ours, adding that it might not be like that at all. After trying to exlain it with a “simple” explanation, Tomoya concludes that there may be a link between their world and this one, and that they can influence each other one way or another. Tomoya’s memory jumps back to the one-man play Nagisa did back in high school about the girl in a world that ended, but dismisses it when asked. Kotomi then goes on to relate it to the theory of parallel worlds, similar to Kyou’s philosophy regarding fortune telling where there isn’t a set future, but numerous possibilities.

The land where Akio brought Nagisa during her illness is now being built on for the new hospital there. Akio and Tomoya come to witness it, Tomoya stating that if the construction would cease, Nagisa would recover, while Akio calls him an idiot, stating that a hospital where people can be helped is a good thing. He then verifies that Nagisa will indeed choose to give birth at a hospital and that it looks like it’ll snow soon; the snow becomes so bad over the next few days that modes of transportation freeze up.

2 weeks before she’s supposed to be due at the hospital, Nagisa’s contractions start up and she goes into labor. Tomoya looks on helplessly gripping her hand as tight as he can, tortured at the sight of his wife writhing in pain until Sanae shows up with Yagi. With the snow making it impossible to drive, Yagi immediately makes preparations to deliver the baby here, ordering Akio to bring in hot water, for Tomoya to continue supporting and encouraging Nagisa, and teaching Nagisa breathing techniques. The day slowly creeps buy into the next one, feeling like an eternity that won’t end, and Tomoya feeling like his mind beginning to break…

…until he hears a cry and something wrapped in a blanket is passed to his arms. He reaches down to Nagisa’s fainted figure and grasps her hand once more to help her regain conciousness, tearfully showing her the baby crying in his arms: Okazaki Ushio. Nagisa expresses relief that she could give birth to her in their home as she had wanted, but also feels tired and asks if she can rest for a bit. The rest of the world tunes out of his ears as Tomoya pleads with her to talk to him a bit more, or that she can just listen to him as he talks about things: that Ushio looks kind of like a monkey, that she’s so small, that she won’t answer to his call because she doesn’t know who he is, that she’ll probably grow up really fast and enter elementary school, that they can take her there, go to a parent’s meeting or an athletic festival, that even though he’s not very good at this sort of thing that it’ll be their family…

…Nagisa stops breathing, Nagisa stops moving…

Tomoya remembers how she promised to be with him forever, that she gave him, who didn’t want anything to do with anything, a dream, and cries out her name one last time as his memory rewinds from the time they lived together to the time they first met…

In his mind, Tomoya imagines an alternate scenario where he doesn’t call out to Nagisa after she finishes her speech, where he doesn’t go out with her nor propose to her, where Ushio is not born, where this incredible sorrow doesn’t take place…

Thoughts

…So, how many of you cried today? Not much to really say here except “BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAW NAGISAAAAAAA!!!” What happened happened, plain and simple. I don’t think I need to go over how incredibly fucked over Tomoya is going to be over the remaining weeks, or how the Imaginary World is probably going to be the linked world that can influence this one later on. Sorry, there’s really not much to talk about due to it being self-explanatory. Thus, I leave you with…

PREVIEW

Places and people are grayed out, similar to how the first episode started off. Tomoya’s mail is seen piled up on one scene and ripped out the next, while the build up around the apartment seems eerily similar to Tomoya’s dad’s house, with the addition of a broken children’s toy…

;_;

-Jay

We’re back to the family theme this time around, what with the baby coming along and everyone being excited for it’s delivery.

As the episode goes on, however, it almost becomes increasingly morbid, especially whenever Nagisa is present: her expressions always seem to have a bit of sadness in them, and the way she stated about how she wanted to have the baby “even if the worst happens to me” has her presuming that something bad is going to happen with the delivery.

It’s not just her either: Tomoya is also well aware of the probability of something bad happening, especially when being given an update from Sanae about how much more stress Nagisa’s body will have than in a regular pregnancy. The confidence to act as though everything’s all right and say that nothing will happen because of the hard work they’re putting into the baby is shaken everytime Nagisa’s unnatural health comes into play, becoming more and more frightening.

As always, the only source of relief is from Akio’s presence, not just from his usual character, but also from the continued story of Nagisa’s childhood, her close encounter with death, the land that he considers sacred because it was the place where Nagisa finally opened her eyes, and the hope contained in the moral of it all: that putting your best effort towards something will not leave you unrewarded, and that whatever the result happens to be and whatever hardships that come, they, as a family, can overcome them together.

This last scene, with Ushio’s name being chosen and the promise to go to the beach with him/her, was quite tear-jerking: Nagisa’s hesistance to accept it felt like that of a dying person who knows their time has come, while Tomoya’s urge for Nagisa to make the promise showed his desperation to cling onto Nagisa and reject what he knows to be inevitable…

PREVIEW

The Illusionary World is shown again, with the mechanical doll still being hard at work building the flying machine he and the girl are trying to fly away in. A conversation with Kotomi and Ryou about parallel worlds and different possibilities is heard. Nagisa is in pain from what I assume to be contractions while Tomoya tightly holds her hand, unable to do anything…

So, in my attempt to lighten the mood…

RIIIIIIIDGE RACERRRR!

-Jay

“Okaerinasai masen, Goshoujin-sama!”

Guess it was due for the obligatory maid cafe episode.

For the most part, the episode has some filler-ish vibes from it, but it also is able to get (or should I say, revisits) another important theme across by the time it ends by it’s end: how things eventually change and differ. The maid cafe Nagisa works at is revealed to be built upon the grove on the hill where Tomoya would walk by on the way to school, which unsettles him slightly (I at first thought these were the trees Tomoyo wanted to save by becoming Student Council President, but reminded that those were sakura trees), but the bigger blow is dealt when Tomoya finds out that the old building that housed the club room the gang used for the Drama Club is being torn down to erect a better building, a place where Tomoya spent the better third of his high school life at, where most of his fondest memories are kept, and most importantly (or specifically because)the place he spent so much time with Nagisa as well as the place where he asked her to be his girlfriend. Recalling back to when he first met her, whereupon she asked if “…you can keep loving this place?” the answer Tomoya gave back then was to find new things to keep loving, not necessarily to replace them, but to add more memories to go along with them, something most people do when change occurs. With Tomoya’s mentality not as stoic as before, though, is it possible for him to maintain those same words? Nagisa was able to back then, and she received him because of it, he may be able to find support in her to do so.

“I’ll never let go, Jack…”

Especially since he and Nagisa had a marrital moment in bed (Hurr hurr), reiterating to each other that as long as they’re by each other’s side, they can handle whatever comes at them…Show ▼

Funny, a few weeks ago I said that those Music Club students probably wouldn’t appear again after Nagisa graduated. Curse you, minor characters, I bet you don’t even have drawn sprites in the VN.

The lights are mentioned once again. My guess is that that light will show up in the future, as well as it’s wish granting properties. Screams “important plot device later,” but it’s story does serve as a nice lead up…

ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWA!

Oh, Akio. You and your crazy antics. It’s a bit disturbing to know that he seems to get a hard-on when he sees his daughter in her uniform; chalk it up to Japanese humor and Akio’s verbal disregard for anything sacred unless it actually happens to come true…

Like this, for example.

Yay! Nagisa’s knocked up! Suddenly, the whole issue of change fits a lot better now. Or is it linked more to the theme of family? Oh well, point is, we’re in the real meat of the After Story now, expect massive amounts of BAAAAAAWING to commence in a few weeks.

PREVIEW

Doesn’t look like they’ll be rushing Nagisa’s pregnancy by wrapping up 9 months with a time skip; I had thought that the four of them were taking a bus to check into the hospital, but Nagisa doesn’t seem to look very big. We’ll have to wait and see.

Oh, and I know I must be late on this, but…

Do the impossible, see in the invisible…

-Jay

A whole Christmas later, this thing still exists.

Filler and timeskips=Short and unnecessary entry. ;_;

A lot of this felt like the same formula 4 Episodes ago, except with more filler: half the episode was dedicated to a pointless baseball game. There’s probably some lesson about growing up somewhere there, but I’m not buying it anymore, because I don’t want to watch over 9 minutes of Tomoya striking out just to have him ask if he can marry Nagisa. The first episode already had enough baseball, and it’s fine to have it as a minor activity, but enough’s enough: God knows how much longer this would be if it’s another scene from the VN, I wouldn’t want to go through in-game days of dialogue several times just for this.

A drunk Nagisa is fine too

I do, however, welcome drunk comedy. Twas the only thing missing in this series.

*stare*

Thus, the only real plot driving event becomes Nagisa’s private graduation in Spring, finally enabling her to start her adult life. It was nice to see everyone else again (even those music students whose names I forgot showed up…probably be the last time we see them too), granted most of them only had about one or two lines of dialogue, and I have to wonder how Kotomi was able to just up and fly back to Japan just to attend this graduation; like in the movie and Tomoyo Chapter, Sunohara stopped dying his hair in order to become more presentable at work, which is always a bit weird to see.

And to put an end to this time-skipping madness, we see what I assume to be a slightly older looking Tomoya and Nagisa announcing their marriage to Tomoya’s father (who’s still in jail after however so many months have passed), who congratulates and wishes luck to the two. While that’s nice and dandy, it’s a bit frustrating that after all of this, the two still haven’t kissed each other, which I think should be appropriate by now. From the looks of the preview, however, we might not have to wait any longer…

PREVIEW

USHIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! ^_^

To make up for this inexcusably short entry, have some Sanae breasts.

-Jay