“Clannad” is a game-adapted anime. This game is also the first in the four seasons series, symbolizing spring, and the critical point of this game is “family.” Family is a common word, but what is the meaning of family? “Clannad” tells the story of a man growing up and understanding the true meaning of the family. It also made me realize what the family is.
The beginning of the story is from the psychological monologue of the male lead Tomoya, “I hate this town,” at the same time, the picture is black and white. Tomoya walks alone on the ramp of going to school, it seems to be everything disgusting around, and at this moment, a girl standing in front of him, whispering “sweet bean bread” in her mouth. This simple word caught the attention of Tomoya. He didn’t know who the girl was talking to, because there were only two of them on the road, and the boy stood behind the girl. When he was thinking, the girl continued “happy thing… fun thing… they can’t possibly remain the same, even so, can you keep on loving this place?”(Clannad 1) Tomoya looked at the girls. At this time, the screen flickered between color and black and white, indicating that something was about to appear. With the phrase “just find them” by Tomoya, when the girl turned back, the screen became color. It also became the first conversation between the male lead and the female lead. It also shows that Tomoya’s world has in color with the appearance of this girl. In the development of the story later, Tomoya also learned the name of the girl, Nagisa.
Tomoya and Nagisa’s second meeting was also quick. Tomoya and Nagisa’s reunion happened at noon. Tomoya sees Nagisa eating alone. Out of curiosity, Tomoya walks over to ask. In the noon conversation, Tomoya also knows Nagisa’s story. The reason why Nagisa has no friends is that her body is weak; she has a fever every winter, and cannot stay in bed. This also caused her insufficient attendance last year and eventually led to repetition. For her, the current school is strange because All her friends have graduated. After listening to Nagisa’s story, Tomoya sympathized with her and hoped to help her through her efforts. The main story of the first season is Tomoya helping Nagisa make friends and helping Nagisa rebuild the drama club. In the process, Tomoya and Nagisa depended on each other, and eventually loved each other and became a couple. The plot seems very cliché, but there are many small stories in it that are memorable. For example, Tomoya hates this town. He lived in a single-parent family, and his mother died when he was very young. His father didn’t have much ability, and he often drunk. After another drunk clash with Tomoya, eventually, Tomoya’s right hand could not be lifted, and Tomoya, who initially liked to play basketball, could not step on the court again. There is a scene in the story depicting the life of Tomoya and his father. His father always faces Tomoya with a smile. The smile is like the first meeting between strangers. It is hard to believe that this is a father and son.
Contrary to the situation where Tomoya’s father and son are strangers, Nagisa’s family is very harmonious and even desirable. Nagisa’s parents love Nagisa very much. They even gave up her dream of being an actor to take care of Nagisa and came to the town to open a bakery. The daily family interaction is also full of laughter and laughter, which makes Tomoya often envious. After a quarrel with Tomoya and his father, Tomoya moved into Nagisa’s house and worked in the bakery to repay the kindness. In the comparison of Nagisa and Tomoya’s life, we can easily find that these are the two extremes of contemporary family life, representing harmony and strife. At the end of the conflict, Tomoya is empty because of the lack of the mother’s care. The father did not behave as he should, which kept Tomoya’s emotions accumulating and eventually broke with his father after the outbreak. The first season also reflects the core of the story, that is, the family, the impact of a family on a person, is very great, some people hate their own family, some people love their own family. Such stories can make the audience feel real because it genuinely reflects the various forms of family in real life. In these 25 episodes, people watch the interaction between Tomoya and Nagisa, feel their love, and make the audience look forward to what the future family of Tomoya and Nagisa will look like through family comparison, into the plot of the second season.
The story of the second season is pleased, but in the joy, there is an in-depth discussion of the pro. The first nine episodes are all stories about Tomoya’s friends. As a bystander, Tomoya saw her excellent friend Youhei resolve his differences with his sister. I also saw Yukine trying to maintain an underworld organization established by her brother, taking the risk of pretending to be a coma in bed to fight with others. There is also Yuusuke, who has given up her star status for her lover. These stories can’t help but be deeply rooted in Tomoya’s heart, as well as the audience’s heart, lamenting the greatness of the family. While sighing, the audience will also feel the growth of Tomoya. He changed from the bad boy at the beginning to what he is now because of the influence of Nagisa and her family, in which Tomoya was redeemed. So in the tenth episode, as expected by the audience, Tomoya proposed to Nagisa, and the two would form a new family. The story here is charming as if the original Tomoya no longer exists, the boy who hated the town has grown into a man who knows what a family is.
Tomoya and Nagisa’s married life is gradually getting on track. Tomoya becomes an electrician, works hard, and hopes that Nagisa can have a better life. At the same time, Nagisa was also pregnant, and Tomoya was hopeful for the future, and he longed for the family that truly belonged to him. I believe that all audiences have the same mood as Tomoya. When they saw Tomoya and Nagisa named Ushio for their daughter, they seemed to have seen their own lives and were very happy. But stories are often not so good. Many things that once were said to be small have become the murderers of hope. Nagisa’s due date is in the winter when it is her weakest time. Nagisa died of dystocia. The story develops here, through the pavement of the first 30 episodes, and the persistence of Nagisa when facing death, so that the audience loves Nagisa, so Nagisa’s death saddens the audience. At the same time, it seems that Tomoya, who has grown up, collapses. Now, his family has broken again.
However, the most successful part of this animation is the contrast. Tomoya reasonably understands the meaning of family and forms a sharp contrast with the once decadent behavior. After Nagisa’s death, Tomoya became decadent again. She had not seen her daughter for five years, and she gave it to Nagisa’s mother to raise her. In the fifth year, under the active request of Nagisa’s mother, Tomoya and her daughter Ushio took a trip. It was also during this trip that Tomoya learned the hardships of her father and understood the meaning of being a father. When I was a father, I understood what a family was. He apologized like Ushio, feeling that he was not a qualified father, but also at this time，Ushio said: “Place I can cry is in the bathroom and in Daddy’s arm.” At this moment, I believe a lot the audience was crying, and Tomoya understood the true meaning of the family at this time.
This animation has moved many people. His theme is family, which can be called a family relationship. Family members support and help each other because of family relationships. Parents in each family want their children to realize their children’s wishes because the wishes of children are the wishes of their parents. This is what the author conveyed through “Clannad.” In fact, if you watch carefully, many plots are unreasonable, and some will appear embarrassing, but this does not affect the author’s expression. The author used Tomoya and Nagisa’s campus life as a pavement, turning love into affection, and finally sublimation, so that Tomoya understood the meaning of family. In fact, in the later plot, Nagisa was resurrected, and the family of three lived happily. The previous story seems to be just a nightmare for Tomoya. But all viewers know that this nightmare Tomoya is the real growing Tomoya, he is no longer the boy who hates the town and hates his father. The author seems to use one’s life to tell the audience stories about family and affection. This seems to be a very unrealistic story, but it brings a sense of realism to the audience. It seems that such a story can appear to everyone at any time. This is also where “Clannad” succeeds.
