Customer Reviews

Clannad: Collection 1

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Sentai Filmworks best ever anime in my opinion, Made by Kyoto Animation just like Kanon and Air TV. I love everything made by kyoto animation, if you like drama animes you would to.

12 episodes on two disks, Widescreen 16:9, Rated TV PG so just about anyone can enjoy this anime. Special Features: Clean opening, closing & trailors

Only bad part is that its English Subtitles Only, Japanese Audio 2.0, but the price is well worth it.

Clannad is good anime. I consider it an essential of the medium. If you have not seen Clannad then you have not seen anime, period. Thankfully ADV has released it in America so more may be exposed to its wonders.

I only have two chief complaints. First the packaging description, while accurate, gives a misleading idea of what the show is about (then again, who believes the packaging anyhow?) But my biggest concern is with ADV's sometimes-confusing subtitle job.

Don't get me wrong. 99% of the time their subtitles agree with the fansub, and the story hasn't lost any of its charm. But there are some issues where ADV fouled up.

To start with, at various scenes they put these sort of on-screen footnotes to explain aspects of Japanese culture that are relevant to a current scene. While these are all but necessary, I wish ADV had put them on an insert inside the DVD case (or even on the inside of the label like Central Park Media used to) instead of right there on the screen, so I wouldn't have to pause the episode just to read the notes. Alternatively I wish they had included an alternate subtitle track that didn't have these footnotes.

Second is that ADV doesn't always capture the fine points of character speech, which may hurt your understanding of them, or at least cause you to say "what?" at times. For example, the first time Fuko's name is stated on-screen, its Okazaki saying it, leading the viewer to ask "how does he know?" It makes sense though, if you understand that Fuko refers to herself in third-person ("I have something to give you" should be translated as "Fuko has something to give you"). Another area where this might cause minor confusion is in the case of Nagisa, in which a large issue is made of her inability to refer to Okazaki by his first name (in Japanese society, this can come off as too familiar. Nagisa is habitually shy, so this makes her nervous), yet in the subtitles she calls him by his first name several times. If you listen to the audio, she's actually saying his last name and ADV just chose to mistranslate it, for whatever reason.

ADV also doesn't translate honorifics such as "chan" and "kun," except in one scene where its important. I feel this is a sloppy approach. Either honorifics should be translated all the time, or not at all. Also they include another one of those footnotes at this scene, though things like this are just another reason those should've been printed liner notes instead of part of the subtitle track.

These are all very minor flaws though, and despite these flaws the show is not hard to follow, whether going by ADV or anyone else's translation. ADV's release is probably the best quality release on the market, despite these minor quibbles, and very worth buying. Also, if you buy ADV's release, they may be encouraged to pick up Clannad's sequel "After Story," which has not yet been licensed for American release.

Please support ADV!

"Clannad" is another anime series by Key Visual Arts, based on a dating simulation game produced in Japan in both an adult and non-adult version, like Kanon. Do not let the series hentai heritage bother you, however, for this series is completely PG all the way. This set comes with two disks, containing the first twelve episodes of the show. The production values are beautiful. The animation is top drawer, the music is both fitting and beautiful. Because of the similarity in art and story, this series will no doubt be compared to Kanon, and, in the beginning, it appears to follow the same formula. Moody, bishonin hero with emotional problems, check. Harem of beautiful young girls who inexplicably dote on said hero, check. And there are the stereotypical harem members: The ditzy loner girl with self-image problems, check. The mysterious loli-bait girl with the tragic illness, check. The tough girl with a heart of gold, check. There is also the obligatory genius girl with no social graces and the (shades of Lucky Star) the blue-haired twins sisters, one with a pushy, irritating personality, the other a shy, cute, quiet girl. There is the hero's obligatory best friend, the standard goof-ball type who comes equipped with the pervert option and the strange colored hair option. And though it may not be fair to compare Clannad to Kanon, I found the story in Clannad not as easy to get into. I did not become as easily attached to the characters and their stories did not "grab" me at first. The first twelve episodes tell the story of Tomoya, our hero, who is a delinquent, and the girls at his school. His life begins to change for the better when he meets the ditzy girl, Nagisa, who was held back a year in high school due to ill health and is depressed because all her friends and classmates have graduated, leaving her behind. The two become a tonic for each other, and in helping Nagisa, Tomoya begins to find his own redemption. Their story is derailed part way through with the intrusion of the tragic Fuka storyline. I found that, about half way through the Fuka story arc I had become attached to the characters at last, and began enjoying the story much more. If you liked Kanon, you will probably like Clannad as well. If you haven't seen either yet, I would recommend you save the best for last and view Clannad before Kanon.

When it comes to the Japanese software company Key, many fans appreciate their work as the video games tend to be dating simulators for the PC and many other video game consoles. Known for two visual novels "Kanon" and "Air" (both were adapted to anime series), the objects of the video games tend to be the gamer controlling the main male protagonist and with a lot of female friends, answering questions correctly in order to score. The first two video games were adult-based but in 2004, the company released "Clannad", a series that would not show nudity or fan service and a game for all ages.

"Clannad" received an anime adaptation in 2007 with a total of 23-episodes which was followed by "Clannad: After Story" (which takes place ten years later), OVA's, an animated film and a manga. As for the anime series, the series is directed by Tatsuya Ishihara ("Air", "Kanon", "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya") and a screenplay by Fumihiko Shimo ("Full Metal Panic!", "Air", "Burst Angel", "Gravion", "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya"). The character design for the anime series is by Kazumi Ikeda ("Kanon") and is faithful to the original designs by Itaru Hinoue ("Air", "Kanon"). All episodes for "Clannad" and "Clannad: After Story" are now currently available from Sentai Filmworks.

The anime series focuses on the character Tomoya Okazaki. A high school student who tends to be late for class and has his share of personal problems at home (he and his father have not had a good relationship since his mother's death) and pretty much spends most of his time with his troublemaking friend Youhei Sunohara. Tomoya was once a promising basketball player in school until he was in a fight with his father which led to his arm being injured to the point where he can't lift his arm up past his shoulder.

But life changes for Tomoya for the positive when he meets new high school student Nagisa Furukawa who he quickly becomes good friends with and helps her out. Throughout the school year, he meets other female students that he tries to help out and becomes their friend. And in the process, his friendships with these people help other people who are in need of friends.

"Clannad - Collection 1" features a total of 12 episodes on two DVD's. Here is a spoiler-less summary of each episode:

DISC 1:

* EPISODE 1 - The first time Tomoya meets Nagisa.
* EPISODE 2 - Nagisa wants to start a drama club at high school and Tomoya agrees to help her.
* EPISODE 3 - Nagisa is bedridden after the events of episode 2. Tomoya learns about Nagisa's health.
* EPISODE 4 - Tomoya meets up with the weird starfish loving girl Fuko and learns why she is giving out wooden starfish to the students.
* EPISODE 5 - Tomoya and Nagisa agree to help Fuko out.
* EPISODE 6 - Tomoya wants to invite Fuko's sister Kouko to test out an idea he has in regards to Fuko.

DISC 2:

* EPISODE 7 - Tomoya and Nagisa are learning that people can't see Fuko but them and a few others.
* EPISODE 8 - More and more people are starting to forget who Fuko is and Tomoya and Nagisa worry they will be next.
* EPISODE 9 - Tomoya, Nagisa and Fuko work together to prepare for Youko's wedding.
* EPISODE 10 - The drama needs club members and thus Tomoya goes to Kotomi and tries to make her more sociable.
* EPISODE 11 - Tomoya and friends try to help Kotomi give her first live performance at school.
* EPISODE 12 - When a bus accident takes place near school, Kotomi sees the accident and memories of her past start rushing in causing her to collapse. Is she OK?

VIDEO & AUDIO:

So far, each anime series that were based of a Key video game such as "Kanon" and "Air" have both been fantastic anime series featuring vibrant animation, colorful backgrounds and just many settings that really make the series stand out. The same can be said about "Clannad", the animation and production is absolutely fantastic. Kyoto Animation has done a wonderful job with the artistic backgrounds. Also, the animation is solid and character designs are also done very well. "Clannad" is featured in 16:9 Anamorphic Widescreen and picture quality for the anime series on DVD is wonderful!

As for the audio, the audio of the series is in Japanese 2.0. Japanese voice acting is solid and a lot of well-known Seiyuu are involved in the series. Dialogue is understandable and clear. Personally, I chose to have my receiver play the series with "Stereo on All Channels" for a more improve soundscape. As for English dubs, there are no English dubbed dialogue for "Clannad".

Subtitles are featured in English.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

"Clannad - Colection 1" features the clean opening and closing animation and Sentai Filmworks trailers.

JUDGMENT CALL:

Anime fans have told me that I had to watch "Clannad" for a few years now and I have watched "Kanon" and really enjoyed "Air". But I suppose part of me being a bit hesitant was that I have seen so many "harem" like anime series in which the girls throw themselves after the main guy and I wasn't in the mood to see an anime like this. But after watching "Clannad", I was wrong.

The anime series is well-written in a way that the main protagonist, Tomoya is not a perfect guy. He's a guy who has his set of problems and the girls he meets, have their own problems as well. Granted, this series could easily go dark but instead, its about people who have found friendship within each other. I can easily see how the video game series could have gone, since there are many female characters that Tomoya can try to be closer too. But for the anime series, relationships thus far have been kept platonic. It's not more of him liking these girls, it's about him wanting to help them, even though he has a problem helping himself.

In the first collection, the theme is friendship. Nagisa, Fuuko, Kotomi... they all have reasons why they haven't had many friends, so we see three major arcs between these three girls and how Tomoya starts to help them and in someway, they end up helping him as well. I wouldn't go as far calling each character lost souls but Tomoya becomes a person that touches their lives, more than he thinks.

As for the DVD, the DVD comes with the first twelve episodes and there are not really any special features but the opening and closing theme. I know there are some anime fans who are bummed out that there the series is not dubbed in English but the voice acting in Japanese is very solid and a good number of talented seiyuu involved in the series.

I can see why many anime fans have told me to watch "Clannad". It's fun, humorous but also emotional and touching. It has the touching moments and many characters like "Love Hina", some school like craziness like "Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" but really, "Clannad" is a series that is fresh, unique and enjoyably fun. "Clannad - Collection 1" is highly recommended!

Not much to say about this other than nice job. If you like heart warming stories this is a nice series. Yes it puts 12 episodes on 2 disc's but keep in mind it only has the one language track and subs. I remember pulling my hair waiting for each episode to air in Japan and I must say I was surprised to see this in stores less than a full season after finale.

I noticed that everyone gave this product low ratings because of the format of the DVD; please do not be mislead. What's actually important, however, is the content that is on it. It's a wonderful story and you can lose yourself in it. It's not right to give low ratings just because the DVD is Japanese audio and English subs only; it's so much more authentic that way, and I find that the original Japanese is almost always much better than English dubs. I also like that there are lots of episodes in this release because it makes it less expensive to buy. It should be noted that there is nothing wrong with the audio or the picture just because there are a lot of episodes per disc. I hope to see more of the same, especially if they decide to realease Clannad: After Story (the second season) here in the states.

The anime is great, as expected, but the bright colored subtitles really draw the focus away from the anime, and the language in which the opening is given differs from episode to episode, which is rather bothersome.

I recently purchased this series on a whim on pay day from JB HI-FI. I think i might have heard about it from a magazine i received at Supanova a few months previous.. i can't remember.. Anyway..

This anime series is rather fluffy however it does touch upon some important social and mental issues that teenagers go through. There is a good balance of comedy and plot, which draws you in without becoming tedious.

I highly reccommend it to anyone who is a fan of shojo ^_^

This is a series that,while very difficult to do,may be equalled but never surpassed. Much in the style of its predecessor,Kanon,Clannad,through its "After Clannan" efforts, takes the storyline through the years following the high school experiences and into the struggles and,sadly,tragedies of newlyweds and young adults. The series also adds two episodes outside the storyline that have alternative arcs. There is zero sex or nudity. This series is also emotionally draining,so much so that it is unlikely I will be watching,anytime soon,any such little-girls-dying-and/or-in-a-coma series. While the character designs and personality developments are addictive there has to be more in store for the viewer than an emotional roller coaster that has little ones hurt and dying. I am more than a little aware such is too often the way of the world. There are,however,too many other stories "out there" for these producers and talented artists to dwell so much on this plot design,this genre. By all means,buy this series and watch this series and let it get to you. I did and I'm a geezer. Hopefully,their next effort will be a bit more uplifting,comical perhaps.

I know Clannad is a wonderful show and a lot of people dislike the English sub-titles only feature. Well just announced today via email from Anime Network is the English dubbed version. It will first air on Anime Network VOD March 25 2010. Unfortunately like any series, the entire dubbed version of the show must air on tv first before being released on DVD (I know, BOOHOO, you want it now. If I had cookie and a kleenex I'd give you one). I am personally so excited and so put out from having to watch the subbed version that I'm simply going to wait for the show to air on the 25th. Show's like Air and Kanon were so lovely, partly due to being able to watch the show completely without having to constantly keep your eyes glued to the bottom of the screen reading the subs. Show's from Kyoto and Key animation are extremely vivid with details and color out the wazoo. Not being able to see that from constantly reading is such a shame.

So my professional advice as an anime artist is, before purchasing something you can't understand, wait for Clannad to either air or be released in a dubbed format so you can enjoy the beauty the artist's of the show are trying to convey. Us native English speaking homosapiens connect better with characters when we understand what they are saying.

I never once doubted the Japanese. I always knew they would release a dubbed version of Clannad and shame on everyone that thought otherwise. The Japanese did give us the Nintendo and the Sony Playstation so we need to stop complaining about "Sub titles in english only". English dub will always be on it's way. The Japanese do have the right to view their shows before us spoiled Americans. DUH!!!

Wait until March 25th and be happy!!!