Customer Reviews

Clannad: Collection 2

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

 

 

This set contains the second twelve episodes of the Clannad series, and has the same excellent art, music and story, and the same almost total lack of DVD extras as the first set. You get clean opening and closings, and some series previews, but the same previews as were on other Sentai Filmworks disks I have purchased. Do not let the lack of extras stop you from enjoying this fine series. With the Fuko story arc over the Tomoya/Nagisa story continues, with other girls doing their part to try to capture Tomoya's affections. However, there is no mystery as to how the story will end up. It becomes clear half way though this set, which girl Tomoya will end up with. There is one particularly touching story where it becomes obvious to all the other girls in the harem that Nagisa has the inside track. When the twins realize this, it sets up a five-kleenex moment when they realize that not only does Tomoya prefer Nagisa, but both sister had been crushing on the hero. This series, unlike Kanon, does not tie up all the side stories neatly. The Fuko story especially is left hanging. After the spirit of Fuka leaves the school Fuko begins to appear as a totally inept magical girl to provide comedy relief. But we never learn if Fuko recovered from her coma or if she passed away. But the main storyline does resolve itself (if you ignore the last episode) with the hero actually making a choice and acting on his decision. It is nice to see an anime hero actually tell the girl he likes that he likes her. It is a refreshing change. Also missing from Clannad are the supernatural elements that crowded Kanon. Aside from the child/robot intro stories, and the whole Fuko ghost storyline, all the characters are down to earth with real problems that any teen might have. This is probably the most realistic "harem" anime I have ever seen.

The story does not end with episode 24. There is an anime called Clannad - Afterstory which is not yet available (at the time of this review) that amplifies on the story. Perhaps some of the loose ends, like the Fuko story, will be tied up in that anime.

This disk ends, however, with episode 23, which is billed as an Extra Story, in which Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship is allowed to finally grow. This is followed by episode 24, which is a very odd story. It presents how the story might have ended if the hero had chosen a different girl. It is one of the most moving of the stories but it almost completely out of continuity with the other episodes. My only guess as to why this odd-ball episode was animated was that they needed one more story to fill out the series and they decided to use their second favorite ending to the original dating simulation game as this filler story.

Clannad is a very good series, without all the mysticism that clogged up the stories in Kanon, and the series improves as the episodes advance. It will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you remember what it was like to try to deal with High School and real life at the same time. And though not every plot line is tied up neatly, not every plot line needed to be. I loved Kanon. I really, really like Clannad. Both deserve a space on your anime shelf. Give the giant robots and hentai tentacles a miss and pick up these series instead. These are suitable for the whole family, and both anime and non-anime lovers alike will enjoy them.

I saw it with my youngest daughter one day. And to be totally honest with you, I fell in love with the one of the main character Tomoya until I saw his best friend,Sunohara. I was was satisfied with Tomoya using Sunohara in his cruel pranks. But, then there are these beautiful girls, not in looks although, they are pretty as well. Then, the story unfolds into a tear jerker at times and a gut buster on the others. You start to find that these people, high schoolers are dealing with some mature issues that some adult wouldn't be able to deal with. There is a moral like storyline and inner strength that pours out of each like Tomoya encounters including himself. I laughed until I cried and I cried through my smiles. Now, for the information that is needed to watch tis show. It is in Japanese with subtitles. The music is sweet also bubblegum pop and in Japanese. This credits are in Japanese and English. And no, you can't change it to English and there is no dubbed version. There are 24 episodes and 6 episodes per dvd. I am shocked to be able to buy it in its original format. So, if you love animes in their original language. If you love a story of love and hope.You may even learn something about yourself through these group of high school students. This video is for you. I love watching online and then I bought it.

The second half of Clannad was really good! I especially liked that the Tomoyo Arc extra episode was included. A definate winner for any fan of the high school romance genre of anime.

If you're looking for a show jam-packed with perv humor, you'll have to look elsewhere. It took less than 30 seconds into the first episode for me to realize that I had found something fantastic. Deeply-developed characters, moving stories, wonderful acting, and great animation come together to bring Clannad to life. Clannad: Collection 2 wraps up the first season, so keep in mind that the story is much bigger than what we have available stateside (at the time of this writing). With any luck, the second season, which is known as Clannad: After Story, will be coming our way soon. The kicker that nearly floored me is the fact that this series is based directly of a GAME of the same name. Referred to as a visual novel in Japan, the text-heavy game is an interesting blend of colorful images, music, voice audio, and text, requiring the player to occasionally make choices to steer the story. The anime Kanon is based off a visual novel game, as well. Back to the item at hand: Clannad: Collection 2 is a great value considering that 30 bucks would only get you six episodes where Clannad gets you 12. The key downside is that the voice audio is Japanese only. This doesn't bother me, considering that most dubbing I've encountered was obviously rushed, coming out stilted and crude. I'm happy to get twelve episodes for the price of six, doing without the dubbing.