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To kick off my fall season anime reviews I’ll start with Clannad, the new Drama / Romance animation that is already the talk of the season. With all the competition from other Harem shows this season it does have a lot to live up to.

The show starts with a monologue from the main protagonist Tomoya about how he hates where he lives, the animation is set as if in a memory sequence a very dark and gloomy with a blue hue over the world. Then he meets Nagisa and with a few flashes the colours change from dull to bright and clear when she looks at him. This is a very clever technical move with the animation which shows the audience, that their lives are about to change. With that Tomoya walks off to school with Nagisa and the opening credits roll.

The opener for Clannad is very similar to that of Air and Kanon with each of the girls being introduced in sequence to the song “Megumeru ~cuckool mix 2007~ by Enfonius” which is very lively but at the same time keeps the dream like feel to it. I’m always impressed with Kyoto Animations opening sequences and Clannad’s is good but I still think not quite on par with Kanon’s.

We are then suddenly transported into the middle of a comical fight, well to be honest beat up sequence which from the look of the promo will be the first of many for Sunohara. Who reminds me a lot of Jun who was Yuuichi’s friend throughout Kanon, so it seems the same comedy pairing has been brought back again. Sunohara even looks like Jun (hopefully minus the Elvis suit this time). There is then a dream sequence of a wooden room with a girl that is never truly explained but she seems to be very much alone.

The action then cuts to the school when much of the drama takes place and we are introduced to the Fujibayashi twins, Ryo who is very quiet and sweet and Kyo who is the exact opposite given her entrance is preceded by a book flying at Tomoya’s head. Tomoya sees Nagisa sitting alone and decides to have lunch with her and attempts to lift her spirits and encourage her to be more involved in school and make more friends. It is revealed that Nagisa was off school for an extended amount of time but the circumstances aren’t fully explained. Just that she feels much like an outsider.

There is then a commotion and we have the introduction of Tomoyo, the super strong Tsunderekko of the series who single handed manages to deal with the problem with lightening speed kicks, which I’m guessing will become her trademark. Later in the episode it’s revealed that Sunohara and Tomoyo have quite a strange relationship where he challenges her to fights, she then proceeds to dispense of him with extreme ease.

Tomoya spends more time with Nagisa and ends up at the bakery her family owns. He is greeted by her mother who asks him to try a “Harmony” bun. This sets off a chain of events where we end up meeting the whole of the Furukawa family, Nagisa’s hot headed father is particularly hilarious in how he reacts to Tomoya.

Tomoya remarks when leaving that he has never meet a family so harmonious with each other. The reason for his alienation to how happy Nagisa’s family is revealed when we meet his father and see how Tomoya’s home life is very different from Nagisa’s. The episode ends with Tomoya in the street after running out and Nagisa standing glowing under a street lamp.

The ending theme is a sweet little song about the happy dango (Japanese Dumplings) family “Dango Daikazoku” , it’s such a quirky animation very sweet and humorous and I’m guessing it acts as a release from the intensity of the episodes. I am sure also later the reason for the “Harmonious” dango’s will be revealed. The song is addictive and I promise you, there will be moment you’re caught singing it and you don’t even realise.

For a first episode Clannad is off to a great start, we have already been introduced to a lot of the main characters and I already have a feel for the animation and setting. I do feel that Kyoto Animation has a hit on their hands with this series as it seems to be heading in the right direction. The similarities between Air, Kanon and Clannad are striking and it isn’t just the character designs but the characters themselves that echo their previous works. The Animation is stunning, from the subtleties of the music to the use of light and even down to how the characters hair flows in the breeze. Kyoto Animation really appear to set new standards for the anime industry every time they work on a new series.

I’m looking forward to Episode 2 and finding out more about the characters in this great new series.

” Dango Dango Daikazoku”

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