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It’s fall season which means only one thing CLANNAD from Kyoto Animation is back for a second season with CLANNAD ~After Story~, in short this is the one series I have been waiting all summer for. The original cast are back, which is a relief as I was unsure if we would delve straight in to new territory or if we would be eased in. The new OP “Toki wo Kizamu Uta” by Lia has a distinct Air feel to it, I am unsure if this is a sign of things to come and that KyoAni have decided to go along the lines of the tearjerker ending or not but I really liked the new OP, the new ED “TORCH” by Lia although not as catchy as “Dango Daikazoku” had it’s own distinct charm and for some reason the cast moonwalking with dango’s.

With the first episode appearing to be an almost continuation on from episode 23 of the last series (bearing in mind episode 24 was a stand alone OVA and any of the content is seen as being in a different universe), the gang are all back together at school, well almost everybody Fukko appears to be missing, well for the time being anyway. Tomoya and Nagisa are still in the initial stages of their new relationship so expect lots of blushing from both sides and probably a distinct lack of physical contact.

The new season opens with the gang playing a baseball match against a team from a rival shopping district that has recently gotten a former Koushien player, so of course Akio being his usual competitive self has to win and enlists the help of the kids to help him out, we’re also treated to Tomoyo’s usual weekly beatings of Sunohara, even as Student Council President she still finds the time to beat him to a pulp. This episode felt like a reintroduction to everyone and more of a chance for the viewer engage with the cast once again, I have to admit watching CLANNAD does feel like welcoming back family, the interaction between the cast is flawless as always with the quick witted humour, excellent one liners and distinctive charm we’ve come to expect from CLANNAD.

The animation as always from KyoAni is flawless, they are by far at the top of the league for animation production. I have to admit I never understand why a series that always looks this good has to initially be shown in 4:3 and then later we are treated to the Widescreen version, hence you are always made to watch the season twice if you want to have the full effect of this great series. Although very light hearted and full of laughs I really enjoyed this episode, I think they made the right decision to allow the viewer to get to know the cast again before we get the inevitable downfall into despair that we are all preparing for. Kyoto Animation is always a studio for really playing up the KEY drama and making you really love the characters before they pull the rug out from under the viewer and make you cry by the bucket load.

I really enjoyed how the lesser known characters from the first season appear to be featuring more prominently it was especially nice to see Yuusuke Yoshino having more of a role to play, but for some reason I will never get over how he looks too much like Tomoya. The girls were all on top form in this episode Kyou was her usual witty self, Kotomi moe as always in her attempts to understand the fundamentals of base ball, I personally couldn’t help laughing at Tomoyo’s attempts to ‘hit like a girl’ after she sent the ball flying clear out of the field with her first attempt at batting and Nagisa you just want to cuddle her she’s so adoable even if she’s terrible at baseball. A welcome return for CLANNAD I can’t wait to see what twists and turns are in store for everyone this season and we all know this is at the top of my watch list.

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