12 Days Day 4: Hope Springs Eternal
The other day I read some post on IcyStorm’s blog that mentioned Clannad‘s “themes” being better than those of Key or AIR, Kyoto Animation’s two other Key adaptations. My response to that seemingly reckless statement was to take a moment to really think about what Clannad‘s themes were.
IcyStorm later pointed out to me that he was referring to the value of family and friends, but I think that’s secondary to what I found for myself, which was that hope never dies. “Hope is like a dandelion—it grows back from the same stalk in the spring when it dies.”
And I don’t think that this theme is unique to Clannad; I think we see it in AIR and in Kanon as well. In AIR, after a thousand years, the curse was finally lifted. In Kanon, a new branch grows from the tree whence Ayu fell, and we see a fox—presumably Makoto/related to Makoto—walking around. So on one level, I disagreed with IcyStorm.
But execution still matters, right?
And the Clannad movie portrays this theme better than any of Kyoto Animation’s adaptations, I believe: when Tomoya is finally dragged from his apartment, and made to face the future (“this is why people make lies,” etc.), the future being, in this case, his young daughter. He realizes he doesn’t need to be the man his father was, that he can be a new man of his own and that there’s hope for his family. The moment on the train platform literally moved me to tears. Tears, needless to say, of joy.
You did your best, Tomoya.
FlameStrike and 4 others are discussing. 
Zeroblade 12:19 am on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
I really ought to watch the movie one of these days…
Michael 2:08 am on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
I admire this style of posting. It’s distinctly lolikitean, yet it does not attempt to offend people.
Very well done, Michael.
/claps in the background
lolikitsune 6:31 am on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
@Zeroblade: mos def.
@Michael: somehow, that feels like a subtle insult :P
anitations - CCY’s 12 Days of Christmas [Day 4] 6:33 am on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
[...] lolikitsune: Clannad [...]
Omisyth 12:47 pm on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmqXKbxDoJ0
In the land of relevant comments, damn spoilers. Meh, maybe I should watch the movie.
frankeinstein 2:47 pm on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
Ouch.
It’s probably something most would beg to differ.
I avoided the movie in fear of spoilers, also partly because people say they were cramming too much stuff into 90 mins. Supposedly it takes longer than that to truly sympathize with the characters. Like Ef, I’m saving Clannad for a later marathon.
FlameStrike 4:48 pm on December 17, 2008 Permalink |
Hey you have a point, but I’ll tell you this, Kyoto’s Clannad anime just hasn’t gotten to that point in the story yet. Their execution will be much better and they’ll probably include the real hardcore awesome developments with Tomoya and his daughter.
lolikitsune 7:44 am on December 18, 2008 Permalink |
@Omisyth: you have a YouT video for everything, huh.
@frankeinstein: it’s definitely something most would beg to differ. Most seem blinded by how bad Toei’s art direction is or by how beautiful Kyoto Animation’s animation is. Visuals aren’t everything… and the Clannad movie does a very, very good job of portraying character, plot, and theme.
The movie also didn’t feel rushed or unnatural, and I sympathized with the characters. 90 minutes is a lot of time.
@FlameStrike: you sound so sure that KyoAni’s execution will be better… where does your confidence come from? I was psyched for After Story and then it turned out to be the same crappy episodic moefest as Clannad season one.
ef ~a tale of failigion~ END - Christmas 2008 « Miao on My Mind 6:37 am on December 25, 2008 Permalink |
[...] because in the end the show carries the same overall upbeat message as, say, World Destruction or Clannad: “everything will be alright.” “Hope is all you need.” “The future is [...]