Subculture Anime Blog

Tomoyo in a bear suit. Tomoya would hit it!

Summary:

One month has passed since Tomoya and Tomoyo have started dating. While they had skipped class and did their usual things together, they had become a couple before they knew it. There were those who did not believe Tomoya knew what he had gotten himself into, however. In the present time, Tomoyo wakes Tomoya at his house. When Tomoya jokingly asks to break up when Tomoyo bothers him in his sleep, she asks for him not to say such cruel jokes. Tomoya apologizes, then reminding Tomoyo of the council duties she has that day. At school, Tomoyo is overjoyed at the announcement that she has become the new president. Turning to Tomoya, she credits this to his cheering her on. Tomoyo asks if Tomoya would stay with her from now on, and he quickly agrees.

In the following days, Tomoyo becomes quite busy with her council activities. However, she still makes time to bring the lunches she made to Tomoya and Youhei. Youhei believes that Tomoya and Tomoyo seem to be people who are worlds apart, but he supports them none the less. In the meantime, the female students around are disturbed by rumors that Tomoya and Tomoyo are dating. In the afternoon, Tomoya decides to wait a bit longer for a late Tomoyo. Tomoyo soon uses the intercom to tell Tomoya that she will busy with activities and to go home without her, embarrassing him for the whole school to listen. Tomoya and Tomoyo are brought to a teacher’s office later, as he questions Tomoyo’s past records and her current actions. Tomoyo doesn’t let this get to her, however, getting Tomoya’s support to the school rooftop later.

Tomoya and Youhei notice that the school festival is soon, so Tomoyo would obviously become even more busy. Tomoya hangs out with Youhei while he is free, but he and Tomoyo are obviously lonely despite the activities they attend to. On one of the festival days, Tomoyo approaches Tomoya in her bear costume. She expresses how busy she is, but also that she went out of the way to patrol so that she could see Tomoya. The two remind each other of Tomoyo’s greater goal of protecting the sakura filled road, then preparing to share a kiss. This is interrupted, however, by a student who alerts Tomoyo that she must return to her duties. Tomoyo attempts to stay long enough to finish her ice cream, but she finds that she cannot even stay this long. In the aftermath, the male student reminds Tomoya that he is now quite famous for dating Tomoyo. Making Tomoya realize how high Tomoyo is able to reach, he also states that he is pulling her down. This angers Tomoya extremely, but the boy notices that Tomoya seems to realize this as well.

In the following days, Tomoya is approached with even more situations that make him lose confidence in dating Tomoyo. When the two finally meet one day, he suggests that they break up. Tomoyo quickly refuses, suggesting that Tomoya needed her, but Tomoya replies that he would be able to go on without depending on her. Tomoyo then instead states that she loves Tomoya, but Tomoya lies by claiming that his feelings were not of love. Tomoyo finally agrees with Tomoya’s suggestions, then leaving him. Long after being left alone, Tomoya breaks into tears. When Youhei hears this news, he wonders if Tomoya would simply revert back to becoming a worthless person again. Tomoya does his best to be successful without Tomoyo at school in the following days, also trying to ignore Tomoyo when she passes him. Youhei puts in a tape with a speech from Tomoyo one day, and Tomoya realizes that she is speaking about protecting the sakura filled road.

Tomoya meets Tomoyo one day after graduation, as she tells him that it was finally decided that the sakura trees would not be cut down. She expresses that it took a long time, and she also lost something in the process. Tomoyo again states that she likes Tomoya, and that she had even started to like him even more. Tomoyo then reveals that she had always been watching Tomoya, as he tried his best to do well without her. Tomoya reveals that he finally got a job, though it was close to his home in a small recycling shop. Tomoya then suggests that Tomoyo would be able to go very far in the future, but he was different in that he would only be able to stay in the city. Tomoya is shocked, however, when Tomoyo states that she will stay by his side. He wonders why she would do this, but she of course states that this was her choice. The two finally agree to be with each other again, both embracing each other in tears. In the following days, Tomoyo would simply be waiting with a lunch for Tomoya as he returned from work.

Impression:

Needed more Fuuko imo. Okay, I kid…really. I probably wasn’t as excited about this episode of Clannad when compared with other fans (that is, the over9000 Tomoyo fans), but after finishing this, my appreciation of Clannad returned in full force. I typically have many mixed feelings about Key/Kyoani works, but this OVA seemed to pull in everything I liked about Clannad a few seasons ago. This includes the subtle, yet easily noticeable, attention to detail in simple things like animating a sign raising. And although I have already heard some game players complaining about how this was a rushed version of Tomoyo’s story, I though the story was presented just fine. I loved the symbolism presented with things like the railroad tracks, and the struggle Tomoya had with being with someone he believed he would only hold down by being with. By the end, I found myself almost tearing up once again. It was nice to hear some of the voice actors again as well, and even Fukuyama Jun played a part in this OVA. In the end, it was really just nice to see more Clannad. Too bad this has already been pushed aside as a side story set in “an alternate world”. It will still be interesting to see what will come in the After Story.

PS: Sing it with me! One….more time….