Clannad After Story – 21-22 (Final)
Mahou Shoujo Lyrical Ushio!
Episode 21 Summary:
- In the alternate world, the young girl and robot continue to travel as their surroundings become even more filled with white.
- Ushio comes down with the same unexplainable illness that Nagisa suffered from, leaving her only to worsen as the days and weeks pass.
- Tomoya is forced to quit his job, but expecting him to return if his daughter were to recover, Yusuke exchanges tools with him in order to have him promise to return.
- As Tomoya is unable to grant Ushio’s wish to go on another trip with him, he continues to oppose the town for playing games with his family’s happiness.
- Akio offers his financial support, but Tomoya assures him that he still has enough savings for awhile. While the two are in town, Tomoya finally guesses that the construction over the grove Akio originally brought Nagisa to is the cause of his loved ones’ suffering. Akio simply states that things would always continue to change, however, and implies that the appearance of the hospital is also very good for those who wish to defy fate.
- Tomoya eventually sees a vision when looking out of his window; one of a snow filled area. Ushio continues to express her wish to travel with her father, so Tomoya finally agrees to take her back to the flower-filled field.
- The two begin walking as snow starts to fall in the city, but Ushio continues to lose strength. She eventually loses her vision, and when she collapses afterwards, Tomoya begs for Nagisa or anyone to save his daughter.
- The robot helps the girl stand in the alternate world, as they continue to travel.
- Tomoya recalls how much he hated the town in the past, and his first meeting of Nagisa. This encounter is what would finally change his world, but with his current knowledge, he can only wonder if it would be better if he did not call out to her.
Episode 22 Summary:
When the robot awakes next to the collapsed girl, he recalls that he has always been traveling with her. When the girl wakes, she finally gains the ability to understand the robot’s words. She credits this to her soon ceasing to be a person, then mentioning that she had learned that she and the robot were from the same world in a dream. The robot suggests that they both leave their current world, but the girl states that she must stay for the sake of many people. If she were to disappear, so would the world. The robot, on the other hand, would wake in the other world. With a song they both knew very well coming from the girl, the robot disappears in a flash of light as the girl says goodbye to him. Of course, she refers to him as her father.
Tomoya allows Nagisa to pass him when they see each other, but with his new knowledge, he quickly calls out to and embraces her. Nagisa expresses her gladness for this, as she implies that it couldn’t have been better if they did not meet. As life continues as it had before, Tomoya finds himself in front of Nagisa giving birth once again. This time though, Ushio’s birth does not result in her demise. With a healthy baby now in their hands, Tomoya and Nagisa continue to raise Ushio as she should be. When Ushio reaches age five, she is taken on a trip with her parents to visit Tomoya’s grandmother and the flower field. The other friends of the Okazakis live their unique lives all over the world as well.
Fuuko one day goes out with her sister, rambling on about her usual beliefs about seeming adult-like. Fuuko eventually senses something though, and though this results in several verbal antics between herself and her sister, she eventually follows the aroma to a sleeping Ushio in the nearby forest. This would be the start of a new friendship and many fun times to come.
Preview: Prologue time!
Impression:
Wow. What an ending. After several episodes of severe bawing, the last two episodes of Clannad made it all worth it. As much as I love Fuuko though, I do feel like the last segment of the series was a little too drawn out. The last episode had more of an epilogue feeling for the majority of it, really, and I feel like the ending might have been stronger if the last third of episode 22 was used elsewhere. Still, I can’t say I’m complaining too much, and seeing everyone in their future states made the ending all the more enjoyable (Ushio was still cute, and can you say, “Legal Mai?”). There were a lot of aesthetic touches I liked in both episodes as well, like the use of 3D animation to hint at Ushio’s otherworldly parallel. The use of live shots had me feeling like Kyoani took a note from Gainax, and there were also a ton of cinematographic imitations that made even simple scenes very powerful. I genuinely felt happy after finishing this series, which doesn’t happen with just any anime I watch. You can call reset and deus ex machina all you want, as I bring up that subtle fantasy element again, but I think we all saw it coming. I’m looking forward to the special episode to top off the series next, and you can expect my final impression then as well.
26 comments
26 Comments so far
Leave a reply
Why did Mei have to grow up?! Why?! Wheres my little loli that I want to call me onii-chan?! No one else ages! (not counting Botan and Ushio) why should Mei have grown up?! *cries* A loli growing up is the saddest part of a lolicons life..
Also Kotomi is born to be wild!
There’s only room for one eternal loli around these parts.
theres nothing better than a legal age loli
Careful with the oxymorons!
This anime was brilliant. Such beautiful story and animation. I’ve never cried so much… ever.
I’m very happy with the ending.
I absolutely loved seeing Ushio run in the grass.
http://subculture.animeblogger.net/images/clannad/clannadafter22_13.jpg
Something about that scene was so powerful.
Also Kotomi is born to be wild!
Assuming that she was supposed to be here in the U.S., that car should’ve been a left-hand drive Bug.
Anyway, from all appearances, it looks like she was somewhere in the Southwestern U.S., and I’ll never again be able to drive through that part of the country without thinking about her scene…
It may not have been the best ending but I didn’t really care…It was rather satisfying and I was actually smiling all the way through until the next episode preview. Seeing the rest of the cast is also quite quite the treat…although…
Seeing Kotomi’s violin in the backseat got me thinking…can she actually play by now? Or has she started an urban legend about a travelling musical assassin with a weird sense of humor?
Was it just me or when they cut to Tomoyo does it seem like the camera is shaking like someone is filming her? Just wondering.
Yay for animating the alternative ending! I’ll be watching the last ep then. ^^
I haven’t cried this much manly tears since the end of Aria. It was Pure Greatness. When Chiisana Tenohira started to play, I couldn’t even see from the tears.
And I loved how the scenes from the first opening were inserted. Like Ushio was there always, just most of us didn’t knew.
Oh yea, I forgot to mention the insert song. And yes, Ushio’s running scene was from the original OP. That’s another thing. There was so much information in the last episode that it was almost hard to take in. It was like three episodes in one…in fast forward fashion!
Well…you could still have Mei call you “onii-chan”. She’ll sound like StrikerS Nanoha doing so, but that should be fine.
There’s just something about Yukari Tamura and growing lolis.
Well…you could still have Mei call you “onii-chan”. She’ll sound like StrikerS Nanoha doing so, but that should be fine.
Or world-weary Rika-chama.
It’s time I give up on Mei calling me “onii-chan” from now on… I’ll have Ushio call me onii-chan! I mean who wouldn’t wanna be her “onii-chan”? She’s just too cute!
http://subculture.animeblogger.net/images/clannad/clannadafter22_21.jpg
Great shot or GREATEST shot?
You guys are gonna have the feds after me in no time if this keeps up.
clannad is full of crazy powers…. family power, friendship power, loli power…. XD
in all honesty though, for a person who doesnt really cry with movies or shows or pretty much anything else, i cried pretty hard in those specially sad episodes.
and in the op for the first season, you see flashes of fuuko finding ushio in the forest!!!!
god, i love clannad
Pretty good ending to a classic show. Wish the episode was like one hour long instead of half a hour. Then they could of explained things more and gave us more emotional scenes with Tomoya, Nagisa and Ushio. It might just be me but I think there was something to be implied with the last scene when Fuko found Ushio sleeping under the tree. I just cant think of a theory yet. Also, I like the character design of Nagisa with her haird pulled back then the original.
While watching this I was like “WTF? I thought After Story didn’t have the miracle vibe of past Key-based games”. I hate miracles. But this is the only way to end the story.
The scenes from the 1st season Clannad was the best parts of the anime. I don’t know why but that’s just me. The running Ushio was certainly awe inspiring but the little bit where Fuko was standing near a tree when she’s looking for Ushio was also great. Awesome.
I usually give a rat’s ass when watching animes in 4:3 but I didn’t care for After Story since with a story that’s so moving that the drama parts actually made me cry, I hardly ever feel that my monitor is cut on the sides.
What else… Hmmmm… The “Where are they now” scenes are also a nice touch but it’s an obvious addition. I wonder why Tomoyo feels lonely. Tomoyo After multi-ova anyone?
As for Fuko. All I can say is “Fuko desu”.
alks;fjasfjsa
It’s over. After Story is over.
The part that I liked the most about this episode was the scenes showing everyone living their lives.
I did keep rewatching Mei and Tomoyo’s parts. Mei has grown so much!
Even though the “miracle” confused me (and still does) I have to say that this was the perfect way to end everything. Clannad definitely shows one the happiness and the sadness of life. Everything had such a slow pace, and it was just beautiful. I admit that I had to sigh to keep from crying or anything like that.
It’s over.
Clannad was so beautifully done. I loved this entire series.
[...] noncontroversial thoughts: xebek, totali, meimi132, hey say anime, animewriter brings in omega point [...]
Hohoo just as I expected from KyoAni, Lazarus++ Mocus Pocus Ending!, I’m not agains Clannad only with fantasy from the last part, some that hava Kanon 2006 feelin.
I need more Kyou and more Tomoyo.
It’s not bad at all, though I kind of wish they never had anything supernatural in Clannad at all.
Might be a bit dumb, but I am guessing Tomoya was given a second chance to live?
Although I love the ending, but the illusionary world and the part how Tomoya flashbacks his past with Nagisa with their uniform scene –> the second time of giving birth is a bit confusing…
And revelation seems to hint that the girl in the Illusionary world is Ushio? “Sayonara papa…”