The Story (2009 Anime Cool Down)
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The Winner: Clannad ~After Story~
The Runner Up: Bakemonogatari
I almost named this category: I laughed, I cried, I died a little inside. I had to throw it out though because I couldn’t take the rhymes seriously.
I think it’s easy to understand why I picked Clannad ~After Story~ for anyone who’s seen it. Then again I’m actually having a hard time coming up with a why.
Clannad ~After Story~ was unique. The genre of “harem” comedy usually ends with the protagonist and the protagonist’s significant other getting together. They kiss, they smile, they run off into the sunset: What a happy ending. After Story reminds me somewhat of those newly wed comedies, yet it goes the distant of showing us a couple who love and support each other. They earn their fairy tail ending, but it’s far from a fairy tail. Tomoya doesn’t go to college and gets a job as a street light repairman. Nagisa still struggles with sickness. I actually feel like this is a story I’ve never seen told, that transition phase between adolescence and the ampicillin buy online normalcy of young adulthood. Then there’s the first pregnancy and finally the first child.
Nagisa dies. However, unlike how it was with so many buy acomplia online other shows, I realized that this wasn’t mindless tradgedy. Key, or KyoAni, thought about their character, Tomoya, and the one area where he was still broken, incomplete. They needed him to grow by showing him his father. He could only see his father for who he truly was after Nagisa’s death and with the help of miracle workers like Sanae.
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I originally thought that Clannad was a story about Tomoya going around saving girls, but it was only later that I realized Clannad was a story about the girls saving Tomoya. He was lost, broken and full of hate. It took the entire cast to save him and bring him his happy ending.
And what a happy ending it was! Ushio is still the cutest kid ever. Ugh, I just felt some paternal instinct kick in I better wrap up this section.
A Confession:
Hi my name is Dustin, I’m a 20 year old male and I like the Dango Song!
Congratulations to Clannad ~After Story~ for winning Best Story!
Bakemonogatari
Even though it’s the runner up in this section, don’t be fooled, it’s a completely different type of story from Clannad doxycycline buy online and choosing between them was like choosing between Apples and Oranges. Honestly I had a hard time picking whether it should win Best Romance for the Senjogahara/Araragi aspect or Best Fantasy for having an amazing and intriguing world. Whenever there’s a show like that it belongs here: in the Best Story category.
People often ask me what makes a good story (Ok they don’t ask, but I wish they did :) ) and I often have to reply “lots of things”. Hollywood has a plot formula, anime has the moe moe kyun factor, and pop music has its scandals. Bakemonogatari does it right though. They have complex motivated characters, witty dialogue, and good pacing. It builds up the suspense slowly and the twist at the end of an arc is usually fascinating and an insightful look at our characters. Although the arcs appear to be about the oddities that plague the girls in Araragi’s life, they ultimately end up being about Araragi.
Did I mention Araragi is also one of my favorite type of heroes. He doesn’t go around preaching right and wrong he just does what he can with the small amount of power he’s been given. He’s not afraid to die apparently, but he doesn’t have to tell us. Araragi is one of those people that speaks with actions, which is hilarious in its own right since he also has a lot more lines than most heroes.
Did I mention I love the dialogue. Its subtle in a way I’m not used to. The questions are pointed and meaningless conversation have a way of becoming incredibly meaningful. Not to mention I love the dead pan, sarcastic, intelligence emitted by most of the characters.
Did I mention the awesome Shinto world. Crabs made of words, invisible snakes that slowly crush you to death, and a monkey paw that grants wishes. I love how each of the oddities ultimately tells us a lot about the character in a way words never would. How the monkey paw embodied our hidden desires, or the crab that took senjogahara’s weight embodied how it took her baggage (or hid it from the world). This kind of stuff just spoils me, soon I’ll want all of my animes to be as brilliant.
Did I mention the 4 OPs were a work of genius. They were incredibly revealing of the arc, artistic, and just plain fun.
Yes, there was a lot to love about Bakemonogatari and that’s exactly why it deserves to be here, remembered as one of the best animes of 2009.
Congratulations to Bakemonogatari for being the runner up for Best Story of 2009.
That concludes the 2009 Anime Cool Down. It’s been a great year for anime, though admittedly not the best. There were some other great series I wish could have made some of these awards, alas, that is the sadness of exclusivity. I hope you enjoyed reminiscing with me on the animes that played this year, and I sure hope next year I’m around to do the same :)!
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20 Comments
Nice work with the reviews, I’d have to agree that Clannad and Bakemonogatari both carried very good stories.
Overall I’ve heard a lot of people say that anime is in decline and I feel that it’s because there aren’t enough animes out there aiming for a title such as this one. An anime with great visual quality and an average story is just average. But an anime with average visual quality and a great story will be great, at least in my books.
“An anime with great visual quality and an average story is just average. But an anime with average visual quality and a great story will be great.”
That’s one of my new favorite quotes, eloquent and true of more than just anime :).
I’m glad you liked my reviews, it was a fun year.
I couldn’t have said it better than your assessment of Clannad. :)
Any story which successfully made me smile, laugh, cry and look back at it with wonderful memories automatically warrants a winning award in my eyes. Clannad managed to do all that and much, much more. In short, the entire story can be deemed as a perfect marriage between the two extremes of tragedies and miracles. It’s been a while since I’ve watched something which managed to pull my heartstrings until they snapped (Okay, maybe KANON 2006 did that not too long ago).
Right, I think I’m motivated enough now to get back on track with Bakemonogatari. Gosh, I hate my lazy viewing habit, always putting shows on hold now and then. :p
It’s really good :). You should enjoy watching it, don’t feel like you have to force yourself :).
I liked Kanon 2006 myself, though admittedly it wasn’t after story :). It reminded me more of the first Clannad more than After Story.
Clannad is truly Key’s magnum opus. While their previous works focus mostly on just making you cry, Clannad goes out of its way to tell a rare tale. The institution of the family is often an inconvenient one in fiction; they are often treated as the little details that get in the way of whatever high adventure the protagonist needs to tangle him/herself in. And when so much anime is aimed at a pubescent age group, having an offscreen family may be a minor wish fulfilment. It’s as if Key is speaking directly against this trend. “The family isn’t hindering or annoying or inconsequential. Families are beautiful.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Key story without tears, and the After Story delivers that in buckets as well. The tragedy, perhaps, made the beauty stand out even more.
Kyoto Animation’s role should also be applauded, displaying the detailed execution they have earned a reputation for. The series would have fizzled without the strong characterisation. The first season, perhaps, was mainly to make the characters live a bit in that idyllic high school life we’re so used to in anime. I know that ‘bring characters to life’ is a bit of a cliche these days, but that’s what Clannad is all about.
It does bring characters to life and I think your idea that the family is often shoved to the side is true of most stories. Unfortunately protagonists are normally so self absorbed family often plays a less than crucial role (or a very dead role). Although lots of people might not consider that an adventure, there are lots of different kinds of family life. It’s not a bad thing that they want to portray it. Take The Timetraveller’s wife for example, there is seemingly little to no plot, it’s just about their life and yet it’s interesting.
Its sad though that I never got to finish Clannad: Afterstory. Got so busy with work I neglected it. I’m going to make it a point to finish it before summer arrives lol.
I also agree that Bakemonogatari is one of the best Anime’s I’ve seen last year. The story, art and the “twisted” sense of humor kept me wanting for more.
I’ve actually been going back and rewatching Bakemonogatari. To my immense delight it’s even better the second time. You start to pick up the subtle LOL sound effect moments and even put together some of Shaft’s more bizarre motifs. I like Hachikuji a lot better this time around knowing Katou Emiri voices her too :).
Clannad can be slow at times, but it’s just so different I believe it’s worth it. Good Luck on your quest!
I lost count of how many times I cried throughout the Clannad series. It was beautiful.
I liked how Clannad broke the series into “sub-arcs” (if you can call it that) which actually plays an important role to how Tomoya grows. Although it doesn’t seem like it. Just a personal opinion. :)
It’s one of those animes which makes you lie on the bed at night just staring at the ceiling… Lol.
Nice read.. :)
Thanks!
Clannad is a pretty crazy series. I’m not sure if it had the best character creation in the world, but at least the characters weren’t stock.
I’m 23 and I dig Dango Daikazoku! But the way you confessed made it sound like it’s a bad thing ;_; Anyway I’m almost as fanatical about after story as I am about eva, so needless to say Clannad at top spot earns my seal of approval ^^ Clannad After Story is precisely the kind of anime that I want to see (much much) more of, but it seems like KyoAni is the only studio doing any shows that are comparable in nature. Makes me wonder when will we next see a show that could affect us like Clannad did, and if Clannad is indeed Key’s magnum opus, chances don’t look so good =(
I don’t personally consider Bakemonogatari a top-notch anime (you have probably read some of my ranting complaints), but story/writing wise it is definitely up there. And you’re right, this is definitely a show you get extra value out of if you rewatch, although it is such a densely packed show that you’ll probably zonk yourself out if you try marathoning the whole thing at once (as I did).
I love Bakemonogatari. I should go back and do an entire post just on the imagery present in it. I can’t think of a show that gives us more crazy awesome moments not to mention the whole thing is basically non-stop dialog. How many shows can just give you straight dialog (from the same two people) and not bore you to death? I would bet not many. Still I can see where your complaints are coming from. Not everyone is a fan of shafts “unique” style and I definitely. You should go back and just pay attention to the sound effects sometime. It’s a hoot :).
I did and they are – the odd thing about me is that my biggest complaint is also everyone else’s biggest praise. The dialog, and.. I was bored to death :( I was summarizing the Suruga Monkey arc to a friend the other day and I realized there is actually a lot of brilliance in how so many interesting things are elegantly melted into the plot. But, I dunno maybe it’s just not my style. Or it has to do with me watching all of my anime at the end of long days – two people jabbering on and on and on probably isn’t the best kind of entertainment in such times :P
Of course, the DORAEMON caricatures contributed to some of my misgivings too ;)
I can see where you’re coming from. Some parts did tend to drag, but for the most part I loved the flow of conversation. I loved how natural it felt going from Araragi’s virginity to a passing reference about Hanekawa (where we could see that Senjogahara was really testing Araragi to see if they had a thing). The characters all had a unique way of speaking and characteristics too. Their dialogues and reactions were often over the top buy colorful in a way I just don’t feel other animes really create.
Honestly I just want more.
And what are you talking about with Doraemon caricatures! Those were epic :).
“And what are you talking about with Doraemon caricatures! Those were epic :) .”
*insert shocked Doraemon-caricatured Rararararagi face here*
I should clarify though that in spite of said misgivings I liked the show and greatly appreciate the insistent focus on finer things than moe (or FASCINATION as the fashion was at the time). It just wasn’t the best thing since sliced bread (or since Clannad. Ok, MAYBE since Clannad ;) )
I’m a big fan of sliced bread, but it ain’t got nuttin’ on Bakemonogatari! I would eat whole loaves long before you could pry my fingers away from the 2D blue birds that plethorated my screen like Christmas all over again. I want a Bakemonogatari T-Shirt, with Bakemonogatari Quotes that say Bakemonogatari like things and sport Bakemonogatari images. I want a house devoted to Bakemonogatari including rooms with missing walls and ground so we can see the rafters underneath. I want my life to randomly cut to different colors! BAKEMONOGATARI FOREVER!!
(Dustin proceeds to put underwear on his head and go completely insane).
*schemes to stimulate Dustin further until he goes completely batshit and gets sent to the lock up, so I can maliciously take over Yin no Piano*
Let’s see now, do I still have admin powers? :twisted:
Lol, I’m pretty sure you still do. I wouldn’t mind you writing posts here. I just figured you were happy with doing your own thing over at Between Linux and Anime otherwise I would have offered a long time ago :).
Haha I am, it was a joke and having more blogs creates more variety =P
(in an undertone:)
Besides, I didn’t mean anything remotely as tame and sweet as simply writing a couple of posts when I said ‘*maliciously* take over Yin no Piano’ :twisted:
Oh geeze. Scary stuff!