For the third week of “the remembrance of love,” I recall some of the more dramatic moments of Clannad After Story as Tomoya and Nagisa starts life as a new family before it gets cut short. (Image Source)
When I saw these episodes, I’m quite surprised how far the couple progressed. At the beginning of the series, they had something in their lives that kept them down. As the story progressed, both of these characters grew stronger and closer to each other. These four episodes show this as Nagisa finally graduates and marries Tomoya after he practiced so hard to hit the ball Akio pitched.
Although I haven’t noticed it before, it’s worth mentioning that Nagisa is somehow connected to the nature in the city. In Episode 15, Akio retells the story where he takes his daughter who is half-conscious to an open meadow. He prayed to keep her life and shortly after, she regained consciousness. How the miracle occurred is rather interesting as God simply forgave them for not being with their daughter while they pursued their dreams. Even so, the change that happens around the town is impacting her symbolically. The same ultimately happens to Ushio several episodes later.
Especially in these four episodes, it’s very apparent that Nagisa has gotten emotionally stronger. It shows when she wants a child. Although some people don’t like her because she is plain and shy, she is one of my favorite characters because of her character development. While she lacked confidence at first from getting held back in her senior year, Tomoya helped her. This allowed her to change for the better as she became more confident. In Episodes 14 to 16, she shines the most by telling her parents that she had sex and wanting to have the birth at home. The latter was a bold move since she understands the risks behind it and is not afraid. On the other hand, she has changed Tomoya’s life by giving him a new outlook. She feels that he is a kind person from the encouragement and his help in reviving the Drama Club. Sadly, it falls apart in the tragic event that brings him down.
For most people, Nagisa’s death was very heartbreaking. They worked so hard to create a new family, but it gets taken away. The snow that happened on the day of her giving birth felt rather symbolic since something grim was about to happen. It forces her to give birth at home as the city came to a grinding halt. The last moments were downright melancholic as it seems like she was going to make it, but doesn’t. The stuff Tomoya says was tear jerking, which added to the moment.
Nagisa. You told me you’d always be by my side. You said we’d always be together… You promised me that many times, didn’t you? 1
Nothing good ever happened in my life. I thought I had a crappy life, but even someone like me finally found something to hope for.
It’s obvious that he looks up to her as the reason to live since she is special to him. Now with her death, he has nothing to look forward to and now regrets in having a relationship with her that lead to her death. It’s tragic, but he eventually regains his mojo a few years later.
Next Week: Ushio and the Conclusion
Some Notes
- Quite frankly, this line also reminded me of the lyrics of Azusa’s image song “By Your Side,” which also gave a similar feeling. ↩
I totally cried with these episodes D: Tomoya was rather melancholic for a while but I’m glad he was able to overcome his depression.
Yeah, the episodes leading up to these moments felt somewhat melancholic before the big one hit. Still, for him to have a comeback in the following episode, start taking care of Ushio and making up with his father is quite amazing… It shows that he isn’t too hopeless.
Aside from that, there are things I haven’t mentioned that were in Episode 13, such as the drunk Nagisa… that was funny.
Uh…looks like I’ve just been spoiled. Then again, I think I knew what I was getting into when reading this so^^. Hopefully the scene will still be impactful if I get a chance to watch After Story. For example, I knew of what happened to Mami in Madoka for a while, yet it was still pretty out there for me when I watched the whole episode.
Well, don’t underestimate that scene since it’s a very powerful one that could bring anyone in tears. Even so, it’s predictable considering Nagisa’s health, but that episode still left an impression on me for a long time and also Episode 21… but I shouldn’t spoil it anymore and definitely watch it for yourself… Still, watch the first season before the second as some of the developments in that are used in this season.