Moé Moé Rabu

It’s very rare for me to shed a tear in an anime series, let alone let the waterworks go. The last time I shed a tear was WAY back in Kanon at the end of Makoto’s arc, and it happened once again here in Fuko’s arc of Clannad. The initial build up from the start of this episode gave the thought of things nearly being lost, but in the end, Fuko’s feelings reached out to everyone and they all celebrated Kouko’s wedding. However the one thing that touched my heart the most was when Nagisa and Tomoya finally remembered about Fuko. Everything at the start was nice and cozy, with the three acting like a family, only to find the next day that it seems nothing had happened. But their lingering feelings for Fuko were what remained, and it was those feelings that helped them to remember.

Impressions

Fuko was brilliant this episode right from the start to the very end. Her childish behaviour I see as an indication that she knew what was going to happen the next day and that she wanted that night to be enjoyable. The fact that she also stayed by Tomoya and Nagisa reflects the faith she had in the two and how much she loved them as well, despite the pair forgetting about her the next day. I liked how we saw the three holding hands together as it shows that they were almost like a family themselves, but with Fuko’s talk of the dream she had shows that their family was about to end. In the end, Fuko disappeared in front of Tomoya and Nagisa, but reappeared once again in front of her sister, handing her a starfish. I had th feeling the last starfish would have gone to Kouko, but it was also nice to see that Kouko could see Fuko at the very end. Although Fuko is now gone, she is still remembered by everyone, even if for a glimmer, or as a rumour aroud the school. But it’s nice to see that in the dream world for Fuko, this time she hands out the starfish for herself in order to make friends, and that first friend was none other than Tomoya.

Even though this was entirely about Fuko, we did see some character development between Tomoya and Nagisa. My one question from the last episode was what Fuko thought of Tomoya and Nagisa, and they kind of answered that at the start of the episode. Fuko could see that the two are close to each other, yet don’t call each other by their first names. Fuko would definitely see the two as a couple rather than a father and mother figure to her and she wanted the two of them to come closer together. But it’s a shame that they ended up forgetting about all and have taken a step backwards. Kyou also got some character development as well. She is rather friendly towards Tomoya, and enough to invite him out to go shopping. Although at this point, I would say that it was out of friendship, but her attitude towards Tomoya’s decline shows that kind of anger that girls can only show. Still, I want more Kyou!

This episode was definitely more than what I was expecting. KyoAni sure know how to pull the heart strings and also give a satisfying ending to a character’s arc as well. It felt as if this was an actual ending of the series and everyone has a happy ending, yet we know there is more to go and I’m interested in how they are going to adjust from Fuko’s arc to Kotomi’s arc, which appears to be next. There is only one downside to this episode, and that is mainly that this is the non-widescreen version. I preferred if this was the widescreen version as this is a series that should be screened like that in the first place.

Also since I’m hoping to catch up to the latest episodes, I may start bringing in the merchandise of the week to go with the Clannad posts. Just hope I have enough merchandise.

Preview: