This, like Kanon, is definitely not an action-driven series. It's even slower paced than Kanon! However, like that show, it is incredibly beautiful. There are even sequences with CGI and 24 frames per second animation. And unlike in Haruhi, the CGI looks good! Well, Kyoto Animation hasn't failed me on this front.
However, I do have one issue. It's not the show itself; it's the subtitles. They come up and disappear really quickly. I'm a fast reader, but even I wasn't prepared for this. Good thing my PS3 rewinds really good. Also, as ANN pointed out, there's a few typos as well. It's nothing too major; any regular internet user will catch the typos and still read them correctly, but it is egregious; I saw Cardcaptor Sakura subbed, and I caught 3 typos in that entire series. I've caught 4 typos in just the first six episodes of Clannad. I fear errors like this will cause fans to mistrust R1 companies even more. Then again, this was published by the resurrected ashes of ADV Films; they don't exactly have a good track record for quality translations. (But they're still more alright than Tokyopop. Their translations can go to Hell. Yeah, I said it.)
But now, more good stuff. I like the music in Clannad even more. There's no orchestra, and yet, some of the pieces are very evocative. The ending song is very charming. I know I'm gonna score some MP3s soon! (Oh snap! That's one prediction down!)
And much like Kanon, this show's greatest strength is its characters. Tomoya is a lot like Yuichi, but he's even more interesting than Yuichi! I never said this, but if it weren't for Makoto, Yuichi would've been my favorite character in Kanon. To have a protagonist like Tomoya, well, I'm anxious to find out more about him. His friends Sunohara is a dumbass. He's like a cross between Beavis, Butthead, and George Costanza. He gets screwed constantly, and yet, it's always his own fault.
Oh, but readers, I know what you've been waiting for me to talk about. I can't evade it any longer. I'm about to open the floodgates. Prepare the raincoats.
The ads. Could not. Predict. The sheer amount of moe contained within Clannad. Here were my thoughts by the end of the first episode.
MOE OVERWHELMING!
Oh, but my gawd, the girls in this show . . . they are so charming! None of them are moeblobs! And there's this one great twist! Okay, okay, the main female girl, Nagisa, is very cute. And very pretty. And very moe. However, I think I know why she's so moe. I've never seen this reason before, but it makes perfect sense! The reason Nagisa is so moe?
Her mom is moe.
Oh gawd, Sanae (not the Touhou Sanae) the Moe Mom! She and Akio, Nagisa's dad, are so silly! They constantly grandstand, constantly ham it up, but are just so lovable! Although I would be scared if my own parents were like that.
Oh, but it doesn't end there! I was also introduced to Fuko Ibuki.
OH NO! NOT FUKO!
Fu-chan is soooooooooooo kyute! And you know who else I think is cute? Kotomi-chan! And you know who else I think is cute? Ryou-chan! (Okay, she's more Moderately Cute than Insanely Cute, but still) However, I didn't really find Tomoyo to be cute. She is definitely the prettiest, (But of course! She has my favorite hairstyle!) but her personality is not one I would find to be cute. Same goes for Kyou. But I do like their attitudes, nonetheless.
But that doesn't matter, because again, I was not prepared for the comedy within Clannad! I shouldn't be surprised; Air and Kanon had some hilarious moments, but Clannad though, oh man. I actually watched a certain scene in episode 4 twice. ("Did I buy a boxset of Marimite by accident?" I actually said that out loud.) And the silliness of the moe characters made me laugh. And Tomoya's snarking made me laugh. ("Yosh! I have mastered the art of snapping Fu-chan out of a trance with a fruit juice straw!") And Sunohara's epic levels of stupidity made me laugh out loud. However, there have been hints of drama. The end of episode 2 and 6 are good examples. This being a Key Visual Arts product, I knew it couldn't be straight up comedy. I must find out more.
Overall prognosis is good so far. There is no tacky fanservice of any kind. There are no over-acted voiceovers. While it is slow, at the same time, it doesn't move too fast either. The attempts at humor make me laugh most of the time. There's nothing wrong with the artwork. If there are any plot holes, they'll most likely get paved over by the end. Soooooo, it doesn't have flaws that are present in anime I hate, so . . . . bring it on, everyone.
