7.9 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
Tortured by his past and pained by an uncertain future, Tomoya drifts through life with an almost overwhelming anger and emptiness. But when he meets the mysterious, charming and shy Nagisa, his world seems to change. Drawn in by her gentle but lonely spirit, he begins to experience the joy life can bring. But as he discovers the reason for his newfound friend's loneliness, Tomoya also finds that life can be frighteningly fragile. Poignant. Compelling. Heartbreaking. Clannad is one of the most cherished anime of all time. And now it's available for the first time in beautiful, high-definition clarity.
Starring: Yûichi Nakamura, Mai Nakahara, Ai Nonaka, Mamiko Noto, Daisuke SakaguchiAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 96% |
Comedy | 25% |
Romance | 23% |
Teen | 14% |
Drama | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
High school is never an easy time, as anyone with a long memory or teenage kids of their own will attest. Hormones are raging, cliques are omnipresent, social graces hard to come by, and an overall general awkwardness seems to accompany even the simplest tasks. The social strata of high school life have been a subject rife for exploitation in all manner of artistic endeavor, and anime is certainly no stranger to this propensity. Countless animes have documented high school life, sometimes whimsically, sometimes seriously, sometimes a combination of the two. Clannad (how odd that this franchise shares a name with one of the most iconic Celtic bands of all time, though truth be told the series is often transliterated with an apostrophe as Cl'annad) probably falls into the last category. Clannad started life in the early 2000s as a “visual novel,” a computer based program that allowed viewers-readers to work through various story arcs, kind of like those books (remember those?) of yore where you could choose which way the plot went at certain points and turned to the appropriate page to keep that particular storyline going, but could later return to that nexus and make another decision and experience a different “reality.” Clannad was an instant sensation in Japan despite its rather slim story. Key, the software company releasing the title, had actually made its fortune and reputation with more, ahem, “adult” titles which featured dating storylines which usually had a relatively hardcore hentai aspect, but Clannad was their first all ages offering (Key had re-released some of their adult fare in “cleaned up” versions, but Clannad was their first title designed as an all ages release from the get go). Much like the adult oriented fare, Clannad posited various characters who might or might not develop romantic relationships, but this being high school, and the title being an all ages affair, there was no down and dirty intimacy involved. Why this particular title became such a sensation is anyone’s guess, but it didn’t take a genius to realize there was multimedia moolah to be made from it, and it didn’t take long before the first computer based software was ported over to various game systems and from there a whole variety of enterprises appeared, including mangas, a full length animated feature film, and this anime series. While the television outing may not have been the overwhelming success that the original software release was, it attained a certain cult appeal that has spread over the globe, resulting in rather impressive sales for the DVD releases. Now Clannad makes its Blu-ray debut on this three disc set which includes the entire series as well as the “after story” OVA.
Clannad is presented on Blu-ray by Sentai Filmworks with a very appealing AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. (Some early broadcasts of Clannad cropped the show to 1.33:1, but this is its correct aspect ratio). This is one of the more beautiful animes in recent memory, with gorgeous colors, excellent character design and some real attention paid to backgrounds and environments, including some that are a very cool sort of painted photo-realism. All sorts of nice effects are utilized throughout the series, including lovely moments like cherry blossoms floating in the breeze or even CGI elements that are nicely blended into the hand animated elements. Colors are really vivid and run the gamut from softer pastels to bright primaries. Line detail is exceptional throughout this presentation and some of the lighting effects are incredibly evocative. The good news about all of this is even when the story in Clannad is less than invigorating (which, believe me, it is), there are a lot of really pretty visuals to at least keep the eye entertained.
Aside from the differences in language, the Japanese and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless surround tracks are virtually identical in terms of mix, so the choice of which one to listen to should boil down mostly to whether you're an original language purist or if you don't mind or can't stand reading subtitles. Voice work on both of these tracks is very good to excellent, though the English voice cast sounds a bit older than does the Japanese one. This is not the most bombastic sound mix ever created, as befits Clannad's somewhat smaller scale ambitions, but fidelity is excellent and decent if not overwhelming surround activity crops up with fair regularity. The series has a beautiful opening theme and its first season has one of the most patently odd closing themes (with attendant weird animation) in recent memory, both of which sound great on both of the lossless audio options.
Clannad takes some patience, as it is a slow, deliberate and delicate anime that doesn't bash the viewer over the head with bombast or nonstop excitement. But if you settle into its more temperate rhythm, there's a lot to enjoy here. The drama is never too melodramatic and the humor is gentle and even goofy at times. The best thing about the series from a casual standpoint is its gorgeous visual presentation, which pops exquisitely on this new Blu-ray set. The series has a devoted fan base all over the world, and those people will be thrilled to add this to their collection. For others not that familiar with the Clannad franchise, the best advice is probably to take a deep breath and just relax, and then let the series unfold at its own pace. Recommended.
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