Nagisa’s slowly warming up to me, just as she is for other people. But I’ll be stubborn and say it’s only because the other girls are being neglected that all we can do is focus on Nagisa now. :P It’s also since we’re slowing down the pace, too, from all the action and upbeat moods of Kyou and Tomoyo. Because Fuuko’s arc was slow and smooth, and we enjoyed it very much, so I think Nagisa’s story is just trying to return to that speed. The ending of this episode I really liked, though.

Impressions

I had kind of forgotten that Tomoya had been addressing Nagisa by her first name ever since the end of the Fuuko arc, but it became really apparent here when he said it multiple times in a row at the baseball game. That and you parallel it to Sanae and Akio, and you can just say to yourself: “Wow, they really do belong together.” Ascaloth points out the dynamic between Tomoya and Nagisa — how they have optimistic and silly moods that make them work well together. They are an example of a couple who think and feel in common way and support each other rather than a couple who stay together by challenging each other and being independent (if paired with Tomoyo or Kyou). (Kotomi and Fuuko are just mismatches in general, really…)

It makes me jealous, since I find myself more likely to be in a “common interests”-type relationship, with a girl like Nagisa just accepting my bad traits (like how Tomoya is always sarcastic) or enjoying them rather. And then the happy picnic where Nagisa pretty much copies her mom and admits happiness to the one she adores. Akio is upset, but I’m sure he’s overall pleased; Sanae looks confused but is probably just as amused. And so things are going really well.

But we can’t end on a non-drama note, can we? Maybe Nagisa will find out about the past and have a somber reaction. Or something else when they start rehearsing for the play; who knows. Tomoya is in on the family secret now, too, but I don’t expect Nagisa to be the angry “Why didn’t you tell me?!” kind of person.

Hinano is upset at all this romantic tension without rewards. ^^; Hopefully this means we’ll get an epic kiss at the end and not end the series on a “big happy friendly family” note, which I and others have wondered. I mean, with Fuuko, Kouko, and Mei saying things like “We’ll be back someday!”, you’d expect this big reunion in the last episode where everyone’s all smiles like the end of a Disney movie without any care for the tragedies of the past. Maybe it’ll happen, but someone has to hook up, darn it!

I enjoyed Fuuko this episode; I agree with others that her entrance animation is getting a bit overused. Rather it takes up a lot of time and kills the momentum of the scene, so her just up and appearing here is great. These are obviously plugs for the fans, since each encounter is its own isolated incident (unless Fuuko really has the power to cast amnesia on everyone she meets). I love how she just remains in the winter school uniform with birthday hat. And the zombie moans? Moe moe moe~

I’m proud of Sunohara; he’s truly the best best friend; if only he could get a girl, too… I agree with Kurogane about how he and Yukine are totally on top of Tomoya and Nagisa being together — with Tomoya in a really serious sense of denial right now. But I guess Tomoya is just afraid or unsure of these new feelings. Without much of a family of his own for a long time, I can see how he’s been separated from any sensation of “love.” And here Nagisa isn’t being dishonest or wavering like Tomoya’s father. She smiles and cares and wishes for the best. Tomoya might be just fine taking Nagisa in as a sister, but instead he’ll (hopefully) take her as a companion.

Rainbow bread cracks me up, especially when KyoAni displayed them all to us a second time in passing, just as a cute reminder of Sanae’s culinary genius. Really, though, I’m reminded of the Rainbow armor set in Chrono Trigger; that bread must be indestructible.

Negative Heart, Lock On! Hee’ Totali called it first, and the thought of it just tickles me. Sunohara’s hidden chara probably is that awesomely wise self that he showed Tomoya towards the end of this episode.

More awesome sped-up frame rate with the girl and the robot in the post-apocalyptic world. So far it’s been a separate story, but Nagisa now connects it to the main plot as a story she’s read about and wants to perform. Others have found or thought of parallels between this story and the main plot, which do work I guess, but I don’t feel a real attachment to it just yet.

Touching on the Furukawa past a bit, raising a family is a tough thing. Akio and Sanae ended up choosing Nagisa over their own dreams, which perhaps saved her life, and the two parents see happiness through her happiness. Given the way they’ve all grown up together it doesn’t seem like a bad life. But if it were me I would always take a quiet moment to wonder. It’s not like Akio was the irresponsible father who was never home for his wife and kid; both he and Sanae had a lot of responsibility to their work, and they had a passion to achieve many great things together. Perhaps Nagisa wasn’t something they totally thought through. I’m not saying she was an ‘accident’; I mean that raising a child in general proved to have much more weight than either parent thought. In a way I feel a little sad for Akio and Sanae who had to give up so much. I can proud of them more for cherishing a life they created over their own lives, sure, but… it’s all the more reason for me to stay single I guess, which is very easy for me to say since I’m not in a relationship right now.

Ascaloth points out the title card at the start of this episode. I noticed it, too, and could agree on the guess that now the “real” story of Clannad finally starts. The previous 19 episodes gave us the arcs of the other girls, but it was all a big long introduction for Nagisa, who has established her closeness with Tomoya, and we can only move deeper. I’ve said so far that things seem happy, but I guess I’m only scratching the surface of the rest of the story.

Yes you do

Two more episodes left? And then the other two will be special release?

~Crisu

That floating cigarette…