Clannad Episodes 20 & 21
Secret Past / In Preparation For the School Festival
[Clannad Info Page keeps you up to date on the moe]
Falling behind after a week away from home, work, and anime. So it’s dual-post time. That’s fine, these two episodes are part of a pair, really — or more likely, a trio along with the final episode.
Recap
At the beginning of Episode 20, we see the high-framerate girl and robot in the empty world attempting to construct a friend, and failing.
Sadly, Johnny 5 is not alive
Most of #20 focuses on Okazaki’s interaction with Akio, sometimes humorous and sometimes serious, as they search for the story on which Nagisa has based her play idea. Akio finally explains (after a pretty funny scene of the pair repeatedly trying to achieve privacy from Sanae and Nagisa, finally ending up on the roof) to him the “secret” of Nagisa’s past and what makes her feel like she should apologize to her parents. It’s nothing you couldn’t see coming.
God doesn’t hate you, but he does think those antennae are unnatural.
Essentially, they both gave up doing what they wanted to do with their lives (acting for Akio, teaching for Sanae) in order to take care of their sickly moe-itis plagued daughter.
The weird library girl does a charm for Sunohara and Okazaki — the idea is the first person who talks to you after you perform the charm is the girl who likes you.
Poor poor Sunohara.
The scene is cute because she sets Okazaki up to meet Nagisa, and of course for comic relief with poor Sunohara. But most notable is Okazaki first seeing Fuko and desperately pleading with her not to say anything. This marks a first: I laughed at a Fuko scene.
Not just a chuckle either. That was actually funny.
At any rate, the school festival is coming, and the play is finally coming together. It’s a one-woman show starring Nagisa, with everyone else taking on various duties and Okazaki directing.
It’s the end of the season. Hiromi’s wearing them in True Tears, I figured, why not?
Everyone else, however, is still forced to do strange vocal exercises for at least 10 minutes of episode 21, not to mention stretching with fanservicey angles.
Oh is THAT what it looks like.
Nagisa’s nervous, but getting by. Unfortunately, all goes to hell when she knocks over some of the recently-displaced boxes and finds horrific evidence of the Grizzly Bear Truth. Photo albums of her dad on stage, Sanae’s diaries, all telling the story of what she sees as broken dreams caused by her.
What We’ve Learned
Akio’s abandoned dream is acting, not surprising considering his personality, but he seems happy enough baking and running his own business — and everyone loves bread! — so what could be wrong?
For a second, I actually thought it was a Sanae/Akio homemade porn tape. And at that point, I took a long hard look at myself.
No convincing Nagisa of that, she’s only horrified by the irony that his sacrifice is allowing her to be an actress now, even if it’s only for the school festival. It looks like the final episode is fraught with the tragic state of her mind, which I assume is what drives her to the poor health that will kill her. In 22 minutes though?
Thoughts
Episode 21 went by without much event, mostly showing the progress of the theater club —aside from the Main Event of Nagisa finding the box of stuff.
The old man loses his smoke as he loses his shit on the ballfield.
So the highlight reel shines on episode 20’s ending, as the Furukawas plus Okazaki play baseball with some kids in the park. Without going into it too much, I just want to say that final scene is just too fucking kawaii for me to handle.
This runs a close second.
These last few post-harem-thinning episodes have been great, I’ve really enjoyed the developments, not to mention all the Akio. As there are two more episodes of most shows left, Clannad 22 is officially the most anticipated show of the week.
