Clannad ~After Story~ 02
Ah, Youhei Sunohara. He’s a real marmite character if ever I seen one, which is why this episode could either be a bad one, or a good… no. This was never going to be good. Spoilers ahoy.
In this week’s episode, we get to see Sunohara making a fool of himself much moreso than usual, and in front of many more people, all because of one of Okazaki’s playful remarks that always go just a few dozen steps too far. While stepping through most of the characters we met in last episode’s baseball-’em-up again, and being rejected every time for being, well… Sunohara, Sanae-san finally reveals she was actually worried about his direction in life as well. Who knew?
Clannad ~After Story~ 01
So here begins this new season of anime, and thus of anime bloggers endless posts about the anime. Woo. In any case, of the new series on offer, I’ll definitley be following both ef – a tale of melodies and Clannad ~After Story~. I am still watching Full Metal Panic!, and I’m really enjoying it, but knowing the next episode is there to watch makes it hard to write about each one objectively and without bleeding into the surrounding episodes. Luckily, I won’t have that problem with the new Clannad.
I was surprised when I heard about Clannad the first time around, basically because of the word “clannad.” I knew without having to look it up that it meant “family” in Irish, and it shocked me to know that visual novel producers actually knew that my country existed. Unfortunately, there already existed a folk band with the name Clannad, so now whenever I hear it, I have conflicting thoughts of moé and traditional music. Which don’t mix terribly well, at least in my own head.
If you haven’t seen this episode, beware of spoilers from here on in.
The Eternal Debate
It’s time to open that can of worms. No, not the fansub one, but the other one. Yes, that’s right folks, it’s sub vs. dub time! After all, this is an anime blog, ergo, there should be something concerning sub vs. dub, right? This issue has been played to death and, in all honesty, I know you probably don’t want to hear the same old arguments all over again. However, it’s important for me to get my views out there, and though I do sit on the fence quite a lot, my bottom is sore and I need to stretch my legs a bit before getting back on it.
First off, an admission. I am an anime pirate, and I am ashamed of that fact. I would love to be able to say that my anime fix is satisfied through legitimate channels, but unfortunately this isn’t the case. It’s completely doable, so any excuse I give will be just that – an excuse. The truth is if that we stop spending money, the western anime industry will fall to it’s knees, and we’ll be the ones to blame. I’m aiming for perfection, and the industry, now particularly the UK industry, is certainly doing better than it was before to help me and other fans along the way. Take the latest batch of ADV Films and Manga Entertainment releases (E’s Otherwise, The GITS SAC Trilogy, et al) that shove whole series into relatively affordable boxes at fairly low per-episode prices. I’m reminded of a great video the NYAF put out to bring an answer to the question I’ve set out to answer…
Aria the Origination Drama CD1 01 (and Aria in general)
Through a post I recently seen on Natsukashii, I found out about a new fansub group, called Tortoise Fansubs (web/IRC), who are subbing Drama CDs. Excellent! Drama CDs, and especially internet radio shows these days, are so common for anime in Japan. They are perfect for unlocking secrets and explaining nuances from the show that just can’t be picked up through the medium of video alone. Also, and especially in this case for me, it helps with the withdrawal symptoms of shows that have finished, much like Aria.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei
I started (and finished) the first series of this anime quite a while ago. Last year, in fact. It was one of the shows that my university anime club introduced me to, and I am so thankful to them for that. I recently marathoned the whole first series again, and I’m so glad I did.
Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei, also known as So Long, Mr. Despair to those who followed a.f.k.’s fansubs, is adapted from the manga with the same name, as it happens. The story was created by Koji Kumeta, who we get to see a lot of throughout the series, given that his head appears a smattering of times throughout each episode. It’s this kind of behaviour that makes SZS stand out for me as a great example of anime.
