Guess I’m a bit late to the party.
Clannad was my first VN and it feels great to read it again. The small gaps in my memory are being filled again and the overall picture is becoming more and more detailed. I sincerely hope to learn more about this story and its characters than ever before as I participate in the bookclub.
I like how the common route handles the mood. Whenever Tomoya is alone with his thoughts, he recalls his difficult situation and becomes gloomy. He distracts himself from these thoughts by means of recreation. His options are limited in this regard, so he kills time by interacting with other people (and teasing them).
I’d like to take a closer look at this.
Tomoya is a team player with low performance who watches everyone closely. He could accomplish so much more if his self-esteem was higher.
Sunohara receives a lot of praise in Tomoya’s inner monologues. Despite that, he is pictured as the biggest loser throughout the match because his shortcomings are more obvious than his accomplishments and skills. Sunohara is high-spec, but his selfishness and poor decision-making are impairing his overall performance heavily. Basically, he’s an idiot. This is exactly how he got himself into the same situation as Tomoya and stays there.
Mei is the opposite of her brother. Her age and physical abilities are of no concern thanks to her quick and smart decisions.
Tomoyo’s stats are off the charts, but she’s only using a fraction of her abilities because she’s too concerned with matching a certain self-imposed image.
Misae-san doesn’t have that problem (and is thus a perfect role model for Tomoyo). She doesn’t mind being herself. She’s making full use of her abilities, although bringing up her age does shake her up.
Nagisa has been put in a very important position despite her severe lack of skill and physical ability. It’s a tough situation, but she hangs in there and gives her best. She succeeds occasionally.
These characters are playing this baseball game the same way as they’re living their lives.
I see what you did there.
Bring it on.
I would’n go so far as to call him an actual bro. According to my memory, Sunohara only has like one and a half “true bro” moments in the entire game. The VN is making this way more obvious than the anime: Sunohara is a clown and a punching bag more than anything else.
He could be a true bro, I won’t deny that. He’s got the skills and guts to back you up. But he barely ever bothers thinking about others or viewing a situation from anyone else’s perspective than his own.
