Discussion topic for CLANNAD -Hikari Mimamoru Sakamichi de- Episode 09: One-piece dress, featuring Kotomi Ichinose as written by Yuichi Suzumoto. For general discussion of Kotomi’s character, please visit her character discussion topic.
Spoilers for the vanilla CLANNAD are permitted, but please tag references to other Side Stories with the [spoiler] tag, providing adequate context in parenthesis.
How would you rate this episode?
0 voters
Huh, I was expecting Kotomi to narrate, but it’s Tomoya. Looks like this is set after Kotomi’s route, in the middle of June! Oh my goodness, a Kotomi after?? Now I’m interested.
…aaaand it’s just Kyou being overbearing and Kotomi trying out underwear and shenanigans involving Kotomi’s chest… I’m beginning to feel like most of these side stories are wasted potential after all.
This. The best thing about Side Stories so far is that with different narrators we are getting to see more about how each character really is, and not always in situations related to Tomoya.
So when I saw that Tomoya was the narrator and that Kotomi doesn’t have half of the lines of the side story I was left out wondering why they say that this is a chapter about Kotomi. I mean, she didn’t get any development. She saw a dress at the beginning, she seemed interested in it, and bought it in the end. In between, we get a bit of comedy from Tomoya’s imagination and Kyou messing up with both Kotomi and Tomoya.
Is there anything new? No. Could they have developed anything about Kotomi that we didn’t know yet? No.
Hell, they could’ve even been able to talk about her experieces in the USA after she leaves to study there! A shy girl in a whole new environment.
Anyway, I’d give this route a 1, but since it at least made me smile at times I guess I’ll give it a 2…
It’s clothes shopping. Just…clothes shopping.
I have a feeling that Suzumoto didn’t care much about this story, because I know he can do much, much better. Kotomi’s route had characterization and progression unlike any of the other routes CLANNAD had to offer. There was significance to every action made, every word spoken, every thought thunked. There’s absolutely none of that here.
Not to say it’s bad, it’s just that nothing happens, and that’s not necessarily bad in my books. In fact, I’ve come to expect it after reading so many of the same kinds of stories here. So, my score is not so much affected by the fact that nothing happens as it does that it’s underwhelming coming from Suzumoto. It’s still enjoyable to read and no one’s out-of-character, although it does try to explain something that didn’t really need explaining… ^^;
I had high hopes as Kotomi’s route is my favourite, but aside from the very funny scene of Tomoya’s imagination of what is going on in the fitting room this feels very much like an opportunity missed and gives us too much of the same as the main story.
Would have preferred a story where: either Kotomi is preparing to leave saying goodbyes and then arrives in the US and we see how she adapts to the new environment; or looking back to show what happened during her childhood years before she met Tomoya again.
The humour just scrapes a 3, but I was disappointed.
