Of all the heroines in Clannad, Nagisa is the most human and relatable. Her ambition to reform the Drama Club in order to form a lasting memory and overcome her insecurities is compelling from the start. As the lone artifact in an ever-evolving environment, Nagisa is worried her new third-year peers will be unwilling to bond with her. A simple gesture not unlike Tomoya shatters those concerns. His decision to lift her spirits means little to him, but for Nagisa, it’s an answer to prayer. From then on, she resolves to become a strong and confident individual.
However, her chemistry with Tomoya is what makes her story so memorable. Tomoya’s blunt disposition callouses her heart. She learns to accept others’ disapproval and to persevere anyway. She learns to assert herself around others, while maintaining her kindhearted nature inherited from her mother. In turn, Tomoya benefits from Nagisa’s sensitivity and her understanding nature. He learns to forget the pretenses he once held about his present circumstances and move forward with his life. Both characters reveal hidden truths about each other and organically develop as characters because of their qualities as people, and Maeda executes every up and down of their relationship expertly.
