Poll: Which of Key's works is the saddest?

Key Discussion
#79

I think that, even with the Key magic being properly explained, it is still too hard a pill to swallow.

CLANNAD has lights that can grant any wish, in a world where everything else is normal? And you can gain multiple lights over alternate realites??? If that isn’t stretching it, then I don’t know what is

And Little Busters has people unconsciously creating a dream world that spans multiple days and repeats as much as they need? That’s just crazy talk

I think the problem with those cases of Key Magic is that there is just no sort of explanation to the mechanism. If, for example in clannad, they put in stuff like “An ancient civilization created these magical wish-granting lights. But these magical lights have been spread across multiple dimensions” then sure, I can believe it. But all that would do would be to ruin a perfectly good story.

Which is why I don’t bother understanding nor justifying the Key Magic. I just focus on the emotions

#80

Now you’re just arguing that the supernatural aspects are what’s “too convenient”, etc. All of Key’s settings are supernatural. The only difference is that with stuff like CLANNAD and Little Busters!, you don’t realize until towards the end that the setting was supernatural the whole time. Which leads to two things:

1) Shock-value and tearjerk-iness can be increased majorly with the “holy shit all that was happening the whole time and I never knew damn those characters are strong, etc.” But 2) it requires you to use your suspension of disbelief at the end, in the heat of the moment, instead of at the beginning when the setting is being built. This makes it seem more like an out-of-the-blue, “what the hell” kind of moment instead of something thats been building up the whole time.

Both of these affect each person in varying degrees, which is why some people like it more than others, and some people are bothered by it more than others.

As a side note, Angel Beats! seems to have the opposite set up, with all the supernatural stuff in the beginning, and all the real stuff hitting hardest. (From what I gather, Rewrite might be similar. I don’t really know anything about it, and I don’t want to know so don’t tell me)

#81

Some time ago, someone in this forum made a comment regarding that matter.

If someone decries “Deus Ex Machina” in a Key VN/Anime, s/he wasn’t paying attention

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#82

Yes(I’ve read every Key game at one point or another). TA had a bittersweet, but happy ending.

[quote=“Nin, post:71, topic:811”]
The last episode of Angel Beats did this extremely well and its ending is one of my favourites.
[/quote]if it wasn’t for the last 5 seconds after the credits literally ruining the entire plot for the show, I would agree. It didn’t need that at all, and it would have gone in a really cool direction without it; but nope. Key magic and all that bullcrap.

#83

I’m confused with your opinion of AB…
If anything, the last moments of the final episode were the most logical ones. The whole story ran on Key magic anyway.

#84

When always think back on first few anime clannad just make me cries. The VN was boring though, I am weird.
My favourite would be Rewrite. Although i know there’s lots of boring parts, but i like it for how interesting, unique and imaginative a VN can get at different routes/alternate timeline. It truly conveyed a story best comprehensible not in a book(since i don’t read or even get the author’s story). And anime always stuck at budget short episodes with quality in demand plus end up an uncompleted story which many manga made into anime always happens.
Little busters is very good, except school setting and walls everywhere which has got me annoyed.
If anyone thinks I’m weird, I think so too.

P.S after reading some comments here, reminds me of the semi bad ends in Rewrite which has more impact to me?

1 Like
The "Key Magic" Motif
#85

The people complaining about “key magic ruins everything” should slow down and think really hard about what Key stories would be like if they were strictly realistic and did not utilize Key magic.
Angel Beats wouldn’t even exist. And all other key works would be just ‘stories where some characters die in the end for no good reason’ instead of ‘unrealistic stories where all problems are magically resolved’. That’s hardly the better alternative. Why? Because the death of certain characters would destroy the meaning of a key story and change its central topic.
Just try to imagine the consequences of Key magic not happening in Clannad. Could it still be called a story about family?

For me, key magic is a form of justice in the universe of every key story. Life is harsh, nobody’s denying that. Any kind of tragedy might strike you or the people close to you at any time. Effort doesn’t always pay off. Dedication doesn’t always pay off. There are no guarantees, no matter how hard you try or how much you struggle. All you can do is somehow come to terms with whatever happens and move on.
But even if life betrays you, key magic will not. If you always give your best, if you treat your loved ones with utmost affection and support them the best you can, if you never give up, if you keep fighting no matter what happens and give it your all, key magic will grant you the happiness you deserve.

As a tool, key magic enables the author to let the readers experience the most extreme sadness, despair and happiness. He can create irreversible tragedies, then still turn them around. It adds another giant loop to the emotional rollercoaster that makes key stories so impactful. And personally, I prefer feels over realism.

5 Likes
The "Key Magic" Motif
#86

Let’s not forget that the Key magic doesn’t happen unless considerable effort is put in. It doesn’t fix everything, it just throws in a miracle or two. It’s the same as exaggerating the power of the protagonist in an action title, or increasing the charm of a character in a romance story - It’s something to make the story more powerful and interesting.

If you’d rather read a more realistic story, go read Kara no Shoujo or something.

#87

THANK YOU. This is exactly what I wanted to get across with Key Magic. :slight_smile:

[quote=“Naoki_Saten, post:86, topic:811”]
Angel Beats wouldn’t even exist.
[/quote] Angel Beats has multiple reasons for not existing other than Key Magic. It’s already unrealistic, so Key Magic would just be a cherry on top of the sundae.

[quote=“Naoki_Saten, post:86, topic:811”]
Just try to imagine the consequences of Key magic not happening in Clannad. Could it still be called a story about family?
[/quote]It would be Grave of the Fireflies without the wartime setting, and without people acting like complete jerks to each other.

1 Like
#88

I prefer Key Magic when it’s placed within a relatable shroud of inexplicable fun. Ideas of God, gods, the afterlife, curses and blessings- All that stuff is IMMENSELY interesting to me and it’s a fun way for Key to have much more interesting stories. Little Busters! and Angel Beats! certainly are the champions of this idea- Writing about something that you have no idea what it is in reality- So the freedom is endless. I can’t call out something like the AB! universe and say “That’s bullshit!” because fuck if I know what happens when I die- Haven’t died yet!

That’s more or less my view on it. Lol

#89

It wouldn’t remove Tomoya ._.

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#90

I did say up in my first post in this topic that what usually makes me cry is the final actualization of one’s wish. In Kud route if the key magic didn’t happen, I’d feel pretty sad, but it wouldn’t make me cry

#91

Similarly, the only part to make me cry in CLANNAD was when Tomoya and Tomoyo got back together. That’s not even magical. It’s just a good thing.

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#92

Clannad for me, although it was Kotomi’s route instead of the popular Afterstory. Looking at it objectively, it really doesn’t seem all that depressing, perhaps it was just my ability to relate to the character which developed such an attachment. After that I think Kanon (Ayu’s route in particular) & the Angel Beats anime would share a close silver.

2 Likes
#93

Tomoya only makes fun of people for his own amusement. The people in Grave of the Fireflies obviously do not give a crap what the protagonist thinks or does; they just speak harshly and sometimes beat him up for trying to steal food for his little sister. :’(

Huge difference there.

#94

I’m only talking about the ~5 second clip after the credits where they meet each other in the next life. that ruined what could have been a great ending for me.

#95

How exactly is that not a great ending? I really don’t understand, so please explain.

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#96

I don’t particularly like it, personally.

Along with all of AB!, it’s so “Oh, we should probably showcase some closure… Uh, here.” but all it does is add to the pile of questions.

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#97

If anything, it actually answers some. Or more like, it prevents skeptics who love to question everything and make crazy theories from doing just that.
It establishes that

[spoiler]

  • Reincarnation is possible.
  • The chances of reuniting with a person from the afterlife aren’t zero. [/spoiler]

And it’s not so much showcasing a closure than just offering a “perfect ending”. They even made an alternative, “normal ending”. After all, Key is company that creates games and multiple endings are more or less a game-only feature.

#98

Uhhh muh copout

No really though it’s crap and it’s cheap. It couldn’t be anything else- But I you can’t blame them.

That’s cute.
Also it din’t which is why they had to have interviews to try and explain it, that didn’t explain it. It really provides quite little. Maeda simply says what he ‘thinks’- It’s meant to be open ended.