A Distant Starlight

"We are far, far, very, very far apart... but it might be that thoughts can overcome time and distance."

This post combines two things I have a great affinity for: the music of Muse and the films of Makoto Shinkai.

In 2002, Makoto Shinkai, a CG animator, created an OAV (or OVA, which stands for Original Video Animation) single-handedly on his Apple computer; his only help came from some friends who composed and recorded the music and from his fiancee, who recorded a voice part. It didn't take long for this independent work to become extremely popular, prompting a new dub by professional voice actors, as well as (later on) an English dub. This OAV won many awards and captured the hearts of countless fans around the world who were drawn to this touching story of love separated by distance and time. This OAV was 「ほしのこえ」 (Hoshi no Koe), or, in English, Voices of a Distant Star.　　

In 2006, popular U.K. rock band Muse released their fourth studio album, entitled Black Holes and Revelations. Their second single from this album, released on September 4, 2006, was entitled "Starlight," and it also deals with the theme of love separated by distance.



I think these two works of media, Voices of a Distant Star and "Starlight," make a perfect pair in showcasing their shared theme, even if that pairing was not intended originally.

"Starlight" almost seems like the feelings of the characters of Voices of a Distant Star put into song form...well, one version of song form (since the film's ending song could be described the same way). The film begins with two friends: Terao Noboru and Nagamine Mikako. The two friends are basically inseparable...until Mikako informs Noboru that she is heading into space. She's joining the military on an expeditionary/defensive mission against the Tarsians, an alien race.


As her journey begins, Mikako and Noboru exchange text messages frequently, but the farther the fleet flies away from Earth, the longer each message takes. Soon it takes a year for a single message to travel one way (a year in Earth time, that is), and after a hasty jump through space due to an attack, the one-way time is over 8 years.

"Far away / This ship is taking me far away / Far away from the memories / Of the people who care if I live or die."

Noboru feels the temporal separation more than Mikako does. Due to the advanced technology, Mikako is making jumps through time while remaining the same age, but time on Earth stops for no one. Noboru is getting older; at one time, Mikako sends him a message saying hello from her 15-year-old self to his 23-year-old self (I may have the ages slightly off). This time difference does not make Noboru forget about her, though; early on he admits, "I will become someone who only waits for Mikako's mail."


"Starlight / I will be chasing your starlight / Until the end of my life."

As Mikako gets into space battles with the Tarsians and Noboru goes through his schooling and continues to age, their desire for each other continues. Noboru claims he will make himself cold and closed off so that the longing for her will not tear him apart, but his desires stay strong, as evidenced whenever he receives a message from her. Mikako, too, still longs for him.

"Hold you in my arms / I just wanted to hold you in my arms."

The film ends with Noboru in his mid-twenties on Earth and Mikako in a damaged space suit after a battle lightyears away. Though the chances of their ever seeing each other again seems slim (unless Noboru joins the space force, which he intends to do), their love for each other doesn't dim.

"My life / You electrify my life."


And even with all their separation, they remain committed to each other. No matter what happens, their love for each other is permanent and lasting.

"I'll never let you go / If you promise not to fade away, never fade away."

The film's final scene is a shared monologue between Noboru and Mikako that my words cannot do justice: it's portrayed beautifully.



I hope you've enjoyed this post; I certainly enjoyed writing it. I'd highly recommend watching Voices of a Distant Star and Makoto Shinkai's later work 5 Centimeters Per Second (which is probably my favorite anime film I've seen so far). I'd also recommend listening to Muse: they are an amazing band. Anyway, I hope these reflections have struck a chord for you; this movie and this song always do so for me.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.


Nota Bene: Thanks to Anime News Network, Wikipedia, and IMDb for background information for this post. Thanks also to the random YouTube accounts hosting these videos: I am most grateful for their availability. All images are screenshots taken by me from the DVD.

崖の上のポニョ (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)

"I don't want you to turn into a fish again. I'd miss you."

Ponyo (the actual title is Gake no Ue no Ponyo, literally translated as Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea) is a 2008 anime film by Hayao Miyazaki, the world-renowned anime director/animator (known for such films as Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, and Howl's Moving Castle, among others). Like many of the films by his studio, Studio Ghibli, it, dubbed with an all-star cast (ranging from the folk hero Liam Neeson to a sibling of annoying pop star Miley Cyrus), was distributed with the help of Walt Disney Pictures. Ponyo tells the story of a goldfish-like creature (Ponyo) who escapes her tyrannical father (Fujimoto (who, I might add, looks strangely like Beetlejuice)) to find the outside world, eventually striving to become human so she can spend her life with Sousuke, a 5-year-old boy she meets on a trek aboard dry land.

The film's animation is of great quality, as most of Studio Ghibli's work is (from what I've heard: the only other film I've seen by them is Princess Mononoke), and the music is pretty charming (even with the basis of one of the songs on Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries" (at least, I've read there's a connection there)). The voice acting seemed great in the English dub (though I don't know how well it actually fits the feel of the original Japanese: I have yet to watch that).

The real thing, though, is the story. It was actually inspired by and loosely based on the Danish fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen entitled "Den lille havfrue," whose English title is "The Little Mermaid" (and yes, the 1989 Disney musical animated film was based on the same story). If you've seen the Disney film, then you already know how Ponyo will end, even if the path to the ending is very different. An interesting thing is that the film takes place in modern-day Japan, not 1800s Denmark, which lends it an intriguing feel.


All in all, I didn't think the story was bad, I just consider it more of a children's story. It may not be incredibly deep, but it has some layers, and it has enough witty lines and well-drawn animation to keep adults watching as well. The ending, like most children's stories and fairy tales, is predictable, but that shouldn't be counted against it: that's just the nature of the genre. The path to reach the ending includes some less predictable twists (though nothing too shocking), and this path is also populated by vibrant, laughter-inducing characters.

In conclusion, then, I'd consider Ponyo to be a fun film to watch, enjoyable for both children and adults. While I wouldn't count it as considerably deep or thought-provoking, it provides some wholesome family entertainment (at least, I'm pretty sure it did), so it's not something that will feel like a waste of your time. Overall, I'd give Ponyo an 8/10. Not a film I'll rant and rave about, but one I wouldn't mind recommending to someone in a mood for a witty children's fairy tale.

A Deeper Look

For me, Ponyo provided an experience I haven't had in a while: watching an English dub before the original Japanese. I much prefer to watch anime subtitled; I think the inflections and voices of the Japanese actors can often more accurately portray how the creators intended the characters to be (since, if I understand the dubbing process correctly, which I may not, the Japanese actors have more communication with the creators than the English ones do). That's not to say I condemn English dubs: I just want them to accurately portray the characters and to be done well.

With Ponyo, I can't analyze that first criteria, since I haven't watched the original Japanese yet (I saw this film in a group, if you were wondering why I watched it dubbed to begin with), but I can tell that the dub definitely fits the first criteria: it is done extremely well. While the fact that Ponyo's voice is Miley Cyrus' little sister (and Miley Cyrus definitely bugs me) and Sousuke's voice is the Jonas Brothers' little brother (and the Jonas Brothers definitely bug me), I couldn't even tell while watching the film. The voices seemed to go well with the characters, from what I can tell (although, like I said, I need to watch the original still), and I loved the fact that Liam Neeson was in there. He's just got a very cool voice (like James Earl Jones and Morgan Freeman, who would sound incredible in English dubs of anime), plus he makes the character witty, which is always good.


Overall, then, I actually liked the dub of Ponyo (so far), even if I'll always prefer subtitles.

As for the story aspect, like I said, it's a fairy tale meant for kids. I've heard some people say that it has some bad themes; for instance, the fact that Ponyo doesn't care about the balance of nature and that she risks all of nature just to get what she wants (to be with Sousuke). I heard one person say that this could instigate extreme, dangerous individualism in people watching the film. While I agree that extreme individualism is a terrible thing, hands down, I'm not sure if a children's fairy tale could instigate it. That might just be my view as an older person (a.k.a. not a child), though: I can see that this is just a fairy tale and that it's not realistic. Of course, then you have to think: why was the fairy tale written? Was it written to promote some moral? That's a possibility. So if the whole moral it's promoting is individualism, then there's a problem. The thing is, I didn't get that vibe from watching the film. I wouldn't have even thought of it if I hadn't heard someone mention it after the fact. In the end, then, do I agree that there's some morals in Ponyo that might not be correct? Yes, I think that individualism is incorrect. Do I think that Ponyo will corrupt children and other viewers? Not so much. True, I don't really know the effect it could have on a child, but I know on me it didn't really have any effect. I'm strong in my acknowledgment of individualism's faults, so maybe the effect is different on everyone.


What's the final message, then? Just keep a bit of a look out when having children (and people with child-like minds) watch Ponyo, and make sure they understand that this individualism is not ideal morality. Does that I mean that I think Ponyo is an evil, corruptive film, then? Of course not, as long as you use some common sense and make sure people are aware of the faults.

Even with that individualism debacle, I'd still probably recommend Ponyo, though; it hasn't colored my thoughts of the film that much.


Nota Bene: All images courtesy of Google Image Search. Thanks to Wikipedia for lots of useful background information. And thanks to that random person analyzing Ponyo after watching the film for inspiring the last part of my post.

Remembering 今敏 (Kon Satoshi)

今敏 -- 1963年10月12日 - 2010年8月24日

Satoshi Kon -- October 12, 1963 - August 24, 2010

Satoshi Kon, the famous anime director, died from pancreatic cancer this Tuesday, that is, August 24, 2010, at the age of 46. His work has always been some of my favorite, so I have decided to give a brief recount of his work in memory of him. I do not know much about his work as animator or other roles, so I will focus on his directorial work. To be even more specific, I will discuss his work which I have seen; this includes everything except the 2004 series Paranoia Agent.

Perfect Blue (1997)

Perfect Blue was Kon-sensei’s directorial debut. Based on a novel by Yoshikazu Takeuchi, this film is a psychological thriller that can cause quite a shock. This film is not for the weak-hearted. There are some pretty disturbing things in this movie: its story revolves around a pop star who decides to become an actress, but then she begins to be stalked by a dangerous person. Kon-sensei’s films often have a way of bending reality, and Perfect Blue does so by including the main character’s seeming second personality. The movie can be a bit confusing at times, and there are some fairly disturbing scenes in it, but it’s a well-made and fascinating film. I’d personally give it probably an 8/10.

An interesting fact about this film: it was a prime source of inspiration for the film Requiem for a Dream. In fact, it was so inspiring that the director of the previous-mentioned film, Darren Aronofsky, bought the rights for Perfect Blue so he could recreate one scene, shot-for-shot, where a character is sitting in a bathtub, sticks her head underwater, and screams silently, releasing a flow of bubbles.

Millennium Actress (2001)

Kon-sensei’s sophomoric directorial effort is, in my humble opinion, a brilliant film. Unlike the previous work, which was adapted from a novel, Millennium Actress is an original story created by Kon-sensei, who (as in many of his works) helped write the screenplay. It tells the story of a pair of reporters who get an exclusive interview with an old former actress as a memorial to the company she usually worked with, which was closing its doors for good. The actress explains her life story and her acting roles; the two mesh together so well that it can often be difficult to tell if you’re watching her life or one of her movies. That’s how Kon-sensei messes with reality in this film. It’s a beautifully-made and powerful film (which is sadly the only of Kon-sensei’s films with is out of print, even though I think it won the most awards). The animation is a large step up from Perfect Blue (a 4-year gap can allow that), and the music is wonderful. Susumu Hirasawa, a somewhat eccentric Japanese musician whose music is best described as electronic, was signed on to create the music for the film, and his style fits perfectly with Kon-sensei’s (which leads to his work on another of his films later on). This film also offers much food for thought on the topics of infatuation and love, along with some bits about fame (which is a more prominent theme in Perfect Blue). I need to watch it again, but I’d probably give Millennium Actress a 10/10. I have a feeling many will remember it as Kon-sensei’s best film.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

This, Kon-sensei’s third film, is my least favorite of his works, but it’s still a good film. Another original story, Tokyo Godfathers follows a trio of homeless people as they try to return a lost baby to its parents on Christmas Eve. It’s the only of Kon-sensei’s films to not involve some twisting of reality (which I think is what draws me into his work the most). The animation is a step up from his previous work (since animation technology grows more advanced each year), and the music was composed by the same man who composed the soundtrack to the classic Super Nintendo game Earthbound (I prefer Susumu Hirasawa’s music, though). I’m not really sure why this film did not connect with me as much as his other works (unless it was due to lack of reality-bending, as I mentioned earlier), but even so, it’s still a good film, one I’d give a 7/10.

Paprika (2006)

Paprika is my favorite of Kon-sensei’s films, hands down. It’s based on a 1993 novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, a novel including many real dreams of the author. The story revolves around a device called the DC Mini that enables one to enter someone’s dreams for the purpose of psychoanalysis. When one of these devices is stolen, havoc erupts (to summarize the rest of the film very vaguely). Much of the film takes place within dreams (to an extent), which means that the film lends itself to extreme surrealism. Sometimes the dream events can go to the point of being psychologically disturbing, at least to some of my friends who have I watched it. I found it more intriguing and fascinating than anything else. This film has some of the best animation I’ve seen, especially with its mixture of 2D and 3D animation to create some of the dream worlds. The music is absolutely phenomenal: Susumu Hirasawa returns again, and the combination of his unique sound and Kon-sensei’s surreal film create a one-of-a-kind experience. Though the plot can become incredibly obfuscated (I’m not sure if it’s actually possible to understand it all), the film is all in all an absolutely breathtaking and mind-blowing experience. I’d definitely give Paprika a 10/10.

There’s also lots of interesting trivia facts about this film. For instance, the novelist voices one of the characters in the film, one half of a pair of butlers. And guess who voices the other half? Kon-sensei himself! This is his only voice acting role, and it gives viewers a chance to hear the late director’s voice. Another thing about the film is that it was a big influence on the recent American film about dreams, Inception. Also, Wolfgang Petersen, director of such popular films as The NeverEnding Story, Air Force One, and Troy, is currently working on a live-action adaptation of Paprika (an adaptation of Kon-sensei’s film, not the original novel directly).

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All in all, then, Kon-sensei was an astounding director. His films explored human psychology in depth, and they twisted reality in novel ways. His films are each one-of-a-kind, and he put his heart and soul into each one. They often took longer to make than originally predicted because Kon-sensei would spend so much time storyboarding each shot of each scene; he also worked on art direction for most of his films, besides just being a director (to top that, he often worked on the screenplay as well). His directing was much more than just telling people where to go: each film was a specific vision of his that he worked diligently to turn into reality. The world of anime has suffered a great loss with his passing. He left strong, though: in his last blog post, “さようなら” (Farewell), posted in his behalf today, he ended with these words:

With feelings of gratitude for all that is good in this world, I put down my pen.
Well, I'll be leaving now.
Satoshi Kon

Rest in peace, Satoshi Kon. Blessed repose and eternal memory.


Nota Bene: All images are from Google Image Search. Thanks to Wikipedia for background information on these films.

7 Favorite Anime Openings (As of Right Now)

Now, I know Top 10 lists and the like can change rapidly: that's why I added the "as of right now" to the title.

I'm a big fan of anime music (thus explaining my entire post on Clannad's music), and openings and endings are a key part of that realm (although I also love background music: more on that in another post).

For an anime opening to be good, I think there are two essential aspects: first, the song itself must be good. It can't be a lackluster, cookie-cutter, standardized and Autotuned print out (although I've yet to hear AutoTune used in anime: よかった!); it has to be inspired, soul-filled, and moving. Second of all, the opening must portray the feel of the show. I think this can be even more important than having a good song: the song must actually be about the show. I don't mean the words have to name characters and describe events from the show, but they must put forth the same feel and explore the same themes as the show. That's what I think really makes or breaks an anime opening (although a good song can be useful as well).

So, without further ado, here (in no particular order, besides the first one) are my 7 favorite anime openings, as of right now:

1. "Toki wo Kizamu Uta" by Lia -- from Clannad ~After Story~



Since this blog started as solely a Clannad blog, it's obvious that this will be the first opening. I much prefer it to the opening of Clannad (though that one is good in its own right). This will sort of represent both seasons on this list. First of all, I love the sound of the song: it's beautifully written, performed, and sung, and its melody is based on a piece of background music ("To the Same Heights") from the visual novel (and series). That's a bonus in my book. Second, it shows the characters and bits of scenes from the show. While I think it could have been more useful to show the real main characters of After Story in this opening, rather than the heroines from the first season, it still contains many links to the series. Third, the lyrics are moving. One of my friends can't read all the lyrics to this song without crying: it connects with the show that much. It's all about loss, the pain of it, and how to deal with it; basically, it fits perfectly for the last quarter of the series. Overall, then, I think it's just a gorgeous opening that really helps encapsulate the emotional power of the series.

2. "Higurashi no Naku Koro ni" by Eiko Shimamiya -- from Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni (When They Cry)



Before you ask, yes, the red is needed to write the title officially. This song is perfect for this anime: it's creepy as hell! The sharp break in the beginning of the song is a excellent example of the jarring nature of this series: something so happy and pure is abruptly defiled and turned horrific. Just the first 15 seconds of this opening is like the show in a nutshell. Plus it's got some blood in there to remind you of what's to come...basically, it puts you in the perfect mood to watch such a chilling show. A show that makes you fear the sound of cicadas more than you ever thought possible.

3. "The girl in Byakkoya - White Tiger Field" by Susumu Hirasawa -- from Paprika



Yes, anime movie openings do count as anime openings, at least in my book. This is definitely the trippiest song on here, and also the most electronic. After hearing this song, long before seeing the film, I became hooked on Susumu Hirasawa's work: his layering of synthesizers and voices sounds just spectacular. "The girl in Byakkoya" is definitely one of his best, from what I've heard. The somewhat unnatural sounding voices in this song set the viewer up for the dream-based nature of the film. And this film had a hold on dream manipulation long before Inception: it came out in 2006, and the novel it's adapted from was published in 1991. Besides the music itself, the completely illogical visuals of this opening also illustrate the power of dreams. Overall, while After Story's opening may be more emotionally powerful, I might just like this opening better due to the song, but if I do, it's only by a slight margin.

4. "Tank!" by Yoko Kanno and The Seatbelts -- from Cowboy Bebop



Even though I'm not too big a fan of the show as a whole (I have yet to finish it), I do love the opening. It's one of the catchiest opening songs I've ever, and it's jazz base fits the nature of the series to a T (come on, it's got "Bebop" right in the name!). The animation is smooth and shadowy, sort of a representation of jazz itself. It also, in not so clear ways, shows all the main characters as well, always a helpful aspect for an opening. So, while the show didn't end up holding my attention too much (although I still see the value of it), the opening theme definitely did.

5. "Tori no Uta" by Lia -- from Air



My second song with "Uta" as the last word, my second song performed by Lia, and my second song from a Key anime! Coincidence? Somewhat. I saw Air after seeing Clannad, and, though I find Clannad superior, I'm still a fan of Air. (It can also show some interesting predecessors to aspects of Clannad: see my related post.) Like some of the previous openings, this one showcases the main characters (for most of the show, at least). I feel like the opening also imparts the feeling of flight, which is a major theme of the show. Plus it's just a great song as well.

6. "again" by YUI -- from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood



I couldn't make a list like this without a song from one of the FMA series. Though there are songs from other series that I like better, and some of the songs just annoy me, the FMA series provide a large selection of great opening and ending themes. I'd have to say that this one is by far the best out of them all (even though I personally prefer the first series overall). It's definitely an opening where the lyrics describe the feelings of the characters (although, I think, not as much as the frequent insert song from the original, "Bratja"). Almost every major character of the first 14 episodes (the length this opening was shown for) is in here, and even some characters that don't get their importance until later. I also love how it summarizes the Elrics' backstory in three quick shots (at about 50 seconds, which is, sadly, where the song starts in the version shown on [adult swim] on Cartoon Network). Besides all that, and the fantastic animation that characterizes Brotherhood, it's just a great sounding song.

And last, but not least...

7. "Zankoku na Tenshi no Te-ze" by Yoko Takahashi -- from Neon Genesis Evangelion



Though I have yet to finish this classic series (and I'm still not sure if I really like it or not), I can say one thing for sure about it: I like the opening. Though it's a '90s song (and the '90s are not too well known for good music (depending on your tastes) except for a few select bands (at least in the U.S.)), it works great as an opening. The lyrics portray the goals of the (in my eyes, extremely annoying) main character, and (if what I've heard about it is true) the latter part of the opening depicts the show's ending to perfection: it flashes copious images past your eyes without making a lick of sense. That said, I must say the opening pumps me up for the show (even if the show itself often deflates me quickly), and it's also pretty darn catchy.

So that's my subjective rant for the week. I can't prove that any of these openings are good objectively, I just know that I like them, and hopefully you'll like them too. If you also enjoy these songs (or hate them with a fiery passion), feel free to comment. Or if you want to yell at me for leaving out your most favoritest opening EVER, comment as well.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: All videos were cruelly, unjustly, and arbitrarily forced to provide entertainment on this post. If you are the owner of one of these videos and want me to end my malicious treatment of it, just let me know, and I'll remove it. (Nota Bene on the Nota Bene: I hope you realize I'm not actually doing anything horrible with these videos. I did just randomly find them on YouTube and embed them here, though.)

Air: Links to Clannad

"Aren't families great? The happiest and the most painful, everything is there. That's precisely what it means for people to live."

As Liam Francis Traveller observed in his post on Shima's arc on The School's Trees, Clannad borrows plot devices and such from earlier works by the same company, Key. Not only does it borrow from Kanon, but it also borrows from Kanon's successor, Air. Having just finished watching Air for the second time, I've noticed many similarities to Clannad in it. In this post, I'll attempt to explain some of these similarities (though I'm sure there will be many that I miss). I also recommend watching Air: even though I realized I don't like the first half or so as much as I did the first time I saw it, I still think the second half is amazing, and the ending is definitely powerful. I'd probably give it a 9/10 (though sometimes when I think of the last couple episodes, I want to give it a 10/10).

Now, on to the similarities! (WARNING: There will be spoilers here.)


Minor Arcs That Seem Separate from the Main Plot

This is one of the things I've heard some people mention about Clannad as well. "Sure, Fuko's arc was great, but what does it have to do with Tomoya and Nagisa?" Hopefully this blog, as well as The School's Trees, has helped you realize how interconnected everything in Clannad really is. I think the same could go for Air as well, though the connections might be more hidden here. Like Clannad, sometimes these minor arcs just help explain the supernatural aspects of the show (Kano's has some of this, and Kanna's is basically all about the winged beings and the supernatural backstory). Sometimes, their main help is to add to the theme of the show. In Air, I think the main theme is family, specifically motherhood. Minagi's arc doesn't really seem to have a point unless viewed in this light, I think. I could go through each arc in Air and explain how they connect, but I think you get it: even though they seem completely separate and meaningless, they really connect into the coherence of the show as a whole.


Characters Who Are (Somewhat) Ghosts

Now, I know the characters in these shows are not ghosts, technically. But what I mean is that these characters aren't really entities that exist solely, completely uniquely. That might not be a very clarifying explanation. Examples would work better. For instance: Fuko, of course, is in a coma. But she's also running around, wreaking havoc and carving starfish. That Fuko is a sort of "ghost" of Fuko in the coma; it's sort of her soul taking on a physical form and running around, interacting with people. Air has a bit of a parallel to this in Michiru. Michiru is a younger girl who can be annoying as hell at times (at least to Yukito); yet she's also Minagi's dead little sister; and she's also Minagi's alive younger half-sister (who she's never met). No matter how you try and describe it, she's definitely some sort of "ghost"-like creature, or at least something that has some supernatural help in being around. I wish I knew some better metaphysics to attempt to explain this logically, but I'm not really sure if there is a way. Anyway, the main point of this is that Micihiru is a bit of a first take of Fuko.


Characters Who Become Animals

This is the specific parallel that Liam Francis Traveller drew between Kanon and Clannad, but it's also present in Air. In Clannad, we have Shima as the example of this: a boy who is really a cat. In Kanon (according to Liam: I haven't watched the show yet), we have a girl who's really a fox. In Air, it's a little different. Yukito is not a bird by nature who became a human just for a limited time. Instead, he's a guy who is so devoted to Misuzu that he wants to do everything over and be at her side forever (sort of sounds like Shima's declaration to Misae...). How does he do this? By going back in time and becoming a crow, Sora (or "Sky" in the English dub). I find it interesting that not only do Clannad and Air both have characters that become animals, but both these characters have the same direct goal: to be at someone's side forever. So, Shima/Nana-kun is the antitype of Yukito/Sora (that might be a little strong: I'm not sure if I can use full typography on Key shows...)


The Strong Influence of the Supernatural

This is a key factor in both these Key works (ha ha...it's a pun). In Air, we have the winged beings (included Kano's cursed feather) and the "girl in the sky" as the main contact with the supernatural, but we also have Michiru and Sora as well (and we can't forget that strange puppet passed down over a thousand years). In Clannad, we primarily have the lights and the invisible world (the girl and the robot) for the supernatural, but we also have Fuko and Shima as well. The point is this: without the supernatural, these shows would not exist. There's no possible way to have these shows with that influence that defies natural logic: it can't be done. Maybe, instead of "the strong influence," I should have said "the ESSENTIAL influence of the supernatural."


The Importance of Family

Obviously, family is THE key theme of Clannad (heck, it's the name of the game! (Yay for puns!)). It's also the theme of Air. All the arcs revolve around family, often mothers in particular: Kano's is, in the end, about her relationship with her deceased mother, and the story of the mother being told through the cursed feather. Minagi's is all about her sister(s) and her mother's relation to both of them. Kanna's is all about finding her mother, and it also involves the family that comes to be out of her friends Ryuuya and Uraha. And Misuzu's (or is it Haruko's?) is in the end all about truly becoming part of a family: first with Yukito's care for her being the care of a family member, and secondly with Haruko finally truly acting like a mother. You can't help but feel a love for family after this show (hence the opening quote from Haruko). While Air often has a focus on motherhood, though, I feel Clannad has more of a focus on fatherhood (like with Akio, Naoyuki, and Tomoya).

And now for some less serious similarities...


Luci Christian

Yes, Luci Christian is a connection between these two shows. This voice actress voices Haruko in the English dub of Air (which I think is a fabulous performance) and Nagisa (sorry, NaGEEsa) in the English dub of Clannad (which I think is a terrible performance). As I just mentioned, I think her voice works great for Haruko, and she definitely helped in making the Air dub great. However, I think her voice just fails at being Nagisa. I just feel like it's a completely different (and more annoying) character when she's voicing her. She definitely helped in making the Clannad dub painful (in my opinion). I'm not saying all of the dub is horrible, but ruining Nagisa's voice is terrible. Anyway, Luci Christian. She's can be a great voice actress sometimes, and a horrible one at others. I guess that just proves she's imperfect, like all humans.


Great Opening Themes

The opening theme of Air, "Tori No Uta" by Lia, is one of my favorite openings out of any anime I've seen. It's upbeat, yet since it often uses minor chords, it has an air of sadness about it too. Plus the melody sounds absolutely beautiful when used for some of the background music throughout the show. Clannad also has amazing opening themes, particularly the opening to After Story. I guess when you have the same team work on the music for both shows, and one show has great music, the other is bound to have some as well. And with that comes...


Beautiful Background Music (Especially Main Themes)

One thing I will always remember about both these shows is the background music. I love background music in anime, and I think Clannad helped me realize that, and Air doesn't do a bad job with it either. As I mentioned above, the same music team, Magome Tagoshi, Shinji Orito, and Jun Maeda (who also wrote the scenarios for the visual novels), worked on both of these shows, hence there being beauty in both of them. In particular, I absolutely love the main themes in both shows. For Clannad, that's Nagisa's theme (which provides the music for "Dango Daikazoku" and part of the music for "Chiisana Te No Hira"). For Air, that's "Natsukage," which might be construed as Misuzu's theme, though I'm not sure if it is officially. I feel like both these songs really sum up the shows, and I can feel a lot of the emotions of the show running through these songs.


So...I think that's about it. There's lots more similarities I didn't go into here, like the character similarities: a parent who at first seems rough around the edges, but turns out to truly care for his/her child (Haruko/Akio); a main heroine who is clumsy, has a somewhat unusual obsession, and has trouble making friends (Misuzu/Nagisa); a main character who's somewhat of a vagrant (Yukito/Tomoya); a pet with a cute catchphrase (Potato/Botan); a quiet girl who is very smart (Minagi/Kotomi). You get the picture. Like I said, I'm sure there's more similarities between these two shows, but I hope this post has given you a hint at some of them. While it shows that not everything in Clannad is completely original, I think it shows that Clannad can take ideas from other shows (by the same creators, mind you) and make them even better and even more powerful. And that just adds to the amazingness of Clannad.

Thank you for reading, and God Bless.

Nota Bene: All images are screenshots taken by me from the Air DVDs released by Funimation. The videos were found via YouTube's search function.

君が望む永遠 (Kimi ga Nozomu Eien) (Rumbling Hearts)

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (Literal translation: The Eternity You Desire), released in the U.S. as Rumbling Hearts, is a 2003-2004 romantic drama anime based on a 2001 visual novel of the same name (a visual novel that definitely fits in the dating sim category).  The story centers mainly on Takayuki Narumi (Japanese name order is used in this post) and his two friends Suzumiya Haruka and Hayase Mitsuki.  After a terrible tragedy occurs early in the show, the relationships among these friends and others (including their mutual friend Taira Shinji and Haruka's sister, Suzumiya Akane) are radically altered.  The anime explores these relationships and the effects of the tragedy on them; it is often cited as an accurate depiction of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the characters, due to this tragedy.  A major theme of the series is the necessity to take action, commit, and make decisions, not to just let life happen to you.

As for my reaction to the series, here it is: the art is pretty good, but nothing spectacular; I'd count the music the same way: it's unobtrusive, but not a soundtrack that really stands out to me.  The plot moves slowly, especially in the opening episodes before the tragedy; I often felt bored at times, due to the slow plot.  There is some comic relief in the series (mostly from the two waitresses at Narumi's work), but overall it is very heavy on relational drama.  For a while when I watched the show, I was undecided about whether to watch it; each episode I'd think, "That was okay, but I have a feeling it'll really take off in the next episode."  While I'm not sure if it really "took off" as I wanted until the last episode, but I did end up growing somewhat attached to these characters, to Haruka at least.  In conclusion, I found Kiminozo (as it is often abbreviated) to be a somewhat engaging anime with a worthy theme, but I wouldn't consider it top-tier.  I give Rumbling Hearts a 7/10.  WARNING: There is some nudity and sexual content in this anime, along with some instances of mild cursing (mostly from one of the waitresses); the tragedy involves some bloodshed as well, so it could possibly be disturbing.

A Deeper Look

As I said above, I think a main theme of Rumbling Hearts is the need for action. Most of the show's tension came from lack of action on the characters' parts. This also caused tension for me: I, like other viewers of this show, often wanted to smack some of these characters in the head, particularly Narumi. The majority of the drama in the show comes about from his lack of commitment: he won't choose between Haruka and Mitsuki. Now, I realize part of that might come from the PTSD, but I think it's something that's in the show from the beginning. For instance: when Haruka first confesses to him, he doesn't really give a definite response. And after he finally goes to her and says he'll date her, Shinji complains that Narumi won't take Haruka on a real date. And then when Narumi actually has plans with Haruka, he doesn't carry them out: he gets distracted by Mitsuki. Now, I know he's just trying to be a friend to her, but he could at least let Haruka know when he's going to stand her up, like at the festival! I also can't help thinking that if Narumi didn't stop to buy a ring for Mitsuki, he could have made it to the station in time and saved Haruka from the accident.

And that's just the first two episodes. I feel like most of the show is about Narumi not making a real decision: for a while, it seems like he only sees Mitsuki because Haruka is in a coma (hence her complaint of being Haruka's "replacement"). If Narumi would pick one or the other, Mitsuki or Haruka, the former wouldn't have gotten drunk repeatedly, slept with Shinji, and left Narumi, and the latter wouldn't have been led on so much. I think the show teaches by negative example; it shows, "Here's what happens when you don't take action and don't make commitments." By showing you the consequences of inaction and apathy, it drives you to actually do things.

Then again, maybe I'm being too hard on these characters. They did suffer a major tragedy, and they have PTSD (from what I've read). It's obvious that his affected Narumi very harshly at first, as shown in the flashbacks of Episode 5. But I can't help feeling that some of it is Narumi's fault as well; like I said, he showed signs of inaction and apathy before the tragedy. But, all in all, I think the show really is about how Narumi's inaction hurts everyone, himself included; isn't that what Shinji tries to knock into him multiple times?

On a side note, I could also say that the show (implicitly) depicts some results of premarital sex. I mean, Narumi had sex with both Haruka and Mitsuki, thus forming a deep bond with both of them...if he hadn't had sex, would he have been able to decide easier, and thus save everyone lots of pain and hurt? That's probably just me reading a message I want to see into the work, but it's something to think about.

In conclusion, then, Rumbling Hearts is not a show I'd watch again, and probably not one I'd really recommend. It does have some value, though, in teaching the dangers of inaction and apathy. I also have to admit that the "farewell" scene with Haruka and Narumi hit my heart a bit because it was bittersweet: Narumi didn't choose Haruka (the girl I was rooting for), but he did finally learn to make a decision. And that was Haruka's gift to him, as it was Mayauru's gift to his friend.

Thanks for reading. God Bless, and peace.

Nota Bene: The first two images come from Google Image Search, while the last image is a screenshot I made from the video of the final episode on Funimation's website. Thanks to Wikipedia for providing me with background information about the show, especially about the PTSD present in it.