Why is Clannad considered one of the saddest anime of all time? The Series' reputation, explained

Clannad is one of the saddest anime of all time and throughout history, there have hardly been any contenders for it in regards to the drama genre. The series is one of the most cherished productions of one of Japan's greatest animation studios, Kyoto Animation (KyoAni). It is divided into two parts: Clannad and Clannad After Story with the former having 23 and the latter 24 episodes.

Alongside its original premise, Clannad also combines slice-of-life and comedy genres, creating a visual delight for the viewer to enjoy. However, what makes it so special is that it is still remembered by the fans as one of the saddest anime of all time, 17 years after it originally aired.

In this article, every key aspect of this anime series will be broken down into the basics. The plot, the characters, and everything that makes this anime series unique will be described to explain why this anime is so special and still famed.

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Why is Clannad one of the saddest anime of all time?

Nagisa (left) and Tomoya (right) as seen in the anime (Image via KyoAni)

The story of Clannad is centered around a high school delinquent named Tomoya Okazaki. He finds nothing in life interesting and is fed up with his father who doesn't pay any attention to him. One day, he crosses paths with Nagisa Furukawa, a senior who got held back a year, and his dull life starts filling up with colors.

Every day is filled with funny encounters, and Okazaki realizes that he is developing feelings for Nagisa. However, as the plot starts to unfold, Okazaki learns more about Nagisa and her life, which makes him think about his own life.

The narrative of Clannad is centered around Okazaki Tomoya learning the importance of family from Nagisa Furukawa and learning to cherish the little things in life. Clannad is also one of the first anime series to introduce a family-centered plotline.

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The characters

The characters of Clannad (Image via KyoAni)

Nagisa and Tomoya are some of the best-written characters in this media as they go through simple and slow character development. Tomoya is introduced as a delinquent who hardly cares about anything, but as the story progresses, his personality mellows down and he becomes a better person.

It is seemingly similar to Nagisa as well, who starts as a weak girl with no confidence to say what she wants. As the story moves forward, she also gains self-confidence in herself. The side characters of this series play a main role in the development of these two as the series also involves romance. So, not every love story in the story has smooth sailing.

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The soundtracks

The streets as seen in Clannad (Image via KyoAni)

Music is something that is added to a series to complement the anime series' atmosphere. Sometimes it becomes a big part of an anime, with one of the biggest examples being Your Lie In April, whose premise is centered around music. However, music is something that makes Clannad special and could be the biggest contributing factor to making it one of the saddest anime of all time.

The person behind the music of this series is Jun Maeda, who is also the original creator of this series. He is also famous for other works like Little Busters, Charlotte, and many others which are also centered around drama. The music he created pops with the theme of the series, as OSTs (Original Sound Tracks) change from happy to sad depending on when they are used in a sad setting.

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The hidden darkness in the story

Ushio (left) and Tomoya (right) as seen in the illusionary world (Image via KyoAni)

The story comprises two worlds: the real world where Tomoya lives a high school life with his friends and the illusionary world where a mysterious girl lives with a small robot. These worlds work side by side and any action in the real world affects the illusionary world. The one who connects these worlds is Ushio, the child of Tomoya and Nagisa.

The girl in the illusionary world is Ushio, who has secluded herself from the real world to save Nagisa, her mother, as she dies in the real world. The little robot who is accompanying her is her father, whose spirit resides inside it. This creates a sad yet dark feeling for the viewer who at first doesn't realize what is going on, but as the series reaches its climax, the hints can be noticed.

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The climax

Tomoya mourning Nagisa's death (Image via KyoAni)

What made this series famous, and the reason why it is regarded as one of the saddest anime of all time is its controversial ending. Nagisa's death put a big toll on Tomoya's mental health and he fell into a deep depression, leaving behind his daughter Ushio. However, as he realizes that she is suffering as well, he takes her under his wing and they try to start living a normal life.

Unfortunately, Ushio is diagnosed with a fatal illness and dies in her father's arms, even as he is yet to get over the loss of his wife. At the same time, another visual is shown where Nagisa is alive with Tomoya and Ushio who are enjoying a picnic. As the sad ending is portrayed first, fans regard Clannad as one of the saddest anime of all time.

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Final thoughts

Tomoya holding a dying Ushio (Image via KyoAni)

The complete experience of Clannad comes from experiencing its source, the visual novel, which connects all the loose threads in the series. This also changes the series' narrative, making its climax a good one that Jun Maeda could be trying to make fans understand.

Throughout the series, as Tomoya helps others in their tasks, light orbs are released into the sky which no one can visualize. Although the anime hardly pays any attention to this detail, the visual novel is incomplete without their existence. These light orbs when collected have the power to grant wishes that are beyond the wildest imagination of a person.

The light orbs as seen in Clannad (Image via KyoAni)

After Tomoya accepts his father and sends him to his hometown, the light orbs are released, again but this time, Ushio is present alongside him and can visualize them. Ushio can visualize them because she is the creator of the illusionary world, which links to these orbs. In the real world, she and Tomoya don't have any memories of their existence in the world, which is the reason they don't remember anything.

As the series reaches its conclusion with the sad ending of Ushio's death, the illusionary world is disrupted as Tomoya wishes for a world where both his wife and child are alive. The light orbs he collected throughout the series grant him this wish, which results in the disruption of the world that Ushio created to save her mother.

The illusionary world being destroyed after Tomoya's wish (Image via KyoAni)

A single visual is shown where Tomoya having a picnic with Nagisa and Ushio, and that is the true ending of this series. This is also the hardest ending to achieve in the light novel as there are many routes and the the main route is diverted by the change in a single dialogue change.

Although Clannad is still one of the saddest anime of all time, it had a good main ending which is hard to perceive considering how much the protagonist suffered throughout the anime series.

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