My Wife is Wagatsuma-san

My Wife is Wagatsuma-san (我妻さんは俺のヨメ ) is a shonen romantic comedy by Kuraishi Yuu and Nishikida Keishi.  It was initially published in Japan between 2011 and 2014 in Weekly Shonen Magazine.

    Aoshima Hitoshi is a pathetic second year high school student.  He and his equally pathetic friends are otaku outcasts in school.  Aoshima himself isn't much of an otaku but due to his lack of abilities and the people he associates with, he is lumped in as a loser by his peers.  Like all the other boys in school he lusts after Wagatsuma Ai, the most admired girl in his grade.  Aoshima's lusts become something else entirely when he begins to have episodes that place him in his life 10 years in the future.  He discovers that his future self is amazingly married to Wagatsuma.  Unsure what this means for him and what it will take to accomplish this monumental feat he enlists the help of his friends.  

 

    His skeptical friends disregard his confessions as delusions of grandeur and instead force him to join their secret cabal of losers, the DX Club.  The group consists of other people who suffer from not having lives in the school.  They secretly plot to bring down anyone they consider as popular and successful.  As he has more episodes of time slipping, Aoshima is more convinced that he will win the heart of his dream girl.  When he begins to alter the outcome though his time slips show him variations of the future that unsettle him.  He struggles with the information he is able to gain to correct his path and meet the ending he desires, playing his life like a galge while reading pieces of the walk-through.  He desperately searches for his happy ending and questions his ability to actually succeed.  The more he tries to make his future come true, the more he has to correct it, further complicating his chances.  All the while external roadblocks continue to interfere; from the members of the DX Club to alternate love interests springing up.  Can Aoshima truly grasp the future he desires?

    This was a grueling manga to get through, especially at 108 issues, some of which were quite long and pointless.  The artwork was lacking in quality and consistency.  Too much of the story was filled with worthless plot lines that detracted from the main story.  At times it seemed like the writer didn't know what type of manga he wanted to tell.  There was some amount of fanservice, but honestly not as much as would be expected.  Instead the antics of the DX Club severely detracted the actual main plot and offered little in the way of story progression...they didn't even offer much in the way of obstacles for the main character to over come.  The series is jam packed with countless Japanese pop culture personality references, many of which I was unfamiliar with.  The parts that did deal with Aoshima and his efforts to win the heart and mind of Wagatsuma were enjoyable but sometimes very sparse.  Even the author recognized that from time to time and would break the 4th wall and apologize for getting off track.  The series was abruptly ended by the creators in a Twitter announcement.  Instead of continuing down the path of a manga-ka, the story was wrapped up so the author could focus on his career at a restaurant.  Strange.  That said, the ending was rushed and came out of left field.  Some elements were added that had no prior precedent in the story that took it to another direction entirely.  A rather somber direction at some points too.  But honestly, it is probably better that it ended instead of being dragged out for another hundred issues that really didn't progress the story very much.

    Honestly, I did enjoy many of the arcs that actually dealt with Aoshima trying to deal with how to court Wagatsuma.  Even some of the side women added decent elements to the story.  Too much time was focuses on Aoshima's friends and their idiotic exploits.  This series would have been much more enjoyable if it would have focused on the main point and cut out all the worthless bullshit.  The worthless bullshit was also half halfheartedly incorporated into the end segment in clunky fashion.  All these efforts by Aoshima to save not only his future but his friends futures were used rather pointlessly to convince a drop in character of our MC's personality strengths.

    In the end the series had too much wasted space and it was a struggle to get through a lot of it.  Its hard to determine if the price was worth it to get to the honestly well done parts.  I'm sure this series has a fanbase elsewhere but I was severely underwhelmed by it and don't see the authors choice to retire from the world of manga-ka a good one.

    The entire series is available on Crunchyroll but there is no word on it being printed in North America.

Orange

Orange (オレンジ ) is a shojo romance manga by Takano Ichigo.  The manga was published in Japan in 2012 in Bessatsu Margaret but was moved to Monthly Action in 2013 and ended its run in August of 2015.

    Takamiya Naho gets a strange letter on her way to school one day.  The letter warns her to not ask a transfer student, Naruse Kakeru, who will arrive that day to hang out with her friends after school.  The strange letter is addressed from herself 10 years in the future.  Thinking its a prank she pushes it out of her mind.  When Kakeru joins her class that morning she reconsiders the possibility that the letter is not a prank.  Naho, unable to muster enough confidence to follow the request in the letter is forced to watch as the warning unfolds.  Kakeru does end up hanging out with Naho and her friends after school to apparently no ill effect.  They all gladly accept the transfer student into their group and are generally happy.  Naho returns to the letter to see more details.  The letter is an desperate request from her future self to save Kakeru from committing suicide.  Maho struggles with the requests as they seem to conflict with her and the groups emotions and desires to remain friends with Kakeru.  Unfortunately the efforts to save him from killing himself seem to be strained as the events foretold continue to happen.  When she thinks she can no longer carry the burden alone she learns that her friends have all received letters from their future selves requesting the same thing, to save Kakeru at all costs.  They work as hard as they can to reach the troubled young man before its too late and their future efforts become fruitless.

    Stylistically this is a standard shojo manga.  The character designs are simplistic and many of the panels are devoid of much background detail.  The technique of sparse panels helps to convey the sense of helplessness and despair through many parts of the story.  Regarding the story and the plot concepts within, it sets its self up from the beginning to be tragic.  For those that are die hard time travel theorists, the explanations will be a little lacking in substance.  It is never really explained how the letters are successfully sent back in the first place.  At times the characters discuss the possibilities of paradox and alternate futures.  It may actually have been better of if there was little to no attempt to dig into the concepts of time travel and changing the future/past.  But ultimately it does little to negatively impact the story it's self.  At times it does jump to the characters in the future/present which can be confusing until the reader understands that what time period the panels take place in.


    In the end this is a decently done story about regret, confronting ones weaknesses and the struggle to help a friend in need.  Naho is a timid girl who lacks any confidence in her self.  She struggles again and again with these faults that she recognizes, but tends to stand by and watch 'history' repeat its self, further deepening her lack of confidence.  The other friends are generally peripheral to the story and work in the background to help with the efforts to save Kakeru, the majority of that weight seems to land on Maho's shoulders.  Kakeru himself is not honest with his friends about his own issues and the other characters have to practically drag it out of him.  While nothing ground breaking or riveting, the story was decently told and enjoyable.  Worth the time given it's length at only 22 chapters.  The ending was a bit interesting and set it's self up for a number of conclusions due to it's semi-vagueness.

    The manga is currently available on Crunchyroll.  The print version is in the works and will be released in North America by Seven Seas Entertainment.  A live action movie is also in the works in Japan, slated for release in December of 2015.

Ichigo Domei

Ichigo Domei (いちご同盟)(Alliance of the 15's) is a dramatic slice of life novel by Mita Masahiro.  The book was originally published in Japan in 1991 by Shueisha.

    Kitazawa Ryoichi is a 3rd year middle school student in a small town.  He is the older of two sons; his father runs a building firm and his mother teaches piano in their house.  His brother Kosuke is the prodigy of the family; attending a prestigious school, good at sports and full of confidence.  Ryoichi struggles with the direction his life is heading.  His piano abilities are not up to snuff and his academic abilities lack any substance.  His third year of middle school begins with him uncertain about his life.  He is quiet, keeps to himself and stays in the background, avoiding bullying to most extents.  His habits on the piano forces him to seek outside tutaledge as his mother refuses to teach him.  Left mostly to his own and having no real purpose, Ryoichi is enamored with suicide and collects published works by young people who have killed themselves.

    To his surprise, the star of the school baseball team, Hanegi Testuya, asks him to film him playing in an upcoming game.  Taken back and unable to get out of it, Ryoichi finds himself filming the star in action.  The purpose is to show off the game and his abilities to his childhood friend, Uehara Naomi, who is hospitalized.  Being as weak willed as he is, Ryoichi is wrangled into accompanying Tetsuya to show her the tape.  The pale bed ridden girl surprises him with her humor and sharp criticism.  He can tell without asking that Tetsuya and her share a deep and old bond.  Feeling like the outsider he is, he makes his exit as soon as possible.  A time later Tetsuya makes him film another game for Naomi.  After the filming he finds himself again in the same room with the girl who has begun to invade his mind.

    Ryoichi struggles to justify his interference in the friends time together.  Due to his growing obsession with her he visit's Naomi by himself but the exchanges are one sided and confusing.  At one point he talks about his obsession with young people who commit suicide, creating a tense environment.  Naomi questions why someone who is completely healthy and has the world available to them would choose to end their life.  She on the other hand is bed ridden with a serious disease that she has already lost a leg to.  This stark view of a spoiled existence causes Ryoichi to reflect on his own life and the way he views himself.  Where Naomi is unable to live a normal life as she chooses, he is busy wallowing in uncertainty and trepidation.  When she asks him if he wants to commit double suicide with her his mind races.

    Reflecting on her existence, he decides to put some effort into advancing in life.  But in reality the time he suddenly devotes to his studies are an excuse to stop him from visiting the dying girl he is falling in love with.  He realizes that the chances of improving his academic standing are non-existant.  His hopes of entering a music high school are slim with no real chance at a successful career.  Yet he pushes on, trying to keep his mind off of his heart.  As summer ends Tetsuya confronts him about why he has been avoiding Naomi.  He forces Ryoichi to visit her again, knowing the feelings he is harboring for his old friend.  At the same time Tetsuya is relying on Ryuichi so he doesn't have to face her inevitable death alone.

    Ryoichi begins to visit Naomi again but the disease has become more invasive.  Ryoichi admits he is falling in love with her and Naomi understands that their time together is limited.  Things turn for the worse after a difficult surgery.  As complications set in Tetsuya demands that Ryuichi remain alive with him to keep Naomi's memory until they are a hundred years old.  Tetsuya fears what will happen to his resolve and attitude when she is gone, as she is the one person that grounds the devious traits he inherited from his absent father.  Tetsuya needs Ryoichi in her place to carry on that control, he needs Ryoichi to continue to live for his and her sakes.  Naomi confides in Ryoichi that she feels as strongly for him as he for her but by then it is already too late.  The boys say a final farewell to the bed ridden girl who brought them together for what could be a life long friendship.

    I found this novel via the manga of Your Lie In April.  There is a scene in that story were one of the main characters, who is hospitalized, has the book in her lap and utters the 'commit double suicide with me' phrase to the main character.  It goes with out saying that this book greatly influenced that manga.  There are many differences but some of the themes are the same as are some of the character personalities.  Ichigo Domei is a novel about coming to terms with life and finding motivation in a world that seems pointless.  Ryoichi is obsessed with suicide and the things that would make someone seek that out.  As with everything in his life though, his devotion to actually committing suicide is rather non-existent.  He struggles with the meaning for his life as so many around him have purpose and direction.  Even the classmates that are worse off than he is seem more alive than him.  From his view point his life is pointless and uneventful, even if he were to be a delinquent that would at least make an impression.  He struggles with his identity beyond being a vessel.  This is juxtaposed in the last portion of the book when a classmate who dropped out in the first year due to bullying ended up dying in an accident.  He comments about the soul leaving the body and it only being a lifeless form that used to be human.  You can sense that Ryoichi feels that way about himself when he looks at his accomplishments and prospects.

    The story is told through the first person perspective of Ryoichi and mostly deals with his internal dialogues and account of the world around him.  The first half focused, almost annoyingly so, on the two baseball games he films for Tetsuya.  These segments become obsessive to the point of boredom.  I skipped through the second one quite a bit due to the annoyance I felt at them.  The second half settles in nicely on fleshing out the characters around Ryoichi and pushing the story forward.  Through interactions with those around him you see a clear picture of his life.  From the dysfunction in his family between his workaholic father and his stern, opressive mother.  His jealousy and admiration for his younger brother.  His concerned piano teacher and the likeable music teacher.  He interacts with only a few other classmates and those interactions are meaningful for fleshing out the story and his personality issues.  All together the 10 or so characters detailed in the story are done in a manner that bring the reader closer to understanding Ryoichi's mindset.  Unfortunately the one character that does not get the attention she deserves is Naomi.  Sadly little time is actually spent with her and you only get a feel for what she is really like.  At some points her reactions seem strange without the background into her psyche that is sorely needed.  Instead you feel like she is more of an object, a reference point for Ryuichi and Tetsuya to move around, the catalyst for their growing relationship with each other.  The Naomi that is shown is enjoyable though.  I just wish a little more would have been given to flesh this lonely girls reality out.  Perhaps its better that way as the story is done though Ryuichi's eyes and ultimately he himself does not get to truely understand who the girl he falls in love with is.

    I was lucky to find an academic translation of this story.  It is unlikely it will ever see an official English version but is available in Japanese and Korean.  It did see a theatrical movie in 1997 and a TV drama on NHK in 1999, neither of which are available to the Enlgish speaking world.

The Kingdom of Dream's and Madness

The Kingdom of Dream's and Madness (夢と狂気の王国) is a documentary on legendary Studio Ghibli.  The film was directed by Sunada Mami.  The film was recorded in 2012 and 2013 and was released in November of 2013.

    The documentary deals with the history and working relationship between the core members of Studio Ghibli; Miyazaki Hayao, Suzuki Toshio and Takahato Isao. It primarily follows Miyazaki as the company works on the film The Wind Rises.  At the same time, in a different location, Takahato is working on completing The Princess Kaguya.  Suzuki does his best to promote the films and keep both stubborn men on track to complete their latest efforts.  Miyazaki is presented as a man who genuflects on the world around him and his role with in it.  A man deeply cemented to his routine, he pines about still drawing at his advanced age.  His devotion and passion come through in his interactions with the people around him and the whimsy he still finds in his jaded life.  Takahato is not really interviewed for the movie and a recurring theme is the tension and competitiveness between both directors.  Suzuki is presented as the one with business sense.  His role as producer means he needs to make the sales for the products the studio generates.  That task seems to be less daunting today than it was when the studio was first founded in the 1980's.  That said, he still has his work cut out for him. 

    This documentary is not the definitive piece on the history and organization of Studio Ghibli.  It is a brief look into the intimate process of its creators, most notably Miyazaki and Suzuki.  The movie shows the main figure of the studio as a man who continues doing what he has done for so long because that's what defines his life.  Miyazaki is gruff and leery of the world but exudes kindness and compassion.  He cares for those around him and tries hard to not distance himself from those that work for him.  Unlike a man of his stature, he works out in the open with everyone and puts in more hours than most.  It's hard to imagine the type of wealth he has given the simplistic life portrayed in the film.  That said, the men behind the studio's creation are chain smoking visionaries who struggle with the motivation to do what they do.  Whether from exhaustion, not fully understanding the message they want to get across or doubting the public's reception.  With the studio closing down, possibly forever, after the completion of When Marnie Was There, the documentary carries somber tones.

    While this is not the in depth and detailed history lesson about the world famous studio or an in depth exposition of the creative process its members go through, the movie is enjoyable and easy to watch.  It would be nice to have some mechanical documentation of the studio but the organic and personal tone of this movie does well to express the studio at the time of its filming.  Already well established and prosperous, its leaders are nearing the ends of their careers and mildly reflecting on what the future holds for them, if not in words but in actions.

Straightjacket Society - Book Review

Straightjacket Society (お役所の掟)(Code of the Bureaucrats) by Doctor Masao Miyamoto is a collected and expanded volume of articles written for Monthly Asahi magazine in the early 1990's exposing the problems he saw in the Japanese bureaucracy while working for the Ministry of Health and Welfare.  This review is based on the 2000 English language version printed by Kodansha.

    Dr. Miyamoto, a graduate of Nihon University medial college, studied psychoanalysis in America at Yale University and then worked at Cornell University before returning to Japan as the assistant deputy director for the Ministry of Health and Welfare.  While working in the government he came to learn that the mode of operation for this most powerful entity conflicted heavily with his personal beliefs.  He felt these conflicts resulting in unneeded waste and stagnation in running Japan. The decade spent outside of Japan made the realities he faced when he returned more stark.  While abroad he developed ideas and expectations about the boundaries between ones professional and personal time that conflicted with what was expected of him.  He began a personal campaign making his disagreement known to those around him which in turn caused his career to implode.  While he understood the terms and conditions he was faced with being employed in the government he wanted to get the word out to the public in hopes of beginning a dialogue on these issues.  Issues that were unspoken but wholly recognized by many members of society in Japan.  In order to help spurn this dialogue he wrote a series of articles for Monthly Asahi, even with the urging of direct superiors to stop writing and to even resign.  Eventually he was forced out of the Ministry, professionally stubbed and would spend the last few years of his life touring Japan giving lectures about the problems as he saw them in the Japanese employment model.  Dr. Miyamoto died from cancer in 1999.

    Through a series of anecdotes and explanatory passages Dr. Miyamoto explains some of the situations he encountered during his years as a bureaucrat in Tokyo.  He quickly learned that the Bureaucracy, not the Diet wielded the power of legislation in Japan.  While Diet members were the public and elected face of the central government, it was the various Ministries that work with them to craft the laws of the land who held the power.  Lending their 'expertise' to the legislation drafting process.  In a cynical world this means that the Diet accept legislation drafted by the staffers of the various government divisions and in turn translated them into laws.  Where this can become problematic is due to the Diet being elected representatives for their home districts.  Their job is to represent a general consensus for their constituents when it comes to the laws that they will work to pass or fail.  Instead according to Dr. Miyamoto's recollection of the things he witnessed, the members of the various Ministries provided legislation for the Diet members to present.  This was done under the belief that the Diet was actually incapable of crafting legislation, which is one of their primary roles.  People who were hired to their positions as any normal person is hired into a workplace were more capable of that role.  Thus the people ultimately creating the laws and regulations are not necessarily representative of the citizens who voted for their Diet representatives.

    While that alone is in it's self concerning, it can also be semi speculative, regardless of the things he was told and the exchanges he witnessed, though probably more accurate than everyone would like to admit.  The majority of his writing focuses instead on the policies and culture of the Bureaucracy that conflicted with what he perceived as workers rights.  Coupled with stagnant cultures where maintaining the status quo was prized above anything else, Dr. Miyamoto talks about issues that prevail through out Japanese society, not just the government.  He details double standards when it comes to paid working expectations and unpaid working expectations.  Lack of innovation and growth due to a rigid merit based promotion system.  In the system if someone doesn't stand out or cause problems they will most likely advance in the organization.  Those that innovate, stand out from the group or participate in behavior the group dynamic considers threatening will not advance.  A world where people actively suppress their talents and extra-curricular motivations.  When requesting vacation time, not only is the length scrutinized but where and how the vacation time is spent are as well.  In one case the author lied about a two week trip to Europe.  Instead he came up with a story about traveling to his home town to assist his ailing mother to a family funeral.  His supervisor quickly shot back that two weeks was far too long given the jealousy his coworkers would feel.  Imagine what the response would have been if he would have admitted it was to bum around Europe instead of fulfilling familial duties.  The idea though that someones paid time off request would be refused due to speculation about his coworkers jealousy is absurd and counter to personal freedom.

    Other subjects that are touched upon are; the problems women face in the workplace, from discrimination to rampant sexual harassment and social exclusion.  Tedious tasks that do little more than create busy work in a system rampant with unnecessary and unpaid over time requirements.  Extensive interference in personal affairs in a system that doesn't recognize personal time.  Forced group outings that devolve into little more than episodes of drunken childish perversion.  Systematic bullying and coercion in an attempt to maintain the group harmony and dynamic.  Dr. Miyamoto solely speaks about his experiences working in the government and doesn't connect these tendencies with the majority of the rest of the working environments in Japan.  A system that permeates throughout the nation and begins very early on in the hands off approach to schooling.  In a system set up long ago, derived and remnant of old village living, the group is held far above the individual.  When Japan was more agrarian than it is today the group dynamic of the village life was important to assure everyone's success and survival.  That mentality was transferred into the national identity for a variety of reasons, some realist, other speculative.  The result of this is a system in which mob mentality rules and becoming an outcast has very real and significant consequences.

    The book was a quick and interesting look into the world of the worker bees in the Japanese government machine.  Dr. Miyamoto does at times tend to complain a bit too much with the conditions he faces and it's a wonder he was able to keep up his antics for so long before ultimately being forced out of the job.  In my opinion, he wrongly deduces that the difference in attitudes towards personal and group responsibilities lies in America being a predominantly Christian nation.  I don't see that being legitimate and it seems rather speculative, perhaps even hopeful, of him to return again and again to this idea.  Sadly it seems his efforts did little to change the landscape of the employed in the country.  The problem with this and many other books in English that deal with the less glamorous side of life in Japan is they are getting older.  This book is essentially 25 years old.  It would be nice for newer authors, or previous ones, to revisit the themes found in this book and others like Dogs & Demons or Speedtribes, for the world that currently exists.  Taking a look at modern Japan now into the 21st century and what things have changed since the collapse of the bubble in the beginning of the 1990's.  Unfortunately, there are many problems that persist which are deeply entrenched in the cultural fabric of Japan.  Regardless, this is worth a read and provides some good anecdotes along with some harrowing reminders of the unique reality of Japan.  A reality that many Japanophiles and otaku have a hard time swallowing.

Your Lie in April - Manga

Your Lie in April (四月は君の嘘) is a slice of life romance by Arakawa Naoshi.  The manga was published originally in Japan between 2011 and 2015.

    Honestly, the anime and the manga are almost identical in every way, so if you want to read the synopsis and comments on the story read it here.

    That said, it wasn't bad to go through the story again, to see if I missed anything.  I was disappointed that the anime was verbatim to the manga, holding out hope for some expanded story or what not, but yeah, its pretty much line for line.  Sadly, this makes the manga rather pointless as this story works so much better in motion and color.  If you have not seen the anime I suggest either skipping the manga or reading it first...actually, scratch that.  Skip the manga, settle down in front of the TV with a box of tissues and wait for the heart breaking ending.  The only thing I gained from reading the manga was that the story is apparently derived from a 1991 novel with a similar theme known as Ichigo Gomei (The Alliance of the 15 Year Olds).  I found an academically translated copy of the book and will report back once I'm through with it.

    The manga is being released in North America by Kodansha.

Clannad After Story

Clannad After Story (クラナド アフターストーリー) is the continuation of Clannad.  This slice of life dramatic romance is based, as Clannad is, on the sim game of the same name by the company Key.  Both anime series represent both halves of the 'true' story line in the game.  Clannad After Story originally aired on TV in Japan between 2008 and 2009 and ran for 24 episodes with a 25th episode released as an OAV.

    Picking up where Clannad left off, After Story continues to follow the daily life of Tomoya, his now girlfriend Nagisa and their friends.  The story follows quickly through finishing high school.  Nagisa falls ill again and is unable to graduate, being forced to repeat the year again.  Tomoya begins working for an electrical contractor in town and soon moves out of the Furukawa home.  His father gets into trouble and ends up incarcerated, causing him mental anguish and a missed job opportunity.  The stress of having to deal with his estranged father pushes him to moving forward to a new life with Nagisa and the two wed.  Their dreams of raising a child turn tragic as Nagisa dies following the birth to their daughter Ushio.  Experiencing the same trauma his father did before him, Tomoya breaks down and can barely function outside of working, drinking and smoking.  Nagisa's parents take over raising their granddaughter, hoping for the day when Tomoya can overcome his incredible mental anguish.

    As with the original series the first half or so of the episodes are mostly pointless exploits of mundane story lines dealing with Tomoya trying to help everyone.  Once Tomoya graduates school and the story really focuses on him and Nagisa it becomes an enjoyable story.  All of the juvenile trappings are brushed aside, the side characters all but disappear and you really only deal with the two main characters, Nagisa's parents and Tomoya's co-workers.  Reality steps in pretty hard as Tomoya struggles with what it means to be an adult, reconcile his past and care for his brides health and well being.  Known for it's tragedy, the back half of After Story does not disappoint in the feels department.  Tomoya is cursed with a life of misery and sadness again and again.  The most heart wrenching episode would be the 21st...which was promptly ruined by a reset in episode 22 that left me a little annoyed.  The reset though apparently stays true with the way the game is meant to end and the series showed the two possible conclusions.  Episode 22 is the real end of the story and the other 3 episodes are recaps and alternate story lines, much like the final episode of Clannad.

    In the end watching this series was worth it, but the price of having to wade through 30+ episodes of garbage is a really high price to pay for the excellent writing and slice of life realism in the last 10 or so episodes of the main story arc.  I crave realism like this in slice of life stories, as a wake up call.  I enjoy fantasy too, but stories that deal out blows of true reality are hard to come by.  Unfortunately, they ruined it in the end by resetting the ending with some magic and hope.  The character designs are still annoying but I got used to them by the end.  This series would have been amazing if it wasn't for all of the front end uselessness.  Unfortunately that front end is 75% of the series.  Its hard to tell if its really worth going through all of the trouble for people who are hesitant.  Once could watch the first 10 minutes of episode 24 which is a recap of the entire story, then pick up from there with episode 9 or so.  There is so much that can be cut out with out affecting the real plot progression of the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa.  The side characters have almost no impact on their adult lives.

    As with Clannad, After Story has been widely available in North America.

Clannad

Clannad (クラナド) is a slice of life romance series based on the visual novel/sim game of the same name developed by design studio Key.  The anime originally aired in Japan between 2007 and 2008.

    Okazaki Tomoya is a delinquent high school student with family problems and no sense of direction.  Even though he's a delinquent he still shows up at school on most day. One day near the beginning of his senior year he runs across an odd girl murmuring food names.  The girl turns out to be Furukawa Nagisa who is repeating her senior year due to illness.  Nagisa is shy to begin with but faced with the challenge of repeating her final year of school surrounded by unknown classmates makes her life even more difficult.  Tomoya, while difficult to be personally motivated, decides to befriend the lost girl and help her out.  She confesses to him that she dreams of being in the schools drama club but is unable to due to the club being suspended.  Tomoya and a few classmates join together to help resurrect the lost club for Nagisa'a sake.  Along the way Tomoya comes to the aid of a handful of other girls, helping to give him some purpose in his drifting life.

    Unlike the two previous anime based on Key sim game, Clannad is pretty mid when it comes to the harem department and the anime instead focuses, almost inanely, on being slice of life.  The series is split into a number of small arcs in which Tomoya and the growing cast of comrades solves some sort of problem with one of the female characters he could end up with.  It plays out like a game but the romance being a very low key aspect all together.  Tomoya never has any outward desire to date anyone and the characters that are thinking about him in that way do so discreetly.  Tomoya, who has an unusual sense of self sacrifice, goes from one girl with problems to another until everything starts to balance out.  Nearing the end the show starts to focus on his issues and how his life becomes entwined with Nagisa's.  The culminating moment of realization and acceptance of the main characters relationship happens with little fan fare but the course of the show sets up the end result to the point were its not unknown.  Ultimately the story arcs do little to progress the actual plot of the show.  That being said, the main story, which is the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa would have been better served over a few OAV's or a movie or two instead of painfully stretched out between 22 episodes.  One highly notable saving grace for the show was the surprising lack of fan service...particularly considering the reputation the game creators have.  The 23rd episode is set in an alternate world were Tomoya ends up dating one of the other girls, and honestly this was the best episode of the entire show.  The enjoyment of this episode had nothing to do with who he ended up with.  The writing the handling of the story was superior to the rest of the series and was actually interesting and well done.

    The artwork has always been the warning flag for me, specifically the facial designs for the female characters...they all share facial markers for people with down syndrome.  That said the artwork wasn't much to look at, even with it being done by Kyoto Animation.  There were some clunky CG segments in he alternate dream world and some of the backgrounds were interesting.  The series was really designed to look like the game.  There were some entertaining moments when Tomoya's only male friend continues to be pig headed, causing various women to kick his ass.  Beyond that though it really fell flat.

    Clannad is one of the most revered romance anime of the current generation of otaku.  This reason alone is why I finally broke down and watched it.  I wasn't very impressed and wonder what people see in it anyways.  Though it is more interesting than Issukan Friends, its still rather sub-par...and the character designs are abysmal.  It has been licensed in North America for quite some time now in both dub and sub formats.  The game is also available for English speaking audiences if that's your kind of thing.  The series was followed up by Clannad After Story.