Here's a heads up this is NOT a review rather how I broke down and interpreted the anime. This is the most personal post I have made on any platform. However I'm choosing to post this on here because maybe one of you will watch the anime and like me will gain an appreciation for family.

Clannad Arc 1 Fuko-chan
From watching episodes 1-9 it focused on Fuko-chan who is a ghost that is trying to get her older sister Ibuki to get married at school and have all the students attend. However she in real-life is in a coma and she meets Tomoya who is helping her by giving out starfish to people. Fuko-chan didn’t get to experience high-school because while coming back from the entrance exam she got hit by a car and has been in a coma ever since. In this arc she got to experience what having friends is like because of Tomoya and Nagisa. Due to the help of her friends Fuko was able to make the wedding happen for her older sister. As for what I got out of it… I can lose my life any day and miss out on all those experiences that Fuko-chan missed, but also there’s something undeniably warming about having friends like Tomoya and Nagisa and I am grateful to have made friends like them in my life. I want to be able to help people fulfill what they want to do like Tomoya and Nagisa helped Fuko-chan do what she wanted to do. People can have such a big impact on eachother, the potential is damn near endless. The love Fuko-chan has for her older sister is wholesome. I will establish that with my siblings one day.

Arc 2 Kotomi
From episodes 10-14 Kotomi the school genius was the main interest. She is trying to make friends with the help of Tomoya. Tomoya and the gang help Kotomi do the things she always wanted to do which were make friends, play the violin, and (without being specifically mentioned) have closure/ feel guilt free about her parents death. Throughout this whole arc Tomoya dedicates his time and energy to helping Kotomi and it’s very admirable. He later realizes that they were childhood friends. Eventually after witnessing how much Tomoya, Nagisa, Kyou and Ryou care for her, Kotomi opens back up. She received news that her parents always had their daughter on their mind. This reminds me of the powerful unconditional love parents have for their children even when they have a lot of things to deal with. My mother always worries about me when I go out and she always tells me that, she’s always considerate of me by buying me stuff and helping me when I do not ask for help, she LOVES me. That’s what Kotomi had with her parents and she realized only after they were gone what she had lost. I don’t want to wait until my mother passes away to appreciate what she does for me and what she is for me.

Arc 3 Kyou Ryou and Tomoyo
This arc was about fighting for what you want for even if you don’t get it. Sunohara didn’t let Nagisa give up on the drama club and balled up against the basketball team to show that they are serious about the club. They did it but shortly after Nagisa got sick. This time Tomoyo goes into the life of Tomoya more and more. She wants to change and not be the rebel she was before and Tomoya helps her become the student council president. It is revealed that for Tomoyo she was a rebel because of her poor family situation, but as her relationship with her family improved she became better and was able to become the president. This shows me the effect a negative family relationship and positive one can have on an individual. Furthermore all 3 of them were fighting for the affection of Tomoyo. Seeing Kyou sacrifice for her sister Ryou was both admirable yet saddening. She clearly wanted Tomoya for herself but she put her sister’s feelings ahead of her own. Furthermore, when more and more girls showed up and created competition for Kyou and Ryou they didn’t give up. I admire the strength they had to go for the person they like and too handle the realization that Tomoya likes Nagisa.

Final Arc Nagisa
Damn this arc hit me hard. Nagisa was finally realizing her dream of performing in the drama club and starring in her own play. At the same time Tomoya moved in with Nagisa and it was unusual for him to experience what a real family is. Aiko Sanae and Nagisa are a strong family and it's beautiful. It’s revealed that Aiko and Sanae gave up their careers/dreams to be with Nagisa but they kept this secret. Once Nagisa finds out she feels extreme guilt for making her parents choose her over their careers/dreams. She’s so devastated that she almost wasn’t able to fulfill her dream of performing, until her dad Aiko comes in and hits her with the truth. Aikos tells her “Our dream is to watch you live out your dream”. This hits home and made me realize how my mother immigrated and gave up her dreams at the age of 19 so that my siblings and I could live out ours in the U.S. with all of her sacrifice, time, energy, hope, and love she gave to us. Also my older siblings especially my eldest sister who took care of me and helped me enjoy my childhood. All of them want me to live out my dream. Yet I am still scared to follow my dreams, ambitions and goals. If I don’t follow my dreams I will be wasting what my family has invested in me. I’m not alone in my ventures. I have my family who although they don’t say it, they depend on me to fulfill what they didn’t.

Final thoughts
I asked my mother about her dreams before having me. By 45 she was supposed to start traveling to Europe because she would have been done with my older siblings. However I came into the picture and she had to give those dreams of travelling up temporarily. She made it clear to me that she agrees with what Aiko said. As my mother her dream became for me to live my own dreams out. To add to that, it wasn’t a hard decision for her to give up her dream and begin a new one that involved me. I never knew that about my mother and I’m really glad that I do now. I want to fulfill my dreams not only for myself but for her as well. I didn’t realize just how important a family and the sacrifices parents make for their family are until rewatching this anime. I’m so thankful I watched it again and wrote down my thoughts and what I got out of it.

Hmu if you ever need to talk @abesalas on IG

Thank you for reading.