I’ve seen what the show or play is capable of when handling tragedy and, though it may depress me, I admire it for the way it handles such a subject. In fact, by this point I’m not only expecting a tragic ending, I wish for one. But the fact that the tragedy outweighs the comedy affects my opinion about the eventual conclsuion. For every light-hearted introduction to an arc, there’s an ineivitably drama-filled conclusion and for every seen where a scene where a bumbling police officer attempts to convict a crafty pimp there’s a scene discussing the responsibilities of a ruler and his kingdom. Throughout both Clannad (as a whole) and Measure for Measure there is a balance of comedy and tragedy, though the latter outweighs the former. These are just two words I can use which are most apt at describing my disaste for the endings of both the play and the anime. First off, let me say that I’m not trying to pigeon-hole either of these shows as purely tragic, comedic or simply a combination of the two. By the end of episode 21, I’m expecting a “tragic” end, much like I was expecting for Measure for Measure by the end of the penultimate act. If you couldn’t already guess, I disliked the ending of Clannad After Story because, say it with me now, it trivialised the emotions we and Tomoya experienced after Nagisa’s death. It’s a happy coincedence that I’ve just finished Clannad at the same time as analyzing the aspects of Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, since now I can attempt to link my criticism’s to literary references, like a REAL anime writer.Ĭontains spooilers for Measure for Measure and Clannad ~After Story~.