The Art of Clannad is Actually Perfect for the Series, and Here's Why

Summary:

• Clannad often gets criticized for its art.
• Clannad’s art is actually great, and it’s a great fit for the series.
• The criticism is extremely shallow, and the series would not be more popular if the art looked more similar to modern anime.

Clannad is one of the most well-received romance anime of all time. While the first season gets occasionally called boring — a sentiment shared by many fans, but definitely not the majority — the second season is all but universally agreed to be one of the best dramas in anime. The series’ beautiful animation by Kyoani and amazing music are praised as well — but if there is one thing about Clannad that is criticized more often than not, it is its art and character designs. There is even an argument that its art holds back the series popularity (not that it is obscure in any way). However, the art is actually a great fit for the series.

Clannad’s art is amazing

First and foremost, it is a little bit silly to criticize the art style for simply being typical to its time period. Not liking it personally is one thing, but making statements like “Clannad has the terrible mid-00s art” is pointless — because the art is simply a product of its time. It changes and evolves, and gives the viewer an additional understanding of the era in which the anime was made.

Moreover, Clannad’s art is actually good — really good, in fact. Yes, it takes some time to get used to, but the character designs are beautiful. They emphasize the pleasant, comfy, yet sometimes dramatic feeling of the show, and Kyoto Animation did a great job translating them from the visual novel into anime. The art stays consistently good all the time, a testament to the hard work of the team behind the show. And of course, the great color design and background art should not be forgotten. Overall, the art is just as great as the rest of the show.

The criticism is extremely shallow

Compared to many contemporary shows, Clannad looks great — and while the animation is often praised, the art is amazing as well. One may even argue that it looks better than most modern shows. Besides that, saying things like “Clannad bug-eyed character designs are terrible” is a very superficial criticism. Maybe it’s better to try to get used to how shows from a different time period look. If you don’t like it, at least it would be educational!

The point is, if it didn’t look the way it does, it wouldn’t be more popular. In fact, it would be the opposite — Clannad perfected the art style of its time, which played a huge role in making it as popular as it is now.