Any anime fans?

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I'm trying to think of a good name for the phenomenon that occurs when I get near the end of a CLAMP series. I don't want to go on, as the tone gets darker and darker. I know that I have to pay a price for the great story with a great ending, and that price often consists of cruel twists of fate in the case of CLAMP.

CETA -- CLAMP Episode Twenty Anxiety
CIPTA -- CLAMP Immanent Plot Twist Anxiety
CTOF-PTSD-CR -- Cruel Twist of Fate PTSD, CLAMP Related


I'm currently stuck on Episode 22 of Kobato, and I chose that one for its relative mildness.

^Ha, that's a good one. How many have you watched? I've watched all of them except Rewrite, and Anohana because it might as well count even though it was made by different people. Clamp and Kanon are my ultra favourites.
I've never watched Kobato. What's it like?

Tsubasa (Just the discs, except Birdcage)
All of XXXholic (Not just the discs)
Chobits
X/1999
Kobato

It's everything I could buy, plus the abandonware Watanuki. Also the live action Holic (no official release in the US, WTH?). I think I listed everything. I have all the manga for the above, plus Tokyo Babylon, Wish and Clover along with a few art books. I also have a few other series and parts of series by them which I haven't read yet. I usually have some books like that, and eventually find the right time to read them.

Kobato might seem like a moe anime. They give a big chunk of the story at the beginning, but one might fail to note the foreshadowing. I find the title character wonderfully cute. She also shows great strength, as the show progresses and the darkness looms on the horizon. Then, the bill comes due.

^On my bookshelf, I have:
all of Tsubasa omnibus except the fourth [my favourite manga]
all of XXXholic omnibus
all of Cardcaptor omnibus
both Chobits omnibus
Clover omnibus
RG Veda omnibus and the original Japanese volumes [my second favourite manga]
Gate 7 vol. 3

I don't know if I want Wish or not. Tokyo Babylon...just...depressed me. I almost wish I hadn't read the final volume.

In your previous post, I misread Clamp as Clannad for some reason, which is why I mentioned Rewrite and Kanon. Oops.

Thanks. The question didn't scan right on my end, either, so I answered what I thought you had asked and overlooked the details.

Out of the Key anime, I don't own any. I watched Little Busters and Kanon, and maybe one more. I have not seen Clannad. I feel a similar anxiety to the CLAMP finales about even starting Clannad. The mental connection makes complete sense, now that I think about that. Little Busters put me through the wringer a few times, but I never saw the last one coming. I didn't take to the characters in Kanon as well, so it didn't affect me as deeply when their tragedies unfolded.

In the same vein, I would like to watch ef: A Tale of Memories and ef: A Tale of Melodies again. It has somewhat more adult content along with the complicated and surprising relationship and character revelations. Like the Key anime, it comes from a visual novel. The character designs have some things in common, too, but ef has phenomenally intense, modern graphic backgrounds instead of moving, subdued hand painted backgrounds. They augmented the storytelling for me. I didn't buy it because I found it so emotionally intense at the time.

I've got Clannad, Kanon, AIR, and Little Busters on my shelf. Basically, it's perfectly safe to watch all of Clannad Season 1, and up to Episode 15 of Season 2 without too much tragedy [Episode 8 and 9 of Season 1 notwithstanding...] I found the whole series [in Japanese] in just two videos on Youtube, so I can pm you the links if you'd like.
I've only seen a few episodes of A Tale of Memories. I can't remember why I stopped. What's Melodies like?

I may know why. I didn't know what to think about the way they handled abuse in ef. I don't recall the details, but perhaps something there didn't sit right with you. I recall discussing Metroid and Your Lie in April with you and Brad, and remembered that kind of element was present in ef, but I just don't know what exactly happened, or even if I understood it at the time. I don't remember it as a prevailing theme of the series.

Penguindrum had a theme of abuse as well, but broadly and in a way that ties in some very sharp social critique. As a study of that theme, I prefer it to Elfen Lied. Penguindrum doesn't resort to as many grotesque displays to make its point. It also has dramatic character revelations and plot twists in abundance.

Ooooh...now I remember. *sigh* Oh well. Clannad has more than enough tears in it. [Though I must confess that I've never actually watched Episode 16 and 22 of Clannad After Story/Season 2. I knew full well that if I did, I would never be the same.]

I don't really remember Melodies at all as a distinct series. I watched the two in sequence, but I don't even feel sure how much it continued the story of Memories, and how much involved new characters.

I'm reading the Kobato manga super fast online. It's fun seeing characters from other Clamp mangas.

On Clamp, I watched Card Captors as a kid as morning cartoons, then as a young adult watched Chobits, and when it came out Kobato. Memories are a little vague now, but I do remember liking Ioryogi, and I do think it has a somewhat sad bit towards the end, but not down right depressing.

I read the first volume of Wish and really liked it because of the angels.

Awah! Kohaku and Kobato are so cuuute!! !
I'm done reading the manga, by the way. Now for the anime! [Tomorrow.]

Will you virtually hold my hand while we watch the last bit in relative time flow?

Of course. [It's bedtime, so see you tomorrow! I'll tell you when I'm caught up, okay?]