It was through increasing my palette that I discovered a beautiful thing about the way I should evaluate fiction. Not any lesser than what I felt Clannad brought to me at the time, but to say they were the same feelings would be a misrepresentation of those works. Although I did capture a certain level of enjoyment close to what I experienced with Clannad in other fictional works within the visual novel medium, they were special in completely different ways. Though that doesn’t really consider the nuance of each individual work that has left a massive impression on me throughout the years. And although I don’t seek to replace the impact this work had on me, I continue to consume works within this medium in order to see if I can recapture this feeling once again.
To say Clannad flipped a switch within me would be an understatement, it was a work that completely changed my perception of this medium. Fast-forward 5 years into the future and I’m currently sitting at 118 completed works. When I finished Clannad, at the time it was my 13th completed visual novel. Telling seemingly disconnected stories that although may seem like filler within a vacuum, could actually culminate when given the further context of an entire work. It was through this work that I learned about how visual novels could be structured thematically. Instead, it felt more like its own art form separate from anime, videogames, or light novels.
Visual novel stories no longer felt confined to a medium that didn’t utilize its strengths of non-linear storytelling and gameplay mechanics to accentuate a theme.
Although it wasn’t my first exposure to the medium (that belongs to Ace Attorney), it was definitely the work that changed my perception of what type of stories visual novels could be. I’ll never forget my first experience of finishing Clannad back in 2016. Visual novels have remained a staple of my media consumption for over 5 years.
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