Top Ten Favorite Characters, #7-Tomoyo

Andy
Well, I won't deny that this is the post I've been waiting for. Sakagami-san holds a special place in my Clannad-touched heart. Don't worry; I'll show restraint, especially considering that Tomoyo is going to get her own posts from me soon enough. Still, I'm going to put a lot of writing into this post. I won't delve into the details here, but suffice it to say that Tomoyo is one of the big reasons I can connect with Clannad.



Tomoyo's first appearance in the show is not the fun clip above, but it is similar. She's characterized as being very physically strong, despite her appearance. She's quiet, and views things simply. For a while, we don't see very much else from her. She's just in and out, though the major theme that comes across is her strength, and how she views it. Tomoyo wants to be seen like everyone else, but her natural gifts and her past won't have it otherwise.

That's only a very superficial view of Tomoyo, though, and it's not why she's quite possibly my favorite character. No, it's the second half of Clannad (first season) where Tomoyo starts to become the character I love. Or, rather, when we find out who she really is. It starts roughly at the end of Kotomi's arc, in that mishmash of character arcs that sets Tomoyo opposite Kyou, with Nagisa in the background. Tomoyo takes an interest in Tomoya, and we see her character coming out, little by little.

She has a straightforward, insistent approach to things. Tomoyo's strength is a caring heart. She's very quiet about it, but when she cares about someone, she doesn't plan on letting go, regardless of anything that gets in the way. At the same time, she's patient, and doesn't hurry things. When it comes down to it, though, she'll stand her ground. She makes a fantastic foil to Kyou, who is similar in a number of ways, but who is almost diametrically opposed in her manifestation of these qualities. (Like being loud, for instance)

Tomoyo's character is most fully revealed in two episodes: Episode 18 of the first season and Alternate Worlds: Tomoyo. I'll talk about these in depth more in the future, but the most important parts of her character are shown clearly in those episodes, which are really the "Tomoyo Episodes". In both of them, we get to see how Tomoyo views Tomoya, how she cares about him, and what she wants to do for him. They also provide (in my opinion) some of the most powerful scenes in the show, barring certain key moments in After Story.

In short: Tomoyo is awesome. She reminds me of myself sometimes, and there's this beautiful "feel" I get from her, even in her absence from After Story. (Also gonna talk about that, by the way, in my post)

Taylor

Tomoyo Sakagami: the determined character. Tomoyo is a very well-rounded person with great ambitions and a whole lot of potential. She is a composite of intelligence, instinct, a good sense of right and wrong, and one hell of a flashy kick. COMBO: 1013 HITS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Excuse me. She does her best to act professionally, and this combined with her many other strong aspects makes her the character with the most potential (except for maybe Tomoya who has the ability to make 6+ girls fall for him all at one time). Her potential is realized when, in her alternate world arc, she is shown to reach her goal of saving the sakura trees.

Tomoyo's longing to infinitely reach a higher place in the world is what guides her actions. She is fixed on her goal, and she won’t give it up. That’s why she goes farther than most people. She does her best not to falter, although her emotions can sometimes get the best of her, like when she gives up her chance to keep going farther in the world in order to spend her life happily with Tomoya in her extra arc. Although, I don’t view this as a bad thing, because I believe following her love for Tomoya led her to a better ending than she could have had with any other choice. Tomoyo also seems to have a special instinct that will fire off at random times. It causes her to often move quickly without thinking, but it also may cause her to make involuntary unnecessary actions like kicking somebody with full force or shoving a sausage up somebody’s nose (both in reference to situations with Sunohara, even though, I’ll admit, he deserved them).

Tomoyo is a strong kinetic force that will keep moving forward and blast through all obstacles. Of course, her course may sometimes change, but she is never hindered by this. Tomoyo’s determination certainly resonates, so much that everyone knows of the strong aura about her, and this makes “Her Determination” (which you should be hearing right now)(editor's note:That is, until I (Liam) found the above song and found out it was on Tomoyo After's soundtrack) the perfect theme for Tomoyo. I certainly believe that with a strong mindset and many talents like Tomoyo, anybody can reach their goals. ULTIMATE TOMOYO CHAIN COMBO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Liam

There are so many things I wanted to say about Tomoyo:  that I love every single scene that she's in, that she reminds me of my girlfriend, that her fighting skills are awesome and that Sunohara deserved every kick that she ever gave him, that her strength and love have me in awe of her, and that her total obliviousness to the world's standards is beautiful. I could go and attempt to sum it up.

But that doesn't sum it up. This does: I love Sakagami Tomoyo.

A special thanks to all those who helped out with this blog post. Although we were down two people due to various reasons I'm glad we got this one out. Also thank you Clannad Central for getting out this video of Tomoyo!


Apologies are due to you guys for being half a week late. I was at my girlfriend's and her computer doesn't like Blogger. At all. So I had to wait until I got home, which was last night, and even then I had a test to study for (which I don't think I did too well at, but such is life).


Either way, we're back on schedule, and will post the number 7 spot this Friday! Till then!