"It's bad! It's bad!"
Early in the morning, Aoki Haruhi had just arrived at the company and hadn't even settled into his seat in the President's Office when Ayase Akane came rushing in.
Aoki Haruhi frowned deeply.
This one needs to be retrained. Why is she always saying "It's bad" every single day?
"Say it again. From now on, even if something is bad, you must say 'It's great,'" Aoki Haruhi commanded.
Ayase Akane froze for a moment, then silently swallowed. "It's great, President!"
Aoki Haruhi pursed his lips.
So, is she speaking in reverse or telling the truth now? Is it actually bad, or is it actually great?
"What is it?" Aoki Haruhi asked helplessly while brushing dust off his desk.
"The forum's sentiment! It's changed!" Ayase Akane said earnestly.
"Huh?" Aoki Haruhi was confused.
What do you mean the forum's sentiment has changed?
"It's just... overnight, a huge wave of new players flooded into the forum and gave CLANNAD extremely high praise. Even the players who were threatening to send us knives have all changed their tune. Now, it's a sea of glowing reviews."
"Huh?"
Aoki Haruhi froze for a moment, then a grin spread across his face.
"Isn't this a good thing?"
Why is she acting like it's bad?
Is this little HR out of her mind?
But then again...
If it's a good thing, why should I care about the details?
What can I say?
What's meant to happen will happen.
See? This is what you call facts speaking louder than words!
All those players who used to curse me, who questioned us, who even sent us knives after the game's release... are they regretting it now?
Have they finally realized what kind of masterpiece CLANNAD is?
From Aoki Haruhi's own experience and judgment, anyone who manages to clear Nagisa's route is bound to enter the subsequent storylines.
Once you enter the After Story route, don't expect to come out smiling.
I'll make you all cry with emotion.
Cry and scream that it's a masterpiece!
That's the charm of CLANNAD.
"President... how should I put this? While it is positive feedback, it's not exactly what you think," Ayase Akane tried to explain from the side.
"What do you mean, not what I think?"
"This... I can't really explain it. You'll see when you look at it."
"Alright."
Aoki Haruhi stretched her wrists and turned on the computer.
Let's see how these enlightened players are praising me.
After logging into the forum, she found, as expected, a flood of new positive reviews. Some had even been upvoted to the very top, and the forum administrator, Little HR, had pinned several of them as featured posts.
After skimming through a few, a joyful smile spread across Aoki Haruhi's face.
"I strongly recommend CLANNAD. Whether or not you've played Pokeni's games before, this one is guaranteed not to disappoint. It's a must-play masterpiece of the galgame genre."
"This is the best and most interesting galgame I've ever played. It's a heartwarming and healing story about the male protagonist's interactions with the girls at his high school, helping them achieve their dreams. Even thinking about it now makes my lips curl into a smile. I haven't experienced that kind of pure, innocent love in a long time. And every time I play this game, I gain new insights. It truly brings joy and happiness."
So, if the perfect score is 10, I'd give this game a 9.
I'm taking off one point because this is nothing like Kogahara Tsubakiaki's usual style. The fact that it doesn't "stab" you with tragedy—meaning there's a lack of the usual heart-wrenching sorrow and tears—actually makes it feel less than perfect.
"Being too perfect is what makes it imperfect."
That's my take on this game.
CLANNAD is a must-play in one's lifetime. With Hayao Miyazaki's art style, Kogahara Tsubakiaki's production, and the refreshing, healing music of maestro Shirakawa Atsushi... the whole experience is centered on warmth and healing. It's a game that can soothe all your wounds.
Playing it feels like going to a high-end hot spring inn for a relaxing soak after a long, exhausting day. It's the kind of feeling that elevates your entire soul—deeply relaxing and utterly blissful.
"I've already played through several routes, and each one brings warmth and joy. This game is truly divine. In the current galgame scene, it's genuinely one of a kind."
"CLANNAD—a story that begins in spring and concludes in winter. In this game, you can experience what it means to be 'bathed in a spring breeze,' and what it means to appreciate 'pure and refined art.' Master Hayao Miyazaki's artwork is truly world-class, absolutely beyond reproach. The plot also gradually ascends, leaving players moved and granting them the strength and boundless motivation to move forward. Those who have been hurt or exhausted in the past will feel their souls purified after playing this game. It's as if they are ascending to a beautiful heaven. It is truly a magnificent masterpiece. I hope everyone who sees this post will not miss out on this game, or you will definitely regret it."
Aoki Haruhi clicked his tongue in amazement, marveled by how well these netizens wrote. It was almost identical to the vibrant, joyful online world of the future he remembered. Back then, reading other players' reviews after experiencing a game had been a true pleasure.
Yet, a flicker of confusion crossed his face.
He hadn't expected the forum's sentiment to shift so drastically in just a few days.
But...
After reading a dozen or so threads, he felt something was off.
Sure, they were positive reviews.
Sure, they were full of praise.
But they all felt exaggerated.
Or rather, the game wasn't at all what they were describing.
Warm and healing?
Like a gentle spring breeze?
Had these people even played the game properly?
Or were they all just masochists who mistook "tear-jerking" and "heart-wrenching" for "warmth" and "healing"?
Well, on the other hand, if they had collected all thirteen Orbs of Light and seen the true ending, such a reaction might make sense.
Another possibility was that they hadn't even reached the After Story—they might have stopped at the School Arc and assumed the game was over.
In that case, it wouldn't be surprising for players to leave positive reviews, calling the game "warm" and "healing."
Aoki Haruhi even thought—
Players who leave such reviews might be the ones who truly understand the game's deeper meaning.
Though Nagisa and Ushio died, their noble character, their strength and courage in the face of hardship—these are things that can give people infinite strength and heal their hearts.
If they had truly reached this level of understanding, Aoki Haruhi felt he would be deeply gratified.
Until he saw the next post—
"I have to leave a positive review. I can't be the only one feeling 'warmed and healed' by this."
Aoki Haruhi gritted his teeth. "Damn it! Those bastards!"
Little HR, who had been observing the president's facial expressions from the start, finally breathed a sigh of relief when the smile vanished from his face and he cursed.
"President, you finally understand."
Yes, I do!
Aoki Haruhi thought indignantly. After all that, I was just flattering myself. These bastards are obviously saying the opposite of what they mean—they're just trolling!
If you interpret "warm" and "healing" as "cold" and "cruel," everything makes sense.
What kind of twisted psychology is this?
Since they're the ones who cried, they can't let other players off easy.
"Huh? This is better than I thought."
Hirozawa Furukawa, a player who had been keeping his distance, remarked after browsing the official Pokeni forums.
The PV had genuinely scared him, leading to his decision to wait and see. After all, in his experience, if a game was truly good, the players' feedback and the market's reaction would never lie. It would bound to be a massive hit.
After all, this was a major production co-created by Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Hayao Miyazaki. Calling it a "major production" was an understatement—by Gorotsu's standards, this game was a masterpiece of the galgame genre.
He had been skeptical at first, but after reading the forum comments, the last remnants of doubt in his mind were completely shattered, vanishing without a trace.
"I'm sorry, Kogahara-sensei. I shouldn't have doubted you."
And what he should have done least of all was judge a book by its cover.
No, he should call it "stereotypical thinking"—he had been blinded by conventional appearances. An ordinary exterior and a plain setting could still yield a masterpiece. The key was who created it.
The only thing that truly surprised Hirozawa was how the game had received so much praise from players. Even more shocking was the content of that praise: they were calling the game "warm and healing."
This didn't fit Hirozawa Furukawa's image of Kogahara Tsubakiaki at all.
In Hirozawa's memory, Old Thief Kohara was a heart-wrenching sadist.
He had never shown mercy, let alone empathy.
He certainly wouldn't stop just because players were crying.
Every time he broke a heart, he'd make sure it was a devastating, tear-soaked experience.
So how come he'd changed so much after his comeback?
"Oh, I see."
Hirozawa nodded vigorously.
It seemed his time in retirement had been crucial for Kogahara Tsubakiaki, elevating his artistic sensibilities.
Still, his shift was already evident in his pre-retirement work.
Starting with the game Your Name, Pokeni had stopped being so cruel. That game had revealed the Old Thief's inner kindness.
It had given the players a perfect, happy ending, leaving them both shocked and relieved.
Now that he had returned to P Corporation, it was possible Old Thief Kohara had become a benevolent soul.
How should I put it?
A change of heart?
A sudden awakening?
Or had Old Thief Kohara always been this gentle, only becoming even kinder after his time away?
Hmm.
Judging by the forum posts, it really seemed possible.
"Ah~ I thought this was going to be a tear-jerker."
When I watched the CL promotional video, the atmosphere was thick with sadness.
Think about it: holding a girl's cold, pale arm in the middle of a heavy snowfall, all set to mournful music. How could anyone possibly see that as heartwarming and healing?
But now, judging by the players' reviews, it seems all of that was just a marketing ploy.
Old Thief Kohara is an expert at this kind of thing—
You think it's a tear-jerker, but it gives you a Happy Ending.
You think it's a lighthearted story, but then he stabs you right in the gut.
It's exactly the kind of thing Kogahara Tsubakiaki would do.
And yet, it's precisely because of these twists and surprises that players love his games so much.
Deep down, Hirozawa Furukawa felt a faint tinge of regret, but he was also relieved to have escaped this time.
However, as he continued scrolling down to the bottom of the forum, he noticed something strange.
Among the later comments, there were a lot of people cursing Kogahara Tsubakiaki and Jun Maeda—some players even threatened to send them cleavers.
As a result, the entire forum presented a bizarrely polarized phenomenon.
Hirozawa Furukawa was completely bewildered.
The two types of reviews were fundamentally contradictory and mutually exclusive.
Something was definitely not right here.
"How can this be? Are they even playing the same game?"
"Why are there two completely different reactions to a single game? And why are these two sets of reviews so diametrically opposed?"
He didn't understand.
But whether he understood or not didn't matter—Hirozawa Furukawa was already hooked.
Fuelled by media hype, word-of-mouth among players, and the countless positive reviews flooding the Pokeni Community...
Countless players flocked to game stores to buy CL.
"This is a game you absolutely must experience once in your life."
Though such reviews were far from unique—after all, there were plenty of "must-play" games, and CL was neither the first nor the last—it did nothing to dampen the players' enthusiasm.
Because they had regained their faith in Kogahara Tsubakiaki.
And what's more—
The Animation Director of this game was none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself!
Even if it were just a collector's item, it would still be worth it, right?
So, the fence-sitting players who had been waiting and watching finally joined the fray.
Hirozawa Furukawa was one of them.
Back home, he spent the entire weekend playing.
Hirozawa Furukawa, who had just finished his first playthrough of After Story, sat there, utterly stunned.
His face was covered in tears. They streamed down his cheeks, pooled on his chin, and dripped onto the tatami mat.
Even the tatami was soaked in a large, damp patch.
It took a long time for Hirozawa to snap back to his senses.
"What?! Ushio is dead?!"
"Nagisa is dead too!"
"What's the point of Tomoya being alive?!"
"This game is too damn depressing!"
"How the hell could a human being come up with a plot like this?!"
So this is the "warm and healing" game those idiot netizens were talking about? The one that "lifts your spirits" and "feels like a gentle spring breeze"?
I swear...
Hirozawa felt like taking revenge on the whole world.
If he could, he wouldn't mind seeing the world destroyed right here and now.
Anyway, I don't have a girlfriend.
Anyway, Ushio and Nagisa are gone.
Anyway, I've been stabbed in the heart this badly...
"Have some damn mercy, Tsubaki Furahara!"
"Shine! You old thief, Furahara, shine!"
"Jun Maeda! Shine!!!"
However, after putting down the controller, Hirozawa Furukawa immediately scrambled back into the study, turned on his computer, and logged into the Pokeni Community forum.
He left a glowing review:
"This is the most heartwarming game I've ever played. I feel completely relaxed now, like I'm sunbathing on a beach.
CLANNAD truly has a powerful ability to heal the soul.
I felt a constant sense of warmth throughout the entire game.
I hope everyone else can experience this wonderful game just as I did!"
Damn it!
"I can't be the only one to enjoy this [ warm and healing ] experience! I'll drag as many people into this as I can!"
Hirozawa Furukawa gritted his teeth and declared fiercely.
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