Dango, Dango, Daikazoku

September 13, 2010

Dango, Dango, Daikazoku

     A few rare times in your life you come across people who turn your world inside out, upside down and every which way imaginable. The change they bring can be as small as a smile to brighten your day, or as huge as saving your life. These people inspire us while making huge impacts in our lives and whether they realize it or not, they are never forgotten. Not many people can say that they have inspired someone to become a better person or to love with all their heart, but I know someone who has done that for me.

     This past summer my time has been spent on work, school and watching Clannad with my friend Zane. Clannad was a popular anime, or Japanese cartoon, a few years ago in Japan and dangos were a big theme throughout the series. (Dangos are a type of Japanese food that have come to be a cute fad when faces are drawn on them. “Daikazoku” is Japanese for “big family” so the title refers to the “big dango family” Nagisa is obsessed with throughout the series and the lullaby she sings at random times in the episodes.)  I had never heard of this anime before he told me about it and so he decided we would watch it together.

“So, you should watch this anime with me. The story is about these two high school kids…”

     I listened intently as Zane told me the whole story line beginning to end about the two lovers and their tragic ending. Clannad was an anime I couldn’t wait to see. We started watching it as soon as my schedule freed up and watched multiple episodes a day. I immediately fell in love with all of the characters and the story line. The two main characters reminded me of Zane and myself but with a little more drama added to their lives. Nagisa, one of the two main characters, is a very shy, clumsy and lonely girl who has health issues that have prevented her from graduating high school. During Nagisa’s repeat senior year she meets Tomoya, a very frank, delinquent boy who is constantly skipping school and causing trouble with his best friend. One day while walking to school, Tomoya spots Nagisa waiting at the foot of a hill and decides to approach her. They become friends after this chance encounter and after many lunches spent together, eventually fall in love. It’s a very innocent and calm beginning to a very touching and deep “after story”.

     This beginning story line reminds me of the happiness I had with Zane when we were a couple and brought me to a whole new world where I can relate to the characters on a very personal level and see some of myself within them. Clannad has made me laugh at the ridiculous relationship between Nagisa’s father and Tomoya while smile at Nagisa’s cute stubbornness and strange obsession with Japanese dangos. I have worried about Tomoya’s helplessness while at the same time, yelled and cried tears of joy and sadness when Nagisa gives birth to Ushio and then dies.

     After I failed my freshman year I came to Heights as very quiet girl who rarely spoke to anyone and looked angry all the time. I had a small group of close friends but wouldn’t venture far from them in fear of rejection. Soon I realized I would have to find a job and start being a teenager like everyone else. That’s when I applied at Jimmy John’s. A week after I got hired, I ran into a boy I had seen many times before in the halls of my school.

“Hi! I’m Zane,” he said as he cheerfully greeted me.

“Hi, I’m Rox… Rebe… uh…”

     As I tried to introduce myself to him, I forgot my name and was humiliated. Immediately, I rushed towards the door to leave when I heard his voice again.

“You’re leaving already?”

     I hesitated not knowing what to say.

“Yes. I was only working ‘til five,” I replied as I ran out of Jimmy John’s and to the car.

     That’s how it all started. A chance encounter could have sprouted an anime just like Clannad had occurred and would change my life completely. Not too long after that we ran into each other at school and began talking more. After getting to know each other a little more, we became a couple and I started to notice how different we were. I never spoke but he spoke to everyone. I always looked furious at the world but he always had a smile on his face. I hated the world in which I lived but he saw the beauty in everything. It was refreshing and beautiful to get a new perspective on the world. He understood me and I understood him, eventually I fell in love and let him into my world. He turned me into a better person. Someone who loves people and this world I live in and someone who has goals for her life.

     Before Zane, I wanted to drop out of school and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life. Our time together was short, but he inspired me to finish school and to go to college. He inspired me to live a life we could both be proud of. I’ll never forget that.

     My upcoming graduation ties into the last half of Clannad, “After Story”, which goes through Nagisa finally graduating high school and Tomoya becoming a better person. He graduates with Nagisa’s help and support and becomes a working member of society with the goal to make her his wife and be with her forever. She gives him a brighter perspective on life and Tomoya becomes a more hardworking, friendly and optimistic person.

     “After Story” also goes through Nagisa’s death and the changes Tomoya goes through after losing the love of his life. Tomoya lost himself for a while but was able to get back to his life and set new goals to be someone Nagisa could be proud of. After Zane and I broke up, I set new goals for myself and remembered all he taught me through our time together. I am now a happier person who has learned to love and care for others as well as myself. My hard work is for both him and myself in hopes that one day I will be as great a person to him as he was to me. He has done so much for me and I wish to return the favor and make him proud.

     Every time I watch Clannad, I am reminded of the life I once led and the life I now lead. I will never forget Zane and all I have learned from him. I am a better person now because he took the time to love me and save me from myself.