Clannad ~After Story~ 11 review, the trouble with work and love.

 

       This episode begins with Tomoya continuing his on-the-job training with Yusuke at the electrical company, and Nagisa keeps waking him up for work and making him breakfast before school. At work, Tomoya gives his best effort towards learning the job and he keeps making small mistakes and Yusuke keeps showing him the proper way to do things, and Nagisa keeps making him dinner after she’s done with school. One night after Nagisa’s leaves his apartment, Tomoya makes the comment that he’s being supported by Nagisa, and because of her help he just might make it at this job.

       At work Yusuke notices that Tomoya is not using one of his arms enough and he asks Tomoya why he’s not using both hands? Tomoya tells him that he finds it much easier to work that way. Back at home, Nagisa asks Tomoya if she’s bothering him with her talk because he always seems so tired, but Tomoya tells her that her talking is helping him. Later, Nagisa asks Tomoya if he’s lonely once she leaves? Tomoya tells her not to worry because when she leaves he falls right to sleep.

       A few days later, Tomoya asks Nagisa if she wants to go somewhere this Sunday but she has to turn him down because she has a practice exam at school, so Tomoya ends up spending time with Akio instead. Tomoya and Akio go around town goofing off, and Akio tells Tomoya about a joke he wants to play on Sanae.

         Tomoya doesn’t think that’s it’s a nice idea to play a joke on Sanae but Akio tells Tomoya that you have to keep married life interesting, he says it’s advice Tomoya has to remember for the future.

         Back at the bread shop, Akio distracts Sanae while he has Tomoya slip the lizard down her back, Akio plan works just fine, maybe a little to fine because they end up having to chase Sanae all over the neighborhood. Then back at Tomoya’s apartment Nagisa drops a hint to Tomoya about next Sunday, it seems that it’s time again for the school’s founder festival, so Tomoya tells Nagisa that they’ll go together. At work, Tomoya seems to be getting along well with the crew, and he stays late to help the manager where he learns that he might have to work some of his upcoming off days because of a new large contract, Tomoya worries about his upcoming date with Nagisa.

         When Tomoya tells Nagisa about maybe not being able to take her on the date she doesn’t get upset, and says that maybe it’s a good thing that he’s busy at work. Later that week, Yusuke finally asks Tomoya about his bum shoulder and he guesses that Tomoya can’t raise it beyond a certain point. But, Yusuke says that Tomoya got the work procedures down so there’s no point in bringing it up. Yusuke tells Tomoya that the point is not to get hurt on the job and worry his girl, he also tells Tomoya that they’ll help each other with stuff they can’t do by themselves. Also, Tomoya finds out that he won’t have to work on founders day. Back at the office, the manager tells Tomoya that he forgot to schedule one job, so he asks if Tomoya can handle it alone and Tomoya tells him OK. Later that night, Yusuke stops by to check on how Tomoya did on his solo job.

        The next morning, Tomoya tells Nagisa that he’ll be waiting for her at the school’s gate.  But before Tomoya can leave to meet Nagisa he gets a phone call from the boss saying that there was a problem at last night’s job site. Tomoya rushes to the job site to find Yusuke there correcting the problem, Tomoya apologies for the mistake but Yusuke says it’s his fault for not checking Tomoya’s work properly. Yusuke tells Tomoya to go to his date with Nagisa, but Tomoya refuses saying that he also needs to take responsibility for his mistake so he stays and helps correct the mistake. Afterwards, Tomoya rushes to the school to meet Nagisa, he finds her waiting by the gate and he begs her forgiveness, Nagisa notices that Tomoya had been at work and says that it’s OK. While Tomoya and Nagisa walk home together they share a snack of roasted corn.

 

         Then next day at work, Tomoya’s coworkers and boss mess with  him about missing a date to get the job done. Tomoya tells them yes he had to miss a date but he thought that they would be angry with him about about the mistake he made. Tomoya’s told that the important thing is that you learn from your mistakes and not repeat them, and that when you have your own trainee someday it’ your responsibility to make sure that everything is done properly. As Tomoya is getting ready to leave the office with Yusuke he’s given a permanent name badge to place on the work board. Well, that’s all for this episode.

        Well, in this episode Tomoya and Nagisa continue on their journey to becoming a mature couple, and what I mean by this is that stuff that would have disappointed or angered them earlier in their relationship with each other doesn’t seem to bother them. When your young and just beginning a relationship things like not being able to go to a certain dance or make a certain date because of work or other commitments would cause serious problems, but Tomoya and Nagisa are past that point.

        Tomoya and Nagisa are for all practical purposes are young married couple, the only thing separating them from a married couple is a ring, and sharing the futon. Nagisa wakes Tomoya up in the morning for work and cooks him breakfast, she sees him off to work, and she is waiting for him when he gets home with dinner ready, plus she’s looks so damn cute in her apron humming the dango song.  Tomoya also seems like he craves or at least is looking forward to marrying Nagisa, while Tomoya and Akio move around town for their job it’s quite noticeable how Tomoya looks longingly at young married couples or young mothers with small children.

        I think that even Nagisa’s father has come to the conclusion that his daughter will be marrying Tomoya because he keeps giving Tomoya hints about how to keep a marriage interesting. I also think that Nagisa is certain that her future is with Tomoya, she’s having a tough time at school but she keeping it to herself, her refuge and her happiness is with Tomoya. Like I said in an earlier post is that no matter how much Tomoyo and Yukine will try to help Nagisa fit in at school, but Nagisa’s presence will still upset the tightly scripted social order at the school. While students might not be cruel to Nagisa in a straight forward way, she’ll still be an outcast because she’s just not like the rest of the students, so she’ll take comfort in being with Tomoya because he accepts her and loves her for who she is.

       Oh, by the way, I think that Tomoya blew his best chance at taking their relationship to the next level. When Nagisa asks Tomoya if he’s lonely when she leaves, and she then tells him that she’s feels sad thinking about him being alone, she threw him a softball right down the center of the plate, and he chose not to swing and hit a home run. There was a million great lines that he could have given her to have her stay a while to “ease his loneliness”. Oh well, I guess that  still have to fill 15 more episodes.