The BEST episodes directed by Touko Takao

The Ends of the Earth
star
9.62
217 votes

#1 - The Ends of the Earth

Clannad - Season 2 - Episode 18

While on the trip, Tomoya buys a toy robot he picks out for Ushio to play with after they arrive in the countryside. The next day, after staying at an inn the previous night, Tomoya and Ushio take a walk through the area and come across a field of flowers. Ushio plays in the field as Tomoya watches, but Ushio soon loses the robot in the field; they try to look for it, but to no avail. Remembering something from his past, Tomoya goes off to another area and meets his grandmother Shino Okazaki, his father's mother. She tells Tomoya how he came here with his father shortly after his mother died, and Shino tells Tomoya how his father worked very hard to support him over the years. Tomoya finally comes to terms with his father, and realizes he is not a bad father. When they go back to the field where Ushio is, she still cannot find the robot, and does not want to stop looking because it was the first thing her father ever gave her. Tomoya realizes his previous mistakes and vows to try his best for Ushio from now on, who is very happy at the prospect of being with her father. On the way home, Tomoya starts telling Ushio about Nagisa for the first time.

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A Sudden Happening
star
9.31
138 votes

#2 - A Sudden Happening

Clannad - Season 2 - Episode 12

Yusuke tells Tomoya a little about his past and how he met Kouko in high school. After graduating, Yusuke went on to become a successful singer-songwriter, but ultimately it all came crashing down and he started taking drugs. When he came back to the city and saw Kouko again for the first time in years, he regretted not continuing to sing for her sake. Tomoya is offered a new position as a manager in a new electrician firm, but the deal falls through when his father is arrested. Tomoya is enraged that his father is still managing to mess up his life. Tomoya finally proposes to Nagisa, and she accepts.

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The Older and Younger Sister's Founder's Festival
star
8.16
243 votes

#3 - The Older and Younger Sister's Founder's Festival

Clannad - Season 1 - Episode 6

Tomoya and Nagisa invite Fuko's older sister Kouko to the Founder's Festival. In the meantime, Fuko hands out more carved starfish to students at the festival, and her fan club helps spread the word about Kouko's wedding too. Nagisa and Tomoya meet Tomoyo, who is wearing a bear suit to find people who are causing trouble, and manages to knock Youhei out a window for bothering a girl. When Kouko finally comes, she cannot see or hear her sister.

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Effort and Results
star
7.42
146 votes

#4 - Effort and Results

Lucky Star - Season 1 - Episode 2

Throughout Golden Week, Tsukasa and Kagami have been playing together. However, Tsukasa does not know that her sister has actually been waking up earlier and going to bed later than her in order to study and finish homework. After the break, Konata does an all-nighter and manages to obtain an above-average score despite doing no studying during the short vacation. Later, Konata decides to get a job at a cosplay café in order to fund her otaku desires.

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I Can't Suddenly Change
star
7.41
45 votes

#5 - I Can't Suddenly Change

Lucky Star - Season 1 - Episode 15

The girls go to a concert entitled "The Jam of Haruhi Suzumiya". Kagami explains how much her pet goldfish has grown. Konata actually finishes her homework, Ms. Kuroi accidentally erases a saved file in one of Konata's games, Miyuki talks smack about Ms. Kuroi, and Konata's dad is thinking about remarrying... or not! April Fool's! The girls enter their third year of high school, and they see who's in what class for this year. Once again, Konata, Tsukasa, and Miyuki are in the same class, but Kagami is in a different one from them. Meanwhile, Konata's cousin Yutaka and her new friend Minami Iwasaki enter their first year of high school. On Lucky Channel, it's announced that Akira will have a live concert next week.

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The Yonder Here
star
7.36
71 votes

#6 - The Yonder Here

Lucky Star - Season 1 - Episode 22

Konata, Tsukasa, Miyuki, and Kuroi-sensei discuss baseball. Konata and Kagami talk about novels being adapted into anime, habits that people does while talking on the phone, and how people can't seem to not buy something from a vendor after making eye contact with them. Tsukasa has trouble sleeping at night. Konata asks her father about her mother, Kanata. Then, Kanata's spirit decides to pay the two a visit. On Lucky Channel,... well, there's nothing.

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Energetic Despite Not Being Myself
star
7.27
78 votes

#7 - Energetic Despite Not Being Myself

Lucky Star - Season 1 - Episode 8

It's about that time of year for the girls: athletic festivals! Konata's father is excited because he has been dying for an opportunity to try out his new camera. Kagami is in an eating contest, Konata is in the one-hundred meter dash, Tsukasa has to jump over hurdles, and Miyuki is in a relay race, where she brings the team from third to win the race by using her physical assets at the end. Later, Tsukasa is trying to learn a song on the recorder. Unfortunately, she is not very good. She then is taught by her sister not to blow so hard into it. Later, we see the girls in at school in a lunch line having various conversations about food and public eating facilities.

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Hidden World
star
6.85
243 votes

#8 - Hidden World

Clannad - Season 1 - Episode 12

Kotomi returns the violin to Rie Nishina and becomes friends with her. Kotomi changes her usual routine and starts attending her classes. Due to Kyou's idea, she, Ryou, Kotomi, Nagisa, and Tomoya go out together as a group and have fun in town. While out, Fuko makes an appearance in, but no one remembers her. The next day, Nagisa runs up to Kyou thinking Ryou got in a bus accident, though when they rush to the scene, they find no one was hurt; however, Kotomi has an emotional episode and collapses while screaming out. Kotomi leaves early that day, but when Tomoya, Nagisa and the Fujibayashi twins go to see her later, there is no answer at her house. After they leave, Tomoya goes back and runs into the strange man from earlier; he finds out the man is an acquaintance of Kotomi's parents.

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Endless Eight (4)
star
3.80
168 votes

#9 - Endless Eight (4)

The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya - Season 2 - Episode 5

The previous time loop continues for the 15,513th time. This time, Kyon mentally senses an even greater familiarity with events and places from previous cycles. Once again, none of the Brigade members can devise anything to stop the cycle from repeating. On their final meeting in the restaurant, Kyon tries to call out after Haruhi but fails to do anything as visions of the loop's events flash in his mind. As Kyon regains his senses, Haruhi has left. As the last day of vacation arrives, Kyon, resigned to the loop repeating itself, goes to bed without finishing his summer homework.

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