Clannad: After Story

"So could these lights be shadows of something? If they are shadows, their bodies must exist somewhere else. Could things that exist somewhere else in some other world be creating these lights?" Clannad After Story, sequel to another brilliant project of Key visual arts, brings you the magic of what a story can hold. It has the old high school romance, the friends, the drama, but it's not afraid and most certainly not attempting to hide it's supernatural aspect. You won't feel intact with the beauty of what Clannad has to offer if you don't realize the 'magic' behind it all. It brings life, and wonders to what life itself actually is. Story: 10/10 - Proceeding from Clannad's last season, we have our beloved Nagisa and Tomoya, who are now thankfully a couple to die for. Once the first portion of the show is over, it enters into what we've been waiting for, the focus on the two MC's, and how they're now involved with each others futures, and the events, or drama that happens within it. Friends seem almost non-existent when you are in love, all your mind can think about are images of that person's face, the one you know you can't live without. Okazaki and Nagisa went one way, and all of their fellow classmates soon depart another. Whether you were a Nagisa fan from the beginning or not the story almost twists you into having a bit of sympathy in the least, and I feel if a writer is able to do something like that, then round up the applauses because damn am I impressed! It's a vast universe, when you lock souls with that other, it almost seems like a miracle. Art: 9/10 - From the unique visuals used for the toy robot and the Illusionary girl, to the mere fluidity in Tomoyo's 1,000 kick combo! I have never been less than impressed when it comes to a Key production. The opening songs are beautiful in both art and sound and I can't get enough of the foreshadowing. Kyoto's visual arts know when to emphasize a scene of significance; the baseball soaring through the air, it turns into a close-up, spinning ever so slowly, and then we return to the story of the Illusionary girl, and the field which constantly emits these orbs of light, floating, as if the world they're in, has it's own sort of weather. The atmosphere of Clannad is what pulls one into the anime, almost like you're experiencing it all as well. Sound: 8/10 - Again, the opening songs for the prequel and Clannad AS itself were both very pleasing to the ears, but had a kind of melancholic tone, this only grows stronger as you progress through the series because you then are able to reflect on all the characters as you see the images pass by. The sound effects for everything else aren't much to write home about but the soundtrack is quite amazing! The synchronization of the bgm and the scene at hand could be the reason you find yourself bawling or tearing up on the side because of how heavy it all feels at once. I have no words for how sad one single soundtrack could make you feel. Characters: 9/10 - The idiot, the genius, the tsundere, the tomboy, the shy girl, the airhead, the goofball. All of these generic characters in one show, but how do they manage to be so entertaining and get them spot-on? Because it's just done well, and isn't boring, or frustrating and repititive. The characters mingle with each other like how they're suppose to and nothing seems out of place, or unordinary. Aside from Fuko. Now that relationships have developed and it's almost time for graduation, the 'friends' almost seem like a family. Dango Dai kazoku! Enjoyment: 10/10 - Never will I forget such a series, and I will continue to recommend it as long as I keep interest in anime, and I don't plan on abandoning it anytime soon. Let's hope it sticks, but Clannad can and WILL teach you a few things about life, it isn't easy but miracles do happen, so don't let go of that strand of hope, and keep on pushing for what it is you seek. It'll all be worth it! Just like an alternate world, there are always alternative options, don't fret, keep your eyes on the prize! As they say.

I'll admit that "Clannad"/ "Clannad: After Story" was my first, and probably last venture into the anime "slice of life" genre. I know this genre can be done well, but given the esteem that it appears most viewers hold for Clannad I don't expect to find any better. My problem with this series is that it starts out asking you to suspend your disbelief and ends up asking you to just lower your standards. What I mean by this is that is starts out with things like : a girl has a pet boar, comatose girl's spirit walks among the living, etc. which to me added to the flavor of the story. Then there are the improbable/ mundane scenarios peppered throughout the first series that we all tolerate, because we're invested in the characters; an example from the first series Kotomi being allowed to live on her own. But once all the supporting characters are gone/ all their individual sob stories are addressed or resolved and school is over what are we left with? Tomoya's puritanical (and hence) underdeveloped relationship with his generic/ underdeveloped girlfriend. I managed, bordering on liked, the first season, because there were plenty of distractions from this, and it was high school so Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship, which wasn't as prevalent, came off as being unlikely instead of just flat out impossible, which is what happened/ ruined the after story. What I can't understand is who would be offended by a- committed couple kissing, sharing a single bed (I mean this isn't the 1950's.) If you want to pretend that street gangs don't deal in illegal weapons and illicit substances and aren't morally reprehensible, fine. But crying in someone's arms isn't romance. The definition (in case you were wondering): a feeling of excitement and mystery associated with love. Where was the mystery, where was the excitement? Love (according to the triangular theory of it) is composed of passion, intimacy, and commitment. There wasn't any passion, there wasn't any physical intimacy. So to recap this is a romance without romance, and a slice of life where young individuals experience no passions (physical or otherwise,) and display little to no desire for independence. Now I'm not saying in order for the relationship to be believable or enjoyable the writers needed to be explicit, but in there efforts to whitewash a young couples relationship while conveying intimacy they substituted Nagisa's incessant crying for a conventional/ socially acceptable/ standardized forms of affection. This kind of thing layered atop hackneyed and melodramatic plot points like sports duels... it's too much, it's not funny or interesting. In the end nothing about this slice of life story was believable and so it stopped being enjoyable. Above is my review for Clannad After Story episodes 1-15. By the last episode I was so disappointed/underwhelmed that I quit watching. A number of people on this site said to finish, because the story takes a dramatic turn and the quality picks up etc. so I finished, but because 16 to 22 are so different that the first 15 I felt it was more appropriate to address them separately. I'm not going to address 23-25 because they're extras. Writing about 16-22 without spoilers is difficult; as I see it this second piece must be broken into three different stories (episode 16, 17-21, 23) trying to critique the writing without addressing the plot twists present in each component presented a unique challenge but I've tried not to give anything vital away. The first part from a viewers perspective seemed obvious or inevitable. From the main character's perspective getting themselves into that situation so soon after Nagisa's previous ordeal, or falling into as it may have been (the writers didn't see fit to specify, not that I'd expect them to) was not impossibly reckless... just stupid beyond words. In part 2 there is a time lapse of five years. Now, try as I might and I invite anyone whose seen it to as well imagine a scenario where after five years things would emerge as they did. There was no way, things would have either been infinitely worse, or have gotten better sooner. The reason five was the magic number was they need time for that character (you know the one) to develop, but sacrificing logic towards a paradigm shift within a series is just bad writing. Finally part three: part three left me feeling off balanced. Compare the weight of the previous piece to the ending and you finish this series as if the ending didn't happen at all. My final summation of the series: 1- 15, it was terrible. As for 16-22... I have a friend who once said that "anything set to the Benny Hill theme song is funny" (it is). In the same way the two big events that take place in the second half of the series are deeply moving, but they would have had that effect on anyone with any feelings at all regardless of context i.e. if they knew the characters, or the story were any good. Therefore, I say that those who defends this series based on the strength of 16-22 must have confused/ placed a cheap gimmick repeated twice in the span of six episodes (five really) over quality writing.

Disclaimer 1: Please excuse some colorful language that may or may not have found its way into this review. Disclaimer 2: This review is NOT free of spoilers, so read at your own risk. CLANNAD: Afterstory Review Pros: -The animation is still great. Yeah. -Extra focus on characterization. For some people. For the rest, it kind of sucks, but for Akio, Sanae, Yoshino, Tomoya and Nagisa it's great. -More Tomoya! Afterstory builds up on Tomoya's development from the first season and kicks it into overdrive. We see him struggle to grow up, enter society, become a man, care for his family, etc etc. His character progression is solid and moves at a good pace. By the end he looks and acts like an adult(except when he kind of kills his kid, but yeah), albeit a unique one forged by his circumstances. He and his journey are the main reason the story holds up as well it does. -Nagisa is a person! Not really, but kinda. Over the sacrifices of literally ALL of the supporting cast excluding her parents, Nagisa is given some actual characterization and even, dare I say it, growth. Even her death, perhaps meant to be nothing more than a tearjerker, was an important milestone in Tomoya's development. It's a shame and yet not that she died. On one hand, she was just beginning to feel like a real person. On the other, the show should not have waited until episode 16 of the second season to give their female lead a personality. -Ignore stuff, it helps. I have found that I cannot remember much before episode 9 or so. That's fine, because what I do remember of them isn't amazing. They weren't bad (except the whole cat/boy thing, WTF) but they didn't really add much as the show was picking up speed. Similarly, I found that my view of the show rose by several orders of magnitude if I ignored the last couple episodes. I will talk about those in the cons section, but the point is that if the show ended on episode 21-22, it would be fucking amazing. -Tomoya(again). Continuing from the previous point, I like to think that the show ended on episode 21-22 because it is by that point that Tomoya has gone full circle, he has grown beyond a teenager, beyond a boy struggling to be a man, has grown past most of his grief, and is ready to live his life for his daughter despite his major fuck-up earlier. That right there, was a perfect moment to end it. The show's focus on the importance of family would have been perfectly encapsulated. But of course, more tearjerkers were needed so Ushio dies in what has to be the most retarded and forced way in history but waaaaait it doesn't matter because magical power of happiness double time travel happens. Yay for finales. So yeah, ignoring the last episode actually makes me think that the show ended on a great way that surprised me a lot, and managed to pass on a real world message through an entertaining medium and likable characters. -Akio is awesome. Well, he is. Cons: -Disappearance of the supporting cast. I get what Afterstory was going for. The focus on Nagisa and Tomoya's family was actually pretty good, all things considered, but all other characters that were in every episode of CLANNAD literally dissapeared and are seen maybe twice (if at all) throughout all of Afterstory. Sunohara's absence was especially jarring, considering he was (supposed to be) Okazaki's best friend. -The first 8-9 episodes. As I said earlier, they weren't bad, they felt really separate from the rest of the show, and not in a good way. Oh, that reminds me: -The cat-boy bestiality case. Seriously. Misae is hot and if I were a cat turned into a boy I'd wanna bang her too but what the actual f-. Which leads me to: -The supernatural elements/other world storyline. F- this. F- this sideways with a rusty spoon. Whoever decided it was a good idea to add the supernatural stuff and then give exactly fuckall explanation for them, just so he could undo two seasons' worth of character development should go eat a pile of dog shit and then apologize to every single CLANNAD fan in existence, personally. The supernatural elements were stupid as f-, the other world storyline was boring and it was time/money that could have been invested better, and the final episode fucking ruins fucking everything by undoing anything of note that ever happened, BUT ONLY THE SAD STUFF, so that the perfect happy ending can be achieved in a show that was poised to show that even though life and reality are both bitches, happiness can be achieved if you try your best for the people closest to you. All the better, then, that the last episode doesn't exist for me. Boy, I'd be mad as balls if it did. -The copout regarding Tomoya's dad. Now, I'll admit that I kinda sorta liked the resolution of Tomoya and his dad seeing eye to eye and his dad finally returning home as a bent but not completely broken man, but I didn't like how it came to be. It was one convenient thing after another, in a series of forced coincidences that only make me roll my eyes. Moreover, it felt like a total waste of the subtle tension that the first season had created. It felt like the first season wove a silk thread, and then the second season came and beat it to death with a hammer, yelling all the while "IT'S FINE BECAUSE HE DID IT ALL FOR YOU AND YOU'RE THE SAME SO YOU SHOULD GET IT, RIGHT? RIGHT?!? I CAN'T HEAR OVER HOW NOTHING IN THE PAST MATTERS, SPEAK UP." It's all incredibly convenient and in such a way as to dissolve the rift in the least confrontational way possible. Which can work, I suppose, but it's an incredible waste. Having said that, I will have to disagree with people on this site (and the show itself) who think that Tomoya and his dad are the same. True, both are understandable in their actions considering the loves of their lives died, and I don't think you people are giving enough credit to the pits of despair such a sudden loss can lead some people to. Still, Tomoya gave Ushio to Akio and Sanae for five years. While a terrible thing to do as a father, it was actually the better choice. Akio and Sanae are both model, loving parents who did a great job raising Ushio for her first 5 years, much better than a grief stricken Tomoya would have done. Tomoya's father tried to do it, he tried his best to go at it alone, and he failed. Even unconsciously, Tomoya took the best possible decision in those circumstances. Btw, while I can buy the reconciliation once Tomoya knows what his father went through, I can't quite buy him thinking that Okazaki senior was a great father. We're seeing flashes of him being a great father through Tomoya's memories from when he was little but CLANNAD and Afterstory have no such examples, and in fact it is heavily implied that this has been the case for years. So no, I'm not quite sold there. It was a very dissapointing copout. -I think there were more, but I can't remember them right now. Verdict: My rating depends on what I choose to do with the final episode. If I ignore it, it is a successful tale of a boy growing into a man that showcases the importance of family and learning to look at the positives in one's life. Yes it could have been better and it did several things wrong, but in the end Tomoya's journey is too well-crafted to be dragged down, and the supporting cast of Afterstory are all solid. Well worth an 8/10 rating. If I don't ignore the final episode, it is all of the above, only smashed into pieces and then pissed upon for the sake of a classic happy ending whose avoidance was exactly the reason the show was any good through the use of unexplained, retarded plot devices. In which case, not even Tomoya's journey could save the rating since it is basically invalidated (IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU LEARN IN LIFE, KIDS. ALL SAD THINGS GO AWAY THROUGH HAPPINESS LIGHT MAGIC TIME TRAVEL). In which case, a 5/10 would be generous. For the sake of rating, I will just give it a 6. tl;dr: CLANNAD/CLANNAD Afterstory are well worth a watch, though far, far…

Clannad: After Story has the reputation of an unrivaled Grandmaster Italian chef. One who flawlessly prepares delectable cuisines with seasonings so ripe that it could make one cry. However, the reality is it gets lost in the pasta sauce trying to string together vague explanations at the last minute. I'm surprised how much of this was just following the same formula as Clannad 1. With how hyped up this specific season is, I was expecting some incredibly written plot. Instead, I got Clannad 1 tropes for 8 episodes (a show I already didn't like), a decent change of pace for episodes 9-18, and an ending that falls on its head as it tries to pick up its spaghetti off the floor. Spoilers start now: ---EPISODES 1 THROUGH 8, (AND 23 & 24)--- I won’t spend too much time talking about the first 1/3 of Clannad: After Story because they are just needless slice-of-life episodes. I found the first half of them to be incredibly annoying, and the rest somewhat boring and unnecessary. 1-4 was very unmoving as it features Tomoya and Youhei competing to see who can get angrier at each other. Then episodes 5-6 focuses on a flashback story of one of the most forgettable side characters (who remains just as forgettable afterwards). She meets a dead guy that can be seen alive for some unexplained reason then later can no longer be seen for some also unexplained reason. Also, the end of episode 6 is just throwing the spaghetti at the wall doing whatever it can to try and evoke some kind of emotion out of the audience. By episode 8, I started to realize how often both Clannad seasons have reused the same “this person was dead all along but we won’t reveal it until an episode or two later” trope. Episodes 1-8 (and episodes 23 & 24) are just the same pandering that Clannad season one did for 24 episodes. While it’s usually not *bad*, it’s very rare that anything interesting is happening. ---EPISODES 9 THROUGH 22--- I guess it wouldn’t hurt to start with some positives. My favorite thing about the series is how much has changed in terms of relationships, and it feels pretty realistic in that aspect. Something like close friends moving away after graduation and only being able to see them maybe once every few years (or not at all) is one of many reasons the process of growing up feels authentic in this anime/visual novel. The shift into adulthood and growth of our main characters’ relationship throughout episodes 9-16 is interesting to see. Refreshing in fact. Additional props to their relationship never feeling forced or cringey. That is perhaps the most well-written thing about Clannad. Also, episode 18 was really good and by far the best episode in all of Clannad. The next couple episodes following it aren’t bad either. It’s a time of redemption for Tomoya’s character as he learns to understand his father and accept his role in becoming one. This shift isn’t easy, however, as he is still healing. Glimpses of Nagisa popping up in his mind constantly even years later accurately depicts realistic grief over a loved one. It’s never easy and there’s no such thing as “getting over it”. Almost like I’m having to tread the depressing road of grieving along with him. However, the ending of After Story just kills me. By Nagisa coming back to life and still having the baby, it means nothing was lost. It negates all of Tomoya’s development over the course of episodes I was just praising. What was the point of seeing the effects of Nagisa dead if in the end she is just going to be brought back? Also, might I add that the way Ushio’s death was handled is forced and incredibly stupid. So Tomoya took this 5-year-old on a walk through a snowstorm knowing she had a life-threatening fever? Moreover, this mysterious illness mentioned throughout the series was never explained and exposes itself to being nothing more than a plot device. This bothers me because it was one of two things I was looking forward to finding out about. The other being what is going on with those eerie dream sequences. Which after being explained, made me wish it never existed in the first place! By this point Clannad: After Story isn’t just dropping the spaghetti; it’s a full-blown spaghetti fest. Basically what we get for episodes 21-22 is "Tomoya screwed up and let his child die. Now that child's soul goes back in time and prevents her mom from dying because.. uh... she reeeally wants to!!". I know there is the “light orbs”, “the light of the town” stuff, but it’s all quite vague and only brought up at the very end. For a story that goes over 95% of its runtime without any fantasy/unrealistic elements to just pull a metaphysical magical time-reversal out of thin air rubs me the wrong way. It shows that Clannad doesn’t care about having a good story. It cares about trying to make the audience feel the most extreme negative and positive emotions possible to simulate a compelling experience. After Story tries to have a plot showing the process of being able to move forward from the tragic effects of loss, while also being a story in which every person (including the deceased) wins at the end. It doesn’t work. Even if a well-thought-out ending were to be strung together, the worst problem still remains. Nagisa coming back to life makes all the grieving done in the past six episodes meaningless. Tomoya’s development never happened. After doing so well at displaying how the hardships of loss can affect everyone that person ever interacted with, the story massively drops the spaghetti by saying “Hey Tomoya, your life went to shit? Let’s just make it so no one ever died!” …Crushing any relatability the series has built thus far. Jee wouldn’t that power be nice in the real world. Someone you love being essentially immortal as long as you live because you can just wish for them to not die. What message is the audience even supposed to take from this? When despair strikes just make the timeline alter in which people haphazardly don’t die? If Ushio died in place of Nagisa, I could at least see some kind of sacrifice being made, but no. It’s the full spaghetti drop. No one suffers, no one should have anything bad happen to them ever. If they do, then just make a few people smile and at absolutely no expense you’ll be able to make it so none of it ever happened. Anyways, I think I'm done for now. If I came off as thoroughly annoyed in this review, it’s because I was. I respected Clannad: After Story for being bold enough to kill off one of their main characters. It’s something that can be rare to see in most stories. Especially in SoL anime and visual novels. Of course that admiration quickly dissipated, and I became more annoyed with this than anything Clannad has ever done. This second season featured the highest points for the series, but many frustrating lows. I didn’t expect to say I disliked this more than the Clannad season one. I didn't even like the first season, but it at least had few annoying moments and a satisfying ending. I can't say the same for Clannad: After Story.

there comes a time in every anime fan's life where they say to themselves "oh shit is that piss? IS THAT PISS?" No wait wrong situation, oh there comes a time in every anime fan's life where they find that 1 show that they know is better than the rest. They know it's the best they ever seen and that nothing will top it. I'm talking about the day where they find the best show they'v ever seen. To me that moment occurred after i finished watching clannad after story last year, And you know what I've watched a large amount of shows almost all of them great since then, and still none of them have come close to topping this show. Now first thing you should know is that this show is a sequel to a great not perfect but great show called clannad (duuuuuuurrrr) and the only thing people may be dissapointed about this sequel is that almost all the characters are pretty much absent in after story, they will be there in the start but the story focuses on tomoya and nagisa's lifes after school ends and goes as far in time for more than a decade The serise(not to sound cliche and full of myself) the show is legitimately inspirational, after watching this show i find it much less than a coincidence that i started to work harder and enjoy life more. The show really shows the hardships tomoya endures due to him being a flunk at school and you see how that affects him as his life goes on but you also see how he pushes through it thanks to the help of nagisa and how they as a couple push through for better or for worse. It's really handled beautifully, The characters of tomoya and nagisa are some of the best characters out here, not only are they likable and relate-able but you don't have a hard time believing there's people out there like them, they aren't perfect people either, like all humans they have flaws to them. For a show that really gets drama down perfectly the show can also be very funny and even kinda crazy at times, mainly between the relationship between akio-san and tomoya, when they are both onscreen at once you can expect things to get funny but the bets part is that the relationship is more than comedy. Their relationship really builds and they do seem like father and son as things become much more bleaker as the series goes on(without spoiling it, 3/3 part of the show GET TISSUES) now i've talked about all the things that make the 2nd and 3rd part of this show so amazing but the 1st part also is handled very nicely, its still in school from the first season and they end up at least giving a episode to each character and you learn that these side charecters really have stories to tell. You see exactly why sunahora and tomoya were friends and stuff like that, none of them have any big twists like the first season did but they are handled very well and these characters which you may have not cared to much for turn out to be extremely likable characters So if your still reading this show you should be able to tell by now, I LOVE THIS SHOW, everyone needs to see it, You didn't like the 1st season? Watch it, don't like moe? still watch this. This is a show you need to see. Saying i highly recommend this is a understatement. I'm not ordering you, i'm begging you to go watch this cause everyone should feel the same feeling i got while watching this show. I feel bad when i see someone who hasn't given this show a try, regardless of how meh the show seems initially don't pass this up. This show is one of a kind. As i stated before i BEG you to watch it

"Sanae told me where it was okay to cry. It was in the bathroom and in daddy's arms." Both Clannad and Clannad: After Story are amazing animes (and if you haven't watched Clannad and are planning to watch After Story first, make a U turn and rethink that... seriously), however none is flawless. For this review, I'll present, in the first place, the positive aspects of each category and then proceed to present the negative ones. Story: 9/10 Clannad:After Story proceeds with Clannad's story and does a wonderful job at that. What makes this story so good is that it's a slice of life tale of forgiveness and hope which deals with important matters such as the responsibility one gains while growing up, recovering from something and moving on, etc. The story doesn't move forward at a fast pace, dedicating the needed time to each scene and not rushing everything. Now, for the negatives aspects, the first episodes/arcs presented can be seen as instruments to diminish the anime's consistency and quality, since they're not essential to the outcome. I personally liked them a lot, though, and think that they're good to clear your head before getting to the heavy stuff (but that might be just my love for Sunohara talking). Additionally, the overly dramatized situations and the fantasy part might lead to the loss of the sense of reality that the anime plans to achieve. Art: 9/10 The art in this anime is amazing. It's easy to understand what each character is feeling based on their expressions and the way the colors and lights are manipulated in the surreal world is very impressive. The only downside to the art is that the characters don't seem to get older physically. Sound: 9/10 The voices of the characters match with their personality and are easily distinguished. However, even though the opening theme is very versatile and helps setting the mood for every episode, the ending theme has the opposite effect. Character : 8/10 The characters are very human, in other words, their personalities are compatible with the ones that the people we know have and it's easy to create a connection with them and like them. The "Character" category is the one who has the lowest score because it sins in the development of Nagisa in contradiction to the development of Tomoya, which makes their relationship seem a bit immature. Even more, on the second half of the anime, the only secondary characters which are shown and which take any part in the action are Sanae and Akio, so if one of your favorite characters is from the "school gang", I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you won't be seeing them for a while. Enjoyment: 9/10 I enjoyed watching this anime because it has a little bit of everything, it makes you think about your own future and makes you see people in a different way, which will make you try to understand their opinions and struggles. Overall: 9/10 If you love slice of life animes and are ready to have some strong feelings for fictional characters, this is the anime for you!

There are some animes that uplift us, and constantly make us laugh and smile each and every episode. There are animes that sadden us, show us a world where some people tried their best but didn't quite have the ability to make their dreams come true. Then there is Clannad After Story, which seams together these two extremely emotional qualities flawlessly and presents us with something truly unique and amazing. It is a very real story, beautiful in its simplicity yet powerful with its bold emotions. It will send chills down your spine in the way it is able to show the biggest wonders within the smallest events. Clannad After Story is truly a treat, one that you will never forget. STORY: 10/10 I do not want to spoil a moment of this compelling story for you, but essentially this is the story of the beginnings and life of a family. So simple, yet the slow and emotional way in which it is presented is truly amazing to watch. The characters and music combine with the story and make its presentation even more astounding and emotional. ART: 10/10 I absolutely love this art style. The animators will take their time to highlight specific things in a scene, perhaps the wind carrying sakura petals or the gaze of a robot lost in a desolate world. I am big on eye styles if you know me well, and Clannad does not fail to deliver. The eyes are unique and refreshing, yet they completely work for the characters. I will say that the Clannad team does tend to "recycle" their clips a lot, and they re-use many scenes that have already been used. It was never a problem for me however, and I never seemed to notice during each episode. Each clip of animation has a visible amount of dedication put into it, and it pays off. SOUND: 10/10 I would say this is where Clannad truly shines, but to be honest, it shines everywhere, and the soundtrack is no exception. Honestly, this is one of the most amazing anime soundtracks I have ever heard. Shinji Orito and gang have created a moving soundtrack to match the emotions of the anime perfectly. Without these songs, the anime would only be half as good as I believe it is. I urge you to listen to the songs carefully and let yourself be absorbed into the emotions of the anime, and listening to these songs later will immediately bring to mind these emotions that our characters were feeling at the time. Fabulous, fabulous job to the music team. CHARACTER: 10/10 Another 10, yes, but I am sure you will agree with me on this one. There is Tomoya, the main character, who changes dramatically over the course of After Story. There is Nagisa, Tomoya's wife, who is kind, gentle, and sometimes a bit incapable of handling things herself. There is Kyou (yay Kyou fanboy here), the aggresive tsundere of the group who is outgoing, kind, and well... intolerable of stupidity. There is Tomoyo, very similar to Kyou but with ambitions and a steady path she sees for herself. These and many other characters make this story a must-see. There is a character for everyone to love and be attached to; in fact I find myself loving every single character. (Except Fuuko, who I must add, was put in this anime a bit too much.) Overall, amazing cast, and voice acting is also very solid. ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: 10/10 I always hate to give a review all 10's, because it seriously looks like I'm a fanboy of Clannad. But thinking back on the series, it deserves nothing less. All the elements that make up an anime mesh perfectly for Clannad After Story, and it is truly a treat to watch. I enjoyed every second of this anime, and came close to crying (which I have never done watching an anime). I knew then that Clannad After Story was something special, something that draws the emotion from everyone's hearts and connects you to the story in one way or another. This is something you cannot miss.

Love, Family and Sorrow. Clannad [After Story], shows that everything comes to an end; I know that all things will come to an end, normally they would. But Clannad [After Story], shows it upon a persons certain point of view. Or what he thought of these “end” and “endings”. Clannad [After Story] was the one who changed my whole viewing about Drama and Slice of Life genre anime. Clannad changed me for a while there while I was watching it. I didn′t even held a tear while the most saddest parts were playing right before my very eyes. After Story had a huge changes from the first season, but the story is still revolving around Okazaki Tomoya, who always thought that nothing would and could never change, until a certain girl entered through his path - Furukawa Nagisa, whom Tomoya confessed his loved to in the final episode of the first season. It′s not like some other anime, which when the guy confesses and the girl accepted, it′ll just end there -- no. After Story continues from where it left off; continuing the path where Okazaki Tomoya is walking at. They then had a relationship, where the both of them vowed that they will, no matter what, share every sorrow and happiness each one have. That both of them would help each other. After Story can actually be seated beside a real life; After Story is not some mediocre story, After Story shows us how life can be full of happiness, how having a family feels, how sad and full of grief life can be. After Story can teach you a one or two, life is not that easy, and that doing nothing would do you any good. People who haven′t watched After Story might think that, this last season would be exactly the same as the first season. No, they aren′t the same. Yes, I agree that the characters are still the same, but as soon as the story of After Story in the beginning part whereas it only centered around Okazaki Tomoya, his friends, who were special to him, also changed and had their own path which they walk through while Tomoya′s path is still growing. - The plot of After Story, is hugely different from the prequel, whereas the story runs along with Tomoya′s companions and acquaintances. After Story had it′s plot viewing only around Okazaki Tomoya, from him, being just a highschool student at first, and now he is a man who works for his family, who shreds blood and sweat. Every now and then, After Story′s plot is still one of the best that one can ever line up with. Changing ones point of view in life, how many changes can happen, how many tears might fall down on your cheeks without you, noticing it. After Story had a huge impact at me, the prequel, who had some comedy and funny scenes, changed to full drama in After Story. Where I wasn′t able to hold back my tears on the sad parts; though After Story had a little bonding moment, to change the atmosphere a bit, but then again, changed to a tear-jerking one. At first, After Story′s part give′s you a light and normal feeling; how former friends can reunite, have fun, and think of the good old times. Think of it as like a trailer, because when you′ve watched the full storyline, prepare your tissues and try to hold back your tears. After Story emphasizes many standards of life. Also showing us some things that aren′t meant to be. After Story teaches us a lot of things of what you might stumble upon at when you grow up. It teaches us how having a family can be fun, how having someone to help you, or you can rely on can be like. It′s not all about smiles and happiness. Every now and then, you need to have some waterfall dashing out from your eyes. Grief and sorrow, are the things that Tomoya changed his life, again, after the one dearest to him, was taken. Tomoya didn′t know what to do, or how is life is going to be after all what happened. People who had lost their dearest to them, must not let sadness take you with them, even if someone was taken from you, stand up and be strong. No matter how hurtful the things were that was given and bestowed upon you, always think of the good things that might come once again. After Story, on the other hand, had an alternate and one you can call, a true ending. (It′ll be much of a spoiler to post it here.) But that might only happen, if the person really can′t take living by himself, or God might even wake you up from your nightmare. Tomoya had a dream, where she first met Nagisa, but, it was an alternate one, daresay. She kept calling out Nagisa′s name. And that′s when she knew, how important she was to him. Many people has their own point of view in After Story, smile, happiness, sadness, grief, and love. That′s what all the things you′ll be stumbling upon while reminiscing through After Story. Who knows? It might be just a dream, and you might soon wake up from it. After Story shows deep emotions and strong points all through out the series. Don′t think that nothing would change, everything and everyone undergoes changes. And experiences something they didn′t imagine to happen to them. ~ Will add more later;

WARNING: THIS REVIEW IS NOT FRIENDLY. IT'S LONG, DETAILED AND NOT FOR AVERAGE VIEWERS OR BEGINNER ENTHUSIASTS. But don't worry, no bashing and all my critiques are not biased. Reason why I give Clannad AS a 9. It deserves it and I'm magnanimous to all the series that impresses me. I may even be horribly biased against shoujo and school animes generally due to their lack of creativity but I must admit that Clannad AS has broken those genre's ingrained weaknesses and made me utter a big “finally!” The line that summarizes everything: It gets better. Clannad AS is a major leap not just from its prequel but drastic improvement is evident in the story's progression. “Finally,” it has: 1.Achieved a decent amount of realism. 2.Fixed all its weaknesses. 3.Portrayed an unconventional story in optimum aesthetics Firstly, when I remember the first season of Clannad I am reminded of the repetitive plots and endless cycles of crying and encouragement. It was pretty weak and it significantly lowered my expectation for its sequel. However, watching After Story made me swallow skepticism and squeezed a few drops of tears from me. The start of the series is pretty much the same as the composition its prequel. Nothing can be said much except that scenes are dealt with more cinematic effects and the history of many characters are finally tackled. There is enough depth overall, but its distributed unevenly among those little arcs. Satisfying, bittersweet at some points, the start can be described as an “improved first season,” no notable changes nor twists or thoughts to be pondered over. However, halfway the series, it's gets really better. The change of direction in the story is very inviting for fresh possibilities. Besides delivering the potentials the plot shift has given, it actually brought out the potentials that wasn't touched by the first season and the earlier parts. Clannad AS finally stepped out its shell and show that it can impact people despite its simple story: It touched family, narrated life in a very artistic way and impacted viewers with thoughts and concepts our world, or other worlds may have. In tapping its potential, Clannad AS used improved everything it can work on. First is its art and music. Art has been consistent all throughout the series and the best quality a series of this time can have, I can say that it has the best facial expressions I have seen in anime so far. It's way of showing how eyes water, lips pout or how character say what they feel is detailed, down to earth enough to be appropriate for the overall mood of the series, but powerful and provoking visually. The same couldn't be said about music, the earlier part is full of the recycled music that is predictable with certain scenes that come, but the later part give better background music that we've never heard before in the series. And did I already mention that the opening song is one of the best I have seen? It's a shame to dismiss such a wonderful song. The ending is good as well, jolly and befitting the immediate mood of the story, though it may be a bit inappropriate for some story parts later on. Aside from wonderful presentation, the theme of family, barely tackled well initially, is expanded and handled very well by Tomoya's character developent. It's surprising to see the central character learn, mature and change from the way things started. School life is over, the city is changing, everybody's changing and things cannot be always what they are. Life can be both fantastic harsh. Tomoyo's development is remarkable and a bit unconventional considering that a main character with his kind of role has barely or has never been tackled before. His relationship with Nagisa, in which the series focuses after a long start, turns out to be one of the best handled in anime. No over the top lines, natural conversations and not focused on romantic or sexual themes. It was refreshing to see a form of love that friendly and at the same time appealing to general viewers yet retains a decent amount of depth. Simple gestures, from holding hands to smiles express enough message to be understood and felt. It's unconventional indeed from the usual stories of suffering together, staying together or breaking up, but not far away, understandable and fitting to a tale of life's dramas. Also, probably one of the best assets of Clannad AS, unseen in the majority of animes where they are badly needed is the absence of unnecessary objectification; In layman's term, fanservice. The total lack of fanservice solidifies its family theme and makes the viewers see love as genuine as ever. It preserves the very captivating and emotionally stirring visuals, also, breaking the perceived image of moe animation as full of loli fanservice. I think what make Clannad AS powerful is that it has shown the usual themes of life, family and maturity in a very down to earth way yet dealt with some unusual metaphors and concepts. I am given a lighthearted way of viewing the Clannad universe with fantasy and philosophical understones. Beautiful and evoking, simple but with impact. Excellent, excellent work of its genre, probably one of the best animes of its kind. Reason why it doesn't deserve a perfect score: Or why it may even receive drastically lower ratings from critics and biased reviewers- Nagisa Furukawa's character, predictability of overreaction and the amount of realism it has. I'll elaborate Clannad AS' weaknesses from the major to the minor. In fiction jargon Nagisa is a borderline Mary Sue, a little more and she'll fall off the cliff as a flat character. Good thing she didn't for she wasn't dragging everyone down with her like that of the first season and the series was relatively excellent to save her. Her development, necessary for her role, is significantly mediocre compared to Tomoya's. She clearly successful of being adorable, but sick girl archetypes need more backbone; she gets all the good treatment from her family and friends so it's hard to sympathize with her. There isn't much strength in her because all she does is do things in a right way, in a manner that's more favorable to her aesthetics than to the overall drama of the series itself. To shorten the long story; she doesn't receive any improvement at all. Sure, she's as “cute” as ever, but she doesn't get better. The second reason, probably differs greatly from each's standard, is overreaction. It's pretty plain predictable when the character would break down in tears and cry; that's not really bad and very natural especially if it's in its real tearjerker situations. The problem is when you're irked to its context that every character cries the same way in pretty minor grievances. Clannad is a mild drama*, and the predictable overreaction diminishes the dramatic effect some of its scenes badly need. But again, as the review's tagline says; It gets better, very much. Lastly, though very very minor, Clannad universe remains unchanged. Clannad universe is a world where the majority of characters act either cute or cool in shoujo standard, very idealized and arguably generic. It doesn't mean that the characters are flat and poor, it's just that it's the Clannad universe- a setting which many loves. Final Words: Though it has a share of flaws, Clannad After Story is an anime to be recommended to all viewers, from shounen fans to fellow critics. It deserves acknowledgment and appreciation in a fair perspective. ** I say it is a beautiful story, a good experience and a wonderful piece of work worth watching. Thoughts to ponder about: Is Clannad AS remarkable on its own or just because it is a big leap from its prequel? Notes: *In the review's personal spectrum, mild drama is anything that involves everyday life while heavy drama involves things like war, politics, murder or saving the world. And also, note being a dramatic series is not the same as being a drama series. Mild drama doesn't mean it's less deep than…

I'll be honest, I didn't like Clannad at all, and I had very low expectations for AS. Despite that, After Story STILL managed to disappoint me. Story - 4/10 After Story picks up where Clannad S1 left off, that is to say, it continues helpless-girl-of-the-week for the entire first half, before moving on to the real meat of the season where Tomoya and his friends graduate and enter the real world. This kind of plot development isn't typical of moe shows, so AS gets a point for that. Most slice-of-life/high school-based shows end when the characters leave high school, as though life ends when high school does. However, the ending of AS absolutely destroys any credibility that it created with the depiction of Tomoya's struggles by hastily throwing together an ending that clearly pandered to its audience. I won't say what it is to avoid spoilers, but rest assured, it is an ending that A) Was an obvious ass-pull, and B) Was never explained properly. On top of that, the last two episodes aren't even the real ending because they consisted of a recap episode and an AU (alternative universe) episode that didn't fit at all with the tone of the second half nor AS's overall plot. It's completely bewildering to me as to why the writers chose to end AS this way. Art - 6/10 I didn't particularly like Clannad's art style, but once I got used to it, I stopped minding it. Clean lines, bright colours...that's the extent of what I can say about the art. Sound - 6/10 Nothing in the soundtrack was very memorable, except the opening and the variations of it in the BGM. Overall, nothing to write home about. Character - 6/10 The harem aspect from S1 was not present in AS, which personally made AS's characters more palatable for me. Tomoya himself got a decent amount of character development that was arguably 'written over' with the asspulled ending. The female lead herself was as sweet as ever, which I found myself disliking less simply because I'd gotten used to it. Still, this doesn't excuse the fact that Clannad+AS has some of the blandest characters I've ever seen. Enjoyment - 4/10 I enjoyed AS for a few episodes, for example, Yukine's arc and a certain episode set in a field of sunflowers. Apart from that, I spent most of AS being bored. Though AS had a few sad moments, I found most of its 'sad' moments incredibly melodramatic and therefore ineffective as a result. Overall - 5/10 I heard over and over that After Story was better than S1, that everything builds up in a huge emotional payoff. Well, I feel like I spent the entirety of AS waiting for an emotional payoff that never arrived. Part of it was the characters, part of it was the ham-handed writing. Like a clumsy puppeteer jerking on strings, AS constantly tried to smack me over the face with how TRAGIC everything was. But without subtlety and realism, the drama felt like sappy melodrama, reducing what could've been an interesting exploration of adulthood into...well, sappy melodrama. Still, I'll concede that AS was better than S1. But given how much I disliked S1, AS being better is not a hard feat to accomplish. Overall, I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except fans of Key.

The continuation of Clannad just gets better. Everyone has now graduated, well all except Nagisa-chan because of her illness. The story now extends up to the next 10 years. And what can I say about this, I’ve never been touched so deeply by an Anime. It’s simply too touching. The whole situation is sad, and yet there’s something good about all of it. After watching it completely, I’d have no doubt saying that Clannad After Story is truly the best romantic anime series I’ve ever seen. Storyline: The story continues from where it left off. At the beginning there are a few more individual story arcs, of Youhei (The Protagonists Male friend), Misae (The Dorm Keeper) and Yukine (The girl from the reference library). All these arcs just keep up the brilliance that began from the start of the season. After then on, it’s pretty much about Tomoya and Nagisa. Throughout the Anime you’d feel for both of them, and Nagisa’s parents. I personally was touched and saddened by many events that occurred later on, while also being happy seeing them live out their lives. It has been executed very well, you’d feel for them. The whole story is simply heart-warming. I absolutely loved it. Characterization: All the list of characters THROUGHOUT the Clannad series are great in their own way. Clannad After Story continue with the story of Nagisa and Tomoyo and have added many elements to their character. It’s not all fairy tales here. It’s real, and it’s perfect. Both of their characters go through a lot in the Anime, and nowhere will you see any nonsensical drama or fakeness. In fact, their characters are what make you cry. A special mention also to Nagisa-chan’s parents, their roles play an important part in this series. Overall, great characterization, even though characters appear nothing different from ordinary. Animation: Animation is fairly well. The production house is the same as the ones who had made Canon and Air, and they have improved a lot. Air didn’t appear that good (as I mentioned in my review of it), but Clannad After Story was a good improvement. Characters appear nice, some are cute. Overall, it’s quite good. ^_^ Couldn’t find anything that I particularly disliked. Music: The opening of Clannad was great, and the opening of After Story is simply amazing. ^__^ I really loved it. Throughout the Anime, the background score has been pretty good to hear. Comparing it to the previous season, I found it better. :) Concluding, Anything above an 8.5 for me is great. Anything above 9 means epic. Just goes to show how good I feel the Anime to be. It’s definitely not worth missing out on. Yes it is kinda emotional, but its nothing like immature love crap you see in many Animes. Its way more serious, and it’s definitely better. Clannad After Story rocks \m/

*Disclaimer: I will mostly describe my own experience watching the anime. If you are not interested in my own little story, you can pass on reading this.* I have never written a review on any movie or anime I have watched. Not because I don't find any of them good. I've seen a lot of good movies and animes obviously, but none seems to reach the level that motivates me enough to click on the "Write a review" button. This is the first, and maybe even the last, because clearly Clannad ~After Story~ is going to be the best anime I've ever watched for my whole life. The first half is impressive, of course, but not enough to be highly praised by the rank #4 on MAL. If you have any intention of dropping the anime after the first 12 episides, DON'T DO IT, for god's sake, and your own. Before I start on the latter half, I want you to know that I've never cried watching any movie or anime and I didn't believe that anything can change that. Crying is for pussies, or so I've thought up until that point. But the latter half. It changed me. I was the kind who just don't care about other people, to think that I can do whatever I like. At that time, I was studying abroad so it cost my family a whole lot to finance my study. But given my personality, I didn't focus on my study and that let my parents down greatly. Hell, I'll just have fun with my friends anyway. After finishing Clannad ~After Story~, I've realized how childish, foolish I was. I realized there are still other people living in this world, that I must care about. There are still my mother, my father, who have sacrificed so much for me (like in the anime). It was then I realized that how much love I've received from them, and I immediately burst into tears at the end. Afterward, I just sit on my chair, rethinking how wrong I was living my own life. It was awakening. I apprehended the meaning of responsibility. Not only for myself, but for the ones I hold dear as well. It was the responsibility that I decided to embrace, not run away from, that changed me. And it was Clannad ~After Story~ that implicitly transferred it to me. I started to get better at school, by putting in more effort in it. Eventually I was admitted into a university, so it did work out well. You saved a soul, Key. And Kyoto Animation. If any of you ever come across this, I thank you for ever creating such a masterpiece. I'm positive I'm not the only soul you've saved. Final words: If I've never watched Clannad and Clannad ~After Story~, I probably won't be the me now. And probably some random loser, or in Tarot card you'd call me The Fool. If you're hesitating on watching this anime, don't be. I assure you it'll be a eye-opener for most, if not all. Even for those who aren't even interested in anime, like who I was before watching this. For any who still don't know, Clannad is a Gaelic word for Family. Yes, this anime will make you rethink what family is to you.

Get the Kleenex ready! You're gonna need it. After Story is by no means like the first season. It becomes a story of tragedy, regret, ill-fated love; something that will turn the casual, "feel-good," anime watcher completely off to After Story. I consider myself one of those people. I like the Itazura na Kiss type of ending and progression; I like a story that rarely has any heart-wrenching moments. Sure, there can be troubles along the way, but I don't want it to detract from the overall, feel-good feeling that comes from watching those types of animes. But then, you get After Story. I had a hard time clicking play on a few episodes in the later portions of the anime. This anime was hard to watch. You're going to want to stop, you're going to question yourself as to why you continue to click play even though your mind and emotions are screaming: "No more!" You click because you want a resolution. You want a solution to this world, this town, that's seemingly unsolvable. You want Tomoya and Nagisa to be happy, healthy, and thriving. And there are times when it is impossible to see the light at the end of the tunnel, if not for the tiniest pinprick, dimly shining thousands of feet away. You want to challenge the show: "Bring on the destruction of lives, the torment, and the death; I can take it." You won't be able to. You won't be able to for one simple fact: you love these characters. Allowed into their lives and have been transported to their world. You're there for every tear, memory, and moment. If, by this point, you aren't attached to the characters, herein lies the justification for numbness and naivety you might procure towards characters' instances down the road. But, I beg of you: please understand them. If you do, this show will be among the deepest you will ever watch. This is almost perfect. However, I cannot overlook the fact that show changed identities too drastically. The sorrowful moments are brought upon you so quickly and so painfully, it's heart-wrenching to witness. I, myself, at some points didn't find this to be entertainment, but excruciating. This show has earned the right to stand alone in the upper-echelon of romance animes. Still, though, it comes down to personal preference - "beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder" one very wise person once said, and to me, After Story was extremely beautiful in every provided category. But, everyone who watches this anime will come together to watch something each with different perspectives of the world. Some might come having lost a family member, others may come to it after marriage. Some may come to it from a world of "crying displays weakness" and they choose not to cry because it's who they are. Some might come to this and have been told it's okay, it's right to weep whenever you feel like weeping, and so they weep. This show was the first piece of entertainment that has ever made me cry. I did not expect that the first thing would be anime. I don't feel like I'm a lesser person because of it, oh no. I feel that I chose to cry because I thought it was something that had a profound effect on my mind and heart. If you choose to laugh, sob, or remain devoid of emotion, After Story will get at you somehow, whether you like it or not. 9/10.

disclaimer: this is not a review to recommend (or discommend) the anime to new viewers, this is a review to anchor my feelings to memory so i can recall later what i did and didn't like about this anime. as such, this will sound very harsh to people who love this anime; you might want to just skip it if you are one of those. remember that these are my feelings, valid only for myself; nothing here is meant to sway you from your own, or to belittle what you feel. if this anime makes you cry, you're not inferior to people who don't shed a tear, but they're not unfeeling compared to you either. fictional works are often intensely personal, dependent on what we each bring to them, and what touches us in what way. this review will contain massive SPOILERS. i watched clannad first and didn't care for it; i felt it was mostly manipulative fakery accompanied by some juvenile comedy. under normal circumstances i wouldn't watch the sequel, but since it is even more highly rated and i am on a quest to watch the 500 top-rated anime of all times, i watched it anyway. unfortunately, this was also a miss for me, if for different reasons. first of all, the sound was worse; the BGM very repetitive, and the ED a jarring contrast to many episodes. if sound is bad, it constantly rubs my nerves the wrong way. on the positive side, some of what i especially disliked about clannad is better here: for part of the anime the story feels more genuine. but then the creators decided to either be the biggest trolls ever, or they turned from master manipulators into tone-deaf idiots. WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT ENDING!? throughout the show, i kept being particularly interested in the mysterious story about the girl and the mechanical doll put together from junk. the mood was very evocative, and the art beautiful. i kept feeling there was something serious and meaningful here. there was. but the creators managed to ruin it in one fell swoop. in any case, this was a brilliant idea that clearly turned out much too ambitious for the writer, who could neither interlace it better so we would get progressively more clues, nor resolve it without leaving one giant turd with fly sparkles in place of its sad beauty. alright, from the top. the first few arcs were mostly the same as the prequel; we get some back story on some people who're then cast off -- visual game adaptation is hard, sez barbie. the art and animation seemed slightly better to me, though i still find the females' character designs creepy. and once again i dispute that this is a "slice of life" anime; real gangs don't act like this by any stretch of the imagination; nevermind the supernatural elements, and the bottomless idiocy of sunohara. his supposed comic relief made me cringe. then the part started that i liked a lot better, and which could qualify as "slice of life" and "coming of age", and where we see a lot of character development: tomoya graduates and starts working. this is very detailed and well done. nagisa also grows, and stops being a total crybaby. oh, how i wish the entire anime had this sort of feel to it. i also like that the harem disappears entirely, and the story features only tomoya and nagisa's romance. the downside to that is that the characters one might have invested some interest in are totally sidelined to only appear once or twice; they might have as well not existed. i guess despite allegedly valuing those school friendships, "family" in clannad does not include close friends. too bad. the romance is extremely puritanical (these two blush when just holding hands even after getting married; which century are we in exactly?), but i believe love comes in many different guises, and sex can very easily be only a small part of romantic love (or indeed be absent entirely). not all love is grand and fierily passionate, some is quiet and soothing. these two have quiet and soothing down pat. i like their relationship, it's mutually supportive, and completely lacking of stupid misunderstandings so often used to create drama -- well, this show does not need any extra drama, so thanks for that. even though nagisa takes on a more traditional role as housewife, she is never seen as inferior. these two are equals; tomoya helps out with chores without having to be nagged, and when nagisa wants to work outside the home, he is only worried about her health, and there is nothing macho in his concern. alas the story frays here. in fact, nagisa working as a waitress breaks the suspension of disbelief for me, because this girl has been so sick that she's had to repeat her senior year of high school twice now, and she's supposed to be working as a waitress? slice of life, my hairy white a** -- waitressing is hard work; on your feet all day running around carrying heavy trays. no, this bit is added solely to add fanservice because nagisa gets dressed in a maid outfit and her daddy drools over her. i cannot stand this pseudo-incestual crap in anime. it cheapens the character of akio, and it makes light of nagisa's illness. from here on out i have trouble sorting feelings based in cultural beliefs from my feelings about the story as written. nagisa wants a baby. people do worry about her health, but, what i'd want to have happen is for somebody to seriously talk with her about alternatives such as adoption. nobody ever asks whether she has thought about what it would mean for tomoya (and for the baby) if she died in childbirth. we see nothing from her that indicates any concerns for that. as written, it feels seriously irresponsible to me, and nagisa's character loses any possible development. but for all i know adoption might be unpopular/taboo in japan because society values ancestral lineage. anyway, the writing is on the wall, and covered in red spider lilies. so, nagisa dies. ushio, the baby lives. tomoya becomes his father, or rather, he becomes worse than his father: he abandons his child and sinks into grief. for 5 years. dear creators, you have just killed all my affection for tomoya, and why? because you wanted to jerk my emotion around some more later. unforgivable. i understand grief. i have lost my partner. i know that bottomless abyss will seek to suck you in and never let you go. but i didn't abandon my dog, nevermind an infant. being an adult means you cannot abnegate all responsibility when you're hurt. since this is a story about family, let me say loud and clear that leaving tomoya to rot for 5 years is not what family and friends do. what the creators have done here is ruin my affection not just for tomoya, but for everyone involved. akio and sanae raise ushio (ok, praiseworthy), entirely without tomoya's input, and 5 years later, when ushio is appropriately cute and can talk, they throw them together one day out of the blue, without backup, without warning. manipulative drama; this is NOT how a good family acts. but wait, there's more. on the arranged trip tomoya takes with his ueber-cute daughter, he runs into his paternal grandmother for apparently the first time ever, who tells him the touching story of how his father came to be such an apparent loser and crappy father. some family -- where the hell was his grandmother all these years when tomoya felt he had nobody, and developed only disdain for his father? telling him the story could have done some good when he was a teenager. that's what decent family would have done. but no, here every bit of suffering has to be milked for maximum tear jerking gain. i scoffed at how this was done, but i was relieved, because i thought, ok, tomoya will go back home and reunite with his dad, now that he understands from first hand experience what he must have gone through, and they can all live together with ueber-cute ushio; lessons learned harshly, but hey, learned at last. family actually means something, and you should talk things out instead of walking away. but no. we clearly haven't been milked of all possible tears yet. ushio must die too…

I'll be crucified for saying this, but I'll say it anyway. There's no need to watch the first season to comprehend or like the second season. If you're not up to excessive moeness and a dull story, the prequel might end up making you don't watch the sequel, which would definitely be a waste. You can get a pretty good idea of what the first season was by watching the first 8 episodes of Clannad ~after story~. All the mistakes from the previous series are there. Lame humor, dull drama, unlikely reactions to over-dramatized conflicts and a weak soundtrack. I was very close to dropping this anime thanks to KyoAni stupidity in copying every single aspect from the prequel. There were some improvements, it's true. After episode 8, the soundtrack was much better and even the art seemed more beautiful. Also, I have to admit that, thanks to being 4 episodes long (contrasted to 7, 8 episodes long arcs in Clannad), it wasn't that hard to watch Sunohara's and Misae's arcs. Thankfully, some light shone upon Kyoto Animation and they realized that a more tangible plot without relying in nonsense supernatural references or in bad jokes every two minutes would work way better to actually create a dramatic environment. From episodes 9 to episode 21 we are delivered a beautiful and extremely saddening story of the hardships of becoming an adult, having dreams, seeing they fall apart and getting over dark times. Hardly did an anime approach these topics in such an effective way without losing focus that they are dealing with human beings and not perfect beings who are flawless or solve everything with some tears and "I'm sorry" all the time (which basically summarizes the first installment). Tomoya's adult life's story unfolds in a carefully detailed account of how life can be a bitch. It's really easy to connect with him, suffer with him and cry with him many times, too. It was a wonderful development to his personality making him an extremely likable character, probably one of my favorite male characters ever. Nagisa had some development, too. But overall, I still felt a bit annoyed by her quite often childish personality. Even when she acted a bit more independent and adult-like it was hard to not think of her as a child. Ushio goes without saying. Probably the main reason many tears were shed in this series. Her voice actress did a wonderful job in giving life to such a special child. But in the end KyoAni couldn't resist revisiting old mistakes. In the very ending it was decided, in a way that seemed completely out of the blue, that after causing so many tears, telling such a beautiful, tangible and human-like story they would laugh hard at your face and say "Just kidding, it was all a lie". It was completely uncalled for. It fell like a rock, crushing everything that had been done up to that point. I understand the need of a happy ending. But one thing is ending happily, another thing is destroying 13 episodes of development just for the sake of an unreal conclusion. I was more disappointed from this outrageous flaw than I was from watching the first series. The feeling I got was "Oh, we didn't have the guts to make the story follow the pace it was following so far, so we decided to change everything in the last episode just not to make you sad anymore. Here, have some candies" Once again, a poor ending causes tremendous damage in a very promising show. It always angers me the desperate need of a complete surreal "happy" ending that so many movies, animes, series, etc have rather than showing a more soothing and human-like ending. Still, it's a highly enjoyable show. Just don't expect much of the conclusion.

There comes a time, when, something hits you in a way that makes you feel, lost. You're overcome with what you had just saw and you can't help but feel, lost. This review is about Clannad: Afterstory, an anime that is very dear to my heart, and one, that I feel is Kyoto Animation's best works. Story (10/10): The story of Clannad: Afterstory is very different from its prequel, Clannad. While Clannad revolves around the life of Tomoya in his 3rd year in high school, helping out various girls with various sorts of problems, this anime focuses solely on the relationship between Tomoya and Nagisa with their life transitioning from teenage life into adulthood. The reason why this anime could be praised highly on its story is due to its far reaching, beyond the anime realm of high school where it originates from. It focuses on the main character Tomoya in a way that creates incredible development in his character, while keeping its mystical supernatural theme in play. Note, you cannot under any circumstances understand what is happening in this anime without watching the original Clannad. Characters (10/10): The characters of afterstory has dwindled greatly from Clannad itself, throwing out almost all of the other characters that were there previously. Tomoya, as the main protagonist, is his usual cynical, but funny self with his attitude towards life. As the story progresses, Tomoya becomes more self-aware of his actions and takes responsibility for them. Any more explanation is considered as a spoiler. Next is Nagisa. As the main female protagonist, Nagisa returns as her usual cheerful self in trying to make the people around her happy, especially her boyfriend, Tomoya. As the series goes on, Nagisa thinks more about her future with Tomoya, ultimately influencing Tomoya as well, changing him even further. Next are Nagisa's parents Akio and Sanae. As a comical duo, the general gags that run with them return as well. These 2 have incredible importance due to their parental guidance to Tomoya, influencing him as well. Apart from them, there is one little character that deserves mentioning, but revealing it would be a very big spoiler. Art and Sound (9/10): With the art, the art stays with its original Clannad look with highly moe-infected characters with eyes that to me resemble galaxies, and well done scenery and shades. For the sound, a new set of music that sounds great for Clannad's storyline and is something to behold. With its OP sounding at a high level rivaling its prequel's OP, it definitely is something to praise upon. Personal Enjoyment (10/10): When I look at Clannad, I see my own personal morals. The importance of family, the trials and tribulations of various life situations, and the hilarious moments that life can provide. When I watched this, I just felt at home watching because of how close it touched me, especially in the second half. (For some reason, I'm shedding tears just writing this.) Just watching the characters interact and watching Tomoya especially, it just made me feel like I was part of that world. Kyoto ani are dicks for making this one of the biggest tearjerkers I have ever watched. (Seriously, I brought a tissue box with me, it was empty after the marathoning.) Because this anime touched my heart in a way that no other anime was able to, this is by far one of my top 3. Unless you have a heart of pure stone or don't give a damn about your family, you will cry when watching this. It made me appreciate my family more then I have ever done before. I highly recommend this to anyone. Even if you're a fan of random action and high intensity thrillers where everyone dies, I HIGHLY recommend this. It's that good. And one more thing, Dango. :)

Honestly, I don't know where to start. At the part where I refused to watch this because "Who wants to watch something like that?" or the part where I found myself watching 20 episodes in one sitting with a runny nose and slightly red eyes? For a while, I threw both Clannad seasons off because I didn't think it could interest me (and the first season almost confirmed that) but I stayed along because the amount of recommendations I received and I was not disappointed. Personally, I believe that the stand out points for this anime are the sounds and characters. My God, the OST's! Just listening to them after watching the series will have you mentally reliving the scenes and all the emotions along with it, they're so damn perfect! And characters, I constantly found small connections with the MC here and there, and that added so much more to my viewing experience. The story has moderate progression all the way up until the last 8 episodes or so, but it has some strange attraction that makes you want more and more. Following Okazaki through his life - from being a high school delinquent to finding his own feet as a man and a father, you really grow attached to it. Then comes the parts which Clannad is known for - the sorrow. This is what everyone points out when they recommend After Story, and rightly so. You are in for a ride on the feel train with this series, whether you cry, shed a slight tear, or keep a poker face. I gave this series a 9/10 rating because it was new to me, made me feel things I didn't expect, and was overall great. The reason for not gaining the extra marks to reach 10/10 was I feel they slightly overdid certain parts and paced some scenes poorly. It was like they milked certain situations too much, and that kind of ruined some moments for me. But if you enjoy slice of life, romance, tear jerkers, and/or just an overall wonderful anime, I'd recommend this series 100% of the time. P.S- This is my first time writing a review and I am not too confident in it. Most of it is based off my own experience and views, so it may not be the most helpful one, but I hope I helped in any sort of way. Thank you!

"The heartbreak and triumph of the masterful conclusion to one of the most beloved anime series ever." Clannad ~After Story~ is a charming roller-coaster of emotions ...and you certainly have heard that before. Using figures of speech isn't the best way to describe something in detail. However, for this franchise the rule does not apply, because the focus of Clannad's story is on people, their relationships and their feelings. The story itself acts like a living being, suffering changes and progressing step by step alongside characters, creating something curious, because this symbiosis develops so well and so smoothy that saying it is charming, beautiful, endearing, heartbreaking and all these adjectives become the most accurate way to describe it. It's a story that is easy to get attached to, something that's hard to find in some generic romance/drama anime where, most of the time, characters seem patterned or act in unnatural ways. Clannad brings such realistic situations that most of the people who watch can really put themselves in the characters' shoes. Maybe because they've been through situations like that in their lives before or just because the story becomes endearing to a point anyone could feel sympathetic with it. The following is mostly focused on story and characters. If you want a quick resume, jump to the Final Considerations; "Clannad" is an old Irish word for "family" and, of course, it's no coincidence. This series' theme and focus, besides all those mentioned above, is indeed the importance of family. But not only the orthodox definition of family, composed of parents and a child, what is beautiful in Clannad is that it expands this idea to all the circles of people's lives and all kinds of "families". The circle of friends you're in, your work, college and even the community you're inserted in, just like a whole city is a large family of people who interact with each other. Doesn't it remind you of the Dango Daikazoku? While paying attention to the lyrics, one can get an accurate view of the story. Just like that, the After Story manages to go beyond the first season, where it appeared that the moral of the story was limited to expressing the importance of friends and relationships in general. Considering that you, reader, have already watched the first season, you might have heard that it was based on a Visual Novel and that both seasons were originally part of the same game. However, in Nagisa's route, the story became too deep and emotionally charged, so the production staff decided to divide it. When the animation came out, the same happened, leaving for the first series a more easygoing mood in a school slice-of-life scenario, but giving the After Story a chance to sacrifice a bit of this atmosphere and the comedy side of the show in order to effectively build up its emotional appeal, reinforcing the series' central theme and spicing it with a bittersweet drama/romance. Because, in the end, After Story's focus is, in fact, telling the bittersweetness of Tomoya's life. It resumes old plot questions that were left open when the 1st season ended and shows Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship progressing, while their friends move on with their lives. It goes all the way from finishing high-school to entering the “adult world” and facing new adversities and challenges, finally giving a solid conclusion, different from the “They lived happy after ever” we're used to. That's also why most of the “plot holes” and flaws stayed behind in the first season, leaving few and small issues for this one in a way that isn't even worth mentioning. But, saying that a 24 episode series tells the story of a person's life isn't too much? That's why I mean it in the symbolic way, the philosophical meaning of the beginning of a world, of a life, not in the biological sense. After all, doesn't a life start when it is given a meaning, an objective? Especially that first encounter between Tomoya and Nagisa. It holds a meaning beyond the “boy meets girl” setup, but is only revealed in After Story. The division of episodes into "arcs" is the same, even though, since the focus in now on the couple, we barely see Yohei, Kyou or Kotomi, for example, in the later episodes. Still on the matter of characters, Fuko fans will rejoice to know she has some appearances this season -although more as a tension reliever than anything- which becomes pretty obvious when you notice her arc in the story ended long ago and that her scenes are now just a manner producers found to break the melodramatic mood. The downside of this is that a character who used to have depth becomes flat and somewhat of an outcast in the middle of all the serious events. Those who didn't notice this probably stayed confused and annoyed by her suddenly and completely random appearances. The same thing happens with some episodes between arcs. Have you ever heard of breather episodes? That's what people like to call the episodes placed between or after heavy emotional sections of the story, letting the viewer relax a bit. However, with Clannad, it was a bit different. The responsibility for those moments was placed on Fuko's character, and the breather episode took a completely different setting. This quote from TvTropes explains it: "It's odd to consider the first episode of a season as a breather episode, but episode 1 of ~After Story~ certainly qualifies. After the power of the end of the first season, and before all of the nuclear powered emotional scenes later in ~After Story~, it starts with the cast... playing baseball." That's why Clannad doesn't work for everybody. -It's worth leaving a warning here rather than regret not doing it later.- Fans of action packed thrillers or strong dramas where everybody dies and there's a bunch of gore or bloodshed won't be entertained by Clannad, and probably will drop it right away. Clannad is a psychological drama, that requires some interpretation and a lot of attention, but at the same time it is CUTE, filled with CUTE characters in a charming and calm environment. There are no bad words, no FANSERVICE, no fights, no bankruptcy, no thieves, it's indeed an utopia, a "Lovely Drama" after all ...if that is even possible. Can't the skeptics appreciate the beauty of it? It's kind of useless saying it in the 2nd season review, but considering that some people might read this before watching the first season, keep in mind that this is a romance, that develops into a very emotional packed drama, and it has a lot of references to Japanese culture, habits, and especially relationships in the sense of "interaction". And this is something that always appears in discussion forums, the physical interaction between characters, most notorious between Nagisa and Tomoya, questions such as "why can't they kiss?" or "wth? not even a hug?" are common complaints. Actually, it's supposed to be like that. This is one of the series' objectives, showing that people can express their love with passion in different and meaningful ways that aren't restricted to hugs, kisses and some other R+ rated things... This is one of the main reasons it's also easily recommended as “family entertainment”, meaning, it's a series you won't feel awkward if someone steps in while you're watching. Kids could watch it, and even though they wouldn't get the undertones, would still be able to appreciate it. Yes! As you probably noticed so far, it's filled with subtext and symbolism. It's a Key/Visual Arts anime after all, what were you expecting? I said it is charming in many ways, didn't I? First of all, the artwork is astonishingly beautiful and character design doesn't stray behind. KyoAni makes sure to -again- prove why they are one of the companies with the best illustration artist of the industry. Clannad has been considered before to be one of the best "bishoujo animes" ever released, meaning, you won't find a female character that looks "ugly" (even beauty being a relative…

I don't even know where to begin with this really. The artwork is terrible, their eyes are ridiculously far apart, putting me off the entire show and making each and every character completely trivial. The story is truly truly awful; it wasn't interesting at all, nothing even happens for pretty much all 24 episodes. Sure there's a bit of sadness but then it all goes back to a clean slate. What got me most though was the terrible idea of what seems like a dream world that vaguely related back to the actual story which made no sense whatsoever and then once that was over with, the last 3 episodes were just a waste of time all together. The soundtrack was actually okay and made this show almost watchable. I didn't enjoy this at all. This was recommended by friends and I also saw that this show had a rating of just over 9 on MAL to which I thought, "I have to see to the end exactly why this is one of the top rated anime of all time on MAL". It was a complete disappointment.

Just a friendly reminder: If you read 10 reviews and didn't find anything helpful, either the reviews all suck or your reading comprehension sucks. Save yourself 10 minutes of reading and just mark this review unhelpful. If you haven't stopped reading, enjoy. Pros: Top notch production value, engaging storyline, detailed characterization. Cons: Lackluster ending, rough/nonexistent transition, mood-ruining ending song. Either/or: Different feel from first season; less comedy, more tragedy. Less focus on harem/romance as dictated from the storyline continuation. Cameos Few and far in between. A much more focused and engrossing storyline makes Clannad: After Story the best Kyoto Animation title thus far. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Let's get the minor stuff out of the way first. The animation is top notch, with special attention paid to character design. Being a direct sequel to Clannad, the improvements will seem relatively minor; that's still no small feat, considering Clannad already feature some of the best character designs in the harem genre. The article below by Crisu is a great read comparing the eyes of several generations of KyoAni characters: http://cjblackwing.wordpress.com/2008/02/12/the-eyes-of-kyoto-animation/ It also serves as a reminder of how much the KyoAni style has matured over the years. There really are no corners cut here. Meticulous detail is put into each and every thing. Even characters that only appears for one scene are animated in great detail instead of the blurry or silhouette approach others take, while the background is full of vibrant scenery and landmarks based on real life models. Keeping with the tradition, most of the Seiyuu and BGM used in the anime are the same as the ones used in the original game. The voice acting is top notch, with characters sounding anywhere from convincingly stupid to mind-numbingly grievous depending on the situation. The background music, while fitting for the most part, does get a bit repetitive in some places. There have been a number of official and doujin albums released in the 4 years prior to the After Story animation, and it would have added more variety to incorporate some of these tunes to the fray. The biggest change easily comes from the new opening and ending, both sung by Lia.Toki wo Kizamu Uta is easily one of the memorable anime opening songs ever. It's an arrangement and vocalization of another Clannad track, To the Same Heights, which also happens to be one of my favorite Clannad songs. On the other hand, Torch, the ending theme, feels way too energetic and out of place. Even though the Dango song isn't my cup of tea, it is much more fitting and should have taken the place of Torch here. Onwards to the bulk of the review. Clannad: After Story is a bit of a misnomer. Being the direct continuation of the first season, instead of starting the After Story arc right off the bet, the first few episodes followed the same "mini-arc" format that KyoAni has used since Air, much to my disappointment. The approach makes the gap between the arcs seem unnatural and segments a series too much to fully explore an engaging storyline in depth. The saving grace comes from the fact that these are dedicated to the supporting cast in the first season, which is a nice change of pace. The fact that the protagonist isn't romantically involved with any of these characters also makes the transition a bit smoother. The second portion(about 2/3) of the anime is dedicated to the After Story, basically a direct continuation of the Nagisa arc where Tomoya starts to date her. Many consider this to be the meat and gem of the original game and it's not hard to see why. It is one of the most emotional stories ever crafted, and romance doesn't even play a big part in it! It is also here when Clannad really bombards the audience with its central theme: Family. With as many as 3 concurrent tales at any given time, Clannad: After Story is one emotional roller coaster after another, only climbing uphill all the way until the climax. The only breaks come in forms of the sparse cameo appearances of former Clannad cast, in events such as Christmas and New Year gatherings. Then, once again, KyoAni drops the balls again. Because of After Story's intense and focused buildup, it's really easy to forget KyoAni's biggest weakness : Transitions. First few episodes featured arcs that coexisted relatively independently and harmlessly, while the After Story just keeps building on itself Until the end. Traditionally, what KyoAni has done in the past is to just drop down the next arc or alternative and expects you to move right along, which is both its greatest strength and downfall in forms of faithful adaptation and plot segregation. This time, however, KyoAni favored an altered presentation and an attempt to incorporate the true ending to the existing After Story ending, an attempt which fell flat on its face. It's just as confusing as if the two were left alone, and the new approach left more questions than answers. However, I do applaud KyoAni for finally making a change. Segmented arc presentation has always been my biggest gripe with KyoAni adaptations, and it's nice to see something being done about it. Despite the shortcoming in the plot device, the art direction and cinematography during the end sequence is among the best in the entire series, which should be fulfilling enough for those who are just relieved that the ride is over. Hopefully KyoAni will not be discouraged by this result and continue to experiment to find the perfect presentation for their future works. Despite the less-than-revolutionary storyline and the obtuse ending, Clannad: After Story is possibly the most moving tale to ever focus on family, with only Grave of the Fireflies as a possible contender.