Clannad: After Story (2008–2009) User Reviews

Done Right

[briggnalle · 10/10 · 18 May 2016]

Every once in a while, you will watch an anime, movie, TV show or even read a story that kind of leaves you in a void. You start seeing things differently, you don't know what to do with yourself, and you begin to question how life works. Clannad, and Clannad Afterstory, is one of these animes. After watching Clannad I got into the sequel, and after watching it, I felt such a void because the story was so amazing so surreal, that it became one of my many favorite anime shows. What makes Clannad different from every other romantic genre, is because of this season right here. When you watch some kind of romance entertainment you get this whole bit of these two love birds trying to get together, and then they finally get together in the end, and then the story ends. You never know what happens afterwards. What makes Clannad so good, is because it doesn't just end where it did in the first season, where the two main characters get together. Instead, After Story takes us to that time in our life when graduation happens, life in high school ends, and adulthood starts. It continues the story to tell us what happens to Tomoya and Naigisa (probably spelling it wrong, but oh well). If you remember the first season, one of the many stories and sayings within it tell us of many different realities, and After Story kind of in a way explains the confusion that we were left in the end. Not only that but more new problems surface, such as old friendships, dealing with work and living on your own, etc. While the original Clannad focused on the problems at school and the importance of family and friends, the After Story focuses on the same stuff, but like I said before in that period of adulthood we all just love. It also brings out one of the most powerful messages that I think personally is the best thing to ask yourself when dealing with school, work, adulthood, marriage, friendships and relationships whatever. If what you dreamed of doesn't happen, and life takes you on this metaphorical trainwreck and continues to beat you senseless time and time again, and all of that was because of a single choice you made long ago: despite maybe having to go through it again knowing the pain and torment you will go through, would you still make that choice again? Will you do that one thing for one person, would you talk to this one, would you do anything differently to change the outcome, or would you do it all again because despite you know how it ends, you still love that person? That being said, this is one of the best anime I have seen thus far, which is big because I don't like romance anime at all. If you're not a fan either don't worry, it's not your typical chick flick. Check it out, and I can personally promise you, you wont be disappointed though. A word to the wise though, this season is more emotionally distressful than the previous due to the relevance of family, friend and romantic relationships that are not just 'oh that sad', but crushingly sad. That being said I don't care how tough you are, the only ONLY way you can watch this season and not cry, is because you have a heart like a brick. Just saying. Me being a guy, I have to admit, I was choked up on a few scenes, but in the end, I was glad I made the choice to go through and watch this show. That being said, check out Clannad After Story if you are a fan of the original, and if you never heard of this show at all, watch both seasons. It is a must.

One of the greatest anime in the history of anime. Simply Perfect

[mastermetal10071 · 10/10 · 28 April 2014]

I'm an action junkie, I usually watch anime with lots of violence, actions, etc. I have lots of favorite anime like Black Lagoon, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Soul Eater, etc. I decided to give this anime a watch one day. After the first episode, I got hooked. After I finished watching the entire series, both first and second seasons, I was crying like a baby...no joke. I stayed up till 4 am watching this anime. I have seen lots of great anime before, but Clannad and Clannad After Story is considered my number one favorite anime of all time. It's simply one of the greatest anime EVER! It's funny, it's serious, and especially sad. This show is guaranteed to make anyone cry. If not, that person has a heart cold as stones. It's one of those shows you have to watch before you die. And this anime will stick to you forever. I'm a Clannad Man! Clannad forever!!

It's been said a thousand times before, but this truly is the best Anime ever.

[LetsWatchSomething · 10/10 · 6 January 2013]

I have never been so moved by another film, TV series or animation in my entire life as I have been with 'Clannad'.

Prior to watching this, I had seen 'Air' which is another made by the same company. 'Air' was the first thing that had ever brought a tear to my eye, I considered myself as emotional as a stone wall when it came to watching things like films and TV series because I couldn't connect with the characters but for some reason I cannot explain, I was simply captivated by 'Air' whether it was the animation, the voices, or the story, it was incredible.

I truly believed I would never experience something greater... and then I watched 'Clannad'. Clannad is split into two parts (Series), the first revolves around Tomoya Okazaki helping Nagisa Furukawa re-establish the theatre club and as a result become better socially as they meet characters along the way, I won't divulge any further about what happens in the second part because it all builds up from the very start.

Prepare your heart for an intense emotional roller-coaster that never stops until the very end. In a lot of series, you can often find episodes that are somewhat irrelevant or weaker compared to others. Fortunately this doesn't occur in 'Clannad'. Characters are explored in incredible depth, not just the main characters either, but all of the peripherals too.

The characters are simply unforgettable, the OST (Original Soundtrack) is incredible and fits seamlessly with the entire series but 'Clannad' strikes hardest with its beautiful and incredibly touching story. I shed so many tears while watching 'Clannad' and it felt like a truly cleansing experience.

While 'Clannad' would be the first Anime I recommend to someone, the story can be quite difficult to understand in its entirety due to the unconventional subplot that is often seen in Anime that prevents them from being immediately accessible and I don't wish anyone to have a tainted experience of it by not understanding it fully. However I believe anyone that has even a decent experience of watching Anime would be able to understand it fully and appreciate it for what it truly is. A masterpiece.

Life-altering

[ethSin · 10/10 · 1 June 2009]

Season 1 of "Clannad" was very good in my opinion. Episode 9 (The wedding episode) was THE greatest and most touching episode I've ever seen in anime. While the following episodes were good, they weren't great. Still, it was a very good series for me.

Season 2 of "Clannad" surpasses even that of the first season. It's basically split in 3 different eras: Remaining school days, immediately after graduation/birth, and the aftermath. Very few anime series successfully execute such fast flow of time, but we're treated with the perfect depiction of the life of a man who met his love only to lose it very soon after.

This anime series had great drama and inspiration. Really touching story. Visuals by Kyoto Animation was phenomenal, and the music is simply incredible. All truly great masterpieces must have great music to accompany it, and this series certainly did. I personally hated the childish "Dango Big Family" song in the beginning, but the song really grew on me by the end of the series. This series really had the magic.

What really separates "Clannad" from other similar series is that it dedicates good 2~4 episodes for each of the sub-characters while developing the main story for the protagonist. This series is truly life-altering in that it makes you think what your life will be in 5, 10 years, and the value of family. Highly recommended.

It will captivate your heart.

[Asuka_Langley · 9/10 · 14 May 2009]

Seeing how well the original clannad series did, I was expecting the same with Clannad After Story...but no, the creators went and gave everything they had for this sequel. All I have to say is...excellent job minaaaa!

Clannad After Story Continues right after the original series ended and it spans 10 years into the future After Story mainly focus on Okazaki and Nagisa and their lifes after school. Also we finally get some answers for most of the questions we had in Clannad. Ofcorse all the previous characters make an appearance again but I wont delve any deeper into the story.

Clannad After Story is, funny as always but above all its a drama, a drama that will definitely bring tears to your eyes, your heart will always go from happy to sad mode and visa versa...making you feel uneasy for what the future holds for the main characters.

Visuals are the same as clannad but the strongest part is music. They put a lot of feeling in the music and it goes along with the flow of the series. I don't need to say anything about the characters because Clannad is all about the character development and if a series want to create a strong character background...just take a hint from clannad.

Overall Clannad After Story is a worthy sequel that surpass even its predecessor. Prepare to enjoy this series because what After Story does... few anime series do it so good as this out there.

Simple but stunning

[john-davis3224 · 10/10 · 13 March 2013]

Clannad; After Story's charm does not exist within the film, it exists within you. An emotional roller coaster has never been this subtle but yet so beautiful.

Clannad; After Story remains a landmark in modern anime series within its particular genre, but will it stand the test of time? Well, I'm sure that 90 per cent of people who have seen this show, say it will. But we will have to wait to know for sure.

What follows is an astounding series that will break even the most cynical persons heart and that is this series absolute driving force. Never before has a series ever made me so emotionally attached to its characters as this.

And when you can't take it anymore, this series plunges straight in to you. Driving our tears to their absolute max in this absolute phenomenon.

Cannot be topped...

[NexusHUB · 10/10 · 30 April 2010]

This series gets very close to perfection. Had a few scenes I didn't like, but overall was almost perfect.

This second season to an amazing start flowed extremely well. By episode 11 of season 1 I was already amazed. That was simply filler compared to this.

The character development was done so well that I could feel every emotion the characters were having, almost as if it were happening to me. That being said, I could really feel the love between Tomoya and Nagisa. They have even more adventures through stories together in this season but by, maybe episode 10 (can't remember exactly) it shoved off the back-stories and focused on Tomoya and Nagisa. This was where the best part of the series took place.

The couple gets married, and moves in together. One line I must address is when everyone is together: Tomoya, Nagisa, Kyou, Ryou, Kotomi, and I think Sunohara, and Kyou wants Tomoya's attention. She addresses him, "Oi, Okazaki!" That being his last name. Both Tomoya and Nagisa answer, as to say they're both Okazaki, their families are merged. I thought it was sweet.

I'm not one to cry in a show or movie, but Nagisa's death, the Ushio moment, and Ushio's death ALL deserved it very well. The music accompanying each moment was absolutely flawless, especially "Snowfield" played in Ushio's death. I even felt like falling into depression at Ushio's death, it was so sad, and the acting was brilliant, and portrayed the pain VERY well.

The happy ending worked out SO well. Personally, I prefer the ending to the movie (watch it constantly) but this one was amazing as well. Besides, after all the sadness from this series, you're praying to god that something happy happens. And sure enough, it does.

This show completely changed my life, without exaggeration. It changed my whole way of thinking to something more thoughtful and deep. It gave me more morals and brightened my spirit. Recommended to EVERYONE. I do not know of one person who saw this and didn't love it. Anyone who desires a brighter state of mind, watch this. It doesn't even matter if you've read the spoilers, I watched the movie first and got the effect I should have from the series.

A truly once in a lifetime experience that should be seen by all

[surrakdeathblade · 10/10 · 29 September 2019]

I had only ever heard of stories about shows or movies that could actually change one's perspective or outlook on life and just brushed it off as "what a joke" but after watching this not only did I discover that not only is it possible for guys to cry but yes indeed there are shows/movies that can change one's perspective for the better and this is probably the best example I have ever seen because before this show I was so very deeply depressed to the point of both suicidal thoughts and contemplating self harm because when I thought of myself all I thought was that I was a monster that had done the most horrible and terrible of deeds but after watching this and seeing how much I related to the main character I realized I hadn't done anything else that other people had done in there lives and was actually a good, decent kind hearted human being and after having my "barrier" broke down I was finally able to tearfully apologize to my mother for all the things I had done with my Brother saying "it's okay I was just as bad as you were" and my mother just hugging me nicely just saying "shh it's okay it's over now" and Since then my life has been more positive and I try my very best to look at things from a positive perspective though yes I am negative sometimes but that's just the human condition and that can't be changed but at least now I don't have suicidal thoughts or contemplate self harm so I can say is Clannad after story guided through the darkness to the light that had to be seen by me so to end all I have to say is thanks for showing me the light and saving me from myself and showing me that I am a good person never again will I tread that dark path again Thank you thank you thank you. Truly the experience was life changing in the best ways possible. If anybody has the time and/or they're an anime fan just watch this you'll love every bit of it

The Best Without a Doubt

[burtonislame · 10/10 · 14 April 2012]

I only recently began watching anime. I used to think it was nerdy and stupid. I never realized that these shows could have such an impact. I watched a few including Eden of the East which I thought was the best I had watched thus far. Then, I watched Clannad. 'After Story' had been in my Netflix queue for some time and when I saw that they had the first one I just thought what the hell, and watched it. I loved it and thought it was fun and touching. I immediately started watching 'After Story'. I have to say that without a doubt this is the greatest thing I have ever seen. It beats all the Bergman, all the Cassavetes, all the Kurosawa I have ever seen. There is a point fairly early on in 'After Story' in which a main character dies. It was the most devastating thing I have ever seen, and needless to say I cried...lots. Never in my life did I think I would ever see anything so beautiful from anything animated. This is not just some dumb cartoon, it's full of life, and despair, but most of all, hope. Even though it is absolutely devastating it ends on a happier note. The most interesting aspect is a side story of a robot and a girl lost is a hopeless world. This story continues on from the first series which you must watch before this one (otherwise the impact will not be as great). I want to go into more detail, but I don't want to ruin it too much for anyone who hasn't seen it.

Just can't get enough of it

[avichalag · 10/10 · 3 July 2013]

IT is best anime series i have watched.

It surpasses most of the anime and even the TV shows.

This anime excels in conveying each and every emotion of the characters where most of the TV shoes, movies and other anime fail to do so. It will make you happy, joyous, then sad then again joyous. You can actually feel the love shared by the main characters Tomoya and Nagisa which makes you wish that it were you. But it doesn't end there this series will play and twist with your emotions and you'll feel that LOVE is the strongest emotion. Just watch the anime and the world becomes a lovely place and full of hope. No other movie or any storyline has made me cry this much.

A tear-jerking sequel

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 9 June 2019]

This sequel to 'Clannad' starts shortly after the events in that series and covers the events in Tomoya Okazaki's life for the next seven years. We see his relationship with Nagisa develop and lead to marriage and the birth of Ushio, a daughter. There are various events which will have life changing effects on those involved. The story involves various alternate realities where we see the events play out in different ways.

I've tried to keep my precis as vague as possible as there are certain key events which shape later parts of the story which I'd rather not spoil. To use a cliché this series is an 'emotional rollercoaster'; at times it is very funny with both slapstick humour and character driven humour at others it is genuinely tear jerking... I don't mean 'there's something in my eye' tears but proper sobbing! This is because the characters involved are well developed and feel real. The animation is of a high quality throughout. Overall I'd say this is a must see if you enjoyed the first series; I wouldn't advise going straight to this as certain elements might seem more than a little confusing.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Wow. What overrated Junk

[stevenmayersmith · 4/10 · 11 October 2023]

I've known about this series, especially after story for a long time and heard many praises for it and all I can say is...

That was pathetic.

For anyone who thinks this story is heart-rending or any quality whatsoever probably comes from some of the """dark""" concepts it deals with. I.e. Death, loss of a child, neglecting your son, etc. But it handles these issues so poorly and without and nuance or with any relevance to reality.

All the characters aimlessly wander about and don't actually grow. Our main protagonist is the typical centre of a harem and he's the centre of attention by all the girls around him. In the 2nd series I was looking forward to Nagisas death because I thought it might add some depth to the predictable drama but it amazingly didn't. It spent no time on her death or the grief from Tomoya and just skips 5 YEARS LATER. This is the same with their entire relationship, we jump around so quickly passing by years at a time and they still have trouble just holding hands???

This show was written by children, for children who think it's much deeper than it actually is. If you want something that handles death and the lasting impacts of it on people go watch Grave of the Fireflies it's infinitely better.

Adding onto this, I would've respected this show if they had subverted the Harem genre by giving Tomoya everything he ever wanted, and ripping it away piece by piece. But they didn't.

Clannad: After Story

[lostcinematheq · 10/10 · 22 May 2021]

Don't watch lightly, because this show will change you and make you realize what really matters in life. I can certainly say it changed me forever.

A true masterpiece

[alex-radu-gorcea · 10/10 · 23 September 2013]

There's almost a melancholic beauty to the way Clannad: After Story presents itself. It's very realistic, yet spiritual. It doesn't hold back on showing you the hardships of growing up, but there's almost a soothing quality to it. It's all got to do with the way they handle the atmosphere. The pacing is fantastic, which is amazing considering the story line spans the better part of seven years in twenty-two episodes.

The series in general is a metaphor for growing up. In the first season the drama is often accompanied by humorously childish moments. It was a simpler and, for lack of a better word, happier time. In Clannad: After Story, the humorous moments mostly serve as means of nostalgia, for the characters to look back at the simpler days. But it's made very clear that those days are long gone. Nothing gold can stay, and it's time to look to the future. It's mature, it's realistic.

can't praise this anime enough

[frattonben · 10/10 · 29 May 2013]

This anime series has everything, it's hard to explain all the emotions that I felt during the time i watched the series, one minute u can be laughing at all the funny moments but then be reduced to tears by the sadness of some of the scenes. another great feature of Clannad has to be the great use of music as you can tell that who ever decided on the music really thought about which scene would suit that piece of music best, particular the sad scenes and at the end of each episode (the Dango song which has become very since the series). Summary overall Clannad After Story is no boring carry on of a great first series but the icing on the cake, even if the story is very very sad.

before watching Clannad After story be sure to watch Clannad from the beginning as Clannad (first series is all about the character building which makes the second series more rewarding

Guaranteed to Play With Your Heart Strings

[brandonvu32 · 10/10 · 11 December 2011]

Clannad was an excellent anime and thus far is the greatest I've ever witnessed. It surpasses all else when coming to character development and the bitter sweetness of love.

Though it could be somewhat uncomfortable to watch during crying scenes for a guy, it will definitely appeal to those of all ages. The comedy is original, and the jokes are funny, but when it comes to describing what it feels like to lose the person you love, nothing can beat the Clannad After Story. The ending ties up all the loose ends that may have been left in the first season of Clannad so well that I didn't need to strain myself to try to understand it.

Clannad may be a difficult watch at first, but if you stick with it until the bitter sweet ending, you WILL be rewarded.

The best anime series without question

[Combat-Carl · 10/10 · 13 November 2011]

I assume you've seen the first series. If not go check it out first. The spoilers aren't major by the way This series follows on directly after the first and continues with Tomoya helping people out. This was good to watch but I couldn't help feeling they should of put it in the first series and expand the ending of this series but it doesn't detract from anything. I'll also assume you know about the characters, again if not check out my review on the first series (Which I haven't done as of yet but it should be done tomorrow) Everyone graduates from school asides from Nagisa who sadly falls ill again as is to be expected. Tomoya and Nagisa's relationship is growing very well. Tomoya is bored as he has finished school and Nagisa hasn't and after awhile decides to get a job with Yushino (Cocos ((Koko?)) husband/Fuko's Stepdad) and eventually buys a flat. After a while Nagisa moves in with him. Everything is going well until Tomoya loses a job offer due to something his father did. He is very angry and upset and after some comforting from Nagisa asks for her hand in marriage. They eventually get married and that's all I'm gonna say as anything else will be a spoiler Annoyingly and this is for the people who know what i'm talking about. I was gutted after the second "thing" happened obviously but I wish more was shown as in other characters reactions it moved on far too quickly and that might be a good thing because it would be far too sad then.

All I can say is from there on it goes downhill. I'm sure you've heard how sad After Story is and let me tell you it VERY sad. I'm a 17 year old guy and I cried.

The animation is still perfect and the music is pretty much exactly the same as the first which isn't a bad thing in the slightest.

Overall check out After Story it is vastly better than the excellent first series but some people might find the change to drama a bit distracting. I will say though that no matter how sad it is (which it is) there is a happy ending

Amazing, Haunting, Devastating

[mrudge-38108 · 10/10 · 28 November 2018]

I think that this is the first anime series that transcends the genre. It demonstrates that anime is not just for children.

I've never cried to any show/film in my life, ever. Titanic - no, Lassie - no, ET - no Watching this, I thought I was going to die of dehydration - no exaggeration. Omg I spent ages trying to just stop sobbing.

Loved the music, so I bought the soundtrack - first thing I did, you guessed it wept!!

The Nagisa track is the worst for setting me off!

From joy to soul crushing despair, you will experience emotions you never knew you had! Should be compulsory viewing, on everyone's bucket list.

One of the most Powerful Love Stories I have even seen, And you don't even have to like romance to understand that

[vivifan · 10/10 · 14 January 2017]

Wow....What an experience, I have just started watching anime, You know that weird interest that people are into, the one where people would make fun of you and say it's weird or stupid.To those people I can say... Watch this anime and look me in the face after that. Because this is an amazing series and one genre that i am not into being a guy and all. The story is really well told and written, The characters are lovable with interesting amounts of depth and character development Like the main character who goes from hating his father and being a little childish to a full grown up who ends up respecting his father. The relationships with every character feels real and the way they react to one and another makes it even more interesting to watch. The soundtrack is powerful as well and fits every scene rather nicely. The animation is nice looking and the voice acting in the Japanese audio is great to. The comedy and drama is well done and it made me smile, cry, and gave me a whole range of emotions I had never had in any form of entertainment. This is one of the many reasons why I would love to visit japan one day. Because even tho they have made some crappy stuff(like every country) The staff they do put out like this is even more beautiful then American content IMO Because I tend to have tighter connection to the characters.Overall this anime is emotional, funny, powerful, memorable, lovable, and will stay with you to the day you die.

Just perfect, non of other animation could achieve this level of story making.

[Roulp · 10/10 · 24 April 2016]

Key company always got touching stories and plot, they really good at it, as the succeed of Clannad series. But from the deep of story, Clannad absolutely got the first rate simply because its made to give the audience closest feeling of real life, the first season made a lot funny footage and interesting story, but the After story is the real ascend part of whole animation. The after story gave audience a simple but fully preview of a man's whole life, from school to work to marriage to child. And most sad part is he got the best thing which is his wife and soon lost her, this probably is worst thing we could ever experience in our life, and he just like everyone else, he could not make it through, left his child to wife's parents, and then the best part coming! The 18-19 episodes, perfect express the whole emotional plot ever! The things were that simply but easily punch your heart so badly! When we think this would be a good life, director just hit us again with his daughter's death which was unforgivable to audience, but we finally got a perfect ending with everything back, wife, child and life. That's how the story made! That's how such a normal story could gave us so much thinking and touching! Trust me, u will never regret to watch this animation, and u will regret if u haven't watch it! Now go and finish it, see how this animation could makes u cry!

Great idea... bad execution (imho)

[arihuss · 7/10 · 27 April 2021]

Even after watching 1st part, I was somehow unable to connect with after story... I felt the first half of this season was boring with common life details and side stories of secondary characters whom I wasn't interested to know more.

Since I heard clannad was really sad, I was somehow expecting the events of the second half and I thought "well tomoya, your time has come to understand your father", however, I was expecting some real-life ending and not the typical "back in time" where everything gets sorted and everyone is happy... that's the main reason I don't rate this higher as there are already a lot of series (and Disney stuff) which always end things in a happy note where all dreams come true, which (sadly) can't always be the case.

Best anime of all time. No enhancement needed.

[kunsimootaku · 10/10 · 24 January 2018]

Masterpiece masterpiece masterpiece. The only word I can think off when comes to this anime.

An utterly stunning romantic drama.

[seige-hound · 10/10 · 8 March 2014]

This show is amazing. Both the dub and the sub versions of this anime are full of heartwarming emotions, hilarious comedy, and tear-jerking drama. Despite a few supernatural elements, this show accurately shows what it's like to be a working class young man in a large Japanese town, and what it's like to meet, befriend, love and ultimately lose the person you love.

Clannad and its sequel series After Story could easily be dismissed by casual anime fans or the uninitiated as a Moe (or overly cute) Harem series, with one male lead, and the rest of the female cast gushing over him. And while they are technically correct, the way it's presented makes the show feel natural, and all the characters motivations and relationships with each other feel legitimate.

If there were any gripes I had with the show, it would be the art style. It is very pretty, especially the backgrounds, but when it comes to some of the female characters, especially Nagisa, Tomoyo, and Kotomi, the size of their eyes and pupils look and feel unnatural, beyond that of other Moe characters in other works. It's just a personal preference, but it's weird.

Also, when they attempt to do any English (as in, in the original Japanese version) it's very bad. It's forgivable, but one of the songs is written in English, and it makes no sense whatsoever. Fortunately, they keep that aspect to a minimum.

Overall, this story is worth seeing, even if you're not a fan of anime in general. Perhaps this will change your mind. There's a lot of good stories in this medium, I don't want anyone to miss out.

One of the best I've ever seen.

[BeautifulDisaster5287 · 10/10 · 31 January 2014]

My emotions!!! Ugh. I love this series. The first series of Clannad was lovely. It was an emotional manipulator as well, but there were more happy than sad moments. I was particularly fond of Fuko's story in part one and enjoyed the fact that we got to delve into a good deal of the characters' lives. So now in After Story, we are treated to the same thing in the first half of the series. There are a lot of laughs (which are welcome if you are aware of what comes in the latter episodes). In this series, I especially liked Misae's story arc. It's heartbreaking, but also much needed to give you a bit of information on the Illusionary World. All is happy and very enjoyable until you get to episode 16. I was lucky enough not to have had this spoiled for me and man, was it sad. I was in tears from 16-22 and taking breaks in between so I could deal with what would come next. Nagisa's passing and the emotion from her family was so heartbreaking. Ushio And Tomoya's relationship was also very well done and I loved the incorporation of Fuko during the somberness. After the first death however, I didn't think we would get another two! I was all tears in episode 21 and the beginning of 22, but the brilliance of Clannad is the ending. The tie to the Illusionary World, the orbs(lights), the relevance of the city and Akio's revelation earlier about wishing for Nagisa to live, and Tomoya's second chance....it was as perfect as it could get. I also loved the tail end with Fuko. The extra episodes were cool and a great tie in to the game. So now that I've gushed over the story, I'll get into the technical stuff. I found the animation to be some of the most gorgeous live seen. The scenery in the different worlds was exquisite and the characters were beautiful. I mean beautifully drawn, and beautifully portrayed. The voice acting was also brilliant and brought to life some of the best personalities I've seen. Akio and Sanae were hilarious as always, along with Sunohara and Fuko. I don't really have a favorite character because I love them all so much, but Nagisa and Tomoya's characters were so well done. They brought this series to life and made the emotional journey better than almost any. The music was perfection. I love love love the Dango song and the score was perfectly placed. i don't really know what else to say... Overall, it's in my top 5. I enjoyed every minute and, though its sad during, it's ultimately happy at the end, tying up loose ends with ease, and making the viewer feel content with their journey. 10/10. Amazing. Watched subbed.

Explanation of the surprising Clannad ending which left viewers baffled.

[jsjinfu · 9/10 · 8 August 2014]

This anime was one that may have been represented as bland to other viewers but it also has one part that confuses many people that I would like to share a theory on.

So, if you have watched this anime, you probably remember the part in After Story (I think) when everyone is gathered in Tomoya's apartment for Christmas. During that time, Kotome Ichinose starts talking about her studies and a topic that is brought up is the theory of different universes. This concept is also brought up when Ryou Fujibayashi talks about her fortune telling. *If you want to learn more about this theory just search 'Multiverse Theory'.

This is an important piece of information that not many people pick up on, but I think it plays a very significant role in the ending scene where many people believe that Tomoya "goes back in time" to when Nagisa has not yet died. I think that instead of time traveling, Tomoya has jumped from one world to another because of his desperation to simply live a happy and fulfilled life. It also serves to strengthen the moral of the story which is that every person, no matter who it is, deserves to be able to change one's fate before it is decided.

Remember that this is only my opinion and there are many others that are to be considered. I loved this anime to pieces and I greatly recommend it to anyone who is willing to stay true to the end.