Story: 9/10
I would definitely give this a 10, but judging the anime's entirety, I'm gonna have to give it a 9 since the first 10 episodes or so are a repetitive...as in they're really similar to Clannad and not that special. What really separates After Story from the first one is what happens after the first 10 episodes, where the plot twists and character development really take off. I have never ever cried from reading a book, watching a movie, listening to a song etc. until the day I watched After Story. I have never experienced a story so sad and moving.
Myanimelist describes a 10 as a masterpiece. What defines a masterpiece then? To me, an anime is a masterpiece if it accomplishes what its genre intended. That means if it's a comedy, I think it's a comedic masterpiece if it made me laugh like never before. If it's an action masterpiece, that means I felt the intensity and nervousness as if I was there with the MCs.
AF is a slice of life and drama masterpiece. Upon completing it, I felt my life had changed; I had always had an awful relationship with my parents, but AF taught me the value of family and friends and just how precious your loved ones can be. It actually changed my ideals and beliefs. I'm not saying I magically started loving my parents again, but AF taught me I should at least appreciate them. I didn't think anime even had the power to do something like that to me, but AF did.
Art: 10/10
Anyone who's seen Air or Kanon will know that Key always does a great job with their art, whether it's animating scenery or characters. Yea, Key does use a distinct style with animating their characters, but I didn't see any problems with it.
Sound: 10/10
Yes, the story itself for AF was unbelievable, but really the music itself was absolutely critical to it becoming a masterpiece. The music Key chose for its scenes fit perfectly and really were what moved me to tears during the sad moments. Even after watching the anime, I immediately downloaded AF's soundtrack because it was just that good. In fact, I mention in my Kanon review that what prevented that anime from becoming a masterpiece was because the music they chose was kind of poor and awkward. But AF's music was sad when it needed to be, and funny when it needed to be.
Character: 10/10
I was slightly disappointed that most of our heroines from the first Clannad disappear in AF, but the character development of our main hero and heroine becomes all the more outstanding because of it, since there's now more room to concentrate on just their relationship.
Tomoya continues his journey from a bad boy who cares about nothing into a respectable man who learns the true meaning of family while Nagisa finally sheds her shell of shyness and learns to support her man ins his journey. They both encounter terrible hardships, but they learn to grow from them and they both remind us that people can indeed change for the better, and that good deeds are always rewarded, no matter how small. Sounds a bit overly optimistic? Perhaps, but every once in a while we need an overly optimistic message to remind us that while life is hard, it has its rewarding moments.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Truly a moving and impacting story. I cried a ton during this anime (I have honestly never cried from anything I've read, seen, or heard before until this show) and you definitely will too. I can't even bring myself to rewatch this anime because of how emotional it is. If you love drama, slice of life, or romance, this anime will catapult itself to the top of your list once you're done with it. I know I'm making this anime sound really serious, but just like in the first Clannad, its funny moments are indeed funny and you will have a good time.
Overall: 10/10
I think I already said all I've wanted to say, and the final conclusion is: you will love this anime. However, definitely keep a box of tissues next to you while you watch. I'm not even kidding.
