Like the other Jun Maeda (Air, Clannad) stories I expected it to reach its zenith at around 1/2 to 3/4 way through. The first half of the series will not stand out too much simply because it is simply Key's style. Put simply. It's the second half of the 1st season. There's comedy, some drama, a tiny bit of romance, and a straightforward story. The first half pretty much is the so-so appetizer. Even though Clannad After Story will not be remembered for its comedy there are comedy gold scenes that will make anyone lol. Btw. I will not recommend watching this if the viewer has not seen the 1st season.
The second half is where it shines. Heavy drama at it's best is Kyoani's forte which they haven't perfected after Air was released. I'm not going to expound on this part since I know that you know as well as myanimelist.net knows that this is already an all time classic.
High production is evident in Clannad After Story like most other Kyoani works. The mood, the buildings; scenes; character designs are all good. Attention to detail is allocated to important scenes which is how it is and how it should be.
For this anime, the sound is the better-half of the art. Songs that are otherwise recycled are used for maximum effect. I was surprised that Jun Maeda also wrote the songs for this one. No wonder they fit so perfectly with what he's trying to convey. However, they didn't put a lot of effort in fixing replacing the ED song every time there's a dramatic end. The happy feel of the ED ruins the mood.
If there is one anime that I would recommend this season it has to be Clannad After Story. Animes like these don't come along often.
