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 cute, funny and a worthwhile addition.
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.
