I never thought that an anime would make me feel sad and depressed, but at the same time happy. Nevertheless, only few things made me cry across any medium, but this did. After Story has a great depth that is incomparable to any other; relatable characters, amazing story, great ending, beautiful animation and the music - where these aspects fit into place.
Story -10/10
To say the story is good is an understatement. It is very well written and thought of. When you rewatch Clannad (1st season) especially the part of the Illusory world or even the OP - you would be mindblown. Everything about the first series foreshadows really what happens in After Story. It is unlike other animes that just follows whatever happens with them - main character(s) goes into a different place or meets a different person and the story of an episode or arc begins. Although I do love some of these animes, because also with that form of plot it could still be beautiful written - in Clannad After Story, the plot knows exactly where it is going, and without the expense of spoiling the viewer. It does so with a momentum that is slow at first and then all at once comes full circle - this is most apparent in the last episodes. That is what made it genius. Some could argue that the first eight episodes were bad. In my case, I don't think so. Although they do pale in comparison to the rest of the series, watching them could make you more invested in the secondary characters, and a little bit to Tomoya and Nagisa as well - which was the formula of Clannad, which is really not that bad. Once episode 9 starts however, everything just transcends into a masterpiece of story telling. Episode 16 and 18 were my favorite parts and also the ending too. About the ending, I noticed that a lot of people are quite negative about it. I do respect them for that, I even personally believe that it could have been better in some aspect. However, as I re watched the series, I realized that the ending truly was very well thought of, and for that I could say that it ended near-perfectly (IMHO of course).
Art - 10/10
What more can I say about Kyoto Ani's works, except that they are all beautiful? The locations and the way each character's face changes, as well as the minute details in each scene - everything is done is such a way that is very, very pleasing to the eye. What's more, they really made their animation very, very good especially in the scenes of the Illusory World, combining what I think is CGI with hand drawn images which is truly majestic.
Sound - 10/10
The EP and the OP are just memorable really. I even memorized a little bit of the OP! What I do like best however is the score. It made everything else really emotional and really memorable. Especially those used in episodes 16, 18, 21 (I don't want to spoil so I am not citing scenes haha), those were just critical to the scenes themselves and those episodes may not have been my favorite should score have not accompanied the scenes.
Character - 10/10
This is the best aspect of Clannad. Personally, I think Nagisa is very relatable to myself; and Tomoya even. I am a very introverted person and her failures during episodes 9-15 affected me greatly. Although I am guy, I could relate why she is the way she is became I am very similar to her. There is also however a great depth to the character of Tomoya. He changed greatly, and I could say that he became one of my favorite anime characters of all time. More or less, this season could also be viewed as a character study on Tomoya. What does it take for a boy to become a man? What are the things that you would have to acquire when you would eventually grow up? Other characters are not really present in most episodes, but I do like Yoshino's arc and eventually Ushio's (not to mention Sanae's and Akkio's). Though they appear only in a few episodes or are not really the focus, they are already multi-faceted which is spectacular in itself.
Enjoyment - 10/10
I became depressed and sad, but I am happy also after watching this series. Is that weird? I guess not. When you get to watch a show that is so very touching and very life-changing, what else is there to left to feel? I guess, I was warned by my friends that this anime would make you sad, and it did. It did so at a great magnitude. But to experience this sadness, is also a different way to view life. After watching, I contemplated what truly is important in my life. I guess Clannad After Story answered - with family and love. Truly I was affected, because as of the moment I was not really into these aspects of my life. It made me re-evaluate my decisions. To cut it short - it greatly influenced me as a human being.
Clannad After Story is life changing to me. It affected me greatly and it did so at a large magnitude that I believe I could never, ever forget. It is beautiful and I am glad that I did watched it. I hope you will too.
