When i first read up on the series it was in relation to the visual novel. Apparently it was meant to change your life forever and as it turns out is intended to be quite the emotional journey. If i were to call this anime anything using one single word, that sole word would be comfortable. It is sufficiently well done to be a pleasant watch beginning to end but by far a life altering experience. So let's break it down a bit.
Story: Everything starts out so well, with so much being promised. If i could tell correctly and i hope there are 3 arcs to the series. The very first is focused around Fuuko and is absolutely exceptional in the way the story progresses around it. It also sets a certain tone and expectations, that are not met by the second, centered around Kotomi. By the last one, with Nagisa taking center stage, the development of the characters around it is so shallow that it is easy to disregard it, regardless of how well it was done. Leaving aside the the main story in the arcs the anime starts off as having some depth revolving around Tomoko's and Nagisa's interior struggles. This coupled with the mystery surrounding the little girl and the friend she build herself sets a certain pace for things to come, yet the things to come are nothing more but a typical Harem fiasco that degenerates more and more as the show progresses. It is slightly passable due to the fact that Tomoya is a very well designed male lead and you can pretty much empathize with the girls in their wish to get involved with him. Regardless, some scenes were hard to watch. Like the one where they all show up at his place begging him to eat their food. If Clannad kept the same pace it had after the first arc, then the story would have felt much more genuine.
Art: You can tell the anima had a fairly high budget. In it's specific genre everything seems really well done. The vibrant colors and the animations really set it apart. My only complaint here is that all the girls seem to have been run through a hair and eye randomizer. It took me a while to very well establish who is who. The easiest one to distinguish is Fuuko and that is just because she is short. Age seems to be a non factor in the characters artistic design. If the character is not over 50 the only way you can pinpoint their age is by what they are called ("dad", "mom") and what they wear(only in some cases). I assume this just goes with the genre, and within it's genre the art is no short of exceptional.
Sound: The sound felt pleasant and very well put together. Sets quite the comfortable atmosphere for the show and the general mood for each and every single situation. Tho like with a visual novel it feels like the same theme tends to repeat itself in the background in different variations. It is a really pleasant one and it's light on the years, but you do tend to get sick of it nearing the end of the show.
Character: This is probably the area in which the show is most lacking. Character development that is, and especially character development continuity. I really liked how Tomoya was developed and how very little romantic interest he shed for the girls as time went by. And granted, i can understand him, because even the girls who were portrayed as strong and independent, given the chance, they would spiral down into a blushing and averting their eyes craze. They all come across so frail and weak that not only couldn't they draw out my sympathy, but i looked like they had quite the hard time drawing the sympathy of out main character as well. Why not even one random girl was portrayed as having the slightest of interest in Sunohara is still beyond my understanding. It would have taken away from the extent to which the whole harem concept was taken to. The reason i think the girls come across with very little dept is that they were used initially and then abandoned. Take Kotomi for example. She holds the stage in the 2nd arc, after which she just becomes an episodic character that just hangs around with the group so that we shouldn't ask ourselves where she had gone if she were not around. Fuuko's appearances again seem kind of forced after her arc was over. Sort of like "hey, remember how the first half of the show was about me?". I really would have wanted to get an update on her situation throughout the show. It feels like the sole purpose of the girls were to be used to draw out tears in their respective scenes and arcs and then neglected for the rest of the upcoming events.
Enjoyment: The show really is enjoyable in spite of the flaws i have mentioned earlier on. It is enjoyable on it's own. The activities in which the characters engage, the humorous situations, the pranks they pull on each other, and their reactions to everything really set it apart. It really isn't my cup of tea, this genre, but it felt natural to follow through in their steps and see where they get along the way.
Overall: I believe this show belongs to a very niche genre. It really is not for everyone. There are a lot of aspects for people to enjoy and a lot of aspects for people to despise if they set their mind to it. Like i am sure there are some people that fall head over heels for the cute helpless little girls while some may consider this too much and actually cringe worthy. Some may like the art, some may not, but when you draw the line i don't feel like i wasted my time watching this. It did not manage to bring me to tears nor change my life forever as many have promised, but it was enjoyable through and through and let's face it, we all need something lovely and casual with some drama on top, from time to time.
