After Story was essentially the holy grail of the series and the reason why the Clannad series has the popularity it does to this day. If you are only now dipping into this romance anime you might want to know it is all revolving around the topics of family. In most anime a family is only viewed briefly or in flashbacks but this series centers itself entirely on the concept of family and what it is to bring one up.
Without Clannad: After Story there would be no end, and that's really up for you to decide if that was a good or bad thing. You will get so tied into these characters I feel like it's hard to let go of them with the series progression, and for a lot of reasons I feel like after story actually taught me something as a person as opposed to something you just watch and forget.
Something about the show that is major flaw for me and anyone who actually appreciates this anime is that when you get into a romance anime it's really hard to just sit there waiting for two characters to finally fall in love. Just looking back when I actually watched the entire series I can say THIS ANIME IS LONG!!! I think it honestly took 2 months to complete the entire series first watching it. It's not like the episodes are super long or there are an abundance episodes but the filler of boring interactions and set up in several episodes makes you want to shut down.
However, pulling through you might find you will have a great emotional benefit of watching this. The story was at least realistic in the ways of how love is adapted and how time goes by and so does your life when you age. You see the characters develop more mature personalities and attributes as well more so in after story because the main characters have developed from teens to adults and looking back can almost throw you into nostalgia.
It's length, while painfully drawn out, only attaches you more to these characters and when something happens positively or negatively you feel emotions towards them so much deeper than other anime.
Probably wouldn't suggest this for a new anime watcher I'd suggest you watch at least one or two other romance anime to get the feeling of what is actually really well portrayed and what really wasn't. Especially if you didn't like the first Clannad I'd say you might have a half and half chance of liking the after story more.
