Next off, I'll say that I found Clannad actually a while back. I watched it and actually enjoyed it slightly-- more so than any other romance I've seen. But it still wasn't anything impressive, or anything to write home about. I didn't understand why it was so popular with the romance anime fanatics out there.
Basically, I watched Clannad and thought, "OK sure. That was sorta fun." And then I moved on and found other anime to watch. I had no idea there was a second season-- After Story, it's called (as you should already know...) At first I wasn't interested at all. "It's just more of the same romance. Probably boring." but everyone told me I HAD to watch it, so I gave in...
And oh heck...
This sounds cliche, but if you're going to watch Clannad, keep at least three rolls of toilet paper nearby... or, tissues. Whichever. I have never ever cried in an anime until this one. No matter how dang embarrassed I was, the tears still came gushing out. Woooowww... it was quite the show, and it exceeded any and all expectations I had ever had.
I'll delve into the review I guess.
Story~
Erm, it's actually sort of... not all that special. I mean, it's different from most romance anime because it tells the story of Nagisa and Tomoya in their marriage (and... up to that point in the first place), but it's still just a romance. But is this cliche, or bad? If you think that, get. frikkin. out. This anime is amazing, and I totally loved it. The story had a few twists, which made it very good, but SO. DANG. DEPRESSING. at the same time. Yes, I DID go through three rolls of toilet paper through the course of the whole series...
Art~
The art style itself is cute, but sort of average. It is nice, though. The backgrounds switch between bright and more of a dim color scheme to match the current mood. It does a dang good job. It seems like very background perfectly portrays what's going on and what the characters feel. The movement, I might add, is completely amazing. They time it so perfectly. They leave out excessive movement where it's not needed, but put in a lot of work where the movement of the characters is vital. This anime is beautiful and a visual treat.
Sound~
Sometimes the soundtrack is cliche, but it works well with the scenes. Some of it is just gorgeous, and though it may not sound all that amazing, it works sooooo well... and it will make you cry. Ugh. Anyway, the ending song isn't too amazing, but it's... nice. It works. But the opening for After Story? GORGEOUS. After finishing this series, I went on a wild search to find that song-- "Toki wo Kizamu Uta"-- and it is forever on my iPod. It's just a matter of opinion, but it's gorgeous to me.
Character~
This is where every romance anime should shine, right? Right! And this is where Clannad does everything perfectly well. The characters are cute, fun to watch, but they all have their own personalities, and deep down they may not be the person you thought they were. To each their own, but I love the characters. Tomoya makes a good main character, but he's realistic-- he isn't a perfect hero who endures everything with a cheerful heart. He's got emotions, and he breaks down sometimes. I won't spoil anything, but... this show didn't make me cry once until episode 16, and then every. dang. episode. after that. I cried so much that it was embarrassing. But it was worth it. I cried tears of joy and of pure depression. This anime has so many moods. It's just so beautiful that I can't even explain it-- you have to watch it to find out for yourself.
All in all, Clannad: After Story is an emotional piece of depressing joy. If that doesn't make sense, then just go watch it. This is a heck of a lot, coming from me, the romance anime hater. It's just amazing. If I say any more, I'll spoil it, so just watch it and get the idea for yourself.
You will not be disappointed. And if you are, then... I don't know what to say to you.
This is DEFINITELY an amazing series I'd re-watch.
