I am usually a little skeptical when it comes to these sort of series. Usually in my experience, when something is bragged up to being great, it turns out to be a major disappointment. However, all I can say is WOW! I was BLOWN AWAY! I have to admit that Clannad: After Story was one of the biggest emotional roller coasters of a series I've ever seen, and that's saying something considering how great I found similar series like Angel Beats! and ef-a tale of memories (and melodies) to be. This series was painful to watch and I don't mean in a bad way. Unfortunately, if you went into this series expecting everything to be the same as the original Clannad series, you'd be dead wrong. This series sways much more toward the drama and tragedy aspects than the comedy. This series really plays at your emotions and I have to admit, the latter 2/3 of the series was difficult to sit through on the emotional level. I can't count on one hand how many times I was brought to tears during this stretch. I really enjoy anime series that make me feel and think. This series did both and the nice thing about it is it really gets you to think about your own life and the relationships you form, whether it be with family, friends, your lover, or your child.
The series essentially picks up where Clannad left off...which worked fine for me because I had some criticisms about how open-ended the original series left off. I would highly recommend watching the first series before watching this since I felt the character building in the first series set After Story up rather well. On top of that, it might be easier to pick up on the junk doll and girl story.
The strength of this series goes back to the characters. The characters are brilliantly written and unlike the first season, I found the story did a better job of narrowing down the roles of the characters. It wasn't the case early on since the first 9 or 10 episodes of the series focused around the Theater Club and some of the hi-jinx involved. However, around episode 9 or 10 is when the ball really got rolling and focused more on the lead characters, Tomoya and Nagisa. To avoid major spoilers, this is where the series took a major U-turn into the drama, romance, and tragedy. Nevertheless, I have to say the next 14 episodes would be some of the most heartwrenching moments I've ever experienced watching an anime.
Another strong point of this series also goes back to the first season as well. The animation and music for this series set a mood that is unmatched. I have to give props to Jun Maeda yet again because the score to this series was God damn brilliant! From OP, to BGM, to insert songs, to ED, the guy played his cards perfectly. Yet again, Lia performed the OP and ED to this series as well as some of the insert songs...and my God is she a perfect performer for this series. Toki o Kizamu Uta, the series OP is one of the most breathtaking songs I've ever heard in an anime. The music as well as the animation was downright fantastic and it had me looking forward to every episode. From an overall production standpoint, I can't help but call Clannad: After Story "a masterpiece in animation."
However, while I did give this series a 10, I'll admit that this series did have some notable flaws. I will admit the first 1/3 of this series didn't get off to the best of starts. For the most part, it felt like filler between the first series and the latter 2/3 of After Story. It wasn't "bad" per se, but seemed awkwardly placed. However, that wouldn't be the first occasion of "awkward placement" in terms of episodes. I have to admit that episode 23 might have been the most worthless episode I've ever seen to a series and considering it's placement, it really shouldn't have been there in the first place. It would've worked fine as a post-Clannad OVA or even a post-After Story OVA...but the second to last episode? It had no business being there.
Oddly enough, this series ended with a recap episode. Usually by my book, this is a major flaw. I am not a big fan of recap episodes in anime and I usually find them to be unnecessary padding. However, I found this to be one of the most brilliantly written recap episodes I've ever seen and it actually cleared up some confusion I had about events in the few episodes leading up to it. I have to admit, the series takes some pretty odd turns toward the end and I found them a little hard to follow. However, the recap episode cleaned everything up perfectly. I never thought I'd say this...but the recap episode saved this series for me and ended the series on the highest of notes.
Overall, there have only been a handful of series in my life that I can say I was "touched" by and this was one of them. I love a series that not only tells a brilliant story, but also makes you think about your own life. This is really a great series to watch if you're in your last year of high school or first year of college because of how heavy-handed it is with it's real-life themes. While yes, I'm aware there are supernatural elements to this series, the message it sends across is easily connected to life events. If you go into this series expecting more or less the same as Clannad, you'll be in for a major surprise for the latter 2/3 of the series, although it will be more or less the same for the first 1/3. Again, I'd highly recommend watching the first season before this one. I don't think it's COMPLETELY necessary but I believe the first season builds some pretty good bonds between the characters and would make you appreciate them that much more in After Story. I will come out and say this was one of the best series I have ever watched and even with it's moments of awkward episode placement, it's one of the most brilliantly written animes I've ever watched. I give it my highest recommendation to anyone, but make sure to go into it with the right mindset or else it could throw you for a loop. I have no qualms in calling Clannad: After Story an anime masterpiece.
