Clannad

I'm an action junkie, I usually watch anime with lots of violence, actions, etc. I have lots of favorite anime like Black Lagoon, Space Battleship Yamato 2199, Soul Eater, etc. I decided to give this anime a watch one day. After the first episode, I got hooked. After I finished watching the entire series, both first and second seasons, I was crying like a baby...no joke. I stayed up till 4 am watching this anime. I have seen lots of great anime before, but Clannad and Clannad After Story is considered my number one favorite anime of all time. It's simply one of the greatest anime EVER! It's funny, it's serious, and especially sad. This show is guaranteed to make anyone cry. If not, that person has a heart cold as stones. It's one of those shows you have to watch before you die. And this anime will stick to you forever. I'm a Clannad Man! Clannad forever!!

I have never been so moved by another film, TV series or animation in my entire life as I have been with 'Clannad'.

Prior to watching this, I had seen 'Air' which is another made by the same company. 'Air' was the first thing that had ever brought a tear to my eye, I considered myself as emotional as a stone wall when it came to watching things like films and TV series because I couldn't connect with the characters but for some reason I cannot explain, I was simply captivated by 'Air' whether it was the animation, the voices, or the story, it was incredible.

I truly believed I would never experience something greater... and then I watched 'Clannad'. Clannad is split into two parts (Series), the first revolves around Tomoya Okazaki helping Nagisa Furukawa re-establish the theatre club and as a result become better socially as they meet characters along the way, I won't divulge any further about what happens in the second part because it all builds up from the very start.

Prepare your heart for an intense emotional roller-coaster that never stops until the very end. In a lot of series, you can often find episodes that are somewhat irrelevant or weaker compared to others. Fortunately this doesn't occur in 'Clannad'. Characters are explored in incredible depth, not just the main characters either, but all of the peripherals too.

The characters are simply unforgettable, the OST (Original Soundtrack) is incredible and fits seamlessly with the entire series but 'Clannad' strikes hardest with its beautiful and incredibly touching story. I shed so many tears while watching 'Clannad' and it felt like a truly cleansing experience.

While 'Clannad' would be the first Anime I recommend to someone, the story can be quite difficult to understand in its entirety due to the unconventional subplot that is often seen in Anime that prevents them from being immediately accessible and I don't wish anyone to have a tainted experience of it by not understanding it fully. However I believe anyone that has even a decent experience of watching Anime would be able to understand it fully and appreciate it for what it truly is. A masterpiece.

This sequel to 'Clannad' starts shortly after the events in that series and covers the events in Tomoya Okazaki's life for the next seven years. We see his relationship with Nagisa develop and lead to marriage and the birth of Ushio, a daughter. There are various events which will have life changing effects on those involved. The story involves various alternate realities where we see the events play out in different ways.

I've tried to keep my precis as vague as possible as there are certain key events which shape later parts of the story which I'd rather not spoil. To use a cliché this series is an 'emotional rollercoaster'; at times it is very funny with both slapstick humour and character driven humour at others it is genuinely tear jerking... I don't mean 'there's something in my eye' tears but proper sobbing! This is because the characters involved are well developed and feel real. The animation is of a high quality throughout. Overall I'd say this is a must see if you enjoyed the first series; I wouldn't advise going straight to this as certain elements might seem more than a little confusing.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

Clannad; After Story's charm does not exist within the film, it exists within you. An emotional roller coaster has never been this subtle but yet so beautiful.

Clannad; After Story remains a landmark in modern anime series within its particular genre, but will it stand the test of time? Well, I'm sure that 90 per cent of people who have seen this show, say it will. But we will have to wait to know for sure.

What follows is an astounding series that will break even the most cynical persons heart and that is this series absolute driving force. Never before has a series ever made me so emotionally attached to its characters as this.

And when you can't take it anymore, this series plunges straight in to you. Driving our tears to their absolute max in this absolute phenomenon.

I had only ever heard of stories about shows or movies that could actually change one's perspective or outlook on life and just brushed it off as "what a joke" but after watching this not only did I discover that not only is it possible for guys to cry but yes indeed there are shows/movies that can change one's perspective for the better and this is probably the best example I have ever seen because before this show I was so very deeply depressed to the point of both suicidal thoughts and contemplating self harm because when I thought of myself all I thought was that I was a monster that had done the most horrible and terrible of deeds but after watching this and seeing how much I related to the main character I realized I hadn't done anything else that other people had done in there lives and was actually a good, decent kind hearted human being and after having my "barrier" broke down I was finally able to tearfully apologize to my mother for all the things I had done with my Brother saying "it's okay I was just as bad as you were" and my mother just hugging me nicely just saying "shh it's okay it's over now" and Since then my life has been more positive and I try my very best to look at things from a positive perspective though yes I am negative sometimes but that's just the human condition and that can't be changed but at least now I don't have suicidal thoughts or contemplate self harm so I can say is Clannad after story guided through the darkness to the light that had to be seen by me so to end all I have to say is thanks for showing me the light and saving me from myself and showing me that I am a good person never again will I tread that dark path again Thank you thank you thank you. Truly the experience was life changing in the best ways possible. If anybody has the time and/or they're an anime fan just watch this you'll love every bit of it