The works of Key/Visual Arts have always held a special place for me, with their mixture of the mundane with the surreal. While Clannad might err more on the mundane side compared with other works of theirs, it also helps it become their most universal work, making the emotional gutpunches Key is also known for that much more effective.
The first section of the visual novel (the first season and first few episodes of the second for you anime viewers) follows the typical "one dude chooses between several gals, helps said gals confront emotional issues" format that many of these visual novels follow, and which Key practically patented. From there, a tale is spun of friendship, regrets, and tragedy, with just a dash of the fantastic sprinkled in there. The characters are well-rounded, the dialogue is funny, and the routes/story-arcs themselves are always rooted in universal emotions, even when the scenarios themselves become overwhelmingly tragic and/or somewhat surreal.
However, it is in Clannad: After Story (the rest of the second season) in which this work truly shines. Following after the conclusion of the Nagisa route in the first section, Clannad: After Story almost completely forgoes the fantastical elements of the first section in favor of a simple story about the hardships of growing old and raising a family. This portion of Clannad is notorious for being heartbreaking, and it certainly is that. However, it is also funny, warm, and, once it reaches its enigmatic yet beautiful ending, borderline transcendental.
Of course, Clannad isn't 100% transcendental, and there are some minor complaints I have about both the original VN and its anime adaptation. In the VN? The Kappei route is absolutely atrocious, and I can barely forgive it for existing in this otherwise great work. Kappei spawns a lot of "is he a boy or a girl" jokes that I always find irritating, his backstory is sort of cliche in a work with plenty of genuine tragedy, and the resolution is reached in an incredibly problematic way. That being said, it's like a bird shitting on the Eiffel Tower; it doesn't detract from the majesty, but it's still shit. Luckily, the anime does away with this route. However, due to the obviously linear format the anime is forced into, the multiple routes of the VN are smashed into one, causing the anime to feel almost *shudder* harem-esque in places. Ultimately though, it still tells the same story as the VN, while also expanding and contracting bits in an effective way so that the anime flows naturally, rather than feeling cobbled together from several different storylines.
Overall, whether you read the original VN or watch the anime adaptation (or do both, I don't judge), Clannad is a story that is well worth experiencing. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think, but it certainly won't waste your time.
a near-perfect vn, a near-perfect anime
The works of Key/Visual Arts have always held a special place for me, with their mixture of the mundane with the surreal. While Clannad might err more on the mundane side compared with other works of theirs, it also helps it become their most universal work, making the emotional gutpunches Key is also known for that much more effective.
The first section of the visual novel (the first season and first few episodes of the second for you anime viewers) follows the typical "one dude chooses between several gals, helps said gals confront emotional issues" format that many of these visual novels follow, and which Key practically patented. From there, a tale is spun of friendship, regrets, and tragedy, with just a dash of the fantastic sprinkled in there. The characters are well-rounded, the dialogue is funny, and the routes/story-arcs themselves are always rooted in universal emotions, even when the scenarios themselves become overwhelmingly tragic and/or somewhat surreal.
However, it is in Clannad: After Story (the rest of the second season) in which this work truly shines. Following after the conclusion of the Nagisa route in the first section, Clannad: After Story almost completely forgoes the fantastical elements of the first section in favor of a simple story about the hardships of growing old and raising a family. This portion of Clannad is notorious for being heartbreaking, and it certainly is that. However, it is also funny, warm, and, once it reaches its enigmatic yet beautiful ending, borderline transcendental.
Of course, Clannad isn't 100% transcendental, and there are some minor complaints I have about both the original VN and its anime adaptation. In the VN? The Kappei route is absolutely atrocious, and I can barely forgive it for existing in this otherwise great work. Kappei spawns a lot of "is he a boy or a girl" jokes that I always find irritating, his backstory is sort of cliche in a work with plenty of genuine tragedy, and the resolution is reached in an incredibly problematic way. That being said, it's like a bird shitting on the Eiffel Tower; it doesn't detract from the majesty, but it's still shit. Luckily, the anime does away with this route. However, due to the obviously linear format the anime is forced into, the multiple routes of the VN are smashed into one, causing the anime to feel almost *shudder* harem-esque in places. Ultimately though, it still tells the same story as the VN, while also expanding and contracting bits in an effective way so that the anime flows naturally, rather than feeling cobbled together from several different storylines.
Overall, whether you read the original VN or watch the anime adaptation (or do both, I don't judge), Clannad is a story that is well worth experiencing. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you think, but it certainly won't waste your time.