After watching Angel Beats, I didn't know if anything could top it. But I had heard of Clannad and already was hearing about how devastating it is and I finally decided to see it. Again, the music and the animation was good, especially for the intro. Except, I had a hard time getting used to how their eyes all looked. I found it actually creepy. My other problem with Clannad was it has a very slow beginning but thankfully picks up the pace. I was also so used to the female characters in Angel Beats being really strong that I wasn't used to seeing Nagisa always crying but that only lasted for at least half the show (when counting After Story as well). Aside from that, the show was alright. It's Clannad After Story that's where I find the story really begins. The stories though of the other characters Tomoya helps out are really well done like Fuko's and Nagisa's and Kotomi's and it's a very happy ending by the last episode for everyone. Until Clannad After Story.
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NewOCFan9 September 2013
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gatlinrick31 March 2010This is a review of both 'Clannad' and 'Clannad Afterstory', if your wondering.
Story: Based on the visual novel of the same name, 'Clannad' tells the story of Tomoya Okazaki, a former basketball player who had been forced to quit his school team and all of basketball, and who's now going through life aimlessly. With him on this downward spiral is his 'friend' Sunohara, a former soccer player who had also been forced from his team, after he had attacked his coach; it's hard to tell what their relationship actually amounts to, though that'll be mentioned in a minute. Okazaki has to go up this hill to get to school; one day he meets this girl, who's standing along the path, who asks him if he'd go up it with her. This incident sparks a kind of chain-reaction. Okazaki develops a relationship with this mysteriously gentle Nagisa Furukawa, her family, others from his school and all of these girls who all, in normal harem fashion, fall in love with him.
Simple enough. Of course, the visual novel this is based after was developed by 'Key', and in true 'Key' fashion, the story doesn't end too happily, or begin happily, as a matter of fact. After a while, what little which has been established is fully revealed to us, like why Okazaki isn't playing basketball anymore or why Nagisa talks with him. It's not depressing. Sad maybe? It's ending isn't depressing either; it may even make you smile, while your crying manly tears (or maybe that's just me). That's not to say the story isn't fun either, in fact there's more of an emphasis on comedy than on romance, and for a harem, the humor's pretty smart. There are laugh-out-loud worthy scenes to be had, if your interested, and when I say Tomoya's living life aimlessly, I'm not saying he's moping. He's sad and depressed of course, but he manifests it by playing pranks on others; he mentally tortures Sunohara, in particular, and all with this sarcastic smile. Getting past that and going back to the romance and this whole emphasis on 'family', the whole production has this warm, genuine heart to it. Unlike with most other harem shows, this develops it's heroines (if only just enough) to all be likable instead of just setting up some caricatures to drool over. Okazaki himself defies how a male lead in a harem should be by not being a completely unlikable failure, and then comes when you try to decide the story's genre; there's romance and comedy, but then there's fantasy and tragedy thrown in, and then there's the drama-club plot that's been developing this whole time. It accumulates back to this being a very comfortable/nice show (in tone and story and it's production-style) to watch, which ought to get you emotionally involved, if only a little.
Production: The music score sounds like something from a visual novel (no shock there). The opening looks like something from one as well (maybe it's the same opening as the game's; I don't know). This was produced by Kyoto animation in between making 'Lucky Star' and 'K-ON!', and it shows; it tries looking like the visual novel and that works, and the actual animation is very fluent, like everything after Lucky Star, though not so much as K-ON!'s.
Conclusion: A sometimes visually breath-taking show with simple but engaging intertwining stories and characters, who could've been forgettable but who are handled by obviously talented writers (I mean, it was written by Key, the people who did 'Air', would did you expect?). -
urgesdrag20 September 2020The paising is perfect for the storyline, the soundtrack and the character development. I would also state that I don't think the main characters are shallow. The secondary character are not shallow just don't have as much character development. I truly believe that enhances the bond between the main characters. I think it's the best anime for its category in I'll highly recommend it.
The opening theme song is also amazing -
Komoesc2 February 2014I didn't know what to expect when sitting down for the first time to watch Clannad. I heard quite a few good things about the show since it was released and so I finally decided to watch it.
After the first episode I was hooked. This isn't your traditional anime. It is more like poetry. From the first episode I pretty much knew that I wouldn't regret spending my time with this show. Little did I know, it was much more then that.
As the show progressed I realized that it wasn't simply a teenage drama, it delved into some really emotional themes, especially in the second season (After Story). Clannad pulls at your heart at every chance it gets and when you're down and you think you can't take any more it kicks you again.
The animation style was beautiful as well, it gave a euphoric feel to the entire show. The character design was rather bland but being based off a graphic novel the character design was spot on. The thing that annoyed me most was that there were three characters all with purple hair and it took a while to learn who was who.
Clannad has had a weird emotional impact, one that I can't really explain. All that I can say is that it was beautiful, emotional experience. It was poetry. It wasn't simply another good anime, it was in a league of its own.
I highly recommend that you watch Clannad and Clannd After Story but be prepared to feel emotions you have never felt with any other anime or TV series before. -
mikeyk25510 September 2014Introduction; I've honestly never been able to say any film or television series has changed me as a person until now. I'm not going to write any specific detail about the series (no spoilers here!) Be careful with reviews and especially comment areas about 'after story' unless you want the plot to be ruined, 2 words seen accidentally did this for me! The definition of good artwork in my opinion is any media that provokes an emotional reaction and this is how I've reviewed the series and why it gets 10/10. Clannad and Clannad After Story will leave you reaching for tissues and possibly even questioning the way you look at life. Being new to the anime genre, I started watching this with a fair amount of skepticism. After all, how grown up or engaging could a 'cartoon' about the lives of some high school children possibly be? The first few episodes left me feeling a little embarrassed for watching them to be honest (its been 12 years since I was in school) but I told myself I was going to give it a proper try and am glad I did.
Structure review; The detail put into character development is second to none, half way through the first series I was highly engaged with the main characters going about their mostly? normal lives, in fact most of the first series seems to be primarily character development with some supernatural elements and a large portion of school / slice of life thrown in. At the core of the story, Its the usual rebel boy meets goody girl cliché, fortunately there's enough detail put into making this believable as well as character role reversal that it doesn't get dull, added to that the main story is interwoven with some wacky sidekicks having stories and oddities of their own and also dropping hints towards the greater picture. There's also a great deal to be learned about typical Japanese culture and the rich nature of their imaginations when telling a story. Animation and sound.. i cant really comment, it was my first anime so i had no comparison at the time, however some scenes particularly from the side story were very imaginative. The dubbed version I watched was well done and some of the sound, IE a certain song (u'll see) added while very simple was cleverly effective at expressing character emotion.
The second series 'After Story' holds most of the actual content as it follows the lives of the main characters after they leave school and over the next 7 years. I've never seen this done before and it was nice to see how the characters grew and progressed. This is where the story really begins and will hit you with spectacular ups and downs as well as rounding off stories for some of the lesser character arcs. While some may be tempted to skip straight to series 2 I would consider this a huge mistake as your connection to characters will be largely meaningless. Try to pay particular attention to any strange myths/legends that are mentioned as many of them form the more advanced version of the ending!
Getting to the sub-story set in an alternate reality... separate from time yet running in parallel with both series and key to the ending or at least if you want to come away from it without questions. This is my only criticism of the entire series, while I had no problem coming to a semi accurate conclusion, I know a lot of people did have lingering questions. This isn't to say the series isn't concluded, but rather there's a much more complex explanation of exactly what happens available in the visual novel which is rather hard to get to from the series alone, which only offers u tiny pieces of the whole picture and generally tries to hide those in the middle of some obscure dialog or graphically semi hidden at the edge of the scene or behind characters we're focused on. In fact I would have liked to have seen a third series detailing the events that happen off screen and in repeated time lines that you're left to piece together for yourself. I even go so far as to suggest they might have intended this originally as so much content was omitted or crammed into the final episode, either that or they just wanted a simpler version. Some will say it was presented this way purposely for effect though causing (almost all) explanations regarding the end you can find to be wrong or missing large parts of information.
Taste + genre; I think people of any tastes will enjoy watching these series given a serious attempt, Its obviously aimed at the young adult demographic. An interest in anime, romance, supernatural or science fiction genres will help things a long. Die hard action fans may want something else however i challenge even the manliest to watch both series and then say they felt nothing.
Recommendations to watch after this (Similar); Clannad (After Story) Obviously! Anything else by Kyoto Animation, in particular; The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (2006 - 2009) 2 series anime, similar school setting but the focus is more on Sci-Fi and comedy, IE more content, less tissues! The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010) Film set after the series above, watch the series first or it wont make any sense! Air (2005), Kanon (2006) both single series anime; These are both very similar to Clannad and feature the same highly emotional plot lines.
Other recommendation (Something different); Kara No Kyoukai (a set of 8 films, adult only content!) probably the best newer anime films available. The stories are complex and told out of chronological order so requires a lot of thought at the start but the animation and sound are simply beautiful, especially during the action scenes.
All in all.. 10/10! -
sprngcactu13 December 2017Clannad will make you laugh, cringe, rip your heart out, cry like a newborn baby, then laugh again, smile till your cheeks hurt... and then you will watch the afterstory...
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spectorh-7649424 May 2020Good watch on slower side. Lot to learn. I like Tokoyo and if everyone can be Tomoyo that will be great. Hope I find a friend like Tomoyo.
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danisbelmm22 November 2020It's been months since I finished Clannad and it's a show that has helped me to see life differently and see people different. It's absolutely worth your time.
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Japan's favourite slice of life series, Clannad rises and falls on its oversized heart and untainted emotional grace. Infused with bits of magic realism, the show is some kind of a daydream; a story where everyone wins and gets what they want at a cost of virtually nothing.
the protagonist is Okazaki Tomoya. He is unmotivated and depressed, (although he never seems that way) but things get turned around after he makes friends at his new high school. How perfect is it that all the girls in the show are drawn to him. One girl however stands out. Nagisa is an angel face with a heart to match, the kind of girl that is too impossibly perfect. The fact that she seems small enough to be his little sister is somewhat distracting once it becomes obvious that they are heading towards being a couple. What is important however is that they get along perfectly, it is everything but a forced relationship. And yet Nagissa is strangely underwhelming as a character simply because she has no flaws. She is precious, and not much else.
When it comes to art, few animated shows paint with sunlight as vividly as Clannad. This is a world where the sky is always blue in the day and golden in the evening. Even more extraordinary however is how the show has a way of summoning beauty out of the mundane; out of the flies hovering around a street lamp, or the quaint naturalism of the bakery that Nagissa's family owns, or in the elegant minimalism of a traditional Japanese bedroom.
If you are anything but a 12 year old girl, comedy goes further than drama in this series. Sakagami has the same angel face as all the other girls but she can drop kick any of the boys in the school out a window. Ichinosuke's violin playing is a riot and Nagissa's mom who is unflinchingly over sensitive about her baking is adorable.
But the problem with Clanaad is it has an ongoing feeling of sameness. Everybody is generous everyday 24/7. There is little in the way of depth or drama. The introverted Ichinosuke has a shadowy intriguing backstory that far surpasses what the show writes for everyone else. Individual scenes and sometimes even episodes play well on the grounds of charm, but the whole series tastes of too much sugar. -
smx200016 December 2013*This is a review for Clannad and Clannad Afterstory*
First of all, if your going to delve into this series make sure you watch both Clannad and Clannad Afterstory since they are really, the same series. Why wouldn't you?
Story - Clannad is set in small town in japan, with the main character Tomoyo Okazaki who is considered a "delinquent" student. Frequently skipping class, getting into fights, etc. However, his adventure starts when he starts making new friends (aww :3). Clannad is a slow moving series, focused around Okazaki and his experiences helping friends. Often times goofy, sad, happy, etc. It's reminiscent of series like Love Hina, or even a dating simulator. Clannad is the developmental stage of this series and it will be hard to hold some peoples attention, unless you enjoy seeing friendships develop in a very shy Japanese anime style with cutesy characters.
Clannad Afterstory however... things start to get real, and real fast. Frankly, this is the part of the series were everything happens and comes together. I'll tell you now, it's sad, depressing, and will take you on an emotional rollercoster, BUT, I've rarely cried over an anime (both sad and happy tears.. and that's impressive). It's especially impactive after watching Clannad because I'd become attached to some of these characters.(which is why it's good to watch Clannad before Afterstory)
The music is haunting at times, and really sets the mood for a lot of the situations; even though they seem to have a limited track list, it never got annoying and was often welcomed.
The girl and the robot, although shrouded in mystery at some points, comes together nicely in Clannad Afterstory, but honestly doesn't give enough closure in my opinion.
I recommend this series defiantly! However, selectively. I say this because some people won't have the patience first of all, secondly, it's got TONS of cutesy, shy, Japanese themes going on, which annoys a good deal of people (remember this IS an anime after all). However, if that doesn't bother you, your a romantic, and you want a story with some real love, friendship, hardships, and are ready to embark on a emotional journey then this is the anime for you!
Giving this an 8.5/10 on my scale, defiantly worth my time.
I hope I've helped you with my review and make sure you've got some tissues ready! -
emma52929 December 2014If you seen my reviews around you would know that a 6 in my opinion, is average.
As a Clannad fangirl/fanboy reading that I called it average, you're probably flipping a table.
But hear me out, I have good things to say. Many but also bad things, so stay beside me fangirl/fanboy we'll get through this.
First of all, love the main character. Absolutely great character, my favorite shojo main character.
It's not because his backstory really hits home to me, because I went through a similar situation but he's cheeky and the total antihero but has a warm heart.
Very likable, actually very is a understatement, EXTREMELY likable.
However, the other characters not so much. His partner in crime is annoying and same goes with other characters.
The writing is alright, nothing too special. It's really just another slice of life which a few sad backstories and great main character.
Dunno what else to rave about really, it's average. Not everyone loves but not everyone hates it, so I do recommend it. But it you're excepting a life changing anime. Doesn't do too much of that, but it's sequel kind of does :) -
rohanraket-2389316 January 2021The series is good. After watching it all, what I really truly like about the series is the family of Akio, Sanae & Nagisa, and episode 24! ♥ If u r looking to watch something in this genre i.e. Slice of Life, Romance. This is a MUST WATCH!
It shows how the things that matter the most in life are FAMILY And Dreams. With, the right answer being, like the most things in life, somewhere in betwn those 2. After, Marriage It's not like ur everyday is going to be all exciting or anything, nd it's not just Romance nd all. But, what really matters is the small things u do for each other making the life of each other happy nd colourful.{ From the family of Akio, Sanae nd Nagisa, nd ep 24.} Don't Worry, That's all for the philosophy part. BTW, this review is only for CLANNAD. M eagerly about to watch "The after story" probably after some break. Thank U! -
maliknichelle26 July 2020I honestly don't understand this anime. The anime wasn't bad, there was a lot of great characters and the comedy was great but I just don't get the hype.
The first episodes of this anime were very boring and the whole time all I cared about was the Fuko girl and the robot thingy. I had so many questions unanswered about them and when I finished Clannad I thought I would get an answer but I just didn't. Is Fuko a ghost? Is Fuko Alive? Was Fuko going through the different worlds? Did Fuko get out of her coma? Who is the robot? Who is the girl with the robot? Why are they in the show?
I DONT GET IT!! The whole show is just about romance and comedy so why did the writers try to add this other world when they never explained anything??? Did I miss an episode? Do they explain it in Clannad After story? I'm so confused. I literally only watched the show for the other world plot story and I still don't understand the other world thing. -
Snootz14 January 2020With some 6,800+ "ratings" but only 17 reviews (most of them oh-so-glowing and in oddly-similar writing style)... one can't help but wonder if the rating system has been gamed here. Those kind of numbers just don't happen in normal IMDB reviews.
I am not an adrenaline junkie. I didn't like Transformers, and don't require action/adventure in my anime. I can appreciate slow-moving, emotional story lines as well as cerebral work. I am not easy to bore.
That said, by the end of the 3rd episode of Clannad I was bored to shutting it off. The extremely cliche 2-dimensional characters as well as a story line that makes you wonder if they're ever going to get to the main plot simply leaves the viewer cold. If they can't establish the main plot within three episodes, one has to wonder if it is any more than a one-joke story (arrogant guy keeps getting beat up by a girl).
I wasn't willing to invest any more time in a "wonder if it's going to get any better" venture. Wasted too much time on such films that no... didn't get any better. I am highly suspect of the glowing 9 & 10-star reviews here... and that there are so very few (almost non-existant) negative reviews. Unless the story and characters made an almost miraculous improvement in episodes 4 and onward, this is a "spend your time on better anime" production. -
Combat-Carl14 November 2011Note that anything I say only goes for the dubbed version: No major spoilers
Story - Clannad follows Tomoya Okazaki a fairly average student who has a tendency to skip lessons a lot. One day on his way to school he meets a strange girl (Nagisa) saying strange things, he decides to walk to school with her. After a few meetings he learns she wants to revive the drama club so Tomoya decides to help her with the help from a large cast of other strange friends.
Story Review - I went into not expecting much as Clannad isn't a series that I'd really watch but a lot of people liked it so I thought I'd check it out. I thought the story of the drama club was OK nothing bad about it but Clannad isn't a story heavy show it's a character heavy show. The backstories of all the major characters are the focus here and they are all varied and interesting and very well told
Main Characters - The characters are fantastic in this series. Personally I like it because it tries to avoid fanservice although it does creep up from time to time. Tomoya is a well thought out character not as boring as he first seems. Nagisa is a sweet and lovely character who is hard to fault and has great character development. Tsunahara, Tomoya's best friend is the comedy relief of the series and is always funny to watch. Fuko Ibuki has a very large story arch, which I found to be quite sad really although the character is also very funny. Kitomi Inchinose has a fairly large story arch too in which you find she knew Tomoya long ago and also has a sad backstory and I loved her character as she is completely bonkers. I also liked Nagisa's parents Akio and Tsunai they were so funny. The other characters I don't judge to be that important, so much so they got their own OVA's in an alternate reality. They aren't bad or anything I just don't think they were major enough.
Animation - Right off the bat you see that this series looks phenomenal. Key did a great job here. I really liked the look of the girl and the robot scenes as the animation looked so fluid and real.
Music - Clannad has one of my favourite OST'so good I rank it up with Joe Hisaishi's Ghibli films. It does re-use tracks a lot but they are all placed perfectly that it didn't bother me. The intro theme is very good and I like the Big Dango family song as it fits the series perfectly.
Drawbacks - The only drawback I felt didn't bother me but it may bother other viewers. It can get very confusing. You will not understand the girl and the robot scene and if you think you do you are wrong I guarantee it. That's not to insult your intelligence at all it's just it is explained in the second series. Also I didn't like the idea for naming Tomoyo (Who is one of the girls I didn't mention) as it gets really confusing with the main guy Tomoya.
Overall - Clannad easily deserves all it's praise and is a must see. The music and animation are great and the characters are all likable. I must say though if you watch this series and at the end wasn't impressed or thought it was lacking or feel that way mid-series push through to the end because the second series is a vast improvement in every way and I mean vast not a little bit.
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Clannad on its own is a fun if unremarkable anime. Due to it being adapted from a visual novel, it plays of like a game with each girl getting their own arc while the main female character Nagisa's story is side stepped only being fulfilled late in the story. It has its funny moments and some touching or sad moments. Clannad is set in high school like many other anime.
It has a conventional albeit quite satisfying and touching ending after which we get the masterful continuation that is Clannad: After Story which is unlike any other anime. Ultimately Clannad does a decent job of letting you know and care for the main two characters Tomoya and Nagisa and setting up the world before you enter the emotionally turbulent and rewarding experience that is After Story.
While Clannad on itself is a decent experience, its the combination of Clannad + After Story makes for a riveting roller coaster of varying emotions. -
isabelleaweber28 May 2020Clannad is my favorite anime of all time. It has breathing taking visuals, wonderful characters with GREAT development, and a slow yet beautiful story. Those who don't watch the entire anime are quick to judge Clannad as "just another harem anime", but if you take the time to watch, and appreciate the shows messages, you will realize that it is SO much more than your average harem anime. Very funny and a feel-good show!
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quinlandurkin16 August 20209/10 A story of the hardships of a young man and his experience in romance. This was an anime that was cute and funny at times and heart wrenching and wholesome at other. Overall the series was a good watch and had a happy ending.
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arihuss27 April 2021I had high expectations for this anime after watching tora dora since this one left a deeply sad-yet-satisfying feeling on me. In the end I'll just say I enjoyed watching it, but I didn't felt any rush to watch after story and just felt an"ok" emotion after last episode (actually, I enjoyed a lot more the bonus episodes of tomoyo and Kyou)
The reason? I can't agree with a character who supposedly helps others and seem to be kind, but (imho) the girl she decides to love is based on a selfishness (prob I think this because i'm psychologist, but he basically picks her to fill his gaps). Don't get me wrong, it's natural for people being selfish and and make decisions based only on their needs, however, that's not being mature and far from truly love another person. -
Tweekums2 June 2017Tomoya Okazaki is a typical, if somewhat lazy high school student; then one day he meets Nagisa, a quiet girl who, due to an illness, is repeating her final year. She wants to restart the school's drama club and he agrees to help her. For much of the time this plot takes a back seat as the pair, along with other friends get involved in other plot arcs. The most notable being the first where they help Fuko, a first year girl, who wants to invite everybody to her sister's wedding. This may sound fairly routine but there is something odd about Fuko, first she is carving wooden starfish to give everybody and secondly not everybody seems to notice her for reasons I won't spoil.
In some ways this is a typical high school anime with its mix of varied characters and a blend of drama and comedy; there are however things that make it stand out. Protagonist Tomoya may have several female friends but it never becomes a harem series and the stories have a good emotional pull especially when we learn certain things about Fuko. Amidst the drama there are some very funny moments; mostly involving Tomoya's friend Youhei. There are a good range of interesting characters; their designs are fairly standard but they are distinctive enough that one shouldn't confuse who is who. The story is well told although it must be noted that the twenty third episode is the real final episode; episode twenty four takes place in an alternate timeline where Tomoya is involved with the studious school council president something others disapprove of. I can't say how it compares to 'After Story' but having read other reviews I think that is something I need to watch. Overall I'd certainly recommend this to fans of the genre. -
bartekfc16 April 2020Alternative episode was the only one good thing in this anime. IMO it's better than whole story.
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nerdboy-3606727 October 2020Dont watch this instead read its summary and watch S2 direct. S1 is just time wasting. Wasted my 30 mins. and i am regreting till date
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pinkrose32114 March 2020After I finished watching the first episode,I was shocked.It's not a tradional anime but a story about life.The anime not only trys to show us Okazaki's adolescense,but also teach us the truth about love and friendship.We can even call the anime "Life".
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This was an anime series that I wasn't interested in at the time. At that point I wasn't into anime as a whole but around 2015 I decided to give anime more of a chance and I'm glad I did. I have seen about 15 different series and Am still looking for more good ones as well. This anime was a good start to the Clannad series even tho I do think it's not as epic or as emotional as After Story is. The comedy is funny, the characters are very good, the acting is good in Japanese (tho the dub is pretty good but Japanese audio for this anime is the way to go imo), and it's drama is sweet. It's a lot more light-hearted then After Story but it still contains very sad scenes in it. I would recommend this to any anime fan and even to those who are into Romance/Drama. The show isn't perfect tho, I feel as tho some episodes drag and at times the pacing can be slow. Still this anime is Worth watching.
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kylelee138814 August 2013clannad is a very great anime. I recommend it to anyone. It has comedy and romance and just about everything. The first season isn't as romantic as the second season afterstory. But its very very good. I was amused during every episode. I do have to warn you. It is a sad anime. I would be lying if I told you I didn't almost cry multiple times. But don't let this keep you from watching the anime. It is definitely worth watching. I give clannad 5 out of 5 starts and two thumbs up. Also it is a relatively clean anime. So if you are looking for some time to get drawn into a great TV show. Then clannad is definitely your type of anime. Enjoy