I watched the first season of Clannad almost six years ago on a pirate website, a site that, for some reason, didn't have the second season. Since I only watched the first season for years, I was somewhat disappointed, as Clannad had been sold to me as a story that would break my heart.

It wasn't until years later that I found out there was actually a sequel that wrapped up the story and included all the major plot points. Now, years later, I've watched the entire saga with both seasons, which I consider the best thing ever.

I feel that if I had watched this story when I was a kid, I wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I do now. It's a story whose main message is about giving everything for the person you love, about it being okay to abandon your dream if it means doing what's truly important to you: Nagisa's parents sacrificed their dreams for her, then Nagisa gave her life to give birth to Ushio, and then Ushio's death was the reason why Tomoya rewrote history in which he decided to start all over again.

And that's what's beautiful about Clannad: how, despite the pain, the insecurity, and the knowledge that things might not go as planned, the characters keep fighting for their dreams.

Another spectacular aspect of the plot is its narrative and direction. There are seemingly irrelevant details and behaviors of certain characters that don't make sense until the moment they do. Nothing happens by chance, which is why the plot twists don't feel forced or contrived. For example, characters who are quite insignificant in the first season become emotional support for Okazaki in the second, like Fuuko and Yusuke.
This second season truly feels like a sequel, not just an expansion of the first. It's an independent story that develops character arcs left unresolved in the first season, such as Mei, Sunohara, and Misae. In addition, I enjoyed seeing Okazaki's transition from school life to adult life, facing situations that are not commonly seen in anime, at least not in such an adult and mature way, such as marriage, work, childbirth, and loss.

Regarding the final stretch, where the greatest psychological drama unfolds, what can I say? I think it was the first time in my life I cried three times in the same day, both from sadness and happiness. Obviously, I cried when Nagisa died, and then I cried tears of joy when Okazaki began to accept Ushio, and of course, I cried throughout the entire final episode when Ushio dies and Okazaki rewrites history.

I feel like Key tried something similar with Summer Pockets recently, but it backfired, since that anime is not only half as long as Clannad, but it also tries to develop four romances, only one of which is truly canonical, culminating in a change of protagonist at the end.

What I mean by this is that the story presented in Clannad doesn't dwell on itself, it doesn't try to force anything, but rather shines in telling a well-executed, original story with a satisfying conclusion.