I don’t usually write reviews and I’ve watched plenty of shows, but I’ve never felt compelled to sit down and comment on one… until Clannad. That’s how impactful this series was for me.

What struck me most wasn’t the sadness but it was the importance of having someone to lean on. Tomoya starts off as someone who’s isolated and shaped by a difficult past with his father. His dad did love him, but after the death of Tomoya’s mother he coped by turning to alcohol and gambling, which is a sad but human way of handling pain. You can’t hate him for it, because he’s just a flawed person trying to get by. Eventually, through his relationship with Nagisa and how she supported him, Tomoya starts to come to terms with his past. That portrayal of two people who care about each other despite their weaknesses is incredibly striking.

This theme of mutual support continues throughout After Story. Tomoya can’t just bear the weight of the world alone as he needs others. Nagisa, Nagisa’s parents, Ushio, and even his own grandmother help him find purpose and strength when he’s at his lowest. When tragedy hits again and Tomoya spirals into depression after Nagisa’s death, it’s seeing how others reach out that eventually pushes him to reconnect with his daughter, Ushio, and try to become a better father. That moment when he realizes he’s repeating the same cycle his father had with him and how he wants to break that cycle for Ushio was one of the most powerful and moving things in the entire series.

Another thing that really got me was how Clannad doesn’t shy away from the pain of meeting someone precious and then losing them. Tomoya doesn’t regret meeting Nagisa, even though her death tears his world apart. That’s the thing that hit me hardest as real love isn’t measured by how long someone stays, but by how deeply they change you. Even after death, Nagisa’s influence continues to shape Tomoya’s choices and motivations.

What I also love about Clannad is how every character feels real, needed, and meaningful and it’s not just about Tomoya and Nagisa, but how each person touches someone else’s life and shapes the world around them. That’s part of what makes the story feel so alive and emotionally resonant.

At first glance, the cast might seem large, but each character’s story matters. They each deal with their own struggles such loneliness, family issues, lost dreams, grief and we see how Tomoya interacts with them, learns from them, and even how some of them help him grow. In many ways, the series shows that no life is unimportant, and that even people who seem like background characters have deeper stories worth caring about.

There are moments in this series that are heartbreaking and they aren’t just sad for shock value. They reflect the way real life can hurt: losing someone you love, struggling to find hope, and relying on others to help you move forward. Clannad taught me that you don’t have to go through life alone, and that even in the hardest times, love and connection can carry you through.