At its core, family is more than just people related by blood: it is a bond stronger than the likes of any other, and the willingness to support and aid one another in difficult times as much as it is about enjoying the good times together.

The dramatic extremes of CLANNAD, and especially of ~After Story~, are particularly vivid for this reason. From the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, life is a journey: happiness and despair cannot exist in the absence of one another, and this is why comedy and melancholy figure so prominently in CLANNAD, showing both sides of the coin. Extreme examples are sometimes necessary for a story to have impact, and for it, ~After Story~ is remarkably visceral.

Criticisms that CLANNAD and ~After Story~ are melodramatic, then, are ill-founded; the contrasts serve a very specific purpose in painting an image of what family means, as well as the ups and downs of life. Like the coming and going of the tides that Ushio is named after, life is about cycles, of comings and goings.

~After Story~‘s ending arc left viewers in a great shock, and I imagine that watching someone losing so much despite their efforts distracted and dissuaded many from CLANNAD‘s core themes. However, the reality is that a kind heart and benevolent attitude will rarely go unrewarded.

It is clearly that CLANNAD was written with a myriad of life lessons in mind, and in the decade and a half that has elapsed since its release, it should be evident that CLANNAD has lost none of its relevance, emotional impact and sincerity.

Therefore, CLANNAD and ~After Story~ are both a masterpiece in my books precisely because of their ability to capture such a broad spectrum of themes so effectively. Despite its breadth, CLANNAD also conveys each concept, from family to forgiveness, in sufficient depth such that viewers can relate to it.

For me, CLANNAD and specially ~After Story~ reinforced the way I came to look at family and opened my eyes to how accepting responsibility can manifest, allowing me to tangibly conceptualise what family is defined as. While the definition of a masterpiece invariably differs between people, for me, a series is a masterpiece if its execution is sufficiently powerful as to alter my world views in some way. Because I am the sort of individual who can only be convinced with well-reasoned arguments and evidence, series that can change the way I think about the world have done something exceptionally well in presenting its ideas to me, attesting to the strength of its execution. CLANNAD and ~After Story~ ended up having a noticeable impact on my world-views in this manner, and so, is something I would count a masterpiece.