Clannad is an anime film that is based on the visual novel of the same name, and actually came out just a bit before the anime series. At only one and a half hours long, it had to massively truncate both the high school and After Story portion in order to fit it into a theatrical length. As such, there are a lot of liberties taken and while the overarching plot remains the same, it is like a completely different product. This isn't necessary a bad thing as it brings a new experience to fans already familiar with the game or anime, and is a like a different take on things. It focuses exclusively on the Nagisa route of the game and only a few characters make regular appearances. Events feel familiar yet different at the same time, and so it doesn't feel like a retread. The plot follows high school student Okazaki Tomoya who has nothing to look forward in life, until he meets Furukawa Nagisa on the way to school one day. Nagisa isn't put off by Tomoya's cold attitude and the pair, along with Tomoya's best friend, Sunohara, become good friends. Clannad was well known for its sad emotional impact and the film doesn't quite succeed since it did not have the time to build it properly. The way the story is told is via Tomoya reminiscing about the past and this is an interesting way to present the events as it means that we suspect what will happen. The ending is probably the most contentious because it is a more realistic resolution but remains bittersweet. Considering the limitations a film adaptation would have had on a 40 hour story, Clannad does an admirable and passable job of distilling the story to its core and you'll still fall in love with the characters.
