For me, there could only be one answer.





Simply put, this anime changed my way of thinking. I didn't even know I could be so passionate about a work of fiction; not even Final Fantasy came close to producing this kind of reaction from me. It introduced me to Key, who are now easily my favorite story writers in any medium, and was basically my introduction to the world of visual novels. While I did read Ace Attorney before, I never followed up on it.

Now Shauna made a good point with Key adaptations typically not making much sense, and overall being far more confusing than the original visual novels. Clannad however is a special case - the anime adaptation is great. Absolutely wonderful. It expands on the original, ties everything together more neatly than I'd have ever thought possible, and still has that spirit of the original. Much more than can be said for certain other adaptations (*cough* Little Busters *cough*).

While I also contemplated putting Elfen Lied, as it was my introduction to anime in general and without it I'd have never gotten to know Clannad, it didn't have as immediate of an impact on me as Clannad did. I feel so enriched having watched this anime and could not imagine my current situation without it.