@Akito
I have something else I found baffling about Clannad AS's ending
Spoiler:
Aside from the deux ex machina about it, I was always unable to accept the lack of closure for everyone else. Clannad is about family, yes, but it's also about the people around them and the goodwill that allowed Tomoya and Nagisa to get together. By not giving the other characters much heed, they are ignoring the core of what made Clannad in the first place. I mean sure, as you grow up, friends grow more distant, but the audience deserves more. So, how can a show that has built up this so much and so well end up completely ignoring this in the most important part? I mean, those orbs of light wouldn't be possible unless...
Yes, it trying to go into that would have delved into anime original territory, but at the same time I feel that the combined path method for the series became a double edged sword and because the anime had to become its own story through this method, that the original ending even if perfectly adapted in and of itself is thematically incompatible with the build up.
And ultimately, it's baffling because it effectively contradicts everything the show had gotten us to cherish. That actually hurts the story to me more than the supernatural element.
The funny thing about both Clannad AS and Mai-Hime is that both endings
And here's another one-- even though I consider this the only "good" one listed thus far. Shakugan no Shana III-- I liked the main points and felt happy for everyone. But if you were to ask me to explain the details of Bad Hairdo-Yuji and Shana and the great battle that happened, I wouldn't be able to.
