Is Clannad as depressing as everyone says it is?

It is a commonly known fact in the anime world that Clannad and its sequel, Clannad After Story, are not happy anime. For some reason, if you have never heard anything about Clannad, all you need to know is that it's a romance anime that takes place during high school, and its second season continues the romance beyond high school.

Those of you who have not watched the anime have probably heard it described as depressing, the saddest anime of all time, an anime that will make you cry rivers, and just other things that you probably don't want to hear before you decide to watch an anime. 

I am here to assure you that Clannad is not as depressing as everyone says it is. And here's why.

WITHOUT SPOILING ANYTHING, I can tell you that Clannad's first season is not very sad at all. All of the sadness can be found in the characters' backstories, and by the end of a certain story arc, all of the characters are happier. They have come to terms with their past, they have found friendship, and that makes their lives better. That doesn't sound very sad to me. 

Clannad After Story is the main reason people make claims about Clannad being depressing as hell. It steps away from the happy high school scenery and brings all of our characters into the real world, where they have to learn to deal with things as adults, and watching them struggle to find happiness and make ends meet can be sad. But the first half of season two really isn't that different from season one in that if you can recognize that all of the characters will be better off once they've dealt with their problems, you won't shed a single tear. 

Then things start to happen, and the anime hits you with what has been commonly referred to as "the metaphorical baseball bat." The characters go through some really terrible things that hit the viewer hard because it could happen, and to anyone. It's the empathy we feel when we're watching that really kills us. While you could view these devastating things as contrived plot points (which I did), a majority of viewers didn't. That's when things get sad.

More tragedy happens, and you can see the characters falling apart. This anime really allows for the viewer to get in the characters' shows and feel all of their pain.

I guess I'm not making a very good case about how Clannad is not depressing and is something you can endure watching.

I guess if you remember this one thing about Clannad, and life, is that the metaphorical baseball bat will eventually stop hitting you, and the reward will be worth it. If you remain optimistic and find happiness, everything will be okay.

It's also worth noting that it is perfectly okay to cry during an anime. If you get attached to a fictional character and their life is not going well, it is perfectly fine for you to bawl your eyes out. It actually enhances your anime watching experience. That means that the show you were watching was so good that it made you deeply care about something that wasn't even real. So if you didn't buy my argument that Clannad isn't that sad, you should not be afraid to watch this anime. It still is really enjoyable, and you will get through the sad parts.