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(Reaction more than a review:)

Ok. That was ... yes, emotionally draining. But I wouldn't say it's not worth watching. more like fair enough (*nodding*).

There are two broad main aspects of this story, which I felt are unique...
first being the freaking paradox, lol. I mean the whole course of the story was like something that which led to another, well at least according to Tomoya as he believes if he hadn't said anything to Nagisa that day at the bottom of the hill, all that shitty crap of his loved ones dying wouldn't have happened. So, if Nagisa didn't have that story which she performed on ... the stage for the theatre club activity, in her mind in the first place (which no one knows how she knew , the only possible explanation being the mysterious supernatural legend of the city, and her existence being connected to the city, thus being implanted in her head from future.(trigger: inception)) then the whole future would have been different and Ushio wouldn't have been born, and the world where everything ended with Ushio in it wouldn't have come to exist. So, the whole thing is like a cycle, a self-resolving paradox with the only possible loose end being why Ushio is the world in which everything had ended.
Second, is something I believe can be credited to the script writer. There is a immense amount of effort put in making the viewers to adore and attach themselves to Nagisa, Tomoya and Ushio, all done excellently. So, first off Nagisa is killed of very sadly, then they show Tomoya suffering horribly, realizing his mistake 5 years down the line, also his ungratefulness towards his father and all the heart touching scenes of the bonding between him and Ushio. Then he kills of Ushio too! yay! No wonder there is a world where everything has ended. and then after fucking up the viewers mental conditions and depressing them, he's like, just kidding, just kidding, we all love them, no way I would kill them off - Abra ka dabra (Magic of the city's legend!) and there you go, all that shit was just a prank to see how you cry! don't bother about such irrelevant things, it was just a joke! see they are alive and have a happy ending. ... When he bought them back to life (Or transferred us to an alternate universe, whatever), I was relieved and all, yes, felt pretty pleasant, but also was like *Facepalm and laughing* "Dude, seriously? lol. Thanks for the relief though. At least I'll sleep in peace tonight."

The other aspects of the story were also pretty good, like especially the level of maturity, and the excellent character development.
the maturity can be seen at many places in the way the characters change, the accommodate each other more and more as they grow, and uniquely, in this series the OVAs were series were not simple comedy but also had a decent level of seriousness which left me very satisfied.
The character and the plot setting, and they way they attach us them the characters were cliché' in a pleasant manner, reminding me very strongly of the romance manga that were popular around the 1990s and 2000s, for instance "Kimi No Iru Machi" by Seo Kouji. If you are wondering what I'm talking about its the way you have one male MC with a easygoing 'bakha' type male companion, a set of close school friends, and many other characters coming, having like a whole arc concentrated on the MCs interaction with them and then totally becoming side characters of which only glimpses are shown later on, especially after the climax in the epilogue.

Overall, I must say it was quite the experience, and felt like I went on the journey along with the characters. Kudos to Clannad!