I guess because CLANNAD wasn’t trying to be as emotionally investing like some other Key adaptations made it my favorite of the bunch. I haven’t seen Kanon so I can really use that as comparison, but from what I’ve heard from others about it, and from my experiences with AIR, those two works seem less likely to coax feelings out of the viewer than to force them out. Like “FEEL SAD HERE!” or something like that. There were a couple of moments like that in CLANNAD too, but they were early on, and there weren’t as strong as the other two before. Emotional impact is good and all, but I’m not quite a fan of the way Key does it, I guess.

And I agree with Owen that I felt that the way we got to know the Fujibayashi twins and Tomoyo from the beginning, and the fact that they’ve been with us for the entire ride worked well. They were still a presence even after their “arcs” as well, which was also nice to see, even with the Fuuko running gag. So I like the changes, even if that wasn’t what most fans expected or wanted.

About the lack of Fujibayashi twins development: I’d like to think their arc starts at the very first episode, albeit very subtly. Considering the absolute nature of their arcs, it was a good compromise.

About the glaring lack of Tomoya development: After Story, but you knew that already.

*twirls moustache menacingly*