It doesn't surprise me that most discussion of Clannad is always going to involve the actual ending of the story. But every Video Essay on Clannad is never bringing up any season 1 specific content at all, or even the early part of season 2 really, since what "After Story" strictly means in the VN doesn't start till the High School stuff is over, I think, I haven't actually played it.
I feel that unintentionally gives newcomers the impression that you could practically just skip season 1. Though I also think some of these snobbier Essayists very intentionally do wish they could just skip the High School Harem anime and get right to the adult life tearjerker.
Thing about season 1 of Clannad is it only feels incomplete if you know there is more story because you played the source material, saw the Dezaki film, or read a wiki. As a two cour Romance Anime it's as satisfying as Toradora, it ends with the main couple having not only gotten together but done something as a couple. And what the final episodes focus on is the wrapping up of what was nominally the show's main plotline from the start.
And in the meantime all of the secondary Waifus got their time to shine. The ones the OVAs focus on are said to have not had their Arcs properly covered by the main Anime. But the Twins never needed an Arc, they just are fundamentally entertaining whenever they're on screen, they work best as side characters to everyone else's stories, the R2-D2 and C-3PO of Clannad. And Tomoyo does become President, her longer term end goal isn't achieved on screen but who expected that to happen in High School anyway? Well by Anime standards I guess everyone.
But while Season 1 can be a satisfying stand alone Anime without the After Story, After Story doesn't work without season 1. It admits in it's very name that it is merely the Coda to the Love Story told in season 1. The goofy Harem Anime antics are what gets us invested in the characters enough to care what happens After. Everything in season 1 that seems irrelevant to the core of After Story plot wise is a compliment thematically. After Story is a sequel, a very good one, but still a sequel.
I'd been wanting to make this rant for awhile, and I wish I had done so before watching Kanon in September, because now I can't praise Clannad without adding that I like Kanon more. Objectively Clannad is Key's Magnum Opus due in large part to the ambition of After Story. But the characters of Kanon are simply more appealing to me personally, specifically how they are in the English Dub.
I would recommend new fans watch the KyoAni Key Seasonal Trilogy in the order they were animated. I haven't watched Air yet (I'm annoyed it's NOT on any of the legal streaming sites), but as a single cour show it's bound to be the least satisfying to me. But being shorter may also be what would make it a better entry point to this style of Anime for some newbies. So Air then Kanon then Clannad then After Story.
Update: I've started Air and the one cour limitations are showing and maybe it wasn't a good idea to guess it'd be the best entry point. I'm enjoying it because it is still essentially more of what I liked in Kanon and Clannad and since I've seen them I can imagine what the more fleshed out versions of these arcs would be like. But as someone's first exposure to Key's style it might not be a great first impression.
It turns out it was mainly just the arcs covered by episodes 3-6 that felt very trimmed down, the rest of it was solid. But I would still now say to start with Kanon.
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