I was told multiple times how After Story was even more heart wrenching, how it'd make you swim in your tears, and it was all that, but...
(From here onwards we're entering spoiler territory)
There's 2 major points that soured my watching experience
1) One of the most tragic parts of the show was caused in great part by Nagisa's irresponsibility
And that is her own death
Tell me why, knowing your own health condition, knowing you have higher risk of complications during child birth, would you insist against all rhyme or reason, to have a home birth??
I'm a very stubborn person myself, i don't really give a crap how stubborn you want to be, when it is souly your own life on the line
But here it is not only your life on the line, it is the life of your child whom you are leaving without a mother (not to mention, what if the baby wasn't able to come out? What if you needed an emergency c-section? What happens to your child then?), it is the life of your husband whom you are leaving without his wife, alone to look after a newborn during what will be one of the hardest times of his life
I'm not saying going to a hospital would've 100% guaranteed Nagisa's survival, nothing is 100% a guarantee, but when more precautions could've been taken to attmpt to avoid this situation, when you are told multiple times to do so, for your own safety, for your child's safety, and you still refuse to do so, i'm sorry, but that is extreamly irresponsible and negligent
2) Tomoya's grandma
We meet this lovely lady when Tomoya and lil Ushio take their first daddy & daughter trip together, and this is what she has to say about her son, Tomoya's dad, "At times he may have been strict or VIOLENT, but it was all to raise you well" ... excuse my language but what in the actual fuck??!!?
Witch! Your son caused permenant injuries to your grandson! You're son's violence caused permenant damage to your grandson's shoulder, now what if instead you're son's violence broke your grandson's back or neck? You know what permenent damage gets left with such an injuries, would you still pull the "he did it to raise you well" card if your grandson showed up in a wheelchair?
Don't give me this BS of "he did it out of love" "he had a hard life", this is no redemption arc, this is pure gaslighting psychological manipulation
My god, with a mom like that no wonder Tomoya's dad is a total and utter wreck
There are more tragic twist leading up to the end, but these were the main points (especially point 2) that brought a wave of disapointment, watching these scenes felt like watching a series that i love crumble into dust
As for the actual ending, it comes off as an asspull, they try the "was he dreaming or is he dreaming now?" "which is reality?", but it is executed so badly, instead of complimenting the heavy emotions that where dropped on us like an avalanche the whole second half of the show and bringing us in that state of dread and reliefe clashing with one another, it completely flops dulling every moment as it devoids it of it's meaning