More like it is a throwback to older series (two in particular). A semi-forbidden love that happens anyway.

I do not mean to say that the romance series with plot twists, love triangles, backstabbing, and complicated love aren't good. There are plenty of good ones, some I would name among my favorites. AnoHana is one of those. As unpopular an opinion as this may be...Clannad is not. Drama is the focus there, not a budding romance as it is here in Ano Natsu, or resolving an unfulfilled one as it is in AnoHana. So, yes, for Clannad, I would wave it aside and say it in particular isn't comparable. Romance in Clannad is simply a vehicle to introduce more drama.

After you've seen a dozen or so of the "complicated love" ones, they tend to get rather cliché, using the same plot devices over, the same stock character archetypes appearing without fail, and even the same premise from time to time. So, I agree with Kraco, most often, I prefer series with romance in them, not necessarily where it is the sole focus (though when well executed, those are great too).