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ef - a tale of memories.
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Animation - 9.5 |
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Sound - 8.6 |
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Story - 8.1 |
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Character - 7.9 |
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Value - 7.9 |
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Enjoyment - 8.4 |
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Average - 8.4 |
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fnord |
(2009-02-25 07:58:24) 2009-02-24 21:15:33 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
6 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Animation:
This is by far the strongest point of ef. While the animation itself is only decent - probably a seven - the artistic presentation is superb. Not only superb, but filled with vision, creativity and allusions. The abstract beauty of this show, especially a little further down the road, is hard to put into words since there is no comparable work in anime that I know of; only some obscure books and one of the stories in Sandman come to mind.
Sound:
All Seiyuus do a good job. The OP is good, as are the ED's. The music could have played a slightly more prominent role, which is what hinders this category from getting a ten.
Story:
Two intertwined stories; essentially, one is cliche while the other progresses at about the same rate as a stream in arctic winter. This one - Chihiros and Renjis - is also susceptible to include some very cheesy dialogue that no sane person would ever spout in real life. It would originally have received a five, but I decided to raise it up to a six because the metaphors in the book Chihiro cooks up are good and the association between memory and identity receives some attention. The other subplot - the cliched love triangle - is a flat five since there is really nothing out of the ordinary. Not having this arc, however, would probably have made Chihiros and Renjis arc unbearable for its agonizing slow-ness. Rounded up to a six, since both arcs synergize.
Characters:
I don't know if this is the thousandth or only the hundredth show that features some variant of amnesia. Either way, this really can't be called good characterization any more. Other than some identifying trait, the characters lack *real* depth and conflict, with the only possible exception of Chihiro. Her conflict is only tentatively explored through metaphors, so I'm rather inclined to use this aspect to bump the story and the animation rather than the characters.
Value:
Watching it a second time isn't a lot different from watching it the first time since the story is so predictable. I'm a sucker for the kind of style and artistic presentation used, so I can picture myself rewatching a single ep here or there.
Enjoyment:
ef is certainly worth watching in my opinion, and I'm usually not hot for romance shows. If nothing else, this show has some intellectual and a lot of artistic depth that is getting harder and harder to find these days. However, the appeal is by no means universal. People actually looking for a deep or complex romance will probably be disappointed. The appeal of this show lies mostly in the realization of its premise, and not being a fan of ambitious presentation will mean this quickly becomes a boring show.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I just finished watching this anime yesterday, so my impressions are still fresh in my mind.
Ef – a tale of memories is simply a story of love and all the forms of it. It’s your 12 episode serving honey dipped romance with some drama on the side. Although some parts of the anime were predictable (which diminished some of its power), I really enjoyed it. The animation was great – I’m not sure if I liked the silhouette effects, but they did what they were supposed to do. The sound was fine, and the story kept me glued to the screen.
What this anime did well was characterization. By the end, I had a solid opinion of every character in the story (except for two of the more mysterious characters, which I probably didn’t understand too well because I did not play ef – a fairy tale of two). In the case of Hirono, you get your standard two girl standoff and I didn’t know who to root for because both of them were so desperate (though I felt that a certain red haired girl was better portrayed owing to a few simple scenes – it’s amazing what some floating text can do).
I would recommend this to any anime fan who’s looking for a good 12 episode story. It’s not groundbreaking, but it is emotional, and I enjoyed it.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Shai_Halud |
(2008-10-19 17:52:34) 2008-10-19 16:43:57 |
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| ef - A Tale of Memories is two love stories that are only related in that they happen in the same city and that some of the characters know each other and/or are related. One of these stories involves a love-triangle between a reclusive manga-ka, his childhood fiend, and some slutty, pathetic skank desperate for attention who he met on Christmas Eve. I'm not going to talk about that story as I am bias.
The second love story is about a high school boy who is having difficulty deciding what to do with his life named Renji and a girl (probably of the same age) with an eye-patch and degenerative retro-grade amnesia named Chihiro (she can only remember the first twelve years of her life and the past 13 hours). They meet one day on some abandoned train tracks and eventually become friends.
As the story progresses, we learn more and more about how Chihiro's condition has affected her perception of the world. This I find, is the crown jewel of the anime. It lends subtlety and depth to the story, which would otherwise be a run-of-the-mill romance. For instance, To compensate for her lack of memory, Chihiro keeps a diary. She writes short-concise descriptions of all her important thoughts and experiences in here and reads it over and over again in her free time. If something bad happens or things don't go her way, though, she sometimes leaves things out or writes in what she wanted to happen. As the diary is her only source of memory, in 13 hours she will either forget what happened or believe whatever she wrote in the diary.
Renji is a bit more stock but very likable. He is our sympathetic hero and he developed well as the story continues, even though he does not change as dramatically as Chihiro does.
Eventually, Renji starts helping her to write a novel. This takes up the breadth of the series and acts as a pretense for their romance.
Overall, this anime is astoundingly good and I expect to see it on the top 100 one day. Oh, and the other story is good... very good actually. Its just not quite as interesting as Renji and Chihiro's story. I absolutely recommend it as a surprisingly good romance anime... Oh and I didn't really mention this, but the animation style is a little odd. You'll understand when you watch it.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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|
antipunt |
(2008-08-25 15:00:28) 2008-08-25 04:44:17 |
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| Average |
8.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| I will start off my review by admitting that I went into this series with doubt. Not only was it based off a shady looking game, the first three episodes presented the characters as somewhat hollow. The anime wasn't necessarily bad, but it felt dead. I would find out shortly after, however, that I had fallen into the anime's 'trap'. It was, actually, a lot better than I had originally labeled it
Ef tale of memories is a heartfelt story that loved to play games with my inner critic...and I really mean it (I will explain what I mean by this later). The story revolves around two male leads and their female companions. One of the leads immediately caught my attention by reflecting an incredibly admirable personality. Renji from day 1, admits that he had a dream of being a knight protecting a weak princess, a feeling that I could relate to and understand
The second arc that runs simultaneously with Renji's revolves around the second male, Hirono, who IMO represents somewhat of a mirror with the male lead from KGNE. To an infinite level, however, I found Hirono to be much more likable.
Which brings me to the point I mentioned earlier, but first let me give credit to where it is due. The music is SUPERB; I found the soundtrack moving, and sought after it promptly after finishing the series. The animation is beautiful; and i must say very 'ball-sy'. It attempts an artsy style that could've come off as 'over the top', but instead performed marvelously in execution. The characters are all well developed (though not to perfection like Honey and Clover), and the storyline is good enough to prevent me from developing 'A walk to remember'-itis where i'm correctly guessing every character's next line.
Like every good story, Ef had main characters that ended up much different from where they started. And it wasn't to say that they started as horrid lowlifes devoid of likable qualities. It's just that they started as boys and ended up more like men. The female characters, also learn to conquer their inner demons alongside their male friends.
Now back to an earlier point; the way the anime toys with you: first off, all the characters appear more shallow than they actually are in the first 3-4 episodes. What I didn't know was that it was all planned. Instead of being a 'omg, what is this..." kind of surprise, it was definitely the good kind. The second way the anime 'toyed' with me was essentially playing chicken with my inner critic. A few times, I was tempted to write this off as a worse series than I did..
And the reason why is because there ARE a few moments of 'ugh...'. Specifically, I'm referring to a few moments of bad timing. A badly timed 'naked shot' could be interpreted as 'cheap ecchiness' as opposed to 'an artistic view' of the character. There are, unfortunately, a few of these 'bad timings', specifically with echii-ness and also a couple borderline-cliche moments that had my fingers twitching with the 'walk to remember' red marker in hesitation. Note, that I highly emphasize 'few'. If not, I would have been harsher in rating. These bad-moments are counterbalanced by a few 'epic moments' where you completely immerse yourself within the character's struggles. Like an honest child that had apologized for his actions, I could not bring myself to berate him any further than a short-scolding.
Anyone who quickly writes this off as a 'over-melodramatic' piece of work full too much of emo moments and lack of substance is, I'd even go as far to say, somewhat 'out of touch'. I'd say more experienced romance genre fans would at least give credit towards the brilliant execution and originality in the series. This is especially applicable after seeing anime akin to KGNE, with badly timed comedy and cheap tear-jerk moments. In conclusion, I would say this was a decent piece of work with beautiful story/music/ and art. There were, however, flaws that kept it from being as good as it could have been. I'd say there an 'A' for ideas/effort but a 'B+++' for execution, which is still pretty high. I would even go far enough to say this anime would be sort of like a "KGNE-type made right". No annoying waitress character who would break up the authenticity of the story. Much fewer awkward echii moments which cheapened the characters. No unlikeable main characters. And complete avoidance of the 'walk to remember' formula of a girl stuck in a hospital. And also, best of all, the moments felt real, not formulaic. Though this is not to forget the faults in Ef a Tale of Memories and its few annoying moments of 'deus ex machina'. In the large scope, however, these are easily forgiven because it gives you a feeling of honesty. Like the writers actually cared about the story, and wanted to let you know
Close to authentic story telling, and great honesty mixed with some great talent. KGNE could learn a few lessons with this improved work of art, which takes its story, expands it into a dual-arc, cleans out the garbage, and replaces it with some pretty nice gems.
Not quite as good as some of the leads in originality-romance, but surprisingly touching/impressive for its genre. Memorable and legitimate.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
7.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| What we have here is possibly something that Air lovers will like. This is not like Air, it is different, it has a lot of similarities though. It is good, but it really takes time for you to like it. Only problem is that if you've seen air and a lot of harem anime's you will find this a bit dull even though it is quite good. Thats what I felt.
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2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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No
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|
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This anime is the best romance anime, drama anime out there. It has moments where it is real intense and you feel for these characters. Basically I would DEFINETELY recommend this anime to everyone.
Message me if you feel this review helped. >.<
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1 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Generaly like anime based on games are good in any way - this one is uncommon, unusual and out of this world. There are no words to tell You how I feel about this series.
To begin with - the anime is about two boys and three girls. Nothing special? Well no. Two stories are shown and two qualitys as well.
Aso Renji is a normal boy and a student - all he likes is reading books and he desire to be a writer. His life will change when he meets Shindo Chihiro. A girl with a 'chain'. This is the 'main' romance - the sad one as well as the significant one.
The other story accumulates around Hirono Hiro - a student with a talent to draw manga, he also do this for living. His emotional live is stable untile he meets a girl on chrismas eve - Miyamura Miyako (my favourite character). This story also involves Hirono-kun's friend and his 'girlfriend' Shindo Kei. This triangle affair is the complicated one and also is important.
Only link that is connecting this stories is that Shindo Kei and Shindo Chihiro are siblings, twins sisters.
Why the anime is ratet so high? Well it is all a masterpiece. Animation is perfect (well it is minori studio after all - titles like: 'Wind ~ a breath of heart ~', 'REC', also SHAFT with thers 'Sayonara Zetsubo Sensei' and 'Tsukuyomi - Moon Phase -').
Sounds is good, no revolition but well today no anime with bad sound and music can make it to the TV.
Story is exelent, no doubt it is one of the chef-d'oeuvre in Love Romance animes in last 5 to 7 years. I was planning to give 10, but in the end... Well I can give 10 only when people die in the series.
Characters are pervect.
Value and enjoyment are supremely excellent. I was crying when I was watching the last episode and saw the essentials. Plus it was like having a katharsis.
It is one of the animes You like, you love and you want to have every moment in your mind. Also after I saw it I was sure there is hapiness and joy in this wourld.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
9 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
9 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Started off rather slow(first episode or two), but then quickly builds up interest and drama making you want to watch more and more. Gorgeous looking animation and a euphoric atmosphere make this a very unique anime.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
8.0 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
8 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| First glance, oh yes, yet another love romance story in the whole stockpile I've seen...probably just another boring naive plot with oh-my-god-I-can't-live-without-you characters. WRONG. The first two episode were a standstill type of aura, but the story begins to accelerate at a steady pace so on.
Compared to other anime of the same genre, such as KGNE and Gift ~Eternal Rainbow, Ef~ boasts a considerably greater piece of morality, which so, truly appealed to me above the storyline and the storylines of many other anime. Ef~ was inspirational and deep, a composition of abstract ideas which is represented and commenced by each individual in the story. I'd recommend this anime to anyone who wishes to take a tackle at more spiritual and complex methods of thinking, or for anyone who finds fascination in the thesis and morals of a deeper plane. However, for people who watch anime for authentic enjoyment for the sake of it, this anime may be tedious and long, with little to expect or feel enlightened over. Personally, I found this series hard to laugh off, the heavy concepts and the unique ideas can slow one down. Many times, I've had to pause it and think over the position of each character and the emotions they carry to fully digest the meaning behind their moves. Nevertheless, I've learned some plausible ideas that I won't forget easily for Ef~ A Tale of Memories has left me a deep impression.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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|
Avalanche |
(2008-01-29 08:59:09) 2008-01-28 05:58:26 |
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| Average |
5.7 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
5 |
| Character |
5 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
4 |
| Ef ~ A Tale of Memories is yet another series based on a renai erogé (dating sim). A 12 episode series, it is based on the two love stories running parallel to each other with some overlapping of characters. Unlike other anime series based on erogé, this series (as I was told before I watched the series for myself) pays a lot of emphasis on the characters and their emotions. So after telling myself that 12 episode wouldn’t hurt (I’m deeply skeptic of this erogé into anime business), I decided to gave this a shot. My eyes haven’t stopped rolling in disgust since then.
While of one the stories is based on a concept which instantly reminded me of ’50 First Dates’ Hollywood flick, the other series soon shaped up to a decent romantic culminating in a triangle as it progressed. While both the stories start of decently, I just got the feeling that the series didn’t feel any qualms about stepping into the cheesy-melodrama territory. Lines like “Can we hold hands?”<Add the most clichéd BGM behind this line>, “Can I kiss you?”, and “Can you look only at me?” etc are used in overabundance throughout the series. While all this is done at a right time – it might feel very endearing. But when done purely to increase the “emotional quality” of the series without any proper framework all I could think that the creators were trying to make me believe that the characters are very deep. And they failed spectacularly in their attempts. The characters often went into monologues of how ‘lonely’ they were and how they needed to be loved and all other crazy horseshit lines – all I could do was question the intelligence of the people who wrote those lines and my own for watching this.
The only characters I could like were Kei (to a certain extent) and Kyosuke (this was the only guy in the series which showed some sense and it was a pity that his role was the shortest). All other characters start off respectably but somewhere down the 7th episode or so they started to feel clichéd instead of emotive.
Now all this is not to say that some people would not find this good. People playing erogé (those guys who found the Shuffle! anime to be very entertaining) might find this very deep, but in anime if you want something short and emotive I prefer something like Paradise Kiss. Some people might get blown away by the animation style into thinking that this really is unique (read more in the animation section). But sadly this is anything but. In short, not recommended unless you can falsely ‘convince’ yourself into thinking what you are watching is delightfully deep. This just keeps giving anime a bad name.
Hmmmm… With this I have seen over 10 anime based on erogé/visual novels/games. Only Higurashi has so far impressed me. This entire conversion thing sucks.
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5 of 10 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This anime is outstanding, amazing animation, great character, awesome story, really touching moments. Maybe the weakest part is music, which is good but not oustanding as the rest of this anime.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
8.3 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| This romantic drama introduces quite a few interesting features that I haven't seen before including telling the stories of three couples at the same time. Though the story is very hard to pick up at first, it all becomes evidently clear later on. The one thing that stands out in this series is the director's unique use of visuals that make the experience something beyond what one would expect.
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1 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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|
|
| Average |
8.2 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| As an avid fan of romance anime, this one simply falls off the mark by a tiny bit. The animation is top notch. The direction is some of the most original I've seen since Kare Kano. However, the characters are boring and hard to connect with and the story is dry.
ef - Tale of Memories takes place in a single town and follows three separate stories concerning six different characters. Now, these stories aren't given equal screentime. One takes up much more than the other and the other takes up much more than another. Consequently, ef is plays out like a TV series that had scenes from its crappy spinoffs injected in each episode.
The 'main' story, is basically about a girl without a long-term memory, much akin to the main character in Momento. She meets some guy, who falls in love with her and the story takes off from there. Unfortunately, the summary I just wrote is about half of the whole story. There isn't actually much in a way of a story as there are a lot of rampant monologues that rehash their state of minds over and over again. The animation and artist direction saves this sheep a bit, but having this go on for 13 episodes is very boring to watch.
In most romance animes, the enjoyability lies in watching the process of love: realization -> falling into it -> courtship, usually from one point of view to isolate the viewer into main protagonist. In ef-tale of memories, the characters all fall in love with each other inexplicably. There is little courtship, and every point of view is shown. Consequently, it is very hard to watch this anime with a romance-ready frame of mind.
However, despite all of these downfalls, you should watch an episode or two of ef-tale of memories if only for the artistic direction and animation. Otherwise, I'd suggest to go watch CLANNAD.
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3 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| First off, I do want to say that ef~a tale of memories is a good series with a unique presentation-in terms of emotion through the use of abstract visuals to portray the stories it presents-a unique aspect that, for some, may excel over the actual story itself. It's also one of the few series to portray, simultaneously, a series of different stories with its main characters, whom all know each other and interact in a series of direct and indirect confrontations.
I hesitated to do a review of this series off-the-bat, because I didn't want to come into it with too many biases, but I think nonetheless, I found the value of what ef was trying to convey overall and it did strike me more in some points than others. The downside is-if you've seen a number of romance series, chances are you may not like this one because it's very formulatic for a romance series. On the other hand, if you aren't looking for anything different in a romance series story wise, and would only consider something slightly different, you might love this.
Renji and Chihiro's arc has a tragic abstract air about it similar to series like AIR, Kanon, or Clannad, and may come across to some, who look for more direct confrontation and conflict, as boring. Renji and Chihiro's arc though, was my favorite among the arcs, not only because I could actually see Renji's desperation, but also because, as a writer, when watching them construct the story together, the symbolism appealed to me, and I brought something out of it that maybe most wouldn't. It also feels like the atmosphere of what someone could relate to if they've seen the American movie 50 First Dates, as Chihiro suffers from memory loss.
The arc among Miyako, Kei, Kyosuke, and Hiro, is something you'd likely see in series like KGNE, where you have a love triangle that builds up in a tense atmosphere and while sometimes funny it can also turn downright painful for the characters involved-and for many, this is the arc in which something "happens". I had mixed feelings with the arc, though. I loved the use of the animation and the raw emotions the characters displayed. This arc, despite enjoying parts of it with the humor and use of animation (90 seconds of a tense phone conversation was probably one of the highlights of the arc for me-even as a down-to-earth romantic), I found the overall story formulatic. I ended up feeling for the characters a little more on a second watch though. Miyako's character annoyed me at first because she felt like she just popped out of the blue, until her backstory came into focus and I started to warm up to her character in the end, but she still didn't make such an impression on me that I could say I liked her. Kei's character had flaws for all to see-done well, I have to say, but I think people will either like her character as the "girl next door/childhood friend" or they'll hate her because she tries to garner attention and it ends up causing pain for those going against her stream of affections (the latter is what I felt in the end watching the series-so I couldn't really love her character either). The series manages to handle her confliction with this well, as she does recognize her role and comes to terms with it.
Animation is perhaps the highlight of the series, and probably, coupled with the fragments of storytelling, is what makes this tale so unique compared to other romance series. For me, it was what made it more of an enjoyable experience than it otherwise would have been.
Music was also a highlight-I actually liked both the English and Japanese versions of the opening theme "Euphoric Field" by Tenmon featuring ELISA. There are many different ending themes for the series-a total of five including a use of the opening theme as episode 2's ending. I loved them all, and thought that, coupled with the BGM, the music made the series also hit a highlight point with me.
Overall, I would say ef is definitely worth watching once, and depending on its appeal to you, it may be worth watching more. I'd watch it again myself, but probably only when I'm in a good mood for a romance series, as it does tend to strike me as a bit standard if taken outside of its sequencing and animation. Yet, if you're not expecting too much in the way of deviations or uniqueness in romance series, this is an interesting one to look into.
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5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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|
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| Average |
5.5 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
4 |
| Character |
3 |
| Value |
4 |
| Enjoyment |
5 |
| ef - a tale of memories is not for everyone. The animations may throw some people off. (I hated the style at first, but then I got used to it. The soundtrack for ef was amazing with beautiful orchestra pieces played in the background. But what ef lacked was good characters, I mean a romance show is all about the characters, right?
The animations were for the most part good. Especially the beach scenes with the gorgeous sky, (OH NO SOLA VIBES!!!) but there were some parts where they showed a blank white screen with only one word on it. Clever, but that doesn't hide that the animation budget wasn't high enough. Some scenes are just plain blank and all you see is a silhouette of a character with some sky in the background. Yes, it irritated me and bored me when they overused it. There are even some scenes where they just show a stationary picture with no movement for almost one-third of the episode. It was a clever way to save money, but I was bored out of my mind when I had to watch that. Animations will throw some people off and it certainly did me, but in the end I grew to sort of like it. But I still wish that SHAFT would've just used the regular route of showing an anime. But you can't hurt them for trying something new, right?
The soundtrack was excellent. I was hooked the instant I heard the trailer for this anime. That was the main selling point for ef. Beautiful background music and it fits the slow mood of this anime. The OP and ED songs were played very well and I thought they did a pretty good job at showing how strange and beautiful this anime would be. Too bad, they didn't portray the horrible character we would have to face. Voice acting was fairly good, even though I have a need to punch "Miyako" in the face. Because she annoys me with her lonely act and the nobody understand me personality. But I'll get to that later in the character department.
The story is a little different then most anime, instead of having one main story. They split it up into two love stories, which is fine by me. But the problem is the constant switching can get confusing and a little irritating when you only want to see one side of the story and not the other side. First you have Chihiro and Renji and I don't know why, but I did not like Renji. Renji finds Chihiro one day at a train station and obviously he falls in love with her, but Chihiro has a memory disorder and can only remember things that have happened for thirteen hours. The story would have been good if it wasn't so slow and it was sometimes a pain to watch. I found myself doing other stuff when it was Chihiro's arc, because I did not find it at all that entertaining as much as I found the other arc.
Renji. I found him really annoying with the "Don't worry, I will always save you act." It just bothered me and I didn't like his character design either. It was rather plain for an important character. Renji bothered me for a reason I do not know. But I just did not like his character and instead I found myself a slow dimwit character that just drove me insane. Chihiro was an okayish character. I didn't really feel for her memory loss problem and I didn't really care for her.
Then we have the second half of the plot. Which is a love-triange between a guy named Hirono and two girls named Kei and Miyako. It's a basic love-triangle with jealousy and drama. Somehow this appealed to me more than Chihiro and her somewhat dramatic episodes that made me feel drowsy after watching them. Kei was a good character and I really felt for her character when I watched her struggle with her love for Hirono. SHAFT has introduced to us a deadly disease that we can only call at the moment Miyako. Miyako was the most annoying of the bunch. I never felt for her and I wished that she would just disappear, because I didn't really feel at all for her story. I was actually rooting for her demise. Did she get it? Watch to find out.
ef - a tale of memories sometimes felt like a disappointment from what I expected at first. It wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be and sometimes I wouldn't even watch the episode and fiddle with my fingers instead. It certainly was painful in the beginning, because of how slow the romance was building up and how slow the drama was developing. But by the halfway point the show got somewhat a little more interesting and I actually got to dig the animations. Well, not quite, but they were more bearable then when I first started the anime.
Do I recommend ef? Yes, I do. I'm a sucker for romance shows and ef must have not hit me as hard as it did other people. Because I can already see the people that are going to get mad at me for giving this anime such a low score. I recommend ef for the romance/drama fans, because I feel that ef will appeal to you better than it did to me. I just felt the dialouge was boring and the animations were a little too awkward, but good at the same time. And I also found the characters to be annoying, except for Kei, because she was awesome. I'm sorry Miyako, but you bugged me to a certain extent and I can't stand your character at all.
Overall, ef is a decent show. It might hook you with its animations or it might disgust you and turn you away. Some people may be thrown off by the characters. (I was almost about to call it quits, because of Miyako. But I got over it and finished the whole anime) ef - a tale of memories is a decent anime with many good points, but also a whole bunch of flaws.
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2 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Pakxenon |
(2007-12-29 14:36:28) 2007-12-29 04:51:18 |
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Theatrical Masterpiece: ef ~a tale of memories~ pushes the boundaries of both the animated media and the love/romance genre with its experimental techniques used to tell a beautiful and captivating story about three couples and their struggles to find their goals in life. Despite SHAFT's previous mediocrity and failures, they managed to produce something fittingly stunning of their style in a genre (romance visual novel) they are treading on for the first time. As the source game was designed to be movie-like, SHAFT took the liberty to extrapolate this presentation into a full-blown visual feast. The story, by minori (Wind ~a breath of heart~ [have not played yet]), tells the sweet yet sad tales of three (originally four, cut one out for the anime) pairs of teenagers, each with a distinct talent for the arts, and their journeys towards finding themselves as well as romance. Packaged with these two highlights is an amazingly perfect soundtrack and songs with colourful lyrics and hooking melodies. ef could very well be one of the most well directed and presented romance anime of the decade and/or current cultural era.
ef does have a few issues that may turn off some viewers (especially on the first episode), but that does not stop me from giving it a near perfect score (see my other reviews ;D). They would not know what they are missing - ef ~a tale of memories~ is an experience that should be memorable to all those who watch and enjoy it.
(Yes, I think this review is too big, too. It is what happens when you become overly knowledgeful and obsessive. o_O)
Also, this is my "100th review". It's not official, persay (my Higurashi season one is gone, but my season two review will cover both seasons, and I have 4 manga reviews as of this time), but I think it's nice to celebrate with a review that is is over 10kb.
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2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| This is a solid package of an intricate story about four individuals who are just trying to find their own way. In the 12 episode all-too-short journey with these characters we are introduced to broader aspects of time, memories, relationships and destiny. It's a beautiful series that tugs at the heartstrings.
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4 of 4 people found this review helpful.
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