[Dagger]

I finished the first chapter of ef today. For me, it's probably a good thing that the game as a whole isn't particularly long, since it takes me long enough to get through each scene as things stand. Looking at the memories section, it seems like there might only be two chapters, though. And are they not going to play the OP video until the very end!? At first I just kept reading mindlessly because I was waiting for my Shinkai goodness... orz.

Not much to say about the first chapter, really. The framework of the story was typical, but within that framework, I thought the writing was quite strong.

Spoiler:

In particular, they did a good job of making my feelings about the girls change along with Hirono. For such a simple story, I was surprised at how much my opinion of Kei and Miyako evolved as it progressed. At first I found both of them to be kind of annoying, but the writing brings out other sides of their personalities in a skillful, natural way. So yeah--a simple story, but with powerful characterization. It helps that Hirono himself is a pretty cool hero--both cool and clumsy. He also gets huge points for being a shoujo manga-ka, haha. Awesome!

The voice acting in ef is superb, by the way. Every single female voice is a delight to listen to. <3

At first I was a little worried about the first chapter, since initially I didn't like any of the female characters in it as much as Yuuko (who instantly won my heart). In that sense, it definitely exceeded my expectations. I do have to question what the choices in the game really do, though... it seems like the creators need the individual stories to end a particular way in order for overarching story to be coherent. So what's the point of having choices at all? I guess I find it to be somewhat misleading.