(L) ef - a tale of memories.

[relentlessflame]

Spoiler for Episode 7:

Holy shit.

...

That was quite possibly one of the creepiest anime episodes I've ever seen. "Holy shit" is pretty much all I can think to say at the moment. Absolutely amazing.

Spoiler for Episode 7 - Actual thoughts:

I'm seriously afraid for Miyako; that's one hell of a trauma. Watching her revert to her childhood self is so amazingly frightening. By the time the ED came on (new animation, by the way), I was absolutely terrified. Just listen to her voice as her world crumbles all around her... again. The music was just so perfect. I know that a lot of people will probably criticize this episode for its extremely unconventional approach -- in fact, I don't think I've ever seen such an unconventional anime episode. It's absolutely bizarre, but so incredibly effective.

And then of course Kei had to take the final step: wipe the messages out. "I'll make you disappear" indeed. Damn.

The first part was really well done too. The reasons that Renji was warned to stay away from Chihiro are starting to become much, much clearer. You could feel Renji's heart feeling emptier and emptier, and the way they had the words (kanji/romaji) just become blank by the end was... wow. And then they showed the episode title. Awesome.

I think this episode will probably go down as one of the most controversial anime episodes in recent memory. I doubt there'll be much middleground -- people will either consider it a complete failure or an absolute masterpiece. As for me, I'm going with the later. This is what anime is all about.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler for Episode 7:

Holy shit.

...

That was quite possibly one of the creepiest anime episodes I've ever seen. "Holy shit" is pretty much all I can think to say at the moment. Absolutely amazing.

Spoiler for Episode 7 - Actual thoughts:

I'm seriously afraid for Miyako; that's one hell of a trauma. Watching her revert to her childhood self is so amazingly frightening. By the time the ED came on (new animation, by the way), I was absolutely terrified. Just listen to her voice as her world crumbles all around her... again. The music was just so perfect. I know that a lot of people will probably criticize this episode for its extremely unconventional approach -- in fact, I don't think I've ever seen such an unconventional anime episode. It's absolutely bizarre, but so incredibly effective.

And then of course Kei had to take the final step: wipe the messages out. "I'll make you disappear" indeed. Damn.

The first part was really well done too. The reasons that Renji was warned to stay away from Chihiro are starting to become much, much clearer. You could feel Renji's heart feeling emptier and emptier, and the way they had the words (kanji/romaji) just become blank by the end was... wow. And then they showed the episode title. Awesome.

I think this episode will probably go down as one of the most controversial anime episodes in recent memory. I doubt there'll be much middleground -- people will either consider it a complete failure or an absolute masterpiece. As for me, I'm going with the later. This is what anime is all about.

I REALLY, REALLY agree with you.

Spoiler for ep7 thoughts:

Talk about a freaky episode. A lot of effects were used like the static and the crisscrossing words.

The beginning of the episode kind of felt boring a bit, but it got a lot better.

Renji receives a huge shock from Chihiro's (empty) words that she reads from her diarty, and it follows with his mental state where he is stumbling, crawling, backing off, etc. Then Chihiro runs off and he's left alone on the ground...
Plus, the constant words that appear with furigana end up disappearing into just furigana with no kanji at all.

The next half of the episode goes back in time and focuses on what Miyako was doing while Hiro went to Kei.
We get a lot on her past, where she "disappeared" from her parents and her world of "nothing". The plate shattering was pretty freaking too...
Then... we get her 99 phone calls. It wasn't as scary at first, but when those words started crawling up onto the screen, that was when I wanted to back off a bit. THAT was very creepy, and it ended with a completely black screen.

Once again, this was an amazing episode. Really. Not the most epic I've ever seen, but it'll stick in my mind.

[Shiroth]

....

Spoiler for Episode 07:

I don't even know what to thing after this episode. I mean after the heartbreak from the end of Renji's part, to OHMYLORD Miyako..

Brilliant, that's all i can say.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for ep7 thoughts:

Then... we get her 99 phone calls. It wasn't as scary at first, but when those words started crawling up onto the screen, that was when I wanted to back off a bit. THAT was very creepy, and it ended with a completely black screen.

Spoiler:

Yes, absolutely. At first it was just Miyako nagging, and it was just like "okay, she's being somewhat annoying", but then you can hear the tone of her voice change. Slightly at first, and then more, and more... the words kept on piling up and piling up along with her desperation. The music went from creepy to increasingly tense, and then the "beep" as everything slowly disappears and Miyako crying for help. The beep was like a heart beat monitor when someone's heart stops beating -- it really felt like death. By the time the ED started, I was having a cold sweat, seriously. Such an unbelievably chilling effect.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler:

Yes, absolutely. At first it was just Miyako nagging, and it was just like "okay, she's being somewhat annoying", but then you can hear the tone of her voice change. Slightly at first, and then more, and more... the words kept on piling up and piling up along with her desperation. The music went from creepy to increasingly tense, and then the "beep" as everything slowly disappears and Miyako crying for help. The beep was like a heart beat monitor when someone's heart stops beating -- it felt like she was just about dead. By the time the ED started, I was having a cold sweat, seriously. Such an unbelievably chilling effect.

Spoiler:

You know, reading what you just said pretty much had me reacting the same way i did when watching the scene (basically what you said). I don't think i'm ever going to come across such a scene ever again. It adds even more to the effect that it just wasn't expected after how episode six ended --- i mean yeah she left all those messages, so something has to be up, but..

Bloody hell.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler:

You know, reading what you just said pretty much had me reacting the same way i did when watching the scene (basically what you said). I don't think i'm ever going to come across such a scene ever again. It adds even more to the effect that it just wasn't expected after how episode six ended --- i mean yeah she left all those messages, so something has to be up, but..

Bloody hell.

Spoiler:

Yeah, exactly. At the time, I thought the "99 messages" was just a cute way of saying "an awful lot". It reinforced Kei's sense of "victory" and that Kei's comments earlier really affected Miyako. I barely even thought anything of it, even though a lot of people in this thread were saying how creepy it was. I thought they were reading too much into it. But now... yeah. "Bloody hell" is right. It was so much better than just being a nag -- Miyako is completely broken.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Spoiler:

I thought they were reading too much into it. But now... yeah. "Bloody hell" is right. It was so much better than just being a nag -- Miyako is completely broken.

Spoiler:

Indeed i also thought that. But to think that the 99 calls would plays such an important part in Miyako's backstory..

As for being 'completely broken', leave it to SHAFT and that wonderful style to bring out the best in that. I don't think you'll find any studio who could have done a better job at showing this important factor of the story. I mean, to actually leave us, the viewers with these kind of feelings after that scene, it's incredible.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

Spoiler:

As for being 'completely broken', leave it to SHAFT and that wonderful style to bring out the best in that. I don't think you'll find any studio who could have done a better job at showing this important factor of the story. I mean, to actually leave us, the viewers with these kind of feelings after that scene, it's incredible.

Spoiler:

Yes, exactly. I was thinking of how a number of people in this thread have been saying that the drama would be more effective in this show if they focused more on the emotions on people's faces instead of having shots so far back. But this episode definitely has something to say about that theory. Like you said, I can't imagine a single more effective way of conveying these emotions to the viewer. It was just so incredibly effective. I think this is a defining episode for the show, for Miyako's voice actress (amazing performance!), for the music composer (absolutely perfect), and also for the Director (who did the storyboard and episode direction for this episode himself). Love or hate the show, this is what it's all about.

I'm looking forward to the episode being subbed so this will become a broader conversation. Don't want it to seem like a chat -- it isn't meant to be.

[Timeless Enigma]

Interesting delivery on my MiyaMiya's section of the show, of course there was much more to her than met the eye. At first I was slightly annoyed by the animation they decided to use, but in the end it was very fitting.

Chihiro/Renji's storyline continues to fly under my radar, I think I might eventually just entirely skip their sections of the show. Or maybe I'll watch them when I have trouble sleeping.

Kei at the end, heh. I can't blame her, this is war and If I were her I would have done the same, but I'm rooting for MiyaMiya in this skirmish so I'm hoping Special Kei gets hers.

[Dagger]

Quick question: Is this going to be a 6-DVD release? Ep. 7 has pushed me over the edge in terms of wanting to get the R2s.

[relentlessflame]

Originally Posted by Magus IX

Quick question: Is this going to be a 6-DVD release? Ep. 7 has pushed me over the edge in terms of wanting to get the R2s.

Yes, indeed. The first of 6 DVDs will be released on December 7th (though, if you're going to collect them, I recommend that you try to pick up the prologue DVD as well for all the neat extras).

[Omniscient]

Episode 07 Screencaps and Summary

Spoiler:

Holy crap, that was intense. I thought I couldn't be impressed any further after watching Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations, but boy was I wrong. The second half of this episode was like watching Miyako's mind slowly break down, and it just got creepier and creepier. I kept waiting for her to threaten to kill him or herself.
The fact that Kei deleted all those messages before Hiro saw them also probably doesn't bode well, and the red imagery at the beginning of the ED was a little disturbing too.

[Dagger]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Yes, indeed. The first of 6 DVDs will be released on December 7th (though, if you're going to collect them, I recommend that you try to pick up the prologue DVD as well for all the neat extras).

Great, thanks. Yeah, I'm hoping to get the prologue, esp. since they don't seem to be using that gorgeous OP-like piece of animation anywhere in the actual show...

[relentlessflame]

Incidentally, one more thought after watching the ending over a few more times.

Spoiler for Episode 7:

Kei's so completely screwed now. I think what sealed it for me is the last phone message before Miyako started "disappearing" -- where she basically realizes that she's in love with Hiro ("I was so excited about our date that I couldn't sleep. Whenever I think of you, my heart starts pounding; I've never had these feelings before! [...]") Although Miyako had a nervous breakdown, I don't think she's "crazy"; I have no reason to doubt anything she said. And to have such a realization in her darkest moment of despair is portrayed as a stark contrast to Kei's cold, calculated, controlling attitude when she deleted all the voicemail (it's really not so dissimilar to what led to Chihiro's accident way back then; Kei's a spiteful, jealous girl when it comes to Hiro). No matter what happens now, Kei has no chance; I said last episode that "pride goeth before a fall", and it's never been more true. Justified or not, the anime is now portraying Kei as evil, and I think that means her days with Hiro are just about up. And I hate to say it, but as of right now, I think she deserves it.

If I were to guess at what happens next (complete and total blind speculation! Yay!), I think someone will find Miyako collapsed on the street and will contact Hiro since they'll find his number on her cell. This time Hiro will answer, and realizing she passed out waiting for him to show up, he'll rush over and be by her side when she wakes up. She'll wake up from her bad dream, and realize that she hasn't disappeared from Hiro's heart. And, starting from there, in Kei's words, "it'll all be over". Poetic justice.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by relentlessflame

Incidentally, one more thought after watching the ending over a few more times.

Spoiler for Episode 7:

Kei's so completely screwed now. I think what sealed it for me is the last phone message before Miyako started "disappearing" -- where she basically realizes that she's in love with Hiro ("I was so excited about our date that I couldn't sleep. Whenever I think of you, my heart starts pounding; I've never had these feelings before! [...]") Although Miyako had a nervous breakdown, I don't think she's "crazy"; I have no reason to doubt anything she said. And to have such a realization in her darkest moment of despair is portrayed as a stark contrast to Kei's cold, calculated, controlling attitude when she deleted all the voicemail (it's really not so dissimilar to what led to Chihiro's accident way back then; Kei's a spiteful, jealous girl when it comes to Hiro). No matter what happens now, Kei has no chance; I said last episode that "pride goeth before a fall", and it's never been more true. Justified or not, the anime is now portraying Kei as evil, and I think that means her days with Hiro are just about up. And I hate to say it, but as of right now, I think she deserves it.

If I were to guess at what happens next (complete and total blind speculation! Yay!), I think someone will find Miyako collapsed on the street and will contact Hiro since they'll find his number on her cell. This time Hiro will answer, and realizing she passed out waiting for him to show up, he'll rush over and be by her side when she wakes up. She'll wake up from her bad dream, and realize that she hasn't disappeared from Hiro's heart. And, starting from there, in Kei's words, "it'll all be over". Poetic justice.

Spoiler for ep7:

Rather than a realization, I just felt she was getting desperate, like she was trying to get him back and saying anything she could to do it.
After all, during those moments, her words kept on changing, where she shouts, then apologizes, etc.

Love can be dangerous... A certain show proved it. This episode had a lot of impact, so I'm really excited for the next one.
Though I don't hate them, I would prefer if they had more Miyako/Kei/Hiro than Chihiro/Renji.

[Deathkillz]

Holy SH*T!!

indeed...
ep 7 ~

Spoiler:

It's one thing to use harsh words but it's another thing to actually act upon it with such coldness...

up to this point i still thought that kei wasnt that bad of a character, but seeing her delete miyako's messages is really...zomg...

this is where she crossed the line. what i find sad about kei's personality is that she really does want to be with hiro but just finds it incapable of doing something that isnt back stabbing (while miyako had it coming to her with her previous attitude what kei did was really harsh...).

and onto miyako...her moment of despair was extreme! honestly i thought that she would have killed herself any moment during that scene to end her own suffering. she needs some mental assistance...

at last we see her past and it seems that her parents splitting up has left a dark impression on her. what i didnt get was why she was alone even if they did split up...she keeps saying how her world disappeared which is also a bit extreme but considering her age back then.

at last she found someone another world where she can be...

that message scene was just mind raping.

hearing miyako going through moments of playfullness to being worried to being scared to being angry and then to completely breakdown in fear of losing hiro...what if? what if what kei said was true? at this point miyako would have been shit scared...she doesnt want to lose anyone anymore but with no answer coming from hiro she begins to over think.

the last message begging hiro to save her was desperate...i dont think i have even hear someone breakdown like that and not think something funny about it...for once miyako was being dead serious which was totally OOC. so this is her hidden character ~~

yea...hearing her breakdown was painful...and what an awesome effect to have her words being written on screen...

the animation for this ep was more expressed than previously but i like most of the effect...probably the only scene i doubted was renji's spasing "figure"...his movements was just too smooth to be human

onto renji and chihiro what the hell just happened?

why did renji find her confession so painful? because she read it from her diary?

i just dont get when he went "crazy"...unless he thinks that the chihiro he loves isnt the one in front of her (seen as chihiro isnt rhe same person everday...)

best episode so far coming from this series

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by Deathkillz

Holy SH*T!!

indeed...
ep 7 ~

Spoiler:

she needs some mental assistance...

at last we see her past and it seems that her parents splitting up has left a dark impression on her. what i didnt get was why she was alone even if they did split up...she keeps saying how her world disappeared which is also a bit extreme but considering her age back then.

onto renji and chihiro what the hell just happened?

why did renji find her confession so painful? because she read it from her diary?

i just dont get when he went "crazy"...unless he thinks that the chihiro he loves isnt the one in front of her (seen as chihiro isnt rhe same person everday...)

Spoiler for ep7:

Agreed

From what she said, it seems her parents ended up not caring about each other. Then, afterwards, they stopped caring about her. I don't know if they left her alone or just ignored her though.

For Renji and Chihiro, it seems his main shock was that her expression didn't really change when she said it (and she read it from her diary) and that it felt kind of like she just said it without any emotion, like a statement rather than a confession.
Then, Renji acted hurt and Chihiro panicked?
That's how I see it as far as I remember. I don't want to go through this episode again for now. Need recovery.

[Omniscient]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for ep7:

Though I don't hate them, I would prefer if they had more Miyako/Kei/Hiro than Chihiro/Renji.

Spoiler:

Agreed. I've always found the Chihiro and Renji stuff boring when compared to Miyako, Kei, and Hiro.

[Shiroth]

Well, it's no surprise that people are going to want more from the Hiro/Kei & Miyako story, especially after episode 07. Still i'd rather it carry on the way it is --- half/half, 'cause i find this show has handled both stories in the best way possible, and hope it stays that way until the end.

[deffusse]

the second half of ep7 was one of the best ep I've ever seen, it was so basicly animated but very powerfull..

Spoiler for myako:

is myako going to lunatic or what? It is possible, that there gona be a lot of tragedy & regret at the end