(L) ef - a tale of memories.

[darkchibi07]

Spoiler for uhhh...:

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by darkchibi07

Spoiler for uhhh...:

.......................................I take it those are from the special DVD things that were recently released?......................................

[iceyfw]

i am very impressed with this romance anime. the way they told the story with beautiful animation and timing the BGM during "powerful" moments moved me. normally you'd see some bull---- scenes when it comes to these type of scenes in these kind of animes. i never got tired of watching the whole thing in one night. and definitely the little changes in the OP in ep12 suprised me. i think i'll wait 2 to 5 more weeks until i start watching ef - a tale of melodies.

[Eczema]

Originally Posted by darkchibi07

Spoiler for uhhh...:

DO WANT

I'd love a parody OVA of some sort like this.

[Najica]

Im sorry for asking something in a kinda-dead thread....and not really discuss the anime itself >_< But iv tried to find the novel Chihiro writes in finished form and pure text form (and of course in 100% english) though,iv failed to find it,so i was wondering if anyone here has it? >_<;;

[Sprite_Coke]

I as well apologize for posting in a dead thread but does the DVD versions have any difference?

[Guardian Enzo]

So once again I'm very late to the party on this one (how do I miss these incredible series when they first air?) but I'm through #6 and just wanted to weigh in on how great this series is. It's interesting to see a totally different side of SHAFT than what I'm used to - still with the interesting collage shots, etc, but played to completely different effect here. It's in part due to Tenmon's superb BGM, but the mood of this piece is gentle and thoughtful, not the usual manic SHAFT steamroller.

A great batch of characters on the whole, but so far I'm finding Hiro's arc the most interesting. Hiro Shimono playing not just yet another Hiro, but a guy named "Hiro Hiro"? Priceless. He doesn't have the greatest range of any seiyuu, but when he gets a pitch in his strike zone he absolutely hammers it out of the park - and that's the case here.

Just OOC, how does everyone feel "Melodies" holds up to the first series? I'm only halfway through but at this point I can't imagine not wanting to watch the sequel as well.

[Sol Falling]

Most people seem to think Melodies doesn't hold up (that's the impression I've gotten). For me personally, it's been a while since I've watched Memories, so maybe I've just forgotten how absolutely mindblowingly awesome it was, but I thought Melodies was solid and maybe even better.

If I've got it right, Memories' real strength (in comparison to Melodies) lies in its more powerful/meaningful use of metaphor and the themes of artistry it brings up. If you're at episode 6 right now, just know that Chihiro's arc gets much more interesting and you're in for a treat going further into the series. As for Hiro/Miyako's arc, to be honest for me it didn't feel complete, so for that reason I wasn't quite happy with the ending of Memories.

Perhaps that's the element that really does make me prefer Melodies. In addition to just plain having more likeable characters as mains (personal opinion), it adds just a little extra bit of development which completes Hiro/Miyako's story for me, as well as wrapping up all the loose ends of the plot/setting in general. I think some people did complain about some subjective shift in the art/stylistic stuff, but I didn't really notice any difference, and at least for the dramatic moments, I think the ef team pulled them off as effectively as ever. So basically to summarize, Melodies holds up just fine. Even if people don't share my (personal) distaste for the relative weakness of Memories' main characters, Melodies is worth watching for the overarching plot elements alone at the very least (most other aspects holding constant).

[0utf0xZer0]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Most people seem to think Melodies doesn't hold up (that's the impression I've gotten).

Hold up in comparison to what? I know Memories is generally considered the better of the two, but I thought Melodies was still generally considered a good show.

I prefer Memories, in particular because Renji/Chihiro is my favourite pairing. That said, Melodies has a lot going for it. For one, I think it has the single most powerful scene in the franchise, which given all the powerful scenes in the second half of Memories is saying quite a lot. Just be aware that some parts of Melodies are really depressing.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by Sol Falling

Most people seem to think Melodies doesn't hold up (that's the impression I've gotten). For me personally, it's been a while since I've watched Memories, so maybe I've just forgotten how absolutely mindblowingly awesome it was, but I thought Melodies was solid and maybe even better.

If I've got it right, Memories' real strength (in comparison to Melodies) lies in its more powerful/meaningful use of metaphor and the themes of artistry it brings up.

Yes, it's become apparent to me that the real theme of this show is art and the creation of it - the romance, tragedy and other personal aspects being supportive of that central theme.

It's interesting, though - I actually (through 8 eps now) find the Chihiro/Renji arc less interesting than the Hiro/Kei/Miyako arc. It feels more contrived and less natural to me, though there's an undeniable power to Chihiro's story. While Hiro's arc is starting to have an almost "nice boat' feel to it I expect better than that from the concluding 5 eps. The elements of magical realism are somewhat reminiscent of Key's works, but the core of this series seems less mystical and more human. It's quite a ride so far.

[Guardian Enzo]

Wow, huge traffic of posts about 8... Fascinating to go back and view them two years after the fact!

[Guardian Enzo]

Well - that was a fascinating trip, I must say. Haven't played the game of course, but I thought the series was a nicely self-contained, coherent entity on it's own - well-written, well-animated, and never boring. It's interesting to see what can happen when the power of SHAFT's genius is harnessed for good instead of evil.

While the series as a whole was a musing on creation - and the romance a vehicle to make the point rather than the central theme - I do think it's interesting how the specific arcs played out. In concept, the Chihiro/Renji arc is the better. Its original, loaded with inherent emotional power, and even feasible (Chihiro's condition does exist, more or less). The Hiro/Kei/Miyako arc is in some ways a fairly conventional school romance plot - though less conventional than it appears at first glance - and even briefly prompted some unpleasant School Days thoughts (are there any other kind?) of the "nice boat" variety.

So why, in the end, died I enjoy the Hiro arc more than the Chihiro (hey - I just noticed that!) arc? it's a matter of execution vs. conception. While the Chihiro arc is probably the better and more original concept, the Hiro arc was more involving for me as it played out on screen. It had a hyper-realistic - almost voyeuristic - feel to it, and the characters rose above simple concepts and became real people. The Chihiro arc almost felt like a different anime - it was deeply rooted in high-concept and the romance much more of the (dark) fairy tale variety. Renji and Chihiro never felt real to me in the same way Kei, Miyako and Hiro did - I felt like I was watching a story rather than actual people. None of that is to say it didn't work - the natural drama in their situation was palpable and you couldn't help but feel for Chihiro. But it never grabbed me in the same way - it was more interesting intellectually than gripping emotionally. Even the settings speak to this - the bulk of Hiro's arc was spent in his small, cluttered apartment while the essence of Chihiro's was an eerie, beautiful abandoned railway station (is there anything more evocative than an abandoned railway station?). Gritty reality vs. wistful fantasy.

All in all, a terrific series and well worth the effort. I look forward to Melodies and seeing how that progresses the mythology.

[achirist]

I just re-watched the series via the Thora blurays and CCP codecs, and I can't believe just what a different experience that was! I picked up so much I didn't the first time. This is still my favorite series, I find, and I realize just how much I related to Chihiro most of all in this season; when she blows up and demands if she has to keep living the life in the journal, repeating the same meaningless day over and over again...I realized that is exactly how I feel sometimes in trying to recover from an eating disorder right now.

I think Melodies holds up, and it was fascinating to see just how much more tragic the fate of messed up teenagers was just a generation before memories.

[darkacc112]

Umm. if this thread isnt dead yet. can anyone please make me a forum signature of ef a tale of memories?. i want the scene where miyamura kisses the manga guy (sorry i forgot his name :O). to be more specific when she kisses him i want the angle where they are kissing on the left part of the screen and you can see their faces and they are closing their eyes. And for the words on the sig, can you write in beautiful letters that are shining .... Keep Close The Memories that are precious to you. thanks . and if you cant then thats fine too

[Cosmic Eagle]

So after a sudden urge to replay and rewatch this game and its anime I must say lovely as when it first came out. Excellent. Certainly up there with Sola and superior to D.C, Naru Nanao's other works

[GreatTeacherKen]

^^ Didn't she just design the characters for both series? She may have contributed some ideas, but I don't think she wrote the stories.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by GreatTeacherKen

^^ Didn't she just design the characters for both series? She may have contributed some ideas, but I don't think she wrote the stories.

Not Ef but I think she wrote bits of Sola....

[frubam]

Um, does there happen to be an official picture of what Chihiro's eye looks like under the eyepatch? I empathize with her disgust when she looked at it, but I was just curious if in it's original format if they showed it.

[Hedd]

Just finished an AMV for this one. Enjoy.

[zrdb]

Originally Posted by frubam

Um, does there happen to be an official picture of what Chihiro's eye looks like under the eyepatch? I empathize with her disgust when she looked at it, but I was just curious if in it's original format if they showed it.

No-not unless you want to draw one yourself.