(L) ef - a tale of melodies

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

A part of me just doesn't believe Nagi when she said Kuze is her boyfriend. I mean there's a pretty huge chance she is telling the truth, though it also could be a lie to drive Miyuki away from Kuze. An idea he came up with --- hard to say at this point.

I'd say there's a good chance that the relationship is a lie. Back in episode 2, when Kuze got all those letters towards the end of the episode, one of the letters was from Nagi. Kuze said he wondered how she was doing, and Himura asked Kuze how she said before and Kuze replied "Who knows" as he burned the letter too.

[gaguri]

Nagi is lying. Music was supposed to be Kuze's last attachment to the world before he tried to burn it. Nagi seems to agree with Kuze's view and seeing that Mizuki disagrees, she lies. Obviously "he's mine so back off" is going to work better than trying to change Mizuki's but-he's-still-not-dead!-opinion. /i think

And also, the melodoramatic tension that comes out of cat fight is more susspenssful~ *wooo what's going to happen next episode?

[sikvod00]

I suppose unlike Mizuki, Nagi (SO busty) doesn't believe there are any parallels between Kei and Chihiro's situation and what Kuze is going through.

Either that or she really is his boyfriend....

[gaguri]

Maybe to Nagi, having a dead boyfriend is a little bit worse than daily visiting your girl who needs a diary to remember his name.

[Leo_Otaku]

As much as I respect him I have to say that that was quite a silly entry...being harsh I would say that it is just a downright stupid one.

I agree that is just really stupid on his part. That is very hard to hear that English it more like engrish. Which is completely different than hearing and seeing a situation in an anime. Like hell did he know what they were saying? I find official translations to be more off in some situations.

Anyways this show is so awesome. I stayed away from playing the games to see how the anime would play out first. So many questions >.<

[Sorrow-K]

Ep 5

The reason this show can get away with being so overwrought is that its so shameless with how it delivers its drama in these big, rich (and probably unhealthy) dollops. The creativity with how everything is presented and the way the story is so heavily driven by themes also makes the whole thing, well, not just tolerable but completely absorbing and evocative.

What an episode. It might have been overwrought, but it was so effective. There are few other anime this year that are as competent with drama as this series has been.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

The creativity with how everything is presented and the way the story is so heavily driven by themes also makes the whole thing, well, not just tolerable but completely absorbing and evocative.

It reminds me of Shakespeare and other classical dramas in this sense.

Speaking of Kuze's girlfriend, I feel like there was a scene in memories where we see a woman in Kuze's house who isn't named. I'm a bit to lazy at the moment to go back and check, though.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Speaking of Kuze's girlfriend, I feel like there was a scene in memories where we see a woman in Kuze's house who isn't named. I'm a bit to lazy at the moment to go back and check, though.

If i remember correctly we never see her. Renji knocks on Kuze's house (the first time we see him), and he just mentions that he has a woman in the house at the moment.

[Azure_Peregrine]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

If i remember correctly we never see her. Renji knocks on Kuze's house (the first time we see him), and he just mentions that he has a woman in the house at the moment.

It seemed to me at the time that Kuze was either joking or lying. Something felt off about it. Maybe that was the night that he found out he was ill and just didn't want to see people, I don't know, and I don't have the episodes on this computer to go back to. But something definitely felt off about it.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Azure_Peregrine

It seemed to me at the time that Kuze was either joking or lying. Something felt off about it. Maybe that was the night that he found out he was ill and just didn't want to see people, I don't know, and I don't have the episodes on this computer to go back to. But something definitely felt off about it.

I do understand where you're coming from, especially when we fully understand the style of humor Kuze has. I'm just going to take it as 'he wanted to tease Renji'.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

when we fully understand the style of humor Kuze [h]as.

Kuze strikes me as the type who would actually tell you about it if she were there. It might have something to do with what he told Mizuki about masks, because he seems to make it a point to be as bluntly honest as possible.

[Azure_Peregrine]

Originally Posted by FatPianoBoy

Kuze strikes me as the type who would actually tell you about it if she were there. It might have something to do with what he told Mizuki about masks, because he seems to make it a point to be as bluntly honest as possible.

Nah, that's a facade, definitely. He didn't tell Mizuki what was up, he said that the violin was broken, he spent the entire day with Mizuki and didn't tell her what he was planning to do (tell her not to see him again)... He appears to be bluntly honest, but definitely isn't.

[HashiriyaR32]

I've got a quick question. Was "ever forever" a theme in one of the trailers for melodies? I remember hearing it back when this was still in production but somewhat close to the premiere.

Anyway, I just finished ep5. So looks like the "Two Otowas" comment from last season seemed much more literal this time around. During S1, I thought they were talking about the difference between the part of Otowa that hadn't been rebuilt after the earthquake, and the part that was COMPLETELY re-done with European architecture. In S2, it turned out that there was an Otowa in Japan, and and Otowa in Australia. At FIRST, I thought that was a cop-out of sorts, but I'm not one to ask if it makes sense or not seeing as there's still 7 episodes to go, AND I don't have either of the games in the series.

EDIT: Oops, I was wrong. "Ever Forever" was the ED for "ef - the latter tale". In that case, what was that song in the trailer?

[SuperKnuckles]

Cutters in anime isn't THAT rare nowadays. Remember Myself;Yourself? Remember H2O? It's like every other drama/romance anime has the self-inflicting characters one way or the other. It's not a magical thing nor is it really taboo. People in Japan ritually have punished themselves in the past. It's simply a taboo thing in almost culture simply because it deals with the darkest and most depressing part of being a human (hurting oneself to either punish or feel anything).

I'm much more curious as to what kind of a beast Yuuko's brother really is. Or if the animators/game-creators are leading us in for a loop.

[Azure_Peregrine]

Originally Posted by SuperKnuckles

Cutters in anime isn't THAT rare nowadays. Remember Myself;Yourself? Remember H2O? It's like every other drama/romance anime has the self-inflicting characters one way or the other. It's not a magical thing nor is it really taboo. People in Japan ritually have punished themselves in the past. It's simply a taboo thing in almost culture simply because it deals with the darkest and most depressing part of being a human (hurting oneself to either punish or feel anything).

I'm much more curious as to what kind of a beast Yuuko's brother really is. Or if the animators/game-creators are leading us in for a loop.

Oh, okay, Myself;Yourself IS one I've seen. Huh, I'd forgotten that. Except I don't really think of that as... well, cutting. Yes, cutting was required for it to happen, but that was attempted suicide, not self-mutilation for the sake of feeling the pain. There's a fine line, but there's a line none the less.

As for H2O, I actually didn't see that series, so I can't be sure.

...All I can say is that, if Yuuko really has inflicted wounds upon herself, the intense Freudian nature of this anime is completely confirmed. Has anyone else noticed this? Or has everyone else already noticed and just moved past it?

[SuperKnuckles]

I think this anime was plenty Freudian to begin with since the first series if you ask me. Lots of obvious and not-so-obvious hints throughout almost every episode.

Except the case might be a bit more on the extreme side with the likes of Kuze and obviously, Yuuko.

[Eczema]

Ep 5 was the best so far this season. Plenty of old characters returning, heavy melodrama, and a sense of impending melancholy. I just wish they would change the ED already.

[SuperKnuckles]

ED sung by Yuuko. They were hinting heavily at it in the anime preview months ago. I wish they interjected it already also. Yuuko-heavy stories ending with Mizuki ED is just strange.

[Azure_Peregrine]

Originally Posted by SuperKnuckles

I think this anime was plenty Freudian to begin with since the first series if you ask me. Lots of obvious and not-so-obvious hints throughout almost every episode.

Except the case might be a bit more on the extreme side with the likes of Kuze and obviously, Yuuko.

Yeah, I've just started noticing it... Hiro has father issues, Renji has a hot mom... Has this been discussed elsewhere, do you know?

As for Yuuko... Yeah, the Yuu/Yuuko arc is insanely Freudian at this point, but I actually haven't seen as much with Kuze. I mean, sure, eros sex drive... And okay, death drive... Hm, I'm gonna have to think about this more.

[germanturkey]

Yah!!! Kei!!! oh, how much i wanted you to win in Memories.. i'm also on the "Nagi is lying" boat.