Ef - A Tale of Melodies -

Anime: Ef - A Tale of Melodies -
Type: Romance, Drama, Tragedy
Episodes: 1 - 12
My Rating: 10 out of 10
My Grade: A+

The sequel to Ef - A Tale of Memories, a series I did a review on earlier. After waiting for a while, I have finally got down to watching the sequel and ended up loving the series even more. ^-^

Despite it being a sequel to the previous great series, it seems like a series of itself. The story starts out very independent at first, but it does make brief references to the previous story. It also helps wrap up the loose ends left by the first series and answers some mysteries left behind. In this story, it introduces some hidden story lines and reveals how the whole romance epic began and also how it all ends. This sequel answers the unanswered questions of the first story and also completes the series even more. It was truly a great sequel. It made the series even greater than it was before.

Basic Story:

Yu is an honor student, who had been working hard for all his life. Though he had a gift of being an artist, he gave that up to try to reach for the top. He had tragically lost his family in an earthquake many years ago and lived in an orphanage. As he prepared himself for his second year in high school, he runs into a mysterious girl, Yuuko, whom he had known from his times at the orphanage. What will come out of their fated reunion? Will the regrets from the past be resolved?

Mizuki had come over to visit her family for the holidays. After staying over for a while, she finds out the world-renowned violinist, Kuze, lived right next door. They both meet and quickly become friends. Soon, Mizuki falls in love him. However, Kuze hides a deep secret from Mizuki and doesn't want her to find out. What will he do to keep that secret wrapped up in his heart? What will she do when she finds out his secret?

[This series is recommended for ages 17+.]

Ef -a Tale of Memories-

Anime: Ef - a Tale of Memories -
Type: School-life, Drama, Romance
Episodes: 1 - 12
My Rating: 9.5 out of 10
My Grade: A

After looking around for another series, I ran across this one. I was a bit pulled in from the beginning then I got addicted to it. I loved the storyline and the characters. It was one unique anime.

The beginning is a bit confusing at first, but it clears up after you get to the 2nd episode. One of the notable things you see throughout this series is their use of unique visual effects throughout the series. They often use this to portray some of the symbolic things they are showing from the series. The story often switches between the pairs of main characters, which makes it a little hard to keep track, but it all will be tied together in the end. The series have a nice little touch of fantasy to it, which gives it a nice feel when you watch it. The storyline is like no other. It really makes a lot of twists and turns and gets you thinking. Their use of symbolism, visual effects, and a very amazing storyline made this a very great anime series.

Basic Story:

Hiro is stuck between his school work and his secret career as a manga artist for a magazine. On a fateful Christmas night, he runs into a girl, Miyako, who takes his bike. After chasing her down, Hiro and Miyako decided just to hang around with each other for the night. The next day, they found out they were went to the same school and were in the same year, just different classes. Kei, a childhood friend of Hiro, starts to feel jealousy in her heart. Who will Hiro choose in the end?

Kyosuke is trying to look for that spark of inspiration in his filming career. He soon finds himself lost until he catches eye of a girl on Christmas night. He tries to get a picture of her but is unable to due to a passing truck. Soon, he finds her at his school and becomes infatuated with her. Will he find that spark of inspiration he longed for or also something more?

While going to an abandoned train station to read his book, Renji runs across a girl who already arrived their. After leaving and returning to the same spot the next day, he gets a chance to sit down with the girl, Chihiro, and befriend her. Unfortunately, Chihiro has a dark secret that explains the reason for her eye patch and the reason she is always there. Will she be able to tell him about this secret? Will he be able to bear the pain of hearing it?

[Note: The series will switch between these three stories and might make it a bit confusing. This series is recommended for audiences age 17+]