ef ~a tale of memories 12~, twittered
Categories: anime, ef, episodic review
Tagged: ef
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“Running diary” is so 2003.
“Live blogging” is so 2005.
“Twittered” is so 2007.
I think I need a new term for 2008.
1:25am: I’m dead tired today. Should really hit the sack. I make the huge mistake of checking TT instead of brushing my teeth.
1:30am: Well, I’m staying up a bit later. While waiting for the last episode of ef, I fire up the DS and play a little Revenant Wings (one of my holiday presents).
1:35am: Penelo’s turning into a brand new tier of wet blankets. I do enjoy the fact that during the game, all the other characters comment on how much of a wet blanket she is. I have no idea why, but I just summoned five carbuncles into her party. So cute!
2:02am: I think Balthier is an apology from Square after inflicting Cloud and Squall on us, much like how Simon is an apology for Shinji.
2:24am: W00t! Finished chapter 6. That mission fighting against the “traitor” was, uh, interesting. Going to get something to drink and then watch ef.
2:27am: Itsuka atarashii sekai ni habatakeru…
2:28am: I’ve heard like five different versions of euphoric field, and I’m surprised Shaft waited this long to finally use a different version. I’m dying for either a Taniguchi or LOL FANG-TAN version… takanaru mune no kodou furikiru geeji nyoro~n!. I notice that they changed the OP such that the silhouettes of the girls no longer dissolve (as in being forgotten), and they’re paired up with the appropriate silhouette of their counterpart. Also, the girls no longer break with the chains.
2:29am: Good news, everyone! I think we’re getting a happy ending for Renji. This slightly modified OP is almost as bad of a hint as a typical Gundam OP. Just for the record, I think we’re all rooting for Renji here.
2:33am: It’s kinda like Hirono’s ending, where everyone chimes in. The animation quality is like the highest I’ve ever seen for ef or any Shaft series this year. Maybe we’ll get some actual blinking.
2:35am: “Wouldn’t tomorrow be a better day than today?” Well, recapping Renji’s day… he got laid but dumped. It’s a sucker punch kinda day, but not as bad as:
5. Finding out that your 16 year old daughter is pregnant.
4. Finding out that your company just lost 3 billion dollars in a sub-prime write-off.
3. Finding out that your wife has been cheating on you.
2. “Hi, I’m Chris Hansen.”
1. Finding out that your wife has been cheating on you with Chris Tucker.
2:37am: “Have we met before?” Ouch.
2:40am: “Even though it will be painful and lonely, I decided that this would be the last time. That’s why I put up with it. Because it was the last time, we kissed many times. Because it was the last time, we loved each other many times.”
.
.
.
!!!
I’m going to have to upgrade Renji’s day if “many times” is involved.
Chihiro’s writing is really… poetic… at times. I don’t think someone with the mental capacity of a 12 year old can write as well as she can. Even if she writes and reads a lot out of necessity, she would eventually reset and lose her writing ability, no?
2:42am: I’m wondering if, during the game, Renji has to run around and collect pieces of paper throughout the town. Ugh. I hate backtracking. But for Renji, I see this action as his only action. The only hope he has of reconciling with Chihiro.
The outcome is beyond best case scenario for Renji. Chihiro refused to forget about him! 13 hours don’t matter if she can’t stop thinking about him. Finding the lost pages wasn’t anything beyond some aerobic exercise; nonetheless, didn’t she ask who he was earlier? The Clannad equivalent would have to be Tomoya getting into a foursome with Kyou, Ryou, Tomoyo, and Sanae with Fuko getting impaled by a wooden starfish. Kotomi, of course, would be playing a violin for the background muzak for the foursome.
2:43am: Remember when Simon first went into space and forcibly combined with Arc Gurren to form Arc Gurren Lagann and then broke space/time/this blog? If that were a 10 on the chill meter, Renji and Chihiro reconciling with Chihiro literally and figuratively breaking free of her chains is a 9. It would have been a 10 if we saw the sheep breaking free and running wild too.
2:44am: The happy hug… with seven minutes left… I don’t think I can take another hikari ni narue moment here. I just can’t. I would have been catatonic and distraught and grumpy like Jim Rome after the Dolphins blew their anti-perfect season (andohbytheway, grats to the Patriots). At least 1 reader will get that joke.
2:46am: Domesticated Miya-Miya is no fun, but this is what I wanted Kare Kano 20 to be, not the crap that was fed to us. Hirono is living the high life… he gets laid, he gets dinner and breakfast, she keeps out of his way when he’s working, and he has no honey-do list. I think this is a bigger fantasy for most men than having a harem of five high maintenance women.
2:50am: What exactly is Yuko’s role in the whole story? Similar to the chorus in a tragedy? The best use of a Greek tragedy-like chorus in anime, I kid you not, are the old men who live in the town in Love Hina.
2:55am: I guess my final thought… I do like how the memory motif played out, and how even though their stories never properly intertwined beyond a few text messages between Chihiro and Kei, both of the heroines were afraid of the same thing, being forgotten. One ran away because she was afraid; the other returned because she was afraid. Well, kudos. ef ~a tale of memories~ goes down as one of the better harem anime I’ve seen, even if it ends a bit too happily, but that’s easily forgivable.
2:59am: Just noticed that ef is in a statistical tie, rating-wise, as Gurren Lagann over at ANN as a “masterpiece.” Gainax put a lot more effort into Gurren Lagann than Shaft did with ef. Gainax wrote the story and provided better animation… I’m still of the feeling that ef succeeded in spite of Shaft, and I think I have more to say about this particular aspect, so it’ll be another post for another day.
3:00am: Tired. I’ll finish up the post tomorrow. Sweet dreams.
12 Responses to “ef ~a tale of memories 12~, twittered”
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>>It would have been a 10 if we saw the sheep breaking free and running wild too.
That… would be awesome. Is all I can say.
>>ANN
Bah ANN. I’m too lazy to log in and rate all the anime I’ve watched up to this point (85 to go! zzz…).
one thing i didn’t like was how the church guy and the angel’s story was never really developed… made a pretty z_z ending imo
I didn’t realize the Euphoric Fields they’ve been playing as OP was the English version until I heard them play the Japanese version in the final ep…
How about “kickin’ it” or “keeping it real” in place of twittering?
Well I supposed its fair its ranked as high since its based on a adult visual novel, considering how well those adaptations end up turning up … even when the source material is good.
When you are doing your own story there is more control over how it flows so there is less chance of things turning out badly when you are trying to adapt someone else work (Kare Kano for example, even if I do think we can blame Gainax for being childish in that case).
Also the high raking might come from the visuals, after all Shin Onuma directed Ef, Negima? and Tsukuyomi and it certainly have that “SoulTaker” visual art style.
The Clannad equivalent would have to be Tomoya getting into a foursome with Kyou, Ryou, Tomoyo, and Sanae…
As much as I hate to interrupt this mental image…
[math nazi]
Technicallly, that would be a fivesome.
[/math nazi]
See? That’s why people have problems with your spam protection. We now return you to your fantasies in progress.
Why all the Fuko Hating? Judging by this review, you seem to like brain damaged girls?
As much as I could rant on how much I enjoyed this series, I’ll just say that it never ceased to amaze me, nothing has captivated me as much since Haruhi and Sola. Sadly all good things must come to an end, right?
I think my fivesome would replace Tomoyo for Kotomi, I would have Tomoyo obliterate anyone who tried to stop my party.
TTGL DL at approx 65%, yes, this blog finally convinced me to finally watch the god damn series despite my dislike for Mechas.
Happy new year.
And you would have been MORE distraught and catatonic if the show had ended badly and Renji would have had to live with Rachel in Houston for the rest of his life. And yes, the Dolphins lost their focus when the big game was on the line….their coach should be FIRED for that win.
ANYWAY, on my dull and tedious bloog, I ranked ef 3rd….but really it should have been a three-way tie for 1st with Gurren Lagaan and Lucky Star.
I was very pleased with the endings…..Billy Wilder himself could naught have done a better job.
I’ll be the one that gets the Jim Rome ref. Even better if you know where the “bitter elf” ref comes from.
As far as ef is concerned, it’s a glorified stage play to me. A very good one, but still one. I enjoyed it though.
Clannad fantasy: Kyou and Tomoyo getting it on like the two chicks “fighting” in Undercover Brother.
>> Technicallly, that would be a fivesome.
This is why I shouldn’t write posts at 2:30am. I’m kicking myself more for leaving Kotomi to play the violin instead of making it a sixsome. I also should have replaced Tomoya with Graham Acre as well… damn… see? Never blog when tired, drunk, high, or any combination of the previous.
Man, not to resurrect the dead or anything, but I missed this the first time around, cause I was watching so much other stuff.
This was damn good. Particularly the ED’s. There all good but the one with Kei running is dynamite. Also Renji’s Mom. Also the uniform episode.
I actually think the crazy Shaft-ness worked in this series. Like when I compare it to Clannad, which I watched instead of this, Clannad looked more realistic/animated “better”, but I think some of the off-the-wall stuff Shaft did makes Ef much more memorable. Having not played Ef-the game I’m not sure if Shaft-ification helped or hindered Ef-the animation, but if it did hinder it, the game must have been pretty great.
Best anime based on a visual novel I can think of. Much better then Clannad/Kanon but maybe I just don’t like way Key gives all the best lines, best personalities, best thighs, etc, to non-main heroines.