Ranked #74

ef - a tale of melodies.

Watching "ef- a tale of melodies" is not like watching a regular anime, but more like an artistic painting come to life. It really is a unique experience!

Story: 8/10
Taking place after the first installment known as ef- a tale of memories, we now follow the tale of most of the supporting cast from the original I just mentioned. Going into this I was a bit bummed that they didn’t decide to simply go with a whole brand new cast for this, but it actually worked out quite well, as this time around we get to learn more about: Kuze, Mizuki, Yuuko and Yu. (which again were simply the supporting cast from the first ef series) And get a better understanding as to who they are, and also answer questions that were not answered from the original. You will be transported back and forth from the past to the present, as the overall plot can only be understood by doing so. Now watching this series you won’t really find anything particularly new here with the story, most of the events that take place are more along the lines of what you would see in a Soap Opera---in other words, lots and LOTS of drama here. Basically each of the four cast members will (or eventually) fall for one another, each having to face their own personal demons (just a medifore) in the process. Most of them are not quite what they appear to be at first, and as the story progress you get a much more in depth look as to who they are. The way it is told though, is what really makes "ef- a tale of melodies" stand out. You don’t just simply watch the story and love scenes progress like you would a regular anime. This one is told in a more artistic tone. For example: when the characters are in deep thought from a certain situation, you may see them in a room by themselves--or even see them all chained up as a black silhouette, (this of course represents that the certain character is a prisoner either to themselves, or by another) and a lot of it takes place in the character’s mind and not in the physical form. So you can’t go into this series expecting a "what you see is what you get" idea, because this series doesn’t do it that way. Setting the artistic themes aside for a moment, the situations themselves are pretty standard for a drama, which may turn off some people and give the feeling to them that the whole "medifore" idea is simply there to only cover up a more standard fared story. Which quite honestly isn’t too far from the truth, as many scenes tended to last quite long, and sometimes seemed to give a more slower pace to the storyline. Still, what it lacks in actual new material with its story, it makes up for by the artistic way it shows it. It also has a worth while ending too!

Art: 10/10
The art of this series is so rich and detailed, I would expect nothing less from the "ef" series, in fact just watching the opening scene with the paper airplane gliding along the sunset sky, is truly appealing for the eyes, as is the entire series. The character design (while nothing particularly new) is well distinct. I especially liked the eyes of the characters. The water effects that come from the ocean will seem to just glide across your screen so fluently. And the character animation and backgrounds are truly superb!

Sound: 8/10
I have to say that the sound was the weakest link for me in the anime, the opening and closing were indeed well planned out tracks (both ranging from soft and sincere, to catchy "finger snapping" tunes, " one even sung in English no less) The background music was a bit lack luster though, while you do get nice and appropriate orchestral music that plays in the back during events, nothing ever really stands out too much, with the exception of Kuze’s violin piece. The voice cast was a bit of a "hit and miss" for me too. Most of the deep males voices were nice at complimenting the artistic theme of the anime. But most of the female cast I found to be a bit on the standard side, with the exception of a girl name Yuuko, her’s was well fitting the part. Overall it was a great soundtrack, but it just didn't seem to be quite as good as the original's.

Characters: 9/10
I really liked each and everyone of the characters, nobody ever came off as annoying, or would make you feel that they tossed one in just for the sake of doing so. I was especially captivated with the character "Kuze, " he is a musician with a quite interesting past, and the turmoil he goes through is quite sad--yet exciting at times. The character chemistry was a bit rushed for one of the couples, but seemed to be pulled off appropriately at the end. Since half of this title is all about back story, you get a pretty in depth look into the character’s lives and can really connect with just who they are, and will feel what they feel!

Overall: 9/10
ef - a tale of melodies is a truly satisfying experience if you can appreciate it’s approach in things. It's debatable as to whether this one surpassed the original or not. It can at least be said however, that this is truly an outstanding sequel! If you prefer a simple and casual romance themed anime then it would probably be best to avoid this one. As many of its extended medifore scenes may tend to drag out and frustrate some viewers. But if you’re an anime fan with a taste for the arts, or perhaps looking for a new way of viewing a romance title, then this series is for you. ef - a tale of melodies is not spectacular in what it shows...but how it shows it!

Side Note: If you are interested in watching this title, I would recommend watching the prequel first. As some of the original main characters from the first make an appearance here, and the whole overall story can only be understood fully from both sides. read more

Tale of Melodies is like watching Leonardo Di Vinci paint a sequel to the Mona Lisa. He's technical skills has improved, his techniques more refined, but does he have enough soul to mold a creation that matches the sheer brilliance of the original?

Almost...

Note: If you have not see the Tale of Memories, do not read this review. It'll be rather meaningless.

Make no mistake, Tale of Melodies is definitely not a mediocre sequel. Judged by itself, Melodies would fit the true hallmarks of a classic. Watching episode after episode is akin to surfing upon waves of pure emotion, there will be scenes that are guaranteed to even make terminator a little teary.

Like its original, Melodies is an utter masterpiece of both visual and melodic artistic direction. The visuals accentuate the emotions in every scene, the speech often feature rhythmic and even poetic undertone; when you watch Melodies, you do not feel like you're just watching an anime, but rather appreciating an awe-inspiring piece of art.

Where's most anime are content to have the animations fluidly and attractively portray an event, Melodies goes five steps further. Each and everything scene, including even the placement and subtle variations of the OP, are the way the way for some subtle purpose. There's little else to be said but to experience it. If Clannad for a 10/10 for art, Melodies surely deserves an 11.

In terms of technical and artistic talent, Melodies arguably surpasses its original. Yuuko's suffering in Episode 6 for example, ups the ante even in comparison to the famous phone messages of Miyako in season 1. So what keeps Melodies from rivaling memories?

It's certainly not the art or the music, nor is it likely the characters. The dialogue and characters remain strong, with a subtle since a humour that'll be familiar to anyone who enjoyed memories. The story, at outset, looks to have at least equal potential. On the one side, you have Mizuki, whose must find a way to bestow her love (Kuze) with the will to live and fight against a terminal disease. On the other, you have Yuu, who must save Yuuko from a history of abuse.

Yet, in watching the entire series, one can't help but feel something's missing. In the final episodes, there was just not quite the rush of anxiety one experienced when Chihiro tore out the pages of her diary. Perhaps some of the sudden twists in Melodies was too sudden and lacked the anxious suspense the original; perhaps it was the lack of something to rival the powerful metaphor delivered by the tale of the only girl in the world. The episodes of Melodies, while individually excellent, didn't appear to quite to weave together as flawlessly as the original.

Or perhaps it is just inspiration, or soul.

Just as Leonardo developed better skills after painting the Mona Lisa, SHAFT's technical capacity only improved after memories. Yet Melodies just has that little bit missing...

It's not quite the masterpiece memories was, but remains a brilliant piece of art. read more

I enjoyed the second EF much more than the first. Story lines were much deeper in this, characters seemed more realistic.And while I liked how they kept with the 2 main stories at a time deal as they did with the first, the flow between these two seemed almost seamless and really complimented eachother.

As for the story, like any anime I watch I can't tell how much I'd like the story fully until the ending. Far too many times do animes with great stories ruin it with the end. The end here was a bit anticlimactic for my tastes, it wasn't completely screwed up to the point of ruining the series for me but it seemed a bit meh for all the tension it was building.

If you watched the first EF you will notice that the main charaters in this one are the side characters from the first season. I loved this part. Usually I hate when an anime dives off its main story line into side characters excessively, but this being a new season with a whole new story line and the original being completed I loved it. Really original, while the main characters from the first season appear here as side ones. Great concept.

This one threw in 2 different plot twists than memories, the first being the time aspect, one of the stories occurs during the past and if you've watched memories your pretty much know where it's going to go. But the way they alluded to this story line durring memories was so interesting to me. They teased you with it and never told you, until melodies.

The other is the distant thing. I was completely unaware during memories that the two stories were occurring on different continents. This part really didn't come across well at all. The characters switch around what country they are in at the drop of the hat, they made many mistakes as to who was in what country when (Listing them would all be spoilers) While I liked how they tied the characters together some of it just seemed forced and trying to draw the line between how this character knew this character from where- when the lines were crossing constantly and across continents just made my head hurt.

As for the characters themselves, much, much better than memories. I'm really impressed with how much of an improvment they made with this one. You grew to genuinlly care for these people for the most part, I hate when a writer wants to have two characters fall in love and instead of taking the time to build a logical relationship, showing the cause of the love between to characters they basically just shove them together for a day and when they come out declare their love for one another for no apparent reason. (Or not a believable one at least) While memories was riddled with this problem, melodies mearlly featured it. A little more build up in the love story would have been good, but this wasnt horrible.

Miki was the one character that just got under my skin. And as her earlier story line progressed, got really confusing. The earlier parts gave her depth, but I really wish they had expanded on that because as she is now she just seems like the typical ditzy anime girl.

As for the visuals in this one I didnt find them as dynamic as I did in the first. This one was all about good characters and good deep story lines. Memories to me relied way more on its looks. The english in both series's OP and end were a funny listen, though with the amount of drama contained within the episodes probably not the time you want to here something funny. I dont think anyone would find it romantic if I walked up to them and told them I wanted to see their insides. They should have just done them in Japanese, it would have come across much better and taken the cheese factor down a notch for me.

Overall this was a pretty good anime. Some minor flaws keeping it from perfection but after memories I am pleasantly surprised with this one. Defnitley worth the watch. read more

Story: The story in "melodies" is definitely better than in "memories". Once again, we have two storylines- One focusing on the past of Himura (the guy with white hair), and the the other on Mizuki (Kei's blonde friend). After watching "melodies", i realised that issues of characters from season one were rather... Shallow. For example, the whole problem of "love triangle" in "memories" is really weak in comparision with Yuuko and Himura relationship. The ending was much more convincing as well. If it is about the second story, it's very similar to Chichiro's issue from season one. The main difference lies in intensity of the story, though i can't write anything more, because it might spoil the fun.

Art: It was really solid. Character design haven't changed, but the animation got better, and much more artistic eksperiments were used. There are some memorable scenes, but no suprises- you are probably used to the unusual directing if you watched "memories"

Sound: Nice, but nothing out of ordinary. There are no tracks that you would remember after finishing whole series, but they match the scenes, and are quite enjoyable. The opening is very similar to the opening from the first season, but it has a nice feeling to it.

Character: The main characters in "melodies" are very well made, and i liked them much more than main characters in "memories". I felt that they are more mature and convincing, but their development was rather predictable. Still- better than in first season.

Enjoyment: I believe everybody will find something they will like in "ef - a tale of melodies". The story is quite intense (for a drama series), but short (12 episodes). Personally, i finished it in two days, so i didin't get too attached to the whole series, but i still find it very amusing, and i don't regret one minute spent in front of the screen.

Overall: Great piece of work. Everything is solid and well-made, so i gave the series 9. If you didin't liked the first season, i don't think you will like the second, because it basicly extends the ideas from the first one. However, it's worth a try, since it's a a little bit better. read more

Story: Creative, Ef - A Tale of Melodies's story takes place before and after Memories. The plot splits the story into two different ones, and occasionally switches between the character's story, which will leave you wanting more. The emotions, and drama helps develop the story nicely. Though the first few episode are slow. That won't stop you from wanting to watch more.

Art: Brilliant, the art style is the one thing I love about this show the most. The effects, style, lighting, and scenes are all fantastic. There isn't really anything to complain about. Each scene comes with their own perfect lighting and style. That helps you feel the mood around the characters, and their emotions.

Sound: Unforgettable, the music changes with each scene, and comes on during certain situation. The music also helps build up certain scenes, which will make your jaw drop. Though I can't really put more here, if you have a chance. Go look up the soundtrack, and listen for yourself.

Character: Lots of different character for you to love/hate. Each and everyone of them have their own unique traits, and personality. Though some of them aren't really original, most of them are quite unique in some ways. That will make you love them.

Overall Enjoyment: I enjoyed this show enough, that I had to rewatch certain episodes. And it just never cease to amaze me. Overall, this show deserves a 10 out of 10. read more

It is so beautiful, i enjoyed it better than the first season.
The characters are really well-made and have very deep connections with the ones in the first season.
The plot is even better than the first season; the beginning is a bit strange but it just keeps getting better and better.
The music is what i like the most. Every song was perfect in the moment they placed it, they're also really beautiful and fit the series perfectly.
The art is really something. Not only the abundance of opening versions they made, about 8, but also the landscapes and those romantic moments; the art it's been worked on a lot.
I really enjoyed this series to the4 point i cried in the last episode. If you like original romantic anime I strongly recommend this. It's not your typical romantic story, it's fantastic. read more

“Right art tells right people the right things"

I don’t remember exactly in which movie did I hear this phrase, but it has haunted me ever since the first time I heard it. It contains in itself an irrevocable truth about human mind, that tastes are not "universal", but rather contained in each individual.
Thus some people would manage to enjoy stuff like Rosario to Vampire and Miley Sirius music, while others might rather puke at mere mention of them.

Where does the difference lie? In the intelligence of the one who enjoys it, perhaps? I doubt it. If such were the case, it would be reason, not emotions, the one that would makes the difference, and its a well know empirical fact that don’t "think" you like something, you just "know". (It is more probable that intelligent people might be reluctant to be lumped up with "the stupid" and avoid everything that’s "main stream" like not long ago the aristocracy rejected that which was done by those not belonging to noble class. )

I think the difference falls into the capability of the subject to relate it self with the art. Once it become something similar, akin to experience, one can truly understand its meaning and able to get its true message. Think of this: love songs will often sound "shallow" and "stupid" until you fall in for the first time. Then, Oh! everything make sense. In fact , Too much sense

When one "gets" what they are talking about, then you can move on to the next phase. The art cannot only speak of what you have already experienced, but leave you with a new perspective of the situation. It might affect your way of thinking altogether and change you for good. That is right art, one that is not only a passive object, but one that becomes part of the observant and modifies him into something new.

With that in mind, I can say with out regrets that Ef- a tale of memories/melodies ( I must consider both, since they actualy belong to the same game) is not only a piece art, but "right art". It tackled to of my favourite topics (God and death) and managed to give me new perspective into those issues, and some little changes in my view of my life as a whole. (it may sound exaggerated and melodramatic, but think how many people had their life changed because of Evangelion. That one did screw up my entire generation, and almost every generation after that one. Compared to that this one is just a mere breeze )

With that in mind, I must lay down a warning. You might find it either a Masterpiece or no more than a cheap soap opera with around 15 minutes of talk and 10 minutes of Songs. It depends on your capacity to relate to the story, which in itself depends on the way you had lived your life so far. It will also depends in the reason you have to watch anime as a whole, or even in your emotional states as you go throught the episodes.
Then, I specially recommend trying it if had ever thought you are fucked up and hated God, if you had loss someone you loved, or if you like pretty drawings and shiny colourful scenes that have nothing to do with the story. If you are not one of those, I could still recommend it if you have nothing else to watch, if only so you can brag about it later and write condescending reviews to mocks those who didnt like it so they can see how cool you are. read more

This is probably one of the most beautiful, yet complex anime that I have ever laid my eyes upon. Every little single details in this anime are continually emphasized to draw in the viewer closer and closer. I am almost at lost of words right now. The way they portrayed everything was too beautiful and surreal that it is almost unexpressable.

I absoulutely loved how closely season 1 and 2 are incorporated. Every character from season 1 and 2 were carefully intertwined with one and another, giving the show a wonderful feel to it.

The opening from both seasons were awesome and sung in english too, which is something that doesn't happen very often. There was even an episode that had both of the openings played and thus added in a lively tone for the episode.

This anime was certainlly a masterpiece. Each and every little love story were strokes of success for this anime. Ef, was certainly a refreshing one and is something that will stand out for many years to come. It has truly inspired me as a person to persue my passions and have also encouraged me to face the long road of happiness ahead. I hope that every single viewer out there can take a little piece of this anime and keep it for the rest of their lives. Then maybe one day, there will be a town full of happiness. read more

ef - a tale of melodies carries on from the prequal ef - a tale of memories, this time focusing on the stories of Yuu and Yuuko, the two older mystic characters from the first series and Renji's neighbour Shuichi andhis cousin Mizuki. If you thought the first series was difficult to understand this series is even more difficult. Before I wirte anymore a quick warning that the end titles have a nasty habit of apearing half way through the second half, if like me you don't normally watch the ed then make sure you don't miss out any parts of the story which fall after the ed (I had to rewatch 4 episodes).

The storyline takes a similar stance to the first series with multiple story lines going on at the same time, this can lead to confusion in setting out what is going on in which story line. I put watching this series off for a while before I watched it because on watching the single episodes I couldn't get into it, it was only when I could watch a few epsiodes in a row that I found it easier to see what was happening.

The artwork in ef is one of my favourite parts of this show, it has an almost unique way of blending colours and different images, that work really well in provoking afinity for the characters and their situations. The music also plays a similar role but not to as great an extent in melodies, but is not as unique and interesting as the artwork.

Overall its a very good anime, and is up there with Clannad: after stories as one of the best romance/drama animes out in the past few years. If you like this genre or if your looking for something a bit different then this comes highly recommended. read more

Do you here it - a true melody?

What could I say about this anime. Hm... It's still my "number one" between anime-dramas. I felt in love with Tale of Memories and second season was even better than first one.

Story. Both stories not unique but very interesting ansd dramatic. Really hard emotions appears than you watch it. Ends of 6 and 10 serries were real shock for me. That's how real drama should look like. And I really liked that all storylines were bounded together in this season.

Characters. Really interesting. All of them could be characterized by typical classes but it's hard to find the same characters somthere else. They were made very bright and individual.

Visual. Best part of this anime. Beatufull drawing and interesting visuall "tricks" for "brightning" especially dramatical moments. That was really cool.

Music. OP is perfect. Maybe, the best I heared in anime. Theme songs and melodies very good too. Endings... it's hard to find drama with good ED themes but they are much better than, for example, Clannad ED.

Total. "Must see" for all, who love dramas
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