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Ef - a Tale of Memories is an amazing, beautiful anime no matter how you look at it. It's unique in so many ways, and is a fascinating anime that, surprisingly, should be more well-known.

At only twelve episodes, you would think that you wouldn't get much story out of it, and everything would happen too quickly. But so much is packed into each twenty-four minute episode that it feels like so much more. Sure, it's tightly plotted. But is it rushed? Not the tiniest bit. No event seems to fly by at all. And if it's long, there's a reason for it. The story itself ... is outstanding. The story is that of a unique romantic drama, and the problems in here aren't just simple everyday things that people can solve if they get together and talk. Particularly the storyline with Hirono and Chihiro. Because of Chihiro's condition, she gets along awkwardly with him. Every new twist to the story adds to the tension and excitement, all building up to a beautiful ending.

The animation. The animation, the animation. Don't even get me started. The animation is the most beautiful animation I have ever seen in any anime, and is some of the most stylized, too. The opening is animated entirely in flat colors, which give it a strange but appealing look. Text, from Chihiro's book, flies by in the background and also adds something interesting. Even more techniques are used in the anime itself. The background can be seen through the characters when they're silhouetted against black, the color is rich and detailed, and the characters are drawn in a somewhat different style.

The opening music is great. Interestingly enough, for the first eleven episodes, it's in English, and in Japanese during episode twelve. There are several ending songs, each used interchangeably, all of which are also good songs. I have no objections to the music.

ef stands for any of the following: Euphoric Field, Ever Forever, Ebullient Future, or Eternal Feather.

An absolutely must-watch anime.

Of all the numerous Mahou Shoujo/Magical Girls anime series, Shugo Chara! is one of the best. The majority of animes in this genre tend to be along the same plotline: a ditzy heroine gets magical powers and is given the responsibility to save the world somehow; we all know the story. Shugo Chara!, however, is a breath of fresh air amidst this crazy monotony. First off, Amu, our main character, isn't the stereotypical ditzy heroine (gasp!). Instead, she the "cool and spicy" new student. Second, Amu and Co. aren't just saving the world. Instead, this anime focuses on dreams, goals, wishes, and your "would-be self". ... How many times can we honestly say we've seen that in a Mahou Shoujo anime? It may not be a story comparable to, say,the infamous Cardcaptor Sakura, but it ranks fairly high up there. And as a bonus, it's comparitavely free of filler. (That's just RELATIVELY, though.)

The animation is great, the art is colorful, and some of the objects (e.g., Heart's Eggs, X Eggs, Humpty Lock, etc.) look almost computer-animeated. The art style is the standard big-eyed Shoujo style, which complements the anime's story and charcters pretty well.

The music, too, is also great. The two openings are a lot less cutesy than the ones in the Doki!! series, which I'm sure most of us older fans appreciate. Even some of the background music, specifically the action scene music, is catchy enough to make you want to download it. No, seriously. Not to mention Utau's songs.

The characters are unique. Some may get annoying at times, but every series has its share of obnoxious characters. Each character has their quirks, hidden traits, likes and dislikes. Some characters do seem to be slightly stereotypical (e.g., Ran, Suu, etc.), though.

If you're looking for a series to watch, Shugo Chara! is a good pick. The filler may become a nuisance in the Doki! season, but don't let that deter you from the first.

For those of you who have been watching Shugo Chara!, you may have noticed that it's starting to get cuter and fluffier. Shugo Chara!!! Dokki Doki is no exception.

At first, it seemed as if the plot the anime was following was going to catch up with she manga story line soon, but that won't be happening. Similar to the story arc with Lulu, another anime-original character has been introduced: Rikka, a bubbly second-grader who can see Shugo Charas and understand X Eggs and X Charas. It's original, but throws the anime off track from the plot line most fans of the series want.

To add to ... this, there's a new anime within the anime: Shugo Chara! Pucchi Puchi. It's a cheesy attempt to make the series more appealing to younger fans, and thus, there isn't much the older fans, like me and probably the majority of you reading this, will find interesting about it. Unless you want to watch an over-done mini-anime that focuses on the Shugo Charas, I suggest you skip the first nine minutes of each episode.

I have nothing against the art. It's fairly standard shoujo anime art, just like the art from Shugo Chara! and Shugo Chara! Doki.

As for the music, things begin to get strange. Now there are two openings. Yeah, you read that right: TWO OPENINGS. The first opening, which comes before the Pucchi Puchi segment, is a bit odd. The second is by far better. It's not as cutesy as the previous Shugo Chara! Doki openings, and definetly not another attempt to draw in younger fans like the Pucchi Puchi opening. The end song, sung by Buono!, is reasonable.

As I mentioned before, an anime-original character, also reffered to as a filler character, has been introduced in order to make up for the sudden advance in plot in the previous ten or so episodes. Just because Rikka is a filler girl doesn't mean she isn't well developed. I can already tell that this story arc will be interesting, and that Rikka isn't just a character that will be left undeveloped.

One of the most annoying things was the three Shugo Chara Egg! members popping up throught the episode. In between the Pucchi Puchi segment and the anime itself, and before and after the entire episode. It's a lot more fun to mock them than to take them seriously. The epsode itself wasn't so bad.

Bottom line: Skip Pucchi Puchi and just watch the episode. Don't waste your time with the fluffy stuff.

An absolutely amazing series no matter how you look at it. Hey, it's a CLAMP series. What do you expect?

The story is original, and is not at all boring or cliched. Not only that, the series is linked to xxxHOLiC, another CLAMP series. The story is filled with various worlds and characters from CLAMP's previous eighteen or so series, which tends to make it even more interesting for those of you who are CLAMP fans.

The art is amazing. Every character is drawn in their own unique way, and every detail is paid close attention to. Whether it's swirling cherry blossoms, feathers, shards of glass, or ... ribbons, the designs on every page are simply beautiful.

Each character is gradually characterized throughout the series. To start with, the characters are simple: determined Syaoran, light Sakura, somewhat intense Kurogane, cheerful Fai, and playful Mokona, but as the series continues, CLAMP goes into more depth with each character.

It's easy to enjoy. The story has a good balance of tones: the silly moments, the sad moments, the intense moments, et cetera. It flows at a quick, but not too rushed pace, allowing the readers the most enjoyment possible.

I don't know what it was that made me decide to read and continue reading. I'm not quite sure if it was the compelling storyline, the art, the fact that I've been a CLAMP fan, or simply that Mokona is the best thing that has ever happened to the world (in my opinion), but it's nonetheless a great series, CLAMP fan or not.