This anime (including the sequel) is far and away my favorite, and I have long since searched for another that could even come close to this great series, but to no avail. Although it is based on an adult visual novel game, entitled Ef - A Fairy Tale of the Two, there is no fan-service whatsoever in the anime version. Unfortunately, there is a fantasy element, albeit small, in this serious, romantic story, which is more noticeable in Ef - A Tale of Melodies.
The mere fact that the story unusually focuses on three couples equally means the viewer is bound to have a favorite. They are all connected one way or another, and the viewer should note that some of the characters live in a twin city in Australia (the other one is in Japan), also called Otowa (not to be confused with Ottowa, Ontario, Canada).
What is truly wonderful about this masterpiece is that the storyline concentrates on the internal struggles of the six main characters as they try to discover what is it they want to do in life, what is their dream, all while trying to balance their school lives, romantic relationships, and for one of them, even his job as a shōjo (manga directed towards young girls) mangaka (manga artist). To add to this, love triangles play an important in the story, which causes more confusion and drama.
Main characters' background:
- Hirono Hiro: a boy who used to not know the feeling of being with others, and liked to draw alone, until one day meeting with twin sisters Shindō Kei and Shindō Chihiro. Kei introduced him to shōjo manga through her collection, making Hiro intrigued about it, wanting to sketch his own materials, but lacking a storyline. Chihiro helped in that regard, since she liked to write stories, which made her oneechan, Kei, feel left out. After he grew up, Hiro wanted to pursue a career as a mangaka, but met with objection from his father, despite being an artist himself, which forced the former to leave home and rent a friend's apartment for almost nothing. Hirono then supported himself though his job as a shōjo manga author, under the pseudonym Shindō Nagi (composed of his childhood friend's family name and his older sister's (who studies in America) given name), while still attending high school. Due to his work constraints, Hiro often skips class or is late for school, causing Kei to come wake him up in the morning and lecture him. He likes to use the school rooftop key, provided by his sister, to go and sit there quietly during school hours, sometimes working on his art. Also, Hiro is a fan of famous violinist Kuze Shūichi and has had a very bad experience eating Kei's cooking.
- Miyamura Miyako: one day, sound vanished from her house, as Miyako's parents' anger towards each other was directed at her, making her feel as if she had disappeared from their hearts. Thus, it has become very hard for her to open up to anyone. Though she often skips class, thinking that school is boring, she is popular among boys for being pretty, receiving high grades, and being good at sports. She also has a bad reputation for not answering her teacher in class when called upon in addition to ditching school.
- Tsutsumi Kyousuke: a member of the films studies club. He lost his mother when he was younger, who was an actress and encouraged him to follow his dream. Kyousuke is dating the club president. Often filming with his video camera while walking around, he disagrees with his colleagues' (and Hiro's) view that production should be made to meet the audience's expectations, in order to win the film festival, whereas Tsutsumi believes in capturing what he wants, without being bounded by others. He is Hirono's classmate and good friend, but does not know about the latter's job.
- Shindō Kei: Hiro's kouhai who refers to him as "oniichan." Always playing with her twin sister, Chihiro, she did not know the feeling of being alone before meeting Hirono. She introduced to him to her shoujo manga collection. Kei often texts her little sister, mostly rating food they have eaten throughout the day out of ten, since they came to live in different cities. She likes Hiro, but does not feel she has the right to confess to him, due to an incident that happened in the past. She, however, treats him like his little sister, coming to wake him up, lecturing him, and sometimes cooking for him, much to his dismay. She is a very good, popular member of the basketball team, in spite of being a freshman. Shindō is very respected and admired by Hayama Mizuki, who calls the former "senpai," though they are in the same year.
- Asou Renji: a high school student who wonders what he should do when he grows up. Renji is good at cooking and likes to carry a book with him to read wherever he goes. He and his mother, Asou Sumire, are close to their neighbor, violinist Kuze Shūichi, who left a while ago. Shūichi is a womanizer who likes to make moves on Sumire, despite the fact that she is married, angering Renji.
Shindō Chihiro: she used to play a lot with Hiro and Kei, but, due to a certain incident, she had to leave to another place. Chihiro and her twin sister text each other many times, mostly what they ate throughout the day, rating the food out of ten. Shindō likes to write novels, but because of her condition, she has yet to complete her first one. Not liking crowded areas, nor being allowed to interact with other people, Chihiro likes to go to the empty train station, staring at the sky when she is about to cry. She is taken care of by Himura Yū.
- Amamiya Yūko: a mysterious woman who is always at the church, waiting for someone, similarly to Yū. Appearing and disappearing out of nowhere, she helps the children in their quest for finding what they are looking for.
It is a true joy to see the male protagonists try to uncover the hidden feelings as well as pasts of the respective heroines, and then help them overcome their issues and sorrow, while at the same time, seeking their own selves. This is portrayed beautifully in the opening sequence, where the girls look lonely, waiting to be saved.
Speaking of the opening sequence, it is a wonderful piece with a catchy English song, except for the last episode, which contains the same tune and almost the same visual effects, but in Japanese instead. The backs of the male leads are shown in the beginning, then the three girls continue appearing repeatedly, with a lot of text contrasting on the screen — the novel Shindō Chihiro, one of the main characters, writes in the anime; lastly, Amamiya Yūko prays before a lying Shindō Chihiro. In addition, before some episodes, there is an intense introduction before the opening sequence.
Unlike the opening, the ending sequence changes frequently, fitting one, or all of the heroines in most of them. They are nice songs that are appropriate for a current situation in an episode, and the lyrics of them are in Japanese. My favorite is the one in the final episode, and next to that is the one about Shindō Chihiro — visually though, I liked Shindō Kei's (her older twin sister's) version, as it is dramatic, showing her sadly running. Sometimes there is a small scene after the ending sequence, showing exciting moments that are to be continued. Moreover, at the very end of every episode, except for the last one, a sketch of one of the female characters is displayed, and one of the cast narrates a few words of wisdom, before saying the next episode's title and the name of the anime.
On the subject of visuals, anyone who has watched Ef - A Tale of Memories. (or its sequel) will tell you that it is a feast for the eyes. By that, I do not only mean the amazing art and character design, but the difficult-to-find visual effects throughout the episodes, which consist of wonderful contrasting colors at times; text appearing on-screen to emphasize important words and sentences; superb portrayals of emotional status; constantly changing camera angles that make it hard for the viewer to be bored; as well as outstanding sound effects accompanying them, among many others.
Seiyū-wise (voice actor-wise), though I would change Asō Renji, Shindō Chihiro, and maybe Amamiya Yūko's, the other ones are just perfect. From Miyamura Miyako's cuteness, to Hayama Mizuki's naive personality, to Himura Yū's calm seriousness, to Kuze Shūichi's friendliness, all the way to Tsutsumi Kyōsuke's teasing ways, the seiyū do an extremely marvelous job in presenting them. Not that the other ones are not good, after all, they do fit the other characters in a way, but they are not voices I want to keep hearing. Come to think of it, I might have changed Hayama Mizuki's seiyū as well.
Back on the story, during the characters' path to self-discovery, two mysterious individuals, named Himura Yū and Amamiya Yūko, who are always waiting in a church for someone, give them advice on what they should do, and listen to them. Strangely enough, they both claim to not be related to the church, nor even be Christians. However, these two are the real jigsaw in this anime.
Finally, some shows require a few episodes to draw you in, this series requires only one. By missing this gem, you would be missing anime's best. I believe that most other reviews are for this series, too (giving it above five).
