I sware I must have cried throughout most of this series, which is the reason why I don't see good now because my eyes are all red. Excuse me for any typos I might make.
Anyway, the story. It's breathtaking to say at least. From lonliness through jealousy to lust. This series does a spledid job at describing all human emotions. Absolutely flawless. Basically the question asked at the beginning "what is love?" is answered at the end with "It's a force that can create miracles!". Well is it, you ask? Of course and this anime visualises that perfectly. Many of the main characters here go out of their own way to help their loved one. Which is naturally what a love-struck person would do but the series explains WHY they're driven to do that. Other very intriguing issues are also covered. For example, is it possible for man and a woman to develop and maintain a platonic relationship? This series solves that question with a love triangle (which suprised me). A boy and a girl know each other from an early age. The girl calls him a brother but actually she likes him more than just a brother. A lot of time passes and the girl hopes that their reltionship will grow into something more. Then comes along another gal and the big chunk of drama starts from there. The guy's torn between the two and it is very interesting to watch his actions, it draws the viewer into the story. However, that's only the beginning. There are more than just 2 or 3 love stories in here and in the end we're shown that in each case there is a similarity between them.
What's unique about "Ef - a tale of memories" is that instead of just focusing on a few main characters, in this series, everyone's kinda involved. For example, some characters don't know each other and won't do to the very end but the anime treats all of them with equal importance. It's like splitting a huge story into separate pieces but at the same time making sure that it still stays connected. It's astonishing how they've actually managed to pull it off but it works. The charaters are all amazing but there were two that stood out for me the entire time. Those are Shinji Asou and Shindou Chihiro. Their love story is the most dramatic. I can't exacly describe why because it would be a spoiler but I'll say this. Would you be willing to sacrifice a lot of time and patience for the other person, even though that person may not be able to appreciate that tomorrow? There I already said too much.
Music in "ef - a tale of memories" is sadistically depressive. It's as if you voluntairly kept stabbing yourself in the head. I can even say with all confidence that if you played it in a maximum security prison, the inmates would beg you for mercy within a decasecond. Ironicaly, the OST fits nicely with the situations in the series which makes it even more depressive and tear-jerking.
Art is absolutely great. Combined with the music and the story it creates the ultimate drama experience. It's as if you were a bystander, watching the characters from a few metres away. That's how realistic it gets.
To conclude, I'll say that everyone who enjoys watching drama, kinda slice-of-life or romance must see this. It is very emotional and everyone should prepare themselves mentaly otherwise you will be caught off guard and wind up unconscious on the floor of your room. By the way, I'm not trying to be sarcastic, I'm dead serious. Going into this series half-heartedly will not be good for you.
Also, the ending is great. One of the best I've seen.
