Ef – A Tale of Memories

Hmm, it’s about time for me to introduce yet ANOTHER series. Yup, this time it’s EF – a tale of memories. Right off the bat, you’ll notice that one of the most unique (and strongest) features of EF is its art style. Its drawings and artwork are spectacular, a true sight to behold, even taking into account that the standard of animation has risen by many multiples in recent memory.

This is entirely my opinion, but I feel that EF treats itself pretty seriously. It is honestly not for those looking for a light-hearted comedy or love romance show. Go watch Kannagi for that, or Toradora. But if you’re in the market for an astounding tale of love, romance and relationships in general, read on.

EF’s frankly, just charged full of emotion. Honestly, if you watch this and don’t feel even a slight tinge of pity or sadness, you must be one heartless guy/gal. It’s the emotion that’s so strongly interlaced with the show that makes it so compelling to watch. The show’s mature themes and realistic character interactions are what makes it shine and drives home this point. I’m sure everyone has seen shows where they could hardly care less what happens to the characters in the show. Well, it’s exactly the opposite for EF.

Getting back to the artwork, a lot of what’s drawn and the way they animate it actually portrays various subtle things that will only make sense (by being revealed later on) later in the show. For example, the distinct colour contrast that they use, or why they choose to make certain scenes in shades of colourless black and white. Not to mention the words splayed “randomly” about the screen during the show. Saying anything more will spoil the show, but trust me, a LOT of such artistic impressions are there for a reason. And that reason is simply to portray something which many shows fail to grasp: human emotion.

So why is it such a serious show? Simply, because of the themes it presents, in terms of strong, negative emotions. Jealousy, loss, wavering beliefs, anger and more are all present in force, and not just at a surface level. You’ll see this manifest throughout the course of the short 13 episode show. I’m at a loss for words to express how well they are embedded into it, but, not to sound cheesy or anything, you’ll honestly have to see it to believe it.

But what’s good is that everything is resolved at the end of the show in a happy and satisfying way. Not all relationships work out in the end, and the journey of several characters in the show is one filled with inevitable sadness, loss and hopelessness as they find old bastions of support crumbling when they need it the most. But loss is inevitably needed for one to find that special someone that will truly fill that void in their hearts, and when they find that elusive tomorrow, that’s the moment that the show shines the brightest.

I have strong feelings regarding EF, which are pretty obvious from my comments. But I simply can’t help myself. I, for one, was profoundly touched by it. It is these titles that have propelled the animation industry to where it is today. The team behind EF also has my utmost respect for accomplishing what many anime shows fall flat at in a mere 13 episodes.

And if you are still itching for more (I know I was), a sequel called “Ef – A Tale of Melodies” has recently finished airing which concludes the entire series in grand fashion. And do I really have to remind you yet again to go watch this if you haven’t?