7.7 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 4.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
One Christmas Eve, Hiro Hirono helps Miyako, the victim of a purse snatching, and discovers that she goes to the same school he does. To the dismay of his childhood friend, Kei, Hiro starts hanging out with Miyako. But Kei isn't about to let a new girl in Hiro's life take him away from her, and sets out to prove that she's the only one for him. When Renji Asou meets Chihiro Shindou at an abandoned train station, he doesn't notice anything unusual at first. But he soon discovers that she suffers from a rare form of amnesia and can only remember things for thirteen hours. Chihiro dreams of writing a novel, but her amnesia has made it an impossible task. Renji is determined to help her fulfill her dream.
Starring: Hiroko Taguchi, Hiro Shimono, Motoki Takagi, Kôichi Tôchika, Natsumi YanaseAnime | 100% |
Foreign | 95% |
Comedy | 21% |
Drama | 4% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Japanese: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Two-disc set (2 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 5.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 4.0 |
When Love Story swept the publishing and then the film worlds in the late sixties and early seventies, it seemed like a breath of fresh air, a callback to a simpler time when boy met girl, girl got fatal disease, and lots and lots of Kleenex were gone through. After the turmoil of the sixties, something that certainly spilled over into movies of that era, Love Story was a rather odd property to become the flavor du jour, but perhaps its very oddity—not to mention its very basic simplicity— helped to make it the cultural phenomenon it became. While Ef: A Tale of Memories might not have the same cultural cachet that Love Story did (at least in its heyday), it’s another interesting property that seems to eschew a lot of current trends in anime and instead concentrates on an ostensibly simpler idea of boy(s) meet girl(s), with attendant problems and at least a bit of a resolution here and there. The series is culled from a popular visual novel franchise from software house Minori. It might seem like a bit of strange bedfellows to realize that outré anime production company Shaft optioned the franchise and adapted it for anime, as Shaft is better known for an over the top visual style (not to mention specializing more on the comedically weird side of the animation spectrum) that might not seem especially well suited to the quieter, gentler world of teenage love and angst. And it can’t really be argued that there’s a certain disconnect between the actual content of Ef: A Tale of Memories and its spectacular design aesthetic. Story wise, Ef: A Tale of Memories is really rather slight, positing two couples who have some tangential interrelationships (interrelationships which, while there, aren’t really focused on in the series itself), couples who meet and haltingly get to know each other, with some attendant melodrama popping up with fair regularity. Visually, Ef: A Tale of Memories is a riot of invention, with innovative graphical elements and an almost nonstop onslaught of intriguing designs and coloring elements that make the show a wonder to behold, if not to actually get involved in.
Ef: A Tale of Memories is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Sentai Filmworks with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is one of the most immaculate high definition anime presentations in recent memory. The design aesthetic of the series is made for high def, and this Blu-ray pops magnificently throughout the first season's twelve episodes. Colors are incredibly vivid and variegated, and the series' really cool graphical elements—where things like characters are displayed in "negative" or with their faces bifurcated with two different animation styles—are presented with crystal clear line detail and impeccable sharpness and clarity. The "special effects" (for want of a better word) on display throughout the series also look fantastic, with special kudos due to the really beautiful renderings of the environment, especially the sky, which recurs throughout the series in a variety of gorgeous (if often unusual) hues.
Ef: A Tale of Memories has two lossless audio tracks, both DTS-HD Master 2.0 stereo mixes, one in the original Japanese and the other a quite good English dub. Purists will probably want to opt for the original Japanese track, as it evidently offers some of the original voice actors from the visual novel series, but those who prefer not to read subtitles won't have a lot to complain about with the English voice cast, as the styles and even timbres of the English language cast is really surprisingly similar to the original Japanese cast. Both tracks offer excellent fidelity, though a surround track could have opened up the nice underscore somewhat. There really isn't a wealth of LFE on either track; Ef: A Tale of Memories is a much quieter, gentler piece overall, without a lot of sonic bombast. But what's here is clear, precise and elegantly presented and audiophiles should enjoy either of the excellent choices offered here.
Note: While the titles for the supplements are in the singular (i.e., Animation), each supplement actually contains at least two items, hence the longer running times.
Sometimes there's nothing "there" there and a show must make its mark by other means, if it's able to make its mark at all. Ef: A Tale of Memories actually does make its mark, despite the plot line being simultaneously slow and also over the top. Young love has always been the stuff of angst and amped up emotions, and that's certainly the case with Ef: A Tale of Memories, but if that sounds like a turn off, don't let it be--Ef is actually more than this one element. The show offers such an incredible visual style that even if you couldn't care less about either love story (or in fact both of them), there is more than enough here to hold the interest of most viewers. While this Blu-ray is a little light on the supplements side, the pristine visuals and nicely rendered soundtrack help to make up for that paucity, and Ef: A Tale of Memories comes Recommended.
2008
2008-2009
2007-2008
2010
ご注文はうさぎですか?? / Gochûmon wa Usagi Desu ka??
2015
13 Episodes & 4 OVAs
2012
さくら荘のペットな彼女 / Sakurasou no Pet na Kanojo
2012-2013
Anime Classics
2008-2009
2012
アマガミSS / アマガミSS+ plus
2010-2011
Essentials / 涼宮ハルヒの憂鬱
2006-2009
2011
2011
ひぐらしのなく頃に
2006-2009
Essentials
2008
けいおん!!
2010
Anime Classics
2011-2012
Standard Edition
2011
Anime Classics
2002
Suzumiya Haruhi no shôshitsu / 涼宮ハルヒの消失
2010