Rating: 9/10

Overall Series Rating: 9.5/10

Impressions:

Best show of 2007. Hands down. I gave Code Geass an overall rating of 9.5, but comparing the two, I have to say ef is much better. Therefore, I would either have to lower Code Geass or raise ef, but 9.5 is a difficult score to change, so I’m just going to leave it like that. The first two thirds of this episode concludes Renji’s story, though I’m not sure if a miracle actually happens to allow Chihiro to overcome her disability (since her representative chains DO break). Regardless, there are no sad endings—which is what the last third of this episode does: wraps up everyone else as well (even Himura, he gets to meet the young, living version of his past acquaintance).

At a glance, it would seem to be like any other shounen-romance story, but this is the same with most exceptional anime shows. Before watching the first episode, I was already hooked by the trailer. From that, it was obvious that this wasn’t going to become a fanservice fest with blotchy pieces of comedy sticking through. The genres were established as mainly romance and drama, and of course this leans to the shounen side. I guess this is similar to Kanon/Clannad, except that the romance factor is of greater significance, and the execution alone is enough to be commended for. SHAFT really did a wonderful job with this show.

What I really like about the series is the music. Aside from the BGMs, which are great in themselves, the EDs accompany the characters extremely well, almost as if they were from character CDs. They each describe the three characters (Kei, Miyako and Chihiro) ‘journey’ through the episodes as they overcome their problems. Kei’s running animation is priceless, while I like her song the best as well. In the end, she doesn’t end up with Kyousuke, but that was to be expected, since she would have only recently gotten over Hiro. It’s nice to see that she’s finally accepted the role that comes with the position of an imouto though.

If there’s one problem I want to point out, it would be the conclusion of Hiro and Miyako’s story. The way they talk to each other makes it seem like the entire series never happens. The air of cheeriness doesn’t really fit as a direct aftermath of their reunion, and they never show the two together a day or so after it happens. But to assimilate to the rest of the episode, they had to throw out any possible tenderness and make it happy. In the end, Renji’s story is stronger, though Hiro’s story is executed better. I would have to lean towards the latter in terms of preference, also due to the fact that Miyako is my favourite character.

Rating: 9.5/10

Impressions:

That was truly amazing…In the end, I think it’s obvious that Renji had the far deeper story. I wonder if this really concludes everything for him and Chihiro. It serves well for a shock, counter-ending to Hiro’s happy ending, but I can’t help but want to see Renji and Chihiro after this conclusion, to observe their mindsets and composition. Would it be likely that the two simply return to their original lives? Well, I was actually expecting Chihiro to jump off the roof after ripping her diary, but in ways, her continued existence makes everything so much sadder. Next episode, the finale, I wonder what it will entail. Will it be about Kei, even though she’s technically part of Hiro’s story?

Rating: 9.5/10

Impressions:

The next episode should conclude Renji’s story, as this episode concludes Hiro’s. And perhaps the last episode will wrap everything up, or show a time skip (or something or that nature). Maybe they’ll have Kei and Kyousuke come together, though it’s unnecessary. Anyway though, like episode 7, I awe at this episode for its impact and amazement value. The phone call scene is highly dramatic, and what warrants a score of 9.5. I’m just amazed at the producer’s ability to tell the story in such an effective manner. I can’t be happier with the way things turn out between Miyako and Hiro, except that things progress too quickly. If only there were more episodes…

Rating: 9/10

Impressions:

With my preference of Miyako over Kei, I am of course extremely satisfied with the development between Miyako and Hiro. My fanboy side finds the beach scene immensely cute (and personally, I reckon the implied sex scene isn’t necessary…but then I guess it does serve as a trigger for her emotional breakdown at the end of the episode). I’m worried about how this story’s going to turn out though, as even with whatever’s going on between Kei and Kyousuke, her state after discovering what had happened between Miyako and Hiro doesn’t suggest she’s going to be changing who she likes. I hope Miyako and Hiro stay together at least…

Now for the other side of things—Renji’s finally grasping the true nature of things, and is rightly breaking down. Chihiro’s comparison between her memory loss and repeatedly dying is very true. Essentially, she loses her life every night when she goes to sleep, and starts again the next day. To others, if she remains the same, she can be seen as a continuing existence. But take an example where a person is killed, but is replaced by an almost perfect copy. To all those around him, it would seem like this person is still alive, when in reality, he’s not. But now, Renji has finally discovered that this person is actually dead (Chihiro).

Rating: 9/10

Impressions:

While this episode isn’t as emotionally intense as the last, it does focus more on Renji’s story, and ramps up the drama factor by quite a bit. I’m sure most of us would know the reality behind short term memory loss in Chihiro’s case, and all the little things that the anime hasn’t shown until now. Even if Renji’s decided to stay with Chihiro forever, he’s probably still confused about Chihiro’s feelings. A question that would pop up would be: can love be retained without memories? In other words, when Chihiro gives Renji permission to kiss her in the last episode, Renji has his doubts about whether Chihiro really likes him or not.

Out of Kei and Miyako, I have to say I like Miyako a lot more than Kei. Actually, I don’t even like Kei, so there’s no real point in comparing the two. Both are pretty emotional at the moment, though Miyako has more grounds to be as fragile and messed up as she is. Kei’s attitude, wickedness and selfishness simply annoys the hell outta me. Currently, she’s probably on the verge of breaking down, thinking that Hiro has no consideration for her, and seeks only for Miyako. On the other hand, Miyako seems to have broken down a long time ago, and only in front of Hiro can she maintain her composure. Speaking of which, the last scene in this episode made me really happy.

Rating: 9.5/10

Impressions:

Omfg…If I have to compare Hiro’s story with School Days, it is easy to think of School Days as an extremely shallow, badly versed and scripted piece of crap. Renji’s story makes me jumpy, but the second half, which artistically illustrates the day that she’s stood up (as well as the 90+ missed calls—was it 90?), is just so shockingly good, I can’t get over it. To be honest, in some ways, the white background with text and Miyako’s voice…that’s probably one of the sadder scenes I’ve seen in any anime (though I still regard Air’s final scenes as the saddest). Purely objectively, this is certainly my favourite show of the season. But…I still remain faithful to Shakugan no Shana.

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

Honestly, I only ever wanted to see an honest, shounen-style romance story. But now we have two girls turning emo rapidly, and I PRAY TO GOD that this does not turn into another School Days. By the end of that show, the characters had warped so heavily that I had gotten to the point of hating all of them. At the moment, I really like Miyako, though if she keeps up her mass callings, I don’t know what I’ll think. Admittedly, this show is still excellent, though I hope it doesn’t go overboard. I’d say most people would prefer to see Hiro’s story, though I reckon Renji’s is equally interesting. Renji’s story simply seems more realistic, and gives the same feel as dramas do.

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

With the little Kei and Miyako issue brewing along nicely now, I guess this means something big will probably happen and result in the their story diverging from any others completely. Personally, I like Miyako a lot better for her carefree personality, which is always a plus for me in the 2-dimensional world. And regarding Renji and Chihiro, their story becomes ever so deep in emotional complications and the like, which is proving to be an excellent watch. Kyousuke’s story—if he has one—seems to merge with Hiro’s, though it too might diverge and drag Kei along as well, which would resolve everything nicely. But I doubt something as simple as that will happen.

Rating: 8.7/10

Impressions:

I’m feeling exactly how I did when I watched sola. And that is, pure awe. Awe at how awesome the show is. I can’t say at all what it is (sola, I THINK was Matsuri) that makes me feel this way about ef, but it’s there alright. I might say that this is my favourite show of this season so far. And I hear that it’s going to get even better (thanks Scoro). Anyway, about the actual episode. What confuses me is the flashback involving the twins and Hiro, which contradicts the current character arrangements (in other words, where does Renji come in this?) And is there supposed to be a main plot, or is the show more like a collection of short stories?

Rating: 8.5/10

Impressions:

I don’t know why, but I really enjoyed this episode, despite not remembering much difference in essence when compared with the first two episodes. Maybe it’s just because I haven’t seen it in a while. In any case, I wonder if the different stories being told have any hard connection, with exception to the notions of memory which they all entail. The characters, for one, all seem to be related, which would make connecting the individual stories together pretty easy. So far, despite Renji’s story being the deepest, I like Hiro’s (that IS his name right?) the best, mainly due to the relationship problems he’s having at the moment.