12 days of memories, day 8
Anno-ism
There are plenty of moments so far in the current ef: a tale of melodies sequel to get into this list (“Warum” comes to mind), but I’m not sure any of them beat the first series’ phone card scene, which Martin described in the comments of this site as “Anno-esque” (best word for the text-on-blank-screen stuff I’ve ever heard). I watched ef: a tale of memories shortly after it aired, all at once, so episode 9’s nail-biting climax can sit comfortably in an ‘08 list.
Usually romantic anime (especially VN adaptations) don’t even have much of a conclusion, but those that do tend to force the characters into dramatic confessions through horrifying situations reeking of melodrama. There’s no shortage of melodrama in ef, but for all its fantasy, its characters have certain ways about them that really strike me as realistic. It’s not just that they have sex or even, God forbid, touch each other (I’m looking at you, Okazaki), it’s how their obsessions and hangups affect the plot more than any outside influence (not so much with the current series).
Episode 9 was the perfect fusion of Shinbo-ism and melodramatic character-driven angst. As the saying goes, you’ll pay for your seat, but you’ll only need THE EDGE.
