ef ~a tale of melodies.~ op 1 – Ebullient Future
Obviously, it’s quite similar to Euphoric Field, only now the text is in German and the song’s lyrics play a bigger part in the video. The girls dissolve into feathers once again, and just like the first op had the Shinbo-riffic chains, this one has a crucifixion, which I’m pretty sure is Shinbo’s favorite thing in the universe. What’s important to notice is that the video’s all in black and white. Like memories, this op will evolve throughout the series.
ef ~a tale of melodies.~ op 3 – Ebullient Future
It’s the same opening theme, but now everything but the characters is in color, so the emotions withheld in each moment become more intense. How can this end~?
ef ~a tale of melodies.~ ep 12 ed – Ebullient Future
The op becomes the ed for the final episode, and now the characters are in color and looking positively brilliant. The girls don’t dissolve, but take each-other’s hands and run off smiling. The crucified man tears the nails right out of the fucking walls—once again, an emotionally powerful final iteration, and this one also includes a lengthy trail-out with some text and images. Very tasty.
Like memories, melodies has a lot of ending videos, and once again I just want to show off one that helps to strengthen my points. I don’t even need to say anything—you’ll see it all yourself.
ef ~a tale of melodies.~ ed 1 – Egao no Chikara
So, now we’ve cleaned out the ef series, and it’s time to move on to Oonuma Shin’s latest work, Baka to Test to Shoukanjuu. Remember—this series wasn’t done with SHAFT or Shinbo, so anything that returns in these videos can be considered strictly Oonuma’s doing.
(Continued on page 4)
My Sword Is Unbelievably Dull 
Credit text being timed to match the lyrics is pretty common. I started noticing this while making OP/ED subs for Shugo Chara!! Doki and realizing that their timing tended to match up with the credits a lot.
I can see a lot of the other stuff, though.
Also, go watch the OP and ED for Hidamari Sketch x Hoshimittsu if you haven’t already. They’re pretty awesome.
I’ll be sure to look out for it more in the future.
I’m about to start an all-series HidaSketch marathon, actually, so I’ll be seeing that soon~
Although Shinbo (SHAFT) isnt really my cup of tea, this was a great read. Shinbo is something like an acquired taste I guess.
I love Shinbo just because he strikes right to the heart of things I love. I love gothic imagery and crucifixions and such, so a lot of his shows appeal to me, and then he has the comedies which I feel are genius in their saturation. HidaSketch is also great in how it can perfectly blend artsy visuals meaningfully into a normal and interesting story.
I totally get people not liking Shinbo, because he’s really only going to appeal to people either predisposed to liking his stuff, or fans who don’t know it yet that watch a show and realize their love.
Matching music to imagery reminds me of the OP for Arakawa Under the Bridge, which is literally Etsuko Yakushimaru’s lyrics made into animation.
VERY interesting about the last episode of ef. I’ve never seen the show, and now I’m quite tempted to. ;)
God, but that English title for BakaTest really is awful.
Definitely see ef. It held by #1 spot for almost a full year before Eureka Seven stole the throne. Amazing series.
And yeah, fuck Funimation.
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The third op of Pani Poni Dash has more influence of Oishi Tatsuya than Shinbo or Oonuma. Oishi Tatsuya’s style can be directly seen in Maria+Holic, Bakemonogatari Hitagi Crab and infamous Negima!? OP.
Shinbo + Oishi + Oonuma is called ‘Team Shinbo’. Shinbo for overall direction, Oishi for typography and CG+vector usage, Oonuma for abstract metaphors and colouring. That’s pretty much how past Shaft was formed.
Thanks for the tip! I read your post about SHAFT and it was amazing, by the way~