Ef: A Fairy Tale of the Two (stylized as ef - a fairy tale of the two.) is the overall title of a two-part Japanese adult visual novel series by Minori for the PC as a DVD.[1] The first game in the series, Ef: The First Tale, was released on December 22, 2006, and the second game, Ef: The Latter Tale, was released on May 30, 2008. The opening video for the game was animated by Makoto Shinkai, and a majority of the music was produced by Tenmon, who has worked in the past with Shinkai and Minori. Female character design was by Naru Nanao of Da Capo fame, while male character design was by 2C Galore.[2]
Before the release of Ef: The First Tale, a manga based on the overall story started serialization in the April 2005 issue of Dengeki Comic Gao, but later transferred to Dengeki Daioh. In addition, a light novel was serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq from July 2006 to July 2008. A 12-episode anime adaptation titled Ef: A Tale of Memories was produced by Shaft and aired between October and December 2007. A second season of the anime titled Ef: A Tale of Melodies aired 12 episodes between October and December 2008.[3]
On September 26, 2010, it was announced that MangaGamer had acquired the rights of the visual novel for a worldwide English release, in partnership with the translation group No Name Losers.[4] The license holding company Sentai Filmworks licensed both Ef anime series.[5]
