YMMV / ef - a fairy tale of the two.

• Anti-Climax: Yuuko's death in A Tale of Melodies is foreshadowed throughout as a tragedy of tragedies. When it's actually portrayed in the anime: She's hit by a car after chasing a ball into the street. Though it could be argued that such a childish act leading to an undignified death was the true tragedy.
• Die for Our Ship: There is quite the hate towards Kei for getting in between Hiro and Miyako. Never mind that Kei eventually ends up with Kyousuke anyway.
• First Installment Wins: While fans acknowledge that A Tale of Melodies is excellent (at least if they weren't squicked out by the May–December Romance), A Tale of Memories tends to get better reviews.
• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Viewers who feel uncomfortable with Kuze and Mizuki's May–December Romance may even feel more uncomfortable when they learn that Kuze's English voice actor, Illich Guardiola, was arrested in May 2014 for having a relationship with a 16-year-old girl.
  • Chihiro Shindou's car accident when her sister Kei's English voice actress, Brittney Karbowski, would actually get involved in a car crash that left her temporarily hospitalized with a broken neck in 2010.
• Hilarious in Hindsight: Caught the scene in memories episode 9 where Miyako holds a Big Dango Family phone card? Both Miyako and Nagisa would be voiced a few years later in English by Luci Christian. Both series were also licensed by Sentai Filmworks.
• Moe: The amnesia-fueled, eye-patchy kind.
• The Woobie: Damn near everybody, but Chihiro and Yuu get it the worst.