Cholisose on February 13, 2012 · in Another

Summary:

In a flashback, Mei voices concern over going through with the countermeasures. The teacher tells the students to not talk about the rules with anyone outside of class.

In the present, Akazawa, Teshigawara, and Kazami discuss the current situation. When Kouichi moved in, class 3 became short a desk, but Akazawa does not believe Kouichi is the lifeless extra. (He never lived in Yomiyama, has no siblings, and his hands weren’t cold.) Later, Kouichi speaks with Mei at her home. He was not told about the rules because he had already spoken with Mei, and Mei sits at the old beat-up desk because that’s a requirement of the counter-curse charm. She scratched the words “Who is dead?” into the desk, because she’s certain she isn’t the one who is dead. Mei’s mother arrives, and Mei suggests Kouichi be on his way.

It turns out Mei and her mother don’t really have a loving relationship, as Mei feels she’s treated like one of her mother’s dolls. Kouichi asks why Mei accepts the treatment her classmates have given her, and she feels that it’s better for her to get the silent treatment than for anyone else in the class. At a park, Kouichi asks why he was also made nonexistent, and Mei notes that by then there was no way Kouichi could start treating Mei like she doesn’t exist. Having two nonexistent students may strengthen the charm, and was the simplest method for avoiding any conversation about Mei with him. Though Kouichi feels this is all extreme, Mei believes it’s all worth it, if it can keep people from dying.

Mei shows Kouichi her fake left eye again (crafted by her mother), explaining she lost her real one to a tumor when she four. Mei recalls having a near-death experience during her surgery–particularly the feeling of being all alone. She notes that in reality, everyone is alone, regardless of all the relationships people form in life.

At home, Kouichi gets a call from his father. Kouichi asks if his mother ever said anything about her class in ninth grade, but his father doesn’t remember anything. His father asks how does it feel to be back in Yomiyama after a year and a half, but Kouichi says this is his first time here since starting junior high. The phone gets some bad reception, and Kouichi’s father admits he must have made a mistake.

And then…

And it turns out they’re rather good dancers! =D

After Kouichi’s fabulous daydream, he has lunch with Mei on the school roof (a trope that’s actually justified for once). Kouichi makes beautiful bento lunches, since he was in a cooking club at his old school. Mei asks him to make her one some day. :> Mei also plans to show him her drawing one day. Time passes, and Mei and Kouichi spend their time together during and after school. One day, Mei brings Kouichi to her art club, and everyone seems glad to see her again. But when Mochizuki (from class 3) arrives, he gets everyone to come with him out of the art room, so he won’t have to acknowledge Mei or Kouichi’s existence. Mei finds a portrait she drew (presumably), which has apparently been cut through.

In the old library, Kouichi and Mei look at the class picture that included Kouichi’s mother. The teacher in the picture is the librarian Chibiki, who comes in and speaks with the two. Chibiki explains that he was class 3′s teacher 26 years ago, and that he can speak with Kouichi and Mei because he has no connection with class 3 at this time. Those who can’t acknowledge them are class 3′s students, as well as any family members living in Yomiyama (namely siblings, parents, and grandparents). Chibiki stays at the school because he feels responsible for opening the “doors of death” 26 years ago. The Misaki who died was a boy named Misaki Yomiyama. The boy’s house burned down, killing himself, his brother, and his parents. Chibiki acknowledges Misaki appeared in the class photo that year, and that class records are mysteriously altered by the curse each year.

Two years ago, Mami Akakura was the extra student who was not alive, and seven people died. The countermeasure worked well until the second term, when the “nonexistent” student of that year renounced his role, as his demands to exist triggered the curse. It turned out Akakura was a student who died three years beforehand, but any records and memories of her didn’t exist while the “another” Akakura attended class 3. Akakura ceased to exist at the end of the year, and her place in the records returned, though memories of her postmortem existence disappeared. The only effective countermeasure is to deny a student’s existence for the year, but even then, it only works about half the time. Chibiki feels this is not a curse, but rather an unusual natural phenomenon. It’s unknown if having two nonexistent students will be more effective, and Chibiki is concerned about Mikami-sensei’s well-being, as she was assistant teacher for class 3 two years ago. Kouichi asks if the curse happened 15 years ago (when Aunt Reiko attended, and when Kouichi’s mother died), and Chibiki believes that was the case.

At home, Kouichi speaks with Reiko and his grandparents. Reiko believes the curse halted during summer break the year she attended class 3, but she doesn’t remember how. The next day, the teacher struggles into class with a bag. He apologizes to everyone, as he’s given up on fighting the curse. Screaming, the teacher pulls a large knife out of his bag.

Reaction:

So… wow. That was quite the ending, huh? While that was certainly a highlight for the series, I’ll have to admit Kouichi’s daydream is already a strong contender for “2012 Anime’s Most Memorable Scene” award. I can’t remember the last time I was so thoroughly surprised in such a pleasant way. XD Seriously… Kouichi and Mei having a dance-off in the middle of class is about the most epically random thing I could have ever asked for. And I kind of did, actually! Remember, in one of the captions for my post on episode five?

A good “deleted scene” would have Kouichi dancing around the class, to test how strong everyone’s will is! (Must… ignore… Kouichi…)

This episode was primarily devoted to two things: 1) Developing the relationship between Kouichi and Mei, and 2) Answering a TON more questions regarding the specifics of the curse.

I’m pleased with the background info we’re learning about Mei and Kouichi, and I really like how they’ve been able to become friends through this trial of theirs. They’re both rather “normal” characters, especially when it comes to anime set in school–and their conversations, interactions, concerns, and wacky daydreams all feel refreshingly genuine. Though they can’t do anything with their classmates anymore, they’re able to at least support each other, especially considering how… “off” things are for them at their homes. I’m a bit curious what will happen between them and Mei’s mother (who might be the figure in Mei’s painting?), as well as Kouichi’s aunt (who is starting to… worry me).

But mainly I’m curious to see where things will go with Kouichi and Mei. Weren’t they just adorable this episode? They’re so cute. Kouichi even got Mei to smile (outside of the daydream), and I rather liked the montage showing them ditching class and hanging out together. I wasn’t expecting this sort of development at all when I first started watching this series, but now I’m going to root for them. :> Hopefully they’re both actually alive… and won’t get killed by series’ end.

Chibiki, the librarian, is another interesting character, and one who presents the interesting possibility of a redemptive subplot in his efforts to bring an end to the curse he essentially started. His thoughts on the curse just being a natural phenomenon is interesting, because this makes Another a horror where there isn’t really an antagonist. We don’t have the spirit of Misaki Yomiyama trying to kill everyone in revenge, or anything. And essentially every member of the cast appears to be a decent person–it’s quite understandable that nobody wants to die, and it’s made clear that everyone feels bad for the measures they’ve had to take to keep people from getting killed. It’s quite a fascinating predicament, and one that I hope will be delved into more as the series goes on.

This episode did present a rather mysterious tidbit that I’m not sure how to analyze at the moment. Kouichi’s father called and mentioned something to the effect of Kouichi being in Yomiyama a year and a half ago. I believe that would have been around the time that the nonexistent student pulled an Occupy Class 3 (“I am the one percent!!!”), leading to the deaths of seven people. Is it possible Kouichi indeed was in Yomiyama, but has forgotten due to the curse’s laser-guided amnesia? This could even be a hint that he’s the dead extra, I suppose–though that would go against Akazawa’s assessment made this episode. (I’m a little curious about her methods of discerning who the extra is, though…)

Definitely excited to see what will happen next! The teacher is wigging out at the moment… Is he going to just kill himself? Or is he planning on hacking away at some of the students? >_> Run for it, Kouichi and Mei!