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「Bone work -骨組-」 (Honegumi)
Those of you who’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop better carry an umbrella when watching this episode. But by all means, don’t run with it…
I have a theory about the ED now that I’ve seen the last few minutes of this episode, which should be obvious to anyone who’s likewise seen them. We’ll know soon enough whether it’s true or not, but if I were Kazami-kun I don’t think I’d sweat exams too much – if 14 year-olds have bucket lists (“Have sex. Have sex. Have sex.”) I’d get cracking on that instead. I was pretty happy with the overall creepy tone and psychological unease Another was generating, but the chorus was calling for some true horror, and this week P.A. Works delivered the goods in gloriously grisly fashion.
There was plenty of buildup first, though, with the larger question of what’s up with Misaki Mei still unanswered. Oh, the cliffhanger was resolved quickly enough – it was a doll’s eye (green) under that eye patch, and she says she covers it because it “sees things that should remain unseen”. She also tells Kouichi that the girl who died at the hospital was her cousin, Misaki Fujioka, to whom she was extremely close. She remarks that the dolls at Studio M – designed by Kirika, whose studio is on the second floor – are completely empty, but always trying to fill themselves. She asks Kouichi if he can’t feel them drawing something out of him as they stand in the basement of the doll shop (he agrees). The dolls (and the old lady) are most likely connected to whatever element of the mystery is supernatural, if there is one, or if not they’re a damned effective red herring.
This episode was full of interesting clues, riddles and enigmas. Just a few that pop to mind: Why was there a test paper on “Misaki’s” desk? Why did the mynah bird (chillingly) say “Why Rei, why?” Just parroting wails of grief it’d heard inside the house? What did Sakuragi mean by “He knows about the first year”? What did Mei mean by “Because I don’t exist”? Why was everyone so concerned that no one discuss the events of 26 years earlier with Kouichi – until “next month”? Teacher, Aunt Reiko, Teshigawara… Why was the school’s class trip moved from 9th-year Spring to 8th-year Fall? And were those blood stains we saw briefly here, in what looks like a school storage room – and if so, whose?
I have my own theories about all this, but fundamentally I think all the answers are tied to a fairly straightforward question – is Misaki Mei a ghost, or is she alive? Or is there a duality to her nature that transcends both? It all springs from there – is there a supernatural horror story, or is the horror the behavior of the humans of the town (John Saul’s readers might think the latter). I suspect most things happening here may have natural explanations, but not all of them, and the door is still wide-open. Tied into all that, of course, is whether you believe the rest of the world can see Mei – and are ignoring her – or only Kouichi can see her. Mei herself seems to imply that only Kou can see her, and there’s no denying that when he turned his head at the doll shop she disappeared – not to mention that she wasn’t on the roof when he arrived there at 17:56. However, it seems very likely that Kazami saw her on the roof at the same time Kou-kun did, and it certainly appeared that Sakuragi saw her in the hallway just before she died.
Me, I think the others can see her and pretend not to – and I think it’s all tied into the elaborate charade everyone in the town is playing, which started with the student 26 years ago that said “she’s still alive”. “I don’t exist” can as easily mean social invisibility as literal. There may be a tie-in with a certain time of year, with tragedies occurring only then – the month when Misaki died, perhaps? I also wonder if there’s a 13-year “cycle” in which death comes to members of class 3-3 – former and current – only in the first year. That would explain Sakuragi’s comment, at least, and make this year a “death year” though not seemingly the one when Kou’s mother died. As for why the class trip was moved, perhaps something terrible happened to Misaki on that trip, or perhaps the school simply moved it because it knew many students wouldn’t live to go on the trip otherwise (an ugly thought).
As for poor Sakuragi, she certainly met an ugly end – impaled through the neck and head by an umbrella. Watching her die, twitching (impaled through the left eye, perhaps?), certainly upped the conventional horror ante in way that will please a lot of viewers – it was horrible to see. But what really happened? My assumption is that the teacher told her something had happened to someone in her family, thus the need to rush out of school – and again, she certainly appeared to have seen Mei. Does this mean she could see her all along, or do the living only see Mei when they’re about to die? Her death could have been an accident, of course. But somehow it feels that this is all an elaborate fiction – pretend Mei didn’t die 26 years ago. Pretend today’s Mei doesn’t exist. Don’t talk about what happened during certain times of year. I can’t speak to why, or what ties it all together, but that’s what it feels like to me. Fundamentally, ask this question – if this were not an elaborate farce, why would the school continue to have a Class 3-3 at all, given all the terrible things that have happened? If anything, I get the sense that these students are a form of human sacrifice.
Whatever’s really happening in Yomiyama, it’s a blast to watch – scary, creepy and intense. While Mizushima-sensei has pulled no punches in telling us something is terribly wrong, I like the fact that there are so many conflicting clues at play here, and all possibilities seemingly remain open. Paired with the absolutely stellar production values (again, the sound direction is truly spectacular) the result is a top-shelf series that’s working on all levels.
Preview
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I was not prepared for this lol. Mind blown!
Was not expecting that! Note to self don’t get attach to the characters cuz it’s like DBZ all over again “Krililin Noooo!!”
But they won’t come back….
…or will they?
ghosty?
Shit just got real.
This episode finally established what kind of series it is. Before this episode, I constantly battled over myself if anything in Another is in fact supernatural – this episode seems to tell me just that.
Yukari’s death was totally unexpected, but it also provides me with some information as to the level of the drama of this series.
It was nice of them to actually show Misaki’s left eye (unlike certain shows… *cough* Code Geass *cough* CC’s real name *cough*)
CC’s real name ?? where ? WHERE ??
God, can’t get this piercing feeling out of my neck after seeing Sakuragi’s death.
From the clues themselves, the test paper on Misaki’s desk is the weirdest clue, if only because it’s been suggested that everyone either can’t see her or are denying that she doesn’t exist. Why bother giving her a test?
Whatever the case, with Sakuragi’s death, I’m seeing a ton of death flags raising on several of the characters. Akazawa seems a bit too nosy for me and Mizuno (the nurse) appears to be digging too deep into what could be something dark, just to name a few. I’m a bit surprised that the hang-up from last episode wasn’t addressed, or if it was, I missed it.
denying that she exists*
I’m glad I’m not the only one not desensitized by violence to feel the seem shock empathy for a character. (i can’t watch slacker movies for the same reason…Saw…Final Destination….)
Also glad to watch this over reading the manga the effect of see this in action over panels gives you more of a gut reaction.
*slasher movies
Oh. I am pretty sure she was impaled through the neck, not through her eye. You can see her umbrella’s (conveniently) pointy end out of her neck.
Never mind of my Captain-Obvious statement. Where is that “edit” function when you needed it? 🙁
Sure gives deep throat a new meaning, eh?
Dude. *shakes head*
lol this is so wrong.
Your theory:
The people in this show will die in the order that they appear in the ED sequence.
I presume?
Indeed.
Holy shit. This is EXACTLY what I was thinking!
OK I have a theory now.
Perhaps the Misaki 27 (?) years ago was a twin (I’ll call her the old Misaki from now on) – perhaps a conjoined twin (recall the current Misaki mentioning the conjoined twins doll in episode 2). At an early time, the old Misaki’s twin sister died (either because of the separation operation or otherwise). What we see now is probably Misaki’s twin sister, who died more than 27 years ago but her spirit lingered on.
Spoiler-ish reply here. Be cautious since I’ve read the novel… (Don’t click them if you don’t want to get spoiled
First of all Sakuragi was…
Show Spoiler ▼
This would continue and the next two would be…
Show Spoiler ▼
Kouichi is the first dude who is shown in the ED though? Exclude him? XD
Or maybe he is already dead. MIND F*CK!
That might not be far from the answer. Its more probably like he has death itself within him. See that the ED shows him far apart on the back while the others appear on a line. That must means something. He’s been so close to death because of his illness that there might be something to it.
Yeah, my theory would be that he’s either the catalyst for what happens, or just too close to be impacted. Also note that he’s already present when the ED starts – he doesn’t “fade in” – and he’s more solid than the others.
Namedropping Lovecraft? Dear me, it seems that Kouichi has stumbled upon a trope that he should’ve known, nothing terrible happens lest one pokes upon things that he shouldn’t.
Ah, yes. The heavy atmosphere during the exposition was interesting, and the sense of utter confusion made the end great.
Off-topic: Bet you $10 that if this anime get’s a doujin, Y’golonac had 10% chance of appearing, now that Lovecraft was name-dropped.
On-topic: Man, I love Lovecraft. But using his name to mean you saw something you supposed not to see is just brilliant.
Remember this old gem:
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far.
Note to self #2: Don’t listen to this with 7.1 surround sound headphones.
i know what u mean…
i watched this in the dark with 5.1 surround sound
i dont think ill be sleeping today.. :S
The lead-up to the scene (umbrella falling), the sound effects, and the twitching afterwards really squicked me out, and this is coming from an anime too.
This episode really set the tone of what`s going to come after. I’m really impressed at how the story is shaping up, since I was expecting something along the lines of Blood-C.
The premise really gives of a Hot-Fuzz vibe. If anyone hasn’t watched that yet, I highly recommend it, since it’s actually a really good movie.
Really looking forward to this series as well, like many other shows this season.
Fear forever an episode 3.
Another did a Madoka and just dropped us a bomb by snuffing one character out. This is how horror/suspense/psycho anime should be.
…impaled through the neck and head by an umbrella.
Search Google and you will find tons of these. Top searches reveals “A man ended up impaled by the neck on railings after he slipped…” and “A woman is recovering in hospital after she was impaled through the neck by a spiked railing after slipping…”
Clearly someone did the homework. And dying by accidentally being impaled in modern day seems to usually mean you slipped.
This is why you buy umbrella’s with blunt end’s
I’d prefer a broken nose to a sharp object through my eye and brain any day.
But you know what they say: When it’s your time, it’s time. Even blunt umbrellas will kill you in the right condition.
Right, blunt tipped umbrella. That way you get to have your windpipe crushed instead of impaled. Yep, that sounds better to me ;).
Nope, when the time comes, that blunt end will be cracked with sharp edges.
My throat hurts every time I swallow after seeing the episode. WTF!?! It’s been 2 1/2 days already!
Yukari’s VA (Ai Nonaka) also played as Kyoko Sakura. In any case… damn, this episode is the Mami. 😐
Looks like we’ll have to set up a deathwatch.
It´s decided, I´ll never use an umbrella ever again!!!.
It looks like Misaki’s doll eye isn’t the only thing that “sees things that should remain unseen.” Didn’t people also say that Kouichi was a harbinger of death, or am I mixing this show up with Gosick?
They simply say they associate his name with death. You are thinking of Gosick
Yeah. Maybe he’s like the grim reaper or something. See how oddly he is placed in the ED? He is first yet on the back.
That’s an explanation to Kouichi asociated with death… not a big spoiler so it’s quite safe to read:
they call him by surname, like most japanese. And there was a Sakakibara Something (don’t recall now) that did the great columbine back in tokyo. Same surname, different kanji, but Kouichi got bullied for that in Tokyo and it was one of the reasons of him to move to the desert inaka xD
Did Not Expect That.
This show is friggin’ bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Love LOVE the use of strings in the music, brilliant really. If it manages to keep up like this and not drop the ball on the one yard line by screwing up the ending (very possible, terrible endings is almost the standard in anime) then this will easily be the best show of the season. Maybe of the year even, too early to say but other shows will have a tough row to hoe trying to beat it.
The scene they flashed with the maybe blood was splattered over an art canvas and lets not forget how Misaki draws…Also right now I’m leaning towards her being a real person who everyone pretends doesn’t exist because they think she’s the source of a ‘curse’ on the class. Although they did give her a test paper 🙁 DAM this show is good.
Mei is way too cute to be a harbinger of death. I refuse to believe it!
Anyway, WHAM episode this week, definitely didn’t see that one coming. Poor poor glasses girl, though if someone was going to get offed first my money would’ve be on the nurse lady. Snooping around that creepy hospital is never good.
I think I like the idea that people who are about to die can only see Mei, more than her actually causing these deaths. Something tells me Sakuragi’s emeregency was just like any other.
Mei is way too cute to be a harbinger of death. I refuse to believe it!
But then, Sadako is cute too and plays as a Onizuka-like teacher while is the daughter of the Yakuza 😛
*…in another universe.
I original thought the nurse would be the first to meet her end. It was shocking to see Sakuragi meet her fate. I honestly wanted her around a bit longer.
I’m particulary glad she died because they f*ked her character in the anime. She got cuter, moe, bit stupier, and somehow they made her look like if she had a crush on Kouichi. It started to irritate me, so I was hopping they started with the deaths soon…
Super mysterious and creepy I will continue to watch. I also firmly believe that Misaki does exist and everyone else is in denial. I want to find out what’s really going on and I hope that they have enough episodes to do it properly cause I’m loving the pacing they’ve set.
I really can’t not wait for the next episode. Just what an ending to that but now I’m looking forward to how this anime moves on from this and essentially build up the plot. I think episode might contain that scene well panel!
I wouldn’t even have noticed this if I haven’t been playing Persona 4 recently…
The doll shop’s name, Yomi at twilight, seems to carry a lot of significance.
Think of it was “The realm of the dead at twilight” or perhaps “The underworld at twilight” if your mythology isn’t quite up to scratch.
It kind of makes it sound as there’s a lot of spirits and monsters about in the shop. Mei seems to hint as much when she states the dolls aren’t “calm.”
Seems like a bad omen, but I’m probably just reading too deeply into it.
Sakuragi’s struggle for life is what hit me hardest. Dayum
If only he stayed put and listened to the advice of his classmate to wait for a month to learn the truth, everything might not have turned out like it did. *sigh* On the other note, we wouldn’t have this series to follow.
(I still feel irritated towards him though)
No, if only Akazawa wasn’t absent during Sakakibara’s first day. It looks like she was supposed to be the one to tell him something important about the class (Misaki?). Instead, she was absent, and everyone else shirked the responsibility. They just pretended nothing was wrong and distracted Sakakibara. And now it looks like Sakuragi is the first to pay the price.
I guess so.. but why didn’t she tell him the next day? orz
There were a lot of chances to explain the situation to him yet..i don’t know anymore. *sigh*
That I want to know too. Since it’s an anime original (Akazawa presence in school)…
She could have told him herself!
To hell with people who post spoilers without any warning. you’re worse than wikipedia……
“Sakuragi saw her in the hallway just before she died”
But, she seemed to be in a hurry to go somewhere; an unanswered question overshadowed by her fall down
the stairs. I wondered that myself – did both students see Misaki Mei?
BTW, does the ending remind anyone of Angel Beats (except darker)?
It was obvious that she would impale herself – the animators spent too much time on the tip of the
umbrella – through the neck was a surprise, though.
I don’t understand enough Japanese to see if there’s a subtle difference between Mei’s statement –
“because I don’t exist” or “because I’m not real”. The first (in English) doesn’t actually state
anything about Mei (“exists” is a perception others may have of her). Our carelessness may lead
us to believe we’ve learned something about Mei, but I would not be surprised if this excellent
writing has not fooled us on this matter…
Crap! Did she get her green eye from the doll (just happened to think of it)?
It was obvious that she would impale herself – the animators spent too much time on the tip of the
umbrella – through the neck was a surprise, though.
Considering they focused on it right before her death and never much before that point, it would appear to be a given.
Just mind blowing. Never running while holding an umbrella. Chills down the spine
Higurashi no naku koro ni theory – every year someone/whole class dies during one month?
Very very close to going in “SPAM”. Next time you do. ~GE
The Complete Works of Lovecraft
Unless they’re printing really small letters and/or the Japanese language suddenly changed overnight, there is no way a complete collection of Lovecraft’s short stories, novellas, essays and poetry could fit in such a small book.
I call shenanigans. This is the twilight zone and Kouichi is still in a coma.
Show Spoiler ▼
Micro print?
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed that bromance, though the relationship seems interestingly reversed (i.e. usually the “happy” one would be making the “serious” one uncomfortable).
My somewhat limited knowledge and theories so far…
1.Indeed there was dead student 26 years sago, and the class that pretended that she was alive.
2.Some unfortunate accidents – possibly mostly fatal – befell members of the class 9-3 ever since, periodically or every year…
3.The deaths are somehow connected with either being able to see the ghost – or keeping the whole thing secret.
4.Rei-kun’s family is somehow connected to the incident 26 years ago?
I dont think that will be the last time we will see the doll shop…
Well there goes my theory that one classmate would impersonate Misaki and would mark off their attendance as absent… Like the girl with reddish hair and twin tails (cant rmb the name). Looks like PA Works got their hands on good material for an Anime of the Year.
Oh f**k. Shit just got real. And she was the most likable character among Kouichi’s classmates. WHY?!?
Oh crap, I guess things are getting out of hand now!
And besides, the whole class would eventually shrug it off like Yukari didn’t die just like 26 years ago.
I didn’t care much about our protagonist Koichi going after Misaki asking her questions on his own. But it really irritated me when he started asking those questions to his classmates as if he was dragging them to death. They obviously didn’t want to answer the questions, yet he kept being too persistent. It is true that when you are not told something you get more curious about it but there is a limit on how insensitive one can be.
When people are hiding something from you. Even more the whole town and even your sister. You tend to get even more curious. Curiosity killed the cat.
Reiko is his aunt.
I think it’s perfectly reasonable. A normal person would say that these stories sound like superstitious mumbo-jumbo and would not see a problem with asking people about it. Especially when they refuse to answer direct questions about it, which just makes it look like they are hiding something for no reason.
I agree, Kouchi’s curiosity is 100% reasonable to me. He doesn’t have the benefit of watching all this from a distance, and the natural human assumption isn’t necessarily that something all curse-y and supernatural is going on. They’re hiding something from him, and he wants to know what and why – very understandable.
I find it more irritating how all his classmates keep putting off telling him. They know he’s talking to Mei, they know he was born in the town, and they all seem to have some sort of problem with him. Plus maybe it’s just me, but if I knew there was this big secret everyone but me knew and no one felt like telling me, I’d feel pretty alienated. Getting closer to Mei and digging on his own does seem like a perfectly reasonable thing for Kouichi to do, and the lame reasoning of “you shouldn’t do this but we aren’t going to tell you why” that his classmates are giving him wouldn’t go very far with me either. Even before this episode it was pretty obvious it was more dangerous for everyone for Kouichi not to know what he was dealing with then if they had just stopped shutting him out.
In the end I know someone is going to blame the death on Kouichi, but it’s a lot more the rest of the class’s fault than his. Forewarned is forearmed.
I agree with you guys. I guess it has to do with the fact that i knew something bad was going to happen.
Ugh. I could not sleep last night because of this show.
Makes you wonder if Misaki always leaves the exams early, can other students see her writing?
I was just about to drop this anime because of the fact that I didn’t find the premise scary or anything. A girl died and some dude says he could still see her and the rest of the school follows his lead in greif? Sounds dumb- the only reason I watched this week was the eye thing. But this episode completely changed my mind. Now I’m dying to see the next one, hopefully it continues to surprise me in a good way (since I have no idea where the f it is headed)
O my, I’m never gonaa look at my umbrella the same way I did…
Bu that was… wow.
Can’t wait for more… I’m courious who else is gonna die and well… how. From what
we’ve seen in this episode we may see rather unconventional ways of dying
Best death evar. I want more. I wanna the whole class dead.
You know what will make this shit creepier?
Max Theory time!
Show Spoiler ▼
LOL.
This plot look like it came from a John Cusack’s movie.
I’m gonna take the skeptical side on this one and hope that there really is no supernatural happenings going on and it is all coincidence and that what Mei was saying about not existing was just metaphorical. At this rate, probably gonna be shown to be false pretty soon, but taking the skeptical stance is more fun in a series like this, sorta of like speculating in reverse, since you can’t really predict what’s gonna happen next.
My theory is that Misaki is real. Just as the previous people denied the original’s death they are now denying her existence in an attempt to undo a curse.
Great, now I’m afraid of umbrellas and stairs. T_T
Eventful episode though! I’ve been waiting for all the dramatic tension to break out.
Going by the theory that everyone is able to see Mei but choose to ignore her, I wonder why Sakuragi was frightened and ran away?
Although, I think the class should at least tell MC why they can’t tell him right away or at least not cryptically talk about it right in front of him if they don’t want him getting involved with “things that don’t exist.”
Betting all of my money that the doll that looks so much like Misaki doesn’t have a left eye. The color of her right eye is exactly the same color of the “doll” eye Misaki has hidden below the bandage.
Didn’t Misaki flip the doll’s hair up in episode 2 to reveal her left eye?
And that’s why you don’t run in the school’s halls!
No, no you don’t. You also don’t get impaled by doing that.
Do I hear desu? https://randomc.net/image/Another/Another%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
Does any one else feel bothered by the unexplained missing fourth floor in the hospital?
In Japan the number four can be pronounced the same way as death (“shi”), so they’re very superstitious about it. So apparently a lot of Japanese hospitals have no 4th floor. Just like how in some buildings they have no 13th floor.
The pronunciation of “4” can be read as “shi” or “yon” in japanese. If you read it as “shi”, it also can mean “death”, if one does not look at the Kanji character. That’s why the lifts in the hospitals, and sometimes apartment blocks or hotels, do not have a 4th floor. So, either there is literally no 4th floor or they just skip the number 4 and go from 3rd to 5th floor. The same goes for the number 13 too.
I thought tetraphobia(fear of #4) was a chinese thing
No, it’s also Japanese. It’s partly the language structure. There is a lot of homonyms in Japanese. Also, 9 is sometimes avoided. 9 can be read “ku” which means suffering.
And where do you think the Japanese got their number system and Kanji from?
So yeah, wasnt really ready for that. I was finally getting fond of the chars too.. and she just……
thing is, this almost happened to me before (falling down the stairs while letting go of the old umbrellas with really sharp ends…)
so i go treally creeped out, and yest i was just depressed.
lmfao
https://randomc.net/image/Another/Another%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2003.jpg
This doll is the creepiest. It’s like the top of her head was opened up and the brains are showing.
…Foreshadowing, perhaps?
Could this be Studio M?
I had to pause briefly at the ending scene so I could catch my breath. I was still hoping she would still live.
Sakuragi looked alot cuter in the anime then the manga, and Mei the other way around. Lot cuter in the manga then in the anime
Yukari Sakuragi.. R.I.P., my favorite character so far… (-_-) as she ran, I thought, ” stop! You’ll impale yourself!” and that’s exactly what she did. Is this going to be like Final Destination? I would hat that, I’m too attached already… Either way, I would love to read the novel in English before the series ends.
Oh, just realized why they kept asking him if he was born in that town or something… I’m really dense, eh?
my neck hurts too for some reason!
WOW! The only other media that put a sense of fear in me using anime artwork was Corpse Party for the PSP. I hope this show is successful and pray we get a Corpse Party adaptation as I love horror shows when they scare me. Especially ones that rely on creating an atmosphere to freak you out.
I think that you can only see Mei when you’re about to die.
Or acknowledging her existence will lead to death, thus the reason why everyone acts as if she is invisible.
Just pure speculation. Did not want to read the previously posted spoilers since this is one title where the mystery is worth finding out for oneself.
Did not expect it to be that brutal. Poor girl. I just wish they stick to the mystery and cut out the brutal stuff. Oh well.
Quite the horrible death although not completly surprising. Remember the first episode than they screened every single student in Class 3-3? Back than that they were all gonna die
Correction: I already thought back than “They are all gonna die”
Thanks to Mei’s clues and hints, This episode spells Final Destination, japanese version.
The girl completed the whole story that’s why she died, as for the main protagonist he’s just in the 1st year part.
Maybe the biggest twist here the MC’s mother is the antagonist’s best friend.
I agree with the theory that Mei is a death omen. Maybe the main character is already dying slowly (from illness) and hence can always see her? So it could be why the classmates fear seeing her, as if they can see her it means that death is coming.
On the other hand, Sakuraji running out of the classroom before seeing Mei doesn’t fit the above theory, unless something happened which causes her to belief she is going to die, only to see Mei in the hallway which confirms her death?
First off all, I have to say that we probably won’t hear or understand the whole story for a very long time. That said, it’s pretty mind blowing to be told that the person you’re seeing does not exist. Especially by the person you thought existed. What I want to know is why the hell Sakuragi freaked the hell out. Let alone, why she was in a rush out. Probably will mention it in the next episode but still. And this tell everyone never run own the stairs with sharp objects… ESPECIALLY A UMBRELLA in this case. You never know when someone decided to wax the stairs to troll you. Argh… that finaly struggle to push herself up, to find a way to breath, to get rid of the pain, was executed perfectly, and quite grotesque setting up the next episode. This also lies with two different things. The test of Misaki Mei test.. is that suppose to be the ritual to continue the idea that ___ person is still alive for the past 26 years or is here some more such as her being alive. Or could the main character be hallucinating what he sees all together. Either way… the two theories is a. Misaki Mei is dead and this is her ghost… or b. Misaki Mei is alive and there some very good plot devices to explain that she’s actually alive that I can already think off. Also… it be nice to understand the deeper metaphorical meaning behind the dolls. If anyone won’t mind explaining to me their thoughts… I’d need more time looking at each doll to grasp a better understanding myself.
Also… assuming all deaths are linked in some way to class 3-3, does this mean that the entire class will either die or have someone close to them die. well, we’ll see what happens next episode.
I agree with you. But I’m just sad that nobody did anything! =( they just all stared and didn’t say! “Oh stop!” or something like that :S but yeah I am never running down a stairs with an umbrella @__@ thats just so screwed up & when she tripped on the stairs while holding the umbrella im like: yup, shes gonna get stabbed with it (i knew it straight on) lolol it was so obvious how they did it slow motion too
Well that looked like it hurt a lot more than just falling down a staircase…
Prelimary guess is that Mei is begin rejected by everyone because she sees ghosts who stick around her. Secondary guess is that Kazami had the same ability until he was involved in something that gave him amnesia, with a possibility that he was some sort of killer that due to the law protecting juveniles, was not jailed.
I didn’t expect so many thinking Mei is death of a ghost. Maybe the anime direction failed and turned it more vague? I talk having read most of the novel, but I started with the manga and there was pretty clear the Mei is alive. This is no spoiler now:
*You have the prologue telling the story of the death 26 years ago, yet nobody recalls that the students pretended that he was still there? So, from the very start, we already know that the 3-3 class is used to that sort of game of pretending.
*This was slightly changed in the anime, Reiko gives advice to Kouichi about the “yomikita’ rules”. Rule n°3: keep up with the act of the class. So again, it’s a direct hint that 3-3 is acting.
*Kouichi talking with Yukari during P.E., the expression of Kazami, the call of Teshigawara telling him to stop. It’s pretty OBVIOUS that everyone sees Mei, but they’re pretending she doesn’t exist. The nature of the reaction gives the feeling that they shouldn’t break that rule. Like “Kouichi you stupid, stop doing that or you will get us all killed!”.
So no, Kouichi and Mei are both flesh and bone students.
I’m looking forward to the reason as to why no one is telling Kouichi anything. It better be damn good, cause right now they all just look like self-pitying fools. If I was Kouichi I wouldn’t be able to figure out that there was some “act” I was supposed to be following either; I’d just think they were ostracizing Mei and feel bad for her.
I mean, I get that they can’t tell him to ignore Mei’s existence without admitting that she actually exists, but if that’s really all that it is, that’ll just be pathetic. Use your brains here, people! Your lives are probably on the line!!
Well that’s because Another doesn’t have the monologues like Kyon had so we don’t know Kouichi thoughts. The novel is narrated from Kouichi perspective, so you know what he is thinking.
Show Spoiler ▼
Just checked out the drawings for the manga, Aunt Reiko sure looks a lot more beautiful as compared to the anime… As mentioned before, its a wonder why did the studio change up the appearances of the characters…
The first one to go down! My money was on the kid with te heart condition but this was unexpected, I think they will share what they know with Kouichi because the rest of the class can expect for him stay quiet after witnesing that horror. Mei, Izumi and Sakuragi are my favorite characters so far so I pray for any of them to get out of that hell hole town alive, my God with that ominous atmosphere, obscure secrets buried for who knows how long and the obvios consiracy to sorrounding the truth about the Misaki from the story they should rename the town Silent Hill and be done with it.
I don´t really think Mei is death omen at all, I think she might a manisphetation of the classmates wishes for the original Misaki to live and graduate withtem. It´s like the legend of Medusa, she came into existenses through the wishes of mankind for a goddess that will have absolute mercy for them, it´s just a theory but could explain her presense in town as well as her enismatic words to Kouichi.
Or maybe she just like trolling… xD
By the way, I think that I’m imagine this face as Kyubey for some reason
randomc.net/image/Another/Another%20-%2003%20-%20Large%2001.jpg
Man, poor Nonaka Ai always seem to get the raw end of the cast draw here, her characters keep getting killed off, with each death even earlier than the last. At this rate, she’ll get killed off in the OP without even an appearance. lol
If you look at the OP, there might be some hints there as well. For example what Misaki can see with her left eye.
That was a crazy ending. Was not expecting that all..
I’m wondering if Kouichi’s dad was the one who started the whole “she’s right there” thing. He may even have been instrumental in the original Misaki’s death. (Bet his name is Rei, too)
That would be a compelling reason for the rest of the class to keep Kouichi in the dark, especially if his knowing the story somehow kicks off the events, as Sakuragi intimated with her “just the first year” comment.
It also seems that Mei is indeed visible to the class, and that she is a conduit for the strange string of deaths in the town, but not the actual cause.
I’m also leaning toward Sakuragi freaking out not because she saw Misaki (she probably could all along), but that Misaki made eye contact with her, something that Misaki avoids, except with Kouichi. Somewhat similar to Kara no Kyōkai’s Shiki being able to see the death of all things.
Can’t figure the mynah, though, since they rarely live beyond 20 years, so it’s unlikely for the bird to have been around 26 years before. Maybe a family tradition?
I may have to read the novel.
Killing some time comparing the cast with the school photo, looking for family resemblances. Found quite a few, I think.
gah, how did I Not have a nightmare from watching this late last night ?? x_x. hurgh, Note to self: watch at high noon, not at midnight x_x….
I DID have one! Too old for this stuff that late at night!
Considering what Sakuragi was like, time may be repeating itself and next thing we all know she is walking about the school and hardly anybody can see her.
The teacher was pretty calm about seeing a student get impaled through the throat.
I just watched this at 2:30 am, with my headphones on and with only a table lamp on.
Congrats to that sound director. He really made me feel…uneasy.
Some things I loved about this episode:
Teshigawara and Kazami getting some characterization – not only that, but intertwining their backstories too. They’re quickly becoming my favorite characters.
A few of the questions are addressed, at least in part. Even if “an answer only gives way to more questions,” I’m glad a few things were addressed and more layers were added.
One of my working theories seems to be more in-line with yours, Enzo; that Mei is alive (at least in some capacity) and the entire school is actively denying she exists. Perhaps the Misaki of 26 years ago was a direct relative who died on the summer field trip, and now every so often a new “Misaki” must die, while at the same time another Misaki must “play dead,” for their entire time at school in Yomiyama.
Meanwhile, my take on the significance of “the first year” and why the others didn’t want Koichi to know more is because things got progressively worse each subsequent year the charade was kept up. Conversely, perhaps that would make Mei Misaki a ghost that was “born” from that act and became tied to the original Misaki, thus Mei is compelled to repeat the tragedy that befell Class 3 in a grisly or cruel manner.
Really didn’t see the ending coming, but that’s part of the spine-tingling fun, yes? I normally run screaming from anything remotely horror-related, but Another is interesting enough so far – both visually and thematically – that I want to stick around.
First, I watch this anime first episode because I have too much free time so I randomly selected this.But because I am scary cat person and I can’t watch anything horror so I came here to read review about It.You said In ep.1 review that It’s just mystery/suspens, not horror.Look at me now! I am so scared just by the end of this episode.It’s indeed horror story to me.If I had known this first,I would skip this anime at all cost.(Not that It’s bad,It’s good,but I can’t handle horror,fear)