Another - Episode 6

At least it's not a butcher knife...

Blogger's Note: My week of schooling hell has finally ended so now I can get back to watching anime. Up first is one of my favorites of the season: Another.

Character development, plot advancement, new mysteries, and an epic cliffhanger - how can an episode that contains all these things not be awesome. Once again, Another is able to deliver a spectacular episode that requires one to do some deep thinking. Characters like Chibiki and Kirika, who only showed up briefly before, get prolonged appearances in this episode. Chibiki's explanation of the whole mystery was helpful in answering some common questions. Kōichi's conversation with his father was, in my opinion, the most critical part of the episode. Wrapping everything up was that well-executed cliffhanger. The brief period where the teacher talked nonsense was perfect for giving the audience time to think about what was going to happen next. In-depth analysis coming up, so brace yourself for a wall of text - it'll be worth it!

For the first half of the episode, Mei's character is greatly developed. She no longer gives off the impression that she's a gloomy and zombie-like girl. Instead, it's easy to see that she's a normal human just like everyone else (well, I don't think "normal" is a good word to use when describing the students in Class 3 but I think you know what I'm trying to say); she can smile, feel sadness and experience emotions like a normal human being. Although Kōichi's daydream was a bit over the top, it was amusing to see what Mei could be like. After knowing more about Mei, it's now easier to sympathize with her. It is evident that she has been living a lonely life for quite some time now; she doesn't have a good relationship with her mother and she is socially awkward. Getting chosen to be ignored just adds to the pain that she keeps bottled up inside her. However, I believe that "someday" (a key word in her conversation with Kōichi during one lunch break), with his help, she'll be able to overcome these obstacles.

As the second half started, the plot advancement started to kick in. As I stated earlier, Kōichi's conversation with his father is undoubtedly an important and critical part of the story. It's strange how his father seems to recall that Kōichi had lived in Yomiyama a year and a half ago, yet Kōichi doesn't remember such a thing. And as if someone/something was eavesdropping on their conversation and didn't like where it was going, the connection gets cut off as his father slowly began to think that what he said earlier was false. Further along in the episode, Chibiki's information on the whole mystery and the revealing of his connection to it answered many question. First off, the Misaki who died 26 years ago turns out to have been a male by the name of Yomiyama Misaki (Yomiyama as in the town's name). This alone cancels out all possibility of my hypothesis that Kōichi's mother, who was also in the same Class 3, is Misaki being true. Secondly, it seems Chibiki is directly related to and/or is the cause of the phenomenon that is currently occurring, although it is unclear how he is. Being unable to do anything about it must put a lot of strain on him. Lastly, the supernatural phenomenon of the names disappearing on the class roster has been confirmed as Chibiki states that he knows it happens but does not know how to stop it.

On top of everything that has been happening, the Sakakibara household seems to also be affected greatly by the phenomenon. Reiko is starting to go insane while Kōichi's grandfather continues to lament over the loss of his daughter. Even the pet bird is seemingly a part of this mystery. I won't say for sure, but the next victim outside Class 3 may end up being Reiko. Another possibility is that she reveals to Kōichi everything she knows, helping him put an end to the problem as the series makes it's way to a conclusion.

To wrap things up, I would like to note once again how fabulous the ending was. Even though no one died this episode, it's almost guaranteed thanks to the preview that the lack of blood will be made up for in the next. A teacher that's breaking from all the pressure and who's holding a knife is undoubtedly a sign of bad things to come, especially if he's inside a classroom with twenty or so defenceless, junior-high students. I'll be preparing myself for some mindless bloodshed next episode, but hopefully after it happens, some more plot development will occur. I personally love Another right now. I hope the remaining episodes continue to amaze and entertain me.