.
Thank god/dess that the quite, creepy factor is back, front and center.
What I really want to know is, why Mei? She must have done something, or something must have happened for her to be the one who got exiled, but what?
^ THIS. Question. I really thought it was about to be answered as the cliffhanger for the episode .... then they cut it in the middle of the conversation. Also was hoping for an explanation of her left eye, but that seems it might be upcoming in the next Ep.
This most recent episode was an improvement over the last couple. I still have mixed opinions on this show, but hopefully it's a sign that it'll improve even more in the coming episodes.
Agreed. There still seems to be some hope. In retrospect, Ep. 04 was the only one that really upset me; 01 - 03 were good-to-about-expected.
With Mei's revelation about the class size (which might or might not be true), looks like a bit of a Sixth Sense setup for the series. Which would be awesome if they can pull it off. I
want this anime to fool me right to the end, but it's a fairly high bar to meet, especially if it goes to second season. The clues they seed throughout will have to be amazing to miss them right in front of your face for a whole year.
And, there will be an rAgE, oh a RaGe, if they go with a bucketfull of retarded
duex ex machina reveals at the conclusion. That's one thing that was unforgivable with Blood C, for example.
Notice @~11:13 the classroom shot. There are 30 desks, including Mei's. And 25 students, excluding Mei & Kouichi. So, two dead, another missing, and perhaps a 31st. Or, was it supposed to be 29 from the beginning, but Mei was the odd 30th (and thus her "assigned" desk)?
But, Kouichi transferring in ... made him the 30th. Wonder if he's filling a desk emptied by a previous death, when "it" "might have started back in May." How was there an empty desk waiting for him? If the old desk is so spooky, why is Mei sitting at it? Until Kouichi arrived, it should have sat empty, unless the "Class Rules" required Mei to move to it once she became "invisible."
I think the idea that one of the students (or more?) are some sort of 'walking dead' is a red herring, make us waste time/effort to determine which one is "dead." However, it's funny that two who we now believe to be 'certainly' alive, Mei & Kouichi, are the 'invisible' ones. If true, though, no reason why there can't be several of them ... perhaps even the entire class ...
Wonder what the effect of two "invisibles" will have. This might be the first time that's happened, which potentially gives them an edge ... they are not completely isolated as they can interact/collaborate freely with each other.
Check the scene again from Ep. 04 that starts @~14:00 with Kouichi & Reiko. I wonder about her headaches. I'm thinking that she is still, after 14 years, "not" seeing someone from her Class 3. How could she "not remember?" But, she is VERY focused on the Class Rules & obeying them. "Sorry Kouichi, I can't help you." The Rules are still in effect for her. It would seem hers was one of the classes with a body count. Now, when "it" starts again, she has to block it out, especially when Kouichi starts asking questions that would cut through that block. Her headaches are the result?
So, let's say that once someone is designated as the "unseen" in a class, can they ever be "seen" again afterward? Is it a permanent "Rule?" For 25 years there is an accumulation of "unseen" students in the town, as well as survivors of Class 3 that obey this Rule. The social dynamics of that in a small town have to be ,,,interesting. Several of the teachers appear to be quite familiar with this routine, Mikami Sensei for example has it down perfectly. Practice from previous years? And her trauma seems to be deep, since she has "agreed to cooperate to the best of her ability."
Oh. Hits me: Y'think Mei's mother might have been one of the "unseen" students previously? Is she still "unseen?" Explaining both her art projects and, perhaps, Mei being selected.
And, if any students in any of the classes are really walking dead who just don't know it, what the hell happens to them after graduation? Does everybody's memory fog up over who was in their class or not after graduation? What about the yearbook pictures?
Timeline is getting interesting. Kouichi's mother was in the original class, which all survived. It was after that the "it" started ... then she died 11 years later/15 years ago. I'm wondering who was in Class 3 that year that she was related to? Reiko? - but she was in Class 3 14 years ago. Seems implied that Kouichi's mom didn't die in childbirth, either, but "after" Kouichi was born.
Thing is, here at the end of Ep. 05, there is no clear evidence of anything supernatural. Nobody actually sees spirits/ghosts, all the accidents are just that. Is this all going to be a collective, group mind self-fuck? A mob group-psych? Or, is there really going to be a true supernatural reveal?
Given the classic horror mentioned previously, such as Steven King and Damien, it really could go either way.
Sadly, all this could have been avoided if someone had just pulled an extra desk out of another classroom 26 years ago ...
