Angel Beats! - Speculations & Theories

[Himeji]

Originally Posted by Arbitres

A person is a vigilante if they pallas the name judge, jury, and/or executioner. I'm saying she made herself one.

Yes, there's a good possibility for that. I could just see herself do that.

[RRW]

speculation on last 3 ep

Spoiler for ep 11, 12, 13:

EP 11: SSS is been attacked by shadow like creature until everyone apart form yuri, and kanade disappeared

EP 12: yuri blame herself because cannot protecting the member till she try to kill herself (i.e shooting her head) despite cannot really die in this world. kanade probably tells her backstory how she cannot protecting anyone in real-life and afterlife. then they try to fight the army of shadow alone side by side... till every one that disappeared reappeared.

EP 13: huge battle begun (probably with rock band by girldemo with iwasawa and yui sing together) when the battle ended. the "god" appeared and explain the situation. when he gives choice to SSS to stay or go to heaven. SSS choice stay because they doesnt want to left kanade alone in the afterlife.

[pampz21]

Originally Posted by rrw

speculation on last 3 ep

Spoiler for ep 11, 12, 13:

EP 11: SSS is been attacked by shadow like creature until everyone apart form yuri, and kanade disappeared

EP 12: yuri blame herself because cannot protecting the member till she try to kill herself (i.e shooting her head) despite cannot really die in this world. kanade probably tells her backstory how she cannot protecting anyone in real-life and afterlife. then they try to fight the army of shadow alone side by side... till every one that disappeared reappeared.

EP 13: huge battle begun (probably with rock band by girldemo with iwasawa and yui sing together) when the battle ended. the "god" appeared and explain the situation. when he gives choice to SSS to stay or go to heaven. SSS choice stay because they doesnt want to left kanade alone in the afterlife.

can't agree with that cuz some of the SSS 2 vocals are now gone....i think all of them wanted a new life....a second chance to live a world they wanted without the sickness, sad stories. if i were in the purgatory myself and befriended people there i would do the same as Otonashi and Hinata have been doing...cuz I want them to see that there a life w8ting for them! other than in this world!

[Matt122005]

It's pretty clear that they are all in a Coma and this is like a dream world that the youth who have lived unfulfilled lives go to. Why? Because when they were alive, they didn't truly understand how to live. Their existence was limited and their concept of hope was small. This world has allowed them to fully appreciate life and those within it, and to realize what was most important to them. You could say it helped them regain their purpose in life to an extent.

Will we see God? No. They don't need to. They've done a lot of "God is so unfair" type of lines throughout the series. In the end, what we will see probably is that when our main character disappears, he'll be in a hospital room, still alive. We may even see the other characters alive too. This will in a sense, will echo a message that God did care after all, and had provided this world for them to help restore them. He hadn't been as unfair as they had thought.

Honestly, all in all, I would have really liked to have seen them take more time with this show (more than 12 episodes) and also have concentrated harder on their pacing in some parts and so forth.

Overall, it's a cute show. But truly, it was an experiment through and through to see if KEY could make an anime without a game to base it on.

I think they succeeded to a degree, but comparing it to their other projects (CLANNAD, KANNON, AIR), I think it might fall behind in some areas.

I can only hope that they learned a lot from the creative process and will try harder on their next straight to anime project.

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Matt122005

It's pretty clear that they are all in a Coma and this is like a dream world that the youth who have lived unfulfilled lives go to. Why? Because when they were alive, they didn't truly understand how to live. Their existence was limited and their concept of hope was small. This world has allowed them to fully appreciate life and those within it, and to realize what was most important to them. You could say it helped them regain their purpose in life to an extent.

those are my very same thoughts that i have held since very early in the series. No one has really been stated to have died. Even Otonashi might've just been VERY weak when they were found and that they rushed him out and he was saved but fell into a coma. I'm willing to bet that when Yuri fell down those stairs that she fell into a coma and that it's her own messed up memories that are wrong and her siblings are gonna be alive and somehow this might be found out and it will be this that will make Yuri disappear.

[Khu]

Yuri's clearly much older than when she was then, so that second thing is pretty sketchy.

Edit: I mean, come on, look at her chest growth!

[Solace]

You're suggesting that instead of some kind of afterlife, that they're all experiencing a "shared dream" with the hundreds if not thousands of other people in that world.

I guess that's possible but there's a few things to point out.

1. It doesn't really matter how they died since the real issue is in how they work out their regrets in life.

2. Eastern philosophies are heavy on reincarnation and fate as you move into the next life. Unresolved issues tie you down and must be let go before you can move into your new life. It's easy to see Christian symbolism with God and Angels but you won't find many, if any, Eastern fiction stories that use Western religion as anything other than "cool" stuff to incorporate.

3. There's nothing more cruel than waking up from a Coma after experiencing the afterlife and realizing your situation still sucks. Iwasawa was hurt by her father, Yui was a paraplegic, Yuri's family will still be dead, and Otonashi most likely didn't make it since seven days of internal bleeding and dehydration is almost always fatal. Fulfill your dreams in a "fantasy" world and then come back to the same crappy life you had? God would indeed be cruel, and I don't particularly care for the "he works in mysterious ways" excuse either.

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Solace

Iwasawa was hurt by her father.

she can go live on her own. Doing things the way she likes to just likes she decided in the end.

Originally Posted by Solace

Yui was a paraplegic.

Chances are Hinata would find her and they would live happily from then on. btw, is she fully paralyzed or just her legs? Sometimes it seemed like she could use her hands but other times not so much.

Originally Posted by Solace

Yuri's family will still be dead.

betting she will wake up and find that her memories of the event were skewed by the coma and maybe trauma to her head from falling with such a heavy object and that her family is alive. Her growth from then is still explained because despite being in a coma you still grow and several years passed.

Originally Posted by Solace

and Otonashi most likely didn't make it since seven days of internal bleeding and dehydration is almost always fatal.

keyword almost, maybe all the survivors will pitch in to make sure he got the best possible medical attention to survive after all her did for them.

[Seitsuki]

this is Key. KEY, there is no way they're gonna give you such a happy ending. even if they did, it would be tempered with pain. that's just how they work. unless Otonashi is sent on some quest to collect glowy balls again.

[Key Board]

I agree

and because this is Key don't expect any kind of explanation whatsoever regarding the supernatural factors

[Forever]

It will be so sweet if it was all just a coma and that Hinata really comes to find Yui. (by purposely smashing her window with a baseball)

[cyberdemon]

Originally Posted by Forever

It will be so sweet if it was all just a coma and that Hinata really comes to find Yui. (by purposely smashing her window with a baseball)

yeah and Otonashi wakes up and finds that his next door neighbor in the hospital is Yuri.

Originally Posted by Seitsuki

this is Key. KEY, there is no way they're gonna give you such a happy ending. even if they did, it would be tempered with pain. that's just how they work. unless Otonashi is sent on some quest to collect glowy balls again.

i find that they make it a pain to get to the happy ending but the ending are good and happy ones from the ones i play or know about.

[Knightrunner]

the shadow thing could be the grim reaper claiming souls and if you get killed by it you disappear with accomplishing anything since the world is going unstable

I hope the shadow thing doesn't mean death is approaching them.

[Arbitres]

....this is going to be depressing. Probably.

The shadow thing is possibly Charon/The grim reaper/whatever title you stick to it. (I say Charon because he was the Ferryman to the underworld. Think about it.)

I would rather have them all dead actually. Them waking up from a coma is just... cruel. Of course it's Key, who has a tendency to be sadistic on the characters and the fans.

I hope the shadow thing isn't a one hit kill thing. That would be... lame. In my perspective anyways.

[The Eternal Hijacker]

If anything, a character's entrance into "purgatory" most likely indicates the starting phase of his or her death in the real world. His or her coming out of "purgatory" will probably lead to:

1. "Confirmation" of death in the real world.
2. "Cancellation" of death in the real world.

It's highly probable that all the characters are most likely in a coma (as Matt122005 suggested). Notice how they did not supposedly "die" a very violent "death" that most likely removes a possibility of entering the comatose state (and consequently "purgatory") before "dying."

True, they will wake up to the real world and face their very cruel situations again. Upon waking up, the characters will probably adopt new (positive) attitudes or mindsets (gained from their experience in "purgatory") toward them. That way, they will be better able to come to (realistic) terms with their situations, embrace what they still have, move on, and live the rest of their lives in peace. If they did everything they really needed to do in "purgatory" that makes them fulfilled, surely they don't need to do it again in real life (because that same fulfillment will probably carry over).

Of course, a character can choose not to wake up at all and finally proceed to the "afterlife..."

[Matt122005]

Originally Posted by Solace

2. Eastern philosophies are heavy on reincarnation and fate as you move into the next life. Unresolved issues tie you down and must be let go before you can move into your new life. It's easy to see Christian symbolism with God and Angels but you won't find many, if any, Eastern fiction stories that use Western religion as anything other than "cool" stuff to incorporate.

3. There's nothing more cruel than waking up from a Coma after experiencing the afterlife and realizing your situation still sucks. Iwasawa was hurt by her father, Yui was a paraplegic, Yuri's family will still be dead, and Otonashi most likely didn't make it since seven days of internal bleeding and dehydration is almost always fatal. Fulfill your dreams in a "fantasy" world and then come back to the same crappy life you had? God would indeed be cruel, and I don't particularly care for the "he works in mysterious ways" excuse either.

In regard to Point 2, did you not see the beginning of this series? lol I think they made it pretty clear that the mythology of this show is NOT based 100% solidly on eastern philosophies of reincarnation. As none of them are even sure that that is really what will happen to them. And some Anime actually are beginning to deeply research their Christian references such as the Fullmetal Alchemist manga as well as the new Evangelion movies (not the TV show).

In regard to point 3, your right. That would be somewhat cruel, but only if they were the same person as when they had entered. That's what this has all been about, character growth. Learning to live and want to live. From the way you talk, you sound as if you expect people's lives to be perfect. The world isn't perfect. It's far from it. Life is made of hardships and what defines us as individuals is how we meet those difficulties. This world wasn't about showing them what could have been, like waving an apple pie in front of someone hungry. It was about helping to grow their characters so that when they returned, they would be able to live fulfilled lives even with their disabilities, to realize what their purpose in life is and to feel content.

Iwasawa can go on living on her own, happy to be able to play her music. She will no longer need to escape through it, for she will be content with her existence and her music will be her purpose.

I'm hoping that Hinata and Yui get together. And besides, the problem wasn't that she was Paraplegic, it was that she wanted someone to love her even in her state.

Even if Yuri's family is dead, its possible Otanashi and her will get together and he'll act as her new family, or rather, everyone there at the school has in a sense become a family, her own family. But there's also the theory that she went into a coma when she was younger. (Did she ever reveal how she actually died? I forgot.)

Anyways, yes, KEY is famous for sad/happy endings. Hmm... I mean, there's a first time for everything, so it's possible they'll give a happy ending, but still, there might be something sad to come.

[Jin Kizuite]

O_O

THIS ALL MAKES SENSE. It... almost feels like i'm being spoiled about whats going to happen...
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooo

I only hope Hinata meets Yui in real life.

[Ice Block]

Character growth doesn't magically make you recover from full-body paralysis (including loss of vocal functions).

Character growth doesn't magically fix all your broken and crushed bones and organs.

Character growth doesn't magically make you recover from 7-day-long internal bleeding and dehydration.

Character growth doesn't magically bring your dead siblings back to life.

Character growth doesn't magically make your and your wife's parents approve of your wedding, and it doesn't make you recover from poverty (assumed) after spending a load of cash on a hospital bed.

Character growth doesn't magically make you recover from paraplegia.

If they're in a coma, then everything they experienced in comaworld is useless. You basically plunge them into despair again upon waking up. The afterlife is a world for them to relive their regrets, and this time fulfill them. This is not a simulation / virtual reality for coma patients wherein you get to go back to your disabled/dying self after fulfilling your regrets.

Another problem with the coma theory is that it takes so many assumptions (some are sketchy):

• They are all connected somehow.
• Everyone conveniently just thought that they are dead instead of being in a coma (and by everyone, I mean everyone, including Guild, Kanade, Gen 0).
• Only late-teen kids are in this coma (Yes, Chaa is still a teenager).
• They don't even seem to know each other -> suggests that they are held at a rather large central hospital / advanced disease research center. This requires lots of funding from their respective families (automatically rules Chaa out)
• They can consciously determine/decide when they want to "wake up".
• They wake up and their disabilities are magically healed (see above).
• The summary, trailers, and the author all lied to us.

[arkxkra]

Originally Posted by Forever

It will be so sweet if it was all just a coma and that Hinata really comes to find Yui. (by purposely smashing her window with a baseball)

ya, i really want to watch this scene if have, it sure look sweet.

[Hallgaar]

This whole show reeks of Dot hack merged with Clannad and sprinkled with AIR TV. The book for "Angel Player" in the episode they were in Tenshi's room was a pretty dead give away imo. I actually think they haven't lived at all yet, if anything, and are being given the chance to prepare for life.