Angel Beats! - Episode 3 Discussion / Poll

[TypeR]

First post here in this anime as I've just watched 3 episodes without prior knowledge to the novel or manga or anything related.

So as I was watching ep1, I was like "what the heck is this about???!?!?!?" since it got really confusing and I pinched myself to see if I was dreaming (I was half-asleep)

Anyways, I'm liking this anime so far but I'm still wondering, these people...they aren't actually dead are they? More like in a state of coma or in a dream of some sort?

Edit: Dang, why'd they take out Iwasawa so early T_T.

[Haak]

Originally Posted by ec289

Iwasawa's disappearance was caused by understanding what she sought to figure out. It seems that in her circumstances in her real life, growing up in a unhappy home and losing everything that she wished for in life would lead her to a question as to why she was born into such an unfair situation. You can see that right before she disappears when she says "Continuing to sing like this... Thats the reason I was born".

Through living in the "Afterlife" she was able to see the affects of her music on those around her. In the final scene we see that her ballad that Yuri originally rejects was able to quell the anger between the students and the adults trying to stop them. I believe that at this point she was finally able to come to the realization that she was born into such a bad situation in order to save those around her in the way she was saved. Without her experience of an unhappy home and the unfairness of life she wouldn't be able to write the songs that affected those around her so much. Finally, with that she was able to come to terms with her life and "move on".

That's what I got out of it anyway and I apologize if this has already been covered.

Not only do I consider this a great explanation, it also suggests that each member of of the SSS team will have a different path to follow. Thank you!

[Farix]

Thinks we know about "Angle":

1. She denies being an "Angle" in episode one.
2. She claims to be the student council president, this is reinforced when one of the non-SSS students calls her by that title.
3. Yuri's comments in the first episode indicates that "Angle" has no reason to hide the truth.
4. Yuri claims that "Angle" is not good with people.
5. In episode 3, the other students seem to argue back at her about the concert. If they really were NPCs, this sort of descent wouldn't have taken place.
6. The SSS members clearly fear that they will be "erased" if she catches them. But she doesn't actively pursue them.
7. If "Angle's" truly wants to to suppress the SSS's activities, why doesn't she become more aggressive? But to the contrary, she never takes any action against the SSS unless they provoke her first.
8. Now we know that "Angle's" powers are ones she created using the exact same methods that the SSS uses to make their weapons and equipment. Of course we still don't know why she created her powers or exactly how as it conflicts with what was explained in the previous episode about only being able to create things from one's own memories.

[GDB]

Originally Posted by Farix

Thinks we know about "Angle":

Is she an acute angle?

About the NPCs, if they're true "NPCs", they're still designed to act as normal people would. This includes having interests and getting mad when someone tries to stop them from being involved in their interest. If they didn't act normal, then it wouldn't work as a true simulation.

Of course, this all assumes they're actually NPCs.

[Wrath88]

This is what I love about this series: so much to uncover about the underlying system.

[Skane]

Originally Posted by GDB

Is she an acute angle? ~

Part of me wants this to be a clever pun, but yes. Yes, sir-ree, she's a cute Angel.

Cheers.

[Kaoru Chujo]

Originally Posted by Wrath88

This is what I love about this series: so much to uncover about the underlying system.

That may be the only thing I like about it, but yes. It certainly seems that our merry band are in fact some kind of demons or "hungry ghosts"-- souls that still have things about their lives to work through before they can properly wink out or be reincarnated (or maybe return to life). I'm sorry to see Sawashiro Miyuki disappear, but I was glad for her character. And it was great to get a bit of the human side of Tenshi.

Purgatory High.

[Eater of All]

Originally Posted by Farix

7. If "Angle's" truly wants to to suppress the SSS's activities, why doesn't she become more aggressive? But to the contrary, she never takes any action against the SSS unless they provoke her first.

Who knows, perhaps she's merely humoring the SSS by pretending to go after them, and in a way trying to satisfy their desire to rebel against fate or whatever. So she's intentionally playing the "Bad Guy" to help them vent their frustration.

...Depressing.

Originally Posted by GDB

About the NPCs, if they're true "NPCs", they're still designed to act as normal people would. This includes having interests and getting mad when someone tries to stop them from being involved in their interest. If they didn't act normal, then it wouldn't work as a true simulation.

Of course, this all assumes they're actually NPCs.

I've noticed the anime deliberately having Otonashi remark how "advanced" and "trendy" these NPCs are a few times during both the explanation in ep01 and in the beginning of ep03, and it seems to me that they're slyly hinting to something.

Originally Posted by Skane

Part of me wants this to be a clever pun, but yes. Yes, sir-ree, she's a cute Angel.

Ditto.

[Kudryavka]

Since the gang found out that Angel prob uses methods similar to theirs to get her powers, I'm seeing the possibility of Angel being a regular spirit who feels a need to help fellow spirits. Or maybe she first came to the world as a regular spirit, then got promoted to keeping all the spirits in check and on the path to eternal rest/reincarnation/???.

[Joachim]

Originally Posted by Komari

Since the gang found out that Angel prob uses methods similar to theirs to get her powers, I'm seeing the possibility of Angel being a regular spirit who feels a need to help fellow spirits. Or maybe she first came to the world as a regular spirit, then got promoted to keeping all the spirits in check and on the path to eternal rest/reincarnation/???.

same here, i also thought something like that along the line when yurippe announced to the whole member that the angel was developing her own power not by the help of "god" which makes her somewhat a spirit of the same level as all of them.. well somewhat.

[Doraneko]

Originally Posted by Komari

Since the gang found out that Angel prob uses methods similar to theirs to get her powers, I'm seeing the possibility of Angel being a regular spirit who feels a need to help fellow spirits. Or maybe she first came to the world as a regular spirit, then got promoted to keeping all the spirits in check and on the path to eternal rest/reincarnation/???.

Or maybe she was originally just a normal student council president who dead with regrets regarding her unfulfilled duties.

Now in the after-world she has a second chance to fulfil her duties to manage a school properly and resolve her regrets. But she can never do so due to the rebellious SSS members.

The whole thing then ends up as an arms race as it is now, with Angel creating her own super powers to allow her to counter the rebels, and the SSS members creating more firearms to retaliate and resist her control.

Both sides end up being stuck in that world and neither side can get anywhere.

[Arabesque]

What Yuri and the SSS learned from breaking in Tenshi's room was that the way she was developing her Guard Skills was the same as they were building weapons. This doesn't prove that she was human, it simply means that even Tenshi the supposed GM of this world needs to follow the laws of the world to create weapons and isn't able to bypass them. To say that Tenshi was human when she was alive (if she was alive in the first place) means that in order to create those skills she needs to have known how to create them in real life. Now looking at what sort of Skills she had been using until now coupled with the preview of the GS:Harmonic, Tenshi's Guard Skills are simply too abstract for her to be using just human knowledge.

I seriously can't see how Tenshi could possibly be human, unless she had died in the year 3XXX and is using her advance knowledge from the future to keep the school in check.

[DarkWish]

I am shocked after seeing the 3th episode.. i changed my opinion these is not a anime related to supernatural things (well it is since its all aobut after life) , its more like a dramma , i didnt except these to happen just like that in 3th episode . I totaly changed my opinion and.. theory about the anime and i .. dont really hope my theory is right.

Must see episode 4.. MUST.

Im just feeling sad about evry1 haveing such a hard.. past even tenshi i beleve , why did they all have to have such a life b4 they died.

[Kudryavka]

Originally Posted by DarkWish

I am shocked after seeing the 3th episode.. i changed my opinion these is not a anime related to supernatural things (well it is since its all aobut after life) , its more like a dramma , i didnt except these to happen just like that in 3th episode . I totaly changed my opinion and.. theory about the anime and i .. dont really hope my theory is right.

Must see episode 4.. MUST.

Im just feeling sad about evry1 haveing such a hard.. past even tenshi i beleve , why did they all have to have such a life b4 they died.

3rd, ma'am. And Jun Maeda is a synonym for tear jerking drama.

I'm looking at how the two pasts we've seen so far are dreadful. I hope that not every spirit spills about the screwed up boo-hoo lives they had, because it won't make sense for everyone to have ugly pasts. There's gotta be some with relatively enjoyable lives, unless those are the "NPCs" and the SSS crew is made up of spirits fighting order b/c of their bleak memories. I sure hope they aren't all following the same "God is evil" logic like Yuri.

[Archon_Wing]

Everything you knew was wrong; and everyone is left wondering what the hell is with this place if Angel has to generate her own stuff. So perhaps conforming doesn't guarantee disappearance?

Highlights of this episode include that dumbass being overwhelmed by the dights of PI. Yes, they realize they are stupid-- it's the first step.

Iwasawa's story reminded me of something like "Behind the music". I didn't really buy into it til she was already gone. But at least she met her dream if only for a brief moment. 7/10 for this episode.

Also watch out for Key energy drinks; so that's what the hell Fuko has been drinking.

[alu546]

"Our weakness is that we're stupid.

Yeah pretty much.

This episode shows the direction of the story though, coming to terms with whatever crap happened to them in life. Methinks they go to a better place at that point.

[kyosak]

Originally Posted by alu546

"Our weakness is that we're stupid.

Man this part really made me lol when I was watching it.

[KaneDragon]

Originally Posted by GDB

Is she an acute angle?

She seems pretty obtuse to me, Data Integration Thought Entity powers notwithstanding.

Originally Posted by ec289

Iwasawa's disappearance was caused by understanding what she sought to figure out. It seems that in her circumstances in her real life, growing up in a unhappy home and losing everything that she wished for in life would lead her to a question as to why she was born into such an unfair situation. You can see that right before she disappears when she says "Continuing to sing like this... Thats the reason I was born".

Through living in the "Afterlife" she was able to see the affects of her music on those around her. In the final scene we see that her ballad that Yuri originally rejects was able to quell the anger between the students and the adults trying to stop them. I believe that at this point she was finally able to come to the realization that she was born into such a bad situation in order to save those around her in the way she was saved. Without her experience of an unhappy home and the unfairness of life she wouldn't be able to write the songs that affected those around her so much. Finally, with that she was able to come to terms with her life and "move on".

Though you still have the unfairness of losing her voice (and I guess dying from the brain damage later on?), and thus not having the opportunity to save others while she was alive...

[DragoZERO]

I really hope we don't go through each character's tragic story. It's really depressing.

[touge-n00b]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

I really hope we don't go through each character's tragic story. It's really depressing.

Well this IS Jun Maeda.....