Another - Episode 10 Discussion / Poll

[Unknown Soldier]

Originally Posted by Dengar

Uhhhhm, correct me if I'm wrong, but Misaki only knows how the dead one is since listening to the tape. She says she has a habit of never taking off her eyepatch while at school, and frankly, being able to see the color of death on people sounds quite disconcerting. So it's pretty safe to assume that she only took a peek after listening to the tape.

She says she tried to always keep the eyepatch on at school. Which distinctly implies that she has failed, possibly more than once. However, as she also states during the episode, without knowing that killing the Another ends the calamity, what use would knowing who the Another was would be to her? It would be useless information, sure it might be cool to know who the dead person is but it would accomplish nothing, so Mei didn't bother telling anyone until just now when it's actually important.

We know that Mei keeps things she knows close to the vest, this is hinted at throughout the story, and it's not hard to imagine why now that we know the truth. The ability to see the color of death would be considered frightening and dangerous if she revealed it to just anybody, she never even told her twin sister (cousin)! Kouichi is likely to be the first person she has ever told that she has this ability, and only in the utmost moment of need where revealing her secret might be the key to saving them all.

At least now we know why she's so detached whenever people bring up the possibility of dying to the calamity. She knows exactly if she will die or not, all she needs to do is take off the eyepatch and look in the mirror! And since she doesn't see the color of death on herself, she knows she is immune!

[Dengar]

Either way, it's strongly implied that she didn't know who the dead one was.

I mean, why else would she ask herself "who is the dead one?".


Also, about "science".

While "how do we receive visual input" has been proven. "how do we see" is a different matter. The brain, and the way it interprets visual input, is a ridiculously complex thing. If we just assume for a second that the brain has capabilities beyond the "normal", then maybe it's not the eye itself that sees death, but it's the eye's presence that causes the person to see death.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by haguruma

I agree that it is a little convenient for Mei to react this way (it provides us with a method to learn about the one person more and still gives room to enough tension..but it seems so artificial), BUT I also understand her train of thought if this were a real person's decision. She probably knows how impulsive Akazawa and some of the other students are. Either they wouldn't believe her and declare her responsible or it would have started a riot and she would have been responsible for casualities that might have been unnecessary.

Originally Posted by totoum

That's assuming they believe her,like haguruma said even if she tells them she has no proof,they could have tuned against her,not to mention that if Izumi is the another that would make it even harder to tell.

Spoiler for saving space:

Well, for what we got, before the curse started and Mei became the extra, relationships weren't bad between she and the rest of the class to be so careful, but, just to be careful, Mei could have said it anonymously, as someone did before, she could have written a letter to Izumi, or to Chibiki, in case Izumi were the another. At that point who should have the information had chosen what to do with it. But my main point is that that information does the difference. It's like being invited at a marriage on the Harper's Island knowing or not knowing who the culprit is, what do you prefer?
If Izumi got that anonymous letter she could have done many things, even not believing in that, like researching on his past, on his family, on his friends. Applying to him the ignore strategy. Before jumping to conclusions. And the tape revelation is not such a revelation. Thinking about that it should be the more obvious solution. Obvious but not easy.
So yes, she kept two hell of information from the others.
And Mei's eye could be a red herring but we have only two more episodes, so it would be strange that Mei were trolling Kouichi again.

Originally Posted by haguruma

It is an important question...is it alright to victimize a person (and though dead, that one person more is at least temporarily alive and breathing) to potentially save others?

If for victimizing you are excluding killing him, I don't see the big deal. I didn't see it from the start, if I have to say. I mean, people are dying, what the problem being ignored for a semester. If you have a strong virus infection usually they keep you in quarantine. It is quite similar.

[Allium]

Another awesome episode. There was so much tension and suspense building up, amplified by the stunning sound direction. I was literally at the edge of my seat during the hearing of the tape, the dinner scene, and Kouichi and Mei's conversation about the doll's eye. The class photo was better than I expected; very creepy and spine-tingling. And though Matsunaga halted the calamity thanks to pure coincidence, he concluded that to stop the curse, the Another should be killed.

The info scoop on Mei was also interesting, adding depth to her character (and her chemistry with Kouichi ). Apparently her family is quite complicated, and she and Fujioka continued spending time with each other even though she was forbidden to. I found one line of hers particularly poignant; the part when she explained the reasons for telling Kouichi, "It has begun." instead of speaking of Fujioka, as she would have to address her as 'my cousin' and not 'my sister.' Besides that, Mei stated that she has been covering the doll's eye at school, but I'm still skeptical about that. It sounds unlikely to me that she has never taken it off at school. Wouldn't you be curious to see who the Another is?

Izumi's dream shown at the beginning of the episode gave more support to Izumi's statement to Kouichi in one of the previous episodes, that she had met him somewhere before. I can't find a link between the two yet, since it's somehow confirmed by Mei that Kouichi isn't the Another, and while Izumi is one of those whom I suspect to be the Another, I'm still skeptical.

OK, Teshigawara, what did you do? If he really did go around hunting for the Another and ended up accidentally stabbing someone, I really don't know what to say. There's still that scene of someone sharpening a blade...

8/10 for Episode 10.

[TinyRedLeaf]

Originally Posted by Dengar

Also, about "science".

While "how do we receive visual input" has been proven. "how do we see" is a different matter. The brain, and the way it interprets visual input, is a ridiculously complex thing. If we just assume for a second that the brain has capabilities beyond the "normal", then maybe it's not the eye itself that sees death, but it's the eye's presence that causes the person to see death.

Incidentally, I don't dispute the "science" behind Mei's extra vision. In fact, if I were to hazard a guess, I would suggest that the tumour in her left eye may have affected her optic nerves, thus changing the way her brain perceives what her remaining eye "sees".

What I'm wondering is how Mei is supposedly able to see through her glass eye alone, as she was portrayed doing in this episode. There shouldn't be any nerve connection between the orb and her brain, so she shouldn't be able to "see" through it alone. I suspect the scene wasn't in the original material and is more likely a blooper on the animators' part.

Originally Posted by Allium

Izumi's dream shown at the beginning of the episode gave more support to Izumi's statement to Kouichi in one of the previous episodes, that she had met him somewhere before. I can't find a link between the two yet, since it's somehow confirmed by Mei that Kouichi isn't the Another, and while Izumi is one of those whom I suspect to be the Another, I'm still skeptical.

Oh come on, why is everyone being so harsh on Izumi just because Ms Twintail Tsundere chose to be a bit mean this episode?

Like I suggested, I really don't think it's her. The Other is very likely to be a boy this year, and very possibly the same guy from 1983 that Matsunaga accidentally "killed".

[totoum]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

I can think of a number of ways that doesn't sound plausible

Like what?

Now, to further extend that train of thought, I would say that this year's Other is almost certainly a boy, not a girl.That would rule out Izumi as a suspect, along with Reiko and Ms Mikami. Consider this: the name of the Other in Matsunaga's year consistently cannot be heard in the audio record, and we know now that it was a boy Matsunaga accidentally "killed" that year, thus putting the extra person back into the grave and stopping further deaths in his class.

It also means that the Other of 1983 has returned to haunt the Class of 98. Whoever this person is, he would be someone who died before 1983.

While it is said that all traces of the Another come back once the year is gone it is also said that all traces of the Another from the year it came back is erased.
So I don't think the reason they can't hear the name is that he's come back,but that the all traces of his appearance that year got erased.

A couple of other random thoughts:
(1)
I think I now know why the ostracism counter-measure works, even if I were to disregard my now debunked theory about just assigning 29 students to the class the year before. We've already established that ostracism is a form of "social death"; the person who doesn't "exist" is as good as "dead" in the eyes of the world.

Since it's now established that killing the "Other" effectively stops the phenomenon for the rest of the year, ostracism "works" because it plays out like a proxy for murder — but only if the "social death" is inflicted before the real deaths occur.

That's what Mei speculated in episode 5

(2)
You know, I wished at least one of the students had thought of taking along a polaroid camera for instant photos...

It would appear that you don't need a special eye to see the "extra", as the original Misaki clearly looked out of place even to normal eyes. So... if you really need to identify the Other, simply take a class photo at the beginning of the year, not at graduation.

The huge difference is that the original Misaki wasn't an "extra" like all the ones that followed.He was invisible to the naked eye,he just appeared in the picture.That's has nothing to do with the situation the class is in now.
Taking a picture couldn't make the extra "appear",it already has a physical appearance.

(3) How is it that Mei could see through her glass eye? It's an inorganic construct. How could it possibly be sending visual signals to her brain?

I've always thought that Mei sees through her right eye, and that the glass eye superimposes another layer to her vision, allowing her to identify the dying and the dead. But, in this episode, she clearly shows that she can actually "see" through the glass eye alone. Wut? How's that possible? Is this something voodoo I have to accept at face value, or just another mistake in the adaptation?

I would prefer that Mei's ability isn't so out-and-out mystical, as almost everything that has happened in Another isn't completely outside the realm of possibility

The story has a dead person nobody could see appearing in a photograph,how is that not completely outside the realm of possibility?How do you scientifically explain that?
Or how does science explain that a dead person can come back to life for a schoolyear?
How does science esplain records changing and the memory alterning?
So really Mei's eye isn't the first scientifically implausible thing that's been thrown at us.

[Kanon]

I don't mind that Mei kept the identity of the extra person a secret until now, as was already said, it was doubtful anybody would believe her and she had no idea if knowing the identity of the extra student changed anything anyway. It was better for her to keep her mouth shut. I'm more bothered that her mystic glass eye of the death perception exists in the first place. That makes it all way too convenient. I was hoping Kouichi and his merry gang would have to put some effort into figuring out who Another is, just like we have throughout all these weeks. Nevertheless, their upcoming dilemma shall be very interesting. Will have the spine to kill the extra person -who might be one of their close friend- in cold blood? They can rationalize it by telling themselves they're only putting a dead person back into her grave, but the heart doesn't always listen to what the brain as to say.

I forgot to mention, but I thought this episode did a great job humanizing Mei. Her most cryptic words and actions were given a believable explanation. Her reason for brining that doll to the morgue -something that appeared to be damn creepy back then- was even given a touching reason. This episode confirmed once and for all that Mei is just a normal girl. A very moe one.

By the way, I don't believe anybody has mentioned it yet but based on the way Izumi lamented over his death in her dream (she called him an idiot, as "why did you do that, you idiot!") I think her brother might have been the ignored student who gave up his role half-way through two years ago. It could explain why she was so irritated by Mei, who didn't uphold her role properly just like her brother. Of course, tsunderes like her tend to use the word "baka" often so that may not mean anything

[Kakkou]

I don't think Teshigawara actually killed someone but rather spilled the beans about killing the Another which set someone (or more?) on a killing rampage. It also looks like he was possibly last seen arguing with someone in his room and not outside.

Originally Posted by Kanon

By the way, I don't believe anybody has mentioned it yet but based on the way Izumi lamented over his death in her dream (she called him an idiot, as "why did you do that, you idiot!") I think her brother might have been the ignored student who gave up his role half-way through two years ago. It could explain why she was so irritated by Mei, who didn't uphold her role properly just like her brother. Of course, tsunderes like her tend to use the word "baka" often so that may not mean anything

I really like this thought. It's also a good explanation as to how she went from this normal, kinda cute girl to Miss Stuck Up Countermeasures. Did anyone pay attention to how she yelled "Are you okay?" in that flashback? It was adorable and I couldn't imagine the current Izumi saying it the same way even if she dropped a brick on someone.

[Allium]

Originally Posted by TinyRedLeaf

Oh come on, why is everyone being so harsh on Izumi just because Ms Twintail Tsundere chose to be a bit mean this episode?
.

I wasn't bashing Izumi or anything, I just stated that her dream adds on to (and reminds me of) her stating that she had met Kouichi somewhere before. She is one of my suspects for being the Another, but like I mentioned, I'm still skeptical. Other than that, Izumi is also one of my favourite characters in the series, so I wouldn't want to see her being exposed (and killed ) as the Another.

[Dengar]

By the way, I don't think anyone has mentioned this. But Misaki, Mei's twin I mean, is absolutely adorable.

[Forsaken_Infinity]

I was thinking about writing a long post while quoting a gazillion other posts but I am too late to the party and there's just to much to quote so I won't. Besides, a lot of the discussion is going completely off the mark and people are superimposing WHAT THEY WANT over what's actually happening :|

In any case, this episode was haunting. The shots of random stuff when people are talking along with that music. Oh god. And the pre-opening chat between students. Everything sent a shiver down my spine. The fact that I was in a new room in a pretty secluded house really early in the morning may have added to the effect but it was so good that I think timing and location of when I watched the episode wouldn't have mattered much.

Unlike the majority of the posters, I don't blame Akazawa for demanding an apology out of Misaki. Yes it wasn't Misaki's fault that the countermeasure failed, but only Misaki knew it for sure. From the perspective of the rest of the students, her talking with Sakakibara was clearly the onset of the calamity. As the voices before the opening suggest, there is much unrest about it among the class and Akazawa only provided a rational voice for it. It's much better to do it in public and have it cleared up rather than let the unrest continue.

Besides, from the point of view of someone who has a grieve responsibility and is sincere about her job, somebody who took an important role but didn't come through should at least apologize for failing her role. It would have been out of spite or jealousy and trying to shove responsibility onto Misaki only if Akazawa herself hadn't apologized for her failure in her role. And like I pointed out in the last episode, Misaki acts in a furtive manner that makes it really difficult for Akazawa to work with her. Give Akazawa a break, she has a stressful job that's destined for failure.

She didn't force the job onto Misaki. Misaki took it for herself. And she failed. From the PoV of Akazawa, a studious person, that deserves an apology. I am sure she realizes all too well herself that apologies change nothing. But a word of apology heals relationships. However, Misaki didn't seem keen to be social with her class at all. That is fine as it is her choice but when the calamity is still ongoing and there is high amount of stress in the air, an apology would have helped. I would have asked the same of Misaki or anybody who took the role knowing what they were getting into.

She may have gone a little overboard but like I was saying earlier, it's much better that a levelheaded person like her voices what everyone is thinking in public and clear it up. I would have thought worse of Akazawa had she continued to glare at Misaki and think ill of her in her heart instead of confronting her. And it's not a bad thing that she confronted her in public at all. It'd have been much worse had she confronted Misaki in private because its a public affair. This way, she asked Misaki to apologize to the class, not just her. And she acted on the behalf of the class, not just herself.

Misaki herself was much more unreasonable than Akazawa in the first place. She should have let the class know that it was her sister who had died and that the calamity had probably already started rather than take the role of the nonexistent and lead them into a false sense of security. Given that she actually withheld information from Class, she should have apologized not just for her failure but for taking a job that was only misleading the Class. I don't care how cute she looks or how little she cares for others, that was wrong of her.

However, I don't blame Misaki for doing what she did either because I would have more than likely done the same. I just think she should have come out clean and apologized and told the Class what was up after it became clear that the calamity was active that year and more than likely, began with her sister's death.

I do think Misaki's decision of not telling the Class about the another and her mystic eye etc. is wise though. It'd do more harm than good.

So all in all, neither Izumi nor Misaki are at fault and I don't think either of them was working for personal gain here. They both have a different modus operandi and stick with it. A difference of approach. I don't care if posters like a girl more than the other etc. but it's a little bit unfair to blame Izumi of trying to frame Misaki up out of jealousy or spite imho. What she did comes along with her job. I would do the exact same thing if I was in her position and in a much much more mechanical manner.

As for the discussion on who's the another, Kanon's post about how Ms. Mikami is the only suspect left makes perfect sense. Sakakibara's name being on the roster earlier doesn't change anything with that logic because we're clearly told the extra was in before he came along and since the number of the desks is nothing but an indication, we no longer need to account for it. It was a pretty big hint in retrospective.

I have been slightly spoiled in the past so I am not going to write any more as my speculation would be more influenced by that than I am comfortable posting with.

[LKK]

Originally Posted by DragoZERO

If this get's an R1 release, I'm getting it.

Sentai Filmworlks licensed Another back in January. [Source] However, release details are not yet known.

[ninryu]

This episode didn't have much action, but I still consider it superb. We learned A LOT and got important information.

No wonder Mei covers her eye - seeing dead people can't be fun. It also explain her too-calm behavior to death. Mei knew who's the Other all along, but cared for her classmates too much to tell them who it is.

My favorite part is definitely Misaki and Mei's relationship. They looked so happy and cute together! Life is a fucking bitch.

[Skyfall]

I disagree that Akazawa's demanding an apology of Mei was all that objectively correct. While her frustration over the situation is understandable, I don't see how Mei can be made to assume any responsibility for what happened. If everyone was to treat Mei like she doesn't exist, it was over the moment Koichi approached her and tried talking to her, thus already acknowledging her existence. At that point it was already over.

The issue here is that they couldn't warn Koichi not to interact with Mei (never mind providing a coherent explanation for why he should do that), because said action in itself would have acknowledged Mei's existence. It was simply an unfortunate set of circumstances that Koichi was transferred to the class post Mei's selection as the "nonexistent" person, so him attempting to communicate with her was all but inevitable.

The blame here can't be laid at anyone's feet, no matter how people like to find an outlet for their anger, which is why Akazawa was acting unreasonable. She was simply airing her frustrations and looking for a scapegoat, which, while understandable (and perhaps even slightly sympathetic given her position), can't be commendable in any way. The few guys who called her out on it were completely right, because what she was saying doesn't hold up.

While it probably would have provided an outlet for the insecurities and anger of the class, which is much easier to do when you have something to focus said feelings on to (especially when you are essentially being told you wouldn't be wrong for doing so), it certainly isn't Mei's responsibility to serve as the convenient target for all that negativity, and take one for the greater good, just because Akazawa said so during her own moment of unreasonableness.

If anything, it's Akazawa who should offer an apology for essentially trying to rile up the class and presenting Mei as the faulty one and as if she owed something to anyone, when in fact Mei can't be in any reasonable way held accountable for the fact Koichi interacted with her and thus acknowledged her existence. It's completely beyond her control, and saying she could have done something to stop Koichi from approaching her is the very definition of unreasonable in this case. Objectivity wasn't on the table here, simple venting was.

On another note, count me among those who are slightly disappointed with Mei having an ability to see the dead. I feel it sort of cheapens the would-be detective aspect of them somehow trying to figure out who the "Another" is. I guess the show is nearing the end, and they need a target to implement their solution upon, but still ... I feel it would have been more involving to see the group try and figure it out on their own, not to mention much more tense - imagine them mustering the courage to kill the Another and going ahead with it based on whom they think it was, but no real way of confirming if they actually got the right one.

Is the person lying dead in front of them an actual zombie? An answer to their suffering? Did they just do the right thing by ending his/her life? Or were they wrong, and all they did was add another body to the ever-increasing pile of victims, a person who maybe didn't even have to die originally, blood on their hands with no justification that can't be reasoned away.

Having Mei paint a bullseye on someone's back takes away this tension though, and removes a good part of the potential dilemma. I'm sure taking the actual step won't be easy either way, possibly traumatic even, but this way offers a sense of security that wouldn't otherwise be there - as hard as the process might be, you know you aren't pulling the trigger on the wrong person, and the deaths will indeed stop by this.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Loli Misaki and Mei were diabetes material...

You know for those who are puzzling over her glass eye...you are missing the most important bit....that eye can move too with her normal one

[Liddo-kun]

Watched episode 10 today alone and at night. Seriously creepy episode.
Had to listen to some lively iDOLM@STER songs to remove some fear. *not kidding

Perhaps Mei should tell the whole class what her artificial eye can see..

[Skyfall]

Originally Posted by Liddo-kun

Perhaps Mei should tell the whole class what her artificial eye could do?

Would anyone believe that though, Koichi aside ? Remember how last episode even Teshigawara said he considers supernatural complete nonsense, aside from the phenomenon, so I don't think anyone would take that seriously. Worse, the reaction would probably be along the lines of ridiculing her for attention seeking or something, especially over such a serious matter.

Koichi is literally the first person Mei has told about it (not even her sister knew it), and she clearly isn't as unfazed or nonchalant as she outwardly appears. It's not something she would easily reveal to anyone, especially without having much in terms of proof to present. Who would take her word for it? Seriously enough to kill someone over it ? Koichi aside, I'm not sure if even the other duo of their group would.

[Liddo-kun]

Would anyone believe that though, Koichi aside ? Remember how last episode even Teshigawara said he considers supernatural complete nonsense, aside from the phenomenon, so I don't think anyone would take that seriously.

Ridicule and more cold stares from clasmates is possible.
But if things become desperate, she might as well try. The previous students of Class 3 tried many methods to counter the curse. Mei's eye presents another method that people can try.

Worse, the reaction would probably be along the lines of ridiculing her for attention seeking or something, especially over such a serious matter.

What I actually fear is that if Mei tries to reveal to class who the dead person person is.. the phenomenon would attempt to stop the revelation by killing her.

[AC-Phoenix]

About Mei's Artificial eye - how the hell is this supposed to work?
Please note how she said that she sees with ther artificial eye.

I actually looked it up yesterday, and there were no signs of an occular prethesis being able to heelp you gain even the slightest ability to see anything, especially not as clearly as Mei does.
A visual preothesis could do that, she wouldn't need a dolls eye for that though, another problem with it is that they have removed her original eye and the only know implant sending electronic pulses directly to the brain is easily identified as a prothesis...

[Liddo-kun]

Originally Posted by AC-Phoenix

About Mei's Artificial eye - how the hell is this supposed to work?
Please note how she said that she sees with ther artificial eye.

I actually looked it up yesterday, and there were no signs of an occular prethesis being able to heelp you gain even the slightest ability to see anything, especially not as clearly as Mei does.
A visual preothesis could do that, she wouldn't need a dolls eye for that though, another problem with it is that they have removed her original eye and the only know implant sending electronic pulses directly to the brain is easily identified as a prothesis...

I can only speculate that Mei's doll eye has a supernatural phenomenon affecting it as well - which allows it to see the "another" (dead person) among them.