Another Episode 6 Thoughts

Notes on episode 6. Continuing my isolation from outside information and discussion. Spoilers through episode 6 present after the break.

No deaths this week, but the episode preview hints at a bloody incident in the next episode, at least. Instead, we get to learn a little more about Misaki and the circumstances of this years’ class 3. We also get a more info about the curse from Chibiki, the apparent chronologist of the all the class 3 deaths and the homeroom teacher of class 3 of 26 years ago.

Chibiki’s description of the curse—or phenomenon as he calls it—pushes us towards believing the supernatural side of things. His credibility can be questioned, but when his words mirror those of the students’ rumors about records and memories being altered, we have to pay attention. Unfortunately, the memory-altering phenomenon is difficult to reason in simplistic terms, especially given what little information we have. Therefore, the easiest explanation is no explanation at all: either deceit, misinformation or some other type of manipulation is afoul or Chibiki is smoking something good (what else is he going to do all day in a library annex, right?). It’s all too easy to blame the creepy old dude, so, for now anyways, I’ll choose to believe he’s unknowingly being manipulated to believe such things and isn’t directly involved with or even an accessory to any murders.

If the curse is just a fantastic rumor gone out of control or manipulated in such a way, then who really knows when the murders started? This opens up the door for more culprits since they don’t have to be around for the full 26 years. We can throw this out the window if Chibiki’s records are true, but it’s something to think about.

Other episode notes:

• Chibiki was the homeroom teacher for Sakakibara’s mom’s class aka the dumbass teacher that helped make believe that Yomiyama Misaki was still alive. Curse or not, that was just an asinine move for a teacher.
• One thing that Chibiki mentions is that the curse isn’t a curse since it has no malice. For someone that presumably recorded every death to say that points to there being no murderer. Then again, he isn’t exactly a detective; or maybe he’s just an idiot and/or crazy.
• Yomiyama Misaki is a guy. Perhaps it’s just a language discrepancy, but the translation for the cold open to episode 1 refers to Misaki as a girl. However, as it is with Japanese, he is always referred to as “Misaki” without any gender specific pronouns or gender-implying adjectives being used.
• Also, I’m going to start referring to her as simply Mei, with too many Misaki’s floating around now.
• Why would Ritsuko come back to Yomiyama knowing that Reiko might be subject to the curse? Maybe he simply didn’t know because she was in the original class (no deaths) and the rules prevented Reiko from telling her?
• Mei mentions Fujioka Misaki again. This prompted me to think about her death again. It is suspicious that more regarding her and her death hasn’t been revealed yet or whether she is April’s death. Mei’s words from episode 1 (“My poor other half”) also standout. Was she a really good friend? A sister?
• Perhaps related to the above, I was watching the episode 1 cold open again ad there appears to be a Misaki lookalike except with both eyes intact. Is this Fujioka Misaki? Perhaps they really are sisters? Twins even? Is she really dead?
• Please, keep following my train of thought. Perhaps, if Fujioka Misaki isn’t dead, maybe the whole “dead student disappearing” thing is really just a cover for some depraved kidnapping and/or murder thing.
• More uncanny phone interference (even with three bars). It usually occurs when Sakakibara is trying to get some juicy information that could relate to the curse; this time it occurs when they are trying to resolve the discrepancy in the last time Sakakibara was in Yomiyama. I think someone monitoring his phone might be too out there at this point, but it more than just a literary device at this point.
• Regardless, a “no Sakakibara, you are the dead persons” ending would be too boring at this point.
• I can’t blame Sakakibara for daydreaming about doing crazy shit with Misaki while the rest of the class is forced to ignore them. I’m just glad it was a fantasy as I’d be devastated if the gap moe born from Misaki’s usual gloomy disposition were to go away.
• Uh oh. Reiko getting all emotional with convenient memory loss can’t mean good things. It seriously seems like the woman is manipulating Sakakibara since she never gives him a complete explanation for anything.
• That crazy fucking bird.
• I think 95% of Sakakibara’s lines are questions. Maybe more, even.
• Mei seemed pretty popular at the art club. Perhaps she wasn’t so reserved before being ignored. Then again, she didn’t seem that way in this episode’s cold open.
• Speaking of which, who was Mei’s (assuming it was hers) painting of Kirika(?) cut by? At this point we have to believe Kirika has some sort of important role (besides being a milf). What with all the creepy dolls and such.
• Oh yeah, no creepy doll scene transitions this episode either.
• I really wish we could look over Chibiki’s class roster history. It would probably explain a lot of things. Pairing this with a countermeasure officer’s log that may or may not exist would explain even more.

Timeline - New entries in italics.

• 1972, 26 years ago - Sakakibara’s mother is in class 3-3.
• 1972, May - Yomiyama Misaki’s house burns down. His entire family dies. The events that initiate the curse occur.
• 1973, 25 years ago - Deaths start; 6 students, 10 family members.
• 1983, 15 years ago - Sakakibara’s mother dies. Aunt Reiko is in class 3-3.
• 1987~1988 - Four year old Misaki Mei loses her eye (assuming students in 9th grade are about 14-15 years old).
• 1988, 10 years ago - Ignoring one student found to prevent the deaths.
• 1996 - Ignoring countermeasure works until the ignored student cracks and demands to be recognized. This triggers the deaths. Mikami is the homeroom teacher.
• Episode 1
• April 25 - Sakakibara admitted(?) to hospital.
• April 26 - Visited by Akazawa, Kazami, and Sakuragi. Same day(?) meets Misaki in the elevator delivering doll, supposedly for Fujioka Misaki. Fujioka Misaki dies(?).
• April 28 - Sakakibara was supposed to start school.
• May 1 - Misaki Mei starts to be ignored by the rest of the class.
• May 6 - Sakakibara starts school. Akazawa is absent. Same day(?) meets Misaki on the roof.
• Episode 2 - No dates given.
• Episode 3
• May 18 - Discussion about exams and high school and such. Same day(?) walks home with Sakuragi. Sakuragi and Teshigawara let a few things about the story slip out. Later tries to talk with Reiko about the story.
• May 22 - Mizuno tells Sakakibara that the dead girl was named Fujioka Misaki.
• May 25-26 - Exams.
• May 26 - Sakuragi dies. Her mother also dies in an accident. Counts as May’s death?
• Episode 4
• June 2 - Sakakibara is at the hospital for a check up. Calls Teshigawara; ignored. Eats with Mizuno. Glass almost falls on him and Ayano. Meets Misaki in the doll shop again.
• June 3 - Sakakibara returns to school. Mizuno dies. Counts as June’s death?
• Episode 5
• June 4 - Misaki returns to class. Akazawa elected as female class representative. Class 3-3 decides to ignore Sakakibara (starting June 5?). Takabayashi dies. Counts as June’s death?
• June 5 - Sakakibara receives the class roster from Mochizuki. Meets with Misaki and more of class 3-3’s circumstances are revealed.
• Episode 6
• June 5 - Sakakibara’s visit to Misaki’s home continues. .
• June 6 - Sakakibara’s next scheduled check up (episode 4).
• June 8 - Sakakibara’s fantasizes about doing lewd things to Misaki in class.
• Insert passage of time montage.
• June/July - Visit art club. Chat with Chibiki about the curse.
• July 13 - Teacher goes batshit. From the preview, it looks like he kills himself, but it could be a student. July’s death?

The Curse

• Deaths start in April (I believe most Japanese schools start in April).
• At least one death per month following.
• Victims limited to class 3-3 students and their relatives. Must be within two generations and live in Yomiyama. Homeroom and assistant homeroom teachers can also die.
• Deaths occur when there is one more student than expected in class 3-3.
• The story of 26 years ago, particularly the part where class 3-3 pretends Yomiyama Misaki is still alive, started everything.
• Pretending Misaki was still alive brought the entire class closer to death.
• This in turn invites the dead to the class.
• The extra student is presumed to be someone connected to the class that died.
• The extra student is not the Misaki from 26 years ago.
• Superficial things like changing class name or location do not prevent the curse.
• Ignoring one student prevents the curse (how is the ignored chosen?).
• Answered: Dead student disappears after graduation. All memories of the dead student are lost (only class 3 students?).
  
• Answered: Deaths occur over summer break.
• All memories of the dead student’s time in class 3 are lost.

The Curse - Unknown Info

• Is there an extra student every year?
• Why did the curse stop partway in Reiko’s class?

Deaths - Coincidence or Not? - No new deaths to speculate this week.

1. Fujioka Misaki - Related to class 3-3 deaths? The only April death revealed so far, so probably safe to assume that her death is what initiated this years death. Not enough info given about her yet.
2. Sakuragi Yukari - Cause of death: Neck impaled by umbrella while falling down stairs. Chance of murder: Slim. Probably would not have died just from falling down the stairs, even if pushed or otherwise set up. Impossible to plan impalement by umbrella. If it was a murder, death was likely staged.
3. Sakuragi’s Mother - Cause of death: Automobile accident; run over? - Chance of murder: Moderate. At this point, there is no reason to believe it was anything but an accident, but of all the deaths so far this would be the easiest to execute.
4. Mizuno Sanae - Cause of death: Died from 8+ story fall due to being trapped in free-falling elevator. Chance of murder: Slim. The complexity of professionally rigging the elevator—to the level of eluding the skills of local police—while making sure she was inside when the failure occurs currently points to no murder. If working the night shift, she would be one of few employees present and probably the only one that would take a break on the roof, but even considering this, making sure the mechanism only fails when she is inside is much too technical, at this point.
5. Takabayashi Ikuo - Cause of death: Heart attack. Chance of murder: Almost none. Mostly likely a coincidence, more than any other death so far. Especially if you consider they revealed his health condition in episode 1. If it was a murder (through poison, tampered pacemaker, small bombs or whatever other means), one must consider the relevance of whether it was just a coincidence that he died in front of Sakakibara.
6. Homeroom teacher?