First Impressions: Another (TV)

A bit late.

First Impressions: Opening

Didn’t really like the song too much; it’s by Ali Project. To most non Japanese speakers, their songs sound extremely similar; unfortunately, that’s the case with me. I didn’t really enjoy it too much; I’m simply too familiar to their songs. The song’s name is “Kyoumu Densen”.

First Impressions: Episode

The story begins by recounting a tale of the past; it’s essentially every generic high school horror story. This effectively places the timeline of anime in the past. I can assume that the story being told doesn’t exactly end well; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been passed down through the years.

Introduced to the main the character. I can speculate that he isn’t the generic teenage boy; not with logic, but through pure speculation. It appears that he’s in the hospital; it’s unknown whether or not he’s a repeat patient, or a new one. His Dad appears to be a traveler, his Mom on the other hand is presumed to be dead.

He gets visited by members of class. They quickly acquaint him with notes of the previous term. It appears that he’s transferring into their class for reasons unknown. However, they hesitate in using his last name; but instead, they request to call him by his first name. I’m assuming it’s because the last name has some sort of stigma, not because they’re being extremely friendly.

He uses the elevator at the hospital, and meets a strange girl holding what appears to be a doll. She appears to be mostly apathetic, he questions her and only gets her name. She departs the elevator saying an auspiciously bizarre phrase. Needless to say, she got off at the morgue.

Missing a floor; not sure whether or not it’s normal. Maybe it’s a different system in Japan; I don’t really know.

He returns home and talks to his Dad on the phone. It’s assumed that they have a good relationship; they appear to be friendly towards each other. It’s confirmed that his stay at the hospital was due mainly to a collapsed lung; which his father suffered from as a teenager too. There was no mention of his mother; which further asserts the assumption that she’s probably dead.

He’s being acquainted by a family member before heading off to school. She mentions that the residents of this small town tend to commit actions for the majority, not for the sole individual. This would suggest that everyone is relatively close-knit, and that they’ll stick together when a general consensus declares it.

He’s introduced to the class. The entire class is mostly silent and apathetic towards him; he spots the eye-patched girl at a seat by the window. The classmates and the teachers appear to the lack the ability to blink; I’m not sure if it’s lazy animation, or a catalyst to further extenuate an effect (such as making them appear like dolls).

Later on, the class appears to be much more lively. This basically rejuvenates the life within the seemingly “dead” classmates.

Later on during PE, he asks about the eye-patched girl he saw earlier; needless to say, the response was fearful. It does appear that the classmates are hiding something from him, as it was foretold through the subtle clues.

He spots the girl on the roof and interrogates her. She gives the deposition that his name is a harbinger of death. Ironically, she doesn’t hesitate in repeating his name, in a mocking manner. She appears to be the odd one out; and she’s also alluded to be a ghost. Hitting every cliche in the book.

First Impressions: Ending

The song didn’t especially stand out to me. Gave an opposite mood than the opening which was much faster paced; while this was a bit more somber and melancholic. It’s a good fit. It’s called “anamnesis” by Annabel.

First Impressions: Concluding Thoughts

I can’t exactly say that this pilot episode impressed me. I’m treating it more as a mystery anime, rather than a horror one. I’ll probably pick this up, not as a good series, but as a curiosity.

Also, it appears that Sakakibara is actually based off an actual person.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seito_Sakakibara